Almaty, Japanese officials hope planting cherry blossoms will help their relationship flower

NUR-SULTAN – Almaty and Japanese officials recently planted the first of 100 cherry blossom trees along the Esentai River in Almaty as a symbol of friendship between the city...


Kazakhstan, Germany seek to increase trade, joint projects

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan used more than $183 million in German capital last year to implement four investment projects in trade, industry and renewable energy sources, reported the Kazakh Invest...


Bird watchers migrate to Almaty for Wings of Alakol festival

NUR-SULTAN – The Wings of Alakol bird watching festival will take place May 9-11 at the Pelikan Family Recreation Centre on Alakol Lake in the Almaty Region. Festival will...


Kazakhstan increased exports nearly 25 percent in 2018

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan exported $68.3 billion in goods and services in 2018, a 24.2-percent growth compared to 2017, said Minister of Finance Ruslan Dalenov at the April 16 government...


17,000 runners to race in Almaty Marathon, one hopes to set Guinness Record

NUR-SULTAN – Seventeen thousand runners will participate in the Almaty Marathon April 21, 10 percent of whom are from 53 countries of the world including China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,...


Aselsan Engineering seeks to increase domestic involvement in Kazakhstan in producing military products

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan Aselsan Engineering (KAE) is one of the companies that contributes not only to the city’s economy and the domestic market, but to the military preparedness of...


Kazakhstan’s only professional female F4 driver to put pedal to the metal in SEA Championship

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh racer Lyubov Ozeretskovskaya, 22, will participate in the second stage of the 2019 Formula 4 Southeast Asia Championship (F4 SEA) April 19-21 in Kuala Lumpur. She...


Yerzhan Maksim to compete in Russia’s ‘The Voice Kids’ final April 26

NUR-SULTAN – Yerzhan Maksim, a 12-year-old schoolboy from Oral, was selected by Russian singer Valeriy Meladze to compete in the final of the Russian reality talent show “The Voice...


Key Kazakh sectors see first-quarter growth

NUR-SULTAN – Construction and trade were among the key sectors in Kazakhstan which experienced first-quarter growth, said Kazakh Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov at an April 16 government...


Kazakh dairy company Emil exemplifies ‘Made in Kazakhstan’ label

NUR-SULTAN – The Made in Kazakhstan label is given to agricultural products that are organic, affordable and high-quality. The Emil dairy products company meets all of those standards. The...


Kazakh National Guard to shoot film about fallen soldiers’ heroism in 1995 Tajik-Afghan border battle

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh National Guard will be shooting a film and TV series about the heroism of fallen Kazakh soldiers in the 1995 battle at the Tajik-Afghan border...


Kazakhstan to give teachers up to 30-percent pay hike

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan plans to boost salaries for education system workers from 10-30 percent starting in June in conjunction with the new system of coefficients to be launched that...


Kazakh orphans find four-leaf clover with Irish parents

NUR-SULTAN – The statistics show that Irish citizens have adopted more children from Kazakh orphanages than in any other European countries. Today, approximately 150 young ethnic Kazakhs have found...


Kazakhstan establishes uniform pricing for pharmaceuticals, makes prices available online

NUR-SULTAN – Uniform prices will be set in all Kazakh pharmacies by May. Medical supply prices will be available online, as well as by request, to make medicine more...


Kazakh brand Shoqan produces high quality, affordable classic clothing

NUR-SULTAN – Almaty entrepreneurs Nursultan Magzumov and Ulugbek Sharipov are promoting the culture of Kazakh men wearing suits by producing a high-quality, stylish and affordable clothing line. The team,...


Atyrau authorities, investor to build waste processing plant

NUR-SULTAN – Atyrau authorities and a private investor will be constructing a waste sorting complex and plastic processing workshop. The high-tech installation is scheduled to launch in May. “The...


Astana Opera presents “La Bohème,” series of chamber orchestra concerts

NUR-SULTAN – Astana Opera House will present Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Bohème” staged by Andrea Bernard April 19 and 20, reported the theatre’s press service. Mariya Mudryak and Maira...


Kazakhstan’s presidential hospital performs robot-aided surgery

NUR-SULTAN – Surgeons at the capital’s Presidential Hospital are expanding their capabilities in robot-assisted surgery. Using equipment which reduces blood loss and operation time, they have begun doing new...


Kazakhstan’s Bublik wins Monterrey Challenger, enters ATP’s top 100

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh tennis player Alexander Bublik won the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, entering ATP’s top 100 ranking. Bublik defeated Serb Pedja Krstin...


Kazakhstan’s assembly to continue interethnic, religious harmony building in wake of recent political changes

NUR-SULTAN – In response to the recent change in the Kazakh presidency, the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan (APK) organised a national extended meeting April 2 to redefine...


Athletes to run for charity in annual BI Marathon May 26

NUR-SULTAN – Professional and amateur athletes will run for charity in the capital’s annual BI Marathon May 26, reports the Nur-Sultan Akimat (city administration) press service. The event aims...


Young Kazakh entrepreneurs to pitch start-ups at Echelon Asia Summit 2019

NUR-SULTAN – Ten teams from the acceleration programme Smart Zholy will present their start-up projects at Singapore’s Echelon Asia Summit May 23-24. Twenty teams of English-speaking Kazakh entrepreneurs aged...


Erasmus+ contributes to cooperation, mobility of Kazakh universities with EU partner countries

NUR-SULTAN – Since 2007, Kazakh students and organisations have had the opportunity to study in Europe as part of the European Union’s (EU) Erasmus+ programme. The Astana Times interviewed...


Kazakhstan modernises criminal procedure law to strengthen human rights in criminal proceedings

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s modernised criminal law has mitigated punitive measures to better protect human rights in criminal processes. As a result, the number of people taken into custody has...


Israeli Film Festival opens in Kazakh capital

NUR-SULTAN – The Israeli Embassy in Kazakhstan, in cooperation with KazGUU University, opened the week-long Israeli Film Festival April 8 by screening Yossi Madmoni’s “Restoration.” The festival is aimed...


South Korean Lotte Group to sweeten investment in local candy company

NUR-SULTAN – The Rakhat Shymkent confectionery company plans to launch new product lines to produce marmalade by 2019 and sugar biscuits by 2020, said Rakhat Shymkent Director Zhyldyz Rahipbekova....


Construction of Almaty’s Kok Zhailau resort to be delayed 3-5 years

NUR-SULTAN – Construction of the Kok Zhailau Mountain resort near Almaty will be delayed three to five years as recommended by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Almaty Akim (Mayor) Baurzhan Baibek...


Toyota launches long-term vehicle leasing for businesses in Kazakhstan

NUR-SULTAN – After considering the needs of domestic businesses, Toyota Financial Services Kazakhstan, the company’s representative branch in the country, is now offering operating leasing to its customers. The...


Indian Embassy marks important dates with events in Nur-Sultan

NUR-SULTAN – The Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan organised a concert of Kazakh artists performing Indian dance and music April 9 to celebrate the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)...


Content creators to share their experiences at festivals in Nur-Sultan, Aktobe, Shymkent

NUR-SULTAN – The festival The Art of Content will gather storytellers and their audiences at the capital’s Astana Hub April 24-25, Aktobe’s Capital Plaza April 26 and Shymkent’s co-working...


Kazakh presidential hopefuls must gather 118,000 signatures to be on early election ballot

NUR-SULTAN – Presidential hopefuls will need to gather approximately 118,000 signatures to be included on the ballot for Kazakhstan’s June 9 early presidential election, according to an April 10...


Kazakh GDP grows 3.8 percent in first quarter of 2019

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s GDP rose 3.8 percent in the first quarter of 2019, said Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Alikhan Smailov at an April 10...


Nur-Sultan hosts Triumvirart contemporary art exhibition

NUR-SULTAN – The April 4-30 Triumvirart contemporary art exhibition in the capital features the work of three Kazakh artists Marat Bekeyev, Eduard Kazaryan and Andrei Noda. The artists’ work...


Huawei to prepare KazNU ICT professionals

NUR-SULTAN – Huawei, the Chinese multinational telecommunications manufacturer, is expanding its investment in Kazakh Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) university programmes by adding Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU)...


Kazakh ploggers clean capital’s parks

NUR-SULTAN – More than 400 ploggers participated in an April 7 event aimed at cleaning the capital’s parks and drawing people’s attention to the environment, recycling and a healthy...


Ilyas Zhansugurov’s poem translated into English

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh poet Ilyas Zhansugurov’s poem “Kulager” has been translated into English to celebrate his 125th birthday. The translation, completed by English poet and translator Belinda Cooke, was...


Television series on Kazakh boxer Bekzat Sattarkhanov to air this spring

NUR-SULTAN – Khabar Agency’s biographical television series “Bekzat,” commemorating the late Kazakh professional boxer Bekzat Sattarkhanov, will air this spring, reports the National Olympic Committee. Filming of the six-episode...


Khabar TV launches Central Asia’s Got Talent

NUR-SULTAN – Khabar TV, in conjunction with Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek channels, started the casting process April 3 for Central Asia’s Got Talent. The show will be broadcast in...


Astana Art Show 2019 to kick off June 7

NUR-SULTAN – The capital will once more become a hub for contemporary art during Astana Art Show 2019 at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation and Palace of Independence...


Kazakhstan’s Business Roadmap 2020 financing increased 57 percent

NUR-SULTAN – Financing for Business Roadmap 2020, which supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through state allocated funds, increased 57 percent this year, said Minister of National Economy Ruslan...


Kazakh government to spend nearly $250 million for targeted social assistance in 2019

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Government has provided social assistance for 282,000 people totaling 9.3 billion tenge (US$24.44 million) this year and plans to spend another 83 billion tenge (US$218.12...


Early presidential election in Kazakhstan set for June 9; President Tokayev pledges fair and transparent vote

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will hold an early presidential election June 9, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced April 9. Tokayev called for the early election after assuming the office per...


Kazakh capital to host 2019 UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism

NUR-SULTAN – The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Nur-Sultan Akimat (city administration) will organise the eighth UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism under the Smart Cities,...


BREAKING NEWS: Early presidential election in Kazakhstan set for June 9; President Tokayev pledges fair and transparent vote

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set the date for the early presidential election for June 9, 2019 as he said the vote was “absolutely needed” to ensure “continuity,...


CIS foreign ministers approve 2019 consultation plans, welcome new chair in Moscow

NUR-SULTAN – The Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) approved April 5 in Moscow a plan for multi-level consultations between CIS foreign ministries...


Kazakh FM meets with political, business leaders at sidelines of WEF in Jordan

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Beibut Atamkulov met with more than a dozen political and business leaders on the sidelines of the April 6 World Economic Forum...


National news in brief

The Almaty city administration will reconstruct Baiseitova and Zhibek Zholy Streets and Dostyk Avenue to prioritise pedestrians starting in April, the regional press service has announced. Fences, pedestrian ramps...


Naming Kazakh capital after its visionary is right decision

Changing the name of a nation’s capital city is always a profound moment. The capital is the heart of a country, therefore, a decision to rename it should not...


Economic News in Brief

In the first two months of 2019, Kazakhstan’s crude oil production increased 5.8 percent year on year and totalled 13.2 million tonnes. The Atyrau region accounted for 64 percent...


Business news in brief

The Kazakh Ministry of Finance has proposed a phased introduction for the universal declaration of income and property among Kazakh citizens, starting 2021, reports its press service. Current legislation...