News

An Astana resident allegedly promised 13 people a Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca but instead collected money under false pretenses, according to Polisia.kz.

Authorities said the suspect, who worked for a travel company, claimed he would arrange visas and airline tickets. However, he never organized the trip.

Read also: A pilgrimage on wheels: Kazakh man cycles 8,000 km to Medina.

Police have launched a pretrial investigation and detained the suspect, a 27-year-old travel company employee.

«Currently, 13 incidents have been identified. The total financial damage amounts to...

On March 20, BTS, the globally recognized K-pop band, returned with the long-anticipated album «Arirang,» announced on Jan. 4, marking the group’s first full-length album since «Be» was released in 2020.

The album’s 14 tracks, led by the single «SWIM,» are already available on major streaming services, including Apple Music and Spotify. Prominent producers were involved in the album’s production, including Diplo, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Mike WiLL Made-It and Ryan Tedder.

However, the hype is set to continue on March 21 with the BTS The Comeback...

Kazakhstan is seeing its largest influx of immigrants from China in eight years. In 2025, about 2,600 people from China relocated to the country for permanent residence, a 29% increase year-on-year, according to the DataHub Telegram channel, citing the Bureau of National Statistics.

Ethnic Kazakhs dominate arrivals

Nearly all, about 99%, of those arriving from China are ethnic Kazakhs. However, most are choosing not to apply for official «kandas» status.

Read also: High demand for Kazakhstani citizenship after Ukraine war: What’s the cost?

That designation, which is intended for ethnic Kazakh...

A member of Kazakhstan’s lower house of Parliament, Abutalip Mutali, has raised concerns about the environmental impact of packaging used by large online marketplaces. He outlined the issue in a parliamentary inquiry addressed to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.

Read also: E-commerce marketplaces begin to phase out sellers.

Mutali said the growing volume of deliveries has led to increased use of non-eco-friendly materials, creating additional strain on the environment.

Rising waste and emissions

According to the lawmaker, large amounts of plastic, film and cardboard used in packaging are often discarded immediately after delivery, contributing...

Halyk Bank, Kazakhstan’s largest bank by assets, has not completed its planned acquisition of a 49% stake in Uzbek payment service Click within the expected timeframe, according to materials prepared for the bank’s upcoming annual general meeting of shareholders scheduled for April 23.

Deal terms and timeline

The bank announced the transaction in summer 2025 as part of its expansion into Uzbekistan’s financial sector. The agreement included plans for Halyk Bank to acquire a 49% stake in Click for $176.4 million, while also selling a 49% stake in its Uzbek subsidiary, Tenge Bank, to...

Scientists in Kazakhstan are working on a low-cost dietary supplement derived from tomatoes, aimed at supporting cancer prevention. The project also incorporates pumpkin seed powder and safflower oil, according to the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture.

The research is being conducted by the Kazakh Research Institute of Processing and Food Industry.

Focus on affordability and prevention

The team’s goal is to produce an accessible supplement with strong antioxidant properties that may help reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Read also: Can we truly end cancer as we know it?

An individual was arrested after entering the enclosure of well-known pygmy hippo Moo Deng, which went viral on social media in 2024, at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, the Bangkok Post reported.

The incident occurred on March 17. The man, later identified as a Thai national, entered the enclosure of Moo Deng and her mother Jona while holding a tablet. He remained there briefly before being noticed by zoo staff.

According to a statement posted by the zoo on Facebook, the intruder used a restricted staff-only area while employees were busy with animal...

A moderate-to-strong geomagnetic storm, classified as G2 to G3, is expected today, according to astronomers at the Laboratory of X-Ray Astronomy of the Sun.

The forecast follows confirmation that a plasma cloud from an M-class solar flare on March 16 is approaching Earth.

Understanding storm intensity

Geomagnetic storms are measured on a five-level scale. A G1 storm is considered minor, G2 is moderate, and G3 is strong. Higher-level storms can disrupt communications, navigation systems, and power infrastructure.

Potential health effects

Experts note that people who are sensitive to changes in weather or geomagnetic conditions may experience discomfort during...

OpenClaw, a new open-source AI agent, has quickly gained popularity in China. People of all ages, from students to retirees, are using it, according to a Reuters report.

Created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger, the tool was first introduced in November under a different name before being renamed OpenClaw. It allows users to connect different software and hardware systems and learn from data with limited human input, and has since become one of the fastest-growing projects on GitHub.

In China, users often refer to their AI agents as «lobsters» and use the tool to organize information, build applications...

Starting July 11, a new international flight connecting Vietnam, the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan will be launched, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport press service reported.

Vietnamese carrier VietJet Air is set to launch the service on the Hanoi -Almaty-Prague route, to be operated twice a week using Airbus A330 aircraft.

This is a significant development for Kazakhstan, as it marks the first direct flights between Prague and Almaty.

The route will operate under the Open Skies regime, which facilitates the entry of foreign carriers into the market and the launch of new routes.

Cuba’s national power grid collapsed Monday, leaving nearly the entire population of about 11 million people without electricity. The outage underscored the island’s worsening energy crisis, driven by aging infrastructure and fuel shortages.

Much of Cuba’s electricity system depends on oil-fired plants, many of them outdated. Disruptions tied to U.S. restrictions on fuel imports have contributed to recurring breakdowns and widespread outages. The situation has triggered rare violent protests, Tangle reported.

Trump weighs stronger action

Amid the turmoil, Donald Trump has publicly floated the idea of taking control of what he described as a...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the U.S. auto safety regulator, is taking a closer look at Tesla’s driver-assistance technology after several crashes, one of which was fatal, Reuters reported.

The investigation now includes about 3.2 million Tesla vehicles, which is nearly every car sold by the company in the U.S. If a safety problem is found, this review could lead to a recall or other legal action.

The main focus of the investigation is Tesla’s «degradation detection» feature. This tool is supposed to spot poor visibility and tell drivers to take control of the car.

The regulator...

A famous story of human kindness from a decade ago has been cast in metal, with a new art installation built over the riverbed of the Big Almaty River, which flows into the Sayran reservoir.

The sculptural composition recreates the moment of a dog rescue that touched millions of social media users in 2016, when a dog fell into the reservoir and a young man climbed down to reach it but could climb back up the steep revetment. Bystanders formed a human chain by linking arms and managing to pull out both the dog and the man.

A video of...

Four-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus revealed the composition of her team, which includes her fiancé, Brazilian entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis, and her puppy Ash, in a short interview with the Miami Open.

«I have a huge team. I have two coaches, a fitness coach, a hitting partner, a manager, agents. I have a statistics guy. I have a physio, of course. …no mental coach, my whole team is my mental coach and I’m a coach for them. So that’s how we get stronger,» the World No...

The U.S. government registered the domain aliens.gov on Wednesday, sparking speculation about its intended purpose. While it could be tied to immigration enforcement, that explanation appears unlikely, according to reporting by 404 Media.

The domain is not yet linked to an active website. Its registration follows remarks made about a month earlier by Donald Trump, who said he planned to push for the release of government records related to extraterrestrial life and UFOs.

Read also: Trump has a ‘handsome double’ living in the Urals.

Reports of UFOs — now...

Visitors to the Eiffel Tower can now experience a new perspective of the landmark through a recently opened suspension bridge installed between its east and west pillars, as reported by Euronews.

The attraction, known as «The Vertigo of the Tower,» spans 40 meters and is located nearly 60 meters above the ground on the monument’s first floor. The structure is fully enclosed in mesh and constructed with more than 25,000 panels.

Access to the bridge is included with any Eiffel Tower ticket. Visitors must scan a QR code on-site to reserve a time slot for up to 60 minutes...

Cybersecurity researchers from Lookout, iVerify and Google have identified a sophisticated spyware tool, named «Darksword,» capable of infiltrating Apple iPhones and stealing sensitive data, including cryptocurrency wallet information, Reuters reported.

The finding follows another recent iPhone spyware case, highlighting a growing market for advanced hacking tools targeting Apple devices. Earlier this month, Google and iVerify reported a separate spyware tool called «Coruna,» with Darksword later found on the same servers.

According to Google, Darksword has been used in multiple campaigns by commercial vendors and suspected state-linked actors, targeting users in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia and Ukraine.

Researchers said...

Trainers in application development for Apple platforms will be trained in Kazakhstan. The program will be launched as part of an initiative by Astana Hub and Apple, the technology park said in a statement.

Astana Hub and Apple are launching the Training of Trainers program in Kazakhstan, based at the Apple Authorized Training Centre for Education (AATCe), with instruction taking place at the alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center.

The training is scheduled to begin in May 2026. Participants will take part in an intensive four-day bootcamp led by an Apple-certified international trainer.

Eligible candidates must have...

Pop Mart has announced a partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop a feature film based on its popular character Labubu, marking a significant step in the company’s efforts to expand beyond collectible toys into broader entertainment ventures, Reuters reported.

The planned film will be directed and produced by filmmaker Paul King, known for «Paddington,» «Paddington 2» and «Wonka.» The movie will combine live-action and CGI elements.

Labubu, a distinctive «ugly-cute» character created by artist and writer Kasing Lung, first appeared in Lung’s 2015 picture book series «The Monsters Trilogy.» Lung will serve as an executive producer...

Kazakh lawmaker Bakytzhan Bazarbek has proposed introducing a dedicated day for civil servants’ self-development, during which they would be freed from all work-related duties.

«We are now a nation that uses social media. We are not a reading nation,» Bazarbek said. «How many times has the president said, ‘You need to read books, you need to read books’? Therefore, my personal proposal is that, in the future — whether as part of this new draft law [on civil service] or separately — Friday or any other day of the week be fully designated as a day...

History shows that economists and researchers have struggled to accurately predict how new technologies will affect jobs and workers. Even experts currently studying artificial intelligence in the workplace acknowledge that their projections are informed but uncertain, according to a recent report by The Washington Post.

Shift from blue-collar to white-collar disruption

Unlike previous waves of automation, which primarily affected factory and trade workers, the rise of AI is expected to disrupt white-collar professions first. Roles involving cognitive and administrative tasks are increasingly exposed to automation.

New approach to measuring AI risk

Researchers from GovAI, a technology policy group...

Kuanysh Amangali left his hometown of Uralsk in western Kazakhstan at 15 to study in the capital, Astana. He enrolled at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School, beginning an independent life at a young age.

As the eldest of four children, he faced early responsibility. His first years in the capital were challenging — moving from a structured boarding school environment, where housing and meals were provided, to renting accommodation while continuing his studies.

A difficult start in IT

After graduating, Kuanysh entered Astana IT University, part of its first cohort of about 600 students. He chose information technology largely because his...

Renowned British designer John Galliano has officially announced his return to fashion, partnering not with a traditional luxury house but with Spanish retailer Zara, according to Vogue.

From haute couture to mass market

Galliano is known for his dramatic, theatrical approach to design and deep ties to high fashion. He led Dior for 15 years and, more recently, redefined runway presentations at Maison Margiela, turning them into immersive artistic performances. His departure from Margiela in 2024 marked the end of a notable era.

Read also: How...

The World Cup cross-country event in Oslo featured what seemed to be one of the strangest races in the history of ski sports. British athlete Gabriel Gledhill, 23, turned the challenging 50-kilometer course into a «party.»

Around the third lap, Gledhill decided that competing was boring and began accepting «gifts» from spectators, who offered the skier all sorts of things.

These included more than a dozen bottles of beer, a few shots of strong liquor and snus — smokeless tobacco popular in Scandinavian countries. Moreover, the athlete downed mouthwash. As Gledhill told local media, he mistook it for a drink...