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The Backstreet Boys’ official Instagram account uploaded a photo of Kevin Richardson wearing a shapan (a traditional Kazakh coat) with a golden eagle perched on his hand, set against the backdrop of the Almaty mountains.

The photo appeared as a kind of answer to the ultimate question: «Where was Kevin while the other band members walked around Astana?» The caption to the photo read:

«You were asking where Kevin was…»

Four group members visited Baiterek, planted trees and relaxed in a local steam bathhouse. However, Richardson was not present at these events.

The Backstreet...

NephroPlus, an Indian chain of dialysis clinics specializing in treating patients with kidney failure, plans to invest $10 million to $15 million in projects in Kazakhstan, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. The agreement was reached during a meeting with Kazakhstan’s ambassador to India, Azamat Yeskarayev.

NephroPlus aims to launch joint projects in Kazakhstan and introduce its dialysis technologies to the country.

In addition to NephroPlus’s initiatives, another major Indian health care provider, Apollo Hospitals, also intends to expand into Kazakhstan.

Through its Apollo Medskills division, the company plans to open a dialysis center, establish...

Appearing on the National Mall this weekend, a satirical statue depicting Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands — titled «Best Friends Forever» — received much attention. An anonymous artist installed the piece, which was permitted to remain until Sunday night. Notably, a plaque accompanies the statue, lampooning the connection between Trump and Epstein.

This statue is part of a series of guerrilla art projects criticizing Trump, which includes works like the golden «Dictator Approved» statue crushing the Statue of Liberty’s crown. The series collectively addresses political commentary through provocative installations.

Meanwhile, the White House dismissed the display...

An investigation led by Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne and privacy protection officials found that short-video platform TikTok collected sensitive personal data from children and stated that the platform takes inadequate measures to prevent them from using the app, the BBC reported.

The Canadian investigation also found that hundreds of thousands of children gain access to TikTok every year, despite the company stating the app is intended for users over 13, while the personal information of many of them is used for marketing and content targeting purposes.

In turn, TikTok said it welcomed the investigation and added...

Israel has avoided immediate expulsion from European football thanks to U.S. support, according to the Israeli daily Israel Hayom.

Earlier this month, Israel Hayom reported, without citing sources, that UEFA’s Executive Committee might consider suspending Israel’s national team and clubs on Sept. 23. According to the outlet, this push, allegedly fueled by Qatar after its capital was attacked on Sept. 9, followed in the wake of escalating tensions.

In a later article, the newspaper said Israel’s UEFA position was preserved “following heavy pressure from diplomats, football association officials and other senior figures in the sport.” The...

Super Typhoon Ragasa, said to be the strongest storm of 2025, has claimed at least 14 lives in eastern Taiwan, with Sky News reporting at least 152 people missing, while Reuters puts the figure at around 129. Fatalities were also reported in the Philippines, according to Sky News.

The fatalities in Taiwan were concentrated in Hualien County, a popular tourist destination. The town of Guangfu in Hualien was reportedly engulfed by floodwaters after a barrier lake burst its banks on Sept. 23. According to Taiwan’s authorities, cited by media outlets, about 60 million tons of water were...

Kazakhstan has appeared on the global map of China Mobile International (CMI) for the first time, as its Akashi Data Center has been chosen as a strategic platform for developing digital infrastructure in Central Asia.

According to CMI, it plans to utilize Akashi’s Tier IV capacity (100 megawatt) as a backbone platform for servicing AI systems used by communication operators and government agencies.

During the recent CMI conference in Astana, Akashi Data Center CEO Vladislav Minkevich revealed why the partnership with CMI is vital for Kazakhstan.

«Today we made a decisive move. Akashi has received its...

FIFA is considering expanding the 2030 tournament to 64 teams, according to the Argentine sports outlet Olé. The organization is expected to back a proposal from the South American football confederation, CONMEBOL, to increase the number of participants.

The World Cup, marking the 100th anniversary of the first tournament, was originally set to be hosted mainly by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. To commemorate the centenary, FIFA awarded one match each to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay — the nations associated with the inaugural 1930 World Cup.

But South American officials want more than a symbolic role. Their proposal...

A study out of Japan may disappoint die-hard ramen fans. Researchers in Yamagata Prefecture, the region where ramen is consumed most frequently, found that eating the dish too often is associated with a higher risk of death.

The findings, recently published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, showed that people who ate ramen once or twice a week had the lowest risk of developing the condition. But those who indulged three or more times a week faced a 1.5 times higher likelihood of dying.

An elevated risk also appeared among people who ate ramen less than...

The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages federal property and procurement, is asking hundreds of its former employees who lost their jobs earlier this year to return to work. These workers, let go under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, are expected to decide by the end of the week. If they choose to come back, they will resume work at GSA on Oct. 6. The move follows significant workforce reductions earlier in the year, according to the Associated Press.

Starting in March, the GSA reduced its staff by thousands through layoffs...

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a speech at the General Debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York and called for a deep reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Strategic necessity

According to the president, the crisis of trust in multilateral institutions calls for urgent changes.

«In this regard, comprehensive reform of the United Nations is a strategic necessity, not a subject for endless contemplations… A central pillar of this bold effort to renew the UN should be a reform of the Security Council,» Tokayev stated.

The...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a visit to the U.S., emphasized his readiness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazakhstan, as stated in an interview with Fox News.

Responding to a question about a neutral meeting location, Zelenskyy listed several options — including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Austria and Switzerland — and reiterated his openness to such an idea.

«Even if you want somewhere like Kazakhstan. We are ready. That’s it,» he said.

This willingness to consider Kazakhstan follows earlier reports this month that Zelenskyy declined an invitation to meet Putin in Moscow...

Kazakhstani online therapy service Sezim and international ride-hailing company inDrive have announced their partnership. From now on, inDrive users can consult with psychologists for free via Sezim.

Sezim is Kazakhstan’s first anonymous online psychotherapy service, with more than 80 mental health professionals on the platform conducting around 1,500 consultations each month.

Starting in September, inDrive users who have experienced incidents can contact the company’s support service and will then be granted access to free consultations via Sezim.

inDrive is the first company to partner with Sezim not to support its employees, but its customers. Previously, Sezim has worked with over...

Kazakhstan has launched its first tenge-pegged stablecoin for use in cryptocurrency exchanges and crypto card payments.

The pilot project was rolled out under the National Bank’s regulatory sandbox. National Bank Chairman Timur Suleimenov announced that Intebix, one of the sandbox participants, will issue the tenge-backed stablecoin in partnership with Solana, Mastercard and Eurasian Bank.

The regulator states that the stablecoin aims to facilitate crypto trading and enable transactions with payment cards linked to digital assets.

Stablecoins are a class of cryptocurrency whose value remains relatively stable, unlike highly volatile tokens such as Bitcoin. They...

Kazakhstani IT company TrustExam.ai, locally known as Qylyq.kz, has reached an agreement with the U.K.’s Driving Instructors Association (DIA) to introduce its AI for driving tests in the country. The deal was finalized following the company’s participation in London Tech Week in June 2025.

Supported by Astana Hub and the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the U.K., TrustExam.ai showcased its product at an exhibition in London. Their AI solution will now make driving tests for car drivers and motorcyclists in the U.K. simpler, fairer and faster. Applicants will be able to take tests without long waits, while exam...

A surge of social media posts, mainly on TikTok, has reignited debate over predictions regarding the Christian doctrine of the Rapture, especially relating to 2025.

Understanding the Rapture
The Rapture is a belief among some Protestant groups, particularly American evangelicals. According to this teaching, when Christ returns, believers — living and resurrected — are taken up to meet Jesus in the air in «the twinkling of an eye.»

While «rapture» is not in the Bible, it stems from the Latin rapiemur in the Vulgate translation of the Greek harpazō, meaning «to seize» or «caught up.» The idea is...

Authorities in the South Korean city of Suwon, the capital of Gyeonggi Province south of Seoul, have launched an initiative to give the city a more «Korean» look by announcing a subsidy program to encourage small business owners to prioritize signboards in the Korean alphabet Hangul, rather than in foreign languages, The Korea Times reported.

Authorities plan to allocate up to $1,450 per shop to cover expenses for redesign and installation, with approximately 18 businesses to be chosen in the first round. Applications are open until Oct. 10. The initiative also allows shops to keep foreign words if...

The Backstreet Boys shared photos from Kazakhstan’s capital after their concerts in Almaty and Astana. One of their activities was unwinding in a local steam bathhouse.

Photos of four group members wearing sauna hats, steaming and plunging into a pool were uploaded to the boy band’s Instagram.

«Found some time to kick back and relax in between our shows in Kazakhstan,» the caption read.

Earlier...

Kazakhstan aims to become one of the top three global sunflower oil exporters by 2028, according to Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov.

At a recent government meeting, Saparov said that the industry targets $1 billion in annual revenue by 2028 and seeks to rank among the top three global suppliers of sunflower oil.

The ministry has developed a new industry roadmap designed to boost the oilseed sector. The plan calls for scaling up production and making fuller use of existing processing capacity.

According to Saparov, Kazakhstan has harvested approximately 700,000 tons of oilseed crops so far this...

Disney announced Monday that «Jimmy Kimmel Live» will return to ABC on Tuesday. The show faced a six-day suspension after controversy over the remarks Kimmel made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University. During his monologue, Kimmel suggested that conservatives tried to frame Kirk’s accused killer in political terms, according to Reuters.

The decision to suspend the show sparked backlash from both political parties and consumer groups. Some Disney+ subscribers canceled their service in protest. Prominent Republicans and Democrats also criticized threats of regulatory action from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who...

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is nearing the end of his tenure with a mixed record, as questions mount over his effectiveness in addressing some of the world’s most pressing crises, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Guterres, who took office on Jan. 1, 2017, will step down next year after eight years in the role. Critics say his time in office has been defined less by bold achievements than by stalled diplomacy and a U.N. Security Council often paralyzed by geopolitical divisions.

Some of his most high-profile decisions have frustrated member states. At the start...

Crocs has prepared a surprise for horror movie fans, announcing the limited Classic Clog Horror Pack 2025 to celebrate Halloween. The line consists of three pairs referencing iconic characters from classic horror films.

The new collection pays tribute to three legendary antagonists. White clogs with blood splatters reference Jason Voorhees from «Friday the 13th» — the infamous maniac in a hockey mask. A model designed to resemble denim overalls with bright stripes and weapon-themed Jibbitz charms honors Chucky, the killer doll from the «Child’s Play» franchise.

A pair featuring a creepy clown face, red rosettes, and «bloodstains» unmistakably resembles Pennywise

Muscovites are buzzing about one of this fall’s biggest openings: a North Korean restaurant called Pyongyang. It is the first such venture from the DPRK in Moscow in 15 years.

Singing for Kim Jong Un

Locals say the restaurant occupies the space of the former Verba eatery. The name isn’t displayed in neon but handwritten in marker on a piece of paper taped to the counter. Inside, the atmosphere is distinct: North Korean television plays on screens, Pyongyang magazines are scattered on tables, and each evening the soundtrack features Russian pop singer Shaman performing for Kim Jong Un.

Super Typhoon Ragasa, the strongest storm of 2025, battered the northern Philippines with winds of up to 285 kilometers per hour, prompting mass evacuations and nationwide shutdowns of schools and offices, according to the BBC.

The government warned of deadly surges, floods and landslides as the storm tore through the Babuyan Islands on Monday, ripping roofs and toppling trees. The danger remains, officials said, even as Ragasa slightly weakens.

Currently, Ragasa races toward southern China, where authorities warn of potential infrastructure damage, power outages and transportation disruptions. Shenzhen will evacuate 400,000 people, while Hong Kong braces for...