The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Kazakhstan's campaign to bring foreign universities into the country has moved far beyond a small pilot. By July 2026, the government said it had established partnerships with 40 foreign institutions and had 32 foreign university branches in operation. A separate government summary said those institutions enrolled about 12,000 students and...

Extreme Heat

Extreme Heat Buckles Roads and Strains Power Grids Across Central Asia

Caspian Pipeline Consortium

Ukraine Says No Evidence of Role in Attacks on Tankers Loading Kazakh Oil: Statement in Full

The Times of Central Asia has reported on drone attacks against tankers serving the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s Black Sea terminal, including vessels loading Kazakh crude. Kazakhstan condemned the attacks on July 17 and 19 and called for an immediate halt. A fourth tanker, NELSA, was struck while loading on July...

Economic Growth

Uzbekistan Raises 2026 Growth Forecast to 8.1%

Uzbekistan has raised its 2026 economic growth forecast from 6.6% to 8.1%, after stronger-than-expected performance last year and in the first quarter of 2026. The Ministry of Economy and Finance’s updated Fiscal Strategy for 2027-2029 projects nominal GDP of 2.183 quadrillion soums this year (about $180 billion). The revision follows...

Caspian Pipeline Consortium

When the War Reaches Kazakh Oil

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine unleashed the war now expanding across the Black Sea, but it did not erase the distinction between Russian military logistics and the lawful commerce of other states. Kazakhstan is not a party to the war, yet its principal oil export route passes through an expanding...

Energy Security

Kazakhstan’s Main Oil Route Remains Vulnerable. It Is Expanding Alternatives

Kazakhstan’s prosperity has been built largely on oil, much of which still reaches world markets through infrastructure crossing Russian territory. That would be a strategic exposure for any country; for a landlocked state bordering Russia during the largest war in Europe since 1945, it is impossible to ignore. The Caspian...

TCA Interviews

Saving The Caspian Seal: An Interview with Assel Baimukanova

The Caspian seal is the only marine mammal native to the Caspian Sea and the world’s only seal species found exclusively in an inland body of water. Once numbering close to one million, its population has declined dramatically over the past century due to commercial hunting, habitat degradation, pollution, accidental...

Venture Capital

How a New Generation of Startups From Kazakhstan Attracted International Investors

A software engineering team writes code in Almaty for a parent company incorporated in Delaware. Most of its revenue comes from customers in the United States and Singapore, with the United Kingdom another important market. Until recently, this business model was unusual in Kazakhstan. It is now becoming more common...

Taliban Troubles, Security Service Strife and the Deportation Divide

00:00 / 00:00

Sunkar Podcast

Kazakhstan to Host 2027 Table Tennis World Championships

00:00 / 00:00

Opinions

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s Demining Expertise Could Provide Boost to Afghanistan

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: Uzbekistan Census – When the Village Reappears in the City

Zamirbek Minbaev

Opinion: The Specter Is Back – A Kazakh Warning to America

Askar Alimzhanov

Opinion: The Amu Darya Stress Test – Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Politics of Agricultural Adaptation

Zamirbek Minbaev

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s New Income Growth Plan – Administrative Measures Against Market Realities

Igor Klevtsov

Opinion: Central Asia’s Shift from Silk Road Romance to Infrastructure Finance – What the June Forums Are Building

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

UNDP Opinion: Central Asia – Shared Wildlife, Shared Landscapes, Shared Responsibility

UNDP Representatives in Kazakhstan, Katarzyna Wawiernia, Kyrgyzstan, Alexandra Solovieva, Tajikistan, Sudipto Mukerjee, Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii.

Opinion: Beyond Multivectorism – What Kyrgyzstan’s UN Security Council Win Really Shows

Zamirbek Minbaev

Opinion: Eurasia’s New Corridors Are More Than a Transit Race

Aidar Borangaziyev

Opinion: Silk Seven or the OTS? Central Asia May Not Have to Choose

Ken Moriyasu

Opinion: How AI Is Reshaping the Global Image of Nations

Sergey Akhmetov

Opinion: Middle Powers and the “Voice of the Region” – Is Central Asia Becoming a Coordinated Actor?

Timur Serikuly

Business & Economy

Transit Trade

Pakistan and Uzbekistan Turn to China for Transit Trade Amid Regional Security Risks

Pakistan and Uzbekistan have agreed in principle to reroute some of their bilateral transit trade through China. The move follows worsening security that closed traditional routes through Afghanistan and disrupted alternatives through Iran, according to Pakistan Today. The two governments are expected to formalize the decision by signing amendments to the Pakistan-Uzbekistan Transit Trade Agreement during the visit of Uzbekistan’s deputy prime minister to Pakistan on July 21. Under the revised agreement, the China corridor will become an official transit route, allowing cargo to travel through Pakistan’s Sost Dry Port, cross western China, and continue into Central Asia. “The protocol...

Yak Farming

Kyrgyzstan Registers New White Yak Breed to Boost Mountain Livestock Farming

Education

Why Global Universities Are Expanding into Kazakhstan

Shadow Economy

Kazakhstan Targets Further Reduction in Shadow Economy With AI-Driven Monitoring

Women’s Employment

Nearly Half of Young Women in Tajikistan Are Not Working or Studying, Survey Finds

Automotive Manufacturing

Kazakhstan Plans BYD Assembly and New Domestic Vehicle Brands

Kazakhstan plans to begin assembling passenger vehicles for Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD next year and launch buses under a domestic brand as it expands local vehicle production and develops its electric mobility sector. The announcement came during a government meeting, where Astana Group chairman Nurlan Smagulov said the company had reached agreements with BYD following negotiations held in Shanghai earlier this month. Production of BYD passenger vehicles is expected to begin in 2027. “Next year we will begin producing BYD passenger cars. The company manufactures only hybrid and fully electric vehicles,” Smagulov said, noting that BYD already operates a...

Allied Biofuels

Allied Biofuels Details Export Routes for Planned $6.1 Billion Uzbekistan SAF Project

Allied Biofuels has disclosed planned export routes that would carry sustainable aviation fuel from its proposed facility in Uzbekistan to customers in Europe and the United Arab Emirates via rail and sea corridors crossing Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and the Suez Canal. The routes are set out in a logistics agreement with Latvia-based Pro Logistic Services that was signed during the 5th Tashkent International Investment Forum in June and announced on July 20. It covers the future transport of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and electro-synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF), rather than immediate exports. The production facility has...

Automotive Manufacturing

Kazakhstan to Produce SITRAK Autonomous Heavy Trucks

Kazakhstan plans to begin producing autonomous SITRAK heavy-duty tractor units within three years as it expands domestic vehicle manufacturing and industrial cooperation with China. Industry and Construction Minister Yersayin Nagaspayev announced the plan at a government meeting on July 21. Nagaspayev said the project was among the agreements reached during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s July 15–17 visit to China. "By 2028, Kazakhstan plans to implement new projects to expand passenger and commercial vehicle production. Agreements reached during the presidential visit to China include the organization of production for Li Auto, Omoda, and Jaecoo vehicles, the manufacture of autonomous Sitrak tractor units,...

Oil Refinery

Kyrgyzstan Signs $25 Million Deal for Kochkor-Ata Oil Refinery

Kyrgyzstan has signed a $25 million investment agreement for a new oil refinery in Kochkor-Ata, in the southern Jalal-Abad Region, as the country seeks to expand domestic production and reduce its heavy dependence on imported fuel. The agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers and Central Asian Energy LLC covers the construction and operation of the refinery. It was signed on July 20 by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakyt Sydykov and the company’s general director, Shao Peipei. The plant is expected to have a planned annual output of 450,000 tons of petroleum products and create at least 300 jobs. The...

Local Politics

Islamic Finance

Uzbekistan Establishes Islamic Finance Council as New Banking Law Takes Effect

The Central Bank of Uzbekistan has established an Islamic Finance Council to coordinate the work of banks, microfinance organizations, the Deposit Guarantee Agency and other institutions operating under Islamic financial principles. The council was created weeks after Uzbekistan’s new Islamic banking law took effect on June 29. It will prepare national standards, issue regulatory and supervisory recommendations, advise financial institutions and represent the Central Bank in its work with international standard-setters. Building an Islamic Finance Framework Islamic finance prohibits interest and generally requires financing to be linked to assets, trade, leasing or risk-sharing. Common structures include murabaha, in which a...

Election Funding

Kazakhstan Allocates $73 Million for August Kurultai Elections

Women’s Empowerment

Tajikistan Develops Gender Equality Strategy and Expands Support for Women

Tax Policy

Uzbekistan Bank Data Plan Sparks Privacy and Tax Debate

Gender Quotas

Kazakhstan’s New Kurultai Elections: What the 30% Quota Could Mean for Women in Parliament

Public health

Kyrgyzstan Tests Public Health Emergency Response Ahead of World Nomad Games

Kyrgyzstan has carried out large-scale interagency public health emergency exercises as part of preparations for the sixth World Nomad Games, which will take place from August 31 to September 6. Authorities say health security has become one of the key components of planning for what is expected to be the country's largest international event of the year. The two-day simulation exercise was held on July 14-15 in Cholpon-Ata, in the Issyk-Kul region. It brought together representatives of the Ministry of Health, healthcare institutions, the World Health Organization (WHO), other government agencies, and international development partners. Participants rehearsed the response to...

Cardiac Surgery

Kazakhstan Joins World’s Top 30 Countries in Cardiac Surgery Development

Kazakhstan has entered the world’s top 30 countries for cardiac surgery, according to the Ministry of Health, citing the country’s growing use of advanced cardiovascular procedures, including heart transplantation and other high-tech surgical interventions. In 2025, Kazakhstan performed 13,106 open-heart surgeries, a 7.2% increase from the previous year. Coronary artery bypass grafting accounted for the largest share of procedures, at 46.1%. It is the standard surgical treatment for severe coronary artery disease and restores blood flow to the heart by bypassing blocked or narrowed arteries. Operations for acquired and congenital heart defects together accounted for 35.8% of all open-heart procedures....

Urban Development

Urbanization: Only One in Four Tajik Residents Lives in a City

While its regional neighbors are increasingly undergoing urbanization, Tajikistan remains a predominantly rural country and the gap with the rest of Central Asia on this indicator is one of the most notable in the post-Soviet space. The Lowest Rate in the Region As of mid-2026, Tajikistan’s urban population stands at 27.98%, in other words, only slightly more than one in four residents of the country lives in a city. For comparison with the rest of the region: in Kazakhstan, the urban population is around 59%; in Turkmenistan, around 52%; in Uzbekistan, around 50%; and in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, roughly 38%. Against...

President Tokayev

Kazakhstan Court Ruling Clears Legal Path for Tokayev to Seek Another Term

Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court has ruled that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev may seek another term under the country’s 2026 Constitution, effectively resetting the count created under the previous Basic Law while leaving the single seven-year presidential term formally in place. The ruling, issued on July 7 after Tokayev’s request, addressed whether people who held senior offices under the 1995 Constitution could be elected or appointed to those posts under the new Basic Law, adopted in a March 15 referendum and in force since July 1. The offices covered include the president, the chair and judges of the Constitutional Court, the chair of...

International Affairs

U.S.-Turkmenistan Relations

New U.S. Embassy Chief in Turkmenistan to Continue Building Ties

The United States has a new top diplomat in Ashgabat who is expected to continue what Turkmenistan calls the “positive momentum” in ties between the two countries. Kristin Hawkins assumed duties as chargé d’affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat after Elizabeth Rood completed her tour as ambassador this month, the embassy said. Hawkins will lead the embassy until a permanent ambassador is appointed. Hawkins joined the Foreign Service in 2011 and served as U.S. consul general in Lahore, Pakistan, from 2023 to 2025, according to the embassy. Her other postings included senior Georgia desk officer at the...

Caspian Pipeline Consortium

Ukraine Says No Evidence of Role in Attacks on Tankers Loading Kazakh Oil: Statement in Full

Caspian Pipeline Consortium

When the War Reaches Kazakh Oil

Black Sea Tanker Attacks

Kazakhstan Condemns Drone Attacks as CPC Oil Loadings Halt

Diplomacy

Tashkent and Kabul Rush to Deny Taliban Minister’s Criticism of Uzbekistan

Caspian Pipeline Consortium

CPC Reportedly Stops Accepting Kazakh Oil as Storage Tanks Reach Capacity After Tanker Attacks

Citing three industry sources, on July 21 Reuters said the Caspian Pipeline Consortium had stopped accepting crude from Kazakhstan after tanker attacks halted Black Sea loadings. Two of the sources said the terminal's storage tanks were full. CPC has so far declined to comment. The stoppage marks a sharper disruption than the loading suspension announced on July 20. LSEG ship-tracking data showed that at least two tankers due to collect crude changed direction. Chevron owns 15% of CPC, while ExxonMobil is also a shareholder through Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company. Chevron told Reuters that "Chevron continues to monitor the situation at...

Mongolia-Central Asia Relations

Tajikistan’s President Rahmon Visits Mongolia as Ulaanbaatar Expands Central Asia Outreach

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon is visiting Mongolia for the first time since 2009, as the two countries pursue closer ties and Mongolia expands its engagement with Central Asia. An honor guard welcomed Rahmon on his arrival in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar on Monday, and the Tajik leader later met President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Tajikistan’s presidential office said. The two presidents aim to expand cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, agriculture, energy, transport, and culture, and will also discuss regional and international issues, according to Montsame, Mongolia’s state-owned news agency. “The visit will mark the first state visit by Tajikistan’s president...

Civil Aviation

China Launches Beijing-Bishkek Flights as Kyrgyzstan-China Links Grow

Air China, China’s flag carrier, has launched scheduled passenger flights between Beijing and Bishkek, adding another direct link as Kyrgyzstan and China expand economic and transport ties. According to OJSC Airports of Kyrgyzstan, the new Beijing-Bishkek-Beijing service will operate three times a week. Flights are scheduled for Mondays and Fridays, with an additional service on Sundays. Airbus A321 aircraft will operate the route. The airport operator described the launch as a milestone for Kyrgyzstan’s civil aviation sector, saying the arrival of one of Asia’s largest airlines reflects the country’s growing appeal to international carriers and opens new opportunities for travel...

Middle East Crisis

Iran Says Trains Resume After Reported Strike on Railway Bridge to Turkmenistan

An alleged U.S. strike on a railway bridge on a northern Iranian line crossing into Turkmenistan highlighted concerns about Central Asian trade routes in the region. Iran, however, says it has repaired the tracks and trains are running again. The reported attack on the Aq Tekeh Khan bridge near Aqqala city in Golestan province on July 9 was part of a wave of U.S. military action against Iran after tensions over the disputed Strait of Hormuz, whose shipping lanes are key to global commerce, and the collapse of a shaky ceasefire. U.S. strikes were ongoing on Friday, while Iran has...

Life & Culture

Boxing

Kazakhstan’s Zhanibek Alimkhanuly Moves to Super Middleweight After Doping Ban

Kazakhstan’s Zhanibek Alimkhanuly has announced that he is moving to the super middleweight division following a one-year suspension for a doping violation, relinquishing his remaining World Boxing Organization (WBO) middleweight title and potentially setting up future bouts against some of boxing’s biggest names, including Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Alimkhanuly had established himself as one of boxing’s leading middleweights after unifying the WBO and International Boxing Federation (IBF) world titles. His career was disrupted late last year, however, when he tested positive for a banned substance ahead of a planned title unification fight with World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Erislandy Lara. The suspension,...

Games of the Future

From Controllers to Courts: Kazakhstan Prepares for Games of the Future

Astronomy

Two Asteroids Named After Uzbek Astronomers

Cultural Heritage

Rain Festival: How Ancient Tirgon Became an Official Holiday in Tajikistan

Music Festivals

How OYU Fest Became a Portrait of Kazakhstan’s New Music Scene

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, from October 19, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team covers a heatwave sweeping across Central Asia, anti-Taliban forces briefly seizing a district headquarters in a worrying...

Children's Rights

Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia with 24th Place in KidsRights Index

KidsRights Foundation is an Amsterdam-based international children’s rights organization founded in 2003. Working with Erasmus University Rotterdam, it produces the annual KidsRights Index, which compares how countries uphold children’s rights using United Nations data. The 2026 edition covers 194 countries. Kazakhstan ranked 24th worldwide in the 2026 index. It was the only country from Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the top 25. Its overall score was 0.797. Its highest result was in protection, with a score of 0.944. Health followed at 0.900. Kazakhstan scored 0.847 for life and 0.765 for education. The enabling environment for children’s rights received 0.583....

Marriage Age

Average Marriage Age Rises in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan

Twenty years ago, women in Kazakhstan first married at an average age of about 24. Today, the figure is about 25. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan show the same gradual increase, although the pace varies from one country to another. Marriage Ages Rise Gradually in Kazakhstan According to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics, the average age at first marriage in 2025 was 27.9 for men and 25.3 for women. In 2014, the averages were lower at 27.1 and 24.6, respectively. The gradual rise follows a global pattern. The average age of newlyweds is rising as the number of registered marriages declines. Kazakhstan...

Religion

Opinion: Christian Missions in Central Asia: Religious Freedom and Social Tensions

Central Asia has long been a crossroads of civilizations, cultures, and religions. For more than two millennia, the region has connected East and West, with Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and indigenous belief systems coexisting, interacting, and, at times, competing. Christianity flourished here centuries ago through Nestorian and other Eastern Christian communities, while Russian Orthodoxy endured throughout the Soviet period. Under Soviet rule, religion was heavily suppressed, yet Christianity survived among Russians, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, and other communities that had been deported or resettled across the region. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, decades of official atheism gave way...

Justice

Artificial intelligence

Kazakhstan Police Robot Dog Raises Privacy Questions

Kazakhstan’s police used a mobile facial-recognition robot to scan crowds during Metallurgist Day celebrations in Karaganda Region, saying the machine helped identify four people sought over legal or administrative violations. The deployment extends the country’s rapidly expanding surveillance network beyond fixed cameras, allowing police databases to be accessed through a platform that can move through crowded public spaces. The four-legged robot was used during celebrations held on July 17-18 in the industrial cities of Balkhash and Temirtau, which attracted more than 115,000 visitors. More than 1,000 police officers were also deployed to maintain public order, according to the Karaganda police....

Labor Migration

Nearly 160,000 Citizens of Tajikistan Listed in Russia’s Controlled Persons Register

Fraud

Uzbekistan Busts Scam Call Centers Targeting Europe and North America

Iran Espionage

Israel Arrests Man From Tajikistan Suspected of Spying for Iran

Digital Rights

Turkmenistan Fines Citizens Over Social Media Likes as Digital Controls Tighten

Internet Restrictions

A Signal from Uzbekistan: How Turkmen Border Villages Reach the Outside World

In Diýýar, a village in northern Turkmenistan close enough to catch Uzbekistan’s mobile signal, a foreign SIM card inserted into a small Wi-Fi router can turn a barely functioning 2G connection into usable home internet. In early July, police reportedly entered around ten households in the village, identified Uzbek-connected routers, and confiscated the SIM cards. Similar inspections have been under way across close to 60 settlements in Dashoguz Province, according to Radio Azatlyk, the Turkmen Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The campaign covers parts of Shabat and Görogly districts, including Kirov, Diýýar, Bedirkent, Aýlak, and Nyýazow, in areas where...

Traffic Offenses

Kazakhstan Olympic Boxing Champion Jailed for Drunk Driving After Multiple Crashes

Kazakhstan’s 2016 Olympic boxing champion Daniyar Yeleussinov has been sentenced to 20 days of administrative detention and banned from driving for seven years after being found guilty of driving under the influence and causing several traffic accidents in Astana. According to Astana’s Specialized Interdistrict Administrative Court, Yeleussinov admitted his guilt during the hearing. The ruling has not yet entered into legal force and may be appealed within 10 days. The incident occurred in Astana on July 9, when police detained Yeleussinov after he allegedly drove while intoxicated, causing a series of collisions and leaving the scenes of the accidents. According...

Kamchybek Tashiyev

Kyrgyz Court Convicts Former Security Chief Tashiyev, Parliamentary Speaker, and Six Others

The trial of high-ranking Kyrgyz officials accused of plotting to overthrow the government concluded on July 2. All eight defendants, including the former chief of Kyrgyzstan’s security service and the former speaker of parliament, were found guilty and sentenced to four years in prison. However, none will actually serve any prison time as the court ordered them all placed on probation for the next three years. The Letter of 75 It all started on February 9, 2026, when a group of 75 people, including former state officials, released an open letter calling on President Sadyr Japarov and Speaker of Parliament...

Road Accidents

Highway Crash in Tajikistan Kills Eleven

Eleven people were killed on Thursday when a truck had brake failure and collided with two cars on a highway in Tajikistan, the government said. The accident happened in a rural area near Vahdat city on the Dushanbe-Kulob-Khorog highway at 6:30 a.m., killing the truck driver and a driver and nine passengers in the two cars, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said. Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda, the prosecutor of Vahdat and other officials visited the crash scene, according to the ministry. An investigation was underway. Vahdat is about 20 kilometers east of Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital. The Dushanbe-Kulob-Khorog highway is about 600...

Environment

Groundwater Management

Kazakhstan Hydrogeologists Complete Six-Month USGS Groundwater Training

Kazakhstani hydrogeologists have completed a six-month online training program led by experts from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Department of Groundwater at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation organized the seminars for specialists at Kazhydrogeology, the country’s National Hydrogeological Service. Staff from its branches also took part. The training covered current approaches to groundwater monitoring and assessment. Participants also studied groundwater modeling and water resource management, drawing on international practices in hydrogeology. The USGS awarded certificates to 20 participants from Kazhydrogeology and its branches. Employees from the ministry’s Department of Groundwater and the Department of Strategic Development received...

TCA Interviews

Saving The Caspian Seal: An Interview with Assel Baimukanova

Plastic Recycling

From Waste to Design: How UpKel Is Rethinking Plastic Recycling in Kyrgyzstan

Forestry

Tajikistan Turns to Satellites to Discover How Much Forest It Has Left

Extreme Heat

Uzbekistan Braces for Extreme Heat as Temperatures Could Reach 46°C

Extreme Heat

Extreme Heat Buckles Roads and Strains Power Grids Across Central Asia

Extreme heat across Central Asia in mid-July has buckled concrete highways, pushed electricity demand to record levels, and increased pressure on power grids and ambulance services. Kazakhstan reported road deformation and repeated failures in Almaty, Uzbekistan set consumption and generation records, Kyrgyzstan introduced temporary cuts to protect equipment, and residents in Tajikistan reported local disruptions. Temperatures above 40°C are common in parts of the region, but prolonged heat can strain several systems at once. Demand for cooling rises, road surfaces reach damaging temperatures, and health risks increase. The World Bank says much of Central Asia’s infrastructure was built in the...

Heatwave

Kazakhstan Wildfires: Heatwave Tests Reforms Three Years After Semey Ormany

Between July 5 and 11, Kazakhstan’s state forest fund recorded 43 wildfires as an intense heatwave pushed much of the country into conditions of high and extreme fire danger. The Ministry of Ecology said all of the fires were contained before they could develop into large-scale disasters. For Kazakhstan, however, the significance of those figures extends beyond a single week. Three years after the deadly Semey Ormany wildfire exposed serious shortcomings in the country’s emergency response system, each fire season has become a test of whether the reforms introduced since 2023 are keeping pace with increasingly severe weather conditions. How...

Wildfire

Open Flames Extinguished at Semey Ormany as Crews Tackle Hotspots

Open flames at a 60-hectare forest fire in Kazakhstan’s Semey Ormany reserve had been extinguished by early July 17, although hundreds of personnel remained at the site tackling isolated smouldering hotspots. The fire prompted the evacuation of 190 children and 20 adults from a nearby summer camp. Police officers carried some of the youngest children to waiting vehicles as staff tried to prevent panic and move everyone out quickly. The blaze was reported on the morning of July 16 in the Kamyshenka forestry area of the reserve’s Borodulikha branch. By that afternoon, it had spread across an estimated 60 hectares....

Earthquakes

Central Asia Remains Highly Vulnerable to Major Earthquakes

Earthquakes accounted for more than half of all deaths linked to natural hazards worldwide between 2000 and 2023, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency warns that millions of people across its European Region still live or receive medical treatment in buildings that may not withstand a major seismic event. WHO has focused on hospitals because they must continue treating patients when injuries rise and local infrastructure is damaged. The agency estimates that earthquake-resistant standards add less than 4% to the cost of a new hospital, while retrofitting an existing facility typically costs about 1% of its value....

CPC Reportedly Stops Accepting Kazakh Oil as Storage Tanks Reach Capacity After Tanker Attacks

Latest

Features

Features

Taliban Troubles, Security Service Strife and the Deportation Divide

Latest

Sunkar Podcast

Taliban Troubles, Security Service Strife and the Deportation Divide

Sunkar Podcast

Opinions

Opinions

Timur Serikuly

Zamirbek Minbaev

Askar Alimzhanov

Zamirbek Minbaev

Igor Klevtsov

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

UNDP Representatives in Kazakhstan, Katarzyna Wawiernia, Kyrgyzstan, Alexandra Solovieva, Tajikistan, Sudipto Mukerjee, Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii.

Zamirbek Minbaev

Aidar Borangaziyev

Ken Moriyasu

Sergey Akhmetov

Timur Serikuly

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Pakistan and Uzbekistan Turn to China for Transit Trade Amid Regional Security Risks

Kazakhstan Plans BYD Assembly and New Domestic Vehicle Brands

Allied Biofuels Details Export Routes for Planned $6.1 Billion Uzbekistan SAF Project

Kazakhstan to Produce SITRAK Autonomous Heavy Trucks

Kyrgyzstan Signs $25 Million Deal for Kochkor-Ata Oil Refinery

Local Politics

Local Politics

Uzbekistan Establishes Islamic Finance Council as New Banking Law Takes Effect

Kyrgyzstan Tests Public Health Emergency Response Ahead of World Nomad Games

Kazakhstan Joins World’s Top 30 Countries in Cardiac Surgery Development

Urbanization: Only One in Four Tajik Residents Lives in a City

Kazakhstan Court Ruling Clears Legal Path for Tokayev to Seek Another Term

International Affairs

International Affairs

New U.S. Embassy Chief in Turkmenistan to Continue Building Ties

CPC Reportedly Stops Accepting Kazakh Oil as Storage Tanks Reach Capacity After Tanker Attacks

Tajikistan’s President Rahmon Visits Mongolia as Ulaanbaatar Expands Central Asia Outreach

China Launches Beijing-Bishkek Flights as Kyrgyzstan-China Links Grow

Iran Says Trains Resume After Reported Strike on Railway Bridge to Turkmenistan

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Kazakhstan’s Zhanibek Alimkhanuly Moves to Super Middleweight After Doping Ban

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

Kazakhstan Leads Central Asia with 24th Place in KidsRights Index

Average Marriage Age Rises in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan

Opinion: Christian Missions in Central Asia: Religious Freedom and Social Tensions

Justice

Justice

Kazakhstan Police Robot Dog Raises Privacy Questions