Caspian Sea Crisis: A new UN-backed forecast warns the Caspian could shallow sharply over the next 50 years, threatening biodiversity, ports, shipping, fishing and tourism across Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. AI Leadership in Astana: Kazakhstan hosted the graduation of “AI Leaders 2026” at Alem.AI, bringing together 800+ executives and policymakers from 150+ organizations across nine countries, backed by Kazakhstan’s AI ministry and partners including Stanford HAI and OpenAI Academy. Astana Budget Boost: The capital’s budget revenue plan was raised to 111.4 billion tenge, with extra spending for transport, utilities, landscaping and greening. Monetary Policy: Kazakhstan’s National Bank cut the base rate to 17% and kept the 2027 inflation outlook, citing slowing inflation and a stronger exchange rate. Weather Watch: Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected across Kazakhstan, while Aktobe continues pumping out floodwater after intense downpours. Sports (Kazakhstan): Kazakhstan climbed to 109th in the FIFA rankings ahead of friendlies vs Armenia and Hungary; in volleyball, Kazakhstan beat Hong Kong in the AVC Women’s Cup opener. Nuclear Cooperation: Kazakhstan and Russia’s Kurchatov Institute signed an MoU on peaceful nuclear research, training and areas like nuclear medicine and reactor technologies.