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Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player, Alexander Bublik, retained 10th place in the updated ATP rankings published today, Feb. 9. He has entered the ATP 500 tournament in the Netherlands in both singles and doubles.

An evident miscalculation by Kazakhstan’s national team coaching staff on the second day of the Davis Cup tie against Monaco in Astana — sending Bublik on court for nearly five hours — resulted in the team’s defeat. In doubles, paired with Beibit Zhukayev (No. 369), and later in singles against Valentin Vacherot (No. 27), Bublik was...

Kazakhstan’s banking sector will remember the year 2025 for a sharp decline in profit growth amid additional taxation and higher minimum reserve requirements. Growth in loan and deposit portfolios also slowed, though less dramatically than financial results.

Total sector assets rose from 61.6 trillion to 70.8 trillion tenge in 2025 (about $135.7 billion), an increase of 9.2 trillion tenge (Kursiv Research calculations based on National Bank data, unless otherwise noted). In relative terms, assets grew 15.0%, slowing from 19.7% growth in 2024.

Asset growth led by the largest banks

Among individual second-tier banks, Halyk Bank...

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has consolidated her power after her conservative governing coalition won a landslide victory in a national election, securing a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament, The Guardian reported.

The result was widely viewed as a strong public endorsement of Takaichi’s leadership, following her call for a snap election shortly after taking office in October 2025. Financial markets reacted positively, with Japan’s Nikkei share average surpassing the 56,000 level for the first time at the start of trading. South Korea’s Kospi rose 4.4%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.8% and Australia’s S&P/ASX...

Kazakhstani tennis player Anna Danilina climbed one place in the updated WTA doubles rankings, returning to the top 10. Paired with Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunić, she is preparing to participate in the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2026, alongside Elena Rybakina.

Following the 2025 final, Moscow-born Danilina, who has been representing Kazakhstan since 2011, was ranked eighth. However, she ended the year in 15th place. After reaching the final of the 2026 Australian Open, Danilina moved up to 11th and soon returned to the top 10. She outperformed Latvia’s Jeļena Ostapenko, who failed to defend...

The Seattle Seahawks won their second Super Bowl title with a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, relying on a dominant defensive performance to secure the championship, the Associated Press reported.

Seattle’s defense forced multiple turnovers, recorded six sacks and scored a decisive interception return for a touchdown. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw one touchdown pass and avoided turnovers, while running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards and was named Super Bowl MVP. Kicker Jason Myers converted all five of his field-goal attempts, setting a Super Bowl record.

The Patriots struggled offensively for much of...

The premiere of the «Voice Beyond Horizon,» executive produced by world-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen, was a real standout. The first episode garnered 102 million viewers and topped Chinese rankings, according to Dimashnews.

Qudaibergen’s show breaks records

According to Hunan TV, the show ranked first among regional satellite channels across the CVB, CSM and CSM71 networks. It also topped the KuYun and Huanwang real-time rankings.

«Voice Beyond Horizon» went abuzz on social media. The first episode was broadcast by Kazakhstan’s Embassy in China and by the outlet China Daily, whereas official...

The European Commission said TikTok’s design — which includes features regulators describe as addictive — may violate the European Union’s Digital Services Act and provide insufficient protection for users. The assessment reflects preliminary findings from an investigation published Feb. 6.

Infinite scrolling

Regulators said features such as infinite scrolling effectively pull users deeper into the app. New content loads automatically, encouraging people to spend increasing amounts of time on TikTok, often without realizing it.

The commission believes this design can promote compulsive behavior and place users’ attention on «autopilot.»

Risks for teens

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb mistakenly transferred 620,000 bitcoins to users — coins worth more than $42 billion at current prices. The incident was caused by human error rather than a cyberattack.

An error costing billions

According to the South Korean newspaper Chosun, the mistake occurred during the distribution of rewards for participation in one of the exchange’s promotional events.

Instead of the South Korean won intended for users, the employee responsible for the payout mistakenly entered bitcoin into the system.

A total of 695 recipients received the cryptocurrency. Bithumb said the incident was an...

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has sharply criticized the Spanish government’s recent initiative that would ban children under 16 from using social media, warning that measures presented as child protection could undermine freedom of speech and user privacy.

Read also: Code, power, and exile: The untold story of Pavel Durov and Telegram.

In a recent post, Durov said the proposed regulations could turn Spain “into a surveillance state.”

Criminal liability and censorship

Durov also objected to plans that could impose criminal liability on platform managers who fail to promptly...

A 2025 study by J.D. Power China on the quality of new energy vehicles produced unexpected results, according to CarNewsChina. Aito, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla ranked in the top three, while China’s most popular brand, BYD, placed slightly below the industry average.

The survey covered 57 brands and more than 5,700 owners who had driven their vehicles for between two months and one year.

A clear leader

The standout performer was the Aito M9, developed within the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance with participation from Huawei. The model posted top results across several classes.

In...

Timur Turlov’s Freedom Bank has ranked among the top three banks in Kazakhstan for the highest interest rates on certificates of deposit, alongside Home Credit and Eurasian Bank, according to Ranking.kz.

Freedom Bank, part of the Freedom Finance ecosystem supervised by well-known financier Timur Turlov, became the first bank in Kazakhstan to offer an annual percentage yield (APY) of 20% on its term deposits. These terms apply to the «Capital» certificate of deposit, which requires a minimum deposit of 500,000 tenge ($1,000). The product was launched in October 2025. Since then, several other commercial banks have followed suit, offering...

Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player, Alexander Bublik, exhausted after an almost three-hour doubles match, lost to Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (7-9). Kazakhstan’s national team was defeated by Monaco 1-3 in a home Davis Cup tie.

The previous doubles match, in which Bublik partnered with Beibit Zhukayev against Hugo Nys and Romain Arneodo, lasted 2 hours 48 minutes, leaving the Kazakh player visibly exhausted at the start of his singles match.

After contesting three tiebreaks in doubles, Bublik also played the fourth and fifth tiebreaks in singles. Vacherot broke in the opening game...

Kazakhstanis Alexander Bublik and Beibit Zhukayev lost to Monaco’s Romain Arneodo and Hugo Nys in a dramatic doubles clash 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (6-8), 6-7(5-7) in the third home match of the Davis Cup tie against Monaco in Astana, turning the score 1-2.

In the first two matches on Feb. 6, Bublik stunned Nys 6-0, 6-3, while Kazakhstani Alexander Shevchenko lost to Valentin Vacherot with the same score.

Putting Bublik on the court in the doubles match, the coaching staff hoped for his and Zhukayev’s powerful serves and some...

Monaco’s top-ranked player, Valentin Vacherot, defeated Kazakhstani Alexander Shevchenko 6-0, 6-3 to equalize the tie in the Davis Cup in Astana.

In the first match of the day, Alexander Bublik’s dominance over Hugo Nys was evident, 6-0, 6-3. As for the Shevchenko-Vacherot match, the balance of power was similar.

Vacherot poses a serious challenge — last October, he sensationally defeated Bublik at the ATP 1000 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters. That victory (6-3, 3-6, 4-6) proved pivotal for Vacherot, who ultimately won the tournament and rose to world No. 40 after starting at...

Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player Alexander Bublik defeated Monaco’s Hugo Nys in two sets in one hour in the opening match of the 2026 Davis Cup in Astana, 6-0, 6-3.

Securing a break in the first game, the leader of Kazakhstan’s national team immediately set the tone of the match. The world No. 10 was widely expected to dominate the doubles No. 17 player, who has no singles ranking. Nys did put up resistance, but in crucial moments Bublik was flawless, 6-0.

The second set unfolded in the same manner, though Nys managed to hold three serves...

Kazakh superstar singer Dimash Qudaibergen decided to delight his fans with an unusual challenge to celebrate the premiere of his new project. He uploaded a video on Instagram explaining the rules.

Qudaibergen said he is ready to meet in person the fan who attracts the largest number of followers to the «Voice Beyond Horizon» Instagram page. The winner will spend a full day with the singer. Moreover, Qudaibergen promised to travel to the fan’s location himself.

A crash in Indiana left four people dead, according to Vesti.kg. Authorities identified the driver as 30-year-old Bekzhan Beishekeev, a truck driver and citizen of Kyrgyzstan. The Feb. 3, 2026, incident has drawn attention because of the driver’s immigration status.

Details of the crash

The collision occurred on a highway at about 4 p.m. Investigators said traffic was slowing and a truck ahead had reduced speed. Beishekeev, who was driving behind it, was unable to brake in time.

Attempting to avoid a rear-end collision, he swerved into oncoming traffic and struck a minibus carrying six people...

YouTube has made an auto-dubbing option available for all creators. Videos can now be dubbed in 27 languages using AI.

The platform has also expanded its dubbing capabilities. For instance, the Expressive Speech tool replicates a creator’s emotions and tests lip-sync to give videos a more natural look.

Creators can also add their own dub or turn the AI-powered option off completely.

To showcase the tool, YouTube uploaded a demonstration video featuring the auto-dub option enabled in the «Audio track» section within the player’s settings.

The video sparked discussions in the comments section — users reacted...

The Versace brand has officially entered a new era with the appointment of Belgian designer Pieter Mulier as creative director of the fashion house.

The appointment was announced on the Prada Group website. Mulier will assume the role July 1, 2026. The company described the move as the beginning of a new phase in the brand’s development after decades of family leadership.

Career across leading fashion houses

During his career, Mulier has worked at several of the world’s top fashion houses. He was part of Raf Simons’ team and contributed to collections for Jil Sander...

Users of the 2GIS digital map service sharply lowered the rating of one of Russia’s leading universities, the Higher School of Economics, after reports claimed that the former husband of murdered Kazakh judge Aigul Sailybayeva works at the institution.

Read also: Murder of Kazakh judge in Germany: Case ‘goes cold’ as investigation stalls.

On Feb. 4, REN TV aired a report stating that a suspect in the murder case lives in Moscow and is employed at one of the capital’s prestigious universities. According to the broadcaster, he is currently on...

Almaty will host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) announced.

On Feb. 5, the President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, and Kazakhstan’s NOC President, Gennadiy Golovkin, signed the host city contract in Milan.

The committee noted that all required sports facilities and urban infrastructure are already available in Almaty, allowing the city to be considered for hosting competitions without launching large-scale construction projects. Kazakhstan’s NOC believes that using existing venues, along with the country’s experience with major international competitions, will ensure a...

Kazakhstan will introduce stricter regulations for concerts by international performers and tougher requirements for organizing tours under a new law supporting the creative industries, which the Senate passed today.

The legislation establishes rules governing concerts and allows authorities to take action in cases involving the distribution of illegal content.

Questions over prohibited content

Journalists asked officials what would qualify as prohibited content and whether shocking or provocative performances could face restrictions.

Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Yevgeniy Kochetov said there are currently no specific lists of banned performers or musical genres.

Oil and gas giant Shell will suspend investments in Kazakhstan during ongoing legal proceedings with the government, according to CEO Wael Sawan. He said multiple lawsuits filed by the republic, totaling billions of dollars, are reducing the company’s willingness to continue investing in the country.

Kazakhstan is currently involved in several major legal disputes with Western oil companies in both domestic courts and international arbitration. Two key projects are at the center of the conflict.

Karachaganak

In January, Shell and its partners — Eni, Chevron and Lukoil — lost a dispute over cost deductions. Compensation to...

Italian world second-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner took on the role of a ticket inspector at a railway station in Milan ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the official volunteer ambassador of the event checked passengers’ tickets as they boarded as part of the Olympics promotional campaign.

The 24-year-old tennis player has 24 ATP singles titles, including four Grand Slams. In the 2026 Australian Open tournament, he lost to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the semifinal in five sets: 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6.

Sinner has one...