News

World champion Magnus Carlsen drew mixed reactions after a brief incident involving Kazakh player Alua Nurman at the Grenke Chess Festival in Germany.

Pre-match selfie sparks dispute

Before their face-to-face game, Nurman took out her phone and asked Carlsen for a selfie. He agreed and smiled for the photo. Shortly afterward, however, he approached tournament arbiters and requested that her phone be confiscated, World Chess reported. Officials removed the device, and Carlsen went on to win the match.

A hydrocarbon field comparable in scale to the Kashagan oil field could be discovered at significant depths on the Zhylyoi platform, according to Kurmangazy Iskaziyev, first deputy CEO of KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company.

Exploration is expected to target depths of between 5 and 9 kilometers.

Large-scale resource potential

Iskaziyev said the company’s strategic focus is the Zhylyoi carbonate platform and the broader carbonate basin, including Karaton, Kazhygali and Zhylyoi.

He estimated the total resource potential of the massif at about 4.7 billion tons of hydrocarbons, noting that its geological potential is...

On April 3, the skies over Antalya, Turkey, turned orange due to a powerful dust storm. The phenomenon was most noticeable in Alanya, where the city looked as if it were in the desert, Antalya Hakkinda reported.

The phenomenon was caused by dust from North Africa, carried across the Mediterranean Sea by strong winds. Earlier, the same dust cloud reached Crete and parts of Greece, where the sky also turned red.

@antalyahakkindaresmi Antalya’nın Alanya ilçesinde çöl tozu etkili oluyor. #antalya

A man in Uzbekistan bought his wife a solid-gold toilet as a present, but the gift didn’t win her admiration. The product weighs around 29 kilograms and is made of 999 fine gold.

Since the reception wasn’t what he’d hoped for, the man decided to sell it to a pawnshop.

A video spreading across social media shows the man bringing the toilet to gold buyers, where they reveal its weight and fineness. The pawn shop estimated the product at roughly $4.5 million.

Toyota, Japan’s largest automaker, is set to sell its U.S.-manufactured Tundra and Highlander models in Japan, having already started with Tokyo, the company said in a press release.

Sales of the Tundra pickup truck and the Highlander SUV began in Tokyo on April 2, with planned expansion across Japan in the summer of 2026. The pickup is produced at Toyota’s plant in Texas, and the Highlander is manufactured in Indiana.

The development became possible due to a new system, effective since Feb. 16, 2026, that allows vehicles manufactured in the U.S. to be sold in Japan...

Kazakhstan’s service sector showed signs of recovery in March, as the headline Freedom Holding Corp. PMI Business Activity Index rose from 48.0 in February to 49.2. This indicates a softer and only slight decline in output across the sector.

Recovering demand and new clients

The milder decline in service sector output was supported by a marginal but renewed increase in new business. Following a moderate contraction in the previous survey period, new orders expanded in March. Respondents attributed the increase to new client acquisitions and improving underlying demand conditions.

Although the upturn was only slight, growth has now been recorded...

A furry «employee» – a cat wearing a collar and tie – has recently appeared at a hotel in Tashkent.

The whiskered «manager» has quickly become a local attraction. Visitors say he comes out into the lobby in the evenings to greet guests. Commenters joke that the cat can handle almost any request like a true manager — as long as payment comes in the form of treats.

«It seems the cat is even eligible for a loan,» «He looks like a real boss — so handsome,» «Now I have to fly to Tashkent just...

LEGO has released an ad timed to the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, featuring football’s biggest stars.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. appear in the video alongside their LEGO mini-figure counterparts.

In the video, the footballers sit around a table, building the World Cup trophy, each attempting to place his mini-figure on top. At the end, a teenager steps in, puts his figure on top and completes the assembly.

A Kazakhstani citizen, Timur Kalin, has appealed to the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan seeking permission to use marijuana at home, arguing that it is a private matter. The court declined to consider his claim.

Read also: Cannabis whiplash: As Thailand bans pot, Kazakhstan bets on industrial cultivation.

The case began after Kalin was fined and placed under medical supervision for cannabis use. He disputed the penalty and said he would challenge it publicly.

The man argued that he had not used marijuana in a public place, had not disturbed...

A court in Astana has heard a case filed by a citizen seeking to change his recorded ethnicity to that of his grandmother in order to participate in Germany’s resettlement program.

The man attempted to change his ethnicity from Italian to German but was denied, as his father is ethnically Italian and his mother is Russian. In Kazakhstan, ethnicity is typically determined based on parental background. As a result, he appealed the decision in court.

During the hearing, the plaintiff stated that his paternal grandmother is of German origin and argued that Kazakhstani law allows for changes in ethnicity under...

Kazakh highway operator KazAvtoZhol has started equipping toll roads with laser systems designed to reduce nighttime accident rates and help drivers traveling on long, monotonous journeys.

‘Safety light’ locations

The installation is underway on 22 sections of major highways, including:

and other heavily used routes.

How it works

Special equipment projects bright lines of light onto the road ahead of the vehicle. This is more than just decoration: lasers create clear visual cues where road markings may be difficult to see in low-light conditions, fog or snow.

The technology’s...

Murat Abenov, a member of the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, has criticized an initiative to soften punishment for Kazakh citizens who fought in foreign wars as mercenaries. He described the proposal as a threat to national security.

«A mercenary is a professional killer. He does not act out of a sense of duty to his homeland, but leaves the country and may later serve hostile forces or terrorist groups that pose a threat to us,» the MP said.

What will happen when mercenaries return?

According to Abenov, individuals who fought abroad...

Pseudo-religious figures on social media are undermining national values and threatening social stability, Kazakh lawmaker Yermurat Bapi has warned in a parliamentary inquiry addressed to the prosecutor general of Kazakhstan.

Concerns over online religious content

Bapi said cases of propaganda linked to what he described as destructive religious movements are becoming more frequent.

He cited a recent online podcast in which a man, not affiliated with official religious institutions and identifying himself as an imam, claimed to have multiple wives and said he had «given» one of them to a student.

According to Bapi, such...

Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life, yet it remains surrounded by misconceptions and unnecessary fears. Here’s what you need to know — and what to ignore.

What happens during menopause

Menopause marks the end of menstrual cycles. During this time, the ovaries reduce production of estrogen and progesterone, leading to hormonal changes that can affect the menstrual cycle, body temperature, mood, sleep, skin and bone health.

Myth 1: Menopause starts suddenly

In reality, menopause is preceded by a transitional phase known as perimenopause, which can last several years. During this period, cycles may...

A priest in Almaty has unexpectedly become a social media sensation, with his videos drawing thousands of views and lively reactions from users.

Simple guidance draws wide audience

Ioann Popov, who serves at St. Sophia Cathedral of the Iversky-Seraphim Monastery, posts videos explaining church practices in simple terms. His content covers topics such as how to make the sign of the cross, approach the altar and behave during services.

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are preparing to sign an intergovernmental agreement to develop the Middle Corridor (TITR), a trade route connecting China and Europe that bypasses Russia.

Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov made the statement at a meeting of the heads of government of the Organization of Turkic States on April 2, 2026. He said the document is expected to be signed by the end of 2026.

What is the Middle Corridor

The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, is a logistics network connecting China and Europe through Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Turkey outside Russian...

What would a wedding between Hollywood stars Tom Holland and Zendaya look like if it followed traditional Kazakh customs?

Read also: Why Zendaya fans are convinced she’s expecting.

A Threads user, sirim.axangali, posed that question to artificial intelligence, generating a series of images depicting the couple’s wedding and related ceremonies. The results are both visually striking and surprisingly realistic.

Betashar ceremony reimagined

One of the central moments is the betashar — a traditional ceremony in which the bride is formally introduced to her husband’s family. The ritual...

Croatia will take part in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons at the Shygys site in the Aktobe region, western Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Energy reported.

The contract was signed by the ministry, KazMunayGas and Geoenergija Razvoj d.o.o — a subsidiary of the Croatian Hydrocarbon Agency — during the Geoscience and Exploration Central Asia international forum.

The project will be implemented on a parity basis (50/50), while Croatian investors will fully cover geological exploration costs.

The sides plan to conduct a 500-kilometer 2D seismic survey and drill a 3,500-meter-deep exploration well, marking...

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade, Chinese company Fujian Hengwang Investment plans to build a large steel plant in the country. The announcement followed a visit to China by Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev.

The company is ready to invest about $1.2 billion in the project, with a planned capacity of up to 3 million tons of steel per year. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to create 2,500 jobs and supply steel to both domestic and international markets.

In May 2024, some media outlets reported that the Shymkent administration signed a memorandum with Fujian...

Several hours into the flight following the successful launch of the Artemis II mission to the Moon, astronauts faced minor but noticeable difficulties — their toilet malfunctioned during the long journey.

According to Space.com, the space toilet, designed for 10 days of flight, partially went out of service.

NASA said that the issue affected the urine collection. At the same time, the toilet still operated partially, allowing astronauts to use it for solid waste. Within several hours, the crew had to fix the device using instructions from the...

Hershey announced it will return to classic recipes for all Reese’s products starting in 2027, following criticism over the use of alternative ingredients in some items, The Associated Press reported.

The decision follows public criticism from Brad Reese, grandson of H.B. Reese, who founded Reese’s in 1919 and created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in 1928. Earlier this year, Reese raised concerns about changes to the brand’s ingredients by Hershey, which acquired his grandfather’s business in 1963.

Hershey acknowledged modifying some recipes but said the adjustments were part of efforts to respond to evolving consumer preferences. The company also...

Shares of Pop Mart International Group Ltd., the Chinese toymaker whose Labubu monsters became a global sensation last year, have come under sustained pressure. Over five trading sessions following the company’s latest earnings report, its share price declined by more than 30%, continuing a broader downturn from its August peak. The company has now lost nearly 60% of its market value, or about $33 billion in capitalization, Bloomberg reported.

Investor sentiment has weakened as results highlighted the company’s growing reliance on its Labubu character. The Labubu-led Monsters series accounted for around 40% of total revenue last year, up...

A report by Euronews claiming that Irish actress Jessie Buckley has been cast as the next James Bond was nothing more than an April Fools’ article, although some might have wanted the news to be true.

The widely shared story suggested that Buckley would replace Daniel Craig as 007, marking a historic shift in the franchise. It also referenced ongoing speculation around potential successors, including several actors previously linked to the role.

However, the report was satirical and not based on any official announcement.

In 2025, Amazon MGM Studios took control of the franchise, with its longtime producers...

Igor Martynyuk, an 11th-grade student from Pavlodar, northern Kazakhstan, has developed a digital AI-powered assistant, TabAI. The service analyzes employees’ on-screen activity, helping to manage workflows and organize tasks more efficiently.

«The product addresses multitasking and overloading with information,» Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education press service said in a statement.

Reception and recognition

Around 20,000 users worldwide already use the digital assistant. The project raised $35,000 in investment at the start without revenue. Furthermore, it received a grant from Google to develop technical infrastructure.

What’s next

Martynyuk became...