News

Germany has launched a campaign to preserve plug-in hybrid vehicles, a type of car that combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor, as they continue to attract buyers across Europe. Although these cars can operate emissions-free over short distances, most owners rarely charge their batteries and instead rely heavily on gasoline or diesel.

A study by the environmental group Transport & Environment, which analyzed 127,000 plug-in hybrids, found that their CO₂ emissions are nearly five times higher than what manufacturers report under the WLTP testing cycle.

The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) has...

The star of the iconic South Korean series «Squid Game,» Anupam Tripathi, who portrayed one of the most memorable characters of the first season, has unexpectedly arrived in Almaty.

Tripathi played the role of Player No. 199 in the first season of the show. He posted a selfie outside the Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU) and shared Stories showing the city streets. The South Korea-based Indian actor wrote in the caption: «Now in beautiful city Almaty, Kazakhstan.»

Social media immediately went abuzz, with users amused and joking that it has now become common to encounter famous actors in Almaty. Comment sections...

Kazakhstan’s external debt reached a record high of $172.8 billion at the end of June, according to analysts at Halyk Finance. While private companies hold about 71% of that debt, the latest increase is largely driven by the public and quasi-public sectors.

Debt ratio and stability factors

The country’s external debt-to-GDP ratio rose to 59.2%, up from 56.6% earlier in 2024. Analysts note that Kazakhstan’s sizable international reserves and the assets held in its National Fund continue to support overall external stability.

Structure of the debt

Direct investment recorded as intercompany debt remains a major contributor, making up...

Archaeologists have identified a significant Bronze Age settlement in the Kazakh steppe, suggesting a more complex urban presence in the region around 1600 B.C. than previously known, according to CNN.

The site, called Semiyarka or «The City of Seven Ravines,» was first located in the early 2000s. Its scale and possible importance became clearer after an international research team began detailed surveys in 2018. The group reports that the settlement spans roughly 140 hectares above the Irtysh River valley and contains traces of houses, a large central structure possibly used for governance or ritual activity and indications of...

China has once again found a way to thrill coffee lovers. Beijing’s entomology museum (the scientific study of insects) now offers coffee made with powdered cockroaches. Curiously, the drink has already gone viral on the internet.

The museum’s insect menu offers not only cockroach coffee, but also drinks made with pitcher plant digestive juice, yellow mealworms and a limited edition brewed with ants. The price for these coffee experiments is 45 yuan (roughly $6).

Employees assure visitors that there is nothing to fear, since all ingredients are purchased from traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies, where powdered cockroaches...

The creators of PUBG have announced a voluntary resignation program for employees who are uncomfortable with the company’s new direction toward expanded use of artificial intelligence.

Krafton emphasized that the move is not a round of layoffs, but «support» for staff who prefer not to work under the company’s AI-driven transformation.

The company said its shift to an «AI First» model is intended to reduce routine workloads and free up employees for «more creative work.» Artificial intelligence is expected to be integrated into nearly all internal processes.

Notably, employees who choose to leave are being offered significant...

Kazakhstanis are actively debating the causes of the Caspian Sea’s declining water levels on social media and in local news outlets. Many speculate that Russia is partly to blame due to the construction of hydroelectric power plants along the Volga River.

Some argue that dams and reservoirs are reducing the amount of water flowing into the Caspian. Of the 130 rivers that feed the sea, the Volga provides roughly 86% to 87% of the total inflow.

The mother of Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022, apologized in court last week, saying her son’s actions came from deep resentment toward the Unification Church, according to Kyodo News.

Testimony on religious ties

Yamagami’s trial under Japan’s lay judge system centers on possible leniency. His lawyers argue that years of religious exploitation and family turmoil shaped his mental state and behavior before the shooting.

During courtroom testimony behind a partition, Yamagami’s mother confirmed she is a longtime member of the Unification Church. This controversial South Korea-based religious group...

EDF is eager to partner with the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), which has won a bid to build two nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Kazakhstan as part of an international consortium, French Ambassador to Kazakhstan Sylvain Guiaugue told Kursiv.media in an interview.

«EDF takes potential cooperation with Kazakhstan in the energy sector very seriously. We know there are plans to build several NPPs in the country, including those expected to be built by China. So, we are considering the possibility — if the opportunity arises — of supplying equipment for these plants,» the ambassador...

On Nov. 20, Alphabet Inc.’s subsidiary Google established a new artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure hardware engineering center in Taiwan. According to Reuters, this marks the company’s largest center like this outside the U.S.

According to a Google blog post, the new site will serve as a multidisciplinary hub for AI innovation and is expected to create hundreds of jobs.

“The technology developed and tested in Taipei is deployed in Google data centers around the world, which in turn power Google devices that billions of people rely on every...

Microsoft and Westinghouse Nuclear are exploring ways to use artificial intelligence to accelerate the approval and construction of nuclear power plants in the U.S. But a new analysis from the AI Now Institute, cited by 404 Media, warns that this approach could introduce serious safety risks.

Generative AI as a tool for faster approvals

Building a nuclear facility requires navigating a lengthy and highly regulated licensing process designed to protect the public from radiation hazards. Although the system is complex and costly, 404 Media notes that it has historically kept nuclear accidents in the U.S. rare.

Growing energy...

A love letter by the Titanic passenger who is referred to as the real Jack Dawson — played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the eponymous movie — will be offered at auction for the first time, according to the New York Post.

Ernest Tomlin, 21, a third-class passenger who sailed for the U.S. in April 1912, confessed his feelings in a letter to his family about a woman named Rose — just like in the movie.

The letter became real evidence of Tomlin’s heartache, in which he complained to his mother about a broken heart and confessed...

China is quietly recalibrating its approach to Afghanistan, gradually normalizing relations with the Taliban without committing to major financial outlays or military engagement. A recent report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argues that Beijing is instead relying on regional security partnerships and Belt and Road–related frameworks to anchor its strategy.

The report by M. Ramin Mansoori of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Governance and Markets notes that after the U.S. withdrawal on Aug. 15, 2021, China maintained open channels with the Taliban and continued engaging with Afghan society.

Building soft-power foundations

Longstanding academic and...

A gold toilet by artist Maurizio Cattelan was sold at Sotheby’s in New York for $12.1 million. The fully functional sculpture, titled «America,» is made of 18-karat gold and weighs approximately 100 kilograms. The opening bid, based on the current gold price of $130,000 per kilogram, was set at $10 million.

Despite the enthusiastic presentation and encouraging remarks by the auctioneer, there was little excitement around the lot, which was eventually acquired by Cassandra Hatton, vice chairwoman of Sotheby’s.

The artwork was first displayed for more than 100,000 people at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2016, where...

On Nov. 18, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James played his first game of the 2025-26 season, appearing in the starting lineup against the Utah Jazz (140-126) and becoming the first NBA player to compete in 23 seasons, according to ESPN.

Last summer, the 40-year-old James exercised his player option and will remain with the Lakers for at least one more year. However, he missed the first 14 games of the season due to sciatica — issues with the sciatic nerve that caused pain in his lower back and along the right side of his body.

On the coast of Canada’s British Columbia, a wild wolf was caught on camera as it pulled a crab trap from deep water. Scientists suggest this could be the first instance of tool-like behavior observed in wild canids, NBC News reported.

The Heiltsuk Nation set traps near Bella Bella to catch invasive green crabs, but later found several traps damaged. When researchers set up motion-triggered cameras, they recorded a female wolf grabbing a float, dragging it to shore, pulling the rope until the trap came up and then eating the fish inside.

The study, published in...

Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer was sold for $236.4 million at Sotheby’s New York, making it the second most expensive artwork ever auctioned, the Guardian reported.

The portrait, painted between 1914 and 1916, drew six bidders. The bidding lasted just 20 minutes before an undisclosed buyer offered the record-high sum.

The painting has a long history of changing owners. During the Second World War, it was looted by the Nazis and nearly destroyed, but was returned to the Lederer family in 1948. In 1985, the portrait was acquired by Leonard Lauder, who owned a large private art...

The national football team of Curacao secured a spot in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history after drawing 0-0 with Jamaica. They joined three other debuting teams: Uzbekistan, Jordan and Cape Verde.

Curacao is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup. The population of the island in the Caribbean Sea does not exceed 170,000 people. The Curacao Football Federation joined FIFA in 2011 as...

Congress approved a bipartisan bill telling the U.S. Justice Department to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sexual abuse and died in jail. The document now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature, the BBC reported.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 427-1. The Senate approved it a few hours later with unanimous consent.

The vote came after Trump changed his stance. He first opposed releasing the files. Later, he asked lawmakers to move the bill forward after some of his supporters called for it. From a legal...

In recent years, Tajikistan has posted strong economic growth, averaging 8.5% annually. Growth slowed slightly to 8.2% in the first nine months of 2025 as weaker consumer demand dampened the expansion of trade and services. But an uptick is expected, supported by higher public-sector wages and continued inflows of remittances.

GDP and its components

In 2024, Tajikistan’s economy grew 8.4%. Despite global economic uncertainty, rising geopolitical tensions, and escalating trade disputes, the country’s GDP expanded 8.2% in the first nine months of 2025, reaching 117.8 billion somoni (about $12.7 billion). The government expects this pace to hold through the...

On Nov. 18, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the U.S. for the first time since 2018, attending a high-profile reception and a black-tie dinner at the White House, USA Today reported.

During his visit, the crown prince received full ceremonial honors, including a military band, a red-carpet welcome and a fighter jet flyover. He met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, attended a luncheon and joined a formal dinner in the East Room. Notable guests included senior U.S. officials, business leaders like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, who...

The TOP500 — a project that ranks the world’s 500 most powerful computer systems — placed Kazakhstan’s supercomputer Alem.Cloud at 86th place, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development stated in a release.

The ministry emphasized that only clusters that successfully pass the independent test under the High-Performance Linpack (HPL) standard — the internationally recognized benchmark for computing performance — are eligible for the ranking.

The system’s performance and architecture

As of today, the system, delivering petaflop-level performance, is the most powerful computing cluster in Kazakhstan and in Central Asia.

ExxonMobil is exploring options to acquire assets controlled by the Russian oil giant Lukoil in Kazakhstan. Both the American and Russian companies own stakes in the Karachaganak and Tengiz projects, the two giant oil fields in the country. Chevron, another partner in these assets, is also considering options for potential purchases, Reuters reported.

According to the news report, Exxon may also consider purchasing the West Qurna 2 field in Iraq, which is Lukoil’s most valuable asset. Exxon had operated the neighboring West Qurna 1 field for years before exiting the project last year.

Lukoil...

Vietnamese VinGroup is considering launching its EV taxi service, Xanh SM, in Kazakhstan. The company plans to establish a representative office in Almaty, which will work with the CIS region, Kazakh Invest reported.

Kazakh Invest representatives held talks with the VinGroup SNG’s delegation, which included representatives of the group’s subsidiary GSM (Green and Smart Mobility). A Vietnamese company is considering opening a GSM regional office in Almaty to serve the CIS.

GSM, operating under the Xanh SM brand, is one of the largest taxi services in Vietnam, offering only electric cars produced at the VinFast plants...