The Caspian Sea has retreated by up to 35 kilometres along Kazakhstan's coastline since 2006, raising fresh concerns about the future of the world's largest inland body of water and the communities, industries and ecosystems that depend on it.
Kazakhstan will begin routing selected government expenditures worth more than 100 million tenge ($190,000) through its digital tenge platform, expanding the use of the central bank digital currency to strengthen oversight of public spending.
Kazakhstan has signed a $10 billion agreement with Firebird and NVIDIA to build one of Central Asia's largest AI computing hubs, as governments increasingly compete for the infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence.
Trade routes through Afghanistan took centre stage in Almaty as the European Union, Central Asian states and the United Nations discussed the country's role in shaping regional security and economic connectivity.
The U.S. is deepening engagement with Central Asia on critical minerals as global competition for strategic resources intensifies. The issue dominated talks in Astana between Washington and the five Central Asian states.
The European Union’s proposed 21st sanctions package against Russia could affect companies in Central Asia, including firms in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as Brussels moves to tighten controls on sanctions circumvention.
Kazakhstan will require major businesses to introduce five-year water-saving plans as authorities warn that worsening shortages could threaten not only the environment but also the country's economy.
Kazakhstan has invited Cyprus to take an active role in the Trans-Caspian transport route, with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev saying closer cooperation could link Kazakhstan’s land infrastructure with Cyprus’s maritime network and boost trade between Central Asia and the Mediterranean.
Kazakhstan has used a high-level visit by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee to promote itself as a gateway to Central Asia, offering investors access to industrial projects worth more than $100 billion and a growing regional market.
Kazakhstan has restored oil production after an accident at the Tengiz oil field briefly disrupted output last week, while also signalling its readiness to increase crude shipments through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.
Central Asia is facing growing water stress after five consecutive years of drought, with rising temperatures, depleted soil moisture and shrinking groundwater reserves placing increasing pressure on the region, according to a new EU report.
Kazakhstan has reiterated that no existing route can replace the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which carries more than 80% of the country's crude oil exports through Russia to the Black Sea.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed 15 agreements during President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Astana on Thursday (28 May), including deals on Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant and expanded oil cooperation with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for a three-day state visit focused on energy, transport and economic cooperation with one of Moscow’s closest regional partners.
Japan and the United Nations Development Programme are launching a $3 million environmental project in Kazakhstan to support the Caspian Sea and improve water monitoring, amid growing concern over falling sea levels and risks to regional trade routes.
CIS governments meeting in Ashgabat have endorsed a regional transport integration plan and advanced proposals to modernise heavy industry, highlighting a growing focus on overland trade routes and economic resilience.
Kyrgyzstan has suspended 50 locally registered companies over what authorities described as “high sanctions risk” operations, in the clearest sign yet that Bishkek is responding to growing European scrutiny over alleged sanctions circumvention linked to Russia.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for closer security coordination between Central Asia and China, warning that expanding trade and infrastructure links are exposing the region to increasingly sophisticated cross-border threats.
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are negotiating summer water allocations as rising temperatures, agricultural demand and pressure on shared rivers intensify water security concerns across Central Asia.
Central Asia is entering a period of acute water stress as glacier melt accelerates and ageing infrastructure wastes up to 40% of water supplies, fuelling concerns over food security and regional stability.
The number of dead Caspian seals discovered along Kazakhstan’s section of the Caspian Sea continues to rise, with the latest findings reported near the Karazhanbas and Buzachi oilfields in the Mangystau region.
Tajikistan and China signed more than 50 agreements worth more than $8 billion during President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Beijing, deepening economic ties and reinforcing China’s role as Tajikistan’s leading investor and creditor.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for talks on trade, infrastructure and preparations for Putin’s state visit to Kazakhstan later this month.
A new multimodal trade corridor through Central Asia is expected to cut cargo transit times between China and Afghanistan from 55 to 30 days, offering an alternative to increasingly unstable maritime shipping routes.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
