Kazakhstan

Of the 388.400 children born in Kazakhstan last year, males accounted for 51,6% and females 48,4%, the National Bureau of Statistics reported; urban areas saw 59% of the total births, while the remaining 41% occurred in rural areas

The worst floods in decades hit Kazakhstan and Russia, with entire neighborhoods evacuated and thousands of homes flooded in the Ural River area between the two countries

The Astana Hub International Technopark of IT Startups has seen a surge in projects started by female entrepreneurs, with nearly 250 companies registered, 25% of which have successfully extended their services abroad

1,1 million plants will be planted in a drained part of the Aral Sea by the end of 2025 to revitalize the area, according to plans of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources

A phased implementation of new railways covering 4.700 kilometers is planned to be initiated between 2024 and 2030 for the further development of transportation and transit potential and the modernization of transportation infrastructure

The country is preparing to introduce broadband internet in 171 rural schools in the East Kazakhstan region using SpaceX Starlink technology; last month, the first batch of 500 pieces of SpaceX Starlink equipment had arrived in the country

A conference on improving investment attractiveness in mining was held in Astana, where Minister of Industry and Construction emphasised the role in attracting foreign direct investment, worth over US$200 billion over the past decade, 60% of total invests

Sniffer dogs have helped the Kazakh police detect 575 crimes since the beginning of the year, reported the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Kazakhstan-based EdTech start-up CodiPlay presented its innovative solutions at the world's largest educational technology event, Bett 2024, which took place at the end of January at the ExCeL international exhibition and conference centre in London

The number of measles cases in Europe skyrocketed in 2023, to the point that WHO called for an urgent vaccination effort to stop the spread: Kazakhstan and Russia had the worst of it, with around 10.000 cases each from January to October last year

Approximately $171,3 million was invested in the country's professional, scientific and technical activities in January-November 2023, Finprom's financial and business analysis service reported, compared to $100 million in 2022

The Nazarbayev University School of Medicine is partnering with Yale School of Public Health on an advanced research training program to address HIV, supporting scientists and clinicians interested in phylogeny of viruses and molecular epidemiology

The National Academic Library of Astana and the Auezov Institute of Literature and Art organised an international conference on the 95th anniversary of Chingiz Aitmatov, the famous Kyrgyz writer and statesman