Kazakh Banks Face Moderate Devaluation Challenges

ASTANA – Fitch Ratings, an international agency providing issuer and bond ratings, forecast in August that the sharp tenge devaluation could affect both the asset quality and...


Mixed Fortunes for Barys under Koreshkov

ASTANA – Astana Barys have now played eleven matches since the resignation of the club’s first ever home-grown coach, Yerlan Sagymbayev. The team is now being led...


Kazakh Military Observers Complete Mission in Western Sahara, Receive Medals

ASTANA  –  Two Kazakh Armed Forces officers have returned to Kazakhstan after serving one year as military observers for the United Nations Mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO),...


French Digital WWI Exhibit Opens in Astana

ASTANA – A travelling digital exhibition on World War I, “14–18,” organised by the French Institute, the Mission of a Century after WWI and the Agency on...


ATOM Project, Other Nonproliferation Initiatives Highlighted at PNND Forum in Prague

Parliamentarians and nonproliferation activists from Kazakhstan addressed the fifth Prague Agenda Conference and the 2015 Assembly of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (PNND) held in Prague...


Afghan Scholarship Student Emerges as Hero in Almaty Tram Accident

ASTANA – Afghan student Basharat Khan Yousefi has emerged as a hero of the Oct. 13 tram accident in Almaty and is being hailed for preventing more...


Golovkin Continues KO Streak by Stopping Lemieux in Eighth Round

ASTANA – Gennady “GGG” Golovkin stopped David Lemieux (34-3, 31 KOs) in the eighth round, Oct. 17, in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden...


Kazakh TV Director Hopeful of Medium’s Future in Face of Mobile Tech, Economic Challenges

ASTANA – On the threshold of Kazakh TV’s 13th anniversary on Oct. 23, The Astana Times had an opportunity to interview its director, Andrei Tarakov, to learn...


Satellite Tags Used to Track Goitered Gazelles for First Time in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – For the first time, satellite tags are being used to track the movements of goitered gazelles in Kazakhstan’s Altyn Yemel National Park, the UNDP office...


Kazakh Skating Star Tursynbayeva Wins Skate Canada Int’l Tournament

ASTANA – Elizabet Tursynbayeva, Kazakhstan’s rising figuring skating star, won the adult competition of the Skate Canada Autumn Classic International Tournament held Oct. 13–15 in Barrie, Ontario....


Why Khorgos is a Timely Investment

Kazakhstan has set itself the ambitious target of becoming one of the world’s 30 most competitive economies by 2050. Boosting trade with Kazakhstan’s partners is essential to...


Forgoing Meat in the ‘Land of Wolves’

ASTANA – For foreigners, being vegetarian in Kazakhstan can be challenging, but for locals, it’s practically subversive. This is a culture, after all, that has given rise...


Paris Conference on Climate Change: Critical Milestone with Long-Term Implications

In six weeks, COP 21, the 21st Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, will open in Paris. A total of 195 countries...


CIS Leaders’ Meeting in Burabai Addresses Security Challenges

BURABAI – President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev chaired a meeting of the Heads of State Council of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Burabai, Kazakhstan, on...


Major World Economic Trends and Kazakhstan’s Anti-Crisis Strategy

The world economy, according to the latest estimates, has greatly slowed its pace of growth, which is significantly below expectations. In June 2015, the World Bank published...


Almaty Public Transport Introduces New Electronic Ticketing System

ASTANA – Starting from Oct. 1, Almaty city public transport has been operating an electronic ticketing system for passengers, reported Tengrinews.kz. The system utilises different types of Onai...


In Kazakhstan, East and West Meet in Ancient Superstitions

ASTANA – Every nation has its superstitions, which people follow in different ways. Some still believe in them, some think they are old and best left to...


Cell Phone Users to Change Operators While Keeping Their Numbers Starting in 2016

ASTANA – A draft law under consideration in the Senate of Parliament would allow mobile phone users in Kazakhstan to keep their phone numbers even when they...


EAEU Leaders Discuss Economic Policy in Face of Global Turbulence, Agree to Open Free Trade Talks with Israel

BURABAI – The leaders of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) met Oct. 16 at a hotel in the Kazakh resort area to discuss pressing issues facing the fledgling...


Putin’s State Visit Reconfirms Kazakh-Russian Strategic Partnership

ASTANA – Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a state visit to Kazakhstan Oct. 15 at the invitation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The two leaders met in the...


In Historic First, Kazakhstan Launches Domestic Rail Production

ASTANA – The first rollout of domestic rail products in Kazakhstan took place Oct. 16 at the Aktobe Rail and Section Works (ARBZ), reported the press service...


Kazakhstan, China Strengthen Defence Cooperation

ASTANA – Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan visited Astana on Monday and met with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Kazakh defence officials. Nazarbayev congratulated the minister of defence...


Russian Mountaineer from Kazakhstan Portrayed in ‘Everest’ Film

ASTANA – Anatoli Boukreyev, a professional Russian mountaineer from Almaty, Kazakhstan, was the lead climbing guide for the 1996 Mountain Madness expedition to Mount Everest and became...


Astana Implements Additional ‘Smart’ Projects, Seeks Entry into Top 50 ‘Smart’ Cities

ASTANA – Akim (Mayor) of Astana Adilbek Dzhaksybekov launched a series of “Smart” projects in July. Smart Astana project includes several directions, such as Smart Clinics, Smart...


Nation’s Charitable Organisations Attempt to Boost Philanthropic Culture

ASTANA – There are thousands of charity funds in Kazakhstan, but none is receiving enough aid from those who are prosperous. To encourage citizens to share, a...


Chevron, KazMunayGas Partner to Enhance Kazakhstan’s Technical Capabilities

Since the start of its operations in Kazakhstan in 1993, Chevron has continuously invested in developing and training its local workforce to meet the increasing demands of...


Industrial Astana Series: Tsesna Concern Supports Food Security

ASTANA – Tsesna Concern, a major company in the Kazakh flour-milling industry and paste goods production and participant in the State Programme of Accelerated Industrial and Innovative...


EXPO 2017 Logo to Mark Air Astana Aircraft Fleet

The first EXPO 2017 logo has been emblazoned on the fuselage of an Embraer 190, the result of a memorandum of cooperation between Astana EXPO 2017 and...


Kazakh Ski Resorts among Most Popular Winter Destinations in CIS

It will soon be time to hit the slopes and among Russian tourists, Shymbulak Ski Resort tops the list of most popular destinations in the Commonwealth of...


Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran to Establish Competitive Railway Tariffs

ASTANA – Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran recently agreed to establish competitive tariff conditions on the new Uzen – Bolashak – Serhetyaka – Akyayla – Incheburun international railway...