News

The American restaurant franchise Papa John’s is closing all its locations in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Franchisee cites revenue decline, rising costs

Restaurateur Daniyar Monolbai announced on social media that his company is ending its role as the master franchisee for Papa John’s in both countries. He said the decision was necessary due to a prolonged drop in revenue and increasing operating costs.

«All available funds were directed toward the most important payments: salaries, taxes, rental obligations and partial debt repayment. In Kazakhstan, we also managed to help most of our employees continue working at...

Renowned American actor Johnny Depp is set to join the cast of the first English-language movie adaptation of the Russian literary classic «The Master and Margarita» by Mikhail Bulgakov.

According to Variety, the Hollywood star might take one of the key roles, though it is unknown whether it will be Woland or the Master. Furthermore, Depp will serve as a producer on the movie.

Depp’s IN.2 Film is producing the project with Svetlana Dali, an executive producer of «Jeanne du Barry,» and Grace Loh. No director is attached.

The project was initially announced at the Red...

The U.S. has seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking one of the most aggressive steps yet in Washington’s campaign to pressure President Nicolás Maduro, whom the U.S. is seeking to push from office. President Donald Trump confirmed the operation but offered few details, saying only that the vessel was sanctioned and taken «for a very good reason,» the Associated Press reported.

The seizure is part of a broader U.S. effort to weaken Maduro’s grip on power and disrupt Venezuela’s oil exports, a crucial source of revenue for the country, which has the world’s...

A Kazakh-language production of the classic musical «Notre-Dame de Paris» has gone viral on social media in Kazakhstan.

Archived clip resurfaces

A Threads user shared an archived video of the performance, featuring actors Zharkynai Shalkar and Yerbol Narimanuly in the roles of Esmeralda and Frollo.

The 2018 staging in Astana is based on the 1998 musical of the same name, first performed in Paris — the setting of Victor Hugo’s novel «The Hunchback of Notre Dame.» The Kazakh version retained the structure of the original musical but adapted the lyrics and overall presentation.

The production was directed by...

Japanese major truck and diesel engine manufacturer Isuzu Motors Ltd. said it is set to conduct public highway tests of its autonomous truck between January and the spring of 2026, The Asahi Shimbun reported.

The trial will involve a heavy-duty truck developed by Isuzu in cooperation with Applied Intuition, a U.S.-based provider of software tools for autonomous-vehicle development and validation. The vehicle will operate along a portion of the inter-prefectural route connecting the cities of Tochigi and Ichinomiya, transporting spare parts between the company’s operational bases. A human driver will remain on board to assume control...

Kazakhstan’s copper-mining giant Kazakhmys is preparing for a change in shareholders, the company announced.

Agreement reached between current leaders

According to the statement, Kazakhmys President Vladimir Kim and Chairman of the Board of Directors Eduard Ogay have mutually agreed to transfer ownership. The formal sale and purchase agreement is expected to be signed soon.

The company noted that the ownership change will require approval from the Ministry of Industry as well as the Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition.

Prospective buyer reported

In late November, reports surfaced that businessman Nurlan Artykbayev — the...

Mexico plans to increase water deliveries to the U.S. Still, not immediately, President Claudia Sheinbaum said, as U.S. President Donald Trump renewed pressure on Mexico over transboundary water resources and threatened new trade penalties, the Associated Press reported.

Mexico has proposed sending an initial amount of water to the U.S. later this month, with additional deliveries scheduled over the next several years, Sheinbaum said. The proposal is expected to be discussed during a virtual meeting with U.S. officials.

Under the 1944 water-sharing treaty, Mexico is required to provide its northern neighbor with water from tributaries of the Rio Grande...

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport, Nurlan Sauranbayev, said that the launch of direct flights between Kazakhstan and the U.S. has been delayed due to a long waiting list for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. According to him, an alternative route with an intermediate stop is currently under consideration.

During a briefing at the Central Communications Service, the minister was asked why there is still no direct flight between Kazakhstan and the U.S., and what stage the preparations are at. Sauranbayev explained that the route passes over the North Pole and Russia, which requires a special long-haul aircraft...

If discussions of Uzbekistan’s colonial past are viewed from inside the country rather than from the West, the «problem of decolonial critique» largely disappears, according to Uzbek digital creator Javokhir Nematov.

In a recent social media post, Nematov highlighted an article by prominent historian Adeeb Khalid, who offered a brief overview of the state of Central Asian studies in 2025.

Decolonial discourse in Uzbekistan

Among other points, Khalid writes that, unlike in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, «scholars in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan seem far less interested in a decolonial critique of their history.» Indeed, Nematov notes, decolonial discourse has...

On Dec. 10, South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group specializing in rail systems and defense solutions, announced the shipment of the first batch of high-speed trains to Uzbekistan, marking the country’s first export of domestically developed high-speed trains, Yonhap reported.

The order consists of 42 cars forming six trains based on the EMU-260 model, which was designed for Uzbek rail conditions and climate under a contract signed last June with Uzbekistan Railways. The order is valued at roughly $184 million and includes maintenance and repair services. Notably, production...

One of the American host cities for the 2026 World Cup has found itself in an awkward position. After the Dec. 5 tournament draw, it became clear that the match scheduled in Seattle between Iran and Egypt will take place as an LGBTQ+ «Pride Match.»

The situation stems from a decision the Seattle Organizing Committee made long before the draw. City officials designated the June 26 game as a Pride-themed match without knowing which teams would play that day. A twist of fate resulted in an Iran-Egypt pairing — two countries where LGBTQ+ rights are highly restricted.

Taliban authorities in Herat briefly detained four young men for dressing like characters from the British TV show «Peaky Blinders,» wearing long coats and flat caps. Officials said their outfits promoted foreign culture and opposed Afghan and Islamic values, CBS News reported.

According to Afghanistan’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the men were not arrested but simply summoned for a conversation, or so-called «rehabilitation,» during which they were told not to repeat the behavior. Officials stressed that Afghan society should maintain its cultural and religious identity, rather than copying Western media.

The young...

In the final home match of the season at Astana Arena, Kairat Almaty struggled without Dastan Satpayev and narrowly lost to Greece’s Olympiacos in matchday six of the UEFA Champions League.

Kairat’s coaching staff changed the lineup from the FC Copenhagen match, which ended 2-3. Rafael Urazbakhtin assigned defender Aleksandr Mrynskiy to replace the suspended Dastan Satpayev. Portuguese player Luís Mata took over Mrynskiy’s usual full-back spot. Olzhas Baybek, who scored against Copenhagen, replaced Damir Kassabulat in defensive midfield and was paired with Israeli midfielder Dan Glazer.

The lineup changes did not help Kairat. The team failed to register a...

A woman in Japan has sued a man she met via a dating app, demanding around $50,000, claiming he misled her by presenting himself as single, while in reality he was a married father, NHK World reported.

A Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, ordering the defendant to pay 1.5 million yen (roughly $10,000) in damages. The court emphasized that the man knew the woman intended the relationship to develop into marriage, thus violating her chastity rights by repeatedly engaging in sexual relations with her while deliberately concealing his marital status.

According to...

Canadian Senator Jim Quinn of New Brunswick has called on the federal government to more clearly assert Canada’s sovereignty over Machias Seal Island, a small uninhabited island located between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, the BBC reported.

Both the U.S. and Canada claim sovereignty over the rocky island. While it has no permanent residents, it is staffed by rotating Canadian Coast Guard crews who maintain a lighthouse built by Canada in 1832.

Quinn raised the issue after criticizing a U.S.-based boat tour operator, Bold Coast Charter Company, which describes...

Thousands of Kazakhs are in South Korea illegally, seeking what some call “easy money.” Kursiv.media spoke with citizens to learn why so many come and how much they earn.

How much do Kazakhs earn in official employment?

Kakim Danabayev, a Kazakh citizen who lived and worked in South Korea for about 10 years, says officially employed Kazakhs fill roles as IT specialists and medical translators in hospitals. Others serve as staff at international export companies, employees at cosmetics firms, or work at major conglomerates such as Hyundai or Samsung.

Danabayev states that foreign workers typically earn...

Kazakhstan’s mortgage market is likely to continue shrinking, as the cost of mortgage loans rises and becomes too high for banks, according to Freedom Holding Corp. CEO and majority shareholder Timur Turlov. He made the statement yesterday during a meeting with journalists in Almaty.

No mortgage lending outside state programs

As Turlov noted, over the past several years, the mortgage market has been sustained almost entirely by various government programs.

«In recent years, mortgage lending in our country has been driven by state support programs. At the moment, I don’t see any large-scale reduction in...

Gold’s inflation-adjusted returns over time are notoriously hard to predict. Still, gold remains a preferred hedge during periods of inflation and currency instability. In recent years, countries’ gold strategies have diverged sharply, reflecting each nation’s economic priorities.

Nurasyl Abdrazakuly, a Kazakh data scientist and a frequent collaborator on our infographics, visualized how countries have increased or decreased their gold reserves over the past five years.

His analysis, based on data from the International Monetary Fund, shows that from 2019 to 2024 countries shifted toward more defensive reserve strategies. The distribution of gains and losses was...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has authorized Rosneft-Shell Caspian Ventures Limited — a joint venture between Russia’s Rosneft and Britain’s Shell, which holds a 7.5% stake in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) — to conduct transactions involving its share in the pipeline. The order was published on the Russian government’s official legal acts website.

On Nov. 29 at 6 a.m. Astana time, CPC’s marine infrastructure near the port of Novorossiysk came under attack by Ukrainian forces using drones. One of the single-point moorings was heavily damaged and taken out of operation. Experts interviewed by Kursiv.media noted that...

The official representative of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry, Aibek Smadiyarov, elaborated on how the visa regime with the EU is set to be facilitated for Kazakhstan. According to him, entry will be cheaper, and the list of required documents will be shorter.

The official recalled that Kazakhstan and the EU have been in talks on facilitating the regime, with the first round of negotiations taking place on Dec. 2. The next round is planned for 2026 in Astana.

«First of all, this step will make travel, business and cultural exchange easier for citizens...

Rising taxes, high interest rates and increased competition from gray imports are putting organized retail and medium-sized businesses in Kazakhstan in an extremely difficult position, according to Freedom Holding Corp. CEO and majority shareholder Timur Turlov, who met with the media today in Almaty.

The high base rate most strongly affects the corporate segment, especially companies that depend on market loans, such as retailers.

«Retailers who financed sales with market loans are facing a zugzwang. Paying market rates is objectively very expensive for them. They cannot adequately shift this burden onto their margins,» Turlov said.

Ivan Toney, forward for Al-Ahli and England’s national team, was arrested after an alleged assault on a visitor at London bar, The Sun reported.

The incident took place last weekend. According to the outlet, the conflict broke out when a fan grabbed Toney around the neck in an attempt to take a selfie. The player told the man to let go, and reportedly Toney struck the person with his head.

«He walked past a table of a group of lads. One of them recognized him and said, ‘Oh, it’s Ivan Toney’ and...

According to Freedom Holding Corp. CEO and majority shareholder Timur Turlov, the company is exploring entry into the Turkish market. During a media briefing in Almaty, he said Turkey is a logical next step for the company’s development, though no deals have been signed yet.

«I don’t want to spoil the deal or make any announcements before a deal is finalized. We haven’t signed any agreements yet, but overall, we are definitely interested in regional expansion,» Turlov said.

No major acquisitions planned

As Turlov noted, Freedom has no intention of making any significant acquisitions in...

Kazakhstan’s National Bank is introducing amendments to the rules governing the opening and maintenance of bank accounts, as well as noncash payments and transfers. The changes will allow self-employed individuals to open special accounts.

The proposed updates include:

According to the National Bank, the first measure is intended to strengthen oversight of how grants for the commercialization of scientific and technical research...