Economy news in brief

Incomes in Kazakhstan in the second quarter of 2018 increased by 9.3 percent compared to last year and amounted to 153,700 tenge (US$418.8). Inflation for the same period was...


Business news in brief

Kazakhstan adopted a decree according to which freelance workers are to pay into the Unified Accumulation Pension Fund (UAPF), said Kazakh Minister of Labour and Social Protection Madina Abylkassymova....


Congress in Astana focuses on religion as means to address global challenges

The world is experiencing major challenges. From the long-running conflicts in the Middle East, and instability and mistrust between many nations, it’s hard to deny that the world is...


Astana to host Sixth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religion

ASTANA – Eighty-two delegations from 46 countries representing the world’s religions are expected to gather in Astana Oct. 10-11 for the Sixth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional...


Kazakh doctors develop tool to alleviate brittle bone disease pain

ASTANA – Kazakh doctors have developed a tool to significantly relieve the discomfort of children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as brittle bone disease. The condition is such...


Kazakhstan’s external debt shrank by $2.2 billion

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s external debt decreased by $2.2 billion in the second quarter of 2018. As of July 1, the external debt is $164.4 billion, or 96 percent of...


Almaty police call centre doubles personnel, seeks quicker call times

ASTANA – Almaty recently doubled the number of personnel at its police service call centre to make it easier for residents to contact the police. The operations centre of...


Atameken launches contract designer service for SME protection

ASTANA – The Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs (NCE), in cooperation with BestProfi, launched a contract designer online service on Oct. 1, reported the organisation’s press service. The business...


Turkestan region governor reviews public services and greenhouse farms

ASTANA – Opening a kindergarten for 450 students and a computerised tomographic centre, as well as a notable increase in farms with greenhouses, have helped to develop the Turkestan...


State of the Nation Address of President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev

GROWING WELFARE OF KAZAKH CITIZENS: INCREASE IN INCOME AND QUALITY OF LIFE Astana, October 2018  I. GROWING INCOME OF POPULATION II. INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE III. CREATING COMFORTABLE...


Kazakhstan to allocate nearly $763 million to build 52 schools

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will allocate 280 billion tenge (US$762.8 million) to build 52 schools across the country, said Deputy Minister of Education Bibigul Asylova during the meeting of the...


Kazakhstan to ban plastic, paper and glass burying by 2019, construction and food waste by 2021

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will be employing sustainable waste management to reduce environmental pollution and increase the volume of recycling to 40 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2050,...


Kazakh, Uzbek close ties stand test of time, says Uzbek ambassador

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, sharing not only the border, but culture, history and spiritual values, have enjoyed a dynamic partnership over the years, with the bilateral ties withstanding...


Parliament adopts amendments into standardisation law

ASTANA – The Kazakh Parliament adopted amendments to the law “On Standardisation” at its Oct. 3 plenary meeting. The document was submitted to the head of state for approval. “The...


Kazakhstan completes three-year, EU-backed project to reform criminal justice system

ASTANA– Kazakhstan marked Oct. 4 the completion of a three-year project to improve its criminal justice system. The project, titled Enhancing Criminal Justice in Kazakhstan (EUCJ), is the first...


Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions: from idea to inclusive dialogue

The Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions is a unique interfaith forum, convened every three years in Astana at the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. For...


Movie about kokpar premieres in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – The sports drama “Time of the Stalwarts” about kokpar, the game practiced by several Turkic peoples, premiered Sept. 20 in theatres across Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The screenwriter...


Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve plans to attract more tourists, launches biodiversity conservation school programme

ASTANA – More than 453 excursions and 2,500 tourists have visited the Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve in the first nine months of the year, said Akmola Region tourism department head...


Kazakhstan to increase agro-industry effectiveness with new investment subsidies and automation processes

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture has shifted subsidies from being product specific to new investments that meet market demands for products, said First Vice Minister Arman Yevniyev...


Kazakh street food industry has ample room for growth, says entrepreneur

ASTANA – Hungry and observant city residents may notice an increase in the number of ready-to-eat food and drink locales popping up on Kazakh streets, reported forbes.kz. York Food,...


Astana opens Islamic Organisation for Food Security headquarters

ASTANA – The Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) headquarters opened Sept. 27 in the capital’s Moskva Business Centre. The organisation seeks to strengthen cooperation among member states of...


100 New Face’s police officer puts his life at stake to rescue others

ASTANA – Yuri Khon, the Aktobe region’s senior inspector for the local environmental police service, was short-listed among the nation’s 100 new faces for saving human lives while risking...


Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to create international trade zone and checkpoint

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev called for cooperation with Uzbekistan to create a Central Asian international trade zone and a Turkestan checkpoint during a Sept. 29 meeting on...


Kazakh confectionery boosts production

ASTANA – Rakhat Confectionery, one of the leaders in the Kazakh market, is making its sweets even sweeter. The company has modernised its equipment to increase production value and...


At UN General Assembly, FM presents Kazakh initiatives, meets foreign officials, US business representatives

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Kairat Abdrakhmanov participated in the signing of the Code of Conduct Towards Achieving a World Free of Terrorism while in New York...


Kazakhstan to receive $1.1 billion compensation from Karachaganak shareholders

ASTANA – The Kazakh government recently settled a dispute with Karachaganak shareholders. The consortium will pay the country $1.1 billion and provide a 10-year, $1 billion loan for a...


New household appliance recycling, discount programme launched to promote energy-efficiency

ASTANA – The government of Kazakhstan and the UNDP, in partnership with a few other local companies, are offering residents of Astana and Almaty the opportunity to recycle their...


Astana basketball club presents new coach, players ahead of season opener

ASTANA – The Astana basketball team presented its new head coach and players ahead of the VTB United League season opener on Oct. 7 against CSKA Moscow. “We are...


President visits Shymkent, urges increased development as city of national significance

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited businesses, public service facilities and met with local administration officials during a Sept. 28-29 visit to Shymkent city in southern Kazakhstan. In...


Caspian Sea states to host sea-related investment forum every two years

ASTANA — Representatives of Caspian region governments, international organisations and independent experts agreed Sept. 28 in Astana to organise a Caspian Sea investment forum every two years in a...


Kazakh FM briefs UN General Assembly on country’s efforts, worldviews

NEW YORK – Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov briefed the United Nations General Assembly Sept. 28 on a host of Kazakhstan-related issues, including the country’s efforts for international peace...


Kazakhstan reveals major Turkestan cultural sites renovation plan

ASTANA – Azret Sultan, the state historical and cultural reserve museum, and Khoja Ahmed Yassawi mausoleum, both located in Turkestan, will undergo major renovations, said Minister of Culture and...


Astana Pro Team sweeps through Tour of Almaty 2018

ASTANA – Italian Davide Villella won the fifth consecutive Tour of Almaty for Astana Pro Team. The two-day race, part of the International Cycling Union Asia Tour, is the...


AIFC supports World Investor Week

ASTANA – World Investor Week (WIW) is a global campaign promoted by the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) to raise awareness of the importance of investor education and...


Nazarbayev calls for CIS trade liberalisation

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev urged the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to liberalise trade between members during the Sept. 28 CIS Council of Heads of State in...


Azerbaijan presents priorities at UN General Assembly

NEW YORK – Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly, highlighting the country’s priorities and recent progress. His remarks were delivered as part of...


Kazakh government allocates $300 million to develop machinery manufacturing

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has allocated 110 billion tenge (US$303.54 million) over the past three years to develop machinery manufacturing, said First Vice Minister for Investment and Development Roman Sklyar...


Kazakh Supreme Mufti calls for compromise on dispute over headscarves at schools

ASTANA – The Kazakh Supreme Mufti and Chairperson of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK) Serikbay kazhy Oraz called for a compromise among schoolchildren’s parents and teachers...


Kazakh minister reports on new tourism development strategy

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly reported the details of a new inbound and outbound tourism development strategy at a Sept. 24 Majilis (lower house...


Turkestan region introduces new salary system for civil service workers

ASTANA – The salaries of civil service workers in the Turkestan region will be based on a new point-factor pay system that calculates the value of job by a...


Kazakh, European artists transcribe energy of sacred sites in contemporary art

ASTANA – The Ghost Expedition, organised by the European Union Delegation to Kazakhstan, Swiss Embassy and TSE Gallery, is the final exhibit in a series of similar events as...


Astana to open world-class tourism and hospitality university

ASTANA – The Kazakh government is planning to open an international tourism and hospitality university in the capital, the first institution of its kind in Central Asia. The university...


Central Asian leaders emphasise environmental protection at UN General Assembly

ASTANA – Environmental concerns were the topic of a conference Sept. 28 in New York on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly session. The session was part...


Kazakh company invests more than $350 million in Kyrgyz mine

ASTANA – KAZ Minerals Bozymchak has invested more than $350 million in the last 10 years to develop Kyrgyzstan’s Bozymchak copper-gold deposit, reported inform.kz.   “The necessary infrastructure and...


100 New Face’s opera singer embraces creative opportunities at home and abroad

ASTANA – Medet Chotabayev, one of Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces, is an opera artist currently preparing for an Australian tour, where he will perform his most difficult role on...


Astana city administration to modernise transport system

ASTANA – Additional one-way roads and congestion pricing will decrease traffic jams in the capital, said a city akimat (administration) representative at a Sept. 27 press conference. Traffic flow...


Foreign banks may open Kazakh branches in 2020

ASTANA – Starting in 2020, foreign banks will be allowed to open direct branches in Kazakhstan. Under the country’s commitments upon accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), they...


Podcaster fosters personal development through honest conversations

ASTANA – “Find Your B – Find your inner Batyr” podcast founder and presenter Kairzhan Albazarov found himself deeply dissatisfied, anxious and lost in his youth. Thinking something was...


Kazakh Interior Minister reports declining crime rate

ASTANA – The Kazakh crime rate has declined, reported Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmukhanbet Kassymov at a Sept. 25 government meeting. In the first eight months of the year,...


New expedition to revive ancient Khan Zholy

ASTANA – Akmola region authorities, public activists and scholars recently revived the 18th century Burabai-Ulytau-Turkestan caravan route, often called Khan Zholy with direct reference to Abylai Khan (Kazakh Khan...