Kazakhstan makes important step towards GRECO membership

NUR-SULTAN – The Chairman of the Kazakh Anti-corruption Agency Alik Shpekbayev signed an agreement opening the way for the country to join the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO)...


Carpets produced in Shymkent gain foothold in international market

NUR-SULTAN – Carpets from Shymkent are gaining attention in the internal market and entering the international one. Bal Tekstil, the country’s largest carpet manufacturer, began operation in 2013 in...


UNFPA, activists promote “Qyzbolsyn” film to address women’s issues in society 

NUR-SULTAN – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Nazarbayev University’s E.Quality Talks club initiated “The Power of Girls: Independent and Unstoppable on the International Day of the Girl...


World Bank data suggests Central Asian poverty rate continues to shrink, pace slowing 

NUR-SULTAN – Central Asian poverty levels continue to decrease, but the pace has slowed, reported the World Bank press service in conjunction with the Oct. 17 International Day for...


Officials consider installing transmission lines near Shoshkaly Lake, focus on boosting tourism 

NUR-SULTAN – A proposal to build power transmission lines near Shoshkaly Lake in 2020 was recently submitted to the Department of Economics and Budget Planning of the East Kazakhstan...


Kazakh athletes win two medals at AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh athletes won two bronze medals Oct. 12 at the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women’s World Boxing Championship 2019 in Ulan-Ude, Russia, reported Olympic.kz. “We can’t say...


Saryarqa pipeline finishes, completing first stage of providing Kazakh cities with gas

NUR-SULTAN – The last joint of the Saryarqa pipeline outside the capital, also called the “golden joint,” was ceremoniously welded Oct. 9, signifying completion of the first stage to...


Daneliya Tuleshova becomes Kazakhstan UNESCO Club ambassador 

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh singer Daneliya Tuleshova has been named one of the nation’s United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Club ambassadors. She received a badge and certificate...


Almaty Mayor presents city development strategy through 2050

NUR-SULTAN – Almaty Akim (Mayor) Bakytzhan Sagintayev recently presented the city development strategy through 2050 to an audience of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University students. “On instructions of Elbasy (First...


Salam Air to open direct flights between Omani capital and Almaty, Nur-Sultan

NUR-SULTAN – Omani low-cost carrier Salam Air plans to open Almaty-Muscat direct flights with a frequency of seven flights per week in March 2020 and Nur-Sultan-Muscat in autumn 2020....


Turkic Council approves Uzbekistan’s membership, awards Nazarbayev Higher Order of Turkic World

NUR-SULTAN – Uzbekistan joined the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS or Turkic Council) Oct. 15 during its seventh summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. The summit also featured the...


IAEA LEU Bank in Kazakhstan receives first shipment, becomes operational

NUR-SULTAN – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Low-Enriched-Uranium (LEU) Fuel Bank in Kazakhstan received Oct. 17 its first shipment of low-enriched uranium. The LEU Bank is meant to...


French company SUEZ set to build two landfills in Almaty Region

NUR-SULTAN – French company SUEZ and Kazakh Keremet Projects are planning to build two solid waste landfills near Almaty and in the Almaty region, reported the Almaty region administration...


Capital authorities offer support to people with disabilities

NUR-SULTAN – The capital akimat (administration) offers rehabilitation, specific social services, free use of public transportation and the possibility of employment to its 25,715 residents with disabilities, reported its...


Kazakh President proposes single visa regime for CIS

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed at the Oct. 11 meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Ashgabat to introduce the Commonwealth Visa, a single...


Turkestan completes new media centre, akimat building

NUR-SULTAN – Turkestan’s new media centre and regional akimat (administration) building projects were completed Oct. 9, reported Otyrar.kz. With both structures finished, only the work in the surrounding areas...


Nur-Sultan, Almaty among 10 most popular tourist cities in CIS

NUR-SULTAN – The capital and Almaty are among the top ten most attractive tourist cities in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), reported turstat.com. The website ranks the most...


Kazakh figure skaters win bronze medal, secure spot in World Championship 2020

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh figure skaters Maxine Weatherby and Temirlan Yerzhanov took the bronze at the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge, scoring enough points to participate in next year’s Four Continents...


Kazakh economy grows 4.3 percent in first nine months of 2019

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan enjoyed a 4.3 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth from January to September, announced Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov at an Oct. 14 government meeting,...


Nur-Sultan hosts UN urban tourism summit

NUR-SULTAN – Nur-Sultan hosted Oct. 9-10 the United National World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Summit on Urban Tourism. More than 700 delegates from 30 countries gathered to explore the definition...


Fifteen countries join Green Bridge Initiative, sharing ideas and learning with Kazakhstan

NUR-SULTAN – Fifteen countries have joined the Kazakh Green Bridge green economy transition initiative, International Centre for Green Technologies and Investment Projects Management Board Deputy Chairperson Gaukhar Beiseyeva told...


North Kazakhstan farmers harvest first major soybean crop 

NUR-SULTAN – Farmers in the North Kazakhstan Region have begun harvesting the first major soybean crop under Northern Soybean state programme. Kazakhstan currently imports soybeans from Russia, but thanks...


One million trees to be planted in Kazakhstan as part of nationwide campaign

NUR-SULTAN – One million trees will be planted in Kazakhstan as part of the nationwide environment campaign #Birge #JasylQazaqstan (which means Together and GreenKazakhstan).  The campaign started Oct. 12...


Regional experts adopt joint programme to address land degradation issue in Central Asia 

NUR-SULTAN – More than 70 scientists, politicians and experts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan developed a common programme to solve problems related to biodiversity conservation, land...


Kazakhstan ranks 55th in Global Competitiveness Index, moves up four spots

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan moved up four spots to 55th out of 141 countries in the Global Competitiveness Index published Oct. 9 by the World Economic Forum. The report assesses...


Karaganda-Balkhash highway to open in 2020

NUR-SULTAN – The Karaganda-Balkhash highway will be opened in 2020 and this year, 40 kilometres of the roads will be opened, reported Oct. 8 Primeminister.kz. The Karaganda-Temirtau and Karaganda...


Kazakh economy attracts $900 million in investments during business forums in Berlin, Paris

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan reached approximately $900 million in investment project agreements with German and French companies during recent business forums in Berlin and Paris. The Kazakh delegation, led by...


Air Astana unveils first Airbus A321LR aircraft

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh national air carrier Air Astana unveiled Oct. 9 its first Airbus A321 Long Range (LR) aircraft at the Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport in the Kazakh capital. ...


Forum examines effective gender equality and sex education for Kazakh youth

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh public health and family agencies and organisations recently sponsored an event in Nur-Sultan where adults and young people discussed issues of gender equality and sex education. ...


Mahatma Gandhi, A Man of All Times

India is commemorating 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi. Born on 2 October, 1869, Gandhi overcame the ordinary circumstances of his family, to...


Kazakhstan’s third 100 New Faces project looks for young, successful role models 

NUR-SULTAN – The third annual 100 New Faces of Kazakhstan project has changed its application requirements and revised procedures to select the top 100 individuals whose contributions to the...


Kazakh FM urges multilateral approach on Afghanistan at OSCE Roundtable

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi called for a multilateral approach to achieve stability in Afghanistan Oct. 9 at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in...


Almaty to host Denis Ten Memorial Challenge 

NUR-SULTAN – The ISU (International Skating Union) has announced the first Denis Ten Memorial Challenge will be held Oct. 10-13 in Almaty. “One of Denis’s main goals was to...


AIFC marks World Investors Week with how-to forum on doing business with the centre 

NUR-SULTAN – The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) and Almaty Akimat (administration) hosted the Almaty Financial Forum as part of World Investors Week (WIW). The event contributed to increased...


Pavlodar musicologist owns world’s largest collection of gramophone records

NUR-SULTAN – Musicologist Naum Shafer, who is also a professor, literary critic, writer and composer, has assembled the world’s largest collection of gramophone records (not to be confused with...


National library for visually impaired puts young minds to challenge specialised libraries 

NUR-SULTAN – The National Library for People with Blindness and Visual Impairment gathered young librarians from all regional specialised libraries Sept. 26-27 for its first nationwide meeting in Almaty....


Kazakh President, Foreign Minister meet Russian FM in Nur-Sultan 

NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and discussed bilateral cooperation during Lavrov’s Oct. 8-9 visit to the Kazakh...


President urges acceleration of capital city development, calls for infrastructure improvements

NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined the most pressing challenges facing the Kazakh capital and directed city officials and other government bodies to fix them during a major Oct....


US-based Valley Irrigation expands to Kazakhstan, seeks to introduce new irrigation technologies

NUR-SULTAN – Valley Irrigation, the U.S.-based world leader in irrigation technologies, is seeking to help Kazakhstan ensure the efficient use of water resources, share advanced technologies with local farmers...


Second International Writers Forum focuses on translation problems

NUR-SULTAN – The second International Writers Forum in Almaty Sept. 25-27 focused on translation issues through the theme “Discovering the world – opening to the world. Problems of literary...


National news in brief

Up to one million trees will be planted in Kazakhstan as part of the national tree planting campaign, reported the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources press service....


External news in brief

The Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Singapore signed the Free Trade Agreement and Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union...


Economic news in brief

The gross output of agriculture, forestry and fisheries for the first eight months of 2019 increased 3.6 percent to two trillion tenge (US$5.15 billion) year-on-year (yoy). Production growth is...


Business news in brief

Kazakhstan has terminated the contract with Spanish investor Talgo at the Kazakh plant that produces train wagons, Vice Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Berik Kamaliev announced Oct. 3,...


Tajik Language and Culture Centre opens at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

NUR-SULTAN – Tajik Language and Culture centre opened Oct. 1 in the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Tajik Consul General Bakhodur Nazir and the Kazakh National University Provost Tlekkabul Ramazanov...


Rakhat expands its presence in international confectionery market

NUR-SULTAN – Rakhat Company has continued to maintain its leadership in the Kazakh confectionery market in the first half of the year, modernising internal policy and entering new markets....


Kazakh airlines carry 5.6 million passengers in first eight months of 2019

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh airlines carried 5.6 million passengers in the first eight months of 2019, showing a 1.8 percent increase over 2018, said Kazakh Minister of Industry and Infrastructure...


Golovkin defeats Derevyanchenko, wins IBF and IBO titles

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh boxer Gennady Golovkin won Oct. 6 a fight for the IBF and IBO middleweight champion titles against the Ukrainian boxer Sergei Derevyanchenko. The fight took place...


Kazakh jewellery designers make women feel unique with “affordable luxury” products  

NUR-SULTAN – AZEL Urban & Unique Jewelry is the fashion project of two creative friends, stylist Asel Junus and architect Zauresh Kazybayeva. The duo created the line “for active...


Kazakh government allocates record amount for social assistance 

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan increased social spending 28 percent in the first eight months of 2019 over the same period 2018, reported Ranking.kz. The country spent 2.3 trillion tenge (US$5.9...