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Mark Cavendish, British Cyclist from Astana Qazaqstan Team, Takes Record Stage Win

British cyclist Mark Cavendish made history at this year’s Tour de France, which he was said was probably his last race. Cavendish, currently riding for the Astana Qazaqstan Team, set the record for winning the most career stages (35) at cycling’s biggest event. The tour ended Sunday with Slovenian Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates as the overall winner. But Cavendish’s record-breaking performance was one of the main story lines of the 2024 Tour de France, which broke with tradition and ended in Nice because the usual finishing area, in or near Paris, is preparing for the Olympics (July 26-Aug. 11). In 2021, Cavendish drew level with Belgian Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins at the Tour de France, but another win eluded him in the following years. He signed up with Astana Qazaqstan for 2023, but dropped out of that year’s Tour de France after a fall. On the verge of retirement, he stayed with Astana Qazaqstan for another try at breaking the record. On July 3, it happened when he won the fifth stage of the Tour de France. “It’s hard to fully grasp this success, but we worked towards it, and as a team, we did everything possible to make it happen,” 39-year-old Cavendish said. “Few believed that we would succeed, that Mark’s arrival in Astana Qazaqstan Team would change history, but we believed and did everything to make today’s victory happen,” said Alexandr Vinokurov, general manager of the team. “We were close to this last year, but fate had other plans. I believe that real champions should not end their careers after a fall and injury, and I am happy that Mark decided to do another season in the end.” Cavendish won his first Tour de France stage in 2008. Merckx, a five-time winner of the Tour de France, retired from racing in 1978. This month, Chinese company XDS, one of the world’s biggest bicycle makers, said it will invest in the Astana Qazaqstan Team for at least five years, according to a team statement.

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Central Asia Life & Culture Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Local Politics Local Politics

Turkmenistan Unblocks 3 Billion IP Addresses — But Why?

The news portal “Turmen.News” is reporting that internet blocking has been eased in Turkmenistan since the beginning of July. Access to 3 billion IPs has been restored in the country for users of Turkmentelecom and Ashgabat city telephone network providers. However, restrictions are still in place for the mobile operator Altyn Asyr (Golden Age). Internet restrictions are usually partially lifted in Turkmenistan while distinguished guests are in the country. This is usually done locally: in a hotel where foreign guests stay or, as a last resort, throughout the city. Turmen.News has speculated on three possible theories to explain the removal of restrictions on internet access. The first theory is that the easing of restrictions is connected with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's visit to the country. However, Guterres arrived in the country on July 5 and left the next day. More than ten days have passed, but the internet in Turkmenistan is still more accessible than ever. The other theory, which the publication lists as more probable than the visit of the UN Secretary-General, is that Turkmenistan's president Serdar Berdimuhamedov gave instructions to the Ministry of National Security to lift senseless internet blocks. The final theory is that intelligence agencies and communications experts in Turkmenistan are testing a new firewall for internet traffic. After the test, blocking and filters may be restored.

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Central Asia Life & Culture Kazakhstan Local Politics International Affairs Kazakhstan Justice Kazakhstan Life & Culture Local Politics Kazakhstan Kazakhstan International Affairs

Kazakhstan Weighs Down on Human Trafficking

In response to data issued by international experts citing the current level of human trafficking in Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has just signed a law to address the situation. First and foremost, the new law aims to protect and provide social support for victims, the majority of whom are migrant workers, people with disabilities, solitary pensioners, young women and children. Referencing statistics, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Marat Kozhaev announced that 19 criminal cases were opened in Kazakhstan for child trafficking in 2023, with an additional six already logged this year. He explained that most of the children are sold within the country to meet the demand of people unable to have their own. Such cases involve staff from perinatal centers and orphanages, as well as people with unwanted pregnancies. Child trafficking is a lucrative business which continues apace despite the threat of a jail sentence of up to 18 years. According to the police, there were cases this year of parents asking for between KZT100,000 to KZT2 million, equivalent to 208 -4,168 US$, for their new-borns. Young mothers often look for potential buyers online, even while pregnant. Under the recent law, the Criminal Code has been amended to include “crimes related to trafficking in persons”, covering kidnapping, unlawful confinement, human trafficking (including trafficking minors), prostitution, etc. Amendments have also been made to the Administrative Code aimed at preventing the sale of children, including new-borns, through the introduction of the clause: “Failure of officials to report incidents of abandonment of new-borns, admission and delivery of orphans and children without parental care.” Incidents of human trafficking are invariably tragic. In most cases, the victims usually poor or homeless, are taken by force or deception to remote corners of the country, where forced to work on peasant farms, they are subjected to backbreaking labor, beatings, and a lack of medical care for months or years. The situation becomes more complicated if the victim is a migrant from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, or Turkmenistan. Such workers often without the documentation to work legally, are attracted by promises of decent pay and then literally put in chains. Another illegal business is begging. Not long ago, on a street in Almaty, volunteers rescued a lone, elderly person who had been forced through beatings and starvation to beg for several months. As a result of the beggar's testimony, a gang of slave traders was arrested the following day. Enforced prostitution is also common, particularly amongst low-income families and orphans. International experts have repeatedly warned Kazakh authorities of the need to increase its legal levers to tackle human trafficking. In 2020, the US placed Kazakhstan on its watch list which as Kazakhstan’s commissioner for human rights Elvira Azimova, said at the time, was a direct response to the country's number of victims. “The official numbers of identified cases of human trafficking and criminal prosecution in Kazakhstan are significantly lower than in neighbouring countries - including Kyrgyzstan and Uzbkistan - for whose population Kazakhstan is a destination. This may...

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Home Life & Culture Kazakhstan Life & Culture Kazakhstan

Danish Actor Mads Mikkelsen to Headline Comic Con in Kazakhstan

Mads Mikkelsen has confirmed he will attend Comic Con Astana on July 27-28. “I’ll be there to chat, sign some autographs, share some stories,” the Danish actor said on Instagram. Mikkelsen was a prominent actor in Denmark before achieving international success as a villain in the James Bond film “Casino Royale” (2006). He has received many accolades, including a 2012 best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the Danish psychological drama “The Hunt.” He won acclaim for his performance as Hannibal Lecter in the series “Hannibal” (2013-2015) and also had roles in “Doctor Strange” (2016) and “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” (2022). Comic Con Astana, which runs from July 25 to 28, is a magnet for enthusiasts of fantasy, video games, anime, cinema and other forms of popular entertainment. It will be held at the International Exhibition Center in Kazakhstan’s capital. Kazakh graphic novelists are among those expected to present their work. Participants in a cosplay contest will compete for prize money worth 12 million tenge ($25,000).

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Environment Central Asia Kazakhstan Environment Life & Culture Kazakhstan Features

Tigers to Return to Kazakhstan

The Ministry of Ecology of Kazakhstan and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International) are set to reintroduce tigers to the republic by settling the animals in a new reserve. Following an agreement signed by the two parties in mid-July, the Ministry of Ecology stated: "This memorandum is a continuation of successful and fruitful cooperation, which has already led to significant achievements in the restoration of biodiversity and infrastructure of the Ile-Balkhash Nature Reserve. The tiger's return to Kazakhstan is an ecologically important project and a symbol of our efforts to restore the natural heritage." The project has been many years in the making. In 2021, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed reintroducing tigers to Kazakhstan with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Referencing the fact that the last Turanian tigers were spotted in Kazakhstan in the 1930s, he explained: "These are steppe tigers. In ancient times, they were sabre-toothed, so now we are developing an international project to restore the population of these tigers." The long-awaited tigers will arrive this autumn and as reported by the Ministry of Ecology, two tigers, a male and a female, will be delivered from the Netherlands at the expense of the Dutch side in September. In addition to these animals, in 2023, environmentalists announced plans to release a group of Amur tigers from Russia within five years, following an agreement signed by Russia and Kazakhstan at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in 2022. It was assumed that the first generation of the population would consist of Amur tigers, including those from Primorye. Turanian, otherwise known as Transcaucasian tigers, which used to live in Central Asia, northern Iran, and the Caucasus, are genetically close to Amur tigers but slightly smaller. The intention to recreate the tiger population in the country was first declared at an international forum dedicated to preserving tigers in 2010. Kazakhstan announced its readiness to embrace the initiative and since then, has been rigorous in its preparations. In September 2017, a memorandum was signed between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the government of Kazakhstan on implementing the program and in 2018, the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve was established, where work to restore the ecosystem is in full swing. The tiger reintroduction program is planned to span over 35 years and comprises three phases: habitat preparation, predator release, and monitoring the growth of the tiger population. In the Ile-Balkhash reserve, boundaries have been established, communication systems have been set up, and comprehensive territory protection measures have been implemented. "The reserve territory is a natural complex that includes a variety of natural ecosystems from semi-desert, floodplain, and saxaul forests to wetlands. Such a favorable geographical location and rich forage create favorable conditions for the breeding of wild animals and a large number of birds. Biodiversity of the reserve includes about 40 species of mammals, 284 species of birds, and more than 420 species of plants, many of which are included in the Red Book of Kazakhstan," the Ministry of Ecology explained. Since 2019, the reintroduction...

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Education Home Uzbekistan Life & Culture Uzbekistan Features Features Uzbekistan Life & Culture

Stay or Go? Uzbek Students Ponder Studies at Home, Abroad

Like many Uzbek students, Nigina Poziljonova left Uzbekistan to study at a university abroad. She doesn’t regret her decision. “Unlike the teachers I personally saw in Uzbekistan, professors are happy when students say, ‘I don’t understand, please explain again,’” said Poziljonova, who is studying for a bachelor’s degree in business economics with data science at the University of Cassino in Italy. “If necessary, they are willing to spend two hours after class for that student. If I fail one exam, I can take it 5 times a year for 3 years for free,” said the Uzbek student, who nevertheless describes her Italian experience as “more challenging than I anticipated.” --- The perceived shortcomings of higher education have long been a preoccupation in Uzbekistan, which has a large population of young people and is the most populous country – with about 35 million citizens – in Central Asia. Authorities are trying to fix the problem. Last month, Minister of Higher Education Kongratbay Sharipov said 20 underperforming universities will be closed because only 5-10% of their graduates are employed. Uzbekistan has more than 200 universities - 114 are state-run, 65 are private and 30 are foreign university branches, according to 2023 data. Uzbekistan had the fifth largest number of “tertiary” students (students who have completed secondary school) studying abroad – 109,945 – among countries around the world that were surveyed, according to UNESCO data in 2021. Around that time, more than 570,000 students were studying in higher education institutions in Uzbekistan. As in many countries, a lot of Uzbek students believe a quality education lies abroad and their increasing command of English and openness to the world can bring that goal within reach. Additionally, Uzbekistan’s El-Yurt Umidi foundation, a state agency launched in 2018, covers tuition fees and living expenses of talented people who want to study abroad. The foundation signs a contract with scholarship holders that requires them to return to Uzbekistan and work for three years. Many students study at universities in neighboring countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, and then, after one or two years, transfer to universities in Uzbekistan. According to Kyrgyz data, some 38,857 Uzbek students studied in higher education institutions in Kyrgyzstan in 2022 and the figure reached 40,282 in 2023. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting in May at which officials discussed the 306 majors available at the bachelor’s level in Uzbekistan, and the 625 specialties at the master’s level. They acknowledged that some don’t meet international standards and labor market requirements and explored ways to revise them. Opening new courses in areas of high demand was also discussed. Another problem in Uzbek universities is an excessive focus on specializations. At one journalism university, specialists taught multiple sub-topics, including TV, international news, public relations, the internet, as well as military, travel, art, economic and sports journalism. Progress has been made. More people have access to higher education. Starting this year, state grants are given for one year, and in the remaining years of...

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