Astana Ballet theatre to host presentation of modern Russian literature

NUR-SULTAN – The Astana Ballet theatre will present Sept. 19 Russian actor Konstantin Khabenskiy and writer Alexander Tsypkin who will read sad and funny stories about daily life. The...


Kazakhstan proposes improving business taxation, cancelling apartment owners’ land tax

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Interdepartmental Commission on Legislative Activities discussed the concept of a draft law July 30 introducing amendments and addenda to certain legislative taxation acts to attract...


Hilton sees expansion opportunities in Central Asia, plans eco-friendly future

NUR-SULTAN – This year, Hilton celebrates its 100th anniversary of hospitality with nearly 5,900 hotels in 114 countries. In Kazakhstan, the brand is represented by three hotels in Nur-Sultan...


Kazakh Anticorruption Agency calls for improved automated vehicle weight measuring systems

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Anticorruption Agency is seeking to improve automated vehicle weight measuring systems that were installed since 2010, but are out of use due to technical issues....


Capital to provide 1,634 apartments this year for families with many children

NUR-SULTAN – The capital will provide 1,634 apartments for families with three or more children by the end of the year using the capital communal housing fund. It includes...


Astana LRT opens school for capital bus drivers

NUR-SULTAN – Astana LRT has opened a driving school at the capital’s Transport Specialist Qualification Centre to reduce the shortage of bus drivers, improve the professional level and decrease...


Air Astana launches baggage allowance by number of pieces on international flights

NUR-SULTAN – Air Astana changed its free checked baggage allowance on international routes Aug. 7 from weight to number of pieces. Beginning Aug. 21, passengers can check a certain...


Kazakhstan to digitise mining, metallurgy industries

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government plans to digitise its mining and metallurgy industries, Chairman of the Committee for Industrial Development and Industrial Safety of the Kazakh Ministry of Industry...


Capital considers building rehabilitation centre for children with disabilities

NUR-SULTAN – Capital Akim (Mayor) Altai Kulginov recently raised the question of opening a new centre for individuals with disabilities after visiting the city’s social services centre. Its specialists...


New Kazakh programme allows students to earn tuition funds, course credit for volunteering

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Information and Social Development will launch in September a programme allowing Kazakh students to receive course credit and funds to pay tuition in...


Kazakh capital to host 2019 UNWTO Urban Tourism Global Summit on SDGs

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,...


Kazakh finance ministry aims to reduce the country’s shadow economy to 15-17 percent of GDP

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Finance aims to reduce the country’s shadow economy to 15-17 percent of the gross domestic product, which is the level exhibited among Organisation...


Golovkin to fight Derevyanchenko for his old world title

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh professional boxer Gennady Golovkin will now have the chance to win back his old title with a fight against Ukrainian professional boxer Serhiy Derevyanchenko as a...


EBRD projects in Kazakhstan focus on small business, women’s entrepreneurship and investment environment

NUR-SULTAN – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has invested more than $9.1 billion through 261 projects in the economy of Kazakhstan as of July. In 2015,...


FlyArystan reaches 200,000 passenger milestone in three months

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s first and only low-cost airline FlyArystan, which launched its first flight May 1 from Almaty to Nur-Sultan, recently carried its 200,000th passenger. The airline also reported...


Teachers, waiters among most popular and in demand jobs in Kazakhstan

NUR-SULTAN – The most numerous professions in Kazakhstan are secondary school teachers, accountants and store clerks, according to a labour market statistical analysis of the first-semester of 2019 data...


Kazakh capital to acquire 100 new electric buses

NUR-SULTAN – One hundred additional electronic public buses will begin operating in the capital by the end of the year. “The working group formed under the city accelerator is...


Kazakh wrestler wins silver medal at international tournament in Poland

NUR-SULTAN – Nurkhozha Kaipanov won Aug. 4 the silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the Vaclav Tsiolkovsky International Tournament in Warsaw, Poland, reports Olympic.kz. It was the ninth medal...


First Central Asian Triathlon Association race to be Oct. 5 in Shymkent and Tashkent

NUR-SULTAN – The Central Asian Triathlon Association (CATA) will host its first race under CATA auspices Oct. 5 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, according to an announcement following...


New Kazakh ministry will focus on environment, preventing poaching and managing water resources

NUR-SULTAN – The newly established Kazakh Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources will focus primarily on developing the county’s Environmental Code, establishing mechanisms to fight poaching and deforestation...


Kazakh Government approves new legislative, executive roadmap to attract investment

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government approved July 30 a new roadmap outlining legislative and executive measures to attract foreign investment, Zakon.kz reports. The roadmap also outlines measures to be...


Kazakhstan urges United States, Russia to resolve INF Treaty issues

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan remains hopeful the United States and Russia will negotiate and resolve their problems concerning the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty through existing bilateral and multilateral platforms,...


Kazakhstan to participate for second time in Junior Eurovision Song Contest

NUR-SULTAN – The finalist of “The Voice Kids” in Russia Yerzhan Maksim will represent Kazakhstan at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019, said Kazakh Minister of Information and Social...


Seventh Tour of Almaty professional bike race will take place Aug. 30-31

NUR-SULTAN – Central Asia’s largest professional cycling race, Tour of Almaty, will take place Aug. 30 and 31. The race will be the seventh time Kazakhstan’s largest city has...


Kazakhstan’s national unity model is unique, an example to other countries, says Turkish community leader

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s public consensus and nationwide unity model is unique and valuable and sets an example for many countries, Kyzylorda Region Turkish community leader Gulchin Geidarova told the...


Astana Opera announces new series of concerts at chamber hall in Nur-Sultan

NUR-SULTAN – Local musicians will present famous and rarely performed works by Kazakh, foreign and contemporary classical composers this August at the chamber hall of the Astana Opera House...


AIFC FinTech Hub participates in Startup Nation festival in Thailand

NUR-SULTAN – Fintech Hub, which is part of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), participated in the recent Startup Nation festival in Bangkok, Thailand. Fintech Hub presented three startups,...


Selection for Kazakhstan’s presidential personnel reserve begins

NUR-SULTAN – Selection for the Presidential Personnel Reserve, which President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev talked about in his election programme, “Well-being for all! Continuity. Justice. Progress” will begin Sept. 1. For...


New Kazakh presidential assistants, domestic policy head appointed

NUR-SULTAN – Aida Balayeva and Maulen Ashimbayev were appointed July 22 and July 30, respectively, as assistants to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Gani Nygymetov was appointed July 30 as...


Tiny house rental business in Kazakhstan emphasises design over size

NUR-SULTAN – The tiny house movement has reached the world’s largest landlocked country, enabling inhabitants of homes under 100 square metres to lead simpler lives. Although home sizes tend...


Kazakhstan finishes 90 percent of repairs to Arys damaged by munitions explosion

NUR-SULTAN – Ninety percent of reconstruction and repair in Arys was complete as of Aug. 2, after the town was heavily damaged June 24 by a large explosion at...


Kazakh machine-building enterprises produce equipment worth $1.4 billion

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh machine-building enterprises produced 553 billion tenge (US$1.4 billion) in goods in the first half of 2019. The products are nearly 100-percent localised and offer a wide...


Latest FinReview report confirms Kazakhstan attracted quarter of a trillion dollars in FDI over 10 years

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has attracted $250 billion foreign direct investments (FDI) in the last ten years, according to FinReview’s recent analytical review of the country’s investment policy. Overall, nearly...


Nur-Sultan cuts budget on LRT construction by $350 million

NUR-SULTAN – The Nur-Sultan Akimat (city administration) recently cut $350 million from the budget to build a new light rail train system, Nur-Sultan Mayor Altai Kulginov announced recently. The...


Bronze Age grave and gold items found in Karaganda Region

NUR-SULTAN – Archaeologists found the remains of a young man and woman and gold jewellery from the Bronze Age while studying Kyzyltau Cemetery in the Shetsky District of the...


Enbek state programme adds new mechanisms for gaining employment

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Enbek state programme has added new mechanisms for gaining employment, reported First Vice Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population Yerzhan Zhilkibayev on July 29....


Shavkat Rakhmonov becomes first Kazakh MMA fighter to sign UFC contract

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh MMA fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov became July 31 the first Kazakh MMA fighter to sign a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Khabar 24 reports. “The...


Businesspeople, officials advance plans to continue Alakol Resort’s development

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government is investing in the Alakol Lake coastal zone and its infrastructure. Entrepreneurs and state body representatives recently discussed the prospects and challenges of developing...


Kazakh machine building sector sees consistent growth

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh car manufacturing increased by 13.4 percent to 553 billion tenge (US$1.4 billion) in the first half of 2019. During that period, 128 projects worth 367 billion...


Kazakh housing sector investment through Nurly Zher programme increases 15 percent

NUR-SULTAN – Investment in Kazakhstan’s housing sector through the Nurly Zher housing programme increased 15.5 percent in the first six months of 2019 compared to the same period in...


$139 million in metallurgy, renewable energy projects launched in Karaganda Region

NUR-SULTAN – Two projects on metallurgy and renewable energy worth $139 million were launched in the first half of the year in the Karaganda Region with Kazakh Invest support,...


Inclusive innovation consortia programme promotes social innovations, encourages responsible entrepreneurs and business leaders

NUR-SULTAN – Entrepreneurs and start-ups seeking to improve the quality of people’s lives, especially for groups with limited access to resources, have an opportunity to participate in the inclusive...


Kazakh manufacturer makes premium halal leather shoes affordable

NUR-SULTAN – Z SHOES is a year-old Kazakh company that domestically produces premium quality, affordably priced halal natural leather shoes and accessories for men, women and children. The company...


Iraqi, Lebanese delegations to join Astana Process Syrian talks as observers

NUR-SULTAN – Delegations from Iraq and Lebanon will participate as observers in the 13th round of Astana Process Syrian talks Aug. 1-2 in Nur-Sultan, the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign...


Gross output in farming grows 10.5 percent in six months, reaches $2.76 billion

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh farming sector grew 10.5 percent in its gross output in the first six months of 2019 and produced 1.063 trillion tenge (US$2.76 billion) worth of...


National Oncology Research Centre construction to be completed by 2021

NUR-SULTAN – Construction of the National Oncology Research Centre in the capital is scheduled for completion by March 2021, reported primeminister.kz following Prime Minister Askar Mamin’s July 27 visit...


Kazhgaliyev National Conductors Contest laureate is among Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces

NUR-SULTAN – Yerlan Baktygerey, laureate of first Kazhgaliyev National Conductors Contest, is among Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces. Among his accomplishments, he led the Astana Academic Philharmonic symphony orchestra. Born...


5,051 families to return to repaired homes in Arys, says Kazakh Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development

NUR-SULTAN – Five thousand and fifty-one families may return to their repaired homes in the town of Arys, which was heavily damaged June 24 by a large explosion at...


Economic news in brief

As of June, the number of small companies operating in Kazakhstan had increased 7.9 percent in the last 12 months to 158,700. The figure represents 37 percent of all...


National news in brief

Nur-Sultan will host the third International Renewable Energy Summit Sept. 25 as part of Kazakhstan Energy Week Forum. The event will gather more than 300 delegates to discuss renewable...