Kazakh government, EBRD reaffirm support for SMEs, business consulting increases turnover

ASTANA – Small and medium-sized businesses are key focus areas in the country, said European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Kazakhstan Director Agris Preimanis at...


Japanese chef treats Astana customers to his country’s home cuisine at Café Momo

ASTANA – Café Momo chef Daiske Kishigami has been giving Astana locals a taste of Japanese cuisine at reasonable prices for four years. Born in Kobe, Kishigami...


Nazarbayev University to host Harvard University’s largest student-run conference in Asia

ASTANA – Nazarbayev University (NU) will host the 2019 Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) Asia Conference in mid-August, reports the university’s press service....


Kazakh, UAE businesswomen commit to developing economic ties at business forum

ASTANA – A Kazakh delegation of businesswomen to Dubai recently committed to deepening bilateral economic, trade and technological ties between Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)...


Kazakh nonprofit coordinates the transportation of more than 3,000 Astana residents with disabilities per year

ASTANA – Kazakh nonprofit Invataxi coordinates the transportation of approximately 3,000 people with disabilities in Astana annually, including more than 1,000 children, reports the city akimat (administration)...


Cost, travel logistics remain barriers to maritime cruise popularity in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Maritime cruises have never been as popular in Kazakhstan, a landlocked nation, as they have in other more ocean-accessible countries. But some domestic travel officials...


Kazakh retailers see positive dynamics in online shopping, plan to strengthen customer service

ASTANA – The government anticipates e-commerce will account for 2-3 percent of the retail market by 2021. The figure is currently approximately 1.9 percent of the total...


E-services transition in public procurement exceeds state budget plan, says Kazakh Minister of Finance

ASTANA – The Kazakh government is fulfilling 117.9 percent of budget revenues, according to the January monthly report presented at a recent government meeting. The main factor...


Kazakh tennis player wins one leg of ATP Challenger Tour

ASTANA – Kazakh tennis player Alexander Bublik won the 2019 Hungarian Challenger Open, an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour tournament, held Feb. 4-10 in Budapest....


Kazakh President decrees reshuffles in government and administration

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed the heads of Syrbar Foreign Intelligence Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs and the new Secretary of the Security Council, the...


Kazakh sustainable investing expert advocates for business-led societal change

ASTANA – Businesses are key to greater societal change, a young Kazakh expert drawing on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in investment analysis and decision-making says....


Galysheva wins Kazakhstan’s first gold in Ladies’ Moguls at FIS World Championship

ASTANA – Kazakh professional freestyle skier Yulia Galysheva won the first gold of her career at the Feb. 9 International Ski Federation (FIS, Fédération Internationale de Ski)...


Contemporary Uzbek art on display at Astana exhibition

ASTANA – The Kazakh National Museum is presenting an exhibition of contemporary Uzbek photos and paintings. The show, running through March, gives visitors an opportunity to analyse...


Adopting children should be norm, says Mothers House Public Fund Director

ASTANA – Ana Uii (Mothers’ House) Public Fund has helped approximately 3,500 women keep their children in their birth families and more than 900 youngsters find adoptive...


Israel and Kazakhstan have close ties in education, medicine, agriculture and technology, says envoy

ASTANA – Israel and Kazakhstan have been developing close ties in different spheres and on various levels, exchanging experience and knowledge in education, medicine, agriculture and technology,...


Economic news in brief

The tax burden for Kazakhs earning less than 63,100 tenge (US$167) a month has been reduced by 90 percent as of this January. According to the Statistics...


National news in brief

A 60-hectare wholesale distribution centre for agricultural trade will be built in Karaganda, connecting the northern and southern parts of the country, reports the regional press service....


Business news in brief

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest flax producer with domestic producers collecting a record harvest of 700,000 tonnes this year, reports Abctv.kz. It surpassed flax export leader Canada...


External news in brief

Kazakh and German business representatives gathered in Hamburg Feb. 4 to explore the role of Kazakhstan as an economic and logistics hub in Eurasia and beyond. The...


Norwegian seed vault preserves seeds for global food security and diversity

ASTANA – Svalbard is home to approximately 2,500 people and one million types of seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a secure bank preserving copies of...


Kazakhstan launches Qazaq Epos contest to promote folk culture among youth

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will launch the Qazaq Epos project to encourage school students’ spiritual development through the prism of the nation’s rich ethno and philosophical legacy in...


From pipelines to apple orchards: Kazakh enterprise sees opportunity in managing diverse businesses

ASTANA – San Mir Astana represents a group of companies that at first glance have little in common. While one deals with repairing and rehabilitating oil and...


Almaty region, bordering China, eyes expanding industry, trade and tourism

ASTANA – In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Akim (Governor) of Almaty oblast Amandyk Batalov shares his views on the region’s transformation from a formerly agrarian...


Year of Youth harnesses one of Kazakhstan’s most valuable assets

Kazakhstan, as we are all aware, has been blessed with an abundance of natural resources under our soil and seas. The growth of our economy and the...


Inclusive global dialogue is Kazakh foreign policy priority, new FM tells diplomatic corps in annual briefing

ASTANA – One of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy priorities is to pursue inclusive dialogue between leading powers to overcome “bloc thinking” and reach consensus on key global issues,...


Child with autism models children’s clothing brands in Astana

ASTANA – Socialisation is vital for children with disabilities, believes educational psychologist and speech pathologist Zarina Dandybayeva. Her 13-year-old son, Alikhan Dandybayev, who has an autistic spectrum...


Sherkala captivates with ancient history, unearthly landscapes

ASTANA – Sherkala (also Shergala), a lone mountain with an unusual shape resembling a piala (small ceramic bowl) or gigantic yurt, is becoming the main tourist attraction...


Astana Opera premieres “Eugene Onegin”

ASTANA – Astana Opera House presented Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” staged by Italian director Davide Livermore Feb. 8-9 in the capital. Russian baritone Alexey Isaev and Talgat...


AFSA, global regulators launch Global Financial Innovation Network

ASTANA – Astana Financial Services Authority along with a newly-formed alliance of 28 financial regulators and organisations, including Financial Conduct Authority (from the U.K.), International Monetary Fund...


Astana Circus artists win prize at Monte Carlo International Circus Festival

ASTANA – The equilibrists of the Astana Circus Yoka Konurbayeva and Nazerke Merekekyzy, won prizes at the 43rd International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo Jan. 17-27. The...