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Askhat Khassenov, CEO of Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGas (KMG), told reporters last week that Russia’s Lukoil, which is subject to Western sanctions, remains a strategic partner of the national oil and gas company.

He said KMG is working to resolve financing issues affecting Kalamkas-Khazar Operating (KKO), a joint venture whose bank accounts have been closed because of sanctions-related restrictions.

«Lukoil is our strategic partner. There are currently restrictions, as you know, on our ability to secure financing, but we are working to resolve these issues,» Khassenov said.

The KMG chief added...

Kazakh Member of Parliament Askhat Aimagambetov has announced plans to develop amendments to health care legislation addressing the safety of AI-powered medical systems, patient data protection and liability for errors arising from the use of these technologies.

In a post on his Telegram channel, Aimagambetov noted that people in Kazakhstan are already turning to AI for health-related advice, while medical professionals are increasingly incorporating neural networks into their work.

«AI has enormous potential, from analyzing medical images and processing data to identifying health risks and supporting clinical decision-making,» the lawmaker said.

Kazakhstani sellers fear that the growing presence of Chinese platforms such as Pinduoduo could hurt their businesses. Those most at risk are merchants who import inexpensive goods from China and resell them at a markup.

In late September, news emerged that Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo planned to launch a project in Kazakhstan. Although the details remain unclear, the plans include a proposed transport and logistics hub, Almaty SkyHub, designed to facilitate shipments from China to the European Union, the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and Central Asia. Following the announcement, many Kazakhstani entrepreneurs voiced concerns about intensifying competition.

As Kazakhstan recently celebrated Republic Day, we look back at a holiday tradition: the presentation of state awards to distinguished citizens. Among these honors, the title of «Halyk Kaharmany» («People’s Hero») holds a special place as one of the country’s highest distinctions. Kursiv.media’s editorial team has analyzed publicly available data to compile a comprehensive database of everyone who has received the title.

To date, 39 people have been named People’s Hero, including one foreign national. The first recipient was Sagadat Nurmagambetov, independent Kazakhstan’s first defense minister, who received the title in 1994. This year, 52 years...

The Student List, a Serbian opposition movement that emerged amid a wave of anti-government protests, has won the country’s snap parliamentary elections. Former President Aleksandar Vučić has acknowledged his party’s defeat, Reuters reported.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Belgrade to celebrate after the preliminary results were announced. Approximately 2.2 million people voted for the student movement, compared with 1.72 million for Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Voter turnout reached nearly 70%.

How students entered politics

The student movement is projected to secure between 135 and 140 seats in the 250-seat parliament, while the...

A married couple from Almaty covered 15,100 kilometers across Kazakhstan over 72 days, observing birds and exploring the country’s wilderness. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at how they balanced birdwatching, work and life on the road.

Galym and Aizhan have been married for nine years. Recently, they began traveling more frequently around Kazakhstan and developed a passion for birdwatching. The idea of crossing the entire country grew out of their previous trips.

«We really love the Mangystau region. We’ve flown to Aktau several times, but we always felt limited because we couldn’t...

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina defeated Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa (No. 128) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinal of the 2026 Ningbo Open. The Kazakhstani needs two more wins to defend the title she claimed last year.

Rybakina, 27, and Kawa, 33, faced each other for the first time. The Kazakhstani raced to a 3-0 lead with a break of serve. After conceding one game to Poland’s No. 5, Rybakina won the next three to take the first set 6-1 in just 22 minutes.

Rybakina opened the second set with a break but...

Twelve Kazakh citizens who traveled to Russia for work but ended up being drawn into the war in Ukraine have returned home. Lawyer Meirman Shekeyev announced that the men had been released from their military obligations and legal obstacles to their return to Kazakhstan had been resolved.

According to Shekeyev, the outcome was achieved with the assistance of Kazakh government authorities.

«This is more than just a homecoming. Behind it lie the tears of parents, the hopes of families and the return of Kazakh citizens to their native land. My deepest gratitude to everyone...

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang welcomed the idea of developing a Kazakhstani equivalent of ChatGPT capable of understanding the Kazakh language, culture and national context.

Huang believes that developing homegrown artificial intelligence is a matter of national security and state independence from foreign AI systems.

He spoke about the issue in Astana while discussing AI development with Kazakhstan’s minister of artificial intelligence and digital development, Zhaslan Madiyev.

«People are questioning whether we need to have our own Kazakh GPT. So, we want that AI understands and speaks Kazakh and...

Kazakhstan and China may launch a pilot project for autonomous cargo transportation. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport has signed a memorandum of understanding with China TransInfo Group.

The parties signed the document at the New Silk Way international business forum, which focuses on the transport industry. The memorandum covers autonomous transport and the digitalization of the transport sector.

«The document lays the groundwork for long-term cooperation in introducing autonomous technologies and digital solutions in the transport sector,» the ministry noted.

The ministry added that Kazakhstan and Russia implemented a pilot project involving autonomous trucks on the...

The National Bank of Kazakhstan has reduced the base rate from 16.25% to 15.75%. At the same time, the regulator noted that due to inflation risks, the possibility of a further base rate reduction by the end of the year remains low.

Commenting on the decision, the bank noted that cutting the base rate was possible due to a continued slowdown in annual inflation (to 9.3%) and a reduction in inflation expectations. The regulator stressed that monetary policy remains moderately tight.

The National Bank noted that price pressure remains elevated and the balance of risks is...

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said Kazakhstan is the first country he has visited where the president has declared an intention to transform the nation into an «AI nation.» He made the remarks during a fireside chat with Digital Minister Zhaslan Madiev in Astana as part of AI Month.

«I want to congratulate your president and Kazakhstan for declaring Kazakhstan will be an AI nation. It’s incredibly visionary. You should be commended for your foresight and recognizing that this is a global technology reset and what an incredible opportunity it is for Kazakhstan,» Huang said.

Kazakhstan’s National Computer Emergency Response Team KZ-CERT has issued an urgent warning to local website administrators and owners. Two critical vulnerabilities, collectively known as PHP2Shell, have been discovered in PHP, a popular programming language used by the vast majority of websites in the country. The flaws could allow attackers to execute code remotely without authentication.

The nature of the critical threat

Both vulnerabilities have received a severity score of 9.2 out of 10 under the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). The flaws stem from memory-management errors in PHP’s core, some of which have been present in the code since...

An international arbitration has dismissed Kazakhstan’s $12 billion claim against the major shareholders of North Caspian Operating Company N.V. (NCOC), the operator of the Kashagan field, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The tribunal alowed other claims by Kazakhstan totaling approximately $8 billion to proceed. Still, the arbitration process is ongoing, as the country’s government continues to seek $150 billion in compensation for lost profits.

Read also: Analyst: New Kazakh ecology chief appointment linked to Kashagan talks

In 2023, Kazakhstan filed an initial $13 billion claim against NCOC. The figure later rose to $15 billion...

inDrive, Pony.ai and NVIDIA have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the potential launch of driverless taxi services in Kazakhstan. Astana is planned to be the project’s first test city, with rides expected to be booked through the inDrive app.

Robotaxi launch timeline

The three companies intend to develop a roadmap for the project and assess the technical, operational and regulatory requirements for its launch. No specific timeline has been announced. The service would launch only after an agreement with Kazakhstan’s government.

Pony.ai is expected to provide its seventh-generation (Gen-7) robotaxis, while inDrive will be responsible for...

Elena Rybakina, the world No. 1 in women’s singles and a prominent player from Kazakhstan, has become the fourth-fastest player in history to reach 80 main-draw match wins at WTA 500 tournaments, according to OptaLena.

Rybakina reached this milestone in just 117 matches, after winning in the second round at the current tournament in Ningbo, China.

OptaLena’s statistics show that only three other champions have reached this milestone in fewer matches since the tournament structure was reformed in 2009:

Petra Kvitova — 112 matches;

Aryna Sabalenka — 112 matches;

Caroline Wozniacki — 113 matches.

Other top achievements for...

Kazakhstan has approved new rules for evaluating candidates seeking positions in the prosecutor’s office. The selection process will consider academic performance, test results, interview scores and relevant professional experience.

Applicants will be ranked digitally based on these indicators. According to the official order, the assessment will cover five professional competencies:

Each competency will be scored on a five-point scale, ranging from...

Kazakhstan’s National Bank has assessed how the country’s banks would withstand a sharp withdrawal of deposits by individuals and businesses. According to the assessment, more than half of the banks would fall short of the required liquidity threshold under an extreme stress scenario, although some would retain substantial liquidity buffers.

See also: Top Kazakhstan banks by assets and growth trends as of Sept. 1, 2026.

The regulator evaluated banks’ ability to withstand potential deposit outflows by measuring their compliance with the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR). This metric indicates whether...

Businesses in Kazakhstan will be able to use 3D printing more widely to manufacture spare parts and equipment components, potentially reducing their reliance on foreign suppliers.

To support the development of domestic production, a new national standard has been approved and is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027, according to the Ministry of Trade.

The standard was developed by KazStandard. It establishes technical requirements for materials and finished products, as well as methods for quality testing and verification.

The standard focuses on industrial 3D printing, which allows manufacturers to produce components from metals, polymers and other materials...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly dismantling longstanding barriers related to time, labor and data availability in economic research, according to a new column by Isabel Vansteenkiste, a European Central Bank official, published by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). However, while AI is accelerating research output and the dissemination of knowledge, it could also exacerbate existing institutional bottlenecks across the economics profession.

Validation bottlenecks and lost training opportunities

As AI sharply reduces the marginal cost of producing working papers, Vansteenkiste warns that the burden of peer review and formal validation will grow significantly. Journals and...

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina opened her 2026 Ningbo Open campaign with a win over Uzbekistan’s Polina Kudermetova (World No. 105). Kudermetova retired after Rybakina took a 5-0 lead. Rybakina is defending the title she won in China last year.

Rybakina had a first-round bye at the WTA 500 event in Ningbo. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Kudermetova, who has represented Uzbekistan since 2025, defeated Spain’s Cristina Bucșa (World No. 38) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 in the first round.

The players had faced each other only once before, at the 2023 Berlin Open. Rybakina won 6-4, 6-2 on grass in...

Uzbekistan has appointed three new deputy ministers of education and science. One of them, Oybek Yuldashev, is also an electronic music enthusiast. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a closer look at the DJ in the ministry.

Before taking office, Yuldashev served as director of PwC Uzbekistan’s public sector, infrastructure and ESG consulting practice. In the music scene, however, he is known by the nickname Minor Unit.

Along with his work in public administration, Yuldashev is active in electronic music. In his PromoDJ bio, he says he’s been collecting it since 1997 and regularly shares new tracks. His sets...

China’s Unitree Robotics has unveiled the H2-X, a humanoid robot that can perform acrobatic stunts, fend off attackers and take part in rescue operations. A demonstration video shows the robot jumping from a height, perdorming flips and even lifting the front of a car. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a closer look at the new robot.

A robot straight out of an action movie

On Oct. 21, the company posted a video on social media demonstrating the H2-X. The robot was dubbed the Kung Fu Legend Guardian.

At the beginning of the video, the H2-X demonstrates its...

MP Marat Shibutov proposed that Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction consider the mineral resources contained in accumulated mining waste. He said processing waste left by decades of mining could improve environmental conditions and free up land.

Shibutov highlighted the potential of developing so-called technogenic mineral formations — accumulated mining waste that may contain recoverable minerals. Developing new deposits requires significant investment, resources and time, he said, while mining waste offers an additional source of minerals.

Over 150 years of mining in Kazakhstan, billions of tons of waste from ore enrichment have accumulated. In the past...