News

Compared with the U.S., Canada and Europe, Kazakhstan remains among the countries with the lowest household debt burdens.

Global household debt continues to rise, but Kazakhstan’s level remains relatively low by international standards.

Read also: Kazakhstan’s external debt in 2025 and budget for 2026 visualized.

According to data from the Institute of International Finance for the first quarter of 2026, Switzerland has become the world leader in per capita household debt. On average, each resident in the country carries nearly $150,000 in household debt.

Analysts attribute this to features...

Spanish investors are considering launching a large meat project in Kazakhstan, which would involve hundreds of jobs and tens of thousands of head of cattle.

The project is valued at €132 million. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture, the initiative is planned to be jointly implemented with the Kazakh company Big Farm.

The project is planned for the Yereymentau district in the Akmola region. It implies establishing a vertically integrated meat production complex with the central focus on beef cattle farming and Angus cattle breeding.

The livestock is expected to reach 20,000 head, according to the...

Dastan Bekeshev, a member of Kyrgyzstan’s parliament, described a case in which a Kyrgyz citizen discovered several companies in Kazakhstan registered in her name with multimillion-dollar debts, 24.kg reported.

According to Bekeshev, the case involves Zarina Rakhmatova, a podiatrist from Bishkek. In late April, she traveled to Almaty, where she encountered unexpected issues while crossing the border.

Border guards allowed Rakhmatova to enter Kazakhstan but informed her that a so-called «red flag» appeared in the database, the lawmaker said.

Read also: Chile connection: How Kazakhs lost millions to a crypto pyramid.

A study published in the journal Nature Communications by physicians at a hospital in Houston, U.S., examines why chemotherapy is sometimes ineffective in cancer treatment.

Researchers found that when tumor cells die, they can release a signaling molecule that prompts the immune system to protect cancer cells rather than attack them.

According to the study, the commonly used chemotherapy drug gemcitabine can, in some cases, trigger pyroptosis — a form of inflammatory cell death in which cancer cells rupture and release the IL-1α molecule. This compound then migrates to the bone marrow and reprograms immune activity...

The Portugal national football team has announced its squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old striker for Al Nassr FC, was included in the final roster.

The 2026 tournament will mark Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup appearance. He made his World Cup debut in Germany in 2006 and has since competed in the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

The Big Blue Farms company, founded by Omani Princess Sayyida Sariya Al Said, is set to invest in a shrimp farming project in Kazakhstan valued at around $50 million, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture. The project is expected to produce 5,300 tons of shrimp annually. Part of the output is intended for export.

A memorandum for an investment project to establish a modern shrimp farming facility in Kazakhstan was signed at the Fisheries Committee. The investor side was represented by Big Blue Farms board member Marcia Favale, while the Fisheries Committee was represented by Chairman...

A New York woman died after falling into an uncovered manhole on a street in Midtown Manhattan, The Associated Press reported.

The incident happened late Monday near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and East 52nd Street. According to police, 56-year-old Donike Gocaj fell into the hole shortly after parking her car next to it in an area located near luxury stores and several blocks from Trump Tower. Firefighters pulled her out, but she was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The manhole cover was dislodged by a multi-axle truck about 12 minutes before the accident, Con Edison, a big...

Around 48,000 workers at Samsung Electronics are expected to begin an 18-day strike on Thursday after negotiations over bonus payments failed to produce an agreement, Reuters reported.

Talks resumed on Wednesday under mediation by South Korea’s labor minister, Kim Young-hoon, raising hopes for a possible compromise. However, union representatives said one unresolved issue prevented a final deal.

Union leader Choi Seung-ho said the union accepted the latest proposal from the National Labor Relations Commission, but management had not agreed to all the union’s demands. He added that negotiations would continue during the strike.

Samsung said the union’s demands were...

A brown bear attempted to break into a guest house where tourists were staying in Zhongar-Alatau National Park. Kursiv LifeStyle learned the details.

The incident occurred on May 9 in Attapkan Gorge; however, representatives of the national park have only now provided comment. The footage shows a steel door crushed by the animal in an attempt to enter the house. No people were injured.

The park administration...

Japan is facing a widespread allergy problem linked to a post-World War Two reforestation policy that reshaped much of the country’s landscape, the BBC reported.

During the war, large areas of forest around major cities were cleared, as the country relied on wood for energy and construction materials. To quickly restore woodland and cope with the increased risk of landslides and soil erosion, Japan decided after the war to plant mainly two fast-growing tree species — Japanese cedar (sugi) and Japanese cypress (hinoki). Today, these plantations cover around a fifth of Japan’s land area.

Containing almost no wildlife, these...

A Kazakhstani man has put a sneaker worn by American rapper Flo Rida up for sale for $100,000. Reportedly, the artist personally gifted it to his wife during a performance at Solana Fest in Astana.

On May 17, world-renowned artists, including Timbaland, Busta Rhymes, John Newman and Flo Rida, performed at the festival.

During the concert, the rapper threw his signed sneakers into the crowd. A woman...

Pension annuities and corporate accident insurance dominated Kazakhstan’s life insurance market in the first quarter of 2026. In the non-life segment, demand for voluntary personal insurance policies declined amid cooling retail lending.

Read also: Kazakh regulator greenlights insurance companies to establish marketplaces.

Assets in Kazakhstan’s insurance sector increased by 121 billion tenge (approximately $243 million), or 3.1%, in the first quarter of 2026 (here and below, Kursiv Research calculations based on National Bank data, unless otherwise noted). Life insurance companies (10 players) expanded by 6.0%, while non-life insurers...

A court in Pakistan has sentenced a 23-year-old man to death for the murder of teenage social media influencer Sana Yousaf, a case that drew widespread attention across the country, the BBC reported.

According to court findings, Umar Hayat, 23, stalked 17-year-old Yousaf online and near her house in Islamabad before breaking into the home in June last year. After an argument with the teenager, he fatally shot her. Later, Hayat admitted to the crime, explaining that he had followed her online and had become obsessed with Yousaf over time.

In addition, the court ordered Hayat to pay...

The U.S. Congress said on its official website that the Senate confirmed Asel Roberts, born Tolenova, as ambassador to Slovenia, with 46 senators voting in favor of her nomination and 43 against.

Roberts lived in Almaty before moving to the U.S. when she was a teenager. She began working at the White House in 2004 during the presidency of Barack Obama.

Roberts was put forward as a candidate by President Donald Trump in February. In March, she appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for her confirmation hearing, after which her nomination was brought to a...

China is expanding its presence in Kazakhstan’s green energy sector, with Chinese companies involved in building a significant share of the solar and wind power plants scheduled to come online.

Read also: China takes the lead in Kazakhstan’s renewable energy push.

The share of renewable energy sources in Kazakhstan’s total electricity generation is expected to reach 8% in 2027, up from 7% in 2026, according to a report on the implementation of the country’s 2023-2029 electric power industry development concept.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy, 10 renewable energy...

South Korean scientists have developed «smart» contact lenses capable of stimulating mood-related brain regions through the retina and potentially treating depression. So far, the technology has only been tested in animals.

How the technology works

The concept is based on the eye’s direct connection to the brain through the retina, which researchers describe as a promising pathway for noninvasive brain stimulation.

Read also: New study finds ‘significant link’ between poor nutrition and depression.

In the study, researchers divided mice into four groups: healthy mice, untreated mice with simulated depressive symptoms...

Financial analyst Andrey Chebotarev compared a proposal by Lyazzat Ibragimova, head of Otbasy Bank, the sole bank implementing housing construction savings system in Kazakhstan, to the policies of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a post on his Telegram channel.

Criticism of housing tax proposal

Chebotarev added Ibragimova to what he called his «Maduro Index,» which he described as a rating of economic populism. He said the move was prompted by Ibragimova’s proposal to impose higher taxes on Kazakhstanis who purchase three or four apartments. According to Ibragimova, such purchases fuel speculation and drive up housing prices.

Children raised in dysfunctional families often unconsciously repeat familiar relationship patterns in adulthood, according to a Kazakh psychoanalyst Anna Kudiyarova.

Speaking on the Ainur Asanberdi podcast, Kudiyarova discussed the importance of professional therapy and addressed issues related to marriage, emotional dependency and family relationships.

The psychoanalyst noted that many patterns of behavior in marriage are formed during childhood.

«If a child does not properly go through the stage of attachment and adaptation to the parent of the opposite sex, they may later seek a spouse who psychologically replaces their mother or father,» Kudiyarova said...

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a law introducing amendments to Kazakhstan’s animal welfare regulations, according to the president’s press service.

The amendments strengthen state oversight and increase owners’ responsibility for their animals. Under the new rules, regulations governing pet ownership and walking will become stricter. Owners are required to prevent situations in which their animals could injure people or damage property. If violations result in harm or damage, owners will be fully liable for compensation.

Context

On April 8, the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament, approved the amendments in two readings. Lawmakers estimate that replacing the TNR (trap-neuter-return...

South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet has included Almaty in its advertising campaign. The city’s landmarks are set to be displayed in Seoul. This way, the carrier is seeking to increase awareness of Almaty and motivate Korean tourists to choose the city as their destination.

«The advertisement was placed free of charge with the support of Eastar Jet and became part of a joint marketing strategy to promote Almaty’s tourism potential in the South Korean market,» the Almaty akimat, the city’s mayor’s office, said.

Since the beginning of May, the ads...

According to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan is the direct heir to the Golden Horde, a vast empire established by Genghis Khan’s eldest son. He made the statement while speaking at the international symposium «The Golden Horde as a Model of Steppe Civilization: History, Archaeology, Culture and Identity.»

«Our new Constitution, adopted through a nationwide referendum, clearly states that preserving the continuity of the Great Steppe and its thousand-year history is our sacred duty,» the president said.

Speaking about history, Tokayev emphasized that no progress is possible without preserving historical continuity, adding that...

The war involving Israel, the U.S. and Iran has prompted more countries to use the yuan in trade, including oil transactions, according to Madiyar Kenzhebulat, an economist at the BSR research group. These countries include Persian Gulf states that supply oil to China and purchase goods from Chinese manufacturers.

Shift away from the dollar

«Some have long said that the dollar’s era is ending, while others disagree. I do see certain factors supporting that view, such as Arab countries beginning to conduct major transactions or oil sales in yuan,» Kenzhebulat said during the Tenge...

China has decided to make shopping for foreign tourists more convenient by updating the country’s tax refund system, China Daily reported.

The update will make it easier and faster to receive tax refunds for purchases without paperwork.

A key aspect of the update is the expansion of tax refund stores, with authorities encouraging wider coverage in major shopping districts, tourist attractions and ports of entry.

Important amendments include simplifying purchase checks. Starting July 1, goods valued at up to 10,000 yuan will be subject to random checks rather than inspections of every...

Grief travel is emerging as a growing part of the wellness tourism industry, with more people seeking retreats and healing-focused escapes to process loss, trauma, and emotional distress away from everyday life, as reported by Euronews.

Once considered a deeply private experience, grief is increasingly being addressed through shared settings such as retreats, healing circles and guided wellness programs. Industry research suggests growing public openness toward mental health and emotional healing is contributing to the rise of grief-focused travel.

As a result, travel is no longer considered leisure alone, but also a tool for emotional recovery, self-reflection and connection...