News

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the U.S. and North Korea could «get along» if Washington recognizes Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear power, the BBC reported.

Speaking to delegates at the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, Kim urged the U.S. to respect North Korea’s nuclear status and abandon its «hostile policy.» He said the future of relations «depends entirely on the U.S. attitude» and that North Korea is ready for either «peaceful coexistence or permanent confrontation.»

Kim also rejected any prospect of improved relations with South Korea, calling it the North’s «most hostile...

Pope Leo XIV spoke out against the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the preparation of homilies. He made this statement during a meeting with the clergy of the Roman diocese.

As he noted, sermons should be a matter of careful reflection, not the work of neural networks.

«All muscles of the body, if we do not use them, they die. The brain must also be exercised, so our intellect needs some practice,» the pontiff said.

The Pope emphasized that no chatbot can replace a living priest, because faith cannot be spread via algorithms.

U.S. technology companies, including Google, OpenAI and Anthropic, have reported an increase in so-called «model extraction» or «distillation» attacks, which they say are being used by Chinese AI firms to replicate their systems, Euronews reported.

Distillation is a method in which a smaller AI model learns from the outputs of a more advanced model. AI developers often use this technique to make their own systems more efficient. However, companies like Anthropic warn that others can misuse this approach by collecting large numbers of responses to train cheaper, competing models.

Anthropic claims that Chinese companies DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and...

Discord, a messaging and voice chat platform for gamers, has issued a statement after user criticism over the previously announced «teen-by-default» setting for everyone and the age verification rollout planned for March 2026.

Discord Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy wrote in a blog post acknowledging that the team failed to explain the changes clearly.

The company decided to postpone the rollout of the age verification checks until the second half of 2026. Vishnevskiy noted that «over 90% of users will never need to verify their age to continue using Discord exactly as they do...

An investigative court in Almaty has authorized the two-month pretrial detention of former Kazakh clergyman Iakov Vorontsov, his lawyer, Galym Nurpeissov, said.

Vorontsov faces charges of organizing a drug den and possessing illegal substances. The Almaty City Court’s press service declined to comment, citing investigative secrecy.

Background and public profile

Vorontsov gained national attention in February 2022 after signing an open letter calling for peace in Ukraine alongside other Orthodox clergy.

Read also: Preaching Doomsday? In Kazakhstan, that’ll cost you.

He was suspended from ministry in...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy supports a proposal to abolish incentives for renewable energy development projects, Deputy Energy Minister Sungat Yessimkhanov said.

Shift from support to market parity

Yessimkhanov said government incentives were justified during the early stages of renewable energy development but may no longer be necessary.

By the end of 2025, renewable energy sources accounted for about 7% of Kazakhstan’s total electricity generation, a level that reflects a mature sector rather than one still in development, he said.

«As a result, we will gradually move toward equal conditions for all energy...

The United Kingdom has expanded its anti-Russian sanctions list, adding 240 companies, seven individuals and 50 ships, including three entities linked to Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom and two employees of its subsidiaries.

Read also: Why Russia’s Rosatom is the undisputed pick for Kazakhstan’s first nuclear plant.

The updated sanctions list includes Rosatom Energy Projects, REIN Engineering and Rusatom Overseas, as well as Rosatom Energy Projects CEO Andrey Rozhdestvin and Rusatom Overseas President Ilya Vergizayev.

Sanctions tied to overseas nuclear projects

According to a statement from the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth...

Kazakh lawmaker Askhat Rakhimzhanov has called for an investigation into possible contacts between Kazakh officials and Jeffrey Epstein, as well as an assessment of potential national security risks.

Read also: Twisted artifacts found in Epstein files: Russian lullaby & Bill Clinton in drag.

According to Rakhimzhanov, publication of the so-called «Epstein files» has triggered international scrutiny. He said the released documents reference members of Kazakhstan’s political elite associated with what is often described as «Old Kazakhstan.»

Concerns over national reputation

The MP said ignoring the issue would...

Andorra could become a partner of the Eurasian Mountain Resorts Alliance in the future, and cooperation with Grandvalira Resorts may be established.

For now, the development remains an preliminary: the parties have signed a memorandum of cooperation expressing their readiness to discuss joint projects and share expertise. No specific timelines or cooperation models have been announced.

A reciprocal skiing program is in effect among resorts in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Russia within the alliance. Season pass holders receive benefits at partner resorts, subject to accommodation requirements.

If cooperation with Grandvalira develops, the alliance’s geography may expand beyond its initial borders.

An entire village in Belarus has been listed for sale, the local outlet Minskaya Pravda reported.

The village of Veselukha in the northwest of the country was listed for sale for 30,000 Belarusian rubles (roughly $10,463), and is located 20 kilometers from the Lithuanian border and five kilometers from the town of Pastavy.

Although the settlement consists of only three houses, it is considered a separate administrative unit. The closest village, with 55 residents, is called Savichi and is 1 kilometer away.

The lot is connected to electricity and features a well and stove heating, but...

American streetwear brand Supreme has unveiled its Spring/Summer 2026 collection, led by a leather jacket and matching shorts featuring Spider-Man emblems.

Spider-Man collaboration takes center stage

The standout piece is a leather jacket emblazoned with the Spider-Man insignia. Rather than a simple print, the design features a bold graphic composition in vivid red and blue with racing-inspired details.

The jacket was created in collaboration with American leather...

Rompetrol Rafinare, a subsidiary of KMG International, will carry out scheduled maintenance at two refineries in Romania. To ensure all contracted deliveries are met on time, KMG International will rely on its oil reserves, according to a statement from KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s national oil company and the parent company of KMG International.

The planned maintenance will take place at Petromidia Refinery in Năvodari and Vega Refinery in Ploiești. Both facilities will be shut down for approximately 20 days.

The work will include inspecting and recertifying production units, cleaning equipment and replacing components such as catalysts. The company said these...

Xiaomi plans its UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank to the global market. The product’s main feature is its size — just six millimeters thick and weighing 98 grams — making it almost unnoticeable in your hand and easily attachable to the back of a smartphone.

The device supports magnetic wireless charging and can attach to a phone like MagSafe accessories. Its 5,000 mAh capacity is enough to charge an iPhone, and when needed, a USB Type-C cable can be connected to charge two devices simultaneously.

The presentation is scheduled for Feb. 28 at a Xiaomi event in Barcelona...

Kazakhstan is awaiting an official position from participants in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline (TAPI) regarding its potential involvement in the project, the country’s Ministry of Energy told Interfax-Kazakhstan.

«As part of a preliminary exchange of views, an official letter expressing interest in exploring possible forms of Kazakhstan’s participation in the project was sent. To date, no response has been received from the project initiators,» the ministry said in response to a request from the news agency.

Proposal for stake in the project

In October 2024, during the Kazakhstan-Afghanistan Business Forum...

A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed shortly after taking off from Balıkesir early Wednesday, and the pilot did not survive, Euronews reported.

The jet took off from the 9th Main Jet Base Command at about 1 a.m. local time. Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said it lost contact with the aircraft shortly after it left the ground.

Search and rescue teams later found the wreckage near the Istanbul-İzmir motorway with debris scattered across a wide area near the crash. The motorway was temporarily closed as security forces, firefighters and medical crews were dispatched to the scene.

The Defense...

Turkish company Coca-Cola İçecek A.Ş. is set to begin construction of its fourth soft drink plant in Kazakhstan, worth roughly $84 million, in April. The facility is scheduled to start operations in 2027, according to the Aktobe regional administration.

Coca-Cola İçecek Kazakhstan representative Veli Dinçel discussed the project’s implementation stages with Aktobe region Gov. Askhat Shakharov. The plant’s annual capacity is expected to reach 280 million liters of soft drinks, with commissioning planned for 2027.

A 25-hectare land plot has been allocated for the facility, and design and preparatory work are currently underway. The plant is expected to create...

In 2025, Tajikistan’s banking sector expanded at a double-digit pace: assets rose 36.6%, while the loan portfolio grew 47.2%. The expansion was driven by strong GDP growth, a surge in remittances, a stable national currency and the rollout of new digital services.

Assets

The sector’s performance reflected a favorable macroeconomic environment. By the end of 2025, Tajikistan’s GDP had increased 8.4%. Key drivers included rising gold exports amid record-high global prices and a sharp increase in remittances, which climbed 50% in the first nine months of 2025 to $5.8 billion — more than half of GDP.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a record-long State of the Union address marked by patriotic themes and sharp political messaging, using the speech to rally supporters and defend his policies ahead of midterm elections later this year, the BBC reported.

In his address to Congress, Trump said the United States is «back,» calling it the «hottest» country in the world. He pointed to rising incomes, a stronger stock market, lower gas prices, fewer undocumented migrant crossings at the southern border and easing inflation as proof that «our country is winning again.»

The speech included several symbolic moments, such as...

On Feb. 24, 2026, Kyoto University researchers presented their AI-powered humanoid Buddhist monk robot, trained on precepts and capable of giving advice based on them, Kyodo News reported.

The presentation took place at Shoren-in Temple in Kyoto, where reporters could ask the robot for guidance. According to the report, the bot provided answers and moved its palms in a prayer gesture.

Notably, the research group’s Prof. Seiji Kumagai, who is a Buddhist monk himself, said the development could help sustain the work of monks amid Japan’s shrinking number of temples.

The robot operates on a custom...

Recent cartel violence in Jalisco and its capital, Guadalajara, has raised questions about whether the city can safely host matches during the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which Mexico is co-hosting with the U.S. and Canada, the Associated Press reported.

The violence followed a military operation in Jalisco that killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as «El Mencho,» leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Authorities said the operation and subsequent clashes left 70 people dead. Cartel gunmen set vehicles on fire to block roads and fought with security forces in several states, particularly in Jalisco.

President Claudia Sheinbaum

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will pay an official visit to Kazakhstan at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Akorda press service reported.

High-level negotiations are scheduled during the visit.

The parties will discuss the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation, the strengthening and expansion of political dialogue, and the development of trade and economic ties, as well as cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

Kazakhstan and Serbia boost agricultural trade turnover

The agricultural sector remains one of the main areas of cooperation between the two countries. In the first half of 2025, agricultural trade turnover...

World-renowned Kazakhstani singer Dimash Qudaibergen delighted fans with a new photo shoot. The artist uploaded a series of atmospheric pictures on Instagram and social media, sparking reactions and comments.

Dimash is seen posing on a camel in a picturesque location near the ancient mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkestan. The artist is wearing a light image consisting of light jacket and pants. The camel is adorned with in a bright saddlecloth featuring traditional patterns. The shots turned out warm and almost magical.

Judging by the caption, the photo shoot is linked to the...

Russia will transfer four Amur tigers to Kazakhstan to help restore the species in the wild, Sergei Aramilev, director of the Amur Tiger Center, told TASS.

When will they arrive?

The transfer is planned for spring 2026. The group will include tigers of different sexes and ages as part of an international program to reintroduce the Amur tiger to Kazakhstan.

Read also: Asia’s lost king: The story of the Turan tiger.

Amur tigers are the closest relatives of the Caspian tiger, which once roamed Central Asia and became extinct...

The development of a long-anticipated light rail transit (LRT) line in Almaty has gotten off the ground. The timeline for the project’s start and completion has been set. Kursiv LifeStyle explains where the first route will run.

The discussion of the feasibility study for the line took place on Feb. 17. According to published documents, the depot will be established in the industrial zone of the Alatau district. The route will start there and run along Bauyrzhan Momyshuly Street southward, then along Tole Bi Street eastward to Abylai Khan Ave, where it will turn north toward...