Energy & Investment: Nostrum Oil & Gas agreed to sell its Kazakhstan assets to Altaris Holding for $304.6m, aiming to repay senior notes in full and make an initial $150m repayment to senior unsecured holders; the deal covers Zhaikmunai and POSITIV interests tied to the Chinarevskoye and “Stepnoy Leopard” fields. Oil Exploration: KazMunayGaz and Croatia’s Geoenergija Razvoj are moving ahead with exploration of the Shygys block in Aktюбinsk, setting up Shygys Operating, reprocessing 2,600 km of legacy seismic, adding 500 km more, and planning a 3,500m exploration well. Politics: Kazakhstan’s first Kurultai elections on Aug. 23 will test the new constitutional order after the March referendum and the July shift to a single 145-deputy parliament. AI Geopolitics: The US plans to warn dozens of countries—including Kazakhstan—that joining China’s AI framework could mean exclusion from Washington’s Pax Silica coalition. Regional Power Shock: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan still dispute what caused the Aug. 14 Central Asia blackout, with KEGOC pointing to Toktogul hydrogenerators while Kyrgyz grid data cites a different disconnection sequence. Weather: Rain, thunderstorms, and dust storms are expected across Kazakhstan, with heat in Almaty/Zhetysu and parts of Mangystau. Culture & Sports: Burabay’s short film festival awarded a French animated film and a British screenplay; Kazakhstan’s Viktor Druzin won bronze at junior artistic swimming worlds.