News

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...

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov signed a treaty on permanent good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.

Xi arrived in Bishkek on Sunday for a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and to attend the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, which brings together China, Russia, Central Asian states and other members to discuss regional security, economic cooperation and international affairs.

The visit comes as China and Kyrgyzstan seek to expand economic and political ties. In an article published by Kyrgyz state media, Xi said bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges have grown...

World-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen visited children at an orphanage in Karaganda. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a look at how the meeting went.

According to the Asem Orphanage’s social media, Qudaibergen spoke with the center’s children, had tea with them and answered their questions.

The artist also listened to the children and offered advice. For the children, the visit gave them an opportunity to meet an artist known not only in Kazakhstan...

Members of the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s unicameral parliament, have approved Erlan Karin as vice president of the Republic of Kazakhstan. His candidacy, proposed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was supported by a majority vote.

«Over the past five to seven years, positive changes have taken place across all sectors of our country, and people can feel them. Thanks to your support and leadership, our country is undergoing major, historically significant reforms. I have been honored to serve the people in recent years. I want to thank you for your trust. Regardless of my position, I swear to honestly...

Artificial intelligence, LTE-R and new cybersecurity systems are set to be introduced across Kazakhstan’s railway network. Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway operator, and Huawei have agreed to develop the sector’s digital infrastructure.

Yelzhas Otynshiyev, KTZ chairman of the management board, met with Leo Chen, Huawei’s senior vice president and president of enterprise sales. The parties reviewed the results of their cooperation and identified areas for further work.

Connectivity and real-time operations

One of the key projects will be the deployment of LTE-R, a specialized wireless communications network for rail transport. It is expected...

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...