Comic Con Astana Announces Winners of Amateur Cosplay Contest
The Comic Con Astana 2026 amateur cosplay contest was held on the opening day of the festival, bringing together more than 80 participants, the Astana city administration said.
More than 50 adults and around 30 children took to the stage dressed as characters from films, television series, anime and video games.
The contestants were judged by a panel that included winners of last year's amateur competition. According to the organizers, selecting the winners proved difficult due to the high level of preparation among the participants.
First-place winners in both the adult and children's categories received 100,000 tenge, while second- and third-place winners were awarded 60,000 tenge and 40,000 tenge, respectively.
In the adult category, a cosplay of Akali from League of Legends took third place, while Edward Scissorhands came second. The Almaty Butterflies team won first place with a cosplay featuring janitor characters.
For the first time, the festival introduced a special Best Video Game Cosplay category in partnership with the Future Games. In the adult competition, a participant portraying Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3 won the award and received a tablet as a prize.
In the children's category, a cosplay of Ai Hoshino took third place, while Klee came second. The winner portrayed Jabba from the Star Wars universe. A cosplay of Link was named the best video game cosplay in the children's category.
The amateur cosplay contest was one of the highlights of the opening day of Comic Con Astana 2026. The festival runs through Aug. 9 and will also feature a professional cosplay competition, appearances by international headliners and other events.
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School in Karamanas village named after Rakhmetolla Raimkulov
Images | MFA RK
With the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Republic of Uzbekistan, a ceremonial event was held in the village of Karamanas, Bostanlyk District, Tashkent Region, marking the beginning of the new academic year and the naming of Secondary School No. 34 after the outstanding Kazakh writer, playwright, translator, World War II veteran and public figure Rakhmetolla Raimkulov.
The event was held as part of the Forum of Writers of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, "The Spiritual Heritage of the Turkic World: Literature as a Dialogue Between Eras and Generations," which brought together representatives of the literary and cultural communities of the two countries. The forum served as another important platform for strengthening Kazakh-Uzbek cultural and humanitarian ties, preserving their shared spiritual heritage and expanding creative dialogue.
The school is located in the village of Karamanas, where the writer was born in 1913. Naming the educational institution after him demonstrated a commitment to preserving the shared historical and cultural heritage and strengthening friendship between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The ceremony was attended by Adviser to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan M. Otarbayev, Adviser to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Kh. Sultanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Uzbekistan Yeraly Tugzhanov, President of the International Foundation for Turkic Culture and Heritage, Professor A. Raimkulova, as well as representatives of government bodies, the creative intelligentsia, the Writers’ Unions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and prominent figures in culture and literature.
In his welcoming remarks, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan Yeraly Tugzhanov noted that this was not simply the opening of a school, but a reflection of the centuries-old shared history, culture and spiritual affinity of the Kazakh and Uzbek peoples.
The celebrations continued with the traditional First Bell ceremony and an open lesson entitled "Rakhmetolla Raimkulov: A Legacy that Unites Generations." As part of the event, the renovated school library and a memorial corner dedicated to R. Raimkulov were opened. The library collection was enriched with new editions of Kazakh and Uzbek literature.
Representatives of the Writers’ Unions of the two countries highlighted the important role of literature in preserving historical memory and developing humanitarian ties.
The First Bell marked the symbolic beginning of a new chapter: the writer’s name has returned to his native land, where it will live on in the memory and knowledge of future generations.
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Kazakhstan Celebrates First-Ever Tazy and Tobet Day
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Kazakhstan is marking the Day of the Kazakh Tazy and Tobet for the first time on Sept. 3, celebrating two national dog breeds that have accompanied people across the Great Steppe for centuries.
"The Tazy, as a national dog breed, is an integral part of our people’s cultural heritage and traditional way of life. It is one of the Seven Treasures (‘Zheti Kazyna’), symbolizing loyalty, agility and strength," presidential spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said.
For centuries, the Tazy and Tobet have been companions to people on the Great Steppe. Tazys were traditionally used for hunting, while Tobets guarded livestock and property.
In recent years, Kazakhstan has stepped up efforts to preserve and develop its national dog breeds. The country adopted legislation on their preservation and breeding and became a full member of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI).
In 2024, the Tazy received preliminary international recognition, with Kazakhstan officially designated as the breed’s country of origin.
Kazakh Tazys now take part in major international dog shows, while the breeding base and number of breeders continue to grow.
According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, around 4,000 Tazys are currently registered in the unified studbook maintained by the Union of Cynologists of Kazakhstan. The actual number is believed to be higher, as some dogs in villages and remote areas are not yet covered by the centralized registration system.
Specialists continue to conduct breeding assessments across the country, collect information on the dogs’ ancestry and maintain records. The work is aimed at preserving the Tazy’s breed characteristics and genetic diversity.
The Kazakh Tazy is also gaining greater international exposure. In 2025, the breed was officially presented at the World Dog Show in Helsinki. In June 2026, Kazakhstan presented 12 Tazys at the World Dog Show in Bologna.
A National Center for Kazakh Dog Breeds is being built in the Zhetysu Region. The center will focus on keeping and breeding purebred dogs, maintaining a unified pedigree registry, training canine specialists, and hosting exhibitions, assessments, trials and competitions.
In February 2026, the government also approved a comprehensive plan for the preservation and breeding of Kazakh dog breeds for 2026-2036.
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From flamingos to books: Seven festivals to visit in Kazakhstan this September
A series of cultural, environmental and music events will take place across Kazakhstan in September as part of the country’s 2026 calendar of flagship tourism events, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said.
The programme will begin with Flamingo Fest, to be held in the Akmola Region on September 5. The festival, which has been held since 2005, focuses on nature conservation and the protection of flamingo habitats. The programme includes concerts, exhibitions, family activities, meetings with experts and opportunities to observe flamingos in their natural habitat.
The Zhaiyk Sazy autumn arts festival will take place in the West Kazakhstan Region on September 12. Visitors can attend exhibitions, workshops, music and theatre performances, as well as meet artists and craftspeople.
Almaty will host two major events. Alma Fest, an annual festival celebrating the city’s famous Aport apple, will take place on September 20. The programme includes local produce fairs, workshops, concerts and tastings of apples and apple-based dishes.
KitapFest will follow on September 20-21, featuring a book fair, meetings with authors, a book exchange, children’s performances and workshops.
The international tourism festival Caspian - Sea of Friendship will be held in the Mangystau Region from September 24 to 28. Its programme includes forums, exhibitions, seminars and meetings with representatives from different countries.
On September 26, Pavlodar will host Ertis Promenade. Concerts, evening discos, open-air film screenings and outdoor fitness sessions are planned along the city’s Central Embankment.
The September programme will conclude with the Turkistan Craft Fair, which will take place in the Turkistan Region from September 26 to 28. The international crafts exhibition will bring together artisans from different countries and feature a handmade goods fair, workshops and concerts.
The ministry said the calendar of flagship events is designed to develop event tourism, promote the tourism potential of Kazakhstan’s regions and increase both domestic and inbound tourist flows.
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Kazakhstan Named One of World’s Top Three Wildlife Tourism Destinations
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An expedition to Kazakhstan’s steppes to observe saiga antelopes has ranked third in the international Wildlife Experience Index, ahead of snow leopard safaris in the Himalayas, polar bear expeditions in Svalbard and orangutan encounters in Borneo.
The index assessed 30 of the world’s most remarkable wildlife experiences. Each was evaluated according to six criteria: species rarity, remoteness, conservation impact, exclusivity, accessibility and the likelihood of seeing the animals in their natural habitat.
Kazakhstan’s saiga expedition scored 87 points out of 100. Gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda topped the ranking with 90 points, followed by an expedition to see emperor penguins in Antarctica with 88.5 points, Euronews reported, citing research by British travel company Bailey Robinson.
Kazakhstan’s high ranking was largely driven by the unique status of the saiga as an ancient relict species and the vast landscapes across which the animals roam.
The ranking also highlighted the growing importance of responsible ecotourism in destinations where observing rare species can help support conservation projects.
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Kazakhstan Among Top Five Countries for Patient Visits to Novosibirsk Eye Centre
Kazakhstan ranks among the top five countries by the number of patients seeking treatment at the Novosibirsk branch of the Intersectoral Research and Technology Complex (IRTC) Eye Microsurgery. Vera Proskurova, a public relations specialist at the medical centre, made the announcement during a press tour for journalists from Central Asia.
"The figures tend to remain similar from year to year. Kazakhstan is one of our leading countries in terms of medical tourism. Patients most often come to us with corneal diseases. Laser vision correction and treatment for cataracts and glaucoma are also very common," Proskurova said.
Valery Chernykh, director of the IRTC, was born in Kazakhstan. According to him, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre performed around 3,000 operations a year. Last year, more than 50,000 people from different countries underwent medical examinations at the centre.
"What makes our medical centre unique is its capacity to handle large numbers of patients. Around 55,000 operations were performed here in 2025, with 80% classified as highly complex surgical procedures. I have a particularly warm and personal connection with Kazakhstan," Chernykh said.
One of the branch’s recent innovations is a remote vision screening programme for schoolchildren in Novosibirsk. Following the tests, the results are sent to the Ministry of Health.
The Novosibirsk branch of the IRTC Eye Microsurgery has nine departments. Most of its international patients come from CIS countries, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
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UN Urges Nuclear Powers to Maintain Testing Moratoriums
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for existing moratoriums on nuclear testing to remain in place and urged countries to take the steps needed to bring the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into force as soon as possible, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said.
"The world must never again witness a nuclear explosion," Guterres said in his message.
Kazakhstan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Kairat Umarov, said the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and the country’s subsequent renunciation of the world’s fourth-largest inherited nuclear arsenal reflected Kazakhstan’s principled choice in favor of peace and security based on trust, dialogue and cooperation.
Kazakhstan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations also hosted a meeting attended by representatives of the U.N. and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, the diplomatic corps, international organizations and civil society. Guests viewed a thematic book exhibition and a documentary on the consequences of nuclear testing.
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SHUBAT FEST-2026 Draws More Than 15,000 Visitors in Aktau
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The national SHUBAT FEST-2026 festival was held in Aktau, attracting more than 15,000 residents and visitors. The Birlik farm from Zhanaozen won the top prize in the competition for the best shubat, the Mangystau regional administration’s press service said.
The festival brought together producers from the Mangystau, Atyrau, Kyzylorda and Turkistan regions.
The competition for the best shubat received 83 entries. Forty-one contestants passed the preliminary selection, and 20 producers advanced to the final following laboratory testing.
The Birlik farm from Zhanaozen won the festival’s grand prize. The winner received a GWM Poer pickup truck from festival sponsor Astana Motors.
The Tolkyn farm from Aktau took first place, followed by Orynbasar from the Zhylyoi district of the Atyrau Region in second place and Nur-Abyl from the Beineu district of the Mangystau Region in third.
The festival also featured a competition for the best camel milk products. Producers presented kurt, balkaymak, desserts, coffee, ice cream and cocktails. Visitors selected some of the winning products in a public vote.
Organizers said the festival aims to promote shubat, preserve traditional production methods, support domestic producers and advance camel farming.
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