Caspian Seal Conservation Faces New Challenges as Sea Changes
ASTANA – The Caspian Sea is home to the Caspian seal, the world’s only seal species found exclusively in the Caspian Sea. The species spends most of its life in the water and travels considerable distances in search of food, while the northern Caspian’s winter ice fields provide critical breeding grounds.

In November 2020,…
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Kazakhstan’s Parliamentary Campaign Enters Final Week With Focus on Rule of Law
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Kurultai election campaign entered its final stretch, with nationally televised debates dominating the campaign. The debates offered voters an opportunity to compare the platforms of the seven competing political parties.

Team TV debates of representatives of seven parties ruuning to Kurultai, on Jibek Joly TV channel on Aug.12. Photo credit: Jibek…
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Kazakhstan Deepens University Ties with Japan and South Korea
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is expanding academic and scientific cooperation with leading universities and research institutions in Japan and South Korea. The country seeks to strengthen higher education, research and artificial intelligence (AI) development.

Science and Higher Education Minister Sayasat Nurbek visited Japan and South Korea to strengthen academic and research partnerships. Photo credit: gov.kz…
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From Illicit Wealth to Public Services: Where Kazakhstan’s Recovered Assets Are Going
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has returned 1.154 trillion tenge (US$2.5 billion) in assets to state ownership since launching its asset-recovery program in September 2023. The central question now is how effectively these funds can be converted into long-term public benefits, particularly in regions facing infrastructure shortages.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly stressed…
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Beyond Oil: Why New Resources Will Decide Global Power
While the prevalent discourse in the 20th century centered on the importance of oil pipelines, gaining access to oil reserves and spotlighting countries controlling energy supplies ranging from OPEC states to European giants such as Norway for economic resilience, the current, global, geopolitical environment points to a new trend.

Oil drilling and pipelines.…
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Kazakhstan Opens 5.2 Million Hectares for Carbon Projects. Will Investors Follow?
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has identified 5.2 million hectares of non-forested land within its 31-million-hectare state forest fund as having potential for carbon projects, opening new opportunities for investors in emissions reduction and carbon absorption projects, Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Yerlan Nyssanbayev said.

Photo credit: inbusiness.kz

“This opens new opportunities for investors to participate…
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How Kazakhstan’s First Released Tiger Adapts to Life in Wild
ALMATY – Umit, the female Amur tiger released into the wild in Kazakhstan’s Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve on July 31, is continuing to explore the region’s forests and habitats near water as specialists monitor her adaptation to life in the wild.

Photo credit: gov.kz. Click to see the map in full size. The map…
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Astana Finance Days 2026 to Bring Global Investors and Financial Leaders to Kazakhstan
ALMATY – More than 5,500 participants from over 80 countries are expected to gather in Kazakhstan’s capital on Sept. 9-10 for the ninth Astana Finance Days (AFD) 2026 forum, hosted by the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC).

Photo credit: aifc

The forum will bring together investors, representatives of the financial and technology sectors, regulators,…
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Air Astana Extends Dubai Flight Cancellations Through Sept. 30
ALMATY – Air Astana has extended the cancellation of flights to Dubai from Almaty and Astana through Sept. 30 due to the continuing unstable situation in the Persian Gulf region.

Photo credit: Air Astana

The airline said its flight schedule for October has also been adjusted, with the frequency of flights on these routes…
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Kazakhstan’s Wildlife Recovery Expands From Protection to Reintroduction
ALMATY – Kazakhstan is reporting continued growth in several rare ungulate populations while expanding programs to return animals that disappeared from parts of the country to their natural habitats. From Przewalski’s horses and kulans to the recent release of a tiger into the wild, conservation policy is moving beyond protecting surviving wildlife toward rebuilding…
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Kazakhstan’s Oil Sector Stumbles, but Export Revenues Tell Different Story
ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s oil sector experienced a period of lower production in the first seven months of 2026, with production falling 8.9% to 53.2 million tons amid disruptions at the Tengiz field and the country’s main export route through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). Yet the decline in production has not translated into a…
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At 25, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Is More Relevant Than Ever
By almost any measure, multilateralism is under pressure. Major powers are increasingly divided, conflicts are multiplying, and international institutions struggle to produce agreement on basic security challenges.

Aliya Mussabekova. Photo credit: KazISS

Against this backdrop, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which marks its 25th anniversary this year, offers a different story: while many multilateral frameworks…
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Kazakhstan’s Industrial Growth Reveals Diverging Paths for Manufacturing and Mining
ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s economy continued to expand in the first seven months of 2026, with investment and manufacturing providing an important source of growth even as mining output declined and exports remained heavily dependent on raw materials.

Photo credit: gov.kz

New data from the Bureau of National Statistics points to a mixed but potentially…
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What to Expect from Kurultai Elections in Kazakhstan This Week
ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s citizens will elect the members of the Kurultai, a new unicameral Parliament, on Aug. 23, putting a redesigned parliamentary and electoral system into practice for the first time.

Photo credit: BaigeNews.kz.

Beyond determining who receives the 145 seats, the vote will offer an early indication of how the new rules affect…
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Kazakhstan’s Export Growth Signals Shift Toward Stronger Global Market Presence
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s foreign trade entered a stronger phase in January-June, with exports growing faster than imports and non-resource and processed goods gaining ground in major international markets. The key question is whether this represents a temporary improvement in trade performance or a stronger shift in the structure and geography of Kazakhstan’s exports.

Photo…
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Kazakhstan’s Fertilizer Industry Could Strengthen Food Security and Export Potential
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is expanding domestic fertilizer production to reduce import dependence, support agriculture and develop higher-value exports. Major nitrogen and potassium projects planned by 2030 could help create a more complete domestic fertilizer industry.

Photo credit: agromag.ua

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly stressed the importance of expanding domestic fertilizerproduction to reduce…
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Kazakhstan’s First Kurultai Election Attracts 777 Foreign Observers
ASTANA – A total of 777 foreign observers from 42 countries and 13 international organizations have been accredited to monitor Kazakhstan’s Kurultai election, Central Election Commission (CEC) Secretary Mukhtar Yerman said on Aug. 18.

Photo credit: Galiya Khassenkhanova.

The figure includes 138 members of parliaments from 41 countries.

International monitoring

According to the…
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What Kazakhstan’s Recent Elections Reveal About Voter Participation
ASTANA – Voter turnout in Kazakhstan has fluctuated considerably in recent national elections, with presidential contests drawing higher participation than the two most recent parliamentary votes, as experts point to party mobilization, geography and public trust as key factors.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Turnout is not just how many people cast ballots. It can also…
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Kazakhstan’s Confectionery Producers Expand Export Potential
ASTANA – Kazakh confectionery producer LOTTE Rakhat plans to enter the markets of South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, expanding the international reach of one of the country’s established confectionery brands.

Photo credit: fix-price.com

The company operates production facilities in Almaty and Shymkent, with combined annual capacity exceeding 100,000 tons. Its range includes more than…
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After Ending Power Shortages Kazakhstan Can Become Electricity Exporter
ALMATY – Kazakhstan plans to commission 845 megawatts of new power generation capacity in 2027 as part of a broader effort to meet growing electricity demand and build a reserve in the national power system. The planned projects combine gas-fired generation with renewable energy, reflecting the country’s strategy to expand capacity through multiple sources…
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