News

Kazakhstan’s mining company Kazakhmys Barlau has launched geological exploration in Afghanistan, identifying the country as a promising destination for mineral prospecting.

According to Galym Nurzhanov, the company’s CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Kazakhmys Corporation for Geology and Strategy, experts see enormous potential in Afghanistan’s mineral deposits. Nurzhanov personally visited the area and remarked that the accessibility of ore-bearing sites in the country reminded geologists of the 19th-century era.

Of particular interest are the lead-zinc deposits, where metal content reaches up to 39% in raw ore and up to 41% in concentrate. The company highlights that such material can...

Uzbekistan’s SDG Index score rose from 48.6 in 2015 to 73.1 in 2025. This ranked it first among Central Asian nations and 62nd globally out of 167 countries.

List of Sustainable Development Goals:

Uzbekistan led the UN SDG report in 2025 among Eastern European and Central Asian states. The country’s SDG Index score rose from 48.6 in 2015 to 73.1 in 2025. This ranked it first among Central Asian nations and 62nd globally out of 167 countries.

Since adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, Uzbekistan has undergone a remarkable period of transformation. The country has integrated the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its national strategies.

It also aligned domestic policies with UN frameworks, and steadily improved its international rankings in sustainability indexes. From reforms in governance and...

xAI, the artificial intelligence company owned by Elon Musk, has unveiled a new feature within its Grok chatbot platform: animated companion avatars. The update, currently available to SuperGrok subscribers, includes two characters — Ani, an anime-inspired figure, and Rudy, a stylised red panda.

These avatars are part of an early-stage rollout, with broader accessibility expected in the coming weeks. SuperGrok, the premium tier of the chatbot service, is priced at $30 per month.

Ani is capable of responding to user messages with animated gestures such as spinning, jumping and dancing. The character also features voice interaction, including a whispering...

Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air will suspend all flights from Abu Dhabi starting September 1, including its route to Tashkent, the Associated Press reports.

Wizz Air stated that the strategic reorganisation aims to strengthen the company’s position in Central and Eastern Europe and in certain Western European markets.

«Wizz Air will suspend all locally based flight operations effective 1 September 2025 and intends to exit from the joint venture going forward and will focus on its core markets,» the airline announced on Instagram.

As a result of suspending operations in Abu Dhabi, Wizz...

Chevrolet has published the prices for the updated 2026 Onix model on its Brazilian website. The vehicle will be offered in seven different variants.

«It’s on the streets, in the choices and lives of those who understand cars. The 2026 Onix maintains everything that won Brazil over: economical fuel consumption, up to a five-year warranty, and the highest resale value in the segment. And it goes further. A car that evolves with you and remains the right choice, wherever you go,» the company states on its website.

Currently, the prices of the models in...

From January to May 2025, catering businesses and companies in Uzbekistan paid 663.4 bln UZS ($52.2 mln) in taxes. Their total turnover exceeded 7.4 trln UZS ($582.7 mln), according to data shared by the State Tax Committee.

Topping the list of the top 20 taxpayers in the sector was International Foodchain, the local franchisee of KFC, which contributed 37.7 bln UZS (almost $3 mln) to the state budget in the first five months of the year.

Second place went to Mak Food Servis, the company behind the Evos brand, with 26 bln UZS ($2.05 mln). In third place was...

As part of its national policy to expand transit potential, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Finance is modernising nine border checkpoints along its frontiers with China, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The project includes the construction of modern facilities with complete replacement of outdated infrastructure.

The new checkpoints meet international standards and are equipped with advanced scanning, inspection and automatic vehicle measurement systems.

Since early 2025, four modernised checkpoints have been launched:

By the end of this year, five more checkpoints are expected to be completed: Kazyghurt...

Uzbekistan plans to establish production of dry cooling towers in one of the country’s free economic zones, the Uzatom agency has reported. This effort supports the ongoing small nuclear power plant project in Jizzakh.

The equipment will enable a cooling system for the future plant that does not require large water bodies. In dry cooling towers, water will circulate through numerous small pipes and be cooled by air flows generated by fans.

The localisation of equipment production in Uzbekistan was discussed during a meeting between the agency and representatives of Hungarian companies MVM EGI Zrt and Polus. The event...

Uzbekistan’s Central Bank has accredited the representative office of Turkish CitiBank AS, a subsidiary of the American CitiBank, according to the regulator’s press service.

The representative office will focus on studying Uzbekistan’s financial market and expanding cooperation with government agencies and financial institutions. Unlike a branch, it will not provide banking services to businesses or individuals.

On June 25, a Citigroup delegation met with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade. The parties discussed attracting investment, supporting exporters and collaborating on public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

At the meeting, it was also announced that Citibank’s office in Tashkent would be...

In June 2025, Beeline Business achieved the status of a certified Microsoft partner, strengthening its team of specialists certified in the areas of Modern Work (M365) and Azure. Now the company’s corporate customers in Uzbekistan can access Microsoft cloud and software solutions with professional local support.

New business solutions include Microsoft Modern Work (M365) services for agile collaboration, as well as Microsoft Azure cloud platforms for building and scaling IT infrastructure. Beeline Business specialists have been trained and certified in these areas, which enables them to provide qualified support at all stages: from selecting optimal use cases to implementation, configuration...

Foreign currencies rate against UZS for today, July 15, rose noticeably.

Here are Central Bank Reference Rates to exchange USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, JPY, or KZT into soums:

Several banks have updated buy rates to exchange USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, JPY, or KZT into soums:

As of the latest news, all foreign currencies above have weakened against the UZS on July 14.

Global stock markets saw gains on Wednesday as U.S. chipmaker Nvidia made history by becoming the first publicly traded company to reach a $4 trln market value, fueled by continued demand for artificial intelligence technologies, as reported by the NY Times.

Nvidia’s share price rose 2.6% to over $164 in early New York trading, bringing its year-to-date gains to 22% and marking a 24% increase over the past year.

The rally came despite fresh economic tensions, with President Donald Trump announcing a potential 50% tariff on copper imports, a key material for electronics and chipmaking. U.S. copper prices surged...

A new research paper by London-based think tank Exponential Science reveals significant inequality in how decision-making power is distributed across popular blockchain platforms like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, Hedera and Algorand.

The study “Consensus Power Inequality: A Comparative Study of Blockchain Networks” analysed data from 2022 to 2024 using economic tools like the Gini coefficient and Theil index to measure how evenly consensus power is shared. Consensus power refers to the influence participants have in validating transactions and shaping the network.

Key findings:

U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to deliver advanced weaponry to Ukraine through NATO countries and threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on Russia’s trade partners if no peace deal is reached within 50 days, as reported by Bloomberg.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington, Trump announced the transfer of “top-of-the-line” U.S. military equipment to Ukraine, with European allies expected to cover the financial costs. Patriot air defense systems, missiles, and ammunition are reportedly part of the package, although specific details remain limited.

«This is a message to Russia: we’re serious...

Bitcoin surged to a new all-time high of $122,000 on Monday, fueled by growing optimism around U.S. legislation aimed at positioning the country as a global hub for cryptocurrency innovation, as The Financial Times reports.

The price jump comes just as the U.S. Congress begins “Crypto Week”, during which lawmakers in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives are set to debate a trio of bills that could reshape the digital asset landscape:

Meta Platforms, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure, including the construction of two massive data centers in the United States, as part of its long-term strategy to dominate artificial intelligence, as reports Bloomberg.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will launch its 1-gigawatt Prometheus data center in Ohio by 2026, and build a larger Hyperion facility in Louisiana capable of reaching 5 gigawatts — enough to power nearly a million homes.

These investments will support the company’s new Meta Superintelligence Lab, designed to develop AI...

Russia exported over $170 mln worth of chocolate in the first four months of 2025, with most of it going to its closest neighbours, according to RIA Novosti. The figures are based on official trade statistics from various countries and the UN Comtrade platform.

Kazakhstan ranked first, importing $78.3 mln worth of Russian chocolate between January and April. It was followed by Azerbaijan with $23.4 mln, Uzbekistan with $21.4 mln, Kyrgyzstan with $14.7 mln and Georgia with $8 mln. Belarus is likely among the top importers as well, though its trade data has not been disclosed since 2022.

China...

Kazakhstan has successfully launched its first high-precision robotic telescope outside its borders, choosing the renowned Atacama Desert in Chile — one of the world’s top locations for astronomical observation. Developed by the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute, the telescope is now operational at the ObsTech International Observatory, a major global centre for astrophysical research.

This landmark project took nearly seven years to complete and was made possible through cooperation with Chilean experts from the University of Santiago. The partnership not only resulted in the installation of the telescope but also inspired plans to establish an astronomical hub within Kazakhstan. The new...

Uzbekistan is strengthening ties with Qatar to boost foreign investment in its growing tourism sector. Chairman of the Tourism Committee, Umid Shadiev, met with key Qatari stakeholders to discuss future cooperation in infrastructure and hospitality development.

Investment in tourism: Qatar eyes Uzbek tourism sector

Talks in Doha centred around investment opportunities in hotel construction, theme-based tourist complexes, and joint hospitality projects. The delegation highlighted Uzbekistan’s untapped tourism potential and its strategic location in Central Asia.

High-level meetings with Qatari leadership

Shadiev held key discussions with Sheikh Naif Eid Muhammad Thani Al Thani, who chairs Retaj Group and serves as Deputy Chair of the Arab...

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Yerlan Nyssanbayev, visited the Kyzylorda region on July 8–9 to monitor ongoing afforestation efforts aimed at rehabilitating the dried seabed of the Aral Sea. These large-scale projects are part of the country’s wider environmental strategy.

In Kazalinsk, the minister inspected a forest nursery launched in late 2024. Spanning 33 hectares, the nursery currently has 10 hectares in active use, where saxaul seeds have been sown. Once mature, these are expected to yield around three mln seedlings to support reforestation in arid zones.

Nyssanbayev also surveyed areas planted in 2023, covering 4,000 hectares...

The United States has cut $500 mln in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, worsening the country’s fragile situation. The move has led to a sharp decline in healthcare access and food security.

Until early 2025, the US was the largest aid donor to Afghanistan. It provided over 40% of international assistance. That support helped combat hunger and keep health facilities running.

Trump Halts Funding

After returning to office in January, President Donald Trump cancelled all USAID programmes. His administration said the aid no longer aligned with US interests.

The White House also cited evidence that the Taliban had intercepted supplies, preventing them from reaching...

Kazakhstan plans to begin construction of its nuclear power plant in two years, according to Timur Zhantikin, Deputy Chairman of the Atomic Energy Agency. He shared the details in an interview with Jibek Joly TV.

Nuclear Power Plant: Pre-Construction Phase to Take Two Years

Zhantikin said that one year will be needed to evaluate and choose among four shortlisted international vendors. Another year will be required to prepare essential documents, including safety and environmental reports.

Only after these preparations are complete will the actual construction begin.

Five Years for Construction

Once ground is broken, construction is expected to take around five years. This brings...

South Korea’s port city of Busan is preparing to send trade delegations to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan this autumn, according to the Yonhap news agency. The move is part of a broader effort to expand into Central Asian markets, which Busan views as a key area for growth.

The delegations will visit Tashkent and Astana between 15 and 20 September. Central Asia is described as an emerging market with strong demand for both industrial and consumer goods, making it an attractive destination for Korean exporters.

Delegation members will take part in export negotiations, one-on-one business meetings and specialised seminars.

Busan’s...