News

Birdwatchers from Europe, the U.S. and Russia are increasingly flocking to Kazakhstan to observe its diverse avian species. While birdwatching or avitourism is a popular form of ecotourism in Europe and North America, it remains relatively unknown among most Kazakhstanis.

Both local and Russian ornithologists organize expeditions and photo tours across Kazakhstan.

Kursiv.media takes a closer look at the species that attract foreign birdwatchers and how enthusiasts can join a birdwatching tour in Kazakhstan.

When to watch birds

International visitors prefer to come during the «golden hour» of birdwatching season, i.e. late spring to early summer. This is when birds...

Chevron, Eni, Shell and other global oil majors are being pushed to increase their reliance on local suppliers as Kazakhstan moves to strengthen domestic economic participation in its multibillion-dollar energy projects.

Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has called on operators of the country’s three largest oil and gas fields — Tengiz, Kashagan and Karachaganak — to raise the share of goods, services and labor sourced from Kazakh companies. Currently, only 23% of their procurement comes from local suppliers, leaving the majority dependent on imports.

«This sector still holds enormous potential,» Bektenov emphasized at a recent government...

Vietnamese Sovico Group, which recently acquired a 51% stake in QazaqAir, has delayed its plans to assume management of an airport in Kazakhstan, as reported by Informburo.kz, citing Kazakhstan’s Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin.    

This isn’t about acquiring the airport. The investor’s intent was to take over management in order to establish a base airport, but they’ve put that on hold for now, as significant capital is currently being allocated to airline development. In the next stage, the company will consider purchasing or managing the airport. But overall, if you have an airline, you...

Construction has officially begun on a new electronic device manufacturing plant in Semey, eastern Kazakhstan, according to the akimat (local administration) of the Abay region.

The $50 million project, led by the Kazakh-Chinese joint venture Suto Kazakhstan, will be carried out in three phases from 2025 to 2028. Products from the facility will be sold domestically and exported across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Europe.

The plant will manufacture a wide range of electronic components, including microchips, optoelectronic modules, smart host controllers, power supply units, energy-efficient lamps and digital displays.

«This marks the first...

Timur Turlov, founder of Freedom Holding Corp., has increased his ownership in the Kazakhstani IT startup CTOgram to 41%, after buying out shares from early-stage investors, the company announced.

According to CTOgram CEO Zhandos Tursumbayev, consolidating shares with a strategic investor opens new opportunities for scaling the company, which is set to play a key role in the development of the Freedom Auto ecosystem. He also expressed gratitude to the early investors who supported the project’s launch.

«We’re grateful to Timur Turlov for his trust and productive partnership, which has been ongoing for two years now...

Alexander Bublik, Kazakhstan’s top player (ATP ranking No. 62), stunned Britain’s Jack Draper, the world No. 5, in four sets (5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4) to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open, marking his first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

McEnroe was half-right

Bublik continues to deliver surprises at this year’s Roland Garros. In the second round, he staged a dramatic comeback against world No. 9 Alex de Minaur of Australia, winning in five sets: 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Against Draper, Bublik needed only four sets to eliminate another top-10 opponent.

Few expected Bublik to win either...

Russia-administered Baikonur, a city in Kazakhstan famous for its spaceport, is unlikely to see new hotels unless tourists begin visiting the site more often, according to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, citing the city’s mayor Konstantin Busygin.

According to him, the recent launch of the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft attracted around 2,500 tourists, setting a new visitor record. All the hotels in both the city and the spaceport were sold out two months before the launch, forcing several guests to stay in the nearby villages of Toretam and Akay, or even in the more remote Zhosaly.

However, tourists visit the...

Air Arabia has launched direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Almaty. The first flight from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) successfully landed in Almaty today at 10:20 a.m. local time.

Travel between the two cities has become much easier, with a flight time of just 4 hours and 15 minutes. Passengers can now book flights three times a week: on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

One-way tickets start at 42,000 tenge (about $82.30). Passengers purchasing the cheapest basic fare are allowed a carry-on up to 10 kilograms. Those wishing to check heavier luggage will need to pay an additional 21,000 tenge...

Kazakhstan’s men’s volleyball team lost 0–3 to Iran in the first match of the semi-final group at the Central Asian Nations League, currently underway in Uzbekistan.

Although the Iranians — Asia’s vice-champions — brought a reserve squad to Fergana, they have now won four matches in a row. Against Iran, Kazakhstan had a real chance to take the second set but ultimately fell short in all three: 15–25, 28–30 and 15–25.

In another semi-final group match, India left Pakistan no chance, winning 3–0 (25–15, 25–19, 25–23). Remarkably, the match proceeded despite the strained political relations between the two countries, proving...

The Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM) has approved Vyacheslav Kim’s bid to acquire Jusan Bank, according to Interfax Kazakhstan, citing the press service of Kaspi.kz. Kim is a well-known businessman, co-owning Kaspi.kz, a fintech giant in Kazakhstan.

He submitted his application in February to purchase 97.5% of Jusan Bank shares. The regulator was initially expected to review the bid by April but extended the review period by two months, citing the need to «establish factual circumstances» important for evaluating the application.

Kim emphasized at the time that this potential acquisition was unrelated to Kaspi.kz, where...

Kazakhstan will introduce a 5% duty on goods valued over €200 purchased on marketplaces beyond the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). The move follows a decision made by the presidents of EEU member states, as reported by Kazakhstan’s State Revenue Committee.   

The corresponding amendments to the agreement on the EEU customs code were adopted in December 2023. In line with these changes, goods purchased by individuals on foreign online marketplaces are classified as e-commerce goods, which are subject to taxation at a unified rate of 5% on the goods’ value. At the same time, orders not exceeding the €200 duty-free...

Chinese-linked companies have emerged as major winners in Kazakhstan’s latest online auction of hydrocarbon blocks, securing rights to half of the available sites, according to the country’s Ministry of Energy.

Four blocks for hydrocarbon exploration and production were awarded in the subsoil use rights auction. The winning companies are as follows:

Russian Telegram channels accused Kazakhstan of importing drones that Ukraine used to carry out a large-scale attack on Russian airbases on June 1. The Kazakh government has not yet commented on the accusations.

On June 1, Ukrainian drones struck several Russian military facilities, including four airbases of the Russian Armed Forces in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions. According to some open-source data, more than 40 aircraft were damaged in the attack, including an A-50 reconnaissance aircraft, a Tu-95 strategic missile carrier and a Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the operation codenamed «Spiderweb» was carried...

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech expressing his congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, calling it a symbol of space achievements and Kazakh-Russian partnership.

In his video address, Putin addressed Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Russian and Kazakhstani peoples, as well as Baikonur’s employees and long-serving staff.

«The creation of Baikonur, along with the entire space programme, stands as a true feat, a testament to courage, determination and heroic spirit. We honour the monumental, selfless labour of the hundreds of thousands from all the republics of the Union who envisioned, designed...

Continued success in securing new orders helped lead to a further improvement in the health of Kazakhstan’s manufacturing sector in May. While new order growth remained solid, there were slowdowns in the rates of expansion of output, employment and purchasing activity, according to Freedom Holding Corp.

On the price front, unfavorable currency fluctuations led to a sharp rise in input costs, while competitive pressures limited the pace of output price inflation. The Freedom Holding Corp. Kazakhstan Manufacturing PMI® (Purchasing Managers’ Index™) registered 51.3 in May, broadly in line with the reading of 51.2 in April.

«As...

The Freedom QJ League is set to hold its first full-fledged football tournament for girls. The total cost of organizing this inaugural women’s season is estimated at 308 million tenge ($604,619), according to the Freedom QJ League press service.

According to the organization, its top priority this year is launching the first tournament for girls. This is especially important, as the QJ League has significantly transformed the landscape of youth football for boys in Kazakhstan over the past few years, while the situation in girls’ football has largely remained unchanged.

«These include competitions using the one-round-per-month...

Kazakhstan’s Ex-President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s recent visit to Moscow was personal and informal. According to the ex-president’s press secretary Aidos Ukibay, Nazarbayev shares a longstanding and friendly relationship with Vladimir Putin that remains strong regardless of whether he holds state authority.

According to him, Nazarbayev keeps in touch with various world leaders via phone calls, private correspondence and separate meetings. This applies not only to Russia, but also to Turkey, China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Belarus and other nations.

«Interactions like this are common in international relations, reflecting personal bonds built over the years. Therefore, personal...

Kazakhstani boxers made a strong statement at the 2025 Thailand Open, claiming five gold medals on the final day of competition. The prestigious international tournament, held in Bangkok from May 24 to June 1, featured 186 athletes from 17 countries and is considered one of Asia’s premier boxing events.

In the men’s division, Torekhan Sabyrkhan (70 kg) and Dias Molzhigitov (80 kg) won gold for Kazakhstan. Sabyrkhan defeated his Uzbek opponent by judges’ unanimous decision, while Molzhigitov earned a 4-1 victory over a Chinese fighter.

In the women’s division, Kazakhstan added three more gold medals courtesy of Viktoriya Grafeyeva...

Kazakhstan’s boxing sensation Angelina Lukas has successfully defended her IBO World Super Flyweight Championship title in front of a hometown crowd in Taraz.

In the main event of IBO fight week, Lukas dominated Chile’s Daniela Asenjo, securing a technical knockout victory. The bout carried extra emotional weight for Lukas, who was seeking redemption after a previous loss to Asenjo two years ago.

The early rounds saw both fighters moving cautiously, testing each other’s weaknesses. But momentum shifted decisively between the third and fourth rounds when Lukas began to apply sustained pressure.

Landing a series of clean, powerful shots from multiple...

Starting this June, Omani SalamAir is set to launch direct flights on the Almaty–Muscat route. The decision was made during a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev and Oman’s Minister of Finance Sultan Salim Al Habsi, where they discussed prospects for cooperation in transport.

The leading topic of the meeting was developing a partnership involving the Omani ports of Sohar, Salalah and Duqm, alongside strengthening cooperation within the International North–South Transport Corridor. The Omani side expressed readiness to deepen interaction with Kazakhstan.

Restoring flights between the countries marks their effort toward a strategic partnership and the expansion of...

Kazakhstan’s largest oil field, Kashagan, located on the Caspian Sea shelf, is expected to reach 1 billion barrels of cumulative oil production by the end of 2025, according to the Energy Monitor Telegram channel.

The projection was shared following a May 28 meeting between Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and ExxonMobil Vice President Peter Larden. Since the field began operations, approximately 906 million barrels have been produced. Recoverable reserves are currently estimated at 15.8 billion barrels, with reserves continuing to increase.

Bektenov and Larden discussed expanding cooperation in the oil and gas sector, including infrastructure development and the adoption of...

Starting June 30, Russia will put into effect new rules and terms for entering and exiting the country for foreigners and stateless individuals, announced Irina Volk, the official representative of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

According to the new rules, Kazakhstanis who enter Russia visa-free must file an electronic application no later than 72 hours before the planned date of travel. This also applies to official representatives of children or legally incapacitated persons.

«The application may be filed no later than four hours before travel in cases of documented circumstances that require prompt entry into...

Emin Agalarov, a well-known Azerbaijani singer and entrepreneur, visited Mangystau, admiring the natural beauty of the region.

«What an amazing planet we live on! Thank you for the warm welcome, Kazakhstan,» Agalarov captioned the vivid video from the region.

The footage shows the singer visiting Bozzhyra and Aktau. Although it is unclear how long he stayed in Kazakhstan, he managed to ride a horse, shoot a bow and get acquainted with local traditions. The artist was also captured wearing a traditional Kazakh garment — a chapan — against the backdrop of a yurt, the traditional...

Danone will invest €6 million in its plant in the Almaty region in 2025 and 2026 to increase annual production to 40,000 tons, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture.

Once the plant’s modernization is complete, it will be able to expand its range of products. Moreover, the upgrade will enable the company to double export volumes to Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Mongolia, as well as enter the markets of China and the Middle East by 2027.

The plant currently produces 18,000 tons of dairy products annually, with a third of these exports destined for countries in Central Asia, the...