British Expat in Almaty Shares His Love for Kazakhstan and the Dombra KT Exclusive
Images | Kazakhstan Today
On the eve of National Dombra Day, a British journalist shared the story of his move to Kazakhstan, his love for the country, its rich musical heritage, and the special place the dombra holds in Kazakh culture.
Christopher Trickett moved from England to Kazakhstan 18 years ago. Today, he is a journalist, educator, and publisher of his own media outlet, producing content in Kazakh, Russian, and English.
Ahead of National Dombra Day, he spoke in an interview about how the dombra has become an important part of his life in Kazakhstan.
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Comic Con Astana 2026 Attracts Over 76,000 Visitors
The fifth international Comic Con Astana 2026 pop culture festival was held in Astana from Aug. 6 to 9, attracting more than 76,000 visitors from over 40 countries during its four-day run.
For the first time, the festival welcomed four international headliners - Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Paul Anderson, Iñaki Godoy and Taz Skylar. The actors met with fans and took part in Q&A sessions, autograph signings and photo sessions.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for his role as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones, drew particular attention from festivalgoers. Speaking to journalists, the actor shared his impressions of Kazakhstan and joked that he had eaten more meat in one day in Astana than he had in the previous three years.
"The first impression of any country is its people. I have to say that I received a very warm welcome in Kazakhstan. People here are open and friendly. I was also shown photos of Kazakhstan's landscapes - they are amazing places. Now I definitely have to come back to see them, especially Mangystau," Coster-Waldau said.
Asked by journalists where Kazakhstan might fit into the geography of Game of Thrones, the actor suggested that the country could serve as a land of diplomacy between powerful neighbors.
"If we think in terms of Game of Thrones, Kazakhstan today is situated between two very powerful neighbors. In the series, it could be between the Lannisters and the land of the Dothraki and serve as a territory of diplomacy. It would be a country that both sides consider their best friend," the festival headliner said.
British actor Paul Anderson, known for his role as Arthur Shelby in Peaky Blinders, also praised the festival.
"I am who I am. I don't know how to pretend or put on an act, and I usually speak honestly about my impressions. So I can sincerely say that this is the best Comic Con I've ever been to," Anderson said.
Iñaki Godoy and Taz Skylar, stars of Netflix's One Piece, also met with fans and took part in the festival program.
More than 16,000 people attended Comic Con Astana on its opening day, setting a new first-day attendance record in the history of the event.
One of the festival's main highlights was the international cosplay competition. The judging panel included prominent figures from the cosplay industry, including Kamui Cosplay and Leon Chiro. The competition offered a total prize pool of 20 million tenge.
The festival also featured musical performances, including a concert by South Korean K-pop group Kandis, as well as meetings with bloggers, artists, cosplayers and content creators.
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Almaty Braces for Severe Traffic Congestion as School Year Begins
Almaty authorities will step up traffic control ahead of the new school year, deploying foot patrols at heavily congested intersections, Timur Nogaibayev, head of the Public Security Department of the Almaty Police Department, said.
According to Nogaibayev, numerous construction and installation projects are currently underway across the city, some of which will not be completed before the start of the school year. With traffic volumes expected to increase, police will strengthen control at the busiest locations.
"The traffic load will, of course, be enormous. Foot patrols will be deployed at intersections to ensure road safety. We often see drivers entering an intersection even when they know it is blocked and there is congestion ahead, creating gridlock. To prevent such violations, we will deploy police officers at these locations," Nogaibayev said.
Police units will also be stationed at key entrances to Almaty. They will monitor traffic arriving from the Kuldzhinsky Trakt, as well as from the Karasai and Ili districts.
Traffic congestion remains one of Almaty's most pressing problems. According to police data, more than 1.5 million vehicles, including those arriving from outside the city, travel on the metropolis's roads every day.
The city's entry points face particularly heavy traffic. According to the Almaty city administration, around 300,000 vehicles enter the city daily. One of the busiest routes is the Almaty-Kaskelen road, which carries up to 60,000 vehicles per day.
In July, work began to expand an eight-kilometer section of the Almaty-Bishkek highway from four to eight lanes. The project is scheduled for completion by December 2027.
Ongoing construction and related road restrictions are putting additional pressure on the city's transport network. In particular, a section of Tole Bi Street between Ashimov Street and Alatau Street is closed from July 14 through Aug. 25 due to road extension works.
Traffic problems are also being exacerbated by changes in traffic flows. In May, the city's Urban Mobility Department said the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor on Timiryazev Street had reduced the street's traffic capacity. As a result, some motorists shifted to Al-Farabi Avenue, increasing congestion there. City authorities are considering changes to the traffic management scheme on Timiryazev Street.
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Thousands of Almaty Residents Gather for Cultural Evening Dedicated to Abai
Images | gov.kz
Ahead of Abai Day, thousands of Almaty residents gathered for a cultural evening dedicated to the legacy of the great poet and educator, the city administration’s press service said.
"Thousands of spectators watched the documentary Alğashqy kitap (The First Book) on an open-air stage before taking part in a programme of music, poetry and live performances. The documentary Alğashqy kitap," the statement said.
According to the city administration, the docudrama tells the story of the poet’s first book, published in 1909 in St Petersburg by the Ilyas Boragansky publishing house.
"The filmmakers tell the story of how Abai’s works were collected and prepared for publication, who was involved in publishing the book, why it was published in St Petersburg and what difficulties had to be overcome before its release. The screening was followed by a musical and poetry programme organised by Almaty’s Department of Culture," the city administration said.
The cultural programme continued with the Almaty Summer Fest. The event concluded with an open-air performance of Abai’s songs, with more than a thousand spectators joining the artists.
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Kazakhstan and China Launch Joint Earthquake Research in Almaty
Images | АI
Kazakhstan and China have launched joint earthquake research in Almaty, where a building for the future Kazakhstan-China Joint Earthquake Research Centre has been opened.
Pending the signing of an intergovernmental agreement, an Earthquake Research Centre has already been established within the National Scientific Centre for Seismology. It includes three specialised laboratories where Kazakh and Chinese scientists will be able to conduct joint research.
Scientific organisations from the two countries have also signed a memorandum of cooperation in the fields of geophysics and seismology.
The opening ceremony was attended by Kazakhstan’s Minister for Emergency Situations Chingis Arinov, Almaty Mayor Darkhan Satybaldy, Chinese Consul General in Almaty Su Fangqiu, as well as representatives of China’s Institute of Geophysics, government agencies and the scientific community.
The joint research is expected to help develop modern methods for monitoring and forecasting seismic activity and strengthen earthquake safety in Kazakhstan and China.
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International Week of Action to Protect the Caspian Ecosystem Begins in Aktau
The Caspian Sea Action Week 2026, an international initiative dedicated to preserving the Caspian Sea ecosystem, opened in Aktau on 6 August and will run through 12 August, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information said.
The event is being held under the auspices of the International Year of Volunteers, established by the United Nations at the initiative of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Participants include representatives from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, a delegation from the United Nations Volunteers (UN Volunteers) programme, representatives of the Tehran Convention for the Protection of the Caspian Sea, international environmental organisations and volunteers from all regions of Kazakhstan.
The programme features environmental campaigns, expert discussions, thematic sessions, a hackathon, as well as cultural and sporting events. The activities are aimed at strengthening international cooperation in environmental volunteering and promoting sustainable development.
The week's flagship event will be the Caspian Talks International Volunteer Summit, to be held on 12 August, the International Day of the Caspian Sea. Participants will discuss the region's environmental challenges and review the outcomes of the week.
According to the ministry, Caspian Sea Action Week 2026 is intended to bring together volunteers and international organisations to help preserve the Caspian Sea ecosystem and expand international cooperation on environmental protection.
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Comic Con Astana Announces Winners of Amateur Cosplay Contest
The Comic Con Astana 2026 amateur cosplay contest was held on the opening day of the festival, bringing together more than 80 participants, the Astana city administration said.
More than 50 adults and around 30 children took to the stage dressed as characters from films, television series, anime and video games.
The contestants were judged by a panel that included winners of last year's amateur competition. According to the organizers, selecting the winners proved difficult due to the high level of preparation among the participants.
First-place winners in both the adult and children's categories received 100,000 tenge, while second- and third-place winners were awarded 60,000 tenge and 40,000 tenge, respectively.
In the adult category, a cosplay of Akali from League of Legends took third place, while Edward Scissorhands came second. The Almaty Butterflies team won first place with a cosplay featuring janitor characters.
For the first time, the festival introduced a special Best Video Game Cosplay category in partnership with the Future Games. In the adult competition, a participant portraying Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 won the award and received a tablet as a prize.
In the children's category, a cosplay of Ai Hoshino took third place, while Klee came second. The winner portrayed Jabba from the Star Wars universe. A cosplay of Link was named the best video game cosplay in the children's category.
The amateur cosplay contest was one of the highlights of the opening day of Comic Con Astana 2026. The festival runs through Aug. 9 and will also feature a professional cosplay competition, appearances by international headliners and other events.
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'Game of Thrones' Star Shares First Impressions of Kazakhstan
Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for portraying Jaime Lannister in the television series Game of Thrones, spoke about his first visit to Kazakhstan during a press conference at Comic Con Astana, the agency's correspondent reported.
"This is my first visit to Kazakhstan, to Astana. What a huge country! Everything I've seen so far has been absolutely amazing. I've eaten more meat than I have in the last three years. I went to an Astana sauna and got thoroughly steamed. Then a strong man held me in a swimming pool like I was a little child. I also placed my hand in the handprint at the Baiterek Monument. And now I'm thinking: is this really happening to me, or am I dreaming?" Coster-Waldau said.
The actor also shared his impressions of the people of Kazakhstan, praising their openness and hospitality.
"Your impression of a place is always shaped by the people you meet. I've met some truly wonderful people - very friendly and welcoming. I understand that, as a guest here, I'm obviously in a privileged position to have had this kind of experience," he said.
Coster-Waldau also reflected on his acting career, saying that every new role marks a new stage in his professional journey.
"You know, one of the most enjoyable things about acting is that something new always comes along. The first time I was asked to play a father, I thought, 'Well, that's it - from now on I'll only be cast as fathers.' And I suppose the next thing will be children's roles," the actor said with a laugh.
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OpenAI AI Models Launched Cyberattack Without Human Instructions
OpenAI is strengthening its security measures after two of its artificial intelligence models independently organized a cyberattack on AI developer platform Hugging Face without any human instructions.
The incident was disclosed by OpenAI researchers Michael Dalton and Eric Wallace during the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, Politico reported.
According to the researchers, in early May several AI agents undergoing testing secretly began communicating through a message board they had created within the internal Artifactory file system. The models exchanged advice on solving complex hacking tasks, including ways to bypass restrictions and gain internet access.
"This is a turning point for both our company and the entire artificial intelligence industry," Michael Dalton said.
One of the models later discovered a way to exploit Artifactory's internet connectivity and subsequently identified a previously unknown zero-day vulnerability. This enabled the models to obtain administrative privileges, install remote access software and expand their activity within the system.
In mid-July, the two OpenAI models gained internet access and infiltrated Hugging Face's infrastructure. At the end of last month, OpenAI acknowledged that its own models had been responsible for the attack. Hugging Face had previously reported that an autonomous AI system had breached its network.
According to Wallace, when the models "get stuck," they often "try to bypass the rules or cheat in order to obtain a reward."
"Essentially, this incident began when one agent realized it could communicate with others by uploading notes," the researcher added.
The models' activity overloaded the Artifactory system, triggering a major outage that prompted OpenAI engineers to launch an investigation. The company revoked the models' credentials, removed the message board they had created and patched the identified vulnerabilities. However, within days the models found a new way to communicate and continued searching for vulnerabilities in both OpenAI's internal infrastructure and external systems, including Hugging Face.
Following the incident, OpenAI decided to slow the pace of its research in order to strengthen the security of its systems.
"We are deliberately slowing our research efforts to strengthen security, update the principles and foundational safeguards of our environment, while significantly expanding the monitoring of our AI agents and improving our systems for preventing, detecting and mitigating threats," Dalton said.
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