There is a sense of excitement about the presidential election — the first without long-term president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. But the opposition fears nothing will change just yet. Emily Sherwin reports from Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan's newly-elected President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signaled a sharp change in policy, telling Bloomberg there will be no more bank bailouts and pledging a “political transformation” in the country.

A passenger plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Almaty airport in Kazakhstan, the government says. The Central Asian country's emergencies committee said that 100 people were on board the Bek Air plane, including five staff.

A plane carrying 93 passengers and five crew members has crashed near Almaty in southeastern Kazakhstan. Dozens of people have survived the crash with injuries.

Police in authoritarian Kazakhstan detain more than 60 people in the Central Asian country's largest city, after an activist's death in jail triggered diplomatic condemnation and calls for anti-government rallies.

Kazakhstan imposes a second round of nationwide restrictions to counter a huge surge in coronavirus cases, a measure that authorities could choose to extend.

While tensions in Kazakhstan continue to grow, the world is trying to understand what is behind the unrest. Under authoritarian rule, the former Soviet republic has escaped the global spotlight for decades.

Police in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, say dozens of protesters have been killed in attempts to storm public buildings. After a request for help from Kazakhstan's president, Russia is leading an alliance of ex-Soviet states in sending what they call peacekeeping forces.

Russia is sending troops to Kazakhstan to support the government, which has been facing days of angry protests. For Moscow, there is more at stake than cementing its influence in a neighboring country shaken by unrest.

Security forces appeared to have quelled massive riots in Kazakhstan although the political situation remains volatile. Karim Massimo, a close ally of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, is now suspected of treason.

We begin in Kazakhstan, where the country's president has given the green light to security forces to shoot to kill those taking part in the unrest that's been sweeping the Central Asian nation this week. Dozens of people have been killed in the violence which erupted after a sharp increase in fuel prices, reflecting wider discontent with authoritarian rule. In response to a call from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Russian-led troops have already begun arriving in Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, is reported to be calm but tense after the worst violence in decades. The Interior Ministry has said more than 5,000 people were arrested. The death toll from the unrest remains unclear.