Almaty

Calling themselves "stan countries," Central Asian countries are looking to boost their tourism industries. Kazakhstan, which welcomes tourists from Russia, China and India, is eyeing for Western travelers as well.

If you're looking for something different, uncustomary and lesser known countries in your travel plan for a holiday, have a go at Kazakhstan in Central Asia.

Kazakhstan is set to undergo a significant change in its time zone configuration, unifying the entire country to a single time standard from March 1, as reported by the Russian Interfax news agency.

Türkiye's largest metropolis Istanbul has emerged as one of the most afforable and preferred cities by Russians who left their country following the onset of the Ukraine war in February last year, a Russian daily has reported.

Prominent Turkish airport operator TAV Airports has taken over operations at Almaty Airport, Kazakhstan's main and busiest aviation hub.

The airport's capacity will be doubled with a $200 million investment to build a new international terminal, the operator said in a statement on April 30.

The investment is planned to be completed in less than three years.

The 46 people which were injured in the plane crash near Almaty remain in hospital, said Kazakhstan's Health Minister E.A. Birtanov, quoted by the BGNES.

On Friday, a plane crashed shortly after take-off from the Almaty International Airport in Kazakhstan, Euronews reported.

The aircraft was carrying 98 people onboard.

Two babies were rescued from the plane that crashed after taking off in Kazakhstan. At least 15 people were killed when the aircraft lost altitude, collapsed in a concrete fence and crashed into a two-story building near the city of Almaty.

Eight injured children were rescued from the plane. 

At the moment, there are no reports of injured Bulgarians in the plane crash in Kazakhstan that led to many casualties and injuried. The Bulgarian Embassy in Kazakhstan is in constant contact with the local authorities and is ready to assist if needed. This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Turkish and South Korean companies on Feb. 15 signed a concession agreement to build the Big Almaty Ring Road (BAKAD) project in Kazakhstan.