News

Shapewear and apparel brand Skims, co-founded by Kim Kardashian, has secured new investment that values the company at $5 billion. The latest funding round included backing from investors such as a Goldman Sachs affiliate and is one of the largest this year for a U.S. consumer brand, according to the BBC.

The company said the new capital will support plans to expand its physical retail presence in the U.S. and internationally. Skims currently runs 18 stores and also sells through global retail partners. It expects to surpass $1 billion in sales this year. According...

Seven international human rights organizations have condemned proposed amendments in Kazakhstan that would ban the «propaganda of nontraditional sexual orientation.» The groups say the move violates the country’s international commitments and United Nations recommendations.

Civil rights defenders

The joint statement was signed by Access Now, Civil Rights Defenders, the Eurasian Coalition on Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, the International Partnership for Human Rights, and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee.

Anti-LGBT rules in archival law

On Wednesday, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s Parliament approved a draft law on archival regulations...

Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has set a record for the highest amount of prize money won by a woman in a single season. The world No. 1 earned $15,008,519, surpassing the previous mark of $12,385,572 set by American Serena Williams in 2013.

Top 10 women’s prize money in single season (gross)

Jimmy Kimmel paid tribute to his longtime friend and «Jimmy Kimmel Live!» bandleader Cleto Escobedo III following his passing, NBC News reported.

In a touching post on social media, Kimmel described Escobedo as a «great friend, father, son, musician and man,» and asked fans to keep his family in their prayers.

«Cleto and I have been inseparable since I was nine years old,» Kimmel wrote. «The fact that we got to work together every day is a dream neither of us could ever have imagined would come true.»

Venezuela is mobilizing its military following the arrival of U.S. combat ships, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, in the Caribbean, according to CNN.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said that land, air, naval and reserve units will mobilize, with exercises nationwide scheduled to continue through Wednesday. He called the U.S. presence an «imperialist threat.»

The U.S. Navy confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group — including nine air squadrons, two missile destroyers, the command ship USS Winston S. Churchill and over 4,000 personnel — has entered the U.S. Southern Command area, which covers most of...

Kojima Productions, the studio behind the «Death Stranding» series, announced a collaboration with Dnsys — a robotics and wearable-tech company that develops exoskeleton systems and AI-powered mobility support devices — to produce a game-inspired exoskeleton in real life.

The announced device, Death Stranding 2 Dnsys Z1 Exoskeleton Pro, will help its owner overcome obstacles and move in complex environmental conditions. Developers say the exoskeleton will provide leg support, enhance stamina, and reduce knee load, which together will allow the user to lift up to 200% more weight. The device will also feature artificial intelligence and operate...

Kazakhstan is among the countries with the longest working weeks, according to the World’s Hardest Working Countries 2025 report by Visual Capitalist.

The study shows that Kazakhstanis spend about 38 hours a week at work on average — significantly more than in most developed countries. For comparison, Americans work an average of 36 hours, Canadians 32, the British 31 and the Dutch just 26.8 hours per week. Globally, the average is 38.7 hours.

In Central Asia, Turkmenistan leads with an average of 41.9 hours per week, followed by Tajikistan with 41 hours. In Uzbekistan, people work an average...

Kazakhstan has seen a steep increase in fuel prices since the start of 2025. According to the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), the price of motor gasoline rose 11.2% compared with December 2024, while diesel fuel climbed 9.2%.

The pace of growth has outstripped all other member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Across the EEU, consumer prices for gasoline rose an average of 9.2% in September, while diesel prices were up 4.4%.

For comparison, gasoline prices increased by 9.3% in Russia, 8.8% in Kyrgyzstan and 6.7% in Belarus. Armenia was the only EEU country to report a...

The Mazhilis, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament, has approved a draft law banning the «propaganda of LGBT» and pedophilia.

«The draft law enshrines measures aimed at protecting children from exposure to content detrimental to their mental health and physical development. The dissemination of information containing propaganda of pedophilia and non-traditional sexual orientation in public, as well as through the media, telecommunication networks and online platforms, is prohibited,» the parliament said in a statement.

MP Elnur Beisenbayev explained that the bill proposes amendments to laws related to the rights of children, advertising, communications...

An ambitious project called Mars-V is slated to open in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert by 2029, offering, according to organizers, the world’s most realistic simulation of life on Mars. The site won’t just serve as a tourist attraction — it’s designed as a monthlong experiment in living like a member of humanity’s first expedition to the Red Planet.

Organizers promise a fully immersive experience: capsule-style living quarters equipped with a lab and greenhouse, freeze-dried meals, communication with Earth that includes a built-in signal delay, and a tightly regulated daily schedule that includes meditation, exercise, research, and troubleshooting.

Kazakh superstar singer Dimash Qudaibergen gave a live interview to CNN following his arrival in London.

The Kazakhstani performer appeared as a guest on the program «What We Know with Max Foster.» During the conversation, the anchor highlighted Qudaibergen’s popularity and his exceptional vocal range, which has expanded from four to six octaves.

«Maybe it’s something like a gift from God. And I just want to use this opportunity to say a lot of thanks to my vocal coaches. His name is Marat Aitimov. He’s still living in Aktobe. Yes, I’m still, every day doing some...

Just a year ago, Ahmed al-Sharaa was a wanted man with a $10 million price on his head. This week, the Syrian president walked through the doors of the White House, becoming the first leader of his country to do so since Syria declared independence in 1946 — a striking symbol of his dramatic political reinvention. What do we know about him?

Origin and education

Ahmed al-Sharaa was born in 1982 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where his father, Hussein al-Shaara, a specialist in oil production and refining originally from Syria’s Golan Heights, was working at the...

A Turkish C-130E Hercules — a four-engine turboprop tactical airlifter — went down in Georgia shortly after entering the country’s airspace on Tuesday, killing all 20 people on board, according to Turkish authorities, as reported by Euronews.

Video footage circulating online appeared to show the plane spiraling rapidly toward the ground, while trailing white smoke.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences to the families of those killed, saying he was «deeply saddened» by the tragedy.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, a close ally of Turkey, also offered condolences.

«We were deeply saddened by...

At least 220 people in Japan faced bear attacks, including fatal cases and injuries, across 21 of the country’s 47 prefectures since April, according to NHK World. Notably, the previous highest figure of such cases was 219, recorded in fiscal 2023.

According to Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, 13 people were killed in bear encounters over the period, marking the highest on record, with five deaths in Iwate, four in Akita, two in Hokkaido and one each in Nagano and Miyagi prefectures.

The media outlet noted that a scarcity of acorns and beechnuts — the animals...

Christopher Eppinger, a former intern at KazMunayGas — Kazakhstan’s national oil company — has reportedly made a profit of more than $250 million reselling Russian oil. Between 2022 and 2025, his company sold oil worth nearly $2 billion, according to the Financial Times.

Born in 1994 in a small town near Hamburg, Eppinger later studied business there. After his first year at university, he secured an internship at KazMunayGas in Astana. Following graduation, he joined the Hamburg-based energy firm SET Select Energy. In 2021, he moved to the UAE to work for a small trading house.

When Russia...

Gaumont has unveiled the first trailer for «The Wizard of the Kremlin,» a political drama centered on the rise to power of a young Vladimir Putin.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli, with a screenplay by Olivier Assayas and Emmanuel Carrère. It examines the intricate political maneuvering in post-Soviet Russia and Putin’s ascent to power.

Paul Dano stars as Vadim Baranov, a fictional character inspired by real-life Kremlin power broker Vladislav Surkov, a political strategist and adviser.

Jude Law portrays Putin, depicted in the film as a cold...

Italian tennis player Lorenzo Musetti (World No. 9) defeated Australian Alex de Minaur (7) and complicated the situation in the Jimmy Connors Group at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals.

Musetti has now beaten de Minaur in three of their four head-to-head meetings. The Australian could have improved the statistics, being the less fatigued player. De Minaur had a week’s rest before Turin, whereas Musetti had to fight for a spot in the tournament in Athens.

But in reality, it was Musetti who looked more energetic and played flawlessly in the crucial moments. In the first set...

FC Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal will miss the upcoming matches for Spain’s national team against Georgia (Nov. 15) and Turkey (Nov. 18). The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has released the player from the squad due to a medical procedure carried out without the national team’s approval.

«The Medical Services of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) wish to express their surprise and concern upon learning, at 13:47 on Monday, 10 November — the day the national team’s official training camp began — that Lamine Yamal had undergone an invasive radiofrequency procedure...

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie made a surprise trip to the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson — her second reported visit to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to Ukrainian and international media, though neither Jolie nor Ukrainian authorities have officially confirmed this visit.

Jolie, who previously served as a special envoy for the UN refugee agency, reportedly visited the maternity ward and children’s hospital in Kherson.

A photo shared by local official Vitaliy Bohdanov shows the actress wearing a bulletproof vest with Ukrainian symbols.

The Oscar-winning actress last visited Ukraine in 2022, when she met with...

The mystery figure known online as «Fedora Man» photographed near the Louvre after the recent crown jewel heist, has been identified as 15-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux from Rambouillet, west of Paris, according to the Associated Press.

The Associated Press image, showing a sharply dressed teenager walking past police officers outside the museum, went viral as users speculated about his identity — some suggesting he was a detective or even an AI-generated image.

On the day of the heist, Pedro visited the Louvre with his mother and grandfather, unaware that a robbery had occurred. As the...

This spring, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government officially launched a four-day workweek program, an initiative that had been under discussion since last year. The decision comes amid a sharp decline in the city’s birth rate, which has fallen to a record low of 0.99 children per woman.

According to The Japan Times, the reform aims to address Japan’s demographic crisis and improve work-life balance. Under the program, parents will receive full pay while working shorter hours, along with a two-hour reduction in their daily schedules.

Previously, civil servants were allowed to take one additional day off per month. Under...

The video announcement for the video game Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) has broken the record for the most views among trailers on YouTube, surpassing the view count of the «Avengers: Infinity War» trailer.

The video was released in December 2023 on the Rockstar Games channel and, as of Nov. 11, has collected more than 268 million views — about 100,000 more than Marvel’s hit.

GTA 6 is currently in development for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. According to insiders, the game is almost ready, with developers now polishing it...

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan has begun his state visit to Russia. As his aircraft entered Russian airspace, two Su-35 fighter jets of the Russian Air Force joined it to escort him to Moscow.

This is widely regarded as an honor for visiting heads of state, emphasizing the strategic partnership between Astana and Moscow.

Tokayev will remain in Moscow through Nov. 12.

Polish forward Robert Lewandowski could retire after this season if he is unable to reach an agreement with FC Barcelona to extend his contract, Sport.es reported.

Lewandowski’s current contract with the Catalan club is valid until summer 2026. The FC Barcelona management is not in a hurry to extend it. However, the forward believes he is capable of playing for the team for at least one more season. Lewandowski is even ready to become a substitute forward with reduced playing time.

Previous reports indicated that Saudi Arabian clubs were ready to offer favorable terms. However, the...