News

In some parts of the world, eye contact is a sign of confidence and trust. In others, it can be seen as intrusive or even disrespectful.

A recent ranking by World Population Review highlights how attitudes toward eye contact differ across countries, noting that avoiding direct gaze is more common in parts of Asia and Africa, while it is generally expected in Western societies.

Respect and hierarchy shape behavior

In Japan, prolonged eye contact may be interpreted as confrontational, particularly in formal or professional settings. Similar expectations exist in South Korea, where avoiding...

Members of the Saudi Falcon Club are helping restore the saker falcon population in Kazakhstan. The latest release took place in the Altyn-Emel National Nature Park in the Almaty region.

Remote setting for conservation event

The village of Basshi lies more than a four-hour drive from Almaty, set amid mountains and semi-desert terrain. A large gathering filled the local cultural center, where district officials and a delegation from Saudi Arabia convened for the event.

Read also: Birdwatcher’s delight: Long-tailed tit is a must-see in Almaty mountains.

Two falcons were...

Russia’s Security Council said relations with Kazakhstan remain a top priority for Moscow, with particular emphasis on cooperation in security and defense, according to TASS.

Officials said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Kazakhstan, scheduled for May 2026, is expected to give «an additional boost» to bilateral ties.

Putin has also confirmed his participation in a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. The state visit will take place alongside the summit.

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development believes that autonomous vehicles can significantly reduce the number of road accidents. According to Gizzat Baitursynov, сhairman of the Committee on Digital Assets and Breakthrough Technologies, safety is the main argument in favor of launching robotaxis in Almaty, Astana and Kosshy.

Robotaxi safety statistics

As Baitursynov noted, driverless taxi technology has already proven reliable in several countries. He stated that, according to Waymo’s statistics, after covering 56 million miles, the company’s robotaxis reduced accident rates by 96%.

«In Moscow, Yandex launched a pilot driverless taxi project in...

China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited plans to invest $600 million in copper mining at the Benkala mine in the Aktobe region, Kazakhstan, according to economist Arman Batayev, who runs Finmentor.kz Telegram channel.

A subsidiary of the state-owned China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group announced at a year-end briefing that it views the Benkala project as one of its key projects outside Africa. In December 2025, the enterprise increased its stake in SM Minerals Ltd. to 70%. The company registered with the Astana International Financial Centre that holds rights to mining and geological exploration...

A simple yet surprisingly effective way to relax is gaining popularity on social media — netizens claim that taking a shower with a wet towel helps relieve tension in the body and speeds recovery after a stressful day.

The idea is as simple as possible. While showering, place a towel on your shoulders and pour warm water over it. This can be done while standing or sitting. A rain shower is also an option.

Users compare the feeling to that of a weighted blanket. Warmth and gentle pressure help relax muscles, especially in the neck, back...

Russian documentary filmmaker Pavel Talankin had his Oscar statuette consecrated by Father Alexey Uminsky in Paris, according to the Sota Telegram channel.

Talankin, a former school videographer, won the 2026 Academy Award for best documentary feature for «Mr. Nobody Against Putin.» Shortly after the win, Russian authorities designated him a «foreign agent.» The statuette was reportedly brought to the ceremony in a string bag.

Clergy reactions

«All the sins of Hollywood have been banished from it!» Father Mikhail Evelson said in a comment on the ceremony.

Father Andrey Kuraev

On March 30, Air China, the country’s flag carrier, restored direct flight operations linking Beijing and Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, after a six-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Associated Press reported.

According to the Chinese state media agency Xinhua, the aircraft en route to the North Korean capital landed at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, where passengers were greeted by China’s ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, along with other Chinese diplomats.

Notably, North Korea’s airline Air Koryo resumed flights between the two capitals in 2023, and in the...

Law enforcement authorities in Almaty have responded to a controversial interview with Kurbanali Akhmet Ishan, a self-proclaimed religious figure who claimed he had «gifted» one of his wives to a student.

The interview, published on a YouTube channel run by Kazakh journalist Janar Baisemiz, sparked widespread public backlash.

Read also: Polygamy as policy: Kazakh lawmaker calls for legal ‘junior wife’ status.

Notably, Akhmet said his second wife had been «gifted» to him by his father-in-law and that he did not seek permission from his first wife. He also said that after...

Authorities in Russia are considering expanding a voluntary self-restriction system to include video games, according to a proposal by lawmaker Dmitry Gusev, cited by TASS.

Proposal targets gaming addiction

Gusev said the initiative is aimed at addressing the growing problem of gaming addiction. Some users, he noted, struggle to limit their playtime on their own.

Read also: Over 150,000 Kazakhstanis self-ban from gambling.

Under the proposal, individuals would be able to voluntarily restrict their access to video games, similar to existing arrangements for financial services.

Existing self-ban...

North Korea has tested a modernized rocket engine, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The test was personally overseen by leader Kim Jong Un. The engine uses solid fuel and incorporates carbon-based materials. Its reported maximum thrust reached 2,500 kilonewtons, exceeding levels seen in previous tests.

Read also: North Korean leader’s daughter appears in military drill photos.

Authorities in Pyongyang said the development is part of a broader effort to strengthen the country’s military capabilities and modernize its strategic weapons systems.

According to Associated Press, solid-fuel...

Japan’s INPEX has signaled its readiness to redirect part of its oil production in Central Asia to the domestic market, according to Yomiuri Shimbun.

Focus on Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan assets

INPEX holds stakes in the Kashagan oil field and the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil fields. Until now, oil from these projects has largely been sold on the spot market, primarily to Europe.

Particular attention is being paid to Kashagan, where production is about 430,000 barrels per day.

Read also: Caspian Sea security: Iran’s ambassador vows safe trade routes.

Profits at microfinance organizations (MFOs) in Kazakhstan fell by nearly half in 2025, while the volume of loans overdue by more than 30 days rose by more than a quarter.

Read also: Kazakh banks face 2025 profit dip amid tax and reserve hikes.

The sector has grown to a scale where, if combined into a single entity, Kazakhstan’s 215 MFOs would rank 11th among the country’s banks by assets. Total assets reached about 1.7 trillion tenge (roughly $3.5 billion) at the start of 2026 — placing the sector between Freedom Bank...

The em dash — a single punctuation mark that has long divided writers and grammar purists — has recently taken on a new reputation, one tied less to style than to suspicion.

Read also: The birth of 🙂 : How the first digital smiley was invented.

«I love the em dash — too bad AI does too,» journalist Mihika Agarwal wrote, pointing to a growing online perception that the punctuation mark has become a telltale sign of machine-generated text.

Recently, she noted, internet discourse has increasingly framed frequent use of em...

Kazakhstan emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian-made potato chips in January 2026, importing more than $7 million worth of products from its neighbor.

At the same time, construction of a major potato chip plant backed by PepsiCo is nearing completion in Alatau, a flagship new city development in the Almaty region.

Read also: New Post-Soviet standards define the perfect potato chips.

Russian daily Vedomosti, citing Agroexport, reported that Russia’s potato chip exports rose 1.5 times year-on-year in January to reach $22 million. In volume...

After several days of rescue efforts, a humpback whale freed itself from a sandbank near Lübeck, a city on Germany’s Baltic coast, according to the BBC.

The mammal was first spotted stranded near Timmendorfer Strand earlier in the week, after becoming stuck on a sandbank. Several rescue attempts followed.

On Thursday, rescue teams worked extensively to create a channel to deeper water and continued operations into the evening under floodlights. According to local officials, the whale became more active and later regained its strength, eventually freeing itself.

On Friday morning, several vessels, including the coast guard, monitored the whale...

Life expectancy at birth in Kazakhstan has increased, reaching 75.9 years in 2025, up slightly from 75.4 years in 2024.

Life expectancy also varies by place of residence, averaging 76.6 years in urban areas and 74.8 years in rural areas.

The traditional gender gap persisted, with average life expectancy at 79.8 years for women and 72.1 years for men, marking a slight increase compared to 2024.

Across regions, the highest life expectancy was recorded in Almaty and Astana, at 78.8 and 78.7 years, respectively. The lowest figure, 73.5 years, was recorded in the Ulytau region.

Previously...

KazMunayGas (KMG), the national oil company in Kazakhstan, has suspended work on the Kalamkas-Sea and Khazar fields in the Caspian Sea, which it has been developing in conjunction with Russia’s Lukoil, a company targeted by Western sanctions, Interfax reported.

The news was officially confirmed by KMG CEO Askhat Khasenov.

«We completed the design stage of the Kalamkas-Sea and Khazar joint project last year. However, due to a new factor — sanctions — further implementation of the project has been suspended,» he said.

Both fields, with estimated reserves of 8.5 million tons of oil and...

The world’s narrowest house was erected in the district of Aucallama in Huaral Province, Peru. Its width is only 63 centimeters, yet it contains everything necessary for living.

The house was designed by local resident Fabio Moreno, who wanted to show that comfort does not always depend on floor size, but rather on how the space is used. The unusual building has already drawn the attention of tourists and has become a local landmark.

Despite its size, the house includes functional zones — a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, study and even a laundry area — all within a space barely large...

A 25-year-old woman in Spain has died by euthanasia following a prolonged legal dispute with her father over her decision to pursue assisted dying, the BBC reported.

Noelia Castillo of Barcelona became paraplegic after a suicide attempt in 2022. In 2024, the Catalan government approved her request for euthanasia, but the procedure was paused when her father challenged the decision in court with support from the conservative legal group Christian Lawyers.

He argued that Castillo had a personality disorder and said the state should protect vulnerable people, particularly those with mental health issues. Castillo’s mother said she disagreed with...

Police arrested a man in Astana suspected of stealing more than 100 sauna whisks.

According to Polisia.kz, the 46-year-old resident repeatedly broke into a stranger’s lodging, where the door was unlocked, and stole property, taking 140 sauna whisks in one incident.

The following day, the man returned to the same address but was spotted by the owner; however, the suspect managed to escape. He was later located and arrested at his home.

«The suspect is currently being held in a temporary detention facility. Investigative actions are underway prior to the initiation of...

Japan’s cherry blossom season, marked by the blooming of sakura, is one of the country’s most celebrated natural events. These delicate flowers, which come from various species of Prunus trees, bloom briefly each spring and draw widespread attention across the nation.

Most cherry trees flower for only a short period — typically one to two weeks. In Tokyo and much of central Japan, peak bloom usually occurs between late March and early April. Further north, in regions such as Hokkaido, blossoms appear later, often beginning in early May. Some varieties, such as shikizakura, bloom twice a year. In...

The International Olympic Committee has introduced new eligibility rules stating that only biological females may compete in women’s categories. The restrictions apply to the Olympic Games and all other IOC-sanctioned events, covering both team and individual competitions.

Read also: ‘World’s Strongest Woman’ stripped of title after reveal she was born male.

Under the new policy, eligibility will be determined through genetic analysis. Athletes will be tested for the presence of the SRY gene; those who test positive will not be eligible to compete in the women’s category.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s signature will be added to future dollar bills, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced.

This will mark the first time in history that U.S. paper currency will bear the signature of a sitting president. Traditionally, banknotes are signed by the U.S. Treasury Secretary and the Treasurer.

The Department noted that the decision is timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States.

«Under President Trump’s leadership, we are on a path toward unprecedented economic growth, lasting dollar dominance, and fiscal strength and stability. There is...