The Karaganda and Schuchinsk resort area in the future will be part of the Astana agglomeration. This was announced at the IV International Investment Forum Astana Invest 2013 by Kazakhstan Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov. In this regard, President Nursultan Nazarbayev has urged the government’s foreign partners to invest more actively in the development of Kazakhstan’s capital. “The support of specific business initiatives, improvement of the business climate and the expansion of public-private partnerships is a priority for the government. We are open and willing to consider any business initiatives and proposals from the business community. We invite all interested entrepreneurs and investors to interact and cooperate,” Nazarbayev said.
On May 22, a decree on creation of National Holding Baiterek was signed by the President of Kazakhstan and published on the official Akorda website. Kuandyk Bishimbayev will head the new holding. The main mission of the holding as defined by the President will be providing funding to the state programme of industrialization. The JSC Baiterek will manage shares and stakes of national development institutions, national companies and other legal entities belonging to the holding by right of ownership and given to the new body in trust management. The President has directed that the legislative basis of the holding be developed by Jan. 1, 2014.
Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov has instructed the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies to present to the government by August 1 Kazakhstan’s energy-saving programme, Energy Saving 2020. This means having all aspects of the plan, including financing, ready by then. President Nazarbayev has called for an annual 10 percent reduction in energy use by 2015 in both industry and domestic use. The Prime Minister stressed that it is vital for both national and regional governments to meet this target.
Expedition 35 to the International Space Station (ISS) came to a safe conclusion on May 14 when the three-man crew touched down in Kazakhstan. The crew – Commander Chris Hadfield from Canada, and Flight Engineers Tom Marshburn from the United States and Roman Romanenko from Russia – had started their voyage from Kazakhstan 146 days prior, in December, when they took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
More than 10,000 children’s holiday camps, which will take care of about 1.3 million children, will operate in Kazakhstan this summer, Minister of Education and Science Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov said at a meeting of the government on May 21. “This year 10,487 recreation camps will function in Kazakhstan. More than 2.1 million children will attend the holiday camps. Of those, about 1.3 million children or 58.9 percent will improve their health,” Zhumagulov stated. According to the minister, at the beginning of the summer season, five new health and recreation facilities are expected to open. This year, it is planned to assist about 450,000 to 680,000 or 65.4 percent of orphans, disabled children and children from low-income families. In general, according to the minister, 5.5 billion tenge ($36,452,790), which is 2.7 billion ($17,895,006) more than last year will be allocated from local budgets for the summer holidays for socially disadvantaged children and improving conditions at the camps.
Kazakhstan has developed a unique method to detect toxic chemicals in the environment after rocket launches. The scientists of the Gharysh – Ecology research centre have created and patented a unique method of detecting toxic rocket fuel chemicals in the environment after the launch of rockets, Chairman of the National Space Agency of Kazakhstan Talgat Mussabayev said in an exclusive interview for the website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. Highly toxic fuels have a negative effect on the environment in Kazakhstan. According to bilateral agreements, the Russian side has pledged to facilitate the phased reduction of launches of carrier rockets Proton from the Baikonur cosmodrome which have adversely affected the environment.
