News

Social media users in Kazakhstan are actively discussing rumors about the alleged «bankruptcy» of the luxury boutique Saks Fifth Avenue in Almaty. Posts making the claim have gained traction on the Threads platform.

Bankruptcy filing linked to U.S. parent company

The bankruptcy filing, however, was made not by the Almaty boutique but by Saks Global, the U.S.-based parent company that owns the Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus brands. The filing was submitted to a Texas court under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

A Chapter 11 filing does not signal the closure...

India currently depends on overseas suppliers for roughly 90% to 95% of its semiconductor requirements. That reliance is now prompting a major domestic push, as the government moves forward with plans to establish what it hopes will be the country’s first large-scale semiconductor fabrication plant. The facility is planned for Dholera, a special economic zone in the western state of Gujarat, according to Nikkei Asia.

Major investments signal industry takeoff

Tata Electronics has pledged $10 billion to develop India’s inaugural chip fabrication plant. In parallel, CG Semi — a joint venture involving Japan’s Renesas Electronics and Thailand’s Stars...

On Jan. 16, the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea sentenced the country’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison over charges that include obstructing investigators’ attempt to detain him in 2025, Yonhap reported. The development marks the first verdict on charges against Yoon arising from his martial-law initiation in December 2024.

According to The Korea Herald, the prosecution initially sought a 10-year sentence, which included five years for obstructing an arrest, two years for revising the martial law decree post-implementation and three years for interfering with Cabinet...

Higgsfield AI, a startup from Kazakhstan, has raised new funding at a valuation of more than $1.3 billion, Reuters reported. The company develops AI-powered video generation tools and is among the fastest-scaling generative AI projects globally.

The company recently disclosed that it raised $130 million in a Series A funding round, with Accel, GFT Ventures and Menlo Ventures among the investors. The deal valued the startup at over $1.3 billion.

Higgsfield also said its annualized revenue run rate (ARR) has reached $200 million, a metric that reflects projected revenue if current growth continues.

According to co-founder Alexander...

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House on Thursday, according to Reuters.

A White House representative said Trump plans to keep the medal. The president later posted on social media that Machado had given him the medal in recognition of his work, calling the gesture respectful and meaningful.

Machado said the gift reflected her appreciation for what she described as Trump’s support for the Venezuelan people. The Norwegian Nobel Institute, however, stated that while she gave him the physical medal, the Nobel...

The Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan’s Muslims (SAKM), announced plans to launch a mobile application called Imam AI, which will be powered by artificial intelligence.

AI as response to modern challenges

SAKM said the introduction of AI into the religious sphere is intended to address modern challenges facing religious institutions. The technology is expected to enable faster and more systematic responses to questions from believers while reducing the workload on clerics and other religious officials.

Focus on verified religious guidance

According to the project’s concept, the app will provide answers to religious questions based on verified and...

KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s state-owned oil and gas company, rerouted 300,000 tons of oil in December 2025 amid restrictions on operations at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).

The company said the oil was redirected through the KazTransOil pipeline system for delivery to Germany, China, and via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) route, as well as through the Russian ports of Novorossiysk and Ust-Luga.

Drone attacks prompt further diversions

In January 2026, Kazakh oil shipments will also be rerouted due to disruptions following drone attacks on CPC infrastructure, the company said.

KMG noted that it is continuing to develop additional...

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Talgat Yeshenkulov said the ministry does not have accurate data on how many Kazakh students are studying at universities in Iran.

«There are no students studying there through academic mobility programs, and we do not keep records of those who are studying independently,» Yeshenkulov said.

Protests across Iran

Iran is experiencing its largest anti-government protests in recent years. Demonstrations initially erupted over economic hardship but have since expanded into broader calls for the overthrow of the ruling regime.

The situation has been further complicated...

On Jan. 15, BigHit Music, the label of the globally recognized K-pop group BTS, revealed the name of the upcoming album and announced pre-orders.

The fifth album has been titled «ARIRANG,» which is also the name of a Korean traditional folk song, with one of its central themes being parting and separation, as well as hope beneath sadness, and is included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

«The members were deeply involved throughout the songwriting and production process, infusing their own thoughts and identities while expressing the...

Honda has unexpectedly entered the recreational vehicle space — but in its own way. The Base Station is neither a massive camper van nor a motorhome. It’s a high-tech towable trailer that can even be hitched to a CR-V for a weekend getaway in the countryside.

The idea is simple: camping without hassle, unnecessary fuss or a large pickup truck for towing. The Honda Base Station is lightweight and designed to suit popular crossovers and electric vehicles.

The trailer is compact and neat on the outside, with an ergonomically arranged interior — a feature Honda is...

Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey has registered eight images of himself smiling, staring and talking with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

According to The Wall Street Journal, among the trademarks are short videos featuring McConaughey, pictures of his facial expressions and gestures, and the iconic phrase «Alright, alright, alright» from the movie «Dazed and Confused.» The actor’s lawyers said this was done to prevent his voice and pictures from being used to create deepfakes.

Given that there were no reports of McConaughey being a victim of AI abuse, the trademarks are largely a preventive measure amid the growing number...

On Jan. 14, the U.S. Department of State announced an indefinite suspension of immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries. The move was attributed to enhanced security and background screening requirements, a reassessment of eligibility criteria.

The suspension applies to immigrant visas, which grant permanent residence, and does not automatically extend to temporary or nonimmigrant visas.

Affected countries

Nurasyl Abdrazakuly, a Kazakh data scientist and a frequent collaborator on our infographics, has mapped the 75 countries where U.S. immigrant visa processing has been suspended.

The visualization highlights the broad geographic scope of the decision and the...

Kazakhstan’s second-ranked tennis player Alexander Shevchenko (World No. 104) was eliminated in the quarterfinal against France’s Ugo Humbert (36) at the ATP-250 Adelaide International 2026 tournament with 0-6, 3-6.

Before today, Jan. 15, Shevchenko trailed Humbert 0-2 in their head-to-head. However, every one of those matches was fiercely contested. For example, at the start of Wimbledon 2024, the two athletes played five sets: 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (3-7), 6-1.

The match in Adelaide began poorly for Shevchenko. Humbert won nine consecutive games and the Kazakhstani struggled throughout. After losing the first set 0-6 and falling...

A large business complex, Iconic Towers, will be built in the city of Alatau, with total investment exceeding $800 million. The architectural concept for the project is being developed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), an American firm known for its iconic skyscrapers worldwide.

Due to the high importance of the project, which is one of the key initiatives designed to promote Alatau as an investment, technology and business hub, the site was visited by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov during his business trip to the Almaty region.

Kazakhstan signed the agreement to build Iconic Towers in September 2025, during...

In China, the production of plush horse toys timed for the Chinese Year of the Horse has started; however, the stuffed horses were supposed to look cheerful, yet a mistake at a factory in the city of Yiwu made the toys look sad by stitching their mouths upside down.

The stuffed horse with a sad face went viral in China. According to Xinhua, the factory now produces up to 15,000 sad plush horse toys dubbed «Cry-Cry Horse» and struggles to meet customer demand.

A customer noticed the irregularity in a toy she bought and posted its...

When gasoline prices rise and electric vehicles remain out of reach, some drivers look for unconventional solutions. In Brazil, one family found an extreme alternative: burning firewood.

A 1952 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe has been running on wood instead of gasoline for nearly half a century, according to automotive outlet Autogeek.

Nearly 50 years without gasoline

In 1977, Arnold Schmidt and his son, Elemer, decided to experiment by converting the classic sedan to run on wood fuel. Six months later, the car was back on the road — powered by logs rather than liquid fuel.

The pair installed a...

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has extended until Feb. 28 a license allowing negotiations for the sale of Lukoil International GmbH, the entity that owns Russian oil giant Lukoil’s foreign assets. The extension was reported by Interfax.

Any deal, however, must comply with U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, according to the terms of the license.

Use of blocked accounts permitted

Under the license, blocked accounts belonging to Lukoil’s foreign entities may be used for authorized transactions. These transactions must be incidental and necessary to maintaining or terminating the activities, contracts or other...

Sting, the British composer and singer, has paid his former Police bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland more than $800,000 after acknowledging an underpayment of royalties, the BBC reported.

Summers and Copeland sued Sting and his publishing company in September 2025, saying they are owed between $2 million and $10.75 million in unpaid royalties for songs such as «Roxanne» and «Every Breath You Take.» They based their claims on a written agreement to share a percentage of publishing income, usually 15%, as an «arrangers’ fee,» which recognized their contributions to songs even when they did not receive writing...

The next opponent for Kazakhstani UFC second-ranked welterweight fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov should be Ecuador’s Michael Morales (No. 4), according to the Sportsnet analyst Aaron Bronsteter.

«This fight between two top-five welterweights should have everyone salivating. Two huge 170-pounders with identical 19-0 professional records in what would certainly be a title eliminator is about as good as it gets. It is yet to be determined who will face reigning champion Islam Makhachev next, but I would not be surprised if it is either Ian Machado Garry or Kamaru Usman...

The Kazakh government has announced the start of a new phase of mineral exploration, committing 240 billion tenge, about $500 million, over the next three years to geological research.

For comparison, that figure exceeds total investment in the sector over the past 15 years, which amounted to $469 million, according to the government’s press office.

Modernizing geological mapping

A central goal of the initiative is to move away from outdated Soviet-era geological maps. Until now, mapping was conducted at a scale of 1:200,000. Under the new program, surveys will be carried out at a more detailed scale of 1:50,000.

As U.S. leaders continue to refuse to rule out annexing Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, several European NATO countries are sending small groups of troops to the Arctic region for joint military exercises with Denmark, CNN reported.

The kingdom, which is responsible for Greenland’s defense and foreign affairs, said it is increasing its military presence on the island «in close cooperation with NATO allies.» Officials in Copenhagen warned that any military attack on Greenland would effectively end NATO, since Greenland is part of the alliance through Denmark.

Germany, Sweden, France and Norway have confirmed they...

The draw for the Australian Open 2026 — the first Grand Slam tournament of the calendar year — took place in Melbourne. In the first round, Elena Rybakina (World No. 5) will face Slovenian Kaja Juvan (97), and Alexander Bublik (10) will challenge American Jenson Brooksby (48).

Kazakhstani player Zarina Diyas (285), who earned a wild card by winning the AO Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff, will meet Spain’s Paula Badosa (26). Yulia Putintseva (105) will play Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia (59). Alexander Shevchenko (104), who is continuing his...

The Pentagon’s so-called «pizza index» has reportedly surged by as much as 1,000% in recent days, prompting renewed speculation online. Pizzerias near the Defense Department were said to be operating at full capacity, taking back-to-back orders late into the night.

What is the ‘pizza index’?

The «pizza index» is an unofficial and tongue-in-cheek indicator that has circulated for decades among journalists, analysts and military watchers. The theory holds that a sharp increase in food orders from pizzerias and restaurants near the Pentagon often coincides with extended, closed-door meetings by senior military leaders.

According to the lore, these...

Russian stand-up comedian Viktor Kopanitsa, who now lives and works in Kazakhstan, recently shared a story about an almost-fight with UFC welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.

A favor for a friend

Speaking on a recent episode of the Setaptar YouTube show, Kopanitsa recounted that the incident occurred after his friend Vyacheslav invited him to film his gym training session.

While at the gym, Kopanitsa said a tall man approached him and casually asked where he was from. When Kopanitsa replied that he was Russian, the man followed up with an unexpected question: «You wanna fight?»

A joke he didn’t...