ASTANA –By the end 2050, more than 70 percent of humanity is expected to be living in urban areas. Half of Kazakhstan’s 18 million citizens currently live in cities and the nation is expected to reach the global average by mid-century. Kazakh cities will play a crucial role in the country’s economic and social development. …

In recent years, vegetarianism has been growing in numbers worldwide. Though reliable data is lacking on the number of vegetarians around the globe, the trend is there with far-reaching impact. Plant-based diets are also becoming more common in Kazakhstan. In a country where people are predominantly meat-eaters and recently ranked tenth in terms of beef consumption …

Kazakhstan has a rich tradition of amateur boxing dating to Soviet times, with more than 30,000 athletes engaged in the sport, according to the Kazakh Boxing Federation (KFB). The nation’s boxers have won at least one gold medal in every Olympics since 1996, boasting 22 men’s and women’s medals. The rise of its professional boxers …

The long, Z-shaped Bukhtarma Reservoir was created in the 1960s by damming the Irtysh River east of Ust-Kamenogorsk. While the main purpose was to provide energy for a 675-megawatt hydropower electric station, the reservoir has become a very popular holiday spot for locals who like fishing in its waters or sunbathing and grilling meat on its …

Digital technology plays an increasingly important role in today’s world, as more than 51 percent of the global population has access to the Internet. In 2015, the International Telecommunication Union estimated approximately 3.2 billion people, or almost half of the world’s population, have access to the web. Approximately two billion are from developing countries. (photo top …