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Throughout history, states have recognized that controlling language is essential for consolidating political power. From France’s 1635 establishment of the Académie française to regulate its tongue, to Greece’s century-long debate pitting vernacular Demotic against classicized Katharevousa, managing the written word has always been key to statecraft.

In 2025, the Russian government has officially introduced a new national dictionary, signaling a major effort to systematically regulate public discourse and align the Russian language with state ideology. In her analytical essay “On Russia’s New Official Dictionary and the Language of Authoritarianism,” writer Katherine Kelaidis examines how...

The 2026-27 UEFA Conference League draw took place in Monaco. Kairat Almaty was drawn in Pot 4 and will face Atalanta of Italy, Panathinaikos of Greece, Twente of the Netherlands, Universitatea Craiova of Romania, Mjällby of Sweden and Riga of Latvia.

Panathinaikos, Universitatea Craiova and Mjällby will travel to Kazakhstan, while Rafael Urazbakhtin’s side will face the other three clubs away.

Under the 2026-27 Conference League regulations, each of the 36 teams will play six matches in the main stage against different opponents, compared with eight in the Champions League.

The top eight clubs in the standings will advance directly...

The BBC has officially confirmed the return of the iconic motoring show «Top Gear» after a nearly four-year hiatus. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at who is rumored to host the show.

Ed Havard, the BBC’s director of entertainment, made the announcement this during a panel discussion at the Edinburgh TV Festival, The Guardian reported. The show was taken off the air after co-host Andrew Flintoff was involved in an accident on set in 2022. He overturned a three-wheeled vehicle and sustained serious facial injuries.

The new host has not yet been revealed. Havard was directly asked about...

An incident involving a FlyArystan aircraft occurred at Almaty International Airport. The aircraft caught fire during scheduled maintenance.

Air Astana Group officially confirmed the incident.

Emergency services’ response and condition of injured employee

According to the carrier, the localized fire was extinguished as quickly as possible thanks to the prompt response of the airport’s emergency services. There were no passengers or crew members on board when the incident occurred.

«An Air Astana Group employee was injured and received medical treatment before being released from the hospital,» the company said.

Aircraft condition and investigation

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev supported the government’s initiative to prohibit children under 16 from registering on social media. The president made the statement during the ceremonial opening of the first session of the Kurultai of the first convocation, Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament.

According to the president, the government should create not only a comfortable but also a safe environment for the younger generation.

«Overall, we have to create favorable conditions for a comfortable and, most importantly, safe environment for the younger generation. In this regard, the government has proposed legislation to legally prohibit children under...

According to Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, global developments have lost their consistency and logic, while geopolitical upheavals have become increasingly unpredictable and are unfolding at an accelerating pace. He also pointed to a profound crisis of trust among key global players that has effectively paralyzed international institutions.

Paralysis of the UN Security Council and the rise of «middle powers»

The breakdown of the international system of checks and balances has primarily affected the United Nations, the president said.

«Countries, especially major powers, have essentially ceased to trust one another, which has had a detrimental effect...

Rockstar Games has released an official extended gameplay video for Grand Theft Auto VI. The video was initially available exclusively on Netflix before being released on the developer’s official YouTube channel. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at the new gameplay footage.

The story is set in the fictional U.S. state of Leonida, which is inspired by Florida. The region’s main city is Vice City, familiar to fans of the series from GTA: Vice City.

The main protagonists are Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, who commit crimes and become caught up in a dangerous situation. At the same time, their relationship...

Canadian voice actor Peter Cullen, best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in «Transformers,» has died at the age of 85. He passed away at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by his family. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Cullen first voiced Optimus Prime in the original «Transformers» animated series in the 1980s. He later returned to voice the Autobot leader in Michael Bay’s feature films and also portrayed the character in video games. For generations of «Transformers» fans, Cullen’s distinctive, deep voice was one of the character’s defining features.

Beyond «Transformers,» Cullen worked on...

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the U.S. government to rename Lake Ontario as «Lake America» in its geographic naming system. The change applies to U.S. government usage and cannot require Canada, which also borders Lake Ontario and several other Great Lakes, to adopt the new name, the Associated Press reported.

Canadian leaders rejected the decision. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians would continue to call it Lake Ontario, pointing to the lake’s Indigenous history and noting that its name predates both Canadian Confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

The name Lake...

Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry is searching for two Kazakhstani women who went missing on the Nepal-China border after a flash flood hit the area. According to preliminary information, both women were in the disaster zone.

«The search is underway for two nationals of Kazakhstan who presumably were in the disaster zone on the Nepal-China border,» the statement said.

As reported earlier, one of the Kazakhstani women was crossing the state border from Nepal into China as part of a tourist group. The whereabouts of the second woman, who...

A bright, white smile has long been associated with a well-groomed appearance. But is teeth whitening suitable for everyone? Dentist-therapist Aralbek Tasbulatov explains when the procedure may be appropriate and when it can cause harm.

Who may need teeth whitening

According to Tasbulatov, teeth whitening, like any dental procedure, has specific indications and contraindications.

«One clear indication for teeth whitening is smoker’s teeth — when a person’s teeth have become heavily yellowed,» the dentist said.

The procedure may also be appropriate for patients with pigment spots on their teeth. Another condition is...

Actor and stuntman Jackie Chan sang Adele’s «Rolling in the Deep» during the filming of «Armour of God: Ultimatum.» Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at the musical instruments that accompanied his performance.

Maksat Kikimov, CEO of the Dala Stage film studio in Kaskelen, Almaty region, posted a video that appears to show footage from the film, with Chan wearing a traditional Kazakh coat, a shapan, and singing Adele’s «Rolling in the Deep.»

A Kazakhstani woman went missing after crossing the China-Nepal border as part of a tourist group. Her whereabouts are currently unknown, Kazakhstani diplomats said.

According to preliminary data, the woman crossed the border from Nepal into China as part of a tourist group .

«The whereabouts of our citizen are currently unknown. A search for the missing woman is underway. Kazakhstani diplomats continue to cooperate with local authorities,» Zhanbolat Ussenov, an official spokesman for Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry, told Kursiv.media.

Other circumstances of the incident, including exactly when the tourist group crossed the border and under...

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa used a Visa card to buy coffee at a Damascus café this week, highlighting the country’s return to international financial networks following its removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, Euronews reported.

Al-Sharaa made the card payment while accompanied by Central Bank Governor Mohammed Safwat Raslan. The government presented the transaction as a symbol of Syria’s renewed access to financial services after years of restrictions.

This followed the U.S. State Department’s removal of Syria from the terrorism list on Monday after a 45-day congressional review. The country had held the designation...

U.K.-registered Central Asia Metals Plc (CAML) earned $80.8 million in revenue from the Kounrad [Konyrat] copper operation in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda region in the first half of 2026. The asset remains the group’s main source of revenue, accounting for more than half of the total, according to the Telegram channel Finmentor.kz, citing CAML’s financial statements.

Amid higher metal prices and increased production, CAML’s total revenue rose 46% to $145.5 million, while pre-tax profit more than tripled, rising 203% to $59.3 million.

From January through June, the Kounrad operation produced 6,304 tons of copper, while the average realized copper price rose...

Citizens of Kazakhstan and China will be able to use their respective countries’ driver’s licenses when traveling between the two countries. Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry has prepared a draft agreement on the mutual recognition and exchange of driver’s licenses between the two countries.

Under the draft regulation, citizens of Kazakhstan and China will have the right to use valid national driver’s licenses in the other country to drive passenger vehicles.

A key provision will allow drivers to exchange their licenses directly. Citizens of the two countries who are temporarily or permanently residing in the other country will be able to exchange...

Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia agreed to significantly increase the number of regular flights between the two countries. The weekly flight limit has been raised from 28 to 70. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at which new routes may launch.

The two sides signed an air services agreement in Riyadh to facilitate the development of regular air connectivity and give carriers more opportunities to launch new flights.

In particular, airlines plan to launch a direct regular service between Astana and Riyadh. More routes between Kazakhstan and other Saudi cities are also expected.

As a result, air travel...

Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her vivid installations and infinity mirror rooms, has died at 97. She passed away at a hospital in Tokyo on Aug. 14, Yayoi Kusama Inc. reported.

The artist’s company reported her death on Aug. 27. Kusama dedicated her entire life to art, working in different forms, including painting, installations, literature and poetry. The artist continued to paint until shortly before her death.

Kusama is considered one of the world’s most recognizable modern artists. Her works are distinguished by a psychedelic palette, mirrored spaces and distinctive multicolored polka-dot patterns.

A few years ago, journalist and blogger Kirill Pavlov came up with an unusual way to track the value of the U.S. dollar against the Kazakh tenge: the «Shymkent Shashlik Index.»

He first discussed the idea in 2020. At the time, a single skewer of shashlik (kebab) in Shymkent cost about 420 to 450 tenge ($0.98-$1.05), while the dollar was trading at around 430 tenge.

Read also: Corruption at Kashagan: Who cooked shashlik?

According to Pavlov, the price of shashlik has remained close to $1 for many years. When...

An autonomous solar-powered charging station for electric vehicles was unveiled in Astana. The station operates independently of the city’s power grid and could serve as a model for similar facilities across Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources reported.

Station runs off-grid

The green hub, developed by Kazakhstani company BOLASHAQ POWER, was installed at the Alatau sports complex.

The station operates off-grid, combining 100 kilowatts of solar power generation with an energy storage capacity of 645 kilowatt-hours. The project also complies with Kazakhstan’s Green Taxonomy.

The project participants are now considering installing similar stations...

South Korea’s Lotte Hotels & Resorts is being considered for a role in the Iconic Tower project in Kazakhstan’s new city of Alatau. This was announced at a meeting of the Alatau City Council chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, the government’s press service reported.

Earlier, the Iconic Towers complex was announced as the first and tallest skyscraper development in Alatau. At the current stage, private investment in the 80-story, 272-meter-high complex exceeds $800 million. The complex is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2029.

The complex will consist...

The Aksai branch of BG Karachaganak Limited in western Kazakhstan reported a profit of $355.6 million in 2025, according to its financial statements. In 2024, the branch reported a profit of $431.6 million. BG Karachaganak is a U.K. -registered company controlled by Shell Plc.

Overall, the branch’s revenue declined to $1.05 billion in 2025 from $1.2 billion in 2024. Crude oil accounted for $1.026 billion in revenue in 2025, compared with $1.16 billion in 2024, while gas and gas products generated $27.6 million and $31.4 million, respectively. The company supplies its oil to the U.K. and its gas to Kazakhstan.

A new island has emerged in the northern Caspian Sea. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at where it is located and why new stretches of dry land are appearing in the body of water.

The island was discovered amid a decline in the Caspian Sea’s water level, Lada.kz reported, citing Yerbolat Mukhashov, founder of Caspian Holiday. The newly emerged island of Rybachiy lies about 500 meters east of the island of Svyatoy and 30 kilometers from the village of Bautino.

Mukhashov said that over the past four to five years, new islands have begun to emerge in the...

South Korean police are facing growing criticism from the public and lawmakers over how they handled missing-persons cases on the island of Jeju, also known as the «Hawaii of Korea,» the BBC reported.

Recently, Jeju authorities recovered the bodies of four people who had gone missing earlier this year. The incidents alone were particularly disturbing for islanders, as South Korea is well known for its relatively low crime rate. However, it was the way local police handled the cases that troubled South Korean society the most.

The controversy led to the detention of a police officer surnamed Bu, who...