lake balkhash

Fears for Kazakhstan’s special lake

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Fears for Kazakhstan’s special lake

Balkhash, Kazakhstan —  Seen from the sky, with its turquoise waters stretching out into the desert expanses in the shape of a crescent, you can see why they call Lake Balkhash the “pearl of Kazakhstan.” But pollution, climate change and its overuse are threatening the existence of one of the most unique stretches of water … Read more

Spa, seaside and a secret missile test range. Welcome to Priozersk, in Kazakhstan

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Spa, seaside and a secret missile test range. Welcome to Priozersk, in Kazakhstan

“I want there to be a beautiful hotel in the centre of the city, like in the Soviet era. So I am restoring it, little by little,” says Vereshchagin, a Soviet Army veteran. Alexei Vereshchagin is renovating an abandoned hotel, formerly known as Hotel Russia, in Priozersk. Photo: AFP Once the hotel is renovated, tourists … Read more