News

The protagonist of the iconic 1979 Soviet comedy “Autumn Marathon” — a translator and lecturer named Buzykin — displays a rare moment of emotional boldness and resolve when confronting a wayward student who is begging for a passing grade. He tells the student that he will make no concessions, especially when it comes to future translators, because translation is a profession that carries great responsibility:

«The Translators’ Charter, Comrade Lifanov, states that translation in the modern world should foster better mutual understanding among peoples, whereas your incoherent babbling would only drive them apart.»

In light of the recent tragedy that claimed the lives of 14 servicemen in the Caspian Sea, military experts shared their views with Kursiv.media on what a modern army should look like and what reforms are needed in Kazakhstan’s defense sector.

Amangeldy Kurmetuly points out that Kazakhstan is not alone in struggling to keep pace with changes in warfare over the past five years. Most post-Soviet states — and, indeed, many countries around the world — face similar challenges.

We still rely heavily on towed artillery

«We immediately saw...

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Rhenus Group Chairman of the Management Board Tobias Bartz. They discussed developing cooperation in transport and logistics, as well as joint infrastructure projects.

Kazakhstan aims to become the major continental logistics hub

Tokayev emphasized that the company has helped strengthen Kazakhstan’s transport connectivity over the years. The president highlighted Kazakhstan’s goal of becoming one of the continent’s major logistics hubs.

The Middle Corridor

The parties specifically discussed developing the Middle Corridor. Tokayev proposed jointly developing a competitive route with modern ports, terminals, railways and...

China’s Geely Auto Group and Kyrgyz authorities are set to establish a working group to explore the prospects of launching a joint venture and developing service infrastructure, 24.kg reported.

Geely interested in Kyrgyzstan

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Head of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev visited Geely Auto Group’s headquarters in Hangzhou during his working trip to China. The Kyrgyz delegation was briefed on the company’s operations, technical capabilities and potential.

The parties reaffirmed their interest in cooperation. Possible areas include building a joint plant and developing service infrastructure. To examine...

Kazakhstan is prepared to extend the agreement governing the development of the Tengiz oil field beyond 2033, but on new terms. The government has already presented investors with stringent financial and operational conditions.

The Kazakhstani government aims to secure a one-time payment of $10 billion and increase the state’s stake in the project from 20% to 35%, Bloomberg reported, citing sources.

Negotiations over a potential extension of the existing contract with the project operator, Tengizchevroil (TCO), are currently in their early stages. U.S. oil major Chevron is TCO’s largest shareholder, with a 50% stake. ExxonMobil holds 25%, Kazakhstan’s national...

The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has acted as an anchor lender, providing $100 million of the total $670 million syndicated loan arranged by Bank of America to further develop Almaty International Airport, the EDB announced.

«The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) acts as a senior co-lender in the financing of Almaty International Airport as part of a syndicate arranged by Bank of America. The total financing will amount to $670 million, with the EDB contributing $100 million,» the bank said in a statement.

Almaty International Airport is Kazakhstan’s busiest airport in passenger and cargo traffic...

Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan Binur Zhalenov said the regulator is working to facilitate payments for Kazakhstanis on popular gaming services. According to him, the issue of making purchases on the PlayStation Store with Kazakhstani bank cards could be resolved in the first quarter of 2027, BES.media reported.

Zhalenov commented on difficulties accessing the online stores of Sony and Microsoft, which do not have a separate region for Kazakhstan and do not offer a straightforward way to pay with Kazakhstani bank cards.

«In fact, it is possible to pay...

Kazakhstan is ready to become a reliable supplier of critical commodities to Germany, according to an article by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev published in Handelsblatt ahead of his official visit to the country.

In the German capital, Tokayev is set to hold talks with German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The Kazakhstani president views his visit to Germany as an opportunity to open a new chapter in the Kazakh-German partnership, tap into new areas of growth and give fresh momentum to bilateral cooperation.

As he noted, the greatest potential for cooperation lies in metallurgy, petrochemicals, the food...

Kazakhstani figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov rose to second place in the updated ISU World Standings for men.

He has 4,193 points. Second place is Shaidorov’s career-high standing after he climbed from third.

Ilia Malinin of the U.S. retained the top position with 4,590 points. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama dropped to third with 4,123 points.

Shaidorov moved into second place after winning bronze at the Nepela Memorial, an ISU Challenger Series event in Bratislava.

According to media reports, Shaidorov’s second-place position in the ISU world standings marked both a personal record for the athlete and the best result...

The ownership structure of Sozak Oil and Gas, a gas producer planning to develop fields in the South Kazakhstan protected zone, has undergone a major transformation.

How the ownership structure changed

During the first half of 2026, the company’s principal shareholder significantly reduced its stake, while five new investors acquired shares. Over the same period, Sozak Oil and Gas’ net loss increased nearly 17-fold to 1.1 billion tenge (about $2.5 million).

Read also: Kazakhstan eyes a $5 billion windfall from its latest gas venture with China.

According to...

A blogger from Dagestan visited the Guangdong Xuelei Fragrance Culture Museum in Guangzhou, China. The concept of a fragrance museum is not new — a similar facility exists in Dubai, for example — but the Chinese museum takes the idea a step further.

Visitors are invited not only to experience different scents but also to create a personalized perfume based on the fragrances they prefer. The museum also holds a Guinness World Records title as the world’s largest fragrance museum.

Almaty-based photographer Dmitry Dotsenko has shared another stunning image, capturing the season’s first full moon — the «Golden Moon» — above Kazakhstan’s southern capital, with the iconic «Golden Man» statue silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky.

The photos were taken at 5 a.m. using a telephoto lens. As the Moon aligned with the silhouette...

Let us set aside, for the moment, the claims that Donald Trump is a KGB agent or that he has a lookalike in the Urals. The former is generally dismissed by the mainstream as a conspiracy theory, while the latter is little more than a viral internet meme in the Russian-speaking online world.

Instead, let us turn to the assertions — and the troubling indications cited in support of them — that raise questions about Trump’s mental state.

In a compelling analysis for the political newsletter Tangle, editor Isaac Saul warns that President Trump’s...

Shareholders of Kazakhstan’s largest bank by assets, Halyk Bank, resolved to obtain a license to conduct Islamic banking operations. The bank is also set to establish a council on Islamic financing principles.

At the general shareholders’ meeting on Sept. 25, Halyk Bank shareholders approved the resolution to obtain a license to conduct Islamic banking operations. The bank will also establish an Islamic Financing Principles Council.

The shareholders’ meeting also elected three members to the Halyk Bank Islamic Financing Principles Council. One of the members is Aznan Hasan, an associate professor at the Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance at the...

Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied choosing the song «Send in the Clowns,» which was played shortly before the signing of a security agreement between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland at the United Nations headquarters in New York last week, Euronews reported.

Footage from the ceremony shows U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the room while Judy Collins’ version of the Stephen Sondheim song was playing. Social media posts claimed that Danish officials deliberately selected the song ahead of the Sept. 22 ceremony, attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic...

Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee clarified the situation around the disqualification of athlete Yasmina Toxanbayeva, who finished first in the marathon race walk event at the 2026 Asian Games. The reason was the athlete’s footwear, which was not on World Athletics’ list of approved shoes.

On Sept. 27, Toxanbayeva secured gold by finishing first in the marathon race walk in 3 hours, 22 minutes and 20 seconds, outpacing her closest competitor by around four minutes. She was initially declared the winner.

After the finish, technical delegates checked the shoes of the three medalists...

The Kazakhstan Automobile Union (KAU) reported that Kazakhstan’s official dealerships sold 6,003 passenger NEVs (New Energy Vehicles) from January to August, up 207.4% year-on-year from 1,953 vehicles sold during the same period last year.

Hybrids account for most of the demand

Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) accounted for 72.5% of the NEV segment.

In eight months, a total of 4,351 PHEVs and EREVs were sold, compared to 1,008 vehicles the previous year, while 1,652 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were sold, up 74.8% from 2025, when 945 such vehicles were sold.

Head...

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, a leading figure in the country’s politics for more than a decade, has stepped down early after more than a year of student-led protests and growing public discontent over his government’s policies, the BBC reported.

The protests began in November 2024 after a concrete canopy collapsed at the Novi Sad railway station. Before the disaster, Vučić’s government had touted the station’s renovation as a symbol of the country’s progress. The collapse claimed 16 lives and triggered mass demonstrations involving students, teachers, workers, farmers and other groups, with protesters accusing the government of corruption.

Vuči...

Patients in Russia with recurrent depression may have more treatment options. The updated standard of care includes electroacupuncture, electrical brain stimulation and laser blood irradiation.

Russia’s Health Ministry has already published the new standard, which will come into effect on Oct. 3. It will replace the 2022 document and apply to adults with recurrent depression, a condition in which the illness returns after periods of improvement.

The list of procedures has been expanded to include acupuncture using extremely high-frequency currents, plasma exchange, blood ultrafiltration and hypoxia therapy. A physician will decide which method is appropriate for each patient.

The medical...

Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for a sweeping transformation of the Defense Ministry. The Security Council Office and the ministry have been instructed to submit a military reform plan within 10 days.

«At a recent meeting with the Security Council Office, I outlined the priorities for our military. Our army is stuck in the last century. At the same time, we must completely overhaul the command structure to bring it in line with international best practices. A comprehensive approach is required. This demands vision, and such vision can only come from competent, broad-minded officers. The...

At about 09:40 a.m. on Sept. 28, an estimated magnitude-4.4 earthquake struck the Almaty area. Residents received immediate mobile alerts warning them of the quake.

No injuries or damage were reported. The tremors were also felt in Kyrgyzstan.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has sharply criticized the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 14 military personnel during exercises in the Mangystau region. He said the families of the deceased would receive all necessary assistance and ordered an investigation into the actions of officials responsible for the exercises.

«I have sent telegrams of condolence to the parents of all the fallen servicemen. The relatives of the deceased will receive all necessary assistance. No family will be left without support,» the president said.

Tokayev described the deaths of the servicemen during peacetime as the result...

On Sept. 27, International Chess Federation (FIDE) President Timur Turlov made his first public appearance in his new role at the closing ceremony of the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. In his speech, he said that including chess in the Olympic Games program is one of the organization’s major goals.

Addressing the Olympiad participants and organizers, the CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. described the national federations’ decision to elect him FIDE president as a sign of immense trust and significant responsibility.

«It is a great honor for me to close the 46th World Chess Olympiad...

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway operator and a subsidiary of Samruk-Kazyna, intends to raise up to $5 billion through an initial public offering (IPO), targeting a total business valuation of up to $30 billion. The information was reported by Hong Kong financial publication etnet and highlighted by the Kazakhstan Association of Minority Shareholders (QAMS).

IPO could launch in October

The KTZ IPO could begin as early as October, although a postponement to 2027 remains possible. etnet did not specify the size of the offering, although previous media reports have mentioned up to...