News

Kazakhstan is paying tribute to its national dog breeds, the Tazy and Tobet, by establishing a special day in their honor. On Sept. 3, the country celebrates its first Kazakh Tazy and Tobet Day.

New holiday on the calendar

Tazy hounds are traditionally considered part of the «Zheti Kazyna» (Seven Treasures of the Kazakh People). Along with the Tobet wolfdog, these dogs have accompanied the people of the Great Steppe for centuries.

«As a national dog breed, the Tazy is an integral part of the cultural heritage of our people and their traditional way of...

Dastan Satpayev, an 18-year-old Kazakhstani striker who joined British club Burnley on a season-long deal from Chelsea, was officially named Player of the Match following the game against Middlesbrough FC in the English Football League Championship. The match, held at Turf Moor in Burnley, ended in a 1-1 draw.

Playing time: Satpayev played for Burnley’s first team for the third consecutive match. He played 80 minutes and was substituted in the 81st minute to loud applause.

Shots on goal: The forward had two of his team’s three shots on target.

One of the most dangerous moments came in...

On Sept. 3 in Vladivostok, Russia, Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants (KNPP), the future operator of Kazakhstan’s planned nuclear power plants, and Atomstroyexport, a Rosatom subsidiary, signed a contract to design, supply and construct Kazakhstan’s first NPP.

NPP project takes shape

The signing took place during the 11th Eastern Economic Forum in the presence of Almassadam Satkaliyev, chairman of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy, and Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Rosatom.

The Agency for Atomic Energy said the project is now moving into implementation.

«The signing of the contract marks the transition of Kazakhstan’s first NPP project...

What makes people in some societies act with integrity even when no authority is watching? A recent ranking by World Population Review highlights how compliance is fundamentally cultural, shaping everything from public safety to the overall cost of doing business. In some countries, following regulations is not simply about avoiding punishment but about meeting shared societal expectations that help bind communities together.

The disciplined streets of East Asia

Japan stands out as a prime example of social discipline. The country has low crime rates, strong tax compliance and clean public spaces despite having relatively few public trash...

Lion Finance Group, the parent company of Bank of Georgia, hasn’t approached Kazakhstan’s regulator about acquiring a local bank, Madina Abylkassymova, chair of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market, told Kursiv.media.

«The agency has not received any application from the company, and at present we have no information about which banks they are negotiating with. So, potentially, they may be holding talks with some banks, but we have no information about this,» Abylkassymova said.

Earlier, Lion Finance Group CEO Archil Gachechiladze spoke about plans to expand into...

Mukhtar Tileuberdi has been reappointed as Kazakhstan’s foreign minister. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree formalizing the appointment.

Diplomatic career

Tileuberdi is a career diplomat with more than 30 years of experience in Kazakhstan’s foreign service. He began his career in 1993 as an attaché at the Foreign Ministry and later held a number of senior diplomatic posts, including first deputy foreign minister.

He also served as Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Malaysia, Indonesia, Switzerland, the Vatican and Austria.

From September 2019 to March 2023, Tileuberdi served as Kazakhstan’s foreign minister. He also held the post of deputy prime minister before...

The film «Artificial,» about the creator of ChatGPT, has found a new studio for distribution and is finally set to reach a mass audience. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at when the film will premiere and why it has been surrounded by controversy.

According to The Film Stage, the drama starring Andrew Garfield and Yura Borisov will screen at the 64th New York Film Festival. Its world premiere is scheduled for Oct. 5. In addition, the first still from the film, which major studios were reluctant to take on, has surfaced online.

«Artificial» follows the development of neural...

According to Forbes Australia, Mareterra, Monaco’s new luxury residential district, generated $3 billion in net profit for its investors within six months of its completion. Among the project’s investors was Kazakh billionaire Bulat Utemuratov.

Luxury development on the sea

Mareterra is one of the most expensive residential developments in Monaco. Built on reclaimed land along the Mediterranean Sea, the district covers about 6 hectares. The territorial expansion project, initiated by Monaco’s ruler, Prince Albert II, took 11 years to complete and cost approximately $2.3 billion.

As part of the project, 18 enormous concrete structures, known as caissons, were...

On Sept. 2, Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors unveiled a new generation of its iconic Pajero SUV, whose production ended globally in 2021 after sales in Japan were discontinued in 2019, the company said in a release.

The new frame-based cross-country SUV is manufactured at the company’s facility in Thailand and will debut there before being introduced in Japan and Australia during Japan’s fiscal 2026, which runs from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027. From Japan’s fiscal 2027, beginning April 1, 2027, the company plans to launch the...

A South Korean court has sentenced the former director of a care facility for people with disabilities to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing residents, the BBC reported.

The defendant, identified by his surname Kim, headed the Saekdongwon facility in Incheon, west of Seoul. In February 2025, authorities launched an investigation after a female resident with a severe intellectual disability reported the abuse.

The case has led to broader scrutiny of residential facilities for people with disabilities across South Korea. A government inspection of 1,507 facilities identified 33 cases of suspected abuse.

Separately, an assessment commissioned by Ganghwa...

A high-tech, AI-powered neurosurgical robotic system, the Remebot RM-200, worth 433.5 million tenge (approximately $946,000), is set to be installed at the Mother and Child Care Center in Ust-Kamenogorsk, the East Kazakhstan region’s Governor’s Office reported.

The system will enable doctors to perform highly complex, minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures on children from several regions of the country.

The Governor’s Office said that the Remebot RM-200 is the first neurosurgical robot in Kazakhstan and Central Asia to be used in pediatric care.

«The system combines neurosurgical navigation and stereotactic surgery technologies. It allows for planning the procedure...

A new law regulating psychological activity entered into force in Kazakhstan today, Sept. 2. Under the new law, all practicing psychologists must register to provide their services legally.

From now on, unregistered individuals are prohibited from engaging in psychological practice or using the title «psychologist» or related terms. Under the new regulations, only individuals with a university or postgraduate education in psychology, or an academic degree in psychology, are permitted to practice and use the title «psychologist.»

In addition, the legislation now requires that psychological assistance be provided only after the client or their legal representative has given written informed...

Artificial intelligence could help Kazakhstanis save for a mortgage down payment faster and better assess borrowers’ potential, Lyazzat Ibragimova, CEO of Otbasy Bank, said on the Taldau Talks podcast.

Read also: Risky business: Kazakh housing bank chief compared to Venezuela’s Maduro.

According to Ibragimova, Otbasy Bank, the sole bank implementing housing construction savings system in Kazakhstan, has significant potential to expand its use of AI. The financial institution already uses basic AI-powered services, including a legal AI agent.

«But there is great potential in terms...

Kazakhstan’s manufacturing sector is experiencing one of its sharpest downturns in four years. Amid falling demand and a lack of new orders, some large domestic manufacturers have begun to suspend production and place employees on unpaid leave.

PMI falls as new orders decline

In August, the sector’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), calculated by Freedom Holding Corp., fell to 46.0 from 47.0 in July. This marked the third consecutive month that the index remained below the critical 50.0 threshold, indicating continued contraction in the sector.

The current downturn is one of the sharpest on record, with more severe declines recorded...

A delegation from Almaty will participate in the World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development in Beijing. Kursiv LifeStyle has learned the details.

According to the Mayor’s Office press service, the delegation will highlight Almaty’s ability to combine event tourism, such as concerts by international stars, with developed infrastructure, as well as opportunities to visit ski resorts and go hiking.

«The Chinese market is of particular significance to us. China is one of our priority foreign markets, so direct dialogue with Chinese tourism companies, organizations and cities is of great importance for the further growth of...

The Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK) and the Center for Investigation of Transport Accidents and Incidents have agreed to significantly expand their cooperation. The memorandum of understanding is aimed at improving flight safety and preventing in-flight incidents. It was signed by AAK CEO Michael Daniel and Center for Investigation of Transport Accidents and Incidents Chairman Darkhan Katyshev and is expected to elevate aviation incident investigations to the international standards.

Division of responsibilities

One of the memorandum’s key provisions is a strict division of responsibilities between the two bodies. Until now, the mixing of oversight tasks with the independent analysis...

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed concern over the broader consequences of modern armed conflicts, warning that their effects extend beyond combat zones and threaten global stability. He made the remarks during a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek.

Economic and social damage

According to Tokayev, in an increasingly interconnected world, geopolitical tensions are no longer limited to military confrontations between the parties directly involved. The spillover effects of crises disrupt established trade and logistics chains, fuel instability in international commodity and financial markets, and undermine food and energy...

Sept. 1 is a special day for ARMY, fans of K-pop powerhouse BTS, as it’s the birthday of Jungkook, who turns 29 this year. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at how Kazakhstani fans congratulated their favorite artist.

At midnight South Korean time, on Sept. 1, fans around the world organized a massive birthday campaign to mark Jungkook’s 29th birthday. Congratulatory videos featuring the artist appeared on large digital displays in cities around the world.

Kazakhstani ARMY also joined the large-scale fan project. The congratulatory video was displayed on the high-rise LED facade of Kazakh Railways’ main office building on Konaev Street in...

Toyohiro Akiyama, the first journalist to travel to space and the first Japanese astronaut, died on Aug. 26, 2026, The Mainichi reported.

Akiyama was part of the Soviet Soyuz TM-11 mission to the Mir space station, which launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Dec. 2, 1990, with crew members Viktor Afanasyev and Musa Manarov. He returned to Earth on Dec. 10, 1990.

Akiyama held various positions at Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) before being selected to participate in a commercial spaceflight project financed by the broadcaster under an agreement...

A ceremony marking the start of the practical phase of a project to develop future production was held Aug. 28 at the Severny Katpar (Northern Katpar) tungsten deposit in the Shet district of Kazakhstan’s Karaganda region.

Severny Katpar is owned by Cove Kaz Capital Group, part of U.S.-based Cove Capital, and national mining company Tau-Ken Samruk, a subsidiary of the state-owned Samruk-Kazyna holding. The deposit contains 71.4 million metric tons of tungsten ore, including 142,000 metric tons of tungsten trioxide, with an average tungsten trioxide grade of 0.234%.

Since July, the company has been preparing the site for further exploration...

Argentine President Javier Milei has thanked Lionel Messi following the football star’s announcement that he was retiring from the national team and called him «unreal,» according to media reports.

Milei responded shortly after the 39-year-old captain officially announced the end of his international career on Aug. 31, 2026.

«Thank you very much, unreal man!» Milei wrote on Instagram. 

Why Messi retired

The forward said that he had given everything to the national team. The final decision to make way for the younger generation came after the recent 0-1 defeat to...

In an age when information is more accessible than ever, a quiet crisis is unfolding around the world: the steady disappearance of books from daily life.

For generations, reading was considered a pillar of open societies, a vital tool for developing empathy and a deeply personal refuge. Today, that foundation is eroding under the combined pressures of economic insecurity and rapid technological change. While readers in Western democracies face fragmented attention amid social media and battles over what belongs in public libraries, readers in authoritarian countries face a more direct threat. In Russia, where books are...

On Aug. 31, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The leaders discussed progress in normalizing bilateral relations and implementing previously reached peace agreements.

The parties highlighted the historic significance of the Washington Peace Summit of Aug. 8, 2025, the joint declaration signed in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump, and the initialing of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Trade cooperation and the TRIPP project

The talks highlighted the...

A Kazakhstani delegation is establishing a major presence at Burning Man. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at the construction of a Kazakh aul of 11 yurts in the Nevada desert.

The Tengri Camp team first brought an authentic Kazakh yurt to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada in 2025. It became a place where festival attendees could learn about Kazakh culture, sample traditional food and chat with participants from Kazakhstan.

This year, the...