New air route Almaty - Karakol launches

Earth hit by biggest solar storm of 2025 - possible power outages warned for the week, kabar.kg cites gazetaexpress.com.

The sun erupted with a massive solar storm, the largest of the year, sending a wave of solar activity that could affect Earth as early as today.

A powerful X5.1 flare, which could disrupt satellites, high-frequency radio transmissions and high-altitude flights, erupted from the Sun today.

The storm caused a radiotelegraph outage in Europe and Africa around 5 a.m. ET, temporarily affecting aviation, shipping, emergency services, GPS, radar and satellite communications.

Space scientist Steph Yardley described this solar activity as "rare," noting that these extremely energetic particles from the Sun are so strong that they can be picked up by ground-based detectors.

NOAA scientists are monitoring a possible solar coronal mass ejection (CME) - a large cloud of material and magnetic fields moving at about 3,000 miles per second.

If this mass is headed toward Earth, it could cause a severe geomagnetic storm, disrupting Earth's magnetic field overnight through Wednesday. Auroras could be seen as far away as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon.

Power systems, GPS navigation and HF radio communications could be affected, NOAA warned in a statement.

Officials have declared a G3 Watch, warning that another CME from November 10 could reach the evening of November 11 and continue until November 12.

This outburst came from the sun AR4274, which has been very active in recent days, producing two other significant outbursts on November 9 and 10.

The Sun has temporary dark spots, cooler than the surrounding area, called sunspots, and they are the source of such eruptions.

Officials warn that high-energy particles from the Sun are triggering radiation warnings.

Passengers and crew on high-altitude polar flights may experience slightly higher radiation exposure, while satellites in low orbit, especially those over the poles, are susceptible to temporary electrical outages.

Today's outburst joins a series of powerful outbursts from sunspot AR4274, including an X1.7 on November 9 and an X1.2 on November 10.

Solar flares are classified by their X-ray brightness, as measured by satellites, and are divided into five main categories: A, B, C, M and X, from weakest to most powerful. Class X flares are the most powerful and can disrupt satellites, radio communications and high-altitude flights.

Solar activity is expected to remain high as AR4274 is still Earth-facing and unstable. There is a 75% chance of further M-class flares that could cause brief radio outages, HF communications outages, and minor geomagnetic storms.

There is also a 40% chance of another powerful X-class explosion, which could cause widespread radiotelegraphy disruptions, satellite and GPS outages, impact on electrical grids, and radiation hazards to astronauts and high-altitude flights.

Another sunspot, AR4276, may produce smaller outbursts with limited effects during its development.

 

Microplastic pollution has become a widespread and pressing concern globally due to its increasing accumulation and hidden threat to human health, wildlife, and the environment. In recent years, there have been few reports on the invisible threat of microplastic exacerbated by paper cups and tea bags, which have attracted considerable public attention, Springer Nature Link reports.

The plastic coatings of paper cups degrade when exposed to hot water and releasing harmful compounds, such as vinyl chloride, styrene, benzotriazole, diethylhexyl phthalate, and diethyl phthalate into the beverage. Moreover, various ions (e.g., sulfate, nitrate, fluoride, chloride), organic compounds (e.g., naphthalene, butanone, hexanal), and toxic heavy metals leach into the beverage.

Similarly, certain tea bags release microplastic particles composed of polymers, such acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, and nylon. These tea bags also release phthalates along with trace amounts of toxic metals including Cd, Co, Cr, and Ni. This study critically examines the overlooked presence and release of microplastics from paper cups and tea bags, particularly in the context of rising tea consumption in India. It aims to raise awareness and provide scientific insights into the potential health and environmental risks, highlighting the need for policy intervention and sustainable alternatives. This article delivers a comprehensive overview of the composition of paper cups and tea bags, along with the mechanisms through which microplastics and nanoplastics are released during the consumption of hot beverages. In addition, it offers current insights into the potential health risks associated with the ingestion of microplastics through tea consumption, as well as the broader environmental impacts.

The article also thoroughly discusses recent advancements in analytical detection and identification techniques, such as AFM, ATR-FTIR, micro-FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, Focal Plane Array (FPA)-Based Reflectance Micro-FT-IR, Py-GC-MS, and LC-MS/MS, used for the characterization of microplastics released from paper cups and tea bags. To enhance understanding of the issue, the article highlights the environmental consequences and health hazards posed by microplastics both during consumption and after the disposal of paper cups and tea bags. Furthermore, this review identifies key research gaps and presents recommendations to reduce the risk of microplastic ingestion from tea infused in paper cups or tea bags. The conclusions drawn from this study are crucial and may contribute significantly to addressing the problem of microplastic contamination from paper cups and tea bags.

 

The first model of the movement of solar plasma clouds ejected from the Sun to Earth has been created, along with a preliminary geomagnetic activity forecast. The forecast currently does not take into account the most recent, strongest ejection that occurred last night and will be revised upwards during the day, Laboratory of Solar Astronomy reports.

Regardless of what the graphs show, Earth will experience the strongest geomagnetic storm of the year tomorrow, Friday, November 7, and one of the strongest in recent years. The plasma movement model is very similar to what preceded the G5 magnetic storm of May 11-12 last year, when several ejections simultaneously approached Earth, converging along the way into a single structure of record size.

Currently, even in a weakened form, the forecast for tomorrow shows G3-G4 storms, meaning they range from strong to very strong. When revised throughout the day, this range will most likely shift to the G4-G5 range.

The only positive aspect is the confidence of the mathematical models that the impact will be marginal: the main core of the ejecta, according to their calculations, passes to the left of the Earth, and the planet will be hit by the peripheral sections of the plasma cloud. However, they made the same prediction the day before, whereas, in fact, those gas clouds that were expected to pass tens of millions of kilometers from Earth are currently impacting the planet and causing powerful planet-wide storms. Visual inspection also shows that everything ejected by the Sun is heading toward Earth.

 

Russia will train Kazakh human-tiger conflict mitigation specialists, chairman of the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Kazakh Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry Daniyar Turgambayev told the press conference of the Central Communications Service, Kazinform News Agency reports.

According to him, in 2025, a joint working group convened for its meetings twice under the Kazakhstan-Russia Memorandum on Amur tiger reintroduction. The parties agreed on training Kazakh specialists in human-predator conflict resolution and bringing three or four Amur tigers from Russia in the first half of 2026.

 

Kazakhstan has established partnerships with the world’s 40 top universities as well as opened 33 Foreign university branch campuses. This has been stated by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at II International Forum of Strategic Partners titled "Kazakhstan is a territory of academic knowledge" held in the Kazakh capital, Kazinform News Agency cites the Akorda press service.

The Kazakh leader believes that the high demographic potential of the Central Asian nations and a number of countries bordering the region creates significant opportunities for Kazakhstan to promote the export of higher education and attract foreign students.

Tokayev said that Kazakhstan set a challenging but extremely important task to become an integral part of the global knowledge market. To this end, partnerships have been established with 40 leading universities around the world, and 33 branch campuses of foreign universities have been opened. It is important that many of these branches offer instruction in English, Russian, and Chinese. Multilingualism in education has always been - and will remain - the key to openness and competitiveness, both for individuals and institutions, as well as for entire nations… So, we are consciously taking this important step toward integration into the global academic space. At the same time, all university branches have introduced mandatory courses in the Kazakh language and the history of Kazakhstan, which are invaluable for helping foreign students gain a deeper understanding of our culture and national mindset, said the Kazakh President.

The Kazakh leader pointed out that up to 31,000 foreign students, currently, attend Kazakhstani universities, which is a record figure for the country.

 

Majilis member Nartai Sarsengaliev submitted a parliamentary inquiry to the Ministries of Internal Affairs as well as Culture and Information, raising the issue of the growing number of dangerous and provocative pranks in society, Kazinform News Agency reports.

According to him, these "pranks" are not humor, but a manifestation of disrespect and irresponsibility. At the same time, the deputy also spoke about a new type of prank - involving artificial intelligence.

 

Majilis deputies have approved in the first reading the draft law "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage Sites," Kazinform News Agency reports.

According to Majilisman Askhat Aimagambetov, the draft law was initiated by members of Parliament as part of the implementation of the President’s directive to organize and regulate archaeological activities.

The document is aimed at improving legislation on the protection and use of historical and cultural heritage sites within the field of archaeology.

Key provisions include reforming the licensing system for archaeological work and streamlining the collection and organization of data on archaeological monuments and sites.

To bring together all information on historical and cultural heritage sites discovered during archaeological excavations, the draft law also proposes establishing a "Unified Automated Information System for Archaeological Works."

In addition, the draft law outlines the functions of the "National Archaeological Service," to be coordinated by Margulan Institute of Archaeology. The service will be responsible for providing scientific, advisory, and analytical support for archaeological projects.

 

From October 4 to 12, the team of the Institute of Zoology of Kazakhstan conducted a short but successful expedition to the Kurty locality in Almaty Region - one of the few continental Paleozoic sites in Kazakhstan. The exposed rocks here date back to the Permian period, about 280 million years old, meaning that the organisms found in Kurty lived long before the age of dinosaurs, zool.kz reports.

The remains of early Permian amphibians from the Kurty complex were first discovered in the 1960s during geological surveys. In the 1970s, specialists from the Paleontological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences carried out several productive field seasons and collected more than 400 specimens. To their surprise, all the fossils belonged to a single species - Utegenia shpinari. The causes of such a low species diversity remain under discussion. More interestingly, Kurty preserves an almost complete ontogenetic series, from juveniles about 2 cm long to adults reaching 30 cm, making it an exceptional site for studying the individual development of Paleozoic amphibians.