Caspian at Risk: Leaders of the five Caspian states warned that falling water levels are shrinking the sea and threatening ecosystems, ports and coastal livelihoods. They agreed to strengthen cooperation on monitoring and water management. Transport and Trade: President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev again put the Middle Corridor among Kazakhstan’s priorities, as a World Bank report says the country needs to capture more value than transit fees alone. Industry: A 750-billion-tenge copper smelter is planned for Balkhash, with construction due to start in 2027 and operations targeted for 2030. Aktobe is also set to get a glass-container plant with annual capacity of 256 million items. Health and AI: Kazakhstan has begun testing an AI tool to flag patients at risk of heart failure. A separate survey found 71% of residents use AI for health questions, while many struggle to tell reliable advice from misinformation. Football: Ireland’s women thrashed Kazakhstan 8-0 in Astana, dealing a heavy blow to the hosts’ World Cup playoff hopes.