Young man overcomes tragedy, gets inspired to help people with disabilities
ASTANA – A car accident left 19-year-old Yeldos Bayalyshbayev disabled years ago. He had a neck bone fracture, paralysis of limbs and a bedridden life. At least that was what doctors told him. But persistence, family support and care not only got Bayalyshbayev up on his feet again but also inspired others like him to…
Kazakhstan’s population nears 18 million people
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s population stood at 17.9 million people as of May 1, Chairperson of Statistics Committee of National Economy Ministry Nurbolat Aidapkelov announced at a June 5 government briefing. However, the committee is not publishing open data on the population base yet. When the number reaches 18 million people an announcement will be made,…
Kazakhstan improves on key indices of latest UN Human Development Report
ASTANA – Kazakhstan improved on key indices over 2015 in latest United Nations Global, Regional and National Human Development report. Compared to 2015, life expectancy increased to 69.6 years from 69.4 years, average years in education rose to 11.7 compared to 11.4 and per capita gross national income reached $22,093, up from $20,876, according to…
National Museum to hold several exhibits within EXPO 2017
ASTANA – Exhibits featuring Kazakhstan’s honoured art workers, the Terracotta Army, ancient Egyptian monuments and weapon arts will be held by the country’s national museum as part of EXPO 2017. The June 6-July 10 solo exhibit will highlight Yerbolat Tolepbay, the country’s honoured art worker and state prize laureate, according to Tengrinews. “Yerbolat Tolepbay’s inimitable…
WeAlmaty project to encourage and support citizens in developing city
ASTANA – The EU-funded WeAlmaty project aims to encourage and support residents to engage in evolving their city into a smart, safe, comfortable, socially-oriented and economically-sustainable urban area, said Rowan Kennedy, Deputy Director, British Council Kazakhstan, in an interview with The Astana Times. The British Council, Almaty Akimat (city administration), Almaty Development Centre and Kazakh-British…
New terminal officially opened at capital’s airport
ASTANA – The new $256 million terminal at the capital’s airport had an official opening May 31 attended by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The terminal was implemented within the Nurly Zhol programme and its construction began in 2014, noted Astana International Airport Director General Radilbek Adimolda. “The airport was launched in 2004 with a throughput capacity…
EXPO 2017’s ‘Smart City’ technology will be first of its kind in capital
ASTANA – Cutting-edge technology will be used to decrease energy usage throughout the EXPO 2017 facilities, said Vladimir Sobolev, the Astana EXPO 2017 national company’s managing director and director of New Technologies and IT, the press service of the company reported. “Smart Grid system will be one of the projects used on the exhibition area.…
Fitness Park Astana opens new season for open-air workouts
ASTANA – It is that time of the year again when the residents of the capital can get outside and enjoy having open-air exercises with fitness professionals. Fitness Park Astana has opened a new season of weekly workouts at Astana’s parks. One can go for CrossFit, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Zumba, Combat battle or yoga sessions led…
May 31 marks Kazakh Day of Remembrance
ASTANA – Since 1997, May 31 has been marked as Kazakhstan’s Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression and Hunger to honour those who were lost through 20th century repression and starvation in the country. Joseph Stalin’s policies of collectivisation caused the great famine of 1931-1933, one of the saddest and most influential events…
Residents discuss benefits, inconveniences of EXPO 2017
ASTANA – Some capital residents are happy the much-talked-about EXPO 2017 will benefit the city, entrepreneurs and Kazakhstan’s image. To others, however, it seems like a waste of budget money and resulting discomfort. The Astana Times interviewed several residents to get their impressions of the upcoming international specialised exposition. “As a resident, the upcoming expo…
Kazakh scientist develops refinement system for polluting emissions
ASTANA – Kazakh scientist Alexander Borisenko has developed a refinement system for polluting emissions that can purify any processed gas. The technology has been successfully operating at his factory for a year. “As this technology didn’t exist, it is always hard to create something that doesn’t exist. Many people don’t understand and the working process…
Mangystau archaeologist makes geoglyph gallery to stimulate local tourism
ASTANA – Mangystau archaeologist and historian Andrei Astafiyev has made a gallery of geoglyphs reflecting nomadic arts, the first in the region’s Airakty-Shomanai mountain valley and in Kazakhstan. “I always consider natural sights from a perspective of a tourist attraction. The Airakty table (a flat-topped) mountain is a unique phenomenon for Mangystau,” he said…
Doctoral student from Almaty gives practical classes at university in Zurich
ASTANA – Alexander Nigai, a 24-year-old doctoral student from Almaty, is teaching practical classes at ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich) reported Inform.kz. “I am a doctoral student, but doctoral candidates are also staff in this university… Teaching is my duty and the university pays for it. We do not pay a…
Nazarbayev signs law defining borrower protections
ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed May 6 a debt collection act and related amendments regulating how collection agencies can pursue borrowers and other elements related to debt collection. “The draft law focuses on protecting the rights of borrowers. … The law defines the rights and obligations of all parties down to a time when…
San Mir Astana company grows organic apples under Agrobusiness – 2020 programme
ASTANA – Astana-based private company San Mir Astana grows organic apples as part of the Agrobusiness – 2020 programme to develop the agro-industrial complex in the country. Initiated by the company’s business consultant Yermek Beisembayev, a memorandum with a Hungarian company Holland Alma Kft was signed in 2015 to plant apple tree gardens in southern…
New York-based streaming platform Filmatique releases Nariman Turebayev’s “Adventure”
ASTANA – Filmatique.com, a New York-based online streaming platform, released Kazakh filmmaker Nariman Turebayev’s FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) prize-winning film “Adventure.” Ursula Grisham, who is responsible for the website’s acquisitions and content, shared her impressions of the film with The Astana Times. “Nariman Turebayev’s ‘Adventure’ is a singular portrait of a night-time security guard that…
Kazakh stunt men nominated for Taurus World Stunt Awards
ASTANA – Stunt coordinator Zhaidarbek Kunguzhinov and his team Nomad Stunts have been nominated for the Taurus World Stunt Awards for coordinating and performing stunts in the 2016 Russian historic film “Viking.” “We came up with a few new stunts for the film – a burning wheel hitting a man, a fall of two horses,…
Kazatomprom, KazNU establish centre for uranium industry professionals
ASTANA – Kazatomprom, the country’s national atomic company, and Kanysh Satpayev Kazakh National University (KazNU) have established a scientific and educational nuclear centre where high-skilled professionals will be trained for the uranium industry. The industry lacked sufficient personnel in the 1990s because young people were not willing to study technical fields, while the few…
Kazakh law enforcement officials win world hand-to-hand combat championship division, team places second
ASTANA – The Kazakh hand-to-hand combat team, consisting of law enforcement officials, placed second in the April 21-24 World Hand-to-Hand Combat Championship in Moscow. Kazakhstan’s national team included five police officers and members of the State Security Service and National Security Committee. In addition to the second place team finish, five law enforcement officers out…
High water remains in regions across Kazakhstan as some residents return home
ASTANA – For the past several days, Kazakhstan has been struggling to control floods and high water in several regions. Some 2,000 homes have been flooded across the country, Kazakhstan’s minister of internal affairs informed during governmental session. “Life-sustaining activity was disturbed in 52 populated places in the Karaganda, Akmola, North Kazakhstan, Kostanai, Pavlodar, Aktobe…
BI Marathon Set for May 28 in Astana’s Triathlon Park
ASTANA – The annual BI Marathon is planned for May 28 in the capital’s Triathlon Park, and 300 people have already registered for the event. “This year the location of the marathon is changing to Astana’s Triathlon Park, which the BI Group company gave to the capital [as a gift] for its 18th anniversary [in…
Almaty, Astana children’s camps offer healthy activities
ASTANA – Summer is almost around the corner and it is time for the holidays all children anticipate. The Astana Times has compiled a list of the best children’s camps near Almaty and the capital city. Located in picturesque forests of the Borovoye resort area on the shores of Katarkol Lake, Kontinent children’s therapeutic centre…
Science, technology and math necessary for students to be globally competitive, says university director general
ASTANA – It seems economics and law have been eternally popular and cliché fields to study and work in former Soviet Union countries. The notion that one is guarantied a job afterwards has been fading away, however, with the arrival of the digital era and a competitive new world ruled by science and technology. “People…
Ab-Initio training programme’s first cadets become captains
ASTANA – The six co-pilots of Air Astana, who first graduated from Air Astana’s of Ab-Initio training programme, recently became captains, reported Kapital.kz. Having flown six years as a co-pilot, Roman Suleimanov is one of the first graduates and has now been appointed as a captain. “I believe our pilots from Kazakhstan are as good…
Power station’s heat allows unique fish farm in Karaganda
ASTANA – Natur Produkt farm has been culturing rainbow trout at the Topar Lake 40 kilometres from Karaganda since last year. Close proximity to Karaganda GRES 2 power station creates unique conditions for fish culturists, Forbes.kz reports. Thermal release from the power station’s refrigeration allows maintaining the temperature that does not go below 17 degrees…
