KAZAKHSTAN-NUCLEAR-POLITICS

A man stands near Soviet made motorcycles - a common form of transport in the village of Ulken, located on the shores of Lake Balkhash, about 400 kilometres north of Almaty, on September 22, 2024, the place where the first country's nuclear power plant is planned to be built. Lying on the edge of the sprawling Lake Balkhash and lined with empty buildings, tiny Ulken is at the centre of a debate in Kazakhstan -- scarred by massive Soviet nuclear testing -- on whether construction should go ahead. Rich in uranium but lacking in electricity, Kazakhstan is holding a referendum on the issue on October 6, 2024, with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev promising to "take important decisions with the support of the people." (Photo by Ruslan PRYANIKOV / AFP) (Photo by RUSLAN PRYANIKOV/AFP via Getty Images)