The First Preparatory Conference of the 18th Economic & Environmental Forum of the Organization for Security & Co-operation in Europe continues today (13th October) in Astana.
The promotion of good governance at border-crossings, improving the security of land transportation and facilitating international transport by road and rail is the key topic of the two-day conference.

Kazakhstan has reported a record grain harvest this year. 22 million tons were collected – making 2009 the second best harvest in the last five years (in 2007, 22.3 million tons of grain were collected).
This year also saw the planted area under grain crops in Kazakhstan increase to 17.2 million hectares (14.7 million hectares under wheat) - 1 million hectares more than last year.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev touted Kazakhstan’s potential as a tourist destination in a speech at the opening ceremony yesterday (Oct. 5) of the 18th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Astana.
“Today tourism accounts for 10% of world GDP and employs around 250 million people. The global income from tourism amounts to USD 4 trillion. So tourism is one of the world economic engines. Kazakhstan's potential is rich and various.

Kazakhstan's Government will impose a total ban on smoking in public places and raise the drinking age from 18 to 21 - a rare step in the hard-drinking, heavy-smoking former Soviet space.
Kazakhstan’s Health Ministry spokesperson Agmagul Abenova said, "We are now following the recommendations of the World Health Organization, according to whose data more than 30,000 people die every year in Kazakhstan from smoking. We also continue to fight against alcoholism."

Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State – Minister of Foreign Affairs Kanat Saudabayev met U.S. Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York last Saturday as they reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen the partnership between the two nations.