News

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior will raise entry fees for international tourists at many of the country’s most popular national parks. The agency says this new «resident-focused fee structure» is meant to keep park access affordable for U.S. citizens, according to CNN.

Under this plan, non-U.S. residents will pay $250 for the annual America the Beautiful pass, more than three times the $80 fee for U.S. residents. International visitors who do not buy the pass will also pay an extra $100 per person, in addition to standard entrance fees, at 11 major parks...

On Sept. 19, 1982, Scott Fahlman, a research assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), proposed using “:-)” to mark lighthearted comments and “:-(” for serious ones on the school’s digital bulletin board.

This simple suggestion, later called the smiley emoticon, became a milestone in shaping how people communicate tone online, though its creation was a collaborative process, according to Benj Edwards, Ars Technica’s senior AI reporter.

A joke that sparked confusion

The discussion began after a humorous message on CMU’s «bboard» system was mistaken for a real warning. The misunderstanding quickly led to debate over how...

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has unveiled the pots for the 2026 World Cup, with the draw ceremony scheduled for Dec. 5 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The tournament’s debuting national teams — Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao — have been placed in Pot 4, while another debutant, Uzbekistan, has been assigned to Pot 3.

As host nations, the national teams of the U.S., Canada and Mexico will be seeded in Pot 1 out...

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has begun serving a 27-year prison sentence after Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld his conviction for leading an attempted coup following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election. His transfer to custody on Tuesday marked a moment many Brazilians doubted would ever come, Euronews reported.

Bolsonaro had been under house arrest since August and was taken into custody on Saturday after allegedly tampering with his ankle monitor. He claimed the incident was caused by «hallucinations,» a justification the court dismissed.

Federal police say Bolsonaro is being held in an isolated 12-square-meter room at their Brasília...

On Nov. 25, Chelsea defeated FC Barcelona 3-0 at home in matchday five of the UEFA Champions League. Brazilian player Estevao Willian matched the achievement of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland by scoring one of the goals.

Champions League

Matchday 5, Nov. 25

Chelsea vs. Barcelona: 3-0

Goals: Jules Kounde 27’ (OG), Estevao 55’, Liam Delap 73’

Estevao became the third player under 20 to stand out in each of the first three starting matches of the Champions League, following Mbappe and Haaland, according to Opta. Previously, the 18-year-old winger had...

A man in northern Italy was arrested for allegedly disguising himself as his deceased mother to fraudulently continue collecting her pension and renew her identity card, bringing attention to issues in national pension oversight, according to CNN.

Authorities say the man, son of Graziella Dall’Oglio, who died in 2022, didn’t report her death and continued to claim her pension.

The case came to light when a municipal employee noticed inconsistencies while assisting an «elderly woman» renewing an identity card, including visible male physical features. The staff member alerted police, who later asked «the woman» to return to the office.

Tajikistan’s banking sector continued to show steady growth through the third quarter of 2025, supported by strong macroeconomic indicators. The loan portfolio expanded by 16% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) in Q3 2025, offsetting weak performance in the first half of the year.

Monetary policy

Amid low consumer inflation — steady in the 3% to 4% range since early 2025 — the National Bank of Tajikistan lowered the refinancing rate three times, bringing it to 7.75% in mid-August 2025, one of the lowest levels in a decade. The real interest rate gradually declined from 5.5% in January to between 4.5% and...

Italy has formally introduced femicide into its criminal code, with the new law establishing life imprisonment as the maximum penalty. Parliament approved the measure with broad cross-party support, coinciding with the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, CNN reported.

The legislation, promoted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, responds to a troubling rise in gender-based violence and several high-profile cases that have sparked national debate. Italy — often considered one of Europe’s more conservative societies — has faced growing public concern over persistent cultural and social factors linked to violence against women.

Harry Kane, forward for Bayern Munich and England’s national team, has responded to rumors of a possible transfer to FC Barcelona.

«I haven’t had any contact with anyone, nobody has contacted me. I feel very comfortable in the current situation, even though we haven’t yet discussed my situation with Bayern. There’s no rush. I’m really happy in Munich. You can see that in the way I’m playing,» Bayern & Germany on X quoted Kane as saying, citing German sports journalist Tobias Altschäffl.

Previously, media reported that the...

Scarlett Johansson has been tapped to headline a reboot of «The Exorcist» franchise, a project directed and produced by filmmaker Mike Flanagan, Faroutmagazine.co.uk reported.

A reimagined direction for the horror series

Johansson, known for roles in «Jurassic World» and a wide range of major studio films, will star in the project, in a role yet to be disclosed. Flanagan is expected to overhaul the franchise’s approach, offering a fresh interpretation rather than a continuation of previous storylines.

The move follows the underperformance of «The Exorcist: Believer,» which struggled at the box office after its 2023 release. Universal Pictures...

Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina (World No. 5) has responded to comments made by Aryna Sabalenka (World No. 1) after Sabalenka’s loss in the final of the WTA Finals Riyadh 2025.

That match finished with a confident victory by Rybakina 6-3, 7-6 (7-0). In a conversation with her team, Sabalenka, in tears, said «Once a year even the stick shoots.»

«I was sent [a video] after the match, but it was out of context. We have played with Aryna many times, including this year, so I don’t really focus on this too much. I treat both...

A subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp., controlled by Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov, has acquired the football club Shakhter Karagandy, according to the regional administration.

The deal took place at an auction today and was part of the president’s directive to develop mass sports and commercialize football.

The Karaganda regional administration has already begun working with Turlov to develop a new football ecosystem in the region. Under this plan, the businessman will allocate $23 million to construct a football academy and $12.4 million to develop and promote football among residents, including youth.

«The football...

A sluggish economy, a battered real estate market, and tighter tech oversight have already squeezed China’s labor market. The rapid advance of artificial intelligence could make the situation even more challenging, according to RAND Corporation fellow Marianne Lu.

Ambitious AI targets amid labor market strain

Beijing has laid out sweeping digital transformation goals. By 2027, the government wants AI tools, devices, and applications to be used in more than 70% of society; by 2030, that threshold should surpass 90%.

Yet the ruling Communist Party faces a problem it cannot sidestep: soaring youth unemployment. Record numbers of college...

U.S. President Donald Trump launched the «Genesis Mission,» a federal initiative to advance artificial intelligence research and lower U.S. energy costs, by signing an executive order.

The executive order directs the Department of Energy to establish an AI-driven platform to accelerate scientific and engineering progress and address key energy and national security challenges identified for Genesis Mission participants, Axios reported.

Other federal agencies can set their own challenge areas, such as using AI for drug discovery.

Officials called the initiative one of the biggest uses of federal scientific resources since the Apollo program, but did not share...

Joint Kazakh-German venture Skyhansa has received 800 hectares of land in the Zhetysu region for the construction of a cargo and passenger airport on the territory of the Khorgos – Eastern Gate special economic zone, the region’s governor Beibit Isabayev stated during a government session. Development of the design specifications and estimates for engineering infrastructure is underway.

According to the company’s website, the project will handle the operation and handling of transit cargo, technical stopovers for refueling international airlines, and the development of commercial and industrial airport infrastructure, including business centers, hotels...

A first edition of Superman No. 1, published in 1939, has sold for $9.12 million at an auction in Texas, becoming the most expensive comic book ever sold, according to Euronews.

The issue was found by three brothers while they were sorting through their late mother’s San Francisco home. She and her sibling had collected comics before World War II, but the family only discovered the long-mentioned collection when preparing the house for sale.

After the brothers contacted Vice President at Heritage Auctions Lon Allen, he noted that it could easily have been lost or damaged over the...

Kazakhstan continues to captivate fans of unusual landscapes, with photos of places that look as if they were generated by artificial intelligence gaining popularity online.

Kyrgyz travel blogger Tynchtyk Mukhambetov, for example, shared a video of Mount Bokty in the Karakiya district of the Mangystau region.

The site resembles a scene from «Interstellar»: multicolored layers of ancient seabed rock stand out sharply, and wind and water erosion have sculpted a striking, otherworldly terrain. The mountain is recognized as a natural monument and was once depicted on the old 1,000-tenge banknote.

On Nov. 24, Manchester United faced defeat against Everton in a home match in the English Premier League, marking the first loss for the Red Devils at home in the Premier League against an opponent playing with a player sent off, Opta reported.

Premier League

Matchweek 12, Nov. 24

Manchester United vs. Everton: 0-1

Goal: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall 29’

Everton had been playing with one man down since the 13th minute of the match. Idrissa Gueye received a red card after striking his teammate Michael Keane in the face.

Despite the red...

Australian Senator Pauline Hanson was suspended from Parliament on Monday after entering the Senate chamber wearing a burqa in protest. The 71-year-old leader of the One Nation party wore the full-body covering to object to colleagues refusing to debate her bill seeking a ban on burqas and other full-face coverings in public, the Associated Press reported.

Senators suspended her for the remainder of Monday’s sitting. When she declined to apologize, the chamber passed a censure motion on Tuesday, resulting in her being barred for seven additional sitting days — one of the most severe penalties issued in recent decades.

Batches of Kazakh honey, shubat (fermented camel milk), kumyz (fermented mare’s milk), and sweets will soon be available in stores operated by China Co-Op, a major Chinese cooperative retail chain, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade.

Export operator QazTrade and the National Association of Cooperatives of Kazakhstan have reached an agreement with China Co-Op, the country’s largest cooperative chain, which includes more than 340,000 stores.

«Joint marketing research has already been conducted, the first trial deliveries have been organized, and priority product categories such as flour, vegetable oils, meat, honey, dairy drinks, and...

Veteran Bollywood actor Dharmendra, celebrated for his wide-ranging performances and enduring popularity through the 1970s and 1980s, died on Monday at the age of 89, CNN reported.

The screen icon, who would have turned 90 on Dec. 8, had been receiving intermittent medical treatment in Mumbai in recent weeks.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the late actor, calling his passing «the end of an era» for the country’s film industry. In a message posted on X, Modi praised Dharmendra as a «phenomenal actor» whose ease in portraying diverse characters resonated deeply with audiences...

Japan has recently seen a spike in bear attacks in residential areas to the extent that Self-Defense Forces personnel were deployed to assist, along with media reports indicating a record number of deaths and injuries from wild animal encounters.

Against this backdrop, Nishimeya village in Aomori Prefecture, in the north of Honshu Island, started making dishes prepared with bear meat, promoting it as a local specialty, NHK World reported.

The village features a facility that processes culled bears into edible meat and leather goods, whereas several residents use...

Kazakhstan may ease the ban on hookahs, according to Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Sanzhar Adilov.

Adilov confirmed that the issue is under review and said a final decision will be made after the assessment is complete. Public hearings will likely be held.

He said officials are considering several points, including:

However, there will be no easing of restrictions on vapes.

Adilov stressed that the current ban on vapes remains in place and that additional measures...

Kyrgyzstan will fully repay its external debt by 2035 «without threatening the economy,» President Sadyr Japarov said in a recent address to the nation, in which he touched on several issues that have generated significant public attention.

No debt, no cry

Japarov noted that from 2020 to 2025, Kyrgyzstan repaid 285.4 billion soms (about $3.3 billion) in public debt, including 170.5 billion soms in external debt.

«We will completely get rid of our accumulated external debt by 2035, and without any particular difficulties,» he said.

He explained that this would be possible due to...