Where to Go and What to See in Astana and Almaty This Weekend
ASTANA – With autumn in full swing, the weekend brings a diverse lineup of cultural and entertainment events, from live music and classical performances to charity runs. The celebrations will be especially lively in Almaty, which is marking its City Day this weekend. The Astana Times editorial team has curated a special list of…
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Expert: Astana’s Financial Center Rating Rises 18 Points on Structural Progress
ASTANA – Astana’s eight-place rise in the Global Financial Centers Index 40 (GFCI 40) should ultimately be measured by whether growing international confidence translates into more investment, deeper capital markets and greater cross-border financial activity, Bakhtiyar Tleubekov, chairman of the Management Board of Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC Authority), told The Astana Times on…
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Apple TV Officially Launches in Kazakhstan
ASTANA — Apple TV has officially launched in Kazakhstan, giving users direct access to Apple Original films and series for the first time.

The streaming service is included in all iCloud+ plans alongside Apple Arcade, with no separate Apple TV subscription required.

The basic iCloud+ plan costs 499 tenge (US$1) per month and includes…
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Italy, Central Asia Launch B5+Italy Platform to Expand Regional Business Ties
ASTANA – Government and business representatives from Central Asia and Italy convened on Sept. 16 in Astana for the launch of the B5+Italy platform aimed at turning growing political engagement into investment, industrial cooperation and stronger trade links across the region.

Launch of the B5+Italy platform in Astana. Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Trade…
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News Digest: Rybakina’s US Open Triumph, Kazakhstan-South Korea Ties and Oil Export Strategy
ASTANA – The Astana Times has selected articles from global media outlets covering Kazakhstan. This week’s foreign media digest highlights Elena Rybakina’s U.S. Open victory, strengthened Kazakhstan-South Korea cooperation, Astana Arena’s selection to host the 2028 UEFA Super Cup, and Kazakhstan’s efforts to diversify its oil export routes.

Astana. Photo credit: The Astana Times…
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BRICS, Seoul Summit, and Rybakina World No. 1 | Kazakhstan News Digest

From President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s BRICS meetings in New Delhi and deeper ties with South Korea to Elena Rybakina’s historic rise to world No. 1 and Astana’s upcoming AI Film Festival.

🔗Watch the latest episode of The Astana Times News Digest https://youtu.be/izUr_wjSZEE?si=VVkJ9JgbYdyjSxFr

Kazakhstan Eyes Cross-Border QR Payments as India’s UPI Offers Blueprint
MUMBAI – Kazakhstan is moving toward expanding its domestic QR-payment infrastructure across borders, with India among 11 countries identified for potential cross-border QR-payment cooperation. The initiative comes as cashless payments continue to account for the overwhelming majority of transactions in Kazakhstan.

Photo credit: Shutterstock

According to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, 84 million payment…
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Kulans Released Into the Wild in Ile-Balkhash Reserve
ASTANA – A group of kulans has been released into the wild in the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve as part of Kazakhstan’s efforts to restore the species’ population and return it to its historical range.

Photo credit: gov.kz. Click to see the map in full size. The map is designed by The Astana Times.…
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Asian Games Open in Nagoya as Kazakhstan Targets Bigger Medal Haul
ASTANA – The 20th Asian Games opened in Japan on Sept. 19, bringing together thousands of the continent’s top athletes. Kazakhstan is represented by 558 athletes competing in 35 of the 43 sports on the program, reported the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

At the opening of the Games on Sept. 19. Photo credit:…
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Making of World No. 1: Elena Rybakina’s Journey
ASTANA – On Sept. 12, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open final to claim the third Grand Slam title of her career.

Photo credit: ktf

The victory ended Sabalenka’s 19-match winning streak at the tournament and completed a remarkable rise for Rybakina. A few days before that,…
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B5+Italy Turns Italy’s Central Asia Strategy Into Working Platform
The launch of B5+Italy in Astana matters because it gives Italy and the five Central Asian states a standing mechanism to turn last year’s summit diplomacy into investment, industrial partnerships, and regional economic cooperation.

The Central Asia-Italy Business Forum may look like another event in the region’s crowded calendar of international meetings. Its significance,…
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From Astana Events to Xi’an Rail Links, Kazakhstan Expands Tourism Reach
ASTANA – Nearly 830,000 tourists visited Astana in the first half of 2026, a 12% increase from the same period last year, as Kazakhstan’s capital expands its tourism offering and strengthens international connectivity, including through a new tourist train linking China and Kazakhstan.

The Xi’an–Almaty tourist train is welcomed in Almaty after travelling along…
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Kazakhstan Raises Irrigation Support to Accelerate Water-Saving Technologies
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has expanded the use of water-saving irrigation technologies to 702,300 hectares of irrigated farmland as of Sept. 1, 2026, nearly three times the area recorded in 2023, as the government seeks to reduce agricultural water losses and improve irrigation efficiency.

Photo credit: Atameken Business

Modern irrigation systems were used on 237,100…
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Kazakhstan Wins Four Golds on First Full Competition Day at Asian Games 2026
ASTANA – Kazakhstan won six medals, including four golds, on Sept. 20, the first full day of competition following the official opening of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, reported the Kazakh National Olympic Committee’s press service.

The Kazakhstan national triathlon team. Photo credit: Sali Sabirov.

Triathlete Arlan Zhanabay secured Kazakhstan’s first medal…
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Kazakhstan’s Aviation Safety System Faces Review as US Flights Remain in Focus
ASTANA – A team of experts from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) in Kazakhstan on Sept. 21 as the country advances efforts to establish direct air connectivity with the U.S.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Transport Talgat Lastayev met with the visiting FAA experts. Photo credit:…
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Kazakhstan Steps up Literary Outreach as Reading Culture Becomes Policy Priority
ASTANA – Kazakhstan presented its contemporary literature and publishing industry at the 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair as the country steps up efforts to promote reading culture at home and expand the international reach of Kazakh literature, the Ministry of Culture and Information’s press service reported on Sept. 21.

Kazakhstan highlights reading culture…
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Inside Astana’s Tazy Exhibition: National Breed Finds New Attention
ASTANA — For 79-year-old Ramazan Yeseyov, the tazy is a family tradition stretching back generations. He began raising the dogs at six, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle. More than seven decades later, that tradition came full circle in Astana, where his tazy Eles won a specialized exhibition.

Photo credit: The…
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South Korea’s Universities Open New Opportunities for Kazakh Students
Editor’s note: This article is published as part of a partnership agreement between The Astana Times and The Korea Times. A special series seeks to provide readers with in-depth insights into the opportunities, challenges, and trends linking our two countries.

ASTANA – More Kazakh students are looking to South Korea as a…
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Kazakhstan’s Web3 Ecosystem Enters Global Top 10 as Regulated Crypto Market Tops $10 Billion
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s regulated cryptocurrency market surpassed $10 billion in trading turnover in 2025, while the country ranked among the world’s top 10 by the number of applications to international Solana hackathons, highlighting the rapid development of its Web3 ecosystem.

Photo credit: Inbusiness.kz

The regulated crypto market reached $10.58 billion in 2025, up from…
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Kazakhstan Plans to Launch Driverless Taxi Service in 2027
ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to introduce a driverless taxi service in 2027, with an autonomous vehicle already undergoing testing in Almaty and a pilot project underway in three cities.

Photo credit: Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The first driverless vehicle is currently being tested in Almaty, where it is collecting data…
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