The Astana Times
June 11, 2026 at 3:58 PM
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA — The 16th Astana Mining & Metallurgy (AMM) Congress and Exhibition opened on June 11 at the Hilton Astana, bringing together global industry leaders, investors, and policymakers to discuss the future of Kazakhstan’s mining and metallurgical sector. The event runs for two days, concluding on June 12. Olzhas Bektenov. Photo credit: Prime Minister’s press service The exhibition features 70 companies from 15 countries, including Canada, China, Germany, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov visited the stands of leading companies such as Qarmet, Kazzinc, Kazakhmys, KAZ Minerals, and XCMG. Participants presented projects focused on production modernization, digitalization, industrial automation, environmental and industrial safety, and the development of processing and engineering services, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. The congress has brought…
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Turkmenistan News
June 11, 2026 at 3:47 PM
(260611) -- KABUL, June 11, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A boy fetches water at a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 11, 2026. A total of 724 families, which made up of 3,693 individuals, ended their exile and returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, reported the official Bakhtar News Agency on Thursday. More than 85,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their country from neighboring Pakistan
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Kyrgyzstan News
June 11, 2026 at 3:47 PM
(260611) -- KABUL, June 11, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A boy fetches water at a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 11, 2026. A total of 724 families, which made up of 3,693 individuals, ended their exile and returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, reported the official Bakhtar News Agency on Thursday. More than 85,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their country from neighboring Pakistan
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Tajikistan News
June 11, 2026 at 3:47 PM
(260611) -- KABUL, June 11, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A boy fetches water at a makeshift refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 11, 2026. A total of 724 families, which made up of 3,693 individuals, ended their exile and returned to their homeland, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, reported the official Bakhtar News Agency on Thursday. More than 85,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their country from neighboring Pakistan
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Malaysia’s search for alternative crude supplies is complicating Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s “friends with all” foreign policy, analysts have said, with the country potentially tapping Russian oil despite Western sanctions against Moscow. On Thursday, oil prices rose again after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, 103 days after the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28. Washington has signalled it wants sanction waivers over Russian oil to end “as soon as possible”. Economy...
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The Astana Times
June 11, 2026 at 3:10 PM
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – Kazakh football fans planning a trip to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America should expect to spend between $1,700 and $4,000 per person for a single match, with flights, accommodation, visas, and match tickets driving costs higher as the tournament approaches. Photo credit: Adobe Stock. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, is expected to be one of the most expensive tournaments for international fans, reported Kazinform on June 10. For travelers departing from Kazakhstan, the largest expenses include airfare, accommodation, visas, and match tickets. Since official FIFA allocations are largely sold out, most tickets are now available through resale platforms, where prices for group-stage matches start at around $180, while tickets for the final can cost several thousand dollars. Kazakh citizens require visas to enter the host…
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 3:10 PM
China might be downplaying nuclear weapons by not mentioning the issue after Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea but that does not mean it has accepted its neighbour’s growing arsenal, according to analysts. Neither Beijing nor Pyongyang mentioned nuclear weapons or denuclearisation in their statements on the Chinese president’s two-day state visit to Pyongyang this week. Since Xi’s summit with US President Donald Trump in May, observers have been speculating that Beijing’s stance on Pyongyang’s...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 3:01 PM
An upgraded border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen is expected to open next month, allowing travellers to complete immigration in just five minutes, according to authorities. The redeveloped Huanggang Port Building will be the first link between the two cities to adopt the “collaborative inspection and joint clearance” model. The South China Morning Post looks at the details of the checkpoint and what travellers can expect from the streamlined process. 1. How does it differ from the Lok...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM
The rapid escalation in hostilities between Iran and the US-Israel alliance since Sunday is being driven by Tehran’s growing confidence that it can arise like a mythical phoenix from the ashes of war, strategically stronger than ever in the Middle East. To achieve this objective, Tehran has enacted a tactical shift in its “unity of the theatres” strategy involving its Axis of Resistance allies in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq: Israeli and US attempts to decapitate one head of this hydra-like monster,...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Chinese memory module maker Biwin has signed a two-year agreement worth US$1.86 billion to secure flash memory chips, a deal larger than its annual revenue, as demand from artificial intelligence servers and data centres squeezes supply. Under the locked-volume, locked-price arrangement, Biwin would buy enterprise-grade chips in batches from the third quarter of 2026 through the second quarter of 2028, according to a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The supplier was not...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM
A dog slaughterhouse owner in southern China has closed his facility and begun transitioning to a new livelihood with support from animal advocates, just days before the start of the annual controversial Yulin dog meat festival. Launched by local traders in 2010, the Yulin festival, held annually around late June in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, is widely regarded as a commercial campaign to boost sales rather than a long-standing tradition. It has long been condemned for animal cruelty, the...
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Russia has lifted its ban on the popular gaming platform Roblox after tens of thousands of children and parents sent letters complaining about the measure. The platform, which allows users to build their own games and share them with others, was among Russia’s most popular mobile games, tying third with TikTok in usage time among children in early 2025, according to Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based global cybersecurity firm. In a statement published on Wednesday, Russia’s digital ministry said...
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Tajikistan News
June 11, 2026 at 2:50 PM
(New York) - Taliban security forces in Afghanistan used excessive force against protesters in the city of Herat on June 9, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. They beat protesters and shot toward the crowds, killing a child and injuring others, and detained an unknown number of people. The protest followed recent arrests of women in Herat accused of viola
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Kyrgyzstan News
June 11, 2026 at 2:50 PM
(New York) - Taliban security forces in Afghanistan used excessive force against protesters in the city of Herat on June 9, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. They beat protesters and shot toward the crowds, killing a child and injuring others, and detained an unknown number of people. The protest followed recent arrests of women in Herat accused of viola
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Turkmenistan News
June 11, 2026 at 2:50 PM
(New York) - Taliban security forces in Afghanistan used excessive force against protesters in the city of Herat on June 9, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. They beat protesters and shot toward the crowds, killing a child and injuring others, and detained an unknown number of people. The protest followed recent arrests of women in Herat accused of viola
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News - South China Morning Post
June 11, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Rocket launches in Kazakhstan are being pitched to Hong Kong travellers, as some Central Asian travel operators make their debut at the city’s flagship travel expo ahead of new direct flights to the region. Six Kazakhstan-based operators set up booths under the theme “Visit Almaty” at the 40th International Travel Expo, the annual event running from June 11 to 14 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Despite the conflict in the Middle East affecting global tourism, the 2026 edition...
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Tajikistan News
June 11, 2026 at 2:24 PM
The European Union's Pact on Migration and Asylum, a sweeping overhaul of the EU's migration rules that entering into force on June 12, risks weakening protection for migrants and asylum seekers with disabilities. Disability rights groups
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Kyrgyzstan News
June 11, 2026 at 2:24 PM
The European Union's Pact on Migration and Asylum, a sweeping overhaul of the EU's migration rules that entering into force on June 12, risks weakening protection for migrants and asylum seekers with disabilities. Disability rights groups
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Turkmenistan News
June 11, 2026 at 2:24 PM
The European Union's Pact on Migration and Asylum, a sweeping overhaul of the EU's migration rules that entering into force on June 12, risks weakening protection for migrants and asylum seekers with disabilities. Disability rights groups
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The Astana Times
June 11, 2026 at 2:23 PM
The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – Rising oil prices driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East have not had a significant effect on Kazakhstan’s tenge, National Bank Chair Timur Suleimenov said on the sidelines of a Mazhilis on June 10. Suleimenov said changes in oil prices typically affect the economy and currency with a lag of one to two months, meaning recent market movements have yet to be reflected in the exchange rate, reported Kazinform. He added that Kazakhstan has experienced oil prices above $90, and even $110, per barrel in recent years, and that current levels are not expected to have a major impact on the tenge. Suleimenov also said the government plans to keep its conservative oil price assumption of $60 per barrel in the draft 2026 budget, arguing that revising the benchmark upward could encourage unnecessary spending. He noted there are currently no grounds for changing the forecast. The post Kazakhstan S…
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