News

Plans for a new landmark in the Charyn Canyon system — a glass bridge over the Black Canyon — have been revealed.

The project was showcased at a meeting between Almaty Region Gov. Marat Sultangaziyev and construction companies, held to review investment projects for the region’s tourism development. The glass bridge project is estimated at a total value of approximately $3 million, with the facility expected to welcome between 400,000 and 600,000 tourists annually once fully operational.

Preparatory work is already underway. In 2024, the site was connected to the electric power grid. Site leveling for...

China’s Hong Kong–based Sino-Science Oil and Gas Co. Ltd., also known as Geo-Jade Petroleum, plans to produce up to 1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas from the Sozak field in southern Kazakhstan, according to Sultangali Kinzhakulov, CEO of Kazakh Invest.

Kinzhakulov said the project involves reinvesting profits earned by the Chinese company back into Kazakhstan. Development of the Sozak field is expected to continue through 2045.

Based on the investor’s projections, total tax and fee revenues from the field over its full life cycle could reach $5 billion by 2045. Geo-Jade Petroleum plans...

Modern electric cars tend to resemble smartphones on wheels; however, Kia has decided to oppose the all-touchscreen control trend. The manufacturer will retain physical buttons in the interiors of its new models, guided by safety considerations and customer demand, according to The Drive.

Why classics beat touchscreens

Tom Kearns, chief designer at Kia Design Center America, confirmed that the company does not plan to assign all controls to touchscreens. Models such as the EV9 will continue to be equipped with physical switches for controlling volume and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

The primary reason is...

On Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, conversations tend to focus more on gifts for women than for men. Each year, social media fills with debates over what to buy for a boyfriend or husband.

Why it’s hard to choose a gift for men

There is no universally accepted «default» gift for men, especially in the early stages of a relationship. Women traditionally receive flowers, sweets or jewelry. Men, by contrast, are less likely to spell out what they want and rarely make wish lists.

How to figure out what to give

Even if you want...

Federal prosecutors in Chicago have indicted two Kazakh citizens in connection with a large-scale health care fraud scheme involving private insurance and Medicare. Investigators estimate that losses to public and private insurers exceeded $1 billion.

Case against Anuar Abdrakhmanov

One indictment centers on Anuar Abdrakhmanov, a Kazakh citizen accused of conspiring to launder proceeds from Medicare fraud.

According to court records, Abdrakhmanov gained control of Priority One Medical Equipment, a Kentucky-registered company, and allegedly used it to submit fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment.

Between March and August 2024, the company submitted roughly $666 million in false reimbursement...

Kanye West, now known as Ye, has given new momentum to antisemitic voices worldwide. Calling him simply a rapper or hip-hop artist understates his influence, as he remains one of the most consequential cultural figures not only in the U.S. but across the globe, according to Isaac Saul of Tangle.

A public apology amid controversy

Last week, West purchased a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal in which he apologized for antisemitic remarks and rejected accusations that he is a Nazi. He attributed his behavior to a manic episode, writing that he had lost touch...

Vietnamese carrier VietJet Air is considering launching regular flights on the Hanoi-Almaty-Prague route in 2026.

The plans were discussed at a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Hoa Binh.

Moreover, the establishment of a nonstop flight between Astana and Hanoi is being discussed, along with the reintroduction of the Almaty-Ho Chi Minh City flight.

If the plans are implemented, travel to Vietnam will become significantly easier, eliminating transfers and complex routes.

Previously, Air Astana announced nonstop flights to Cyprus departing from Almaty and Astana.

Kazakhstani UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov held second place in the welterweight (up to 77 kilograms) division ranking. However, following a recent update, he was removed from the list, sports journalist John Morgan reported.

He wrote on X that in the previous rankings cycle, Rakhmonov was included among the athletes eligible to participate in tournaments. However, due to news of his injury, the athlete’s name is absent in the latest version.

Shavkat Rakhmonov has been pulled from the welterweight rankings.

He was listed in the eligible pool of athletes during last rankings cycle, but with...

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the U.S. will lower tariffs on Indian goods to 18%. This decision comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil and work on improving trade relations with the U.S., according to Euronews.

Trump also said that India agreed to buy $500 billion in American goods and will reduce import taxes on U.S. products to zero. He shared the news about the tariff cut on Truth Social, calling the agreement a potential step toward ending the war in Ukraine.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, India...

Xinhua, a prominent Chinese news agency, reported that on Feb. 5, the Olympic Council of Asia and Kazakhstan will sign an agreement to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Almaty.

In 2022, Saudi Arabia was designated to host the Games; however, the ambitious project to run a winter sports event in the desert was abandoned in January. The reason lies in a significant construction delay of the planned modern city of Neom, which was meant to host the Games. In particular, the Trojena ski resort will definitely not be commissioned by 2029.

Almaty has already...

Kazakhstan’s Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market and the National Bank have approved new rules allowing banks with universal licenses, as well as Islamic banks, to operate with digital financial assets.

Three categories of digital assets

Under the regulations, banks may conduct transactions involving three types of digital financial assets:

Limits for Islamic banks

Islamic banks and...

Amid growing global anticipation surrounding the return of the globally recognized K-pop group BTS with a world tour and upcoming album “Arirang,” Netflix announced it will livestream the group’s first concert in three years and nine months.

BTS X NETFLIX

BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG @ March 21 8pm KST / 4am PST ? BTS will perform at historic Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. LIVE worldwide exclusively on Netflix.

BTS: THE RETURN, DOCUMENTARY FILM @ March 27 ? BTS: THE RETURN, a documentary film showcasing the… pic.twitter.com/x36DC1KSZ9

— Netflix (@netflix) February 3, 2026

In January, shares of Kazatomprom traded on Kazakhstan’s KASE and AIX exchanges rose 49.5%. The uranium giant led all Kazakhstani firms in both share price growth and trading volume, economist Arman Batayev said on his Telegram channel.

Policy shifts boost nuclear outlook

Batayev attributed the rally to foreign policy and economic factors, including simplified U.S. licensing rules for nuclear fuel production and increased investment in the nuclear sector as Western countries seek alternatives to Russian fuel. The European Union has also announced plans to stop purchasing uranium from Russia starting...

Kazakhstan is set to restrict access to surrogacy services to its own citizens. Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said an initiative to bar foreigners from using Kazakhstani surrogacy programs will soon be submitted to parliament for consideration.

«There is a pressing need to amend legislation to establish a provision under which surrogacy services in Kazakhstan would be available exclusively to citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan,» Bozumbayev said.

Legal amendments under review

According to Bozumbayev, the proposed changes to the Code on Marriage and Family were drafted by the Ministry...

Travelers who enjoy spotting rare and striking bird species may want to add Kazakhstan to their list of destinations. The country’s diverse landscapes, from urban green spaces to mountain gorges, make it an unexpected draw for birdwatchers.

Beauty hidden in plain sight

Online, it is easy to find the work of local photographers who document birds often overlooked in city environments. Their images reveal a side of urban wildlife that rarely captures public attention.

The bird shown in the first image, captured by photographer Galym Baitimbetov, is one of the most endearing species found in the...

Kazakhstan’s second nuclear power plant (NPP), to be built by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), will also be located in the Zhambyl district of the Almaty region, according to a government decree dated Jan. 26.

Russia awarded first nuclear project

Kazakhstan’s first NPP will be built by Russia’s state-owned nuclear company, Rosatom, which won the consortium tender on June 2025. That project is designed to have a total capacity of 2.4 gigawatts, consisting of two VVER-1200 reactors rated at 1.2 gigawatts each.

China leads additional projects

Following that decision, the...

Kazakhstan’s flagship air carrier Air Astana launched sales for its direct seasonal flights to Larnaca, Cyprus, scheduled for summer 2026, operating from June to September from Astana and Almaty, the airline’s press service reported.

From Astana, flights will operate from June 2 to Sept. 5 on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Departures are planned for mornings and daytime, with returns from Larnaca in the afternoon. The flight to Larnaca takes around 5 hours 40 minutes, and the return flight takes 5 hours 5 minutes.

Flights from Almaty are scheduled from June 4 to Sept...

India has introduced a visa-free regime for citizens of Kazakhstan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. The new policy, which has already come into effect, allows Kazakhstani citizens to enter India without a visa for up to 30 days.

The visa-free regime applies to tourist visas, medical visas and visas for medical attendants. The decision aims to strengthen bilateral relations and promote tourism between the two countries.

Indian citizens were already able to stay in Kazakhstan without a visa for up to 14 days. With this change, Kazakhstani citizens now enjoy more favorable travel conditions when visiting...

We never get tired of pointing out that Kazakhstan is also a true paradise for birdwatching enthusiasts.

Online, you can find the work of a local photographer Galym Baitimbetov, who captures striking images of birds often overlooked in urban settings.

One such example is the red-mantled rosefinch — known in Kazakh as «juniper beauty.»

It is a rare and remarkably elegant bird for Almaty.

The males, with their vivid pink plumage, look almost surreal, yet they are the hardest to photograph due to their cautious nature.

The females are far less wary: they tend to approach...

Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player, Alexander Bublik, retained his position in the top 10 in the updated ATP ranking after his run at the Australian Open 2026 stopped at the fourth round. Currently, Bublik is training for the Davis Cup match with the national team.

Australia’s Alex de Minaur, who ended the Kazakhstani player’s AO 2026 run, was then defeated by the eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz and retained the sixth position in the rankings.

The tournament’s finalist, Novak Djokovic, who was beaten by the world No. 1, climbed from fourth place to third. The result is not...

A group of amateur researchers found a possible planet similar to Earth in both size and orbit while reviewing old space telescope data. This discovery, called HD 137010 b, was featured in a recent study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, according to Euronews.

The possible planet was found through Planet Hunters, a citizen science project where volunteers look for missed signals in data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope. In 2017, Kepler recorded a small, brief drop in the star’s brightness, hinting that a planet had passed in front of it. Even though only one event was seen...

Sports journalist Ariel Helwani commented on the trauma of Kazakhstani UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov. He believes that Nomad still has a chance to win the championship belt, despite another forced pause and a lengthy recovery period.

Helwani also noted that the next contender for the title in the welterweight division should be Irish fighter Ian Garry.

«Shavkat news is a gut punch. Feel awful for him. Remember, though, Dom Cruz went through a similar chain of events and eventually came back and won back the belt. It’s not over (hopefully). But the...

January’s increase in value-added tax (VAT) led to a marked intensification of inflationary pressures in Kazakhstan’s manufacturing sector. Input costs rose sharply, prompting firms to raise selling prices at the fastest pace since the survey began in March 2019.

What the index shows

The Freedom Holding Corp. Kazakhstan Manufacturing PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index) slipped just below the 50.0 no-change threshold in January, indicating a marginal deterioration in business conditions across the sector. The index registered 49.8, down from 51.0 in December, and indicated worsening operating conditions for the seventh time in the past eight months.

Inflationary impact

The VAT increase...

The large-scale return of Russian veterans from the war in Ukraine to civilian life has become one of the most serious anxieties inside Russia, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe. The concern is not abstract. It is already showing measurable and disturbing consequences.

A surge in violence after the front

As soldiers come home, crime rates are rising. Veterans celebrated by the state as heroes of the so-called «special military operation» have been implicated in murders, sexual assaults, robberies, fraud schemes, deadly traffic incidents, and drug trafficking. Journalists Daria Talanova, Sonya Richter, and Ksenia Storozheva examined every...