Articles by Dilshat Zhussupova

NUR-SULTAN – Approximately 220 tour operators and 250 travel content providers from 60 countries gathered Sept. 18-20 in Nur-Sultan’s Korme Exhibition Centre for the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart. “We are excited to hold the first-ever PATA event in Central Asia in Kazakhstan. As the destination stands at the crossroads between Asia and…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made changes Sept. 18 to the leadership of some key government agencies and ministries. Tokayev appointed Roman Sklyar as Deputy Prime Minister, Beibut Atamkulov as Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development, Mukhtar Tileuberdi as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Krymbek Kusherbayev as Secretary of State and Yerlan Koshanov as Head…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will launch a new high-speed telescope to study gamma-ray bursts in distant galaxies, reports Nazarbayev University. Scientists recently assembled and conducted preliminary tests with the Nazarbayev University Telescope at the Assy-Turgen Observatory (NUTTellA-TAO), which enables them to measure the spectrum of optical radiation of the largest space explosions in the universe. “The…

NUR-SULTAN – Uzbekistan will become a member of the Cooperation Council of the Turkic-speaking States (CCTS), also known as the Turkic Council, reports Turkkon.org. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the agreement Sept. 14 and the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent the instrument of the country’s accession to the Secretariat the same day. “I welcome…

NUR-SULTAN – One-hundred-fourteen projects worth approximately 276 billion tenge (US$715.07 million) were implemented and approximately 11,000 jobs created under national industrialisation programmes since 2010, said Kazakh Vice Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Amaniyaz Yerzhanov at a Sept. 12 government press conference. Industrial development is a priority for the Kazakh government, which set out to…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Invest officials presented investment opportunities in Kazakhstan to foreign companies Sept. 4-6 at the annual economic event Toronto Global Forum in Canada, reports Invest.gov.kz. Kazakh Invest officials and Kazakh Ambassador to Canada Akylbek Kamaldinov met with Canadian, Latin American and U.S. companies to present projects in agribusiness, energy, chemicals and mining and…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during a Sept. 11 meeting in Beijing to “develop a long-term, strategic and comprehensive partnership,” reports the Akorda. “We believe that China’s success is an important basis for the development of cooperation between our countries,” said Tokayev who paid his first state visit…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has attracted $330 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) from more than 120 countries since its independence, said Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Zhenis Kassymbek at a Sept. 5 government meeting. More than 50 percent of FDI in Kazakhstan was attracted from the European Union (EU), including 90.4 billion from the Netherlands, $25.8…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s AVANGAR Counter-Strike team finished in second place at the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, having lost to Denmark’s Astralis 2-0 in the Sept. 8 grand final. “One step from the main goal. This time we finish second, but we’re really proud of our boys and (the) performance they did during the whole #BerlinMajor.…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s AVANGAR Counter-Strike team advanced Sept. 5 to the semi-final stage of the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, taking down France’s Team Vitality 2-1 in the opening match of the playoffs. “The Kazakh team got off to a good start by winning the enemy’s pick Mirage 16-9, but (Team) Vitality managed to tie the…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government and the Accounts Committee will examine state holdings and national companies to determine if structural changes are needed to increase GDP growth, said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Alikhan Smailov at a Sept. 3 government meeting. The effort follows Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s call for structural transformations…

NUR-SULTAN – People in Kazakhstan shared their thoughts online and with The Astana Times regarding President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s Sept. 2 first state-of-the-nation address. Tokayev was elected President June 9 in an early election and in his first state-of-the-nation address outlined his vision for “a state that listens” and responds to citizens’ constructive criticism. A complete…

NUR-SULTAN – Creative innovators will attempt to solve challenges set by people with disabilities in just 72 hours at the capital’s Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM): Nur-Sultan Makeathon Oct. 25-28, reports the Nazarbayev University press office. TOM Makeathon is a 72-hour marathon that unites makers, such as engineers, programmers, craftspeople and doctors, to develop assistive technology…

NUR-SULTAN – The draft laws On the Status of the Teacher and On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts on the Status of the Teacher and Reducing the Workload of Students and Teachers were approved at an Aug. 27 government meeting chaired by Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin. The draft laws, presented by Kazakh…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s AVANGAR Counter-Strike team advanced from the Aug. 23-26 New Challengers Stage to the Aug. 28-Sept. 1 New Legends Stage in the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019. AVANGAR beat the Complexity Gaming team 16-13 in the first round, HellRaisers 16-8 in the third round and Syman Gaming 2-1 in the fifth round, losing to…

NUR-SULTAN – Thirty-five of 39 target indicators of the 2016-2019 Densaulyk (Health) state programme were met in the capital from January-June, said the city’s Public Health Department Deputy head Aliya Rustemova at an Aug. 21 meeting on implementing the programme. Life expectancy has increased in the capital in recent years and mortality from leading causes…

NUR-SULTAN – More than 7,000 of 7,613 damaged houses in Arys were repaired as of Aug. 21 by the Akmola, Atyrau, East Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Kostanai, Kyzylorda, North Kazakhstan, Turkestan and Zhambyl Regions. The homes were heavily damaged June 24 by a large explosion at a munitions warehouse nearby. The explosion and resulting fires, which authorities…

NUR-SULTAN – Singaporean investors hope to invest $200 million in constructing a kindergarten, schools and higher education institutions in the capital, reports the city akimat (administration). Singaporean company KinderWorld International Group signed an investment project roadmap for constructing kindergartens, schools, colleges and universities in Almaty, Nur-Sultan and Shymkent during the May 16-17 Kazakhstan Global Investment…

NUR-SULTAN – Athletes from around the world will compete in the 2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships at the capital’s Barys Arena Sept. 14-22, reports United World Wrestling. Senior wrestling is the term for a competitive category that includes men’s Greco-Roman wrestling and women’s and men’s freestyle wrestling. It does not refer to the age of…

NUR-SULTAN – Ninety-seven-point-four percent of repair and reconstruction in Arys was complete as of Aug. 17, after the town was heavily damaged June 24 by a large explosion at a munitions warehouse nearby, reports Primeminister.kz. The explosion and resulting fires, which authorities determined was caused by fire safety violations during the warehouse’s construction and repair,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Invest officials presented investment opportunities in Kazakhstan to foreign companies Aug. 11-12 at the first Caspian Economic Forum held in Turkmenistan, reports Invest.gov.kz. Kazakh Invest met with Turkish company Çalık Holding to discuss cooperation in the textile industry. Çalık Holding’s subsidiary, Gap Pazarlama, is one of the largest companies in the textile…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s public procurement system is being digitised to increase transparency, promote fair competition, reduce corruption and improve the quality of goods and services in public procurement, said Vice Minister of Finance Ruslan Beketayev at an Aug. 14 government press conference. The government’s public procurement website will launch new services, such as a new…

NUR-SULTAN – Information technology company BTS Digital and Nur-Sultan’s 24-hour city call centre iKOMEK109 recently launched an online platform to receive feedback from city residents, reports the city akimat (administration). People may submit inquiries on the akimat’s services and activities, housing and public utilities, capital house maintenance firms (KSK), public transport, road repairs, flooding, employment,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.2 percent in January-July, said Minister of National Economy Ruslan Dalenov at an Aug. 13 government meeting. GDP growth was 4.1 percent in January-December 2018. “(This year’s) GDP growth is driven by accelerated growth in industry, construction and services, as well as steady growth in agriculture and…

NUR-SULTAN – The ATOM Project and its Honorary Ambassador Karipbek Kuyukov called for renewed efforts to bring about a nuclear weapon-free world on the 74th anniversary of the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Atomic Age arrived upon the United States’ bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Aug. 6 and 9,…