News

On Aug. 6, 2025, the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York found Ilyas Khrapunov in contempt of court. The ruling was in favor of the city of Almaty and BTA Bank JSC, which brought the case.

Judge John G. Koeltl ruled that Khrapunov had violated a previous order requiring him to regularly provide information about his assets. This is not his first violation — in an earlier case, he was also found guilty of contempt and ordered to pay $221,285.31.

Under the new ruling, Khrapunov must provide full and regular reports on his finances and activities...

Azerbaijan has announced a temporary visa-on-arrival program to facilitate entry for international visitors attending the 2025 Formula 1 Grand Prix in Baku.

From Aug. 25 to Sep. 30, 2025, travelers holding an official race ticket, FIA accreditation, or documentation from the Baku City Circuit will be able to obtain a visa directly at the country’s international airports. The measure removes the need for prior embassy appointments or standard visa applications.

The initiative is designed to streamline access for fans, media representatives, and race staff ahead of the Grand Prix, which will take place in Baku from Sep...

Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and his Japanese counterpart Iwaya Takeshi met in Kazakhstan on Aug. 25. They agreed to accelerate preparations for a summit between Japan and the Central Asian countries, as reported by NHK World.

The media outlet noted that this meeting had initially been planned for last August, with then-Prime Minister Kishida Fumio expected to attend. However, it was canceled at the last minute due to a special advisory issued after a major earthquake in Japan.

At the meeting, Iwaya pledged that Japan would provide about $6.8 million in grant aid to supply Kazakhstan with the...

Oscar-winning director Woody Allen has found himself in hot water after participating remotely in Moscow Film Week, drawing sharp criticism from Ukrainian officials who view any engagement with Russian cultural events as tacit support for the ongoing war.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry didn’t mince words, calling Allen’s participation “a disgrace” that dishonors Ukrainian film professionals who’ve become casualties of the conflict. The controversy deepened when Ukraine’s Mirotvorets database, which tracks individuals deemed hostile to Ukrainian interests, added Allen to their watchlist.

During the online event, Allen chatted with Russian filmmaker Fyodor Bondarchuk, a vocal supporter of Moscow’s military campaign, and...

Uzbekistan’s media has been abuzz with an unusual gastronomic trend — dishes made from sparrows. A blogger filmed a video at a restaurant in the Bukhara region showing soup and kebabs prepared from the birds’ meat, even sharing the address. The post sparked a heated debate, dividing opinion between those who claim such meals are healthy and others who see it as nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

Since Aug. 15, the country has allowed the hunting of certain birds, including pigeons and sparrows, but only with licenses and in limited numbers. However, the rules do not justify large-scale killing...

The flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline, Korean Air, has announced it plans to acquire over 100 Boeing aircraft, along with spare engines and 20-year engine maintenance, for a total value of $50 billion, Associated Press reported.

The deal covers 103 Boeing aircraft — 20 Boeing 777-9s, 25 Boeing 787-10s, 50 Boeing 737-10 passenger jets and eight Boeing 777-8F freighters — worth $36.2 billion, along with $690 million for 19 spare engines from GE Aerospace and CFM International and a $13 billion, 20-year engine maintenance contract with GE Aerospace, according to the airline.

The deal was...

The ongoing feud between Donald Trump and Chris Christie hit new levels of intensity after Christie took shots at the former president during a Sunday appearance on ABC’s “This Week.” He blasted his former ally’s approach to mixing politics with criminal investigations, CNN reported.

The timing was particularly charged, coming right as FBI agents were searching the home of John Bolton, Trump’s ex-national security adviser.

Trump wasted no time firing back on social media, reviving his “Sloppy” nickname for Christie and dredging up the 2013 Bridgegate scandal. It’s quite the turnaround from when Trump previously congratulated Christie...

A recent environmental report shows China added more coal power plant capacity in the first half of 2025 than in any year since 2016, despite having significant renewable resources, according to DW.com, citing the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM).

The findings suggest that in the first half of 2025, China commissioned 21 gigawatts (GW) of coal power capacity — the highest amount for this period in nine years — and is on track to exceed 80 GW for the full year. According to CREA and GEM, new and revived...

A U.S. abuse survivor, known as Zora (not her real name), has asked Elon Musk to remove links on X that share images of her childhood abuse, the BBC reports.

A family member abused her more than 20 years ago. Although he went to prison, pictures of the abuse were copied and continue to circulate online.

«My body is not a commodity. People who share this are part of the crime,» the abuse survivor told the BBC.

Activists, including the group Anonymous, claim to report these accounts, but new ones continue to appear.

Elon Musk, CEO of xAI, announced on X that an earlier version of the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) model, Grok 2.5, is now open source. In the same post, he also pledged to do same with the newer model, Grok 3 in about six months, as reported by Engadget.com.  

At that point, anyone is able not only to run but also to modify the AI model, the source code of which is available on HuggingFace.co, subject to xAI’s open-source license, which restricts users from retraining Grok or developing derivative AI models.

Engadget also noted that this is...

Russian star Daniil Medvedev fell to France’s Benjamin Bonzi at the U.S. Open after a bizarre third-set delay.

As Bonzi prepared to serve, a photographer suddenly walked onto the court, causing nearly seven minutes of confusion. Fans booed while officials tried to clear the scene.

«He wants to go home, guys. He doesn’t like to be here. He gets paid by the match not by the hour,» Medvedev mocked the umpire, shouting into an ESPN camera.

The break gave Medvedev energy — he forced a tiebreak and won the set. However, in the deciding set...

One of Almaty’s oldest public markets, also promoted as a tourist attraction for experiencing Eastern bazaar vibes, is awaiting reconstruction. In late July, the Almatygenplan Research Institute — the organization responsible for the city’s development and management — announced that on May 23 the Almaty City Council had approved a project to renovate an important piece of the city’s aesthetics and history.

According to the architects’ design, the building will acquire a more modern look, with extended summer cafés and a promenade, while restoring the highlight of the original design — the fountains lost in «the wild 90s...

In a video the model published on Instagram, she walks through a shopping center in Bali. She enters a Uniqlo store and proudly shows an advertising banner with her face on it. The video also contains images from other stores of the brand all over the world with Mukhamedgalieva’s face.

«I can’t believe it,» Mukhamedgalieva wrote on Instagram.

Her followers shared the model’s enthusiasm, giving her hundreds of positive comments and congratulations.

Rosatom State Corporation CEO Alexey Likhachev stated that the 2024 referendum in Kazakhstan demonstrated overwhelming support for the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Ulken, noting that people shook his hand during his visit to the settlement. He made this statement in an interview with Akmaral Batalova.

«For me, it was a kind of public ceremony showing commitment to the people of Kazakhstan. That’s how high I would raise the bar. And the people who live in Ulken all came out, shook my hand, and said, ‘We are waiting for you.’ There was...

A 45-year-old Belgian man broke his leg while hiking at Molodezhny Pass and was unable to continue his climb or descend back to the city. His wife called Kazakhstan’s emergency hotline (112) for help.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan, professional rescuers from the Tuyuk-Su and Muztau checkpoints responded immediately.

It took them about three hours to reach the injured man. After providing first aid, they carefully carried him down the mountain along a trail, a process that lasted another five hours.

Once they reached the Medeo Dam, rescuers handed the tourist over to doctors from...

On 4-5 September 2025, one of the year`s most significant financial events – the 8th Astana Finance Days – will be held in the capital of Kazakhstan, under the auspices of the Astana International Forum (AIF). This year`s theme, “Where Capital Empowers the Future”, plays on the dual meaning of the word capital: referring both to Astana – Kazakhstan`s capital city and a rapidly developing financial hub bridging East and West – and to capital as a driving force for sustainable growth.

In an era of global competition for capital, the effective use of these resources is essential to overcoming...

Fall traditionally revives financial markets: the companies publish financial reports, investors revise their portfolios and stock prices gain fresh momentum. Analysts at Freedom Broker have highlighted key investment ideas for Kazakhstan and global markets.   

Kazakhstan’s market

One of the fall’s wild cards is the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC). Following a tariff increase, the company reported growth in both revenue and profit, which could potentially lead to higher dividends.

Halyk Bank continues to hit new highs: investor interest in the bank’s securities remains strong, despite having recently cooled due to dividend payouts.

Kaspi.kz posted record-high interest income and...

There is a pharmacy in Uralsk that has been operating for almost 200 years and remains a popular destination for visitors. Curious about how the pharmacy has managed to stay afloat for so long, Kursiv LifeStyle prepared a short report about the building that reflects the history of the city in every corner.

Uralsk has long been a meeting point where Europe and Asia intersect. This is why many of its old buildings still preserve traces of history. One such monument, made of brick and mortar, is the oldest pharmacy in Kazakhstan that opened in the 19th century and is...

Kazakhstan’s aircraft fleet is set to receive 103 new planes by 2030. With these additions, the total number of aircraft in the country will exceed 200, according to Primeminister.kz.

The current fleet consists of 104 aircraft, including six new Airbus A320s and one Boeing 737 MAX 8, delivered in the first half of 2025.

«This year, 36 new international routes have been established and eight international air carriers have entered the market. The number of active domestic routes in the country now stands at 61, with 850 flights operated per week,» said Vice Minister of...

Tajikistan’s economy reported 8.1% growth over the first six months of 2025, supported by steady increases in industry and agriculture. The ongoing strengthening of the somoni — the national currency in Tajikistan — may widen the trade deficit but it is also boosting consumer demand.
 
GDP and its components
 
At the end of the first half of the year, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade reported GDP growth of 8.1%. «Despite global challenges, we have managed to ensure steady economic growth, proving that Tajikistan’s economy is capable of adapting to new conditions and sustaining a positive trend,» the agency said in...

Almaty has faced high levels of air pollution over the past 10 years. Monitoring data show that in nine out of 10 years between 2015 and 2024, the city’s air quality was assessed as «high» for pollution, except in 2017, when it was graded as «elevated.» In a separate assessment, on Jan. 14, IQAir, a Swiss company specializing in air quality monitoring and solutions, ranked Kazakhstan’s largest city at the top of its real-time list of the most polluted large cities in the world. More than 2.3 million residents breathe daily air containing amounts of toxic substances exceeding the...

World Folklore Day, observed annually on Aug. 22, celebrates oral traditions and communal practices — a body of expressive culture that forms the foundation of societies. It marks the anniversary of the 1846 publication in London of an article by British scholar William Thoms in The Athenaeum magazine, in which he used the word «folklore» for the first time.

Among folklore’s most enduring expressions are proverbs and idioms — short, memorable phrases that condense generations of experience, values and social norms into the distilled wisdom of a nation.

Based on personal experience and observation, I have explored the distinctive...

KazMunayGas (KMG), Kazakhstan’s national oil company, reported revenue of 4.5 trillion tenge for the first six months of 2025 (about $8.8 billion at the period’s average exchange rate), up 6.2% year-on-year (YoY). Growth was driven by higher processing volumes at KMG International refineries and the weakening of the tenge, which offset falling global oil prices and lower production at the Kashagan field, the company said in its financial results.

At the same time, the company’s net profit fell by 2.8% to 534 billion tenge ($1.04 billion), hit by lower oil prices, higher depreciation expenses, foreign exchange losses and the...

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov insists that American and British sanctions against two Kyrgyz financial institutions, Keremet Bank and Kapital Bank, are groundless and politically motivated. He made this statement in an interview with the Kabar news agency.

As Japarov noted, neither the U.S. nor the U.K. has provided any evidence of Kyrgyz banks’ involvement in circumventing sanctions against Russia. He also emphasized that there are 21 banks operating in the country, and to minimize risks for the national banking system, all ruble transactions are concentrated in two state banks – Keremet and Kapital. These banks, the president stressed, handle...