-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- for those with too much money but not enough time or common sense -- here 's the perfect travel solution . a weekend trip to the other side of the planet . a uk-based tour operator has begun offering whistle-stop sightseeing excursions from london to australia that depart friday afternoon and return `` just in time for work '' on tuesday morning . austravel -- a specialist in down under destinations -- says the 33,800-kilometer -lrb- 21,000 mile -rrb- , 46-hour round trip is ideal for anyone trying to maximize vacation time . tickets starting at $ 1,840 include airfare , two hotel nights and rental car for three days . you 'll need the car because as well as the time spent cooped up in a jet , there 's a 12-hour drive from sydney to melbourne to make the return flight . austravel 's naomi moreno-melgar concedes traveling to australia for a weekend is `` extreme '' but insists it 's `` do-able . '' the leader of kazakhstan has apologised after winning the presidential election with 97 per cent of the vote saying it would have been ` undemocratic ' for him to make his victory more modest . nursultan nazarbayev , a 74-year-old former steel worker who has ruled the oil-producing nation since 1989 , has won another five year term . `` a trip to the land down under does not need take up all of your holiday allowance , but with four time zones , three million square miles and 22 million people , it would be nice , '' she says . forget about sleep . kazakh television showed a triumphant nazarbayev walking on a red carpet , smiling and shaking hands and greeting thousands of jubilant supporters at a forum in the capital astana . nursultan nazarbayev , who has been re-elected as president of kazakhstan after winning 97 per cent of the vote . the itinerary sees passengers depart london on friday afternoon , arriving in sydney on saturday evening . after a night in a four-star hotel and visits to sydney 's opera house , harbour bridge and tower , they bundle themselves into their rental car and hit the coastal road south . there 's a night and morning in melbourne , before a return flight that lands in london at 6:40 a.m. on tuesday . more : 10 natural wonders of australia . but international monitors have voiced their concern about the poll saying there was not a genuine choice of other candidates with most of his vocal opponents either being jailed or fled abroad . however , at a news conference , nazarbayev said : ' i apologise that for super-democratic states such figures are unacceptable . but i could do nothing . ` if i had interfered , i would have looked undemocratic , right ? ' the election was called more than a year before nazarbayev 's term was due to end , averting the risk that another year of economic pain could develop into a more serious challenge to his leadership . it also puts the question of a possible successor , an important issue for investors , off the table for now . kazakhstan has been criticised by the west and human rights bodies for crackdowns on dissent . no election held there has yet been given a clean bill of health by monitors . if that 's not enough , austravel says passengers willing to forgo all sleep can buy `` bolt-on '' trips to see attractions such as the great ocean road -lrb- more driving -rrb- or melbourne 's yarra valley wine region . a spokesperson for the tour operator tells cnn it 's received `` a number of enquiries '' about the trip , but was unable to share actual booking figures . the world may just have gotten a little smaller . also , a little more nuts . however , russian president vladimir putin and chinese president xi jinping promptly congratulated nazarbayev on his re-election . nazarbayev told a news conference after his victory that if he had interfered in the vote , it would have been undemocratic . meanwhile nazarbayev has promoted market reforms in the country and attracted $ 200 billion in foreign direct investment , turning his nation of 17 million into the second-largest economy in the former soviet union and number two post-soviet oil producer after russia . the multi-ethnic , mainly muslim country is stable in a region troubled by ethnic violence from kyrgyzstan to afghanistan . nazarbayev has promoted ' a multi-vector policy ' , building good ties with neighbouring russia and china as well as the united states and the european union . but the economy has been hurt in the past year by the decline in global energy prices and by economic difficulty in neighbouring russia , hit by western sanctions over ukraine . kazakh economic growth is forecast to slow to 1.5 percent this year from a 4.3 percent rise in 2014 . would you travel to the other side of the world for just a weekend ? let us know in the comments . gross domestic product may actually shrink if oil prices drop to below $ 50 per barrel , kazakh officials have said .
nursultan nazarbayev has been re-elected as the president of kazakhstan . 74-year-old was elected with 97 % of the vote , winning a five-year term . international monitors have voiced their concern about the result . but nazarbayev says it would have been ` undemocratic ' to intervene to make his victory smaller .
-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- for those with too much money but not enough time or common sense -- here 's the perfect travel solution . a weekend trip to the other side of the planet . a uk-based tour operator has begun offering whistle-stop sightseeing excursions from london to australia that depart friday afternoon and return `` just in time for work '' on tuesday morning . austravel -- a specialist in down under destinations -- says the 33,800-kilometer -lrb- 21,000 mile -rrb- , 46-hour round trip is ideal for anyone trying to maximize vacation time . tickets starting at $ 1,840 include airfare , two hotel nights and rental car for three days . you 'll need the car because as well as the time spent cooped up in a jet , there 's a 12-hour drive from sydney to melbourne to make the return flight . austravel 's naomi moreno-melgar concedes traveling to australia for a weekend is `` extreme '' but insists it 's `` do-able . '' the leader of kazakhstan has apologised after winning the presidential election with 97 per cent of the vote saying it would have been ` undemocratic ' for him to make his victory more modest . nursultan nazarbayev , a 74-year-old former steel worker who has ruled the oil-producing nation since 1989 , has won another five year term . `` a trip to the land down under does not need take up all of your holiday allowance , but with four time zones , three million square miles and 22 million people , it would be nice , '' she says . forget about sleep . kazakh television showed a triumphant nazarbayev walking on a red carpet , smiling and shaking hands and greeting thousands of jubilant supporters at a forum in the capital astana . nursultan nazarbayev , who has been re-elected as president of kazakhstan after winning 97 per cent of the vote . the itinerary sees passengers depart london on friday afternoon , arriving in sydney on saturday evening . after a night in a four-star hotel and visits to sydney 's opera house , harbour bridge and tower , they bundle themselves into their rental car and hit the coastal road south . there 's a night and morning in melbourne , before a return flight that lands in london at 6:40 a.m. on tuesday . more : 10 natural wonders of australia . but international monitors have voiced their concern about the poll saying there was not a genuine choice of other candidates with most of his vocal opponents either being jailed or fled abroad . however , at a news conference , nazarbayev said : ' i apologise that for super-democratic states such figures are unacceptable . but i could do nothing . ` if i had interfered , i would have looked undemocratic , right ? ' the election was called more than a year before nazarbayev 's term was due to end , averting the risk that another year of economic pain could develop into a more serious challenge to his leadership . it also puts the question of a possible successor , an important issue for investors , off the table for now . kazakhstan has been criticised by the west and human rights bodies for crackdowns on dissent . no election held there has yet been given a clean bill of health by monitors . if that 's not enough , austravel says passengers willing to forgo all sleep can buy `` bolt-on '' trips to see attractions such as the great ocean road -lrb- more driving -rrb- or melbourne 's yarra valley wine region . a spokesperson for the tour operator tells cnn it 's received `` a number of enquiries '' about the trip , but was unable to share actual booking figures . the world may just have gotten a little smaller . also , a little more nuts . however , russian president vladimir putin and chinese president xi jinping promptly congratulated nazarbayev on his re-election . nazarbayev told a news conference after his victory that if he had interfered in the vote , it would have been undemocratic . meanwhile nazarbayev has promoted market reforms in the country and attracted $ 200 billion in foreign direct investment , turning his nation of 17 million into the second-largest economy in the former soviet union and number two post-soviet oil producer after russia . the multi-ethnic , mainly muslim country is stable in a region troubled by ethnic violence from kyrgyzstan to afghanistan . nazarbayev has promoted ' a multi-vector policy ' , building good ties with neighbouring russia and china as well as the united states and the european union . but the economy has been hurt in the past year by the decline in global energy prices and by economic difficulty in neighbouring russia , hit by western sanctions over ukraine . kazakh economic growth is forecast to slow to 1.5 percent this year from a 4.3 percent rise in 2014 . would you travel to the other side of the world for just a weekend ? let us know in the comments . gross domestic product may actually shrink if oil prices drop to below $ 50 per barrel , kazakh officials have said .
-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- for those with too much money but not enough time or common sense -- here 's the perfect travel solution . a weekend trip to the other side of the planet . a uk-based tour operator has begun offering whistle-stop sightseeing excursions from london to australia that depart friday afternoon and return `` just in time for work '' on tuesday morning . austravel -- a specialist in down under destinations -- says the 33,800-kilometer -lrb- 21,000 mile -rrb- , 46-hour round trip is ideal for anyone trying to maximize vacation time . tickets starting at $ 1,840 include airfare , two hotel nights and rental car for three days . you 'll need the car because as well as the time spent cooped up in a jet , there 's a 12-hour drive from sydney to melbourne to make the return flight . austravel 's naomi moreno-melgar concedes traveling to australia for a weekend is `` extreme '' but insists it 's `` do-able . '' the leader of kazakhstan has apologised after winning the presidential election with 97 per cent of the vote saying it would have been ` undemocratic ' for him to make his victory more modest . nursultan nazarbayev , a 74-year-old former steel worker who has ruled the oil-producing nation since 1989 , has won another five year term . `` a trip to the land down under does not need take up all of your holiday allowance , but with four time zones , three million square miles and 22 million people , it would be nice , '' she says . forget about sleep . kazakh television showed a triumphant nazarbayev walking on a red carpet , smiling and shaking hands and greeting thousands of jubilant supporters at a forum in the capital astana . nursultan nazarbayev , who has been re-elected as president of kazakhstan after winning 97 per cent of the vote . the itinerary sees passengers depart london on friday afternoon , arriving in sydney on saturday evening . after a night in a four-star hotel and visits to sydney 's opera house , harbour bridge and tower , they bundle themselves into their rental car and hit the coastal road south . there 's a night and morning in melbourne , before a return flight that lands in london at 6:40 a.m. on tuesday . more : 10 natural wonders of australia . but international monitors have voiced their concern about the poll saying there was not a genuine choice of other candidates with most of his vocal opponents either being jailed or fled abroad . however , at a news conference , nazarbayev said : ' i apologise that for super-democratic states such figures are unacceptable . but i could do nothing . ` if i had interfered , i would have looked undemocratic , right ? ' the election was called more than a year before nazarbayev 's term was due to end , averting the risk that another year of economic pain could develop into a more serious challenge to his leadership . it also puts the question of a possible successor , an important issue for investors , off the table for now . kazakhstan has been criticised by the west and human rights bodies for crackdowns on dissent . no election held there has yet been given a clean bill of health by monitors . if that 's not enough , austravel says passengers willing to forgo all sleep can buy `` bolt-on '' trips to see attractions such as the great ocean road -lrb- more driving -rrb- or melbourne 's yarra valley wine region . a spokesperson for the tour operator tells cnn it 's received `` a number of enquiries '' about the trip , but was unable to share actual booking figures . the world may just have gotten a little smaller . also , a little more nuts . however , russian president vladimir putin and chinese president xi jinping promptly congratulated nazarbayev on his re-election . nazarbayev told a news conference after his victory that if he had interfered in the vote , it would have been undemocratic . meanwhile nazarbayev has promoted market reforms in the country and attracted $ 200 billion in foreign direct investment , turning his nation of 17 million into the second-largest economy in the former soviet union and number two post-soviet oil producer after russia . the multi-ethnic , mainly muslim country is stable in a region troubled by ethnic violence from kyrgyzstan to afghanistan . nazarbayev has promoted ' a multi-vector policy ' , building good ties with neighbouring russia and china as well as the united states and the european union . but the economy has been hurt in the past year by the decline in global energy prices and by economic difficulty in neighbouring russia , hit by western sanctions over ukraine . kazakh economic growth is forecast to slow to 1.5 percent this year from a 4.3 percent rise in 2014 . would you travel to the other side of the world for just a weekend ? let us know in the comments . gross domestic product may actually shrink if oil prices drop to below $ 50 per barrel , kazakh officials have said .
-lrb- cnn -- for those with too much money but or common sense -- here 's the perfect travel solution. a weekend trip. a uk-based tour operator has begun offering whistle-stop sightseeing excursions from london that depart friday afternoon return `` just work '' tuesday morning. austravel -- a specialist down under destinations -- says the 33,800-kilometer -lrb- 21,000 mile -rrb-, 46-hour round trip ideal anyone trying maximize vacation time. tickets starting 1,840 include airfare, two hotel nights rental car for three days. you 'll need the car because as well the time spent cooped a jet, there a 12-hour drive sydney melbourne make the return flight. austravel 's naomi moreno-melgar concedes traveling australia a weekend is `` extreme '' insists 's `` do-. '' the leader kazakhstan has apologised winning with saying ` undemocratic make his victory more modest. nursultan nazarbayev, ruled 1989 won another five year term. `` a trip the land down does need take up your holiday allowance, with four time zones, three million square miles 22 million people, '' she. forget sleep. kazakh television showed a triumphant nazarbayev walking on, smiling shaking and greeting thousands a forum the capital astana nursultan nazarbayev, who re after 97. the itinerary sees passengers depart london friday afternoon, arriving sydney after a night in and visits sydney 's opera house, harbour bridge tower, they bundle themselves their rental car hit the coastal road south. there 's a night and morning in melbourne, before a return flight that lands london at on tuesday more : 10 natural wonders. but international monitors voiced the poll saying there not a genuine choice other candidates with most his vocal opponents either jailed fled abroad. however, at, nazarbayev : ' i apologise that for super-democratic states such figures unacceptable. but i could do nothing. ` if i had interfered, looked undemocratic right ' the election called more before nazarbayev 's term due, averting another year economic pain develop a more serious challenge. it also puts the question a possible successor, an important issue investors, off for kazakhstan has criticised the west and human rights bodies crackdowns. no election held there has yet given a clean bill by monitors. if that 's, austravel says passengers willing forgo all sleep buy `` bolt '' trips see attractions the great ocean road -lrb- more driving -rrb- melbourne 's yarra valley wine region. a spokesperson the tour operator tells cnn it 's received `` a number '', was share actual booking figures. the world may just gotten smaller. also, a little nuts. however, russian president vladimir putin and chinese president xi jinping promptly congratulated nazarbayev. nazarbayev told after his victory if interfered,. meanwhile nazarbayev promoted market reforms attracted $ 200 billion, turning his nation of 17 the former soviet union and number postsoviet oil after russia the multi-ethnic, mainly muslim country is stable a region troubled from kyrgyzstan. nazarbayev has promoted ' a multi-vector policy, building good ties neighbouring russia china as the united states but the economy hurt in economic difficulty neighbouring russia, hit western sanctions over ukraine. kazakh economic growth forecast slow. would you travel for just a weekend? let us in. gross domestic product may actually shrink if drop to 50, kazakh officials
million square miles and 22 million people , it would be nice , '' she says . forget about sleep . kazakh television showed a triumphant nazarbayev walking on a red carpet , smiling and shaking hands and greeting thousands of jubilant supporters at a forum in the capital astana . nursultan nazarbayev , who has been re-elected as president of kazakhstan after winning 97 per cent of the vote . the itinerary sees passengers depart london on friday afternoon , arriving in sydney on saturday evening . after a night in a four-star hotel and visits to sydney 's opera house , harbour bridge and tower , they bundle themselves into their rental car and hit the coastal road south . there 's a night and morning in melbourne , before a return flight that lands in london at 6:40 a.m. on tuesday . more : 10 natural wonders of australia . but international monitors have voiced their concern about the poll saying there was not a genuine choice of other candidates with most of his vocal opponents either being jailed or fled abroad . however , at a news conference , nazarbayev said : ' i apologise that for super-democratic states such figures are unacceptable . but i could do nothing . ` if i had interfered , i would have looked undemocratic , right ? ' the election was called more than a year before nazarbayev 's term was due to end , averting the risk that another year of economic pain could develop into a more serious challenge to his leadership . it also puts the question of a possible successor , an important issue for investors , off the table for now . kazakhstan has been criticised by the west and human rights bodies for crackdowns on dissent . no election held there has yet been given a clean bill of health by monitors . if that 's not enough , austravel says passengers willing to forgo all sleep can buy `` bolt-on '' trips to see attractions such as the great ocean road -lrb- more driving -rrb- or melbourne 's yarra valley wine region . a spokesperson for the tour operator tells cnn it 's received `` a number of enquiries '' about the trip , but was unable to share actual booking figures . the world may just have gotten a little smaller . also , a little more nuts . however , russian president vladimir putin and chinese president xi jinping promptly congratulated nazarbayev on his re-election . nazarbayev told a news conference after his victory that if he had interfered in the vote , it would have been undemocratic . meanwhile nazarbayev has promoted market reforms in the country and attracted $ 200 billion in foreign direct investment , turning his nation of 17 million into the second-largest economy in the former soviet union and number two post-soviet oil producer after russia . the multi-ethnic , mainly muslim country is stable in a region troubled by ethnic violence from kyrgyzstan to afghanistan . nazarbayev has promoted ' a multi-vector policy ' , building good ties with neighbouring russia and china as well as the united states and the european union . but the economy has been hurt in the past year by the decline in global energy prices and by economic difficulty in neighbouring russia , hit by western sanctions over ukraine . kazakh economic growth is forecast to slow to 1.5 percent this year from a 4.3 percent rise in 2014 . would you travel to the other side of the world for just a weekend ? let us know in the comments . gross domestic product may actually shrink if oil prices drop to below $ 50 per barrel , kazakh officials have said .
 The article discusses the re-election of Nursultan Nazarbayev as President of Kazakhstan with 97% of the vote. He has been criticized by Western countries and human rights bodies for his authoritarian rule and suppression of dissent. Despite this, he has promoted market reforms and attracted foreign investment to the country. His victory is seen as a sign of stability in the region.