News

Kanye West, now known as Ye, drew 31,000 spectators to his concert in Almaty, including around 7,700 tourists from more than 50 countries and territories. Organizers estimated the economic impact of the tourist influx at approximately 5 billion tenge ($11 million). Kursiv LifeStyle looks at how one of the year’s biggest musical events unfolded and its impact on Almaty.

The show took place on Aug. 15 at Almaty’s Central Stadium as part of the artist’s world tour. So far, Almaty is the tour’s only stop in Central Asia.

According to organizers, foreign attendees included around 2,000 fans who follow the...

For over 60 years, a museum has been operating in the very center of Almaty, yet it is easy to pass by without even noticing it. Most people hear about it only from cultural heritage experts and those living nearby. Kursiv LifeStyle visited the museum to show you where to see authentic fossils and taxidermy specimens.

The Nature Museum is affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Its entrance is located on Shevchenko St., directly across from Shokan Valikhanov Square. The 1957 building houses the museums of nature, archaeology and ancient books, as well as...

The 2026 U.S. Open organizing committee has announced a record prize pool for the year’s final Grand Slam.

The total prize pool for the New York major stands at $108 million, 20% higher than the previous record of $90 million set at the 2025 U.S. Open.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will each earn $5.5 million, a record in tennis. First-round participants will receive $140,000, 27% more than last year.

All prize money is subject to taxes.

The U.S. Open is an annual Grand Slam tennis tournament played on hard courts and the final of the four Grand Slam...

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labor and Social Protection explained the rules for selecting citizens under South Korea’s Employment Permit System (EPS), highlighting that people over 40 aren’t eligible to participate.

When will the selection process begin and how will it be conducted?

Once an EPS center opens in Almaty, the selection process will begin. It will include the EPS-TOPIK Korean language test, a professional skills assessment and mandatory training for workers before they depart for South Korea. Education, work experience and existing professional certifications will also be taken into account during the selection process.

«The selection...

Kazakhstan recorded 637.2 billion tenge (approximately $1.4 billion) in investment in trade and related sectors from January to July 2026, up 22.3% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Trade and Integration.

The strongest investment growth was recorded in the North Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Kostanay, Abai and Mangystau regions, as well as in the cities of Shymkent and Almaty.

Almaty remained the largest center of investment activity, attracting 204.3 billion tenge ($448.3 million) over the seven-month period. Investment in the Turkestan region totaled 88.7 billion tenge ($194.6 million).

By economic sector, the largest share of investment went to...

While law enforcement has long been the default response to domestic abuse, a new study suggests that economic independence — including access to cash, employment opportunities and legal rights — may be among the most effective tools for protecting women.

The study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), synthesizes decades of economic research on intimate partner violence, a global crisis affecting about one in three women. In low- and middle-income countries, prevalence rates reach as high as 45% in parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Beyond the human toll, violence against women carries a significant...

In July, Georgia imported Kazakhstani oil for the first time. The shipment totaled 5,500 tons and was worth $3.2 million, according to data from Georgia’s National Statistics Office.

The average price of oil shipped from Kazakhstan was around $582 per ton. For comparison, Georgia imported 87,400 tons of Russian oil that same month, worth $36.4 million, or around $416 per ton — $166 per ton, or 40%, below the price of Kazakhstani crude.

Georgia seeks alternative to Russian oil

Kazakhstani oil deliveries to the Georgian market come amid changes in crude supply pattern to the Kulevi Oil Refinery.

Georgia’s...

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes the country must fully leverage its resource and industrial potential in the national interest. He made the remarks while chairing a Security Council meeting on the development of the critical materials industry.

The head of state noted that current global environment creates favorable conditions for countries with reserves of rare and rare earth metals. He pointed to growing international competition for access to critical materials. This is particularly important as their strategic significance for high-tech industries continues to grow.

«Under these conditions, Kazakhstan must effectively utilize its existing resource and industrial...

Almaty will host a new event, the SPOT Film Festival, which will screen films from major international festivals. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at which films are on the program.

The SPOT Film Festival will run from Sept. 16 to 20 at the Forum cinema and the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture. The program will feature contemporary narrative and documentary films that have screened at Cannes, Venice, Sundance, the Berlinale and other major international film festivals.

The program will also include Kazakhstani premieres. In addition to screenings, the organizers promise meetings with film industry representatives and experts from a range...

Starting Jan. 9, 2027, direct flights will connect Almaty and Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific, the territory’s flag carrier, is set to operate three flights weekly. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at the details of the new route.

Flights will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays on Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The flight from Almaty is scheduled to depart at 9:50 p.m. and arrive in Hong Kong at 7 a.m. the following day. The return flight will depart at 4:25 p.m. and arrive in Almaty at 8:30 p.m.

The new route will restore a direct air link between Almaty and Hong Kong after a...

A laser-based mosquito killer from Chinese startup Photon Matrix Lab has entered mass production. The company plans to ship the first batch of its Photon Matrix devices to customers by the end of August. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at how this futuristic device works.

Photon Matrix monitors flying insects using LiDAR, millimeter-wave radar and an AI-powered camera. Once the system detects a mosquito, it determines its position and aims a laser at the insect. In effect, a person is left to watch over a small «air defense» system on duty.

Construction has begun on the QAZBOT complex in Astana. It is set to become Kazakhstan’s first facility for producing humanoid robots and developing artificial intelligence solutions. Investment in the first phase of the project alone is estimated at around $200 million, Atameken Business reported.

QAZBOT Technologies said the new Robotics and AI complex will bring together research, engineering and production, incorporating local content and the practical deployment of robotic technologies.

The complex will also house its own R&D center, where software and AI models will be developed, robotic systems tested and adapted and engineers trained.

AGIBOT...

Decades of severe international pressure have forced the Islamic Republic of Iran to develop a distinctive and resilient, but heavily distorted, economic model. In her book “Iran: Economy Under Sanctions,” Russian economist Pavla Ripinskaya examines how a country of roughly 85 million people has weathered the effects of comprehensive financial sanctions, arguing that while sanctions have prevented sustained prosperity, they have not triggered a total economic collapse. Instead, they have pushed Tehran toward a deep and asymmetric dependence on China.

The devastating toll of financial sanctions

The impact of sanctions on Iran has been profound...

A Kanye West fan in Almaty created joke merchandise after the rapper’s concert was postponed. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at how a design conceived in a bar in just five minutes helped him recoup the cost of his concert ticket.

Oleg, an advertising professional from Almaty, saw an opportunity after the concert was postponed from Aug. 14 to 15. He and his friends went to a bar, where he realized that the merchandise bearing the original date was already out of date.

«That’s when I came up with the idea of making T-shirts...

Kazakhstan’s domestically developed cancer drug DVC is currently undergoing the second stage of clinical trials involving people and is being prepared for registration, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek said at a government briefing.

If all procedures are completed on schedule, the drug could be registered in Kazakhstan as early as next year.

«At this stage, we are determining the dosage and assessing the body’s response to higher and lower doses. We will try to complete all these trials by the end of the year and apply for the drug’s preregistration,» the minister said.

Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for cocaine, the BBC reported.

The 31-year-old provided a sample during the Mallorca Open on June 22 that was found to contain benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) provisionally suspended Kyrgios, saying he has the right to appeal the suspension but has not done so to date.

While suspended, Kyrgios cannot compete, coach or attend Grand Slam tournaments or any events organized or sanctioned by the professional tennis tours until his case is resolved.

Kyrgios acknowledged the positive test in a statement...

An abnormal heat wave has broken a 111-year temperature record in Kazakhstan. July 2026 was the hottest July since 1915, according to Kazhydromet, Kazakhstan’s national meteorological service.

July was marked by extreme heat and record-breaking temperatures in several regions of the country. Throughout the month, temperatures across most of Kazakhstan were 1 to 4 degrees Celsius above normal.

The North Aral Sea continues to expand, reclaiming areas previously lost to desertification. Over the past four years, the volume of water in the sea has increased by nearly 5 billion cubic meters, reaching 23.4 billion cubic meters.

«Water diplomacy» and increased inflows from the Syr Darya River have been the main drivers of this process. Since October 2025, 1.2 billion cubic meters of water have been redirected to the sea.

How the Syr Darya River is replenishing the sea

Currently, the flow of water into the North Aral Sea stands at 14 cubic meters per second. By the...

A recent global workplace trend in which young adults rely heavily on parental support has found an unexpected echo in public relations and crisis management in Central Asia.

While employers in the West grapple with Gen Z candidates bringing their parents to job interviews, a high-profile controversy in Kazakhstan has highlighted a different, more personal form of parental intervention: a mother stepping into the spotlight to defend her adult son during a nationwide public relations crisis.

Gen Z and ‘helicopter parents’

According to a survey of 1,001 Gen Z workers conducted by the...

Kazakhstani confectionery producer Lotte Rakhat plans to expand its export geography. The company is considering South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand as new export destinations, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture reported.

Currently, about 22% of the company’s products are sold outside Kazakhstan. Russia remains the largest foreign market, accounting for around 65% of the company’s export deliveries.

Lotte Rakhat’s products are also sold in Central Asian and South Caucasian countries, as well as China, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Germany. In 2026, the company began exporting its products to Latvia.

Lotte Rakhat operates two production facilities in Almaty and Shymkent. Their combined annual production...

The election to the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s new parliament, will be monitored by 777 foreign observers representing 42 countries and 13 international organizations, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced at its session.

Countries represented by foreign observers

The accredited observers include 138 lawmakers from 41 countries. Accreditation applications closed on Aug. 17.

Central Election Commission Secretary Mukhtar Yerman said that at the final stage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted another 121 observers from 18 countries and five international organizations for accreditation.

«The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has submitted to the Central Election Commission for accreditation...

Kazakhstan is planning to shorten the length of university study, according to Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek. He said four years of study is too long for some professions.

According to the official, Kazakhstani universities are currently free to adjust the length of their programs themselves, as the ministry does not restrict them from doing so.

«There are certain professions for which four years of study is too long. We have now submitted a proposal to the cabinet to allow universities to shorten the duration of study for applied bachelor’s degrees,» the minister...

The U.S. State Department has updated its Travel Advisory for Americans traveling to Kazakhstan. The agency generally considers the country a safe travel destination (Level 1), although travelers should still take normal precautions.

Severe penalties remain

The U.S. State Department’s Travel Advisory divides countries into four categories, from Level 1 (Exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (Do not travel). Kazakhstan falls into the first category, the lowest advisory level for safety and security risks.

At the same time, Americans should keep in mind several specific considerations when traveling to Kazakhstan. In particular, the State Department draws attention to...

The editorial team of renowned gastronomic travel magazine Food and Travel has arrived in Almaty to explore the local food scene. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at the locations and venues on the team’s itinerary.

The team has already visited several restaurants, markets and local concept-driven venues. They are sampling Kazakh cuisine and getting acquainted with modern interpretations of traditional dishes.

The editorial team will also visit Almaty’s cultural and tourist attractions to explore how the city’s cuisine is connected to its history and modern urban life.

Food and Travel has been published since 1997 and...