Page 546 – The Times Of Central Asia

02 Oct 2024

Home, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan Business & Economy, Kazakhstan Featurees

Observers From 30 Countries Will Follow the Referendum on NPP in Kazakhstan

October 25, 2024
By Vagit Ismailov

The secretary of the Central Referendum Commission, Mukhtar Erman, has announced that 177 international observers will monitor the referendum on constructing a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kazakhstan. Erman specified that observers represent 30 countries and four international organizations. Major international organizations invited by Kazakhstan include the OSCE, SCO, CIS, and Organization of Turkic States; however, the OSCE will not participate due to its high workload.

Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko added that 200 foreign journalists from 37 countries, including international media representatives, will work on the day of the referendum. According to Vassilenko, this will ensure transparency and objectivity.

The idea of holding the referendum, which will be held on October 6, 2024, emerged against the backdrop of regular problems with energy supply and the need to modernize infrastructure. An active debate has characterized the build-up to the referendum, a project supported by the authorities as a solution to combat energy shortages and carbon dioxide emissions, whilst some quarters of the population remain concerned about environmental risks and Kazakhstan’s historical connection to nuclear testing.

02 Oct 2024

Central Asia, Tajikistan Justice, Justice, Tajikistan Local Politics, Tajikistan, Local Politics, Tajikistan Features

Tajikistan Mobilizes Civil Servants for Door-to-Door Anti-Radicalism Explanatory

October 2, 2024
By Sadokat Jalolova

As reported, officials and civil servants in Tajikistan have been tasked with going door-to-door and holding explanatory talks with the population on radicalism and extremism. In the southern Khatlon region, 1,800 civil servants, including teachers, healthcare workers, and local council members, have been assigned to carry out these talks.

Officials claim the primary goal of these conversations is to prevent young people from becoming radicalized. During the meetings, they discuss topics like promoting traditional women’s clothing instead of hijabs, which authorities associate with radicalism. They also ask about relatives living abroad who might be at risk of becoming extremists and encourage young people to join the army.

In the first seven months of this year, campaign groups visited over 620,000 houses.

At the same time, campaign groups film their interactions with people and publish reports on social networks.

Critics of the government in this regard claim that officials’ door-to-door visits are nothing more than intrusions into people’s homes and interferences in their personal affairs.

However, officials deny this; they say that the chosen method only allows for identifying the “most vulnerable” families and is necessary to combat radicalism among young people.

“The issue of radicalization in the region is alarming, especially the joining of young people to various extremist movements. There are many cases,” said Davlatali Said, the governor of Khatlon region.

02 Oct 2024

Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan Life & Culture, International Affairs, Kyrgyzstan International Affairs, Kyrgyzstan, Local Politics, Kyrgyzstan Local Politics

Children’s Delphic Games Open in Kyrgyzstan

October 2, 2024
By Vagit Ismailov

The First Open Children’s Delphic Games for CIS countries has begun in Bishkek. The opening ceremony was held at the Toktogul Satylganov Kyrgyz National Philharmonic.

The event strives to revive the ancient Greek traditions of the Delphic Games, which took place in the city of Delphi and were dedicated to art and culture. The competition program this year includes competitions for piano, violin, classical guitar, pop and solo singing, folk dance, and DJing. The festival features folk instruments, arts and crafts, and sign language songs.

Asel Chynbaeva, Commissioner for Children’s Rights, opened the Games by speaking about the importance of the Delphic Games as a platform for cultural exchange and showcasing talent among young people from Eurasian countries.

This year special attention is being paid to the Paradelphi nomination, which includes the performance of works in sign language. This emphasizes the importance of inclusiveness and demonstrates how art can overcome barriers and unite people.

The Games will run until October 5.

02 Oct 2024

Education, Central Asia, Life & Culture, Kazakhstan Local Politics, Kazakhstan Life & Culture, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

Kazakhstan’s Largest Hackathon to Take Place Across the Country

October 8, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

Decentrathon 2.0, Kazakhstan’s largest multi-location hackathon, will be held on October 18-19 across major cities, including Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Karaganda, and others, gathering more than 2,500 developers from the country’s 17 regions to compete for a $50,000 prize.

According to the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, participants will tackle challenges related to AI, Blockchain, GameDev, and Telegram mini apps. Additionally, a virtual job fair will offer developers the chance to connect with top companies and explore local and international career opportunities.

Organized by the Blockchain and AI Technology Center (BAITC) and Astana Hub, with support from the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, this year’s hackathon will be an expanded including leading universities and tech parks, making it a truly national event. The inaugural event in 2023 gathered more than 1,500 participants from nine regions.

Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, stated that: “Decentrathon is the first large-scale IT event spanning every region of Kazakhstan and one of the key initiatives of the Generative Nation movement this year. Our goal is to drive the country’s AI transformation. Initiatives like this must have a national scope, providing young talents across Kazakhstan with the opportunity to contribute to technological and AI development.”

Magzhan Madiyev, CEO of Astana Hub, added, “AI engineers play a pivotal role in Kazakhstan’s AI transformation. The Generative Nation movement’s initiatives focus on developing human capital in AI, enabling them to work on projects that will transform our country and have a global impact.”

02 Oct 2024

Central Asia, Turkmenistan Life & Culture, Turkmenistan, Life & Culture, Features

Sumbar the Life-Saving Brown Bear Settles in Ashgabat Zoo

November 11, 2024
By Vagit Ismailov

The National Museum of Wildlife of Turkmenistan, known as the Ashgabat Zoo, has a new resident — a brown bear named Sumbar, transferred from the Volokolamsk Center of the Moscow Zoo. This bear is not an ordinary bear: earlier, as a donor, his blood saved the life of another female bear. This is a rare case because there are seven groups of bear blood, and the blood of Sumbar suited the sick animal.

The bear was given to the Ashgabat Zoo on the initiative of the Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EARAZA) in honor of the 33rd anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence. Sumbar will have to adapt to a new place where comfortable conditions have been created for him in a spacious enclosure. Caring zookeepers have hidden food in different corners of the zoo’s territory so that the bear can show its instincts.

Currently, Sumbar is showing unexpected vegetarian preferences, favoring fruits and nuts. He is soon to be joined by a female brown bear named Aydere, also from the Moscow Zoo. Given that bears reach sexual maturity by age three and that Sumbar and Aydere are still “little,” they have time to adapt and become friends, with the prospect of starting a family in the future.

This case is unique because it is extremely rare for bears to become donors due to the difficulty of blood group compatibility. When veterinarians discovered that a sick bear cub had a serious illness requiring a blood transfusion, Sumbar’s blood matched perfectly. Thanks to this, the bear cub’s life was saved. This case attracted the attention of zoologists and veterinarians worldwide, and Sumbar gained heroic status among his subscribers and the center’s staff.

02 Oct 2024

Kyrgyzstan Environment, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Business & Economy, Features, Kyrgyzstan Features, Kyrgyzstan Home

Despite High Water Levels in Kyrgyzstan’s Toktogul Reservoir, Electricity Shortages Persist

October 8, 2024
By Sergey Kwan

Despite an increase in water levels at Kyrgyzstan’s Toktogul hydroelectric power plant (HPP) reservoir this year, the country continues to face electricity shortages, Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibrayev said in an interview with Birinchi Radio.

Located on the Naryn River, the Toktogul HPP is Kyrgyzstan’s largest power plant, providing around 40% of the country’s electricity.
As of October 1, 2024, the water volume in the Toktogul reservoir reached 13.033 billion cubic meters, approximately 1.3 billion cubic meters more than the previous year. The reservoir currently receives 365 cubic meters of water per second while releasing 284 cubic meters per second for power generation.

“Despite the increased water levels in 2024, we are still facing an electricity deficit of about 3.9 billion kilowatt-hours,” Minister Ibrayev stated.

To address the deficit, Kyrgyzstan is working to expand its energy capacity by building small and large hydroelectric plants. “In the past, small hydroelectric plants produced around 200-300 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This figure has now increased to 750 million kilowatt-hours,” Ibrayev explained. He also noted that the country’s electricity consumption has risen by 400 million kilowatt-hours this year, driven by the launch of new industrial enterprises.

According to the National Statistics Committee, Kyrgyzstan generated 13.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2023, with hydropower plants accounting for approximately 87% of total electricity production.

In 2023, Kyrgyzstan met 80% of its electricity demand, which totalled 17.2 billion kilowatt-hours. The remaining 20%, or 3.4 billion kilowatt-hours, was imported.

To help reduce reliance on imports, an agreement was signed between Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan in May 2023 for the supply of 1.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from Turkmenistan, starting on January 1, 2025.