News

Oral smokeless tobacco products pose a complex and widespread challenge to public health but have received limited global attention. The World Health Organization’s 2018 report highlights two populations with longstanding traditions of smokeless tobacco use: people in Scandinavian countries — particularly Sweden, where snus is commonly consumed — and populations in Central Asia, where nasvay is the most widely used form.

Cheaper than cigarettes

In Kyrgyzstan, nasvay plays a significant role in the fragile economy of the country’s southern regions. According to the campaign group Kyrgyzstan Without Tobacco, the unregulated production of this addictive product supports up to...

Kazakhstan, once a part of the ancient Silk Road, has a long history of bazaars. These traditional marketplaces have played an important role in the economic and social life of locals for many years. Even though bazaars aren’t that important these days, they still offer something unique that modern malls can’t.

The most frequently recommended place in Almaty to experience the market atmosphere and authenticity is the Green Bazaar in the city’s historical center. However, there is a larger venue locals visit more often. This is Altyn Orda, or «Golden Horde» in English, a popular name for restaurants and...

Freedom Holding Corp. has released its report for the 2025 fiscal year, which ended on March 31. According to the report, the holding’s revenue amounted to $2.1 billion — an increase of $384.2 million (23%) compared to the previous year.

The growth was primarily driven by a surge in contracts for pension annuities and accident insurance. In addition, derivative financial instruments had a positive impact on revenue, contributing $12.4 million (+112%) in net profit. Commission income increased by 15%, reaching $505 million, due to a rise in the number of retail clients and their activity on brokerage platforms.

More broadly...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports has proposed the launch of a special program aimed at attracting more tourists from China. Minister Erbol Myrzabosynov presented the idea on June 16, during the official opening ceremony of the Year of China’s Tourism in Kazakhstan, held in Astana.

Specifically, the minister suggested introducing a «Welcome Chinese» program to create more favorable conditions for Chinese tourists. According to the ministry, the initiative would support hotels, travel agencies and tourist attractions in adapting their services to better meet the needs of Chinese visitors.

Myrzabosynov also proposed organizing bilateral events at the nexus of tourism...

Kazakhstan has marked the 90th anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the world’s most widespread peer-support program for alcohol addiction, founded in the U.S. in 1935.

Anniversary in Almaty

AA has been active in Kazakhstan since 2012, bringing together hundreds of people who have chosen a life free from alcohol. A recent anniversary event in Almaty gathered members of the community, their families and newcomers just beginning their recovery journey.

Ironically, but symbolically, the event took place in a former bar. A space once associated with drinking has now become a haven of sobriety and support.

The gathering followed...

China Energy International Group (Energy China) will actively participate in the construction of cross-border power grids between Central Asian countries, as well as in the development of a «green» energy corridor in Kazakhstan, according to CEO Lyu Zexiang.

Energy China has already taken part in preparing Uzbekistan’s energy development plan through 2030. In cooperation with O`Zenergoinjiniring, an Uzbek energy engineering firm, it has established a consulting company focused on planning and designing the Silk Road energy sector. The Chinese company also plans to play an active role in building cross-border energy infrastructure in Central Asia and will accelerate the planning...

Chinese Huawei Technologies Kazakhstan and the Astana city administration have signed an agreement to launch a pilot project for testing ultra-fast 10G internet connection using 50G PON technology, as reported by Kazakh Invest. 

The signing ceremony took place today during the China-Central Asia Industrial and Investment Cooperation Forum in Astana. The agreement envisions the introduction of cutting-edge telecommunication solutions in the capital.

10G is a wired broadband service designed for homes and offices, offering speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. Unlike 4G or 5G, the «10» refers to speed, not a generational standard. This type of internet delivers...

June 14 brought the long-anticipated news – Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom will lead the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant (NPP), according to the country’s Agency for Atomic Energy (AAE).

China’s bid

Rosatom was selected from a shortlist of four international technology providers, which also included China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and France’s Électricité de France (EDF).

Kazakhstan conducted an integrated assessment of proposed reactor technologies and vendor proposals using a methodology co-developed by the AAE and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants (KNPP) – an entity...

Xcalibur Smart Mapping, a Madrid-based global leader in the airborne and mapping geophysics industry, offers Kazakhstan the opportunity to conduct large-scale mapping of its territory. According to Xcalibur CEO Andres Blanco, the process could take up to six years, providing exploration companies with up-to-date data.

In Kazakhstan, the head of Xcalibur believes the project’s potential budget could be around $250 million. In this case, the company may use 10 of its aircraft and complete the project within 5 to 6 years. As a result, Kazakhstan would receive geophysical mapping data comparable to that of Australia, one of the global leaders...

According to Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country has opened its border crossings to allow the safe transit of foreign diplomats, their families, and other citizens currently in Iran.

«As of today, around 120 people from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Romania, and other countries have crossed the state border of Turkmenistan through official checkpoints,» the ministry said in a statement.

The evacuees have been provided with transportation, food, accommodation, and essential supplies. Turkmenistan’s authorized agencies are working closely with foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations to ensure the process runs smoothly.

In early June...

BCC Invest, a Kazakhstani brokerage company, has raised its valuation of KazMunayGas (KMG) shares following the company’s Q1 2025 financial results. Analysts set a new target price at approximately $35 per share.

BCC Invest’s projection increased by more than 9%, compared to its previous forecast from April 2025. As a result, the broker has issued a buy recommendation.

Currently, KMG’s common shares are trading at around $31. Thus, BCC Invest anticipates a potential upside of 14.5% or roughly $4. During the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) trading session on June 13, the share price reported a 3.32% increase.

The KMG stock...

Kazakhstani startup Metaclinic, which provides online medical consultations, has closed a $150,000 funding round at a $2 million valuation, Digitalbusiness.kz reported. The investment came from a multi-specialty clinic chain.

The Metaclinic team plans to allocate the raised funds toward further developing and scaling the service through B2B partnerships. While the startup will focus primarily on operations in Kazakhstan, it doesn’t rule out expanding into other countries in the future.

According to Metaclinic founder and CEO Nurali Ismagulov, the startup has seen more than a tenfold increase in revenue in under a year. He added that a patient seeking medical...

Vladimir Lenin’s body remains on display in the mausoleum on Red Square in Moscow. However, his monuments are not preserved across all of Russia, let alone in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, where the process of de-Sovietization is unfolding at an uneven pace.

According to the Leninstatues.ru portal, a digital archive of Lenin statues across the former Soviet Union, a total of 14,290 Lenin monuments had been erected in the USSR by 1991. Of those, 7,194 are still standing today.

On the night of June 7, 2025, a monument to Lenin was dismantled in Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s second...

On June 16, Shymbulak, a well-known ski resort in Almaty, is launching a special promotional offer:  people are invited to hike up to the resort on foot before 11 a.m. each morning until June 30 in exchange for a discounted cable descend ticket and a free cup of flavored tea or coffee.

An early morning hike is a great opportunity to enjoy the mountain landscape and breathe fresh air without crowds of tourists. It’s also a healthy cardio workout.

How to reach Shymbulak

The starting point is the Medeu Ice Rink.

You can reach it by bus No. 12, which...

Central Asia — and Kazakhstan in particular — is quickly gaining popularity among travelers from both the West and Asia. But like any destination, Kazakhstan has its quirks that might feel unusual or even a bit surprising to first-time visitors.

Dim evening lighting

Some travelers, especially those who visited Almaty (Kazakhstan’s largest city), have remarked that the streets can feel quite dark at night. While that doesn’t mean the city is pitch-black, the lack of strong street lighting can make evening strolls feel a little unfamiliar. That said, many locals are perfectly used to it, and some visitors barely notice...

Kazakhstan reported the discovery of 38 new deposits of copper, nickel, coal, gold and rare earth metals in the first quarter of 2025, according to a government statement.

The discoveries followed extensive geological studies, including aerial photograph analysis, route surveys, drilling, geochemical testing, radiation and water sampling, and desk research.

The newly identified deposits are estimated to contain:

The total area of geological and geophysical exploration in Kazakhstan is expected to expand to 2.2 million square...

Ay Yola, an ethnic music band from the Republic of Bashkortostan — a republic within the Russian Federation — has released a music video for their song «Yola,» a portion of which was filmed in Kazakhstan.

The band revealed that the video was filmed across three countries; however, fans have recognized landscapes from Kazakhstan and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

«‘Yola’ means traditions on which the world rests. This song was the starting point for us and has become the heart of our trio,» Ay Yola shared on social media.

Kazakhstani viewers spotted many familiar...

In 15 years, the Kyrgyz may begin speaking and writing in Kazakh, warned Kyrgyz Wikipedian Chorobek Saadanbekov, as reported by the Qaz365.kz news portal.

Sister languages

According to Saadanbekov, when users make requests in the Kyrgyz language on ChatGPT, the system sometimes inserts Kazakh words in its responses. This happens because the ChatGPT training database contains significantly more text and vocabulary in Kazakh than in Kyrgyz. As a result, when the system cannot find the necessary data in Kyrgyz, it automatically substitutes Kazakh words.

«If we don’t pay enough attention to developing the Kyrgyz language...

On June 11, the U.K. government announced it would allocate up to £750 million (approximately $1 billion) toward a supercomputing project based in Edinburgh, Scotland, as part of the latest Spending Review. The move marks a turnaround from last August, when an £800 million initiative proposed by the then-governing Conservatives was dismissed by the current Labour administration, citing a lack of allocated funding, Sky News reported.

According to the document, the project’s goal is to build the most powerful supercomputer in the U.K. The government press release stated that the new machine will be integrated into the...

Roca Group, a Barcelona-based global company specializing in bathroom space solutions, will build a sanitaryware manufacturing facility in the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan. The company plans to invest €70 million in the project over the next two years.

Once fully operational, the plant will have a capacity of 500,000 sanitaryware pieces per year, serving both the domestic market and neighboring Central Asian countries. The project, located in the Ondiris industrial zone, is expected to create 300 new jobs.

Roca Group is one of the world’s leading companies in the industry. It operates 78 plants worldwide and employs over 20,000 people...

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has expressed his condolences to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the air crash in Ahmedabad.

According to his press service, the president sent his words of support to the victims’ families and wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the crash.

On June 12, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Air India, carrying 242 people, crashed a few minutes after takeoff while en route from Ahmedabad Airport to London. Preliminary reports indicate that the aircraft crashed into a doctors’ hostel near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

A flight operated by Air India has crashed near Ahmedabad airport on June 12 with a death toll of at least 133 lives, as reported by News18.com.
 
The aircraft crashed into a doctors’ hostel shortly after takeoff, while en route to London, local media reported.
 
Authorities stated that Air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport received a “Mayday” call from the aircraft, indicating an emergency, but there was no further communication later.
 
There were 242 people on board, including two pilots and 12 flight attendants. The passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
 
Indian authorities have not yet released...

German automotive giant Volkswagen has announced plans to begin car production in Uzbekistan in partnership with UzAvtosanoat, the state-owned holding company that oversees the country’s car manufacturing sector. The news was shared by Martin Sander, a member of Volkswagen’s management board responsible for sales and service, via his LinkedIn page.

Sander noted that rising incomes in Uzbekistan have made the country ripe for growth in the automotive industry. He said the Volkswagen brand is particularly appealing to middle-class consumers seeking high-quality, reliable vehicles. As part of the plan, the company also intends to establish vehicle deliveries from China.

SpaceX, the company that developed and operates the Starlink satellite internet constellation, has signed an agreement with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, promising to comply with local legislation when providing satellite internet.

Beginning in the third quarter of 2025, Kazakhstanis will be able to purchase Starlink terminals officially. According to Digital Minister Zhaslan Madiyev, the project will provide high-speed internet to users in remote regions, including rural schools and medical institutions.

«Kazakhstan is a country with a large territory and a dispersed population. To provide high-quality internet to all segments of the...