Articles by Alex Lee

International University Sports Federation (FISU) President Claude-Louis Gallien recently praised Kazakhstan’s progress in preparing for the Universiade in Almaty 2017. The official’s comments came following the presentation of a report to the Federation on Kazakhstan’s preparation efforts. According to the report, two new ice arenas are being built. The Ice Arena will have a capacity…

ASTANA – Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced on May 14 that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with Turkey’s Tavros Investment Holding to open a new Hyatt Regency Hotel in Almaty. The hotel is planned to be launched in 2017 and will mark Hyatt’s return to Kazakhstan. The luxury hotel will feature 270…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s film industry is still burgeoning on the steppe’s horizons. Almost every year Kazakh movie makers entertain the 17 million nation with new features. The award winning features like The Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007) and  Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe (2011) drew not only local attention but also global…

ASTANA – The AgriTek 2014 exhibition was held March 12-14 at the Korme Exhibition Centre in Astana. “The AgriTek exhibition has been held since 2006,” said  Gennadiy Dyakin, an AgriTek director. “The goal of this exhibition is to create a meeting platform for agricultural machinery manufacturers and their consumers.” The exhibition has been approved by…

Almaty-born rising professional tennis star Zarina Diyas (World Tennis Association ranking 118) won a tournament in Quanzhou, China, on March 8. Diyas beat 22-year-old Thai player Noppawan Lertcheewakarn in 52 minutes to take the final, 6:1, 6:1. In the semifinal, Diyas faced Ksenia Pervak, a Russian player who has previously played for Kazakhstan. Pervak resigned…

While most of Kazakhstan is covered with snow and fighting gusty winds, the Presidential Astana Dakar Team races through dust, mud and sand on the other side of the planet in South America as a participant in the prestigious off road race Dakar Rally – Dakar 2014. The 13-stage Dakar 2014 race being held Jan. 5…

SHYMKENT – The Agency for Civil Service Affairs of Kazakhstan held a seminar for journalists from the southern regions on Dec. 23 titled “Civil Service Reform: An Outward Glance and its Portrayal in Regional Mass Media.” The seminar was supported by the EU-funded project “Civil Service Reform and Modernisation of the Government of Kazakhstan.” Media…

TOKYO, Nov. 23 – The ATOM Project, an international campaign against nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons tests launched by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, gave a presentation in Tokyo on Nov. 19 attended by high level attendees, including such dignitaries as Akie Abe, wife of the Japanese Prime Minister. During the event, held at the Nippon Press…

ASTANA, Nov. 26 – Prospects for Kazakhstan’s economy, the importance of facilitating an attractive business climate for foreign investors, the protection of Kazakhstan’s small and mid-sized businesses, challenges surrounding World Trade Organization (WTO) accession and Customs Union, membership which is increasing the competitiveness of Kazakhstan’s domestic businesses, and other key issues were discussed at the…

ASTANA, Nov. 15 – Vietnam and Kazakhstan have major untapped potential for developing bilateral commercial ties and recent moves and trends suggest these ties will strengthen over the next few months and years, Hanoi’s ambassador in Astana said. Ambassador of Vietnam to Kazakhstan Nguyen Van Hoa welcomed the Nov. 11 decree by President Nursultan Nazarbayev…

Kazakhstan is a modern, peaceful and peace loving nation. Its more than 130 ethnicities of multiple religions live side by side and its international relationships are equally weighed between East and West. But there was once a less peaceful time across the Eurasian steppe. A time when Kazakh batyrs, or warriors, were forced to defend…