A Microsoft analysis finds the region lags despite ambitious national AI plans. A new study from Microsoft finds people across most Central Asian countries are far less likely than global peers to use content‑generating AI in routine tasks, even as several governments push to build tech-driven economies. Kazakhstan scored highest in the group, placing 70th among 147 nations evaluated, while Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan clustered near the bo

Tajikistan’s main security agency has for the first time confirmed that a group of Afghan nationals was expelled from the country, saying the action followed investigations into alleged criminal behavior that officials say alarmed local communities. The announcement came after an Afghan man publicly questioned the whereabouts of his fellow countrymen; authorities said the migrants had been afforded opportunities to live, work and study but that some broke the law. In a detail

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy’s planned public offering, now slated for late 2026, is increasingly being cast as a tool to ease the state carrier’s mounting liabilities rather than a conventional expansion opportunity. Company filings and government figures show KTZ’s reported debt climbing from roughly $5.7 billion in early 2024 to about $8 billion by 2025, and reaching 4.7 trillion tenge — near $10.4 billion — by April 2026. Executives told parliament the share sale is intended in

Uzbek officials met with U.S. schools, employers and legal advisers in New York this week as the government pursues formal channels for its citizens to work in America, according to Uzbekistan’s migration agency. A Tashkent delegation, which included representatives from the Migration Agency, the Foreign Ministry and the Uzbek Embassy in Washington, held a string of meetings on the sidelines of the U.N. International Migration Review Forum. Delegates discussed training partne

Kazakhstan’s headcount topped about 20.5 million in spring 2026, yet officials and analysts say the apparent growth hides mounting pressures on the labor market and social spending. Births have fallen sharply since their recent high, the population is aging, and a mismatch between graduates’ skills and employers’ needs is beginning to blunt industrial and technological expansion. Births hit a high of roughly 446,500 in 2021 before sliding to about 335,000 in 2025, according t

Parliament last week approved changes to animal control rules that allow local authorities to authorize the killing of unowned dogs and cats under conditions set by municipalities and veterinary services, reigniting a fierce public debate across the country. Supporters say the move is meant to tackle public-safety and health concerns, while animal-welfare groups and some elected officials warn it could lead to unchecked culling and calls for legal challenges are already circu