Mangistau region launches eco-green city project, advances energy solutions

ASTANA – A unique eco-green city worth $2.1 billion will be constructed in Aktau, according to the Mangistau region’s press service. The Mangistau region akimat (local executive body) signed...


Israeli embassy to collect stories of Kazakh citizens who helped Jews

ASTANA – The Israeli embassy in Kazakhstan recently launched the Alghys (Gratitude) project, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Independence of Israel and the Day of Gratitude in Kazakhstan. ...


Young Kazakh violinist leads orchestra in Switzerland

ASTANA – Virtuoso Kazakh violinist not only performs solo concerts but leads the Young Eurasian Soloists (YES) chamber orchestra in Switzerland. “Two distinct types of experience do not interfere;...


From ruling party to beekeeping, a story of one of the 100 New Faces of Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Anatoly Dobrovolski left a political career in Astana in 2012 to return back to a place he was born, the Arshaly district, to pursue his dream of...


Iran invests in meat processing plant construction in Semei

ASTANA – Iranian company Agro Portal, with the help of Kazakh Invest, has invested in the construction of the halal meat processing plant in the Ondiris Industrial Zone in...


Nazarbayev at UN Security Council: binding system to safeguard denuclearisation needed

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev chaired high-level briefing of the UN Security Council on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related confidence-building measures on Jan. 18...


Kazakh National Bank lays out strict rules for collections agencies’ behaviour

ASTANA – The National Bank of Kazakhstan has announced what will be considered legal methods of interaction between collection agencies and debtors. On Jan. 9, representatives of the National...


UN Security Council delegation visits Afghanistan under Kazakhstan’s presidency

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s presidency of the U.N. Security Council organised a visit of the council’s delegation to Kabul on Jan.13-15 to pledge the international community’s continued support for Afghanistan...


Nazarbayev, Trump elevate strategic partnership during Washington meeting

WASHINGTON – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev met Jan. 16 with U.S. President Donald J. Trump at the White House during Nazarbayev’s two-day official visit to the United States, the...


Shymkent – the city of medieval culture and vibrant modern lifestyle

ASTANA – Warm weather, relatively cheap prices and hospitable people is how one would describe Shymkent, the third largest city in Kazakhstan and the largest in terms of land...


Green energy to satisfy electricity demand in East Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Solar installations, wind generators and a hydroelectric power station will be launched this year in the East Kazakhstan region. “These projects are implemented to develop the green...


Kazakh government presents draft plan to implement Nazarbayev’s state-of-the-nation address

ASTANA – The Kazakh government presented a nationwide plan Jan. 16 featuring 87 measures meant to implement 10 key directions in the recent state-of-the-nation address by President Nursultan Nazarbayev,...


Self-employed workforce formalised, targeted social assistance ensured following President’s address

ASTANA – The allocation and payment of targeted social assistance began from Jan. 1, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Labour and Social Protection Tamara Duissenova said Jan. 16 during a weekly...


Museum dedicated to boxer Gennady Golovkin opens in Karaganda

ASTANA – A museum commemorating beloved Kazakh boxer Gennady “GGG” Golovkin opened in the sports complex also named after him in Maikuduk, the district in Karaganda where he was...


Top UN official outlines expectations for Kazakhstan’s UNSC Presidency

ASTANA – Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the United Nations Miroslav Jenca held a webinar with Kazakh journalists in Astana Jan. 11 to discuss the role of Kazakhstan...


Full agenda, presidential appearance mark Kazakhstan’s January UN Security Council presidency

NEW YORK – In what would be called a “double first,” Kazakh Ambassador to the United Nations Kairat Umarov has taken over the presidency of the United Nations Security...


The Spirit of the Steppes and Winds of the Prairies: what is common between Kazakhstan and America

When it comes to the United States of America, one can often hear diametrically opposed opinions. Some people think it to be a country with immoderate imperial ambitions, double...


Afghan student studying in Kazakhstan appeals to Nazarbayev ahead of visit to U.S.

ASTANA – Hafizullah Qaderi, an Afghan student studying in Kazakhstan, recently posted a video on his Facebook page asking Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and U.S. President Donald Trump to...


Kazakhstan’s UNSC presidency gives voice to modern security, geopolitical realities

Kazakh citizens are justifiably proud that this month the country is chairing the United Nations Security Council. It is a special moment in our country’s history – another symbol...


Olympian Alzhan Zharmukhamedov attends ‘Going Vertical’ premiere in Astana

ASTANA – The Olympic champion of 1972 in basketball in Munich Alzhan Zharmukhamedov recently visited Astana. In the Kazakh capital, he took part in the premiere of the Russian...


New Astana pay-to-park system will increase available parking, decrease traffic, says passenger transport department chief

ASTANA – A new pay-to-park system to be launched in Astana this month should increase access to parking spaces, improve traffic flow and help create a culture of legal,...


Kazakhstan Chess Federation: playing chess results in better brain function

ASTANA – Chess is the best sport to exercise the most complex and important organ in the body – the brain. In Kazakhstan, it became the beloved intellectual game...


President Nazarbayev’s annual address seeks to digitise Kazakhstan, strengthen social protection

ASTANA – Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced Jan. 9 the state-of-the-nation-address “New opportunities under the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” which was published Jan.10 in full. The new address is based...


Kazakh President’s vision good for country, investment

The priority tasks as outlined in 10 important areas by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in his state of the nation address January 10 represent a great vision of a great...


Kazakh economy minister: inflation rate won’t exceed 7 percent this year

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of National Economy Timur Suleimenov said the inflation rate will stay within the projected corridor of 5-7 percent this year. He discussed the preventive measures...


Wireless service providers to be prevented from imposing unnecessary services

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Information and Communications recently announced plans to change the rules regulating telecommunication services to prevent wireless communications services from imposing unnecessary services for...


Kazakh healthcare minister reports on new infrastructure development plan

ASTANA – Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov recently briefed the government on the Unified Healthcare Infrastructure Development Plan developed by the ministry and local executive authorities seeking to make...


Almaty resident invents Kazakh-style Game of Thrones board game

Almaty resident Kobylanda Zhanabekuly has brought “Game of Thrones” to his own country as the inventor of the board game Kazakh Khanate. It has been patented and is unique...


Kazakh government adopts bill to reduce transactions in foreign currency

The Kazakh government has adopted a bill developed by the National Bank of Kazakhstan to reduce transactions in the country in foreign currency. “The bill is designed to expand...


Kazakhstan seeks ways to bolster tourism

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will enhance its tourism industry by developing a destination culture, mountain skiing and urban travel products, said managers of Kazakh Tourism, a new state-owned company tasked...


Kazakh expert weighs in on Central Asia’s top 10 foreign policy events in 2018

ASTANA – The first 2018 meeting of the Kazakhstan Council on International Relations (KCIR), held  Jan. 8, involved a discussion by experts of the top 10 significant events which...


Kazakh freestyle skier Dmitry Reiherd wins silver at World Cup

Kazakh freestyle skier Dmitry Reiherd took the silver in moguls at the World Cup stage in Deer Valley, Utah (USA). He scored 83.66 points, second only to Canadian Mikael...


One of nation’s 100 New Faces helps digitise library materials

ASTANA – National Academic Library Deputy Head Nurzhan Zholdybalinov, one of the country’s 100 New Faces, co-developed the digital library, digital library card and introduced technology to convert eBooks...


Team Astana completes Peruvian stages of Dakar Rally

ASTANA – The final stage of the Dakar 2018 rally on the sandy paths of Peru ended Jan. 10. The route of the fifth stage of the marathon brought...


Young Kazakh researcher combines science and entrepreneurship

ASTANA – Dias Tastanbekov, one of the 100 New Faces project winners, exemplifies hard work and a thirst for knowledge. He works with entrepreneurs on the Zertis aeroponic greenhouse...


Kazakh motor pool is aging

ASTANA – Kazakh vehicles are aging, with the largest share more than 20 years old, according to the 2017 report on vehicle registration dynamics. Two thirds (66 percent) of...


Kazakh HR agencies will join the Electronic Labour Exchange

ASTANA – Internet sites and private employment agencies are connecting with the Electronic Labour Exchange www.enbek.kz, the press service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the...


Real estate prices to hold steady, experts say

ASTANA – Representatives of the United Association of Realtors of Kazakhstan said prices for real estate in the country will not show significant changes in 2018, according to inform.kz....


Major blizzard shuts down Kazakh capital

ASTANA – Due to a major blizzard, Astana Mayor Asset Issekeshev announced an emergency situation in Astana Jan. 11, asking officials and managers of state institutions, private companies to...


Kazakhstan 2018

A total of 138 out of 193 countries voted in June 2016 for Kazakhstan to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), making its the...


Astana to celebrate 20th anniversary with grand cultural events

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is planning a rich, year-long cultural programme to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its capital. Performances and exhibitions by the Vienna Opera, New York City Ballet,...


Kazakh short track racer to carry flag during 2018 Winter Olympic opening

ASTANA – Kazakhstan short-track player Abzal Azhgaliyev has been named flag bearer and captain of the Kazakh team for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the National Olympic Committee of...


Akmola akimat: Zerenda resort zone to build visit centre to accommodate tourism growth in 2018

ASTANA – The Zerenda resort zone will build a visitors’ centre this year, the advisor to the region’s akim (governor) announced in a Jan. 4 Facebook post. Furthermore, Marat...


Zhambyl region studies ancient settlements, encourages cultural development

ASTANA – Thirty projects to preserve history and encourage cultural development are being developed in the Zhambyl region as part of the Rukhani Janghyru (Modernisation of Kazakhstan’s Identity) programme,...


Internet service providers: parents can control children’s Internet access

ASTANA – The Internet opens wide possibilities for children, however, free access to all websites can pose hazards. While it is technically impossible to make sure a child surfs...


Snow turns dark in Temirtau, working group investigates

ASTANA – Kazakh officials are investigating after the snow in Temirtau city in the Karaganda region recently turned dark from what is believed to be emissions from the city’s...


Astana Opera to perform in Almaty

ASTANA – Astana Opera will be touring to the cultural capital of Kazakhstan – Almaty. The opera plans to present a rich programme featuring world art masterpieces at the...


Club of Rome report paints dire picture of future of fossil fuels

ASTANA – The end of the fossil fuel era is inevitable, and will likely arrive sooner than previously predicted. The cost of clean energy, like solar and wind energy,...


We can contribute to modernising Kazakhstan’s identity, says Belarussian ethno cultural centre leader

ASTANA – Dmitry Ostankovich, leader of Radima Belarus ethno cultural centre, recently noted ethnic Belarussians living in Kazakhstan will make every effort to promote the virtues associated with Kazakhstan’s...


EBRD continues work in Central Asia, returns to Uzbekistan

ASTANA – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) continued to support the Central Asian region in 2017 with a total investment of $1 billion. It has also...