Saniya Bulatkulova

ASTANA – As the curtain falls on the Paris 2024 Olympics, where Kazakhstan proudly secured seven medals, a new chapter in global sports is set to unfold. While the world has celebrated the feast of modern athletes on the grandest stage, the heart of Central Asia is preparing to host a cultural and sporting event like no other. The World Nomad Games, often described as the Olympics of Central Asia, are just around the corner, ready to bring together the diverse and historically rich cultures of nomadic peoples from across the globe.

Enhanced bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Pakistan have reached new horizons. Through the collaboration of KZT Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan Railway and QazTrade Center for Trade Policy Development Company with Pakistan’s National Logistic Corporation, a new trade route has been launched. This route runs from northeastern Kazakhstan via Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and onward by sea to the port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. The estimated delivery time for shipments along this route is 20-25 days.

ASTANA – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan will launch an inclusive yurt in the Nomad Universe Ethno-Aul as part of the fifth World Nomad Games cultural program on Sept. 7, reported the organization’s press service.

ASTANA – Astana Finance Days (AFD), organized by the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), continues with a series of discussions on topics including investment potential, financial institutions’ roles, data protection, artificial intelligence (AI) in business, the creation of a voluntary carbon market in Kazakhstan, capital markets, financial technologies, and Islamic financial solutions for both corporate and retail sectors.

ASTANA – Kazakh citizens are heading to the polls on Oct. 6 to vote in the national referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant.

ASTANA — Preliminary results from an Oct. 6 national referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan indicate a high level of civic participation, with regional variations in voter turnout across the country. Voter turnout reached 63.87% as of 8 p.m. Astana time, reported the Central Election Commission (CEC) at a press briefing.

ASTANA – Approximately 69.8 percent of people voted in favor of constructing a nuclear power plant, according to exit poll results announced at midnight on Oct. 7 by Alibek Tazhibayev, an expert at the Sotsis-A Institute for Social Research.

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated people on Republic Day, the country’s national holiday commemorating the foundation of an independent and sovereign state, on Oct. 25.

Editor’s Note: The Astana Times continues its series of articles, Exploring Kazakhstan, City by City, in the marvelous city of Uralsk. We are setting out to unveil the rich diversity of cities to bring you closer to the heart and soul of Kazakhstan.

In 2024, Kazakhstan aimed to demonstrate increasing independence and a persistent drive to strengthen its international status through its foreign policy. Amid global turbulence, resource competitions, and the rivalry of major power centers, Astana seeks to build a multivector strategy aimed at ensuring national security, economic stability, and the expansion of its diplomatic arsenal.