News

Japan’s Nikkei share average surpassed the 67,000 mark for the first time on Monday, driven by gains in AI-related stocks, Reuters reported.

SoftBank Group, a Japanese multinational investment holding company, was the largest contributor to the Nikkei’s advance, with its shares rising 10.3%. The increase added 618 points to the index’s overall gain of 709 points. Following the rally, SoftBank’s market capitalization climbed to approximately $296.0 billion, surpassing Toyota Motor Corp.’s valuation of around $286.5 billion after Toyota shares fell 4.8%.

The move came after SoftBank announced over the weekend that it plans to invest about $87.3 billion...

Fans of renowned Kazakhstani singer Dimash Qudaibergen united to save forests in Latin America.

According to DimashNews, Qudaibergen turned 32 on May 24. To mark the occasion, his fans in North and South America organized environmental campaigns in his honor.

Fans are now raising funds to restore forests and plant trees in Qudaibergen’s name.

One of the main initiatives was a campaign to support Patagonia’s forests. Fans from Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico donated 82 trees to the Friends of Patagonia Association. The trees will be planted in the area around the Correntoso River, where efforts are...

Planned maintenance work at Kazakhstan’s giant Kashagan oil field could be postponed, according to industry sources cited by PetroCouncil.kz and the energy publication Upstream.

The 35-day maintenance campaign, covering both offshore and onshore facilities, was scheduled to begin June 1.

Shareholders reportedly weighing postponement

According to Upstream’s sources, shareholders in the North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), which operates the field, are considering delaying the work, which would allow Kashagan to maintain production of about 400,000 barrels per day through June and July.

The reported discussions come amid heightened uncertainty in global oil markets...

Turkish mining company CoreX Holding plans to increase explored resources at the Manka gold deposit in East Kazakhstan from 195,000 ounces to more than 400,000 ounces of gold, according to the company’s annual report cited by qazba.kz.

The company plans to begin mining operations at the deposit in 2026 and targets annual production of up to 187,000 ounces of gold.

Exploration program expands resource estimates

In its annual report, CoreX Holding said it completed a comprehensive underground drilling program to define reserves and estimate resources at the Manka deposit.

In addition to the 3,000 meters...

Kazatomprom, the world’s largest uranium producer, reported net profit of 13.9 billion tenge (approximately $27.9 million) in the first quarter of 2026, according to the company’s unaudited financial statements. The figure represents a 56% decline compared with the same period in 2025.

Read also: Why KazMunayGas and Kazatomprom are Kazakhstan’s ultimate cash cows.

The company’s revenue declined 28% year over year to 154.2 billion tenge, driven by a 40% drop in sales volumes.

At the same time, the average price of natural uranium increased 12% in January-March to...

Two Indian students died at the Fedorov Reservoir in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, after attempting to save each other while swimming in a prohibited area, authorities said.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of May 30 at an unequipped section of shoreline where swimming is not permitted.

Rescue attempt ends in tragedy

According to the Department of Emergency Situations of the Karaganda region, the victims were young men born in 2004 and 2005.

Read also: Indian student fatally falls from dormitory window in Karaganda.

Preliminary findings indicate that one of the students entered the...

For Kazakhstan’s SME sector, the end of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 marked a period of adaptation not only to tight monetary conditions, but also to a series of fiscal and regulatory changes. On one hand, business activity was constrained by high borrowing costs as inflationary pressures persisted. On the other, small businesses were preparing for the replacement of simplified taxation systems with a unified Special Tax Regime. Together, these factors significantly affected SME operations and business behavior.

Monetary tightening and lending slowdown

Throughout 2025, the National Bank of Kazakhstan gradually tightened monetary...

Mikhail Shaidorov commented on the controversy surrounding delayed salary payments, an unsigned contract and questions about his preparations for the new season. The Olympic champion thanked the people of Kazakhstan for their support and said he did not want the situation to become a public conflict, but could not allow his name to be «dragged through the mud.»

Honors certificate still not received

According to Shaidorov, he still has not received his Honored Master of Sports certificate, despite meeting the requirements in 2025 by winning a silver medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.

Daterao Jugal Sudhir, a senior manager at The Walt Disney Company, was sentenced to prison after cannabis-infused gummies were found in his possession at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, according to TASS.

The Indian citizen was convicted of narcotics possession and drug smuggling.

Prosecutors requested a prison sentence of 6 1/2 years and a fine of 500,000 rubles. The court, however, handed down a lighter sentence of 2 1/2 years in prison and a fine of 30,000 rubles.

Defense cites medical use

The defense said Sudhir had been prescribed the THC-infused gummies following brain surgery. In...

A dog of the Kazakh Tazy breed named Akbakai came into the spotlight at the international Ethnosport Culture Festival in Istanbul. The dog from Balkhash attracted the attention of attendees, received a medal and even drew interest from visitors who wanted to buy it. Kursiv LifeStyle explains how the Kazakh Tazy captured the hearts of guests at the ethnofestival in Turkey.

According to the press service of the Karaganda regional administration, participants from nearly 20 countries spent four days in Istanbul competing and showcasing their traditions. Kazakhstan was represented at the festival...

Chile’s Atacama Desert, widely regarded as one of the darkest places on Earth, is facing rising levels of light pollution that could threaten its status as a leading location for astronomical research, the BBC reported.

The remote desert is home to some of the world’s most advanced observatories, including the Paranal Observatory, where exceptionally dark skies, clear weather and high-altitude conditions have enabled major astronomical discoveries.

However, astronomers report a noticeable increase in light pollution around the Atacama in recent years, warning that even small increases in sky brightness can affect observations at facilities designed to detect faint...

A famous bull mosaic in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is being restored after years of wear caused by a long-standing tourist tradition, the BBC reported.

The mosaic, which depicts a prancing bull surrounded by a coat of arms, has become a popular attraction due to a local legend that promises good luck to visitors who place a heel on the bull’s testicles and spin three times. The ritual, which dates back to the 19th century and remains popular with tourists today, has gradually worn away the pink tiles in the area, leaving a visible crater.

Restoration work began...

On May 28, a ferry route between Taiwan and Japan resumed operations after being discontinued in 2008, Kyodo News reported.

The route connects Japan’s Ishigaki Island to the Taiwanese port city of Keelung. According to the website of Taiwan-based operator Yaima Line, the journey covers 270 kilometers and takes about eight hours. From May 28 to June 29, one round trip per week is scheduled, while from July 2 to July 31, two round trips are planned. The vessel operating on the route is the Yaima Maru, which can accommodate about...

BMW plans to introduce humanoid robots into vehicle production at its Leipzig factory in Germany, marking the first use of such robots in its European operations, the BBC reported.

The Aeon robots, developed by Sweden-based Hexagon Robotics, are currently being tested and are expected to begin production work this summer.

Unlike traditional industrial robots, humanoid robots can operate in existing workspaces designed for people, reducing the need for costly factory redesigns. BMW intends to use the Aeon robots for tasks such as supplying parts to manufacturing equipment and handling components during battery assembly.

The robots are trained using...

On May 26, Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov addressed MBA students at Stanford University, where the Stanford Graduate School of Business (Stanford GSB) dedicated an academic study to the corporate strategy of a Central Asian company for the first time.

According to Professor Howard Rosen, who broke down the case, Kazakhstan is an excellent example for studying international entrepreneurship thanks to its vast territory and economy.

In turn, the fintech group’s CEO Timur Turlov revealed that Freedom Bank issues online mortgages in just four hours and that the bank became the leader in Kazakhstan in Mastercard payment volume within...

Argentina’s national team manager Lionel Scaloni announced the squad for the 2026 World Cup, which is set to take place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The squad includes 26 footballers, including the national team’s captain Lionel Messi, marking the sixth participation in the World Cup in the 38-year-old forward’s career. 

Scaloni retained the majority of the championship core, including Emiliano Martínez, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Lautaro Martínez, and Julián Álvarez. At the same time, Ángel Di María, who retired from international football after the 2024 Copa América, is absent from the...

Kazakhstan’s Prosecutor General’s Office is introducing artificial intelligence (AI) into the law enforcement system. Neural networks are set to forecast crime, automate the processing of service documents and conduct continuous observation and analysis of information.

Big data

The Criminal Threat Forecasting Center under the Committee on Legal Statistics and Special Accounts has already sent 192 advisory letters to government agencies with recommendations on threat prevention. Access to 38 fraudulent websites has been blocked, and 16 public alerts have been issued warning of new fraud schemes.

“The Center’s implemented solutions include systems for monitoring the media...

The U.S. stock market could deliver significantly weaker returns over the next 10 years, according to Aman Alimbayev, an economist and former analyst at the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE).

Read also: Kazakhstan launches its first S&P 500-style index funds.

As an example, Alimbayev cited the distribution of 10-year U.S. stock market returns from 1880 to 2026, based on data from economist Robert Shiller and Goldman Sachs analysts.

He noted that the average annual return of the U.S. market over the past 146 years has been approximately 9.3%. However, the most recent...

Kazakhstan plans to launch a pilot project for a driverless taxi service in the second half of 2026, according to the Ministry of AI and Digital Development.

The project is being developed by the ministry in partnership with Yandex Qazaqstan and inDrive, with preparations currently underway.

Read also: Sex in driverless cars: Already an issue in San Francisco, not yet in Kazakhstan.

Engineers from Yandex Qazaqstan have already begun building the technical infrastructure, including setting up specialized garages and importing and configuring a fleet of autonomous vehicles. The vehicles’ software is...

A photo purportedly showing Kazakhstan’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in a hospital has been circulating on social media, though users and fact-checkers have questioned its authenticity.

Read also: Kazakhstan’s ‘Falling Nazarbayev’ sculpture sold to Russian buyer.

The image recently appeared in an Instagram post. It shows Nazarbayev lying in a hospital bed with an IV and connected to medical equipment, while a doctor stands nearby. A timestamp at the bottom of the image reads May 23, 2026.

«The people’s gratitude and good wishes are the highest reward for a...

Head coach of the Kazakhstan Freestyle Moguls Team, Yelena Kruglykhina, has responded to claims from Olympic figure skating champion Mikhail Shaidorov that he has not received his salary in recent months.

Kruglykhina said Shaidorov, like other winter sports athletes, signed a contract valid through Feb. 22, 2026. She added that responsibility for renewing agreements did not rest solely with the federation, but also with the athlete’s representatives.

«Has Misha gone too far, or are you being used?» Kruglykhina wrote on Instagram. «You signed a contract until Feb. 22, 2026, just like all...

Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva was eliminated in the second round of the French Open after a hard-fought loss to Colombia’s Camila Osorio 7-5, 6-7(6-8), 6-4.

The match marked the first career meeting between the 31-year-old Putintseva and the 24-year-old Osorio. Both players are considered strong clay-court specialists.

Osorio has won all three of her WTA 250 titles on clay in Bogotá, claiming trophies in 2021, 2024 and 2025. Putintseva, meanwhile, has captured two of her three career titles on clay — in Nuremberg in 2019 and Budapest in 2021 — with her only non-clay title coming on...

The foundation of cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia is a shared responsibility for the stability and development of the broader Eurasian region, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Astana.

Tokayev described Putin’s state visit as an exceptionally important event for the development of the strategic partnership and allied relations between the two countries. He also thanked the Russian leader for an article published ahead of the visit.

«I fully agree with the point that the foundation of Kazakh-Russian cooperation is a shared responsibility for the stability and...

Russia will provide Kazakhstan with an intergovernmental export loan to finance the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant. The total financing package is estimated at approximately $16.4 billion, including about $2 billion allocated for social infrastructure and safety systems.

Kazakhstan and Russia signed agreements outlining the key principles and terms of cooperation for the construction of Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant in the Almaty region.

Loan terms described as favorable

Almassadam Satkaliyev, chairman of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy, said the loan terms are favorable for Kazakhstan but declined to disclose specific details.