News

On June 11, the first matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place. In the opening game Mexico will face South Africa at the legendary Azteca Stadium, followed by the clash between Czechia and South Korea in Guadalajara.

2026 FIFA World Cup

Group A, Round 1, June 11, Mexico City, Azteca Stadium

Mexico vs. South Africa: W2 D1 L1 (10-5)

Coaches: Javier Aguirre / Hugo Broos (Belgium)

Referee: Wilton Sampaio (Brazil)

A special opening for a special tournament

Sixteen years ago, on June 11, 2010, the national teams of South Africa...

About 45-46% of Kazakhstani applicants are denied U.S. visas, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev reported.

Responding to journalists’ questions on how often Kazakhstani citizens face visa barriers, he said it is difficult to obtain accurate global data across all countries due to legal complexities.

«The decision to deny visas is a sovereign right of our partners. It is often related to access to private information and is not disclosed to us either. Therefore, it is difficult to speak about the exact number of such refusals. Some countries publish visa refusal rate data. In particular, around...

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) has fined e-commerce company Coupang more than $400 million over a data breach that exposed the personal information of approximately 37.5 million users, the BBC reported.

The penalty is the largest ever issued by the PIPC for a data breach. According to the commission, inadequate safeguards, including weaknesses in the management of authentication signing keys and access controls, contributed to the exposure of customer names, contact information, delivery details and order histories.

The investigation began after allegations of the breach emerged in November. Coupang initially reported that 4,500 customer accounts...

A working meeting to discuss the development of a master plan to preserve the Lake Balkhash ecosystem has been held in Astana. The project is being implemented jointly with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the French Geological Survey (BRGM).

Research focus

French experts presented preliminary results of their study. They assessed the condition of agriculture in the basin, hydrological conditions, the contribution of glacier runoff, interactions between surface water and groundwater, and water-resource allocation modeling. They also developed water-management scenarios for Lake Balkhash through 2040.

Next steps

At the meeting, the sides integrated the results of the...

Member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are considering sanctions against Armenia over its long-term failure to pay dues to the organization’s budget. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the move following a meeting of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers in Kazan, according to TASS.

Read also: Lavrov counters Kazakhstan’s stance on territorial integrity.

Lavrov said Yerevan has failed to make its mandatory contributions for more than two years. As a result, CSTO member states plan to examine the possibility of invoking Article...

The head of the local branch of the WarnerBros. Ponzi scheme has been sentenced to five years in prison in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan. Participants were promised earnings for watching videos and films. The court also confiscated 3 million USDT, a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, from the convicted woman, according to Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA).

Additionally, the civil claims of 24 victims were fully satisfied as part of the criminal proceedings. The verdict has entered into force.

How the scheme worked

The scheme’s organizers told Kazakhstanis they could earn money by watching short videos and films...

During a major measles outbreak in the U.S., some parents began giving their children vitamin A supplements after following advice shared online. As a result, calls to poison control centers related to vitamin A overdoses increased by nearly 39%.

Study finds increase in overdose reports

A study published in JAMA found that U.S. poison control centers received 86 reports of children exposed to potentially dangerous doses of vitamin A between January and March 2025. That represents a 38.7% increase compared with the same period in 2024.

Researchers believe the increase began after discussions on social...

Kazakhstan’s Human Rights Ombudsman Artur Lastayev said the country’s new law criminalizing forced marriage is not aimed at the traditional practice of alyp kashu (bride kidnapping), arguing that the key distinction is consent.

Read also: Kazakhstan to crack down on bride kidnapping with serious punishments.

According to Lastayev, the law targets the abduction of women against their will and should not be confused with cases in which two adults mutually agree to marry despite family opposition.

Consent is the key difference

Lastayev said alyp kashu has historically referred...

Vendors at Almaty’s famous flea market — known locally as the «Devil’s Bazaar» — say they have become wary of filmmakers after a crew allegedly borrowed Soviet-era artifacts for a movie and never returned them.

As a result, sellers are often skeptical of buyers looking for props, especially when they try to negotiate rock-bottom prices.

«We don’t really like dealing with singers or actors,» vendor Aspandiyar said with a smile. «They always want things for next to nothing. Even filmmakers try to drive the price down.»

A correspondent for Kursiv.media visited...

Kazakhstan has unveiled a sweeping national roadmap to transform itself into a premier digital hub by 2029, placing artificial intelligence at the center of its economic and social development. The “Digital Qazaqstan” initiative seeks to transition the nation from a service-based digital model to a “platform state” where AI drives productivity across all sectors. According to the strategy, signed by President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev on June 9, the government expects these AI-driven efficiencies to contribute an additional 1.5 percentage points to the annual GDP growth rate by the end of the decade.

Economic and industrial overhaul

The...

Civil servants in Afghanistan have started disposing of their smartphones after the Taliban introduced new restrictions.

On June 8, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered a ban on smartphone use for members of the movement and government employees. According to Afghanistan International, the directive was issued verbally but has already been communicated to police and intelligence agencies across different regions of the country.

Breaches of the ban may lead to proceedings in military courts. Authorities have already compiled lists of employees affected by the restrictions. According to Afghanistan International, these include job positions, workplaces, mobile network operators...

U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and conveyed greetings from U.S. President Donald Trump.

«I can assure you that you have a friend in the White House. President Trump holds your work in high regard. We are committed to finding mutually beneficial solutions that serve the interests of both our countries. This is reflected in the growing engagement between the United States and countries across the region. Over the past year alone, agreements worth more than $20 billion have been reached, and I am confident this...

English rock band Muse has recently released a music video for their track «Nightshift Superstar,» shot in Almaty. The city’s two iconic locations made an appearance in the video: the Almaty Museum of Arts and the House of the Army (formerly House of Officers) in the 28 Panfilov Guardsmen Park. Kursiv LifeStyle explains what these places are and what could attract the music video creators.

The track is set to feature on the band’s tenth studio album, «The Wow! Signal,» releasing June 26. The video was directed and written by Lado Kvataniya, with filming in Almaty...

Hong Kong authorities have charged two companies and seven individuals in connection with the fatal fire at the Wang Fuk housing complex last November, the BBC reported.

The defendants face 25 charges, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, attempting to pervert the course of justice and tax evasion.

The blaze claimed 168 lives, making it the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in more than seven decades.

According to authorities, those charged include the project consultancy firm, the main contractor and several people involved in renovation work at the complex, including company directors and a registered inspector. The names of...

Kazakhstani dancer Sofia Mukasheva appeared in «Confession II – The Film,» an iconic 14-minute music short film by Madonna, released on YouTube. Kursiv LifeStyle explains how she made it onto the Queen of Pop’s team.

Mukasheva posted about her participation on Instagram, sharing a still from the credits listing her name.

According to the post, Madonna personally approved her particiption. One of the photos shows a...

Anti-immigrant unrest broke out across Belfast on Tuesday night after a Sudanese man was charged in connection with a stabbing that left a man seriously injured, Reuters reported.

Properties were damaged, and some families were forced to leave their homes in several parts of Northern Ireland as masked protesters clashed with police, set vehicles on fire, and targeted residential areas.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill condemned the violence, describing the attacks as unacceptable and calling the actions of those involved «disgusting cowardice.»

The unrest followed a stabbing in north Belfast on Monday night. The victim, a man in...

Several world-class hotels are set to open in Kazakhstan over the next few years, with 24 new properties across 11 regions, according to the government press service.

The projects will be financed through private investment, backed by government support in the form of soft loans and investment incentives.

Planned hotels and locations:

The government expects these international hotel chains to help Kazakhstan enhance service quality...

Kyrgyzstan has proposed making presidential and parliamentary election days paid days off. However, only citizens who cast ballots would be eligible for the benefit, according to 24.kg.

Read also: Kazakhstan mulls ‘Creative Day’ for civil servant growth.

The draft law has already been submitted for public discussion. It was introduced by Marlen Mamataliev, speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh, Kyrgyzstan’s parliament.

Under the proposal, presidential and parliamentary elections would be held on Wednesdays instead of Sundays, as is currently the case. Election day would also become an official paid day...

A lawsuit filed one week before a planned UFC fight at the White House is seeking to block the June 14 event scheduled for the South Lawn.

According to MMA Fighting, the complaint was filed by U.S. Air Force veteran Paul Romano and social activist Susan Douglas, who are represented by the Public Integrity Project. The plaintiffs argue that federal officials unlawfully granted a private sports promotion access to restricted government sites, including the White House South Lawn and the nearby Lincoln Memorial, where related promotional activities are expected to take place.

Allegations of improper...

Gulbanu Maigarina, founder of the Lanzhou noodle restaurant chain, revealed at an entrepreneurship seminar in Astana last month that one of her restaurant managers boosted online ratings by giving customers gifts in exchange for positive reviews.

Read also: Ramen limit: Scientists reveal how often you can safely eat instant noodles.

Maigarina said she initially believed the restaurant was performing well because of its strong online reputation. However, she became concerned when sales suddenly dropped by half.

«We had one project in another region where the restaurant manager...

South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering has announced that it has secured a contract to build the Karachaganak Gas Processing Plant (GPP) in Kazakhstan.

The news was first reported by Nurlan Zhumagulov, owner of the Energy Monitor Telegram channel; it was also confirmed by Hyundai Engineering in a post on its LinkedIn account.

The planned gas processing plant will have a capacity of 5 billion cubic meters of gas per year, or roughly 14 million cubic meters per day. The project is expected to cost about $6 billion.

Construction is scheduled to take place...

Kazakhstan’s National Bank does not support the idea of raising taxes on people who own multiple apartments, arguing that the government should focus on taxing profits from real estate sales rather than imposing additional taxes on property ownership, according to the bank’s Governor Timur Suleimenov.

Speaking at a briefing following the National Bank’s decision on the base rate, Suleimenov was asked to comment on a proposal by Lyazzat Ibragimova, chairwoman of Otbasy Bank, to increase taxes for Kazakhstanis who own three or four apartments.

Read also: Risky business: Kazakh housing...

The controversy surrounding the contract for Kazakhstani Olympic figure skating champion Mikhail Shaidorov has been resolved, the Minister of Tourism and Sports Yerbol Myrzabossynov said at a government briefing.

According to him, the contract with the figure skater has been signed and is the same standard agreement used for all athletes, including Olympians.

«The issue regarding Shaidorov’s contract has been fully resolved. The terms of the agreement were explained, and the contract has been signed. It is important to note that this is a standard contract signed by all athletes, not just Olympians. I would also...

A scandal involving Nadeem Naqvi, an American professor who was accused of sexually assaulting a student in the U.S. and is currently working at KIMEP University in Almaty, has sparked debate on social media about the quality and professionalism of foreign teachers and professors in Kazakhstan.

According to Threads user Raimbek, university professors from Western countries with impeccable reputations and high levels of professionalism rarely move to Central Asia for work. He believes that many English-speaking teachers in Kazakhstan lack proper qualifications.

Exceptions, he said, may include academics whose research focuses on Kazakhstan and who prefer to work in...