News

A wave of Arctic air from the polar vortex has turned Niagara Falls into a dramatic winter scene. Thick ice has formed along the cliffs, creating frozen waterfalls that continue to attract tourists, according to USA Today.

Despite its appearance, the falls never fully stop flowing. Ice forms along the river and surrounding rocks, making it look as though the water has frozen solid. Niagara Falls last froze completely in 1848 on both the American and Canadian sides, and again in 1936 on the American side. Today, modern river management systems prevent a full freeze.

The extreme cold...

A court in Astana sentenced a man who posed as a magic healer on TikTok, persuading people that he possessed psychic abilities and «healed» them for a fee. When no recovery occurred, the plaintiffs reported him to law enforcement, and the case proceeded to trial, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office press service.

The defendant sought potential customers through social media posts. After discovering that a woman was experiencing health issues, he convinced her that he could help through «magic» for a fee. He used the same method...

Attempts to decode Trumpism through standard political frameworks often miss the mark. They presume calculation where instinct dominates. As writer Aron Solomon argues, the damage Donald Trump has inflicted on the rule of law and on global relationships cannot be sufficiently explained by ideology, or even by corruption alone. A clearer lens, Solomon suggests, is narcissism elevated into a governing principle.

Narcissism as a governing logic

From this perspective, Trump’s behavior is not erratic but internally consistent. Solomon has proposed an unsettling metaphor to capture this logic: Patrick Bateman, the fictional antihero of «American Psycho.» Bateman...

In the latest WTA rankings released today, Australian Open 2026 champion Elena Rybakina climbed from fifth to third place, back in the top three after two and a half years.

Rybakina first reached this milestone in June 2023, with the same rankings, trailing only Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka and Poland’s Iga Świątek. In her recent run at the Australian Open 2026, the 26-year-old Moscow-born player, representing Kazakhstan since 2018, defeated both of them.

Another Moscow-born Kazakhstani representative, Yulia Putintseva, who had almost reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne, climbed...

Uzbekistan has introduced new restrictions on older vehicles, banning the operation and re-registration of cars more than 50 years old, according to local outlet Daryo.

The measure is part of a government resolution on additional measures to digitalize road safety, which took effect Feb. 1, 2026.

What has changed for car owners

The new rules apply not only to passenger vehicles but also to special-purpose and commercial transport. All vehicles older than 50 years will be subject to mandatory deregistration.

The resolution also introduces separate license plate series for several categories of vehicles, including:

Kazakhstan is accelerating the development of satellite internet and preparing for the entry of new operators, officials said at a meeting on telecommunications infrastructure and the implementation of the national «Affordable Internet» project held last week in Astana.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev.

Satellite internet is seen as a key tool for expanding connectivity in hard-to-reach and rural areas. New operators are expected to enter the market in 2026, alongside the rollout of Direct-to-Cell technology, which allows mobile devices...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has added a new Oscar category for the first time in more than two decades, introducing an award recognizing casting directors.

The announcement came last week alongside the release of nominations for the 98th Academy Awards, scheduled to take place in March. The new category, Best Casting, marks the first expansion of the Oscars since the introduction of Best Animated Feature in 2001, when «Shrek» became the category’s first winner in 2002.

Why the academy expanded the awards

In 2024, the Academy confirmed that a separate competitive...

Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player Elena Rybakina defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in a dramatic final at the Australian Open with 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Rybakina started the final without hesitation and secured a break in the opening game. Sabalenka got on the scoreboard only when she was trailing 0-2. In powerful, fast-paced rallies, the Kazakhstani player started off as the most accurate. The Belarusian struggled for a long time to find an answer to her opponent’s near-flawless shots from the baseline. No matter how hard Sabalenka tried to earn a break back, Rybakina did not...

There are few female ministers in Kazakhstan’s government. The public is accustomed to seeing them deliver official speeches from the rostrum. But what about their clothing choices and public image? Do they work with stylists?

Kursiv.media, together with professional stylist Nurly Okas, analyzed the archetypes and personal style of female ministers in Kazakhstan.

An unspoken rule: Don’t stand out

In Kazakhstani politics, women operate under an unwritten rule: don’t stand out too much. This norm dates back to the post-Soviet era and is reinforced by strict protocol. After one or two instances in which a public...

Two years remain until the release of the four films about the legendary music group The Beatles, directed by Sam Mendes, but the project has already sparked widespread excitement. The reason lies in its all-star cast and an unusual first announcement.

The photos from the upcoming biopics about the group’s members have begun circulating online. The films are scheduled for release in the spring of 2028.

Fans got their...

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said he expects U.S. President Donald Trump to «respect Canadian sovereignty» after the Financial Times reported that U.S. State Department officials met with leaders of a group seeking Alberta’s separation from Canada on several occasions, CNN reported.

The group, called the Alberta Prosperity Project, has been advocating for a referendum on Alberta’s independence and has reportedly discussed requesting a $500 billion credit line from the U.S. to «support the transition to a free and independent Alberta.»

Although the White House said that «administration officials meet with a number of civil society groups and...

Following its macro review, Kursiv Research presents its first overview of Armenia’s financial sector. While banks continue to expand on the back of a housing-driven credit boom, other market participants — pension funds, insurance companies and credit institutions — largely adhere to conservative business models. Investment companies stand out against this backdrop, using digital platforms to give local investors direct access to global capital markets.

Total assets of Armenia’s financial sector reached 14.5 trillion drams (about $37 billion, or roughly 140% of GDP) in September 2025. Banks continue to dominate the system: according to Kursiv Research estimates, they...

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has announced the global launch of its new commercial display, which the company calls the first device of its kind to feature a frame partially made from bio-resin derived from phytoplankton, according to a press release.

The Samsung Color E-Paper EM13DX is a 13-inch digital signage display featuring advanced digital ink technology and ultra‑low power consumption, using no power when the image is static. The device is thin — 17.9 millimeters — and lightweight, weighing 0.9 kilograms. The screen resolution is 1,600 × 1,200 pixels.

The company highlighted that sustainability...

At Tesla’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Elon Musk said the company would stop producing the Model S and Model X. The move will allow Tesla to use its Fremont factory to manufacture up to 1 million Optimus robots per year, CNBC reported.

«It’s time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge. If you’re interested in buying a Model S and X, now would be the time to order it,» Musk said.

The Model S and Model X are Tesla’s oldest vehicles after...

Elena Rybakina (world No. 5) defeated Jessica Pegula (No. 6) to advance to the Australian Open final for the second time in her career.

In the post-match interview, the Kazakhstani tennis player thanked her fans and noted that the match was tense.

«It [being in another Australian Open final] means a lot. Thank you so much for coming and watching us play — it was such a battle. It was an epic second set, and I’m really glad I managed to win it. Jessica played so well in...

Kursiv Research continues its series of macro market reviews for Central Asia and the Caucasus. This installment focuses on Armenia, one of the region’s fastest-growing economies. The key conclusion of this country review: after a period of rapid growth in 2022-2024, Armenia’s economy achieved a soft landing in 2025.

According to the World Bank, Armenia’s economy grew by 5.2% in 2025. That pace is well below the average of 8.9% recorded in 2022-2024. Among Commonwealth of Independent States countries, only Kyrgyzstan — like Armenia, a member of the five-nation Eurasian Economic Union (EEU...

Kazakh superstar singer Dimash Qudaibergen has introduced the participants of his new international project, «Voice Beyond Horizon,» on social media.

The participants are young artists from different countries, including Kazakhstan. Dimash noted that he aims to showcase new names and give talented performers a chance to go international.

According to available materials, both beginner vocalists and artists with professional stage experience are taking part in the event...

Different migration waves from Central Asia have shaped distinct settlement patterns across the U.S., with each country forming its own regional hubs rather than a single, uniform diaspora. That’s according to an analysis by Nurasyl Abdrazakuly, a Kazakh data scientist and frequent contributor to our infographics.

Below is a visualization by Nurasyl mapping people who moved from Central Asia to the U.S. on a permanent basis.

The map shows which Central Asian nationality has the highest absolute number of residents in each U.S. state, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Breakdown by number of...

Elena Rybakina (world No. 5) defeated American Jessica Pegula (No. 6), but not without difficulties, 6‑3, 7‑6 (9‑7) in the semifinals at the Australian Open 2026. Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player is back in the Melbourne major final after three years and will face the same opponent she met in the 2023 final — world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

From the first rallies, Rybakina took the lead and confidently won the set with 6-3, securing a break in the second game.

However, consistency is not one of the Kazakhstani’s strong sides. After breaking in the third game of the second set...

Portugal is building Europe’s first warship designed specifically to operate unmanned systems, a project that could reshape how smaller navies conduct maritime operations, according to Euronews.

The vessel, named D João II, is being constructed by Dutch shipbuilder Damen at a shipyard in Galati, Romania, at a cost of €132 million, largely funded through EU recovery funds. Delivery is scheduled for the second half of this year.

This 107.6-meter ship is different from traditional aircraft carriers because it can deploy aerial, surface and underwater drones. Its mission can be changed within a week by swapping equipment on board...

Kairat Almaty goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov was ranked among the top three goalkeepers for the number of saves in the main round of the UEFA Champions League, according to the UEFA official website.

In six matches played, Anarbekov made 36 saves while conceding 13 goals. In this category, the Kazakh footballer shares the spot with Marseille’s Gerónimo Rulli, who also made 36 saves but played two more matches.

The goalkeeper with the most saves was Nikita Haikin of Bodø/Glimt, who made 49 saves in eight games, followed by Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois with 41 saves in seven...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that their countries’ relationship is entering a new phase. During Starmer’s visit to China, both sides signaled plans for closer economic cooperation, according to Reuters.

Starmer is the first British prime minister to visit China in eight years. He met with Xi in Beijing for several hours to discuss trade, security, the war in Ukraine and human rights. Both leaders said they want to build a more stable, long-term relationship.

Starmer traveled to China with a large group of British business leaders. A planned $15 billion...

The governor of Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region, Nuralkhan Kusherov, held talks with a Chinese investor to discuss a proposed international-standard water park project in Turkestan, the governor’s office press service reported.

According to the presented plan, the total area of the entertainment complex will exceed 120,000 square meters and will include a water park area with water rides, camping hotels, a reception center and an event hall. The project aims to promote family recreation and tourism.

A key feature of the future water park will be its rides, which can be used year-round. A local body of...

Rare wild cats have been appearing more frequently in the mountains and canyons near Almaty, with videos of these encounters spreading rapidly on social media. Kursiv.media has compiled the most recent footage that has surprised and delighted users online.

On Jan. 29, residents of Almaty spotted a snow leopard while driving toward Big Almaty Lake. In a video sent to Kursiv.media, the predator is seen calmly descending a slope near the Ayusay Visitor Center, as if strolling through its territory.

Tourists also spotted a snow leopard in the same area a few days before. For such a cautious animal, daytime...