New media production company eager to take Kazakh market to new level
ASTANA – Tochka, a creative video production agency established in October, is trying innovative ideas and approaches in the business and launching several projects this year. In an exclusive interview with The Astana Times, CEO Galiya Tokareva, also known by her maiden name as Galiya Idoyatova from her years on television, discussed the new approaches…
MyBusiness: business without borders app to aid entrepreneurs doing business in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – The “MyBusiness: business without borders” app, developed and created by Chevron, the British Council and the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, is a hoped-for way to protect the rights of entrepreneurs in the country. “The mobile application ‘MyBusiness: business without borders’ is a unique software product created for the business community of the…
Latest Astana Process Syria talks result in documents on confidence-building measures
ASTANA – The Dec. 22 8th rounds of Astana Process talks in the Kazakh capital to help de-escalate the conflict in Syria resulted in the adoption of a number of documents in the area of confidence building, as well as saw the reaffirmation of commitment of their participants to seek full elimination of terrorism and…
Barys loses to Dynamo Moscow 3:5 in rollercoaster game
ASTANA – In an away match on Dec. 21, Barys lost to Dynamo Moscow 3:5, but managed to at least shred the nerves of the home team in the rollercoaster game. Top scorer for both Barys and the league Nigel Dawes missed the game because of an injury. The match started with Dynamo’s Danil Tarasov…
Kazakh Prime Minister urges government officials to improve state services
ASTANA – State bodies should change their approach servicing the public, Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev said Dec. 20 during a weekly government meeting. “Eighty-five percent of state services are transferred to the State Corporation ‘Government for Citizens’ – we have already reached a high mark. But there is a lot of work on the…
Barys continue losing streak after close game against Metallurg on home ice
ASTANA – Astana’s Hockey Club (HC) Barys lost to Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3-4, Dec. 3, at the Barys Arena in a desperate attempt to break the cold streak that now extends to seven games. A sold out Barys arena hosted nearly 10,000 fans hoping to see Barys stop its losing streak and it seemed the evening…
Zhetysu project to promote Almaty area tourist attractions
ASTANA – The Almaty regional communications service has launched a project to create a dozen short promotional videos to showcase regional tourist attractions, such as Kolsai Lake, Singing Dune and Charyn Canyon located at the Zhetysu. Photographer Mikhrat Tolkunov and INSPIRE CREATIVE GROUP team are leading the project titled Amazing Zhetysu, Kazinform reported. The videos…
New Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway route to transport up to 8 million tonnes of cargo by 2020
ASTANA – The new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway is expected to transport up to eight million tonnes of cargo by 2020, said Kazakhstan Temir Zholy President Kanat Alpysbayev during a roundtable in Washington, DC, dedicated to continued development of the route. “Nearly 15,000 containers are to be transported from Turkey to Kazakhstan, Central Asia, China, the…
Satayev’s feature “Districts” snatches Asian Film Festival award
ASTANA – Critically-acclaimed director Akan Satayev, of Karagandy, known for his 2007 blockbuster “Racketeer,” has once again delivered a strong message. His 2016 feature “Districts” received the Best Cinematography Award (Panorama Section) at the Asian Film Festival, held Nov. 2-12 in Barcelona. The film revolves around the life of Arsen, an Almaty boy who had…
Kazakhstan to create conditions for bio products export
ASTANA – The Kazakh government focused on the importance of creating conditions to export bio products or organic food at the latest government meeting in the capital. Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev instructed his cabinet to improve export policies and develop mechanisms to support non-primary exports, according to the prime minister’s press service. First Vice Minister…
EXPO 2017 best pavilions awarded as exhibition closes, legacy lives on
ASTANA – EXPO 2017, Kazakhstan’s biggest and probably most ambitious event, ended Sept. 10. While the average was 22,840 guests daily, slightly more than 100,000 visited on the last day, according to officials. Its legacy and impact will last for years. Nearly 140 scientific inventions in the renewable energy field received exposure thanks to the…
Samruk Kazyna hosts int’l forum of sovereign wealth funds, inks multiple agreements
ASTANA – Multiple agreements were signed during the ninth International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF). The event, with the theme Exploring New Frontiers, was hosted by the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund Sept. 5-7 in the capital’s new St. Regis Hotel. Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev, who spoke during the introduction, noted the country’s…
EXPO 2017 manifesto lays out environmental calls to action
ASTANA – The Manifesto of Values and Principles, presented Sept. 5 during the EXPO 2017 Future Energy Forum (FEF) at the capital’s Congress Centre, addresses global environmental issues and calls for action. The manifesto is the concept combining project papers and proposals voiced during the exhibition, according to steering committee head Dr. Rajendra Pachauri. “The…
David Guetta’s EXPO 2017 concert stalls Astana, brings down house
ASTANA – EXPO 2017 has made this summer truly unforgettable for many capital residents, as it hosted multiple world-renowned singers and celebrities. The David Guetta concert on Aug. 29, however, blew the scale completely out of proportion. Traffic stalled along the streets bordering the expo from approximately 7 p.m. until late night. Thousands of residents…
Social Medical Insurance Fund will have sufficient budget to finance medical institutions, says fund chief
ASTANA – In a recent interview with KazPravda, Zabira Orazaliyeva, Social Medical Insurance Fund (SMIF) managing director for medical care users, gave an overall assessment of the fund’s first month of operation. “Taking into account the obligations of individual entrepreneurs working on a special tax regime on the basis of a patient, they need to…
Kazakhstan can be moral leader, key mediator in nuclear disarmament: head of CTBTO
ASTANA – Executive Secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) Preparatory Commission Dr. Lassina Zerbo believes Kazakhstan and Japan have a moral obligation to lead the world toward nuclear non-proliferation and ultimately nuclear weapons disarmament. “Japan as a country that has suffered from nuclear weapon use and Kazakhstan as the country…
ATOM Project joins Pugwash conference meetings in search of nuclear disarmament
ASTANA – As Kazakhstan and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launch the Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) bank in Ust-Kamenogorsk under the auspices of the Vienna-based organisation Aug. 29, its famous anti-nuclear weapons movement – The ATOM Project – has joined scholars and scientists of the world-renowned Pugwash movement. This year, Kazakhstan hosted the 62nd…
Reviving and reliving nomadic past at Huns ethno village near Almaty
The Huns ethno village is an ideal place for those willing to relive the nomadic past of ethnic Kazakhs. The village, about 35 kilometres from Almaty in the Talgar district, is also a great way to escape to the mountains for a breath of fresh air, horseback riding and adventure. Built from the outside as…
Qatar’s new energy horizons reflected at expo pavilion
ASTANA – The Qatari pavilion is hard to miss, for its glaring steel heads fidgeting in the wind attract the attention of many from afar. It is nearly impossible to pass without taking a picture. The nation of 2.8 million on the Arabian Peninsula is 235 times smaller than the size of Kazakhstan, yet it…
National Geographic features new documentary about Astana’s city structures
ASTANA – “Megastructures: Astana, City of the Future,” National Geographic’s new documentary about the capital’s architectural structures, premiered as part of EXPO 2017. The film includes interviews with expo head Akhmetzhan Yessimov as well as architects Gordon Gill and Norman Foster, who were involved in the city’s design. “We are a young country; our independence is…
Education ministry is prepared for coming academic year, reports minister
ASTANA – Minister of Education and Science of Kazakhstan Yerlan Sagadiyev presented a report Aug. 15 on preparations for the new 2017-2018 academic year and assured his ministry is prepared for the coming year. During the meeting of the government chaired by Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Sagadiyev explained that the main conceptual decisions…
Globalink Kazakhstan: from humble beginnings to infinite opportunities
ASTANA – Soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the entire Central Asian region became uncharted territory. Many young, ambitious entrepreneurs faced the challenge of exhausted markets in the then-volatile area, while investors were particularly sceptical about starting new ventures. One man with his own vision, however, dared to found…
ATOM Project ambassador pleads to recognise nuclear threat, stand up against it
ASTANA – The people of Kazakhstan have multiple stories to share on the eve of the Aug. 29 International Day against Nuclear Tests, because this day is part of their fate, part of their national identity. Along the thorny path the country had taken there lie countless stories of 1.5 million lives which have been…
Chinese Kung Fu masters dazzle EXPO crowds
ASTANA – EXPO 2017 management has spoiled Kazakh crowds with multiple concerts with the likes of Limp Bizkit and David Guetta, shows such as Cirque du Soleil and numerous other performances during the international exhibition. Hence, the capital audience, which has the choice to attend any or every show, is particularly difficult to please. The…
Bayanaul – land of legend and nature
ASTANA – With its numerous lakes and mountains, Bayanaul has a reputation of mesmerizing and absolutely stunning scenery. The area is also famous, however, for many the legends surrounding it. What to do in Bayanaul Bayanaul National Park is located in the small village of the same name about 450 kilometres from Astana. It is…
