News

In prison, it may seem there’s nothing to see and nothing to do — but plenty of time to read. Books and prisons have a complicated relationship, one that reveals what’s trending among people behind bars even within a tightly regulated physical and informational environment.

Duma and Jesus

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently completed a brief 20-day stint at Paris’s La Santé prison. While his sentence captivated the nation, his reading list sparked equal intrigue. Sarkozy brought two symbolic companions: Alexandre Dumas’s «The Count of Monte Cristo,» a classic tale of unjust imprisonment and revenge, and...

Undefeated American boxer Terence Crawford has lost his title as the undisputed super middleweight champion (up to 76.2 kilograms). On Dec. 3, he was stripped of the WBC title for failing to pay the $300,000 sanction fee for his bout against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the World Boxing Council said on its website.

Crawford reportedly earned $50 million for the fight with the Mexican athlete. However, following a reassessment of the event’s scale, the WBC changed the rules and reduced the applicable fee from 3% to 0.6%.

The WBC noted that it had informed Crawford of his...

The business activity index for the service sector in Kazakhstan fell to 48.7 in November, down from 49.3 in October. This was partly due to delays at the Russian border, but the main factor was a decline in new orders, according to a report by Freedom Holding Corp.

New business across Kazakhstan’s service sector rose modestly in the penultimate month of the year. The latest increase was the weakest since March, with the pace of expansion having now waned for the sixth month running.

With new business growth slowing, Kazakh services companies chose to streamline their...

The Winter Egg, a diamond-studded crystal Fabergé egg that once belonged to the mother of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II, has sold for a record $30.2 million at a Christie’s auction in London, compared to the previous record of $11.8 million for another Fabergé egg sold at an auction in 2007, the BBC reported.

Carved from rock crystal and decorated with 4,500 diamonds and platinum snowflakes, the egg is one of the most beautiful works by the Russian jeweler Carl Fabergé, according to some expert estimates.

The Fabergé house made only 50 eggs for Russia’s...

There are 25 five-star hotels in Kazakhstan and the most expensive one turned out to be in Shymkent.

According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, 3,198 rooms were available in the country’s top hotels for wealthy tourists from January to September 2025. This includes 2,463 standard rooms in five-star hotels, 1,177 suites and 278 apartment-hotel units.

Furthermore, one-third more residents of Kazakhstan spend their vacations at these hotels than foreign tourists — 370,000 compared to 265,000. Among affluent foreign visitors, 56% choose Almaty for their vacations in Kazakhstan.

The room occupancy rate is highest in the Akmola region, reaching...

Franklin the Turtle, a gentle cartoon hero from Canada known for kindness and everyday life lessons, recently featured in an image shared online by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, portraying the turtle attacking boats labeled as drug traffickers, according to the BBC.

The image drew immediate criticism from the cartoon’s publisher, Kids Can Press, which condemned the use as unauthorized and fundamentally opposed to the values the character represents. The company emphasized that Franklin is meant to promote empathy, cooperation and emotional growth — not violence.

In a similar case, American pop star Sabrina Carpenter...

A pilot self-driving taxi project has been launched by Didi Autonomous Driving in Guangzhou, China, a city with a population of 18 million. The company has introduced the service in key areas of the Huangpu district in eastern Guangzhou, offering customers the ability to call an unmanned taxi. According to Pandaily, the new test stage marks a milestone in the development of autonomous transport in China.

Around-the-clock service

The robotaxi service became operational on Dec. 1, 2025. The trial zone covers the busiest locations, including subway stations, schools, malls, business centers and residential communities. The...

An unusual new product from H&M has stirred up conversation among fashion fans. The retailer introduced a pair of brown pumps completely covered in faux fur. Priced at $60, the shoes nearly sold out within days.

The pumps, designed with a narrow heel and rounded toe, include a satin lining and a thermoplastic polyurethane sole.

Alongside the eye-catching shoes, H&M is also offering a matching faux-fur shoulder bag and keychain.

The fuzzy footwear has already gone viral on TikTok and Instagram.

@.closetcrusader What is happening at...

Speed dating has long been part of urban culture in the West and is now gradually taking hold in Kazakhstan. Interest in the trend is growing rapidly in Almaty, the nation’s largest city, as more residents seek face-to-face communication away from screens and algorithms.

Offline format

Speed dating is a format in which participants meet through a series of short encounters lasting five to seven minutes. After each conversation, partners rotate. If there’s mutual interest, organizers share their contact information.

One such project in Almaty is led by Angelina, a marketer and founder of a new speed-dating...

The last weekend of November became a true celebration for dog owners in China, as several movie theaters across different cities held special screenings of «Zootopia 2,» allowing audiences to attend with their pets. Adorable photos from the events quickly went viral on social media, sparking a wave of affection nationwide.

In Shanghai, for example, the Longhua Perfect World Cinema prepared in advance by adapting its theater for the pet-friendly format. Staff created designated areas and arranged seating to avoid conflicts between dogs. The cinema also provided diapers, wipes and cleaning pads at each seat, while owners were required to...

WBO and IBF world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly of Kazakhstan tested positive for a banned substance in VADA testing, The Ring reported.

In response, Alimkhanuly posted a statement on Facebook, saying he has always supported clean sport.

«I was surprised when I read the news. VADA took the first test and said everything was clean. I didn’t make any changes to my vitamin regimen. I don’t know what happened in the second test, so I demanded a retest,» he wrote.

As a result of the controversy, Alimkhanuly’s upcoming WBA title fight against...

An aquarium in central Japan has set up an unusual attraction — a Christmas tree with lights powered by electric eels, NHK World reported.

Until Dec. 25, Toba Aquarium is offering visitors the chance to admire the five-meter tree lit by three eels in a tank near the attraction. The LED lights glimmer when the eels are fed, as the fish release electricity when they catch food or defend themselves.

According to an aquarium representative, the eel-powered exhibit is one-of-a-kind at the facility.

Notably, in 2019, the Tennessee Aquarium set up a...

Thanks to massive deposits of critical materials, China has managed to become the world’s largest producer of electric cars, prompting the EU and the U.S. to put up tariffs and trade barriers to protect their car markets from more affordable Chinese EVs.

However, by concentrating all their attention on one field, legacy automakers and regulators didn’t anticipate another trend beginning to reshape car markets around the world, as China is quickly increasing its exports of gasoline-powered cars, especially to emerging and second-tier economies, according to Reuters.

The rapid growth of electric vehicles in China...

The video by travel content creator Nikolai Gladkov showing frozen Song Kul — one of the most picturesque alpine lakes in Kyrgyzstan — is going viral. Users compare its azure ice texture to that of Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake, and note that the landmark is definitely worth visiting.

Overview of the high-altitude lake

Song-Kul lies 3,016 meters above sea level in the northwestern part of the Naryn region, between the Songkol-Too and Moldo-Too ridges. This is the country’s second-largest lake after Lake Issyk-Kul and is actually popular with tourists, but in the winter season the path becomes...

Rolan Anatoly, a resident of Shymkent in southern Kazakhstan, cycled roughly 8,000 kilometers to reach the holy city of Medina. The journey took him 44 days — the time it took to travel from Central Asia to Islam’s second-holiest city.

His route passed through several countries, including Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. He crossed the stretch between Iran and the UAE by ferry. From there, Rolan continued toward his final destination — the Kaaba in Mecca.

The influence of innovative anti-obesity drugs (GLP-1 drugs) such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, and other so-called «slimming shots» has clearly moved far beyond the pharmacy. The impact of these game-changers is now visible in mass-market retailers, on red carpets, and even on restaurant menus.

Notably, the share of U.S. adults taking popular weight-loss medications — including Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound — has surged over the past year, climbing to 12.4%, according to new polling from Gallup. Over the same period, the national obesity rate edged down, slipping from nearly 40% in 2022 to 37% in 2025.

Businesses...

In October, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that iconic thrash metal band Megadeth could perform in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstani Kaisar Zhuman told Kursiv that the group’s frontman Dave Mustaine personally shared that the band planned to hold a concert in Kazakhstan during a meet and greet session at the concert in London. Today, Dec. 2, this information was officially confirmed.

Megadeth will give their first solo concert in Almaty at Spartak Stadium on June 28, 2026. The group’s lineup will include permanent front man and guitarist Dave Mustaine, guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, bassist James LoMenzo and drummer Dirk Verbeuren.

Ticket...

The painting «The Survivors» by Russian marine artist Ivan Aivazovsky set a new price record at Sotheby’s after being sold for £4.188 million, the highest price ever paid for a work by the artist.

Dated to 1878, «The Survivors» is the largest painting by Aivazovsky ever offered for public sale. In April 2004, it appeared at Sotheby’s in New York, where it sold for just $745,000.

In the iconic painting, the artist depicts a moment of hope for those who have survived a shipwreck and realize that rescue is at hand. A sailor standing at the bow of a...

Desire Doue, 20-year-old winger for Paris Saint-Germain and France’s national team, has been recognized as Europe’s best young footballer of 2025. The awarding ceremony of the prestigious Golden Boy award — established by the Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003 — took place on Dec. 1 in Turin.

Doue significantly contributed to PSG securing its first Champions League title. In the final match against Inter Milan — which ended 5-0 — Doue scored a brace and provided an assist. He was recognized as the MVP afterward. Furthermore, the young player became the country’s champion, and the winner...

Halyk Finance, a leading Kazakhstani investment bank, has acquired shares in the U.S. pizza chain Domino’s Pizza, according to data from the consolidated pension asset investment portfolio published on Kazakhstan’s Unified Pension Fund website.

On Oct. 9, 2025, Halyk Finance purchased Domino’s shares worth 157 million tenge (about $305,000).

World’s largest pizza chain

Domino’s Pizza is an American restaurant chain founded in 1960 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, starting with a single store. It rapidly expanded to become the world’s largest pizza chain by number of stores and revenue, specializing in delivery and carryout. Today, Domino’s operates thousands...

The phrase «work, work, work, work and work,» used by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, has been selected as Japan’s catchphrase of the year, reflecting its strong impact on public discussion in 2025, according to The Guardian.

Takaichi made the remark shortly before taking office in October, describing her commitment to working tirelessly on behalf of the country. The phrase was chosen from more than two dozen candidates as the one that best captured the national mood, according to Jiyū Kokumin Sha, the organizer of the annual «Word of the Year» contest.

Takaichi’s words, however...

Managing companies in Kazakhstan will soon be able to invest up to 80% of Kazakhstanis’ pension savings in foreign-currency assets.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) will introduce new limits on pension investments in instruments denominated in foreign currency. Currently, such investments are capped at 60% of total asset value.

The new limits are as follows:

On Dec. 2, Kazakhstan and the EU entered into talks on facilitating the visa regime and migration readmission procedures. The move was announced during the 22nd meeting of the Kazakhstan–European Union Cooperation Council held in Brussels.

«This step will significantly contribute to strengthening humanitarian ties, expanding opportunities for students, scholars and professionals, and enhancing citizen mobility,» Kazakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry emphasized that 10 years have passed since the parties signed the agreement, during which trade between Kazakhstan and the EU reached nearly $50 billion. In the near future...

For years, the Maldives has been a symbol of luxury vacations, with its white-sand beaches and turquoise waters. The island nation is still known for its overwater villas, private islands and prices reserved for the ultra-wealthy. However, the paradise islands are no longer just for the rich and honeymooners with platinum credit cards, as the country has started to offer more affordable vacation options for families, backpackers and curious travelers, the BBC reported.

In a quiet revolution, the island nation has undergone deep reforms in tourism, allowing local residents to open guesthouses on inhabited islands. As a result...