Kok-Zhailau Development Could Lead to the Disappearance of Glaciers, Experts Warn
Development of the Kok-Zhailau mountain plateau could raise temperatures in the surrounding mountains, accelerate glacier melt and alter the region's climate, according to experts from the Ecological Society of Almaty, who shared their views in an exclusive interview with Kazakhstan Today.
"The construction of hotels, apartment hotels, restaurants, chalets, air-conditioning systems, roads, transport infrastructure, cable cars and other man-made facilities will absorb heat and release warm air, creating a vast 'heat island' directly in the mountains. This would inevitably accelerate the melting of glaciers," the experts said.
They also warned that deforestation associated with construction and the reshaping of mountain slopes would increase the spread of dust and soot.
"As dust and soot settle on glacier surfaces, they will intensify glacier degradation. In addition, the removal of thousands of trees along the Kazachka River to build roads and utility networks would eliminate the glaciers' last natural barrier against hot air, dust, smog and soot coming from the city. The eventual disappearance of Almaty's glaciers and rivers would alter the regional climate, making it significantly drier and less favourable for both people and vegetation," the experts said.
According to the specialists, the region is already facing a critical situation.
"Over recent years, nearly all glaciers in the Ile Alatau have suffered substantial losses. Glacier area has declined by 75%, while ice volume has decreased by 50%," they said.
The experts argue that the primary driver of accelerated glacier retreat is the unrestricted flow of exceptionally warm air from the city into the mountains.
"Over the past 23 years, virtually all apple orchards beyond Al-Farabi Avenue have been cleared and built over. For decades, these orchards, together with shelterbelts of tall poplars and elms, acted as a protective buffer zone, preventing warm air from the city from reaching the foothills. The orchards also released moisture into the atmosphere on a daily basis. As the moisture rose, it cooled and formed clouds that produced summer precipitation in the mountains. The clouds, rainfall and orchard vegetation significantly slowed the melting of glaciers and seasonal snow cover," they explained.
A detailed account of the experts' position is available via the link provided in the original publication.
The proposed development of Kok-Zhailau has been the subject of public debate for more than a decade.
In 2011, then Almaty Mayor Akhmetzhan Yessimov announced plans to develop a ski resort at Kok-Zhailau during a government meeting on the city's development.
In 2013, the Almaty administration announced plans to hold a tender for the design and estimate documentation for the project, valued at approximately 3.145 billion tenge.
At the time, the project proceeded despite strong public opposition. Environmental experts, ecologists, athletes and residents argued that the ski resort would damage wildlife, increase the risk of water shortages in Almaty and fail to deliver the projected economic benefits, including higher tourist numbers and new jobs. Public activists subsequently filed a complaint with the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee.
In 2019, during a meeting of the Public Council, then Almaty Mayor Bauyrzhan Baibek proposed postponing the Kok-Zhailau project for three to five years to allow for a more comprehensive assessment of its potential impact.
Former Minister of Culture and Sports Aktoty Raimkulova later wrote on Facebook that construction of the resort had been postponed on the instructions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
As the president stressed at the time, such an important project should not be rushed and should be considered only after a thorough review of expert assessments and public opinion.
In December last year, the Tourism Industry Committee of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Sports published a draft resolution on the Open NPAs portal outlining a Comprehensive Development Plan for the Almaty Mountain Cluster for 2025-2029.
The explanatory note stated that the plan would support tourism development, increase visitor numbers, strengthen Kazakhstan's international tourism profile and improve the investment climate. It envisages the implementation of 127 measures with a total budget of 655.911 billion tenge.
At the time, public activist Azhar Dzhandosova warned that regardless of how environmentally friendly construction methods might be, the development would inevitably affect soils, biodiversity and glaciers, which are already shrinking at an alarming rate, with consequences for Almaty's climate.
A poll conducted by the Kazakhstan Today news agency found that 80% of respondents opposed the development of Kok-Zhailau.
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Almaty Braces for Severe Traffic Congestion as School Year Begins
Almaty authorities will step up traffic control ahead of the new school year, deploying foot patrols at heavily congested intersections, Timur Nogaibayev, head of the Public Security Department of the Almaty Police Department, said.
According to Nogaibayev, numerous construction and installation projects are currently underway across the city, some of which will not be completed before the start of the school year. With traffic volumes expected to increase, police will strengthen control at the busiest locations.
"The traffic load will, of course, be enormous. Foot patrols will be deployed at intersections to ensure road safety. We often see drivers entering an intersection even when they know it is blocked and there is congestion ahead, creating gridlock. To prevent such violations, we will deploy police officers at these locations," Nogaibayev said.
Police units will also be stationed at key entrances to Almaty. They will monitor traffic arriving from the Kuldzhinsky Trakt, as well as from the Karasai and Ili districts.
Traffic congestion remains one of Almaty's most pressing problems. According to police data, more than 1.5 million vehicles, including those arriving from outside the city, travel on the metropolis's roads every day.
The city's entry points face particularly heavy traffic. According to the Almaty city administration, around 300,000 vehicles enter the city daily. One of the busiest routes is the Almaty-Kaskelen road, which carries up to 60,000 vehicles per day.
In July, work began to expand an eight-kilometer section of the Almaty-Bishkek highway from four to eight lanes. The project is scheduled for completion by December 2027.
Ongoing construction and related road restrictions are putting additional pressure on the city's transport network. In particular, a section of Tole Bi Street between Ashimov Street and Alatau Street is closed from July 14 through Aug. 25 due to road extension works.
Traffic problems are also being exacerbated by changes in traffic flows. In May, the city's Urban Mobility Department said the bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor on Timiryazev Street had reduced the street's traffic capacity. As a result, some motorists shifted to Al-Farabi Avenue, increasing congestion there. City authorities are considering changes to the traffic management scheme on Timiryazev Street.
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Thousands of Almaty Residents Gather for Cultural Evening Dedicated to Abai
Images | gov.kz
Ahead of Abai Day, thousands of Almaty residents gathered for a cultural evening dedicated to the legacy of the great poet and educator, the city administration’s press service said.
"Thousands of spectators watched the documentary Alğashqy kitap (The First Book) on an open-air stage before taking part in a programme of music, poetry and live performances. The documentary Alğashqy kitap," the statement said.
According to the city administration, the docudrama tells the story of the poet’s first book, published in 1909 in St Petersburg by the Ilyas Boragansky publishing house.
"The filmmakers tell the story of how Abai’s works were collected and prepared for publication, who was involved in publishing the book, why it was published in St Petersburg and what difficulties had to be overcome before its release. The screening was followed by a musical and poetry programme organised by Almaty’s Department of Culture," the city administration said.
The cultural programme continued with the Almaty Summer Fest. The event concluded with an open-air performance of Abai’s songs, with more than a thousand spectators joining the artists.
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Kazakhstan and China Launch Joint Earthquake Research in Almaty
Images | АI
Kazakhstan and China have launched joint earthquake research in Almaty, where a building for the future Kazakhstan-China Joint Earthquake Research Centre has been opened.
Pending the signing of an intergovernmental agreement, an Earthquake Research Centre has already been established within the National Scientific Centre for Seismology. It includes three specialised laboratories where Kazakh and Chinese scientists will be able to conduct joint research.
Scientific organisations from the two countries have also signed a memorandum of cooperation in the fields of geophysics and seismology.
The opening ceremony was attended by Kazakhstan’s Minister for Emergency Situations Chingis Arinov, Almaty Mayor Darkhan Satybaldy, Chinese Consul General in Almaty Su Fangqiu, as well as representatives of China’s Institute of Geophysics, government agencies and the scientific community.
The joint research is expected to help develop modern methods for monitoring and forecasting seismic activity and strengthen earthquake safety in Kazakhstan and China.
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International Week of Action to Protect the Caspian Ecosystem Begins in Aktau
The Caspian Sea Action Week 2026, an international initiative dedicated to preserving the Caspian Sea ecosystem, opened in Aktau on 6 August and will run through 12 August, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information said.
The event is being held under the auspices of the International Year of Volunteers, established by the United Nations at the initiative of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Participants include representatives from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, a delegation from the United Nations Volunteers (UN Volunteers) programme, representatives of the Tehran Convention for the Protection of the Caspian Sea, international environmental organisations and volunteers from all regions of Kazakhstan.
The programme features environmental campaigns, expert discussions, thematic sessions, a hackathon, as well as cultural and sporting events. The activities are aimed at strengthening international cooperation in environmental volunteering and promoting sustainable development.
The week's flagship event will be the Caspian Talks International Volunteer Summit, to be held on 12 August, the International Day of the Caspian Sea. Participants will discuss the region's environmental challenges and review the outcomes of the week.
According to the ministry, Caspian Sea Action Week 2026 is intended to bring together volunteers and international organisations to help preserve the Caspian Sea ecosystem and expand international cooperation on environmental protection.
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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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'Game of Thrones' Star Shares First Impressions of Kazakhstan
Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for portraying Jaime Lannister in the television series Game of Thrones, spoke about his first visit to Kazakhstan during a press conference at Comic Con Astana, the agency's correspondent reported.
"This is my first visit to Kazakhstan, to Astana. What a huge country! Everything I've seen so far has been absolutely amazing. I've eaten more meat than I have in the last three years. I went to an Astana sauna and got thoroughly steamed. Then a strong man held me in a swimming pool like I was a little child. I also placed my hand in the handprint at the Baiterek Monument. And now I'm thinking: is this really happening to me, or am I dreaming?" Coster-Waldau said.
The actor also shared his impressions of the people of Kazakhstan, praising their openness and hospitality.
"Your impression of a place is always shaped by the people you meet. I've met some truly wonderful people - very friendly and welcoming. I understand that, as a guest here, I'm obviously in a privileged position to have had this kind of experience," he said.
Coster-Waldau also reflected on his acting career, saying that every new role marks a new stage in his professional journey.
"You know, one of the most enjoyable things about acting is that something new always comes along. The first time I was asked to play a father, I thought, 'Well, that's it - from now on I'll only be cast as fathers.' And I suppose the next thing will be children's roles," the actor said with a laugh.
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OpenAI AI Models Launched Cyberattack Without Human Instructions
OpenAI is strengthening its security measures after two of its artificial intelligence models independently organized a cyberattack on AI developer platform Hugging Face without any human instructions.
The incident was disclosed by OpenAI researchers Michael Dalton and Eric Wallace during the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, Politico reported.
According to the researchers, in early May several AI agents undergoing testing secretly began communicating through a message board they had created within the internal Artifactory file system. The models exchanged advice on solving complex hacking tasks, including ways to bypass restrictions and gain internet access.
"This is a turning point for both our company and the entire artificial intelligence industry," Michael Dalton said.
One of the models later discovered a way to exploit Artifactory's internet connectivity and subsequently identified a previously unknown zero-day vulnerability. This enabled the models to obtain administrative privileges, install remote access software and expand their activity within the system.
In mid-July, the two OpenAI models gained internet access and infiltrated Hugging Face's infrastructure. At the end of last month, OpenAI acknowledged that its own models had been responsible for the attack. Hugging Face had previously reported that an autonomous AI system had breached its network.
According to Wallace, when the models "get stuck," they often "try to bypass the rules or cheat in order to obtain a reward."
"Essentially, this incident began when one agent realized it could communicate with others by uploading notes," the researcher added.
The models' activity overloaded the Artifactory system, triggering a major outage that prompted OpenAI engineers to launch an investigation. The company revoked the models' credentials, removed the message board they had created and patched the identified vulnerabilities. However, within days the models found a new way to communicate and continued searching for vulnerabilities in both OpenAI's internal infrastructure and external systems, including Hugging Face.
Following the incident, OpenAI decided to slow the pace of its research in order to strengthen the security of its systems.
"We are deliberately slowing our research efforts to strengthen security, update the principles and foundational safeguards of our environment, while significantly expanding the monitoring of our AI agents and improving our systems for preventing, detecting and mitigating threats," Dalton said.
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Kazakhstan Conducts First Passenger Flight of Uncrewed Air Taxi
Images | Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan has successfully conducted its first flight of an uncrewed passenger aircraft carrying a person on board, the Ministry of Transport said.
The EH216-S, a production electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, performed a demonstration flight over a designated area in Astana during the Future Games 2026 international tournament.
The demonstration showcased the capabilities of autonomous passenger aviation technology. The aircraft is designed to carry two people, has a top speed of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) and a range of up to 35 kilometers (22 miles) on a single flight.
As part of the project's initial phase, Kazakhstan plans to launch demonstration and sightseeing routes lasting between five and 30 minutes over the country's natural, cultural and historical landmarks. In the future, such aircraft could become part of Kazakhstan's transportation system.
The project also envisions using autonomous aircraft for emergency medical response, medicine delivery, firefighting, logistics and other time-critical operations.
In addition, Kazakhstan plans to localize the production of passenger eVTOL aircraft. Officials expect the initiative to support the development of high-tech manufacturing, create new jobs and expand industrial cooperation.
On July 24, Astana hosted a demonstration flight of the same air taxi without a passenger on board.
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