Alatau City: Can Kazakhstan Build Regional Economic Hub from Scratch
ALMATY – Kazakhstan is betting that Alatau City can evolve from a planned development outside Almaty into a regional economic hub. Backed by a special legal regime and billions of dollars in proposed investment, the project seeks to combine manufacturing, logistics, technology and finance with new transport and digital infrastructure, but its success will…
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Top Experts Argue Central Asia Needs Stronger Agency in Emerging Global Order
ASTANA – Central Asia’s best defense against challenging and fragmenting global order lies not in choosing a geopolitical camp but in deeper regional coordination, diversified partnerships and stronger international rules, top experts said during an Aug. 31 discussion in Astana.

Photo credit: Georgi Gotev

The five Central Asian states are unlikely to become a…
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Kazakhstan, Laos Seek to Expand Trade Through Agriculture and Transport Links
ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Laos are seeking to expand bilateral trade by using Kazakhstan’s position as a trade and logistics bridge to connect Lao products with Central Asian and wider Eurasian markets, while opening greater access for Kazakh goods to Southeast Asia.

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and President Thongloun Sisoulith with members of the…
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Kazakhstan Completes Track Connection on Moiynty-Kyzylzhar Railway Line
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has completed the track connection on the 323.3-kilometer Moiynty-Kyzylzhar railway line, marking a key milestone in one of the country’s major transport infrastructure projects.

Photo credit: News Central Asia.

The new line, being built across the Ulytau and Karagandy Regions, is designed to strengthen Kazakhstan’s transport and logistics potential, expand international…
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Weekend is Calling: Events to Enjoy This September
ASTANA – Unwind this weekend after a busy workweek by visiting engaging exhibitions and sporting events. The Astana Times editorial team has curated a special list of events perfect for enjoying with friends and family.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Astana

Kazakhstan Premier League, Sept. 6

Feel the excitement of Kazakhstan Premier League football as…
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National Bank Cuts Base Rate to 16.25% Amid Continued Disinflation
ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan cut its base rate by 50 basis points to 16.25% on Sept. 4, as annual inflation fell below 10% after 11 consecutive months of disinflation. The regulator, however, warned that persistent inflation risks limit room for further easing.

National Bank Governor Timur Suleimenov. Photo credit: The National…
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EDB Launches PPP Scholarship Program at Eurasian National University
ASTANA — The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) has launched a scholarship program focused on public-private partnerships (PPPs) at the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU), aiming to strengthen research, education and practical expertise in Kazakhstan’s PPP sector.

Svetlana Maslova, EDB Director for PPP Projects with scholarship recipients at ENU on Sept. 4

The initiative,…
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ChatGPT’s Kazakh Language Push Shows Why AI Must Go Beyond English
ASTANA – ChatGPT’s growing development in the Kazakh language highlights a broader challenge for artificial intelligence: understanding a language also requires understanding the cultural context behind it, futurist and author Ron Immink told The Astana Times. Kazakhstan’s efforts to build Kazakh-language datasets and culturally specific AI benchmarks show why AI systems need to reflect…
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News Digest: Foreign Media Highlight Kazakhstan’s China Ties, Middle Corridor and Political Reforms
ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest highlights President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s vision for deeper Kazakhstan-China cooperation, the Middle Corridor, and more.

Astana. Photo credit: The Astana Times

Tokayev links Kazakhstan-China partnership to wider vision for a more connected and cooperative Eurasia…
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SCO Eyes Multipolar Future, Kazakhstan Signs Nuclear Power Deal | Kazakhstan News Digest

Kazakhstan is pushing for stronger cooperation across Eurasia, expanding ties with Southeast Asia and taking a major step toward its nuclear energy future.

🎥 Watch the full episode https://youtu.be/Mk_cSAO9yeQ

Cyberport, Astana Hub Deepen Tech Ties Between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan
HONG KONG – Cyberport digital technology hub sees its collaboration with Kazakhstan’s Astana Hub IT park as a two-way launchpad, enabling Hong Kong to expand into Central Asia’s growing AI market while offering Central Asian startups a direct corridor into mainland China and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

Cyberport Chairman Simon Chan and Editor-in-chief of…
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Kazakhstan to Host Its First Ever ICAO Aviation Security Week 2026 in October
ASTANA – Kazakhstan will host ICAO Aviation Security Week for the first time on Oct. 20-22, bringing aviation regulators, industry leaders and security experts to the capital to address emerging threats and strengthen international cooperation.

AI-generated image/ The Astana Times

Supported by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, the event will focus on the theme Safe…
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Kazakhstan Races to Top at World Nomad Games
ASTANA – Kazakhstan leads the overall medal standings at the sixth World Nomad Games with 55 medals, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

As of Sept. 4, Kazakh athletes had won 25 gold, 13 silver and 17 bronze medals.

The Kazakh team won the 300-kilometer long-distance horse race during the sixth WNG.…
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Kazakh Scientists Develop Drone Technology To Protect Crops From Pests
ALMATY – Kazakh scientists have developed a drone-based technology to automatically distribute beneficial insects across agricultural fields, potentially making biological crop protection faster and more effective, the Ministry of Agriculture reported on Sept. 2.

Photo credit: The Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan

Researchers at the Zhiembayev Kazakh Research Institute of Plant Protection and Quarantine…
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Second Przewalski’s Horse Foal Born in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – A second Przewalski’s horse foal has been born in Kazakhstan as part of an international program to restore the endangered species to its historical habitat, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources reported.

Photo credit: Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Click to see the map in…
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Kazakhstan Plans $327 Million Expansion of Oil Pipeline Routes to China
ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to invest an estimated $327 million to expand two key sections of its oil pipeline system toward China, increasing their combined capacity to 35 million tons annually and strengthening the country’s eastern export corridor.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

KazTransOil, the nation’s oil transport company, presented the investment plans to investors on…
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Kazakhstan Is Upgrading Its Oil Export Strategy—Here’s How
Astana is looking for more ways to move its oil.

Russia, its principal export outlet, is rife with disruptions. Damage to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s (CPC) Black Sea terminal inNovember 2025 suppressed exports into early 2026, while the recent July attacks on tankers threatened roughly1.5 million barrels per day.

Joseph Shumunov.…
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Expert: Higher Foreign Currency Supply Supports Tenge Strengthening Amid Changing Market Flows
ASTANA – The Kazakh tenge strengthened 2.6% against the US dollar in August, reaching 461.57 per dollar at the end of the month, as foreign currency supply continued to exceed demand amid increased market activity and changing capital flows, according to Saltanat Igenbekova, head of the Analytics Center at Halyk Finance.

Photo credit: Shutterstock…
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Kazakhstan’s Logistics Diplomacy: Ambition, Leverage and Constraints
ASTANA – Long constrained by its landlocked geography, Kazakhstan is seeking to turn its position between Europe and Asia into a source of economic and geopolitical leverage. As trade disruptions and competition drive demand for diversified supply chains, Astana is investing in new transport corridors to establish itself as an indispensable transit hub and…
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OPEC+ Keeps October Oil Output Quotas Unchanged As Focus Shifts To 2027
ALMATY – OPEC+ has decided to keep oil production targets for October unchanged, pausing further adjustments as the alliance assesses market conditions and prepares for a broader review of production baselines for 2027.

Photo credit: ixbroker.com

The decision was made on Sept. 6 during a virtual meeting of Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan,…
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