Mystery shoppers to be used against corruption
ASTANA – The Kazakh Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption together with the Civil Alliance of Kazakhstan are looking for ways to solve the country’s corruption problem. Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption Agency Deputy Chairperson Alik Shpekbayev recently talked about the methods being used at a public conference. “One of the projects is a…
Film chronicling Kazakh domestication of wild horses to be released in 2018
ASTANA – A Canadian producer plans to release a film titled “Equus” about the history of horse domestication in the Central Asian region, announced Minister of Information and Communications Dauren Abayev at a March 7 conference in the capital. “Today, we are planning to sign a very important memorandum between Kazakhstan State Television and Radio…
Trade and exhibition centre featuring Kazakh goods opens in Astana
ASTANA – EXPO pavilion, a special trade and exhibition centre exclusively featuring goods made by Kazakh producers, has opened in the capital. The main goal of the project is to help Kazakh merchandise to be exported, said Eurasian Business Union representative in Kazakhstan Mariya Anarbayeva. About 20 Kazakh brands are currently represented, although organisers plan…
Information society expansion puts growing pressure on nations, says Kazakh expert
ASTANA – Information density has increased tenfold over the past two years, Astana International Finance Centre Managing Director Sayasat Nurbek told a recent forum in Astana focusing on Modernisation 3.0: A New Stage of Economic and Political Development of Kazakhstan. Nurbek spoke about the main challenges facing society and said his vision is congruent with…
Children’s Special Education Centre Opens in Kostanai Region
ASTANA – A new centre for children with special educational needs has opened in the Kostanai region. Comprehensive professional assistance by specialists, including a therapist, psychologist, speech therapist, visual impairment specialist, deaf and hard of hearing teacher and massage therapist is offered for children and their families. The project was launched as part of the…
Spacecraft Assembly and Test Complex to Be Completed in 2017
ASTANA – Construction of a new spacecraft assembly and test complex is expected to be completed in 2017, according to Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary national company president Marat Nurgozhin. “The most important project to us is the creation of a spacecraft assembly and test complex, which will be equipped with modern technologies. At present, all technological…
More Than 100 Domestic Companies Sell Products at Local Shopping Centre
ASTANA – The capital’s Halyk Markasy (People’s Mark) shopping centre sells products from about 100 Kazakh companies. One of the reasons for the dynamic development of the centre is the free rent. “The recently opened Halyk Markasy shopping centre is being replenished with more and more Kazakh products. All the products on the shelves of…
Foreign Television Offices Operating in Kazakhstan Must Be Led by Kazakhs Beginning 2017
ASTANA – All foreign television channels broadcasting in Kazakhstan will be required starting in 2017 for their in-country staff led by Kazakh citizens. “Throughout the entire autumn, I have been meeting with leaders of representatives and television channels, including foreign channels. We will normalise all the issues concerning information security,” Kazakh Minister of Information and…
Astana Street Named After Nikola Tesla
ASTANA – One of the capital’s streets now carries the name of famous Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla. Akim (Mayor) of Astana Asset Issekeshev and Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić took part in the opening ceremony on Nov. 15. The street is near Family Village cottage town. The Serbian Prime Minister expressed his hope at…
Kazakh Air Force Transports Injured Student Back to Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Combat aircraft of Kazakhstan’s Air Forces delivered Kazakhstan student Akzharkyn Makhambetova with an injured spine bone from St. Petersburg. “The heads of the Ministry of Defence directed the transportation of personnel of the Navy crew of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan and two citizens of Kazakhstan from St. Petersburg to Astana,” reported the…
Fitch Rating Confirms Insurance Company Kazakhmys at B+
The international rating agency Fitch Ratings has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of the insurance company Kazakhmys at the level B+. The rating reflects the strong capitalisation of Kazakhmys and its healthy profitability. During the first nine months of this year, a steady investment income and a positive underwriting result led to an increase…
National Medical Holding Chief Discusses Need for Mandatory Health Insurance
ASTANA – The head of the clinic of National Medical Holding Viktor Madjuga recently explained the reasons for the introduction of mandatory social health insurance. He called that measure a new system of social protection, stressing that it is practiced all over the world. “The need for the introduction of compulsory health insurance is determined…
Seamless Steel Tubes Production Launched in Aktau
ASTANA – A seamless steel tubes production plant has launched in Aktau. Its management plans to sell products to subsoil users in Kazakhstan, according to the website of Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev. The company was established on the initiative of the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, which supports Kazakh oilfield and gas companies. The…
Mobile App Helps Expand Kazakh E-Government Services
The Kazakh government is now able to provide services in electronic form and through a mobile app meant to reduce the time and documents related to those services, announced Minister of Information and Communications of Kazakhstan Dauren Abayev at a Sept. 20 government meeting. “We have already implemented 83 different services. With the help of…
More Seminars on Innovations and New Technologies to Be Held for Farmers
Approximately 10,000 farmers will learn about new technologies and effective ways to lead an agricultural business during seminars organised by the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs. Nearly 700 seminars are expected to be held for 217,000 agricultural producers, said Atameken Agrobusiness and Food Industry Department Deputy Director Dinmukhammed Absattarov during a Central Communication Service briefing.…
Kazakhstan to Increase Gas Production By 2020
Kazakhstan’s annual gas production will reach 65 billion cubic metres by 2020, said Minister of Energy of Kazakhstan Kanat Bozumbayev at the Energy of the Future forum in Astana. He noted that gas sector development is one of the priority directions of domestic energy. According to recent forecasts, the volume of annual gas production will…
Almaty to Use European Experience in Business, Economic Projects
ASTANA – Almaty will be using the experiences of Paris and Graz to help improve its management of the municipal economy and business relations, following a recent trip to France and Austria by a delegation led by the city’s deputy akim (mayor). After the visit to Paris and Graz, it was decided that the planned…
More than 900 Parking Lots to Be Constructed in Astana
ASTANA – Nine-hundred-and-ten new paid parking lots are planned to be constructed in Astana, according to the municipal government’s press office. “We are not talking about any traditional method of area overlapping with a roadway gate. This is absolutely new technology, which will be introduced in Kazakhstan for the first time,” a representative of the…
ADB Gives Loan for Road Construction
The Asian Development Bank has approved a $240.3 million loan to assist Kazakhstan with its transport system modernisation. “Better communication and greater mobility will play a big role in ensuring the sustainable socio-economic development of the country. It will also open up new opportunities for trade and investment, as well as provide improvement of standards…
Capital Circus Manager Explains Process Behind Performances
ASTANA – Last December, the Capital Circus marked its 10th anniversary. In its short life, it has become the leading circus in the country. This comes as no surprise, as founding members of the Capital Circus include key performers from the old Almaty Circus. The Capital Circus participates in the international Echo of Asia festival,…
New Local Plant Produces Pipes to Last Forever
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has established a large-scale production of plastic pipes used for water supply, as pressure pipes for hydroelectric power plants, and in pumping stations, aqueducts and other irrigation systems. According to Amitech Astana LLP Director General Ulan Sarsenkulov, the company has created more than 900 kilometres of pipes of different diameters. The plant…
Kazcosmos Enlarges Partnership with Sudan
A delegation from the World Aerospace Committee met recently in Khartoum, Sudan with representatives of Sunacs to open negotiations concerning data transmission from the space remote sensing system, reported the Kazcosmos press service. The talks centred on ground segment research issues, training at the Sunacs base, joint cooperation on various earth surface monitoring techniques for…
Kazakh and American Judicial Experts Hold Round Table Talks on Preventing Terrorism
Representatives of the Kazakh Supreme Court, the Union of Judges of Kazakhstan, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative took part in round table talks to discuss judicial practice concerning cases related to extremism and terrorism, reported the press service of the Supreme Court. Among the…
Zhayik – Ural Expedition Kicks Off at the National Museum
ASTANA – The anniversary 20th expedition devoted to the Day of Kazakhstan State Symbols kicked off recently in National Museum. Members of Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan and ethnic and cultural centres took part in the exhibition. The “Ural – the River of Friendship” photo exhibition was held as well. Deputy of Mazhilis (lower…
Kazakh Sergeants to Become Combat Instructors
Some Kazakh Army sergeants will be trained as combat instructors, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Defence. For this purpose, each battalion of military units of the Armed Forces has selected the most experienced soldiers, totalling 140 people. During courses, future instructors are trained to use light and small arms, grenade launchers…
Wind and Solar-Equipped Building to Serve as Test Model for New Construction Standards
ASTANA – The Kazakhstan Centre for Modernisation and Development of Housing and Communal Services moved this year to a new building equipped with energy-saving wind and solar energy systems. The building will serve as a test for the systems with an eye towards introducing them into new construction nationwide. The solar panels added to the…
Made in Kazakhstan Product Store Opens in Astana
A newly opened store in Citrum shopping mall in Astana offers 2,000 different domestically produced goods. The shop is part of the Khalyk Markasy (People’s Mark) programme and gathered 100 Kazakh producers. According to Vice Minister of Agriculture Gulmira Issayeva, the Ministry of Agriculture has undertaken several initiatives to strengthen the position of Kazakh products…
Astana Collects Electronic and Electric Waste
ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Energy recently announced a new action to collect electronic and electric waste. From April 15-May 15, capital residents can donate old electronic equipment and related items at the Technodom and Alser shopping halls. The action is aimed at eliminating electronic and electric waste materials, which usually contain lead, mercury…
Second Level Banks Support Astana Start-Ups
Startup projects in various sectors of the economy will be carried out through second-level banks. This was stated by Director of the Astana Chamber of Entrepreneurs Ghani Tasmaganbetov, reported the press-service of Astana akimat (administration). “Astana is a leader among other cities in supporting the business sector. Prior to this, the city allocated funds for…
Kazakhstan Allocates Additional $4.2 Billion to Develop Transport Infrastructure
According to the Ministry for Investment and Development’s Committee on Highways, 1.5 trillion tenge (US$4.2 billion) has been allocated to support domestic transport. It has allowed Kazakhstan to enter the World Economic Forum global competitiveness ranking and climb 30 positions up, reaching the 58th place in the past year in this category. “Currently, six international…
Domestic Satellite KazSat-3 Begins Transmitting OTAU TV Programmes
Kazteleradio started broadcasting OTAU TV programmes transmitted by the KazSat-3 satellite on March 1st, reported the press service of the KazCosmos National Space Agency. The technical centre of the Astana broadcasting network conducted tests, which showed positive results. The KazSat-3 satellite was put into operationin December 2014 andmade it possible to transfer the national broadcasting…
Kazakhstan, China to Cooperate on JAC Vehicle Production, Other Industrial Projects
Kostanai region Akim (Governor) Arkhimed Mukhambetov announced plans to implement nine projects to attract foreign direct investments to the region during 2016. He noted the main inflow of foreign investments is expected from neighbouring China and Russia and indicated cooperation plays a special role in mechanical engineering. “An agreement on strategic partnership and development of…
Activists, Ministries Work to Promote Healthy Lifestyles
The World Health Organisation was established April 7, 1948 and since then, on that day, the world celebrates World Health Day. Director of the Astana Centre for Healthy Living Marat Kurmanov recently talked about the state of health affairs in the capital. What are the tasks of the centre today? Its objectives are the same:…
Astana Forum Celebrates Young Journalists
ASTANA – The Zhuldyz union of children’s organisations, along with faculty from the journalism and political science departments of Lev Gumilev Eurasian National University held a forum to celebrate youth journalists March 25-28. The 10th annual forum was held under the theme, “Under a lucky star,” and brought together young correspondents and photographers from public,…
New Wound-Dressing Technology Invented in Astana
ASTANA – A new method of producing biological dressings for wounds has been invented in Astana. Healing long-term open wounds, trophic ulcers and other skin injuries has long been a difficult problem. About 10,000 people in Kazakhstan suffer from skin lesions, including burns (burns account for 3.5 percent of all injuries). Global medical practice for…
New Organ Care System Leads to Second Successful Heart Transplant
Using a new organ care system, doctors in Kazakhstan have completed the country’s second successful heart transplant. In a four-hour operation on Nov. 6, a heart from a donor in Almaty was transplanted into a 50-year-old heart patient in Astana. TransMedic’s new Organ Care System, which uses a box to maintain organs in a warm…