News

Astana Arena in Kazakhstan is set to host a mini-tournament featuring four national football teams — Kazakhstan, Namibia, Kuwait and Comoros — from March 26 to 31, according to the FIFA press service.

The International Football Association revealed the details of its new project. Forty-eight national teams from all six confederations will compete in friendly matches within the FIFA Series 2026 in the form of mini-tournaments, featuring semifinals and finals.

Kazakhstan will host the events, in which each team, including the hosts, will play two matches. The timetable is to be announced later.

FIFA Series...

Kazakhstan will introduce the position of vice president, who will be appointed by the president, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the fifth session of the National Kurultai, held in the southern city of Kyzylorda on Jan. 20.

Tokayev also announced that the country’s planned new unicameral parliament will be called the Kurultai, a term that translates as «gathering» or «assembly.»

New parliament

Under the proposed reforms, the unicameral parliament will consist of 145 deputies. Tokayev emphasized that the name Kurultai reflects historical tradition as well as contemporary political goals.

The current National Kurultai is not a...

According to the Committee for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries under Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the country is planning to develop the casino business in two areas: the Tepliy Plyazh area in the Mangystau region and the Akbulak international tourist center in the Almaty region. All casinos in these areas will be reserved exclusively for foreigners.

The casinos will be built with private investment, officials said.

Earlier this year, Sapar Rakhmensheyev, head of the Almaty Mental Health Center, said that online casinos pose the greatest threat to Kazakhstani gambling addicts due to their accessibility. However...

A mobile app with the provocative title «Are You Dead Yet?» surged to the top of Apple’s paid app rankings in China last week. The ranking success quickly gave way to online debate over the app’s blunt approach to a sensitive topic, according to China Media Project.

Designed for people living alone

Released in March 2025 by a startup based in Henan province, the app is priced at about $1.15 and serves a straightforward purpose: ensuring the safety of people who live by themselves.

Users are prompted to check in once a day with a single tap to...

South Korean reality-observational show «My Little Old Boy», broadcast on the SBS channel, will feature a special episode dedicated to Almaty, the Almaty Tourism Bureau announced.

The agency’s team accompanied the film crew around local sights and landmarks. The episode is scheduled to air in early February.

«Well-known Korean actors participated, including Bae Jung-nam, Lee Sung-min, Kim Sung-kyun, and Kim Jong-soo. They visited key tourist attractions in the city and its region, including Kok-Tobe, Shymbulak, Medeu, Green Bazaar and Kolsai Lakes,» the bureau said in a statement.

The first workshop on managing insider threats in aviation was held in Almaty at the Academy of the Border Service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan. The initiative, supported by the U.S. Embassy’s Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), was part of Kazakhstan’s implementation of international security standards and preparations for the launch of direct flights to the U.S., the country’s Civil Aviation Committee reported.

«The workshop was aimed at improving the professional training of specialists and introducing practice-oriented approaches to identifying, assessing and mitigating...

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said he knows the individual to whom conspirators planned to transfer the presidency during the violent unrest of January 2022.

Tokayev disclosed this in an interview with Russian journalist and historian Leonid Mlechin, author of the newly published book «President Tokayev: The Art of Changing the World.»

January events – attempted coup

According to Tokayev, the January 2022 turmoil constituted a genuine coup attempt. He pointed to the seniority of those accused as evidence, noting that defendants include the former chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (KNB), the former defense minister...

Prominent Spanish travel magazine Viajar featured Almaty among five destinations located at the foot of the mountains, offering easy access to ski slopes directly from the city center. The outlet placed Kazakhstan’s largest city alongside Innsbruck in Austria, Chamonix in France, Whistler in Canada and Zermatt in Switzerland.

Describing Almaty as a «vibrant surprise in Central Asia,» the magazine highlighted Shymbulak Resort as one of the region’s top facilities, with some slopes reaching as high as 3,000 meters above sea level. It also noted the high-altitude Medeu complex, home to the world’s...

Kazakhstan’s oil industry has reached a production plateau, meaning it is not expected to have a decisive impact on the country’s economic growth in the coming years, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin.

He noted that despite fluctuations in global oil prices, budget revenues remain significant, allowing the government to maintain financial stability. However, oil’s contribution to GDP growth will gradually decline.

«Even though oil prices have fallen by $12 to $14, our economy could still have grown by 6.5%. If prices had been higher this year, the government...

Oil production at the Tengiz and Korolevskoye fields in Kazakhstan has been temporarily suspended due to power supply disruptions, according to operator Tengizchevroil (TCO), a subsidiary of U.S.-based Chevron. Tengiz is the country’s largest oil field.

TCO said the shutdown was prompted by an incident affecting parts of the power distribution system at production facilities. The company said its technical teams are working to determine the root cause, with safety as the top priority.

Earlier, Kazakhstan’s state energy company, KazMunayGas (KMG), reported that at 9:53 a.m. local time Jan. 18, a fire broke out in the GT...

In a company blog post, YouTube announced a new feature for parents, enabling them to set a time limit on how long children and teenagers can watch Shorts.

Parents will be able to determine the amount of time their child is allowed to scroll through short videos. There is also an option to set the limit to zero, effectively turning Shorts off. This can be used, for instance, during school hours or while doing homework, with more time allowed during travel or breaks.

«This is an industry-first feature that puts parents firmly...

Bella Hadid has criticized Dolce & Gabbana, saying the fashion house is long overdue for canceling.

Her comments followed the brand’s presentation of its fall/winter 2026-2027 menswear collection on Jan. 17 at the Milan Fashion Week, where only white models appeared on the runway.

Hadid accused the designers of bias in their casting choices. Writing in the comments section of a fashion blogger’s post, the supermodel said she...

U.S. President Donald Trump said he no longer feels bound to focus «purely on peace» after not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, according to a written message he sent to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Reuters reported.

The message was sent in response to an appeal from Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who had urged Trump to ease tensions amid disagreements over Greenland.

In their letter, the two European leaders called for de-escalation and requested a phone conversation with Trump. His reply came shortly afterward.

In the note, Trump wrote that because Norway had not awarded him...

The winter season is the most severe for stray animals, especially for cats, due to freezing temperatures. However, a resident of Almaty has come up with a simple idea to help them get through the winter.

In a viral Threads post, the user proposed that people sympathetic to stray cats build «cat hotels» from XPS boards and spray foam, where animals can spend the winter.

The post drew widespread attention, with users sharing photos of cats in small shelters and offering their own ideas for helping stray animals...

Kazakhstan registered 4,400 new companies or branches with foreign participation in 2025, driven primarily by businesses from China and Uzbekistan, according to the Bureau of National Statistics.

As of Jan. 1, 2026, the country had about 63,900 legal entities and branches with foreign participation, including branches of foreign companies operating in Kazakhstan.

China and Uzbekistan lead new registrations

Among countries that opened more businesses or joint ventures in Kazakhstan than they closed, China and Uzbekistan stood out by a wide margin.

China added about 2,800 companies involving Chinese legal entities in 2025, bringing the total number...

Kazakh Invest and China’s Guoyou Materials Group have discussed implementing a major Caspian Sea infrastructure project involving the construction of a $1.1 billion multifunctional transloading complex at the port of Kuryk.

Once commissioned, the advanced shipping cluster is expected to boost Kazakhstan’s transit potential and strengthen its role along the transport route from China to Europe via the Caspian Sea.

The first phase of the project, scheduled to begin later this year, is estimated to cost $300 million, while total investment across all phases could reach $1.1 billion. The complex is expected to create up to 1,500 jobs...

A new old-fashioned recipe for ice cream is going viral on social media. Kursiv LifeStyle explains how users are reinventing a common dessert.

As snowfall and frost covered most of Kazakhstan, creators on social media embraced the trend dubbed «Ice Cream in a Snowdrift.» Despite the freezing cold, people are willing to spend several hours preparing the viral dessert outdoors.

@eldana_ganikyzy #мороженое ♬ original sound – Welcome.To.The.Morrg

Thanks to its simplicity, the recipe quickly went viral. Users, one after...

Meta’s social network Threads has surpassed Elon Musk’s X in daily active users on mobile devices worldwide, TechCrunch reported, citing data from market intelligence firm Similarweb.

According to the analytics firm, in early January, Threads recorded about 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android, compared with 125 million for X. The shift follows several months of steady growth for Threads’ mobile app, while X continues to maintain a stronger presence on the web.

Analysts attribute Threads’ growth to Meta’s long-term product and distribution strategies. Meta has promoted Threads directly to existing Facebook and Instagram users and enhanced...

In early January 2026, Iran’s cities again became arenas of mass unrest as citizens poured into the streets to protest economic collapse and tightening political repression. Alongside the demonstrations, a disturbing method of state violence has resurfaced. Testimony from physicians in Tehran and findings by international human rights organizations indicate that security forces — including marksmen stationed on rooftops — are deliberately abandoning so-called «non-lethal» crowd-control practices. Instead, they are firing with precision at protesters’ faces and intimate body parts.

These injuries are not the result of chaos or misfire. They reportedly reflect a deliberate

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has accepted an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to join the Gaza Board of Peace, according to Ruslan Zheldibay, the Kazakh president’s aide and press secretary.

Kazakhstan will also become one of the organization’s founding members.

«The president confirmed Kazakhstan’s commitment to making a meaningful contribution to achieving lasting peace in the Middle East, strengthening trust between governments and promoting global stability,» Zheldibay said.

According to Bloomberg, the board’s charter requires permanent member countries to contribute $1 billion. Otherwise, their membership will be temporary and limited to three years...

The Korean martial art taekwondo could be added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a joint heritage of both North and South Korea, Yonhap reported.

According to media reports, North Korea applied to register taekwondo in 2024, while South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Committee has selected it as a candidate for joint or expanded UNESCO listing and plans to submit its application by March.

As of now, there is one joint listing by the Koreas: ssireum, a form of traditional Korean wrestling. North Korea has five listings, while South Korea has...

According to the Ministry of Health, the Almaty Multidisciplinary Clinical Hospital has successfully carried out a complex multi-organ donation procedure.

The donation became possible after the family of a patient born in 1979, who had been diagnosed with brain death, gave consent for posthumous organ donation.

«The Republican Center for the Coordination of Transplantation and High-Tech Medical Services organized and coordinated all stages of the process. As a result, two kidneys, a heart, a liver and corneas were recovered,» the ministry said in a statement.

All the organs were promptly delivered to specialized medical...

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a new banking law along with amendments to several legislative acts governing financial market regulation, the presidential press office reported.

The changes aim to strengthen financial security, combat fraud, and reduce debt for Kazakh citizens.

Measures to combat fraud

The law adds safeguards to prevent loans issued in others’ names, aiming to reduce the use of forged documents, stolen phones, and unauthorized remote device access.

Key measures include:

Kazakhstani tennis player Alexander Shevchenko (World No. 97) started his run at the Australian Open 2026 with a victory. In a lengthy match in hot weather, Shevchenko defeated Sweden’s top-ranked player, Elias Ymer (175), with 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-1. 

At the Australian Open 2026 draw, which took place on Jan. 15, Shevchenko was assigned a qualifier — unknown at that time — who later became Sweden’s 29-year-old Ymer, who defeated one-by-one Australia’s Alex Bolt (171) with 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5); Denmark’s Elmer Møller (119) with 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; and Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong...