a model and Instagram influencer from Kazakhstan software company Riot Games released a promotional music video on January 21 to generate buzz ahead of an online gaming competition internet users in Kazakhstan spotted an unerring similarity between Shalkar and a character in the League of Legends game ratcheted up 20 million views within five days of its release is shown leading the defensive charge as a village is assaulted by a horde of ogres.  Shalkar too is blue-eyed — a rarity in Kazakhstan although some historians claim ancient Kazakhs typically had blue eyes This and other commonalities led League of Legends fans to bombard Shalkar’s Instagram account with comments The model promptly sought out professional legal advice “I understand the concept of ‘inspiration.’ I do feel the need to defend my identity in certain cases especially when it has happened without my consent,” Shalkar the social media influencer asked her 623,000 followers to comment on whether they thought the resemblance was mere coincidence or whether the character did indeed share her features Shalkar said she had not collaborated with the video game developers on the design of Irelia’s facial features some saw fit to leave insulting and racist remarks “All Asians look the same,” read one comment written in Portuguese Shalkar’s base of followers extends beyond Kazakhstan so the likelihood of her having caught the attention of U.S retired Dutch soccer star Edgar Davids successfully sued Riot Games in a court in the Netherlands for basing League of Legends character Strike Lucean on his appearance without authorization had a ponytail and wore trademark tinted wraparound tinted glasses League of Legends is a huge global sensation and boasts around 100 million players who log on daily.  Eurasianet sought comments from Shalkar and Riot Games prior to publishing this article Aliya Uteuova is an Astana-based journalist.  Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter Aliya Uteuova is a Kazakh journalist Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all NEW: The Effects of the US Foreign Aid Freeze on Freedom House 2022 – Civilians rush to board a train as the sounds of battle draw closer to the city of Irpin Nations in Transit evaluates the state of democracy in the region stretching from Central Europe to Central Asia Nations in Transit 2022 was made possible through the generous support of the US Agency for International Development Freedom House is solely responsible for the report’s content Zselyke Csaky was instrumental in the production of Nations in Transit 2022. David Meijer Nations in Transit 2022 would not be possible without the contributions of the report’s advisers Belarus: Hanna Hubarava and Artyom Shraibman  Montenegro: Milena Muk and Marko Sošić  please see their Nations in Transit 2022 country reports Jean Monnet Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science Read the essays and review the data from our latest Nations in Transit report the number of hybrid regimes jumped to 11 within the Nations in Transit region The struggle for democracy in the NIT region has global implications If democracy’s defenders are to expand recognition of the value and promise of democracy Freedom in the World has been widely used by policymakers Donate today to help us ensure the future of this vital resource.  In the more than thirty years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union Kazakhstan has firmly established itself on the international stage the country will chair the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. But what is the status of the US–Kazakhstan relationship? Does the United States see Kazakhstan as a national security partner given its shared border with Russia; as an economic partner given its critical mineral wealth; or does the US see something else? In this discussion three experts discuss Kazakhstan’s role in geopolitical affairs as well as the strengths and weaknesses in the current US-Kazakhstan relationship at the offices of the Cívitas Metropolitano formalised the agreement to create a strategic alliance: an Academy project between Atlético de Madrid and Kazakhstan The signing ceremony was also attended by Danat Mussayev the foundations of which were established last June when a delegation from Atlético de Madrid held various meetings with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev president of the Kazakhstan Football Federation all parties expressed their interest in developing this project which is significant both for the country itself and the wider region of Central Asia Through our collaboration as a strategic partner the focus of which will be the construction of a new high-performance sports centre set to become a key reference point in the country This facility will be built near the city of Almaty which will commence following the formalisation of this agreement is scheduled to be completed by December 2025 architects working for our club travelled to the area to study the terrain and lay the groundwork for cooperation with the local engineers responsible for constructing this major site Atlético de Madrid continues to advance its expansion plan linked to the Academy and will support Kazakhstan’s footballing growth with the expertise of its coaches and officials This initiative is strongly backed by Kazakhstan’s president who is one of the project’s main supporters Get tickets to cheer on Atlético de Madrid Femenino in Alcalá Looking for three more points at the Mendizorroza A two-day Kazakh-Han wedding transforms pastures of western Xinjiang Kazakh herders have a legend that Sayram (Sailimu) Lake was formed by the tragic tears of two separated lovers the azure pool reflects only the joyous tears of two distant lovers united on its shores The slope around the lake is dotted by the white wedding yurts of Li Yunping and Shalkar (Xialiha) who met two years ago on a midsummer’s day just like this arrived at Sayram Lake as a backpacker in the summer of 2011 a young Kazakh man from a local herding family While the circumstances of their lives seem different Li believes that the two of them are soulmates—“Shalkar is an honest and pure person from the bottom of his heart,” she tells the reporters who are flocking to the lake to cover the inter-ethnic celebration Both the bride’s and the groom’s families opposed the relationship at first due to differences in their lifestyle “My daughter always tells me that the life of the spirit is more important than the life of material things I too never imagined I would end up at the shores of Sayram Lake swept here by the wayward winds of serendipity a fellow backpacker from Sichuan province struck up a conversation with me She told me that she had just returned from the city of Ili (Yining) in northwest Xinjiang less than 100 kilometers from the Kazakhstan border was taking all his lodgers to a Kazakh-style wedding the next day I looked up the hostel on Baidu and called the owner answered and asked whether I could arrive by 8 the next morning which was when the bus would depart for Sayram Lake; I took it as a divine invitation After spending nine hours cramped on the floor of an overnight I arrive at the gates of Doppa Hostel with just 20 minutes to spare The wedding delegation turned out to be an eclectic and jolly bunch of young Han travelers clad in brightly colored waterproof jackets The shores of Sayram Lake are dotted with the tents of local herding families Most travelers divulge few details about the lives they left behind but a young man from Yunnan province quietly tells me that he quit his job in Guangzhou Sanskrit for “passing through” in the world of flesh camping on mountains and living on a few RMB a day A few travelers drop hints that their families and friends think them foolish for coming to Xinjiang a region of which most Chinese understand little beyond the tales of ethnic unrest and public riots But there is something about these landscapes unfurling magnanimously toward all horizons Yellow canola flowers carpet these hills for a few brief but breathtaking weeks each summer—eruptions of color before the winter again veils the lake in mist and ice like little clouds on a brilliant sea of green and yellow The bus drops us off close to the wedding grounds our first order of business is to obtain a gift for the couple After a few minutes of chasing and scuffling the herder manages to secure a rope around the neck of one of his goats grabs its feet and swings it onto the back of a motorcycle “These bikes are our horses now,” he jokes Many necessities are transported in on the back of these motorcycles—including drinking water a burst of sudden rain sends guests scurrying into the tents where I help the women wash dishes and watch them prepare lamb-and-carrot shouzhuafan (Xinjiang-style pilaf) in a kazan a large metal stove large enough to feed more than 50 The meal is later doled out on plates that we eat together on the grass A cup of mare’s milk is passed around; the faces of many the bride emerges for the first time from her yurt shrouded in golden-rimmed white cloth veiled to the waist from the tip of her saukele a tall conical headdress swathed with colorful patterned fabrics The saukele is typically the most expensive part of a bride’s costume; it’s said to cost as much as a herd of horses in the past The bride emerges in traditional Kazakh dress with owl feathers clipped to the headdress for good luck The guests cheer as Li’s veil is lifted over her saukele revealing eyes rimmed with indigo and a half-grinning face as this was traditionally the day a bride would leave her birth family Li’s new mother-in-law welcomes her into her family with a customary kiss on the cheek the musicians sing folk songs with galloping rhythms The slope forms a natural amphitheater for the young and elderly alike to lounge in the lush grass sometimes leaning against each other with cheeks pressed together The musicians take turns improvising lyrics The Kazakh uncles and aunties howl with laughter Many of the adult Kazakh men and women do not speak fluent Mandarin A bashful 9-year-old boy introduces himself as Narbota the name of a stream across the border in Kazakhstan “But all of my friends at school call me Baozi [steamed bun].” Narbota tells me that children attend the school near Guozigou (“Fruit Valley”) Bridge where the curriculum is taught in Mandarin Guozigou Valley lies within the Northern Tianshan Mountains Herding is one of humankind’s oldest professions the last two decades have brought changes to the lives of herders in the region 360-meter Guozigou Bridge on the southern banks of Sayram Lake was completed in 2011 stretching on stilts 180 meters above a formidable valley The bridge was part of Beijing’s “Western Development” initiative that sought to spread development away from the coasts A distance that would have once taken at least a day on horseback can now be driven across in minutes Sayram Lake also sits on a growing trade route between China and Kazakhstan a free-trade zone between China and Kazakhstan just 80 kilometers to the west According to Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry bilateral trade increased 100-fold in the five years after the bridge’s completion With their pastures bisected by a trade route vital to their government’s geopolitical and economic interests the lives of these Kazakh herders have changed indelibly and more and more tourists begin to arrive at their pristine lake even as they buy electric generators to charge the phones on which they connect with friends on WeChat Although motorcycles and cars are becoming ubiquitous Narbota excuses himself to hop onto the back of a horse “It’s my uncle’s horse,” he says excitedly “I only sometimes get to ride it.” He stays on the chestnut mare all afternoon long as the horse circles the pasture and buries its face in the grass Horses gather by the water’s edge for a drink as the sun rises over the lake “I like your dress,” I say to a young girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes “especially the color.” It is electric green I feel the tall plume wobbling as she presses it onto my head She cackles and introduces herself as Nana “Do you sing?” Turns out she knows far more Chinese pop songs than I do; the only overlap in our knowledge is Qu Wanting’s “You Are in My Song.” We belt it toward the hills The Kazakhs invite the Han guests to link hands and run in two concentric circles The Kazakh girls are wearing bright dresses—red with layers of ruffles and matching hats with feathered plumes spinning until their dresses whirl into colorful discs The rest of us try to follow along to the bouncing shoulders and syncopated steps the fire is extinguished and it is pitch black we have no choice but to retire to our yurts to sleep dozens of horsemen arrive on the grassland the riders mostly men from neighboring communities “We are about to begin the horseback games,” a boy explains Five thousand years of history on the steppes have given rise to many horseback games still well-loved today some Kazakh teenagers had let me take one of their horses up a mountain; I had managed to make it up and down without falling off riders begin galloping and nearly collide several times clearly vying for possession of a white object “What are they throwing around over there?” I ask I learn that the game is a favorite across Central Asia The goal is to seize the lamb’s corpse and carry across the goalposts It is credited as being one of the forefathers of polo but more dangerous (those lambs ain’t light) A more lighthearted amusement is kyz kuumai Somebody explains: Young men chase young women on horseback each choosing one at whom to exclaim sweet words of endearment The day passes to the sound of shouts and galloping under another azure midsummer sky who scurries about busily during the wedding Our family supports their marriage; no matter the ethnicity the couple will open a new field together.” and the mountainside is once more a pasture for wandering sheep clear waters of Sayram Lake and wonder how I even got here I have chosen a path that opens new fields in the heart I know there are yellow flowers blooming there I find out that Sayram means “blessing” in the Kazakh language Once a poverty-stricken village in the mountains of Yunnan distributing dividends among locals while preserving its UNESCO-recognized heritage From sanitary pad controversies to a rural woman’s extraordinary fight for justice here are the top feminist stories of the year Our correspondent was there to capture the sights and sounds Within the framework of working visit to Uzbekistan Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov took part in the 16th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization Alikhan Smailov noted that the ECO unites an important strategic region of the world with huge reserves of natural resources which are of crucial importance not only for the participating countries ECO states cover an area of 8 million square kilometers with a population of about 500 million people and a combined GDP of $2 trillion.  "This is evidence of the significant economic potential of the Organization allowing to set very ambitious tasks for further growth of its authority in the international arena," Prime Minister said.  one of the priority areas for strengthening cooperation should be the stimulation of inter-regional trade.  trade turnover of Kazakhstan with ECO countries increased by 40% and reached $16.5 billion for 8 months of this year trade turnover decreased by 3% To increase these indicators we are ready to export to each country of the Organization additionally on average about 100 types of goods," Alikhan Smailov stressed.  He added that the republic is implementing large-scale projects to build cross-border hubs which will increase the volume of transportation of processed and food products one of the key points of growth in the development of modern cross-border trade and logistics infrastructure is the international center of industrial cooperation "Central Asia" on the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border A similar industrial trade and logistics complex will also be built on the border with Kyrgyzstan we propose to strengthen cooperation within the framework of ECO with the use of temporary storage warehouses already established and functioning in Kazakhstan along the perimeter of our borders," the Prime Minister said.  it is also important to develop transport interconnectivity of the region as 7 out of 10 ECO member states do not have access to the world ocean.  Today Kazakhstan actively participates in infrastructure and logistics projects giving priority attention to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route Georgia and Turkey are implementing roadmaps for synchronized debottlenecking and development of the Middle Corridor until 2027 "They will allow to significantly increase the capacity of the route," the Head of Government emphasized.  the Beineu-Shalkar highway will be built to connect Uzbekistan with the western regions of Kazakhstan which will serve to complete the formation of the 8th TRACECA highway corridor "We are also actively unlocking the potential of our seaports on the Caspian Sea A container hub in the port of Aktau and a multifunctional terminal "Sarzha" in the port of Kuryk will be built The construction of separate station tracks at checkpoints with China for Central Asian countries is planned We intend to systematically increase cargo traffic in this direction and by 2030 to bring it to 500 thousand containers per year," Alikhan Smailov said.  Prime Minister added that at the same time Kazakhstan is taking measures to unlock the potential of the transport corridor "North-South" For the development of this route a Road Map has been developed jointly with Iran the implementation of which will increase the capacity of the corridor from 10 to 15 million tons by 2027.  The Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railroad is also of particular importance as the shortest route between the ECO states in Central Asia and the Middle East the cargo flow along this route towards Iran increased by 9% and exceeded 1.5 million tons it seems advisable to strengthen joint work both on removing administrative barriers and deepening the integration of transport and logistics systems," Alikhan Smailov emphasized.  As another important priority of cooperation Prime Minister designated industrial cooperation today more than 13 thousand joint ventures with capital from ECO countries operate in Kazakhstan about 1.8 thousand of them were registered only for the last year 26 projects worth about $2.7 billion are under implementation with the ECO countries in such sectors as mechanical engineering We invite business partners to joint realization of new high-tech projects," the Prime Minister said.  Alikhan Smailov noted that Kazakhstan is committed to the principles of ECO and is ready to make every effort to achieve common ambitious goals Stay updated about the events of the Prime minister and the Government of Kazakhstan - subscribe to the official Telegram channel By 2014-08-26T12:21:00+01:00 KTZ President Askar Mamin said the new lines opening of the lines would provide a powerful impetus for the development of central and western Kazakhstan stimulating economic activity and creating the conditions for industrial development KAZAKHSTAN: Two new lines are on course to open later this year after ceremonies in December marked the joining of the tracks being laid from each end of the routes According to national railway KTZ the lines are of an economic and social importance with it would be 'difficult .. KAZAKHSTAN: Assisted by local partner Grontmij 20 staff from Kazakh national railway KTZ have completed a placement in Sweden to learn about the country's experience of market reform and the wider European railway reform process The sessions also covered the operation and development of inter-city and high speed passenger .. KAZAKHSTAN: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development announced a US$24·8m senior secured loan to support the growth of privately-owned freight forwarding and wagon leasing company JSC Olzha on July 30 Olzha intends to use the proceeds to support a US$32·8m programme to expand its wagon fleet and align .. 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