News

While households and governments face rising costs linked to the U.S.-Israel war involving Iran, some industries are seeing significant financial gains, the BBC reported.

The conflict has disrupted global markets, particularly after Iran effectively halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas. This has driven sharp fluctuations in energy prices, increasing the cost of living and putting pressure on businesses and public finances.

Certain sectors, however, have benefited from this situation. Profits at major oil companies such as BP, Shell and TotalEnergies rose significantly in the...

Kazakhstan ranked 58th out of 145 countries in the 2026 Global Firepower Military Strength Ranking.

The index estimates the size of a country’s armed forces, the amount of military equipment, air power, financial resources, and mobilization capacity.

According to the report, Kazakhstan’s total military personnel numbers around 300,000, comprising 110,000 active personnel, 135,000 reserve personnel and 55,000 paramilitary personnel.

The country’s defense budget was estimated at $5.8 billion, ranking Kazakhstan 54th globally.

The ranking also covers data on armaments. Kazakhstan has 168 aircraft, including 37 fighter jets, 13 attack aircraft and 72 helicopters. Land forces possess...

Recent research suggests that psychedelic substances such as psilocybin may help some individuals reduce or stop tobacco use, the BBC reported.

Globally, around 1.2 billion people smoke. Although about 70% say they want to quit, success rates remain low. Nicotine is highly addictive, and only a small share of smokers manages to quit each year. Smoking also remains a leading preventable cause of disease and death, which is why researchers are looking for new treatment approaches.

«One nail drives out the other»

Evidence from surveys and clinical studies indicates that psychedelics may change how people view their habits...

Fan clubs of the renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen — DQ Dears Astana, Eurasian Dimash Fan Club and Dimash Ukraine Dears EFC — have donated 290 skeins of wool yarn to the 28 Stitches Club Astana for newborns with low birth weight ahead of the artist’s birthday.

The official news site of Qudaibergen reported on the moving campaign.

The organization has been supporting premature babies for several years. Due to premature birth and low body weight, such babies are unable to maintain their body temperature on their own and require special care...

On May 7, 2026, the founding congress of the new political party «Adilet» (“Justice”) was held in Astana. More than 1,000 delegates from across Kazakhstan attended the event.

During the congress, delegates approved the party’s charter and political program and elected its governing bodies.

By the time of the congress, the party reportedly had 9,312 registered members, significantly exceeding Kazakhstan’s legal requirement of 5,000 members for party registration.

Party outlines its core values and philosophy

The party declared its core values as justice, patriotism, responsibility, hard work and development. According to its platform, «Adilet» aims to ensure fair compensation...

Branches of foreign universities in Kazakhstan will continue operating under new rules that mandate the inclusion of «History of Kazakhstan» and «Kazakh Language» in their curricula, according to lawmaker Nartai Sarsengaliyev.

The provision — introduced at the initiative of the relevant parliamentary committee — has been incorporated into a draft law on the status of teachers. Under the proposal, foreign educational institutions must also ensure that the quality of education they provide is no lower than Kazakhstan’s state standards. Teaching the country’s language and history would become a mandatory component of all programs.

According to Sarsengaliyev, students at technical universities...

The Kremlin has published an official list of foreign leaders and senior guests invited to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. So far, the list does not include the presidents of Central Asian countries.

According to the Russian presidential press service, attendees are expected to include Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus; Thongloun Sisoulith, president of Laos; Sultan Ibrahim, king of Malaysia; Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia; and Siniša Karan, president of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, president of Kazakhstan, was not included on the initial list, although additional names could...

Kazakhstan’s public finances improved markedly in the first three months of 2026, with treasury revenues and expenditures executed almost in full. Notably, value-added tax (VAT) receipts surged 48.6% year over year, even though some payments were still taxed at the previous 12% rate (for fourth-quarter 2025 liabilities). In addition, authorities appear to have resolved a two-year problem of underfunding in the health care system.

Revenue performance beats expectations

Public finance data for the first quarter point to cautious optimism. According to the Ministry of Finance, total state budget revenues for January-March 2026 reached 7.2 trillion tenge (approximately...

Kazakh designer Ismail Luceat-Anima creates avant-garde pieces that are often better suited to conceptual photo shoots than everyday wear. He founded his own label, Luceat Anima — Latin for «light of the soul» — and centers his work on what he calls the aesthetics of destruction.

A distinctive creative approach

The designer aims to incorporate a wide range of techniques and textures into his garments, using layered materials and unconventional forms to express his vision.

The explosion at the Kazzinc plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk on May 5, 2026, which killed two people, has again drawn attention to the company’s environmental and operational challenges. Kazakh analyst Rassul Rysmambetov, in comments to Kursiv.media, discussed the potential sale of Kazzinc to businessman Shakhmurat Mutalip (on photo) — and why, in his view, the country should be cautious about allowing foreign investor Glencore to exit.

Ownership structure and potential sale

Glencore has been Kazzinc’s largest shareholder since 1997 and currently owns 70.2% of the company. Another 29.8% is held by Tau-Ken Samruk...

American rapper Kanye West, also known as Ye, has officially announced his first performance in Georgia. The concert is part of the Ye Live Concert Tour.

The show is scheduled for June 12 in the heart of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, at Dinamo Arena. The concert was confirmed by organizers from Starring Georgia, and the information also appeared on the artist’s official website.

Official ticket sales are scheduled to launch on May 11.

China has called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened as soon as possible during talks between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi in Beijing, the BBC reported.

During the meeting — Araqchi’s first visit to China since the start of the Iran war — Wang emphasized that securing a lasting ceasefire remains an urgent priority and said Beijing is ready to support efforts to reduce tensions. He also stressed the need to restore safe navigation through the strategically important waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route, has become largely...

Drilling of a 3.5-kilometer-deep well is planned at the Beles block near Kumkol oil field — the largest in the Kyzylorda region — to confirm the potential for shale oil development at the site, KazMunayGas (KMG), a Samruk-Kazyna subsidiary, said in a press release.

“The next project of strategic importance is Beles, which is focused on a fundamentally new type of hydrocarbon for the region — shale oil. The Beles site is located near Kumkol, the region’s largest oil field. The project involves drilling a 3,500-meter-deep well with core sampling from source rocks for subsequent geochemical...

Kazakhstan’s service sector returned to solid growth in April, according to the latest Freedom Holding Corp. PMI, signaling a rebound in business activity at the start of the second quarter.

Surge in new business drives growth

The Freedom Holding Corp. PMI Business Activity Index rose to 53.9 in April, up from 49.2 in March, returning to expansion territory for the first time in three months. The reading points to a strong increase in service sector output, with output growing at its fastest pace in nine months and exceeding the long-term average.

The rebound was largely driven by a rise...

One year after his election, Pope Leo XIV has emerged as a more visible and assertive leader of the Catholic Church, expanding both his public engagement and international activity, according to Reuters.

The first U.S.-born pope maintained a relatively low profile during his early months in office but has recently taken a firmer stance on global issues. During an April tour of Africa, he spoke out against war, authoritarianism and violations of international law, warning that concentrated power and ongoing conflicts threaten global stability. Vatican observers say this shift reflects growing concern within the Church about the direction...

Last year, Turkey’s financial-sector indicators grew faster than inflation, signaling a stabilization of the country’s markets after authorities abandoned an unorthodox monetary policy framework. Amid the sector’s recovery, two major Kazakh players have expressed interest in Turkish financial institutions.

In mid-2023, the experiment with a monetary policy based on the belief that high interest rates cause inflation — rather than curb it — came to an end. The financial sector began a gradual recovery, and by the end of 2025, key indicators of Turkey’s banking sector — which accounts for 90% of financial system assets — outpaced inflation...

In the early hours of May 6, esports fans gathered at Astana Airport to welcome Danil «molodoy» Golubenko with his teammates from the Brazilian team FURIA, who will compete in the upcoming PGL Astana 2026.

The fans extended a warm welcome. Dozens of enthusiasts gathered to get autographs and take photos with their idols. Golubenko received an especially warm welcome, since he has already become one of the most recognized and beloved players for the local fan base.

In April, Kazakhstan’s manufacturing industry showed the first signs of stabilization. The latest data from the Freedom Holding Corp. Manufacturing PMI shows a slight improvement in market conditions. Despite the continued contraction in production, factories reported their first influx of new orders in four months.

The PMI remains negative

The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) remained below the 50.0 no-change mark in April, posting 48.9, up from 47.4 in March. This indicates that business conditions have continued to deteriorate for four consecutive months. However, the latest decline was modest and the slowest since January.

Companies report demand returning

On May 5, Uzbekistan Railways officially launched a new high-speed train connecting the capital, Tashkent, and the historic Silk Road city of Khiva. The rolling stock — named after Central Asian ruler and military commander Jaloliddin Manguberdi — was manufactured by South Korean Hyundai Rotem, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group that specializes in rail systems and defense solutions, the railway operator reported.

The train is capable of reaching speeds of 250 kilometers per hour, cutting the journey of 1,220 kilometers from 14 hours to 7.5 hours. The rolling stock consists of...

Demand for data centers — especially from artificial intelligence (AI) projects — is growing faster than energy infrastructure can keep up, according to Akashi Data Center PLC Chief Operating Officer (COO) Adil Bilyalov. He made the remarks during a panel discussion at GITEX, the region’s largest tech and AI event in Almaty.

As Bilyalov noted, the key issue today is not investor interest, but whether infrastructure can deliver the required capacity.

«Today, the main question is how to provide data centers with a stable, predictable energy supply, along with choosing the right locations,» he said.

American figure skater Alysa Liu has been named a global ambassador for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton, underscoring the brand’s continued focus on high-profile athletes.

A rising star in sport

At just 20, Liu has already made history. At the 2026 Winter Olympics, she won two gold medals in figure skating, becoming the first American woman in 24 years to claim Olympic gold in women’s singles.

A new U.S. wireless provider, Radian Mobile, is launching with a model rooted in Christian values and strict network-level content controls.

Network-level filtering by default

The company’s defining feature is content filtering that operates directly on the network and cannot be turned off. Pornographic content is fully blocked for all users — not as an optional parental control, but as a core part of the service.

Read also: Top muslim body launches Imam AI app.

Additionally, the network filters material related to gender identity and transgender topics. Unlike the...

The number of billionaires worldwide continues to rise, but a key shift is underway: Europe is strengthening its position and could narrow the gap with the U.S.

According to a report by Knight Frank, the global billionaire population is projected to reach 3,110 in 2026, up from 2,723 in 2021 — a 14% increase over five years.

Growth expected to accelerate

Analysts say the upward trend is likely to continue. By 2031, the number of billionaires could climb to 3,915 worldwide.

Europe emerges as a key driver

Europe is expected to see particularly strong growth, with...

Almaty International Airport, in collaboration with the Almaty Museum of Arts, turned the arrivals area into an art space. Now, travelers are welcomed into the city with masterpieces of Kazakhstani and world art rather than from passport control.

Reproductions of works by Kazakhstani and foreign artists from the museum collection have been set along the path in the arrivals area. The idea behind the project is to introduce city guests to local art before they leave the airport.