Fighting brain drain: Ukrainian investors envision innovation park in Astana

ASTANA – Ukrainian investment group Ufuture plans to build an “Innovation Park” in Astana with the help of the Kazakh government and local businesses. The park is...


Evangelical Lutheran Archbishop: Religious harmony in Kazakhstan means respecting our faith, respecting others’

ASTANA – Yuri Novgorodov, Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kazakhstan and representative of the World Lutheran Association, discussed church activities, the role of the Congress...


Ex-Secretary of Security Council appointed Kazakh Minister of Defence

ASTANA – Nurlan Yermekbayev, until recently the Assistant to the President – Secretary of the Security Council, was appointed Kazakhstan’s Minister of Defence Aug. 7. “In the...


Caspian Sea legal status: from disassociation to collaboration

The presidents of five littoral states are set to meet at the Fifth Caspian Summit, to be held in Aktau Aug. 12. The agenda of the meeting...


Astana to add street name prefixes to help residents, visitors navigate the city

ASTANA – The Astana City Administration is proposing a gradual adding of identification prefixes to the existing names of city streets, reported the akimat (city administration) press...


Kazakhstan will help Russia develop a super heavy-lift rocket

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will be involved in the development of a Russian super-heavy rocket, ria.ru reports with reference to the Aerospace Committee of the Ministry of Defence...


Kyzylorda Theatre presents ‘Akbayan’ folk legend at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

ASTANA – Kyzylorda Theatre of Music and Drama premiered Aug. 6-8 “Akbayan” folk legend directed by Hussein Amir Temir at the Fringe International Theatre Festival in Edinburgh....


Kazakh Foreign Ministry presents journalism awards

ASTANA – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded the winners of the fifth annual Kazakhstan through the Eyes of Foreign Media contest at an Aug. 6 ceremony....


Compassion and good neighbourliness define Ukrainian community’s relations within Kazakhstan, says community leader

ASTANA – Vatra, the capital-based Ukrainian cultural centre founded in 1993, has contributed toward the educational and cultural development of Kazakhstan’s ethnic Ukrainian community. It is among...


Sociologist studies contemporary art across Central Asia

ASTANA – Diana Kudaibergenova, a Cambridge University PhD graduate and Lund University postdoctoral fellow, is a political and cultural sociologist studying the ways in which contemporary art...


Open-air art exhibit practices urbanism while promoting Kazakh culture

ASTANA – The façade of a three-story residential building in the capital’s Saryarka district turned into an art object with the conclusion of Urban Street Art Fest...


American businessman boosts tourist flow to Kazakhstan

ASTANA – American businessperson David Valera seeks to develop tourism in Kazakhstan by opening the country as a cultural and tourist destination for foreign visitors. “I am...


Chinese manufacturer to build display, TV set production plant in Kostanai region

ASTANA – China’s HKC Corporation Limited will be constructing a display and television assembly plant in the Kostanai region, the Kazakh Invest press service reported Aug. 2....


Kazakh privatisation on schedule, says committee chairperson

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s second privatisation wave is 77.4 percent complete. As of July 1, results show 502 of 887 state-owned enterprises were put up for sale and...


Enhanced bilateral cooperation promotes security, says Afghan ambassador in Astana

ASTANA – The main priority of the Afghan diplomatic mission in Kazakhstan is to strengthen economic, political and cultural ties between the people and governments of the...


Contemporary dance company director on ‘Falling Man’, Central Asian Dance Festival, Astana Opera and Astana Ballet Theatre

ASTANA – Executive Director of Company E, contemporary repertory dance company, Paul Gordon Emerson, recently premiered the company’s ballet performance of “Falling Man” as part of the...


From small school class to public association, Society for Disabled Children offers extensive help

ASTANA – Kamka Zhasanova, chair of the Society for Disabled Children Public Association, has been promoting inclusive education in Kazakhstan since early 2000, before many had even...


Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan strengthen economic ties

ASTANA – An agreement between the Kazakh Chamber of Commerce and Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs to open a Kazakh trade house in Turkmenistan was reached during...


Kazakh doctors transplant artificial heart with donor

ASTANA – Kazakh doctors marked a historic moment in cardiac history Aug. 1 by successfully performing the world’s first orthotopic heart transplant on a patient with an...


Kazakh singer Daneliya Tuleshova participates in Junior Eurovision auditions

ASTANA – Kazakh singer Daneliya Tuleshova, winner of The Voice Kids 2017 in Ukraine, will take part in national auditions for the Junior Eurovision Song contest. “I...


FC Astana defeats FC Midtjylland in Champions League qualification

ASTANA – FC Astana beat Danish FC Midtjylland on aggregate to advance from the second to the third qualification round of the UEFA Champions League. FC Midtjylland...


Central Asian countries discuss transboundary water management issues

ASTANA – Central Asian and neighbouring countries discussed transboundary water management, maintenance and the possibilities for strengthening sustainable development during a July 12-13 regional meeting in Almaty....


Merger of Kazkommertsbank, Halyk Bank complete

ASTANA – Kazkommertsbank’s merger into Halyk Bank was completed July 27. The merger transfers all property, all rights and obligations of Kazkommertsbank to Halyk Bank. “We have...


Cross-country roller skiers pay tribute to Denis Ten in Astana

More than 150 athletes competed July 29 in the Roller Ski Cup  in Astana dedicated to the memory of Kazakh figure skater Denis Ten. Amateur and professional...


Kazakh citizens’ foreign bank account, property information to be made available starting in 2020

ASTANA – A multilateral agreement was signed 26 June by the Kazakh Ministry of Finance’s State Revenue Committee Chairman Ardak Tengebayev, granting Kazakhstan the opportunity to exchange...


Indian FM meets with Kazakh counterpart, Prime Minister in Astana

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs  Kairat Abdrakhmanov and Foreign Minister of India Sushma Swaraj discussed cooperation between the two countries as well as regional and...


Astana-Paris bike ride involves cyclists with visual impairments

ASTANA – The Blind Race 2018 Astana-Paris bike marathon for cyclists who are blind or visually impaired will kick off noon, Aug. 4 from Mangilik El monument....


Veterinary vaccine plant to be built in Zhambyl region

ASTANA – BioVetKZ will be constructing a veterinary vaccine plant in the Zhambyl region, the regional press service reported July 30. The two billion tenge (US$5 million),...


Astana’s new gastronomic market to open in 2019

ASTANA – Capital residents: get your appetites ready. Construction has begun on Keruen Global gastronomic market in the city’s Saryarka district, reported abctv.kz. The 7,900-square metre mall,...


100 New Face’s Suleimenov supports and trains Kazakh programmers

ASTANA – Arman Suleimenov, one of Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces, is a leading information technology (IT) specialist. He is the founder and CEO of mobile app studio...


Astana to host WTO Ministerial Conference in 2020

ASTANA – World Trade Organisation (WTO) members confirmed the capital as the venue for the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in 2020. The general council meeting reached a...


EBRD President signs loan agreements, memoranda of understanding in Uzbekistan

ASTANA – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) President Sir Suma Chakrabarti travelled to Uzbekistan July 31-Aug. 1 to meet with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and sign...


Astana bus passengers adjust to new fares and rules

ASTANA – Capital bus passengers are now wielding transport cards. Differentiated fares and new enter-and-exit rules began operating July 21. For urban routes, the non-cash fare is...


Fugitive banker Ablyazov is suspected of murder in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – The Kazakhstan Prosecutor General’s Office announced July 31 that BTA Bank’s former chairman of the board of directors Mukhtar Ablyazov is suspected in organising a...


Kazakhstan to host Short Track World Cup Stage for first time

ASTANA – Almaty will host for the first time in Kazakhstan a stage of the Short Track Speed Skating World Cup Dec. 7-9, according to a recent...


Belgian envoy predicts ‘interesting results’ from combining Brussels’ experience with Astana’s potential

ASTANA – Small Belgium and large Kazakhstan have more to learn from each other than one might think – Belgium’s long history of industrial development can help...


Archaeologists find Saka burial mound, later graves near Astana

ASTANA – Archaeologists have begun excavating a Saka burial mound found 10 kilometres from Astana, in the course of their work discovering seven other graves dating to...


World-class ski jumping complex opens in Shchuchinsk

ASTANA – A ski jumping complex recently opened at Burabai Ski Resort in Shchuchinsk, the country’s traditional location for ski training. The 125-hectare facility, at an altitude...


Palestinian FM makes first visit to Kazakhstan, discusses relations with counterpart

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Palestine signed a memorandum on consultations between their foreign ministries as well as a memorandum on trade and economic ties in Astana during...


Eurasian Intergovernmental Council discusses trade, digitisation in St. Petersburg

ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagyntayev participated in the July 27 meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in St. Petersburg, Russia, reported primeminister.kz. The meeting brought together...


Childhood cancer rate in Kazakhstan rising, a result of better diagnostics

ASTANA – The nation’s childhood cancer rate increased 9.3 percent in 2016-2017, as the number of detected cases rose from 558 to 610 per year. “Every year,...


Kazakhstan involved in adopting UNSC resolution on children in armed conflict

ASTANA – The UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution on children in armed conflict July 9, underlying the connection between protecting children and preventing conflict. Kazakhstan...


Burabai CityPASS boxes save up to 50 percent on travel expenses

ASTANA – Beginning Aug. 1, Burabai National Park will offer Burabai CityPASS boxes that can save tourists up to 50 percent at local restaurants, hotels and museums...


Kazakh schoolchildren to learn physics with comic books

ASTANA – Kazakh comic books will be produced and published to introduce school students to the basics of physics as part of a collaboration between Shakhmardan Yessenov...


Norwegian Kazakhs promote culture through children’s summer camps

ASTANA – The Norwegian Kazakh Cultural Centre (Norsk Kazakh Kultur Senter, or NKKS) is organising summer camps for children to introduce Kazakh culture to Norwegians and establish...


IT business leader emphasises fundamental role of talent in digitisation efforts

ASTANA — Digitisation is occurring at an increasing pace across the world to improve labour productivity. These gains may result not only from rendering old processes more...


Kazakhstan serves as photographic inspiration for Cyprian academic

ASTANA – With an ambition to become one of the progressive global cities, the Kazakh capital is attracting more and more foreigners. Academic and photographer Evagoras Xydas...


Lack of healthy competition inhibits mountain tourism

ASTANA – The Shymbulak Ski Resort hosted the third international Almaty Mount Forum July 20, where experts discussed the challenges of developing mountain tourism. One-fifth of tourists...


Astana Around Us: Astana through eyes of photo artists

ASTANA – Astana Around Us depicts the capital and its residents from an unusual perspective. The photo exhibit, composed of approximately 120 works of the best photographers...


Protecting businesses and investment important to Kazakhstan

Creating a favourable investment climate and increasing the confidence of businesses and investors in the institutions of state power is the most important factor in ensuring the...


Kazakh FM discusses religious freedom with counterparts in Washington, D.C.

ASTANA – At the invitation of the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Kairat Abdrakhmanov attended July 25-26 the first Ministerial to...


Paris Opera Ballet presents Gala de Paris tour in Astana

ASTANA – The Paris Opera Ballet will present its Gala de Paris programme July 27 to 30 at the Astana Opera House in the Kazakh capital. The...


Focus Kazakhstan project brings Kazakh artists to the world

ASTANA – The creations of Kazakh artists are being presented abroad through the Focus Kazakhstan project, initiated to support working artists. The project sets up artist residences...


Kazakh film ‘Road to Mother’ to be released in American theatres

ASTANA – “Road to Mother,” by Kazakh director Akan Satayev, will be released in U.S. theatres this fall. World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation (WWMP) announced July 10...


Kazakh headwear manufacturer to export innovative products

ASTANA – Kazakh headwear company Elegant creates tailor-made hats from velvet, felt, leather, furs and straw, employing high-quality raw materials and innovative technology. In addition to producing...


Government officials, World Bank, Agro companies discuss increasing Kazakh agricultural exports

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture and representatives from the World Bank and several transnational agro companies discussed the nation’s exports and new Silk Road food...


Asaý Júrek resale shop offers luxury, vintage and mass-market clothing

ASTANA – Asaý Júrek, a resale shop opened in April in Almaty, offers high quality and select clothes and accessories. Founder and city resident Marina Anichkina sells...


Young neurosurgeon saves lives, is one of country’s 100 New Faces

ASTANA – Taraz native Marat Sarshayev, 33, a neurosurgeon at the Central Clinical Hospital in Almaty of the Medical Centre of the President’s Affairs Administration of Kazakhstan,...


Street artists bring life to Astana’s houses, connect people to art

ASTANA – The Kazakh capital hosted Urban Street Art Fest July 16-30, bringing street artists to paint the façades of houses. Eight murals, two of which are...


Suspects confess to killing Olympic figure skater Denis Ten

ASTANA – Kazakh police have confirmed two men have been detained on suspicion of killing Kazakh figure skater and Olympic bronze medallist Denis Ten July 19 and...


Upcoming agreement on Caspian legal status is important for water body, region

Given the instability and divisions across our world today, it is hardly a surprise that very little international attention has been paid to the challenges of the...


Astana Pro Team’s Fraile wins Tour de France stage

ASTANA – Astana Pro Team’s Spanish cyclist Omar Fraile won the 14th stage of the Tour de France. He was the first to finish the 188-km stage...


Central Asian foreign ministers discuss regional security

ASTANA – Central Asian foreign ministers discussed regional cooperation and security matters July 21 in Cholpon-Ata (Kyrgyzstan). The meeting included Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kairat...


Business news in brief

Kazkommertsbank (Qazkom) recently won two awards for its innovative products at the Asian Banking and Finance Awards 2018 in Singapore, reports forbes.kz. A jury of international consulting...


Economic news in brief

Kazakhstan began supplying flour to Afghanistan through a new railway route from Kostanai July 18, the press service of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) reported. The length of...


External news in brief

Finnair will resume its Astana-Helsinki route in July, reported the Astana International Airport press service. The four-hour flight will be operated twice per week on Wednesday and...


Kazakhstan’s Jewish community is prospering, says Chief Rabbi

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is home to people of different religions and confessions, including the Jewish community. In a recent interview with The Astana Times, Chief Rabbi Yeshaya...


Iranian cultural centre head commends ties between Kazakhstan and Iran

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Iran have enjoyed 25 years of dynamically developing bilateral relations. Iranian Cultural Centre Head Masoud Sheikh Zeineddin recently commended the current cultural ties...


National news in brief

Nineteen projects worth 6.4 billion tenge (US$18 million) to supply gas to rural settlements are being implemented in the Aktobe region, reports the regional akimat press service....


Thousands commemorate Denis Ten at memorial services worldwide

ASTANA – Thousands of people attended the July 21 funeral services in Almaty of late Kazakh figure skating medallist Denis Ten. The services were held two days...


Direct flights to Italy will strengthen Kazakh-Italian relations, envoy stresses

ASTANA – Recently-appointed Italian ambassador Pasquale D’Avino says there’s a need for direct Kazakhstan-Italy air connections due to the growing interest among Kazakhs in Italian culture and...


New programme provides loan subsidies for low-carbon city projects

ASTANA – Kazakh Ministry for Investments and Development and Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund have launched a programme to support entrepreneurs running investment projects related to energy saving...


Kazakhstan boosts oil, gas, fuel and electricity production

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s fuel and energy industry is showing signs of growth. This year, Kazakhstan has increased oil production 6 percent, gas production 6.4 percent and electricity...


Kazakh President visits Burabai, reviews tourism development

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited tourist attractions in Burabai July 11. He reviewed the development of the region’s tourism cluster and noted the importance of...


Indian Cultural Centre in Astana offers yoga, Indian dance and other classes

ASTANA – Free classes on Indian music, dance, the Hindi language and yoga were recently launched at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the Embassy of India...


Kazakh government to create new department to deal with social modernisation, committee on youth and family affairs

ASTANA – The Kazakh government plans to create a new department to regulate social modernisation and the Committee on Youth and Family Affairs, Minister of Social Development...


Five-year-old artist holds charity exhibit to help children with visual impairments

ASTANA – Five-year-old artist Zere Dzhamalova raised 4 million tenge (US$11,614) for children with visual impairments at her personal exhibit in Almaty July 3. The funds were...


Denis Ten: a great loss and an inspiration

The terrible news of the passing of Denis Ten, one of Kazakhstan’s most celebrated Olympians, has shocked Kazakhstan and the global community. It is difficult to accept...


Kazakh figure skater Denis Ten dies from stab wounds at age 25

ASTANA – Kazakh figure skating medallist Denis Ten died at age 25 after being stabbed in Almaty July 19. Ten died at the hospital following an attack...


Food box delivery service makes healthy eating easy in Astana

ASTANA – Kese.kz, a food box delivery service, launched two weeks ago in the capital. It offers customers daily, affordable meal kits with recipes that are both...


Astana marks Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday with charitable acts

ASTANA – The Mimioriya Development Centre, partnering with the South African Embassy in the city, marked the centenary of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela’s birth July 18 with...


Kazakhstan enacts law developing private venture financing

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a law on venture financing July 9 providing a number of innovations that should stimulate the private venture capital market....


Kazakh citizens to re-register land when renouncing citizenship

ASTANA – Kazakh citizens will have to re-register land when renouncing their citizenship, the Akmola region’s Regional Communication Service announced as a reminder of Kazakhstan’s land code...


Kazakh literary collections to be translated into Spanish, English and French

ASTANA – In mid-July, Kazakhstan has concluded agreements with various institutions in Spain, Britain and France to translate, publish and disseminate two major anthologies of modern Kazakh...


Film studio plan for Technopark in Astana

ASTANA – Astana Invest City Development Centre for Investment and V.S.E.E. company headed by Kazakh actor and director Niyaz Abdygapar recently signed a memorandum to establish a...


Number of children in Kazakh orphanages decreases 40% in five years

ASTANA – The number of children in Kazakh orphanages has decreased 40 percent in the last five years, as 4,445 children have been returned to their biological...


Kazakh state healthcare programme services, contributions expanding

ASTANA – Contributions for compulsory social health insurance totalled more than 80.6 billion tenge (US$233 million) for a one-year period, said Social Health Insurance Fund Chairperson Yelena...


Kazakh anti-nuclear activist wins 2018 Nuclear-Free Future Award

ASTANA – Karipbek Kuyukov will receive the 2018 Nuclear-Free Future Award (NFFA) in the education category for his essential contribution to the anti-nuclear movement. The award will...


Astana’s cash-for-trash programme pays residents for recyclables

ASTANA – Astana residents are able to earn cash for bringing their waste to one of nine waste collection points, reported the Astana Akimat (city administration) press...


Kazakh chess champion Saduakassova ranks 11th among world’s top female players

ASTANA – Kazakh chess champion Dinara Saduakassova, 21, is ranked 11th among the world’s female chess players after winning first prize among women at the recent Porticcio...


Kazakhstan to create list of travel agencies qualified to assist international travelers

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Travel Agencies Association and Turistik Kamkor Corporate Fund plan to create a list of travel agencies qualified to assist Kazakhstan citizens experiencing emergency situations...


UNFPA ‘Right to Choose’ campaign raises youth awareness of reproductive health

ASTANA – Family planning is key to economic stability and prosperity. Giulia Vallese, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative for Kazakhstan and Country Director for Kyrgyzstan and...


Smart city innovations being implemented in cities throughout Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Smart city project innovations are being introduced in many sectors throughout the country, according to a report delivered by Minister of Information and Communications of...


Zhambyl region establishes sugar beet seed fund

ASTANA – Seed-breeding farms for sugar beets are being revived in the Zhambyl region. Farmers formerly spent up to $1.2 million to import seeds and the administration...


Kazakh finance minister recommends quick sale of privatised state assets

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s second privatisation wave is more than 75 percent complete. Results from the first half of 2018 show that 502 out of 887 state-owned enterprises...


Kazakhstan to upgrade prisons to international standards

ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s correctional facilities will be reconstructed corresponding to the international standards in which convicts have to be detained in a single prison cell, said Prosecutor...


Bolashak Scholarship programme celebrates 25th anniversary in 2018, sets sights higher

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Bolashak International Scholarship will mark its 25th anniversary in November. More than 10,000 specialists have been trained in 200 of the best universities of...


Average inflation rate falls in first six months of 2018

ASTANA – The average inflation rate in Kazakhstan for the first half of 2018 was 6.4 percent, down from 7.7 percent in the same period the previous...


Astana Opera presents open-air performance in Borovoye

ASTANA – Astana Opera travelled to Borovoye July 14 to present “Birzhan-Sara.” The open-air event was dedicated to the capital’s 20th anniversary, and the directors decided that...


Kazakhstan’s Golden Man, priceless Saka artefacts travel to China

ASTANA – Exhibits of priceless Kazakh art and photography of ancient sites opened July 12 in Xi’an, the capital of China’s Shaanxi Province. The Legacy of the...