News

While Christopher Nolan’s «The Odyssey» continues to rake in box-office revenue, rapper Travis Scott has unveiled a limited-edition clothing collection inspired by the film. Meanwhile, Alesya Kalish of Tatler Kazakhstan explores why the costumes in Nolan’s new hit are simultaneously impressive, irritating and never quite cohesive.

First impressions

Warnings about the characters’ costumes began with the very first promotional photo. A gloomy Matt Damon, wearing a helmet clearly inspired by the classical period, complete with a crest, was awash in shades of black, gray and brown. The image hinted at the film’s limited...

The eighth-generation Hyundai Elantra has proved so popular that it set a record on the first day it became available to order in South Korea. Within 24 hours, buyers in the country placed more than 11,000 orders for the new sedan — the best result in the model’s history, according to The Korean Car Blog.

The news is also notable for Kazakhstan, where the Elantra remains one of Hyundai’s most popular models. The sedan is currently available through official dealerships starting at around $19,011.

Hyundai’s new record

The previous record was held by the seventh-generation...

The Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) has named Dutch manager John van ‘t Schip as the new head coach of Kazakhstan’s national team.

The federation said it had reached an agreement with the 62-year-old Dutch manager. His appointment will be reviewed by the KFF Executive Committee in the coming days, after which the two sides will sign a contract.

Kazakhstan’s national team coaching staff

KFF also revealed the national team’s coaching staff. Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev and Yeldos Akhmetov will serve as van ‘t Schip’s assistant coaches. Yuri Novikov will be the goalkeeping coach, Vadim Borovsky will be...

Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for playing Jaime Lannister in “Game of Thrones,” spoke to reporters at Comic Con Astana 2026. Kursiv LifeStyle highlights the most interesting takeaways from his answers.

The actor arrived in Astana a day before the press conference and had time to explore the city. He joked that he had eaten more meat in the capital than in previous years. Coster-Waldau also shared his impressions of a steam bath, saying he was thoroughly steamed before being held in a pool “like a baby.”

Kazakhstan has recorded a new wave of deepfakes using the images and voices of well-known foreign actors, athletes, and other public figures, the Center for Combating Disinformation under the Central Communications Service of the President of Kazakhstan reported.

According to the center, the fake videos feature celebrities falsely claiming that Kazakhstan is allegedly tightening its migration policy. The creators of such posts use artificial intelligence technologies and information manipulation techniques.

The purpose behind these videos

The center says the primary goal of such posts is to create a negative image of Kazakhstan and neighboring countries...

KazMunayGas Karachaganak, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas company KazMunayGas (KMG), plans to reduce capital expenditures on the Karachaganak project by nearly threefold in 2027, to 10.9 billion tenge (about $23 million) from 29.96 billion tenge. The plans are outlined in the company’s financial statements.

The expenditures are related to KazMunayGas’ participation in development of the Karachaganak field under the Final Production Sharing Agreement (FPSA). The national oil and gas company holds a 10% stake in the field operator, Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. (KPO), and therefore funds a corresponding share of the...

Killing yourself in the gym just because you had pizza or missed a day is a bad idea — it’s counterproductive and can actually push your goals further out of reach, according to fitness trainer Lera Logunova.

In a post on her Telegram channel, Logunova urged people trying to lose weight not to treat exercise as punishment for dietary slipups.

She said she decided to address the issue after seeing a social media post from someone who wrote that they had missed a workout, eaten pizza that evening and planned to train twice as hard the next day.

The Munich Regional Court has set a significant precedent by siding with the German music licensing agency GEMA in its copyright dispute with AI music company Suno.

To date, AI developers have generally been able to use copyrighted materials — including music, poetry and other intellectual property — to train AI models without obtaining licenses or compensating rights holders. The Munich court’s ruling could challenge that practice.

GEMA filed the lawsuit, seeking compensation from Suno for allegedly training its AI models on copyrighted musical works without obtaining licenses or paying royalties to songwriters and composers.

A camera trap in the Almaty State Nature Reserve has captured rare footage of Tien Shan brown bears in their natural habitat. The video was released by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

“These unique moments provide a glimpse into the natural lives of brown bears, offering insight into their behavior and habits in the wild,” the ministry said.

A rare subspecies

The Tien Shan brown bear is a rare subspecies of the brown bear. It is listed in both Kazakhstan’s Red Book and the International Union for Conservation...

The Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK) is exploring financing options for building and opening a Lotte hotel in Almaty.

The bank has reported that the tourism project is now in the document-collection phase ahead of its initial review.

Project ownership

The project’s borrower is Sensata Invest. The company is jointly owned by Sensata Almaty and the private company Sensata Almaty Ltd.

Through a chain of affiliated entities, Sensata Almaty Ltd. is ultimately controlled by the private company Sensata Ltd., which is owned by Tasbolat Abdullin and Askar Duisenbayev.

About Lotte Hotels & Resorts

Lotte...

Almaty’s Mayor’s Office expects American rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to have a noticeable impact on the city’s economy. The city’s tourism department noted that during Jennifer Lopez‘s concert, the volume of international bank card transactions rose by around 11% and said it expects a similar effect from Ye’s concert.

In response to Kursiv.media’s inquiry, the mayor’s office said that the exact amount foreign visitors will spend in Almaty can only be assessed after the event. However, the administration expects an increase in spending on accommodation, dining, transport, shopping and other services.

“Experience in...

Volkswagen has shipped its first batch of vehicles to Kazakhstan for official distribution. The importer’s press service told Kursiv Cars that the batch includes Volkswagen and Jetta models from different segments.

The vehicles were shipped from the FAW-Volkswagen production facility in China. This marks the first delivery following an agreement signed between Orbis Auto and Volkswagen China.

Confirmed models include the Volkswagen Passat sedan and the Tayron SUV. The full model lineup has not yet been revealed.

According to the company, the vehicles were adapted for Kazakhstan’s road and climate conditions. The modifications include electronic systems, the powertrain, suspension, body...

On April 22, 2027, Astana will host the 51st UEFA Ordinary Congress, where a new UEFA president and members of the UEFA Executive Committee will be elected.

According to the press service of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the congress will bring together representatives of all 55 UEFA member national football associations, as well as the organization’s leadership, delegates from FIFA, European leagues, clubs and other sports organizations.

“Granting Kazakhstan the right to host such a large-scale event confirms UEFA’s high level of trust and recognition of the country’s ability to...

Dimash Qudaibergen has unveiled his new DiMENSIONS world tour.

According to the artist’s official website, the project aims to show fans a different side of the singer — not only as an artist with a unique voice, but also as a person.

According to the project organizers, the title “DiMENSIONS” reflects Qudaibergen’s multifaceted identity as a singer, composer and producer while also revealing...

Kazakhstan has completed a key stage in laying the Trans-Caspian Fiber Optic Cable across the seabed of the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are now connected by a direct digital link.

The submarine cable reached Kazakhstan’s coast, marking the completion of the most challenging phase of the project implemented by Kazakhtelecom and AzerTelecom International. The new Aktau-Sumgait route will provide a direct high-speed data corridor between Asia and Europe. The project is expected to improve the reliability of international communications and strengthen the transit potential of both countries.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial...

Nearly a year after receiving its banking license, KMF Bank reported a decline in profit on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE). In the first half of 2026, the financial institution posted net profit of 4.3 billion tenge (approximately $9 million), down from 4.7 billion tenge a year earlier.

According to its financial statements, KMF Bank’s net profit fell 8.4% despite growth in both interest income and its loan portfolio.

Core business continues to expand

KMF Bank’s core business continued to grow during the reporting period. Interest income increased to 60.7 billion tenge from 52.1 billion tenge a...

It turns out that sheep teeth are a time capsule, helping scientists track how medieval Kazakhs altered their lives to match a merciless climate. An international team of researchers led by scientists at the University of Michigan analyzed the enamel of sheep molars recovered from the archaeological site of Zhankent.

Ancient tooth enamel offers clues

The study found that the inhabitants of the ancient city of Zhankent carefully managed their flocks to ensure a year-round supply of milk and dairy products.

Located in southern Kazakhstan, Zhankent was an important city on the northern branch of the Silk...

Sweets are not the only factor behind tooth decay. According to Kazakh dentist Aralbek Tasbulatov, the bacteria that cause cavities can be transmitted through saliva, including through kissing.

What causes cavities?

Q: What causes cavities, and are there any lesser-known risk factors?

Tasbulatov: There are several causes of tooth decay. One is excessive consumption of carbohydrates, particularly sugary foods. Bacteria in the mouth feed on leftover carbohydrates and produce acid. Over time, that acid depletes the tooth enamel of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, causing it to break down.

Another contributing factor can be autoimmune disease...

The real-life inspiration for Princess Turandot, the legendary heroine of the opera by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, lived in what is now the Almaty region, according to Kazakh historian Zhaksylyk Sabitov, who has proposed making her part of the city’s cultural brand.

Sabitov believes the historical figure behind the legendary princess was Khutulun, also known as Khutulun-Chakha, the daughter of Kaidu Khan. She lived in the area of present-day Almaty and the Chu-Ili Mountains.

Medieval sources documented her story

“An entire Princess Turandot legend was created around...

Kazakhstan has made measurable progress in its fight against cancer, with mortality declining and five-year survival rates improving. The country now leads Central Asia on both indicators, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry reported that the share of cancers detected at an early stage has increased by 6.1 percentage points over the past three years, reaching 36.8%. During the same period, the number of advanced-stage cancer cases fell by 7.5%.

“Five-year patient survival has reached 65%, while mortality has decreased by 26.6%,” the ministry said.

Kazakhstan closes gap...

People in Kazakhstan were alarmed by a photo purporting to show a tiger recently released into the wild in the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve coming dangerously close to people. However, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources said the image was fake.

What happened

A photo claiming to show a female tiger recently released into the wild has been circulating on social media.

Comic Con Astana 2026 will once again host an international cosplay competition offering a prize pool of 20 million tenge (about $42,562). Kursiv LifeStyle explains who will serve on the judging panel and what prizes are on offer.

This year, the competition will once again bring together cosplayers from different countries. Their entries will be judged by an international panel comprising German duo Kamui Cosplay, European cosplayer Leon Chiro, winners of international cosplay competitions Sazura, Zakos Crowman, Tais Tukanova and Anna Brickus, as well as Emilia Grafomanka, winner of the Comic Con Astana 2025 Grand Prix.

The competition’s total prize...

At the beginning of the third quarter, Kazakhstan’s services sector Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 54.1, reaching its highest level in 13 months. Despite a significant increase in new orders, the sector recorded a slowdown in business expectations and continued job cuts.

Activity trends and demand factors

According to a survey by Freedom Holding Corp., the PMI rose for the second consecutive month, up from June’s reading of 53.5. The indicator has remained steadily above the baseline level of 50, signaling monthly expansion in the services sector since April.

The inflow of new orders became the main driver...

Aug. 12 will be a special day for astronomy enthusiasts. People in Kazakhstan will be able to witness two rare celestial events — a planetary parade and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Kursiv LifeStyle explains the best time to observe them and what makes the event so special.

The six-planet parade

Just before sunrise — which now comes very early in Almaty: six planets in the Solar System will be visible in the sky at the same time: Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

The first four planets will be visible to the naked eye. Uranus...