Articles by Meruyert Abugaliyeva

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is home to more than 130 ethnic groups and the nation’s prosperity is only possible when there is peace and harmony, said Serikbay kazhy Oraz, Chairperson of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK) and the Kazakh Supreme Mufti, in a recent interview with The Astana Times. “Surely, Islam is a…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan creates conditions for representatives of various religious communities, including adherents of Buddhism, to coexist peacefully and prosper. Larisa Palagina, leader of Almaty Temple of Won Buddhism, spoke about the practice in Kazakhstan, its values, activities and interfaith relations, in an interview with The Astana Times. Won Buddhism is a modernised form of…

ASTANA – Lives’ Talk, a Korean start-up, has developed two gadgets and a mobile application to help Kazakh farmers quickly determine the location of their cattle. The idea behind the device belongs to team leader Yung Yang Cheng, who identified the problem during his trip to Kazakhstan two years ago. “I noticed that farmers sometimes…

ASTANA – Kazakh biotechnologist Bauyrzhan Aituov produces Innodent, an innovative product for treating tooth decay without painful drilling and fillings. The product can stop early tooth decay and stimulate natural regeneration of tooth enamel, he told The Astana Times in a recent interview. Innodent Repair consists of a synthesised human protein called amelogenin, which plays…

ASTANA – The 2015-2019 State Programme of Industrial and Innovative Development (SPIID) has positively affected the growth dynamics of the manufacturing sector, resulting in the industry contribution to the GDP growing to 11.8 percent, according to the preliminary evaluation by Kazakh Ministry of Investments and Development. The key contributors were metallurgy (9.3 percent of the…

ASTANA – Sary-Arka, the fourth expedition of the Kazakh National Geographic Society (Qazaq Geography), set off from Astana Aug. 20. The journey, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Kazakh capital, will continue through Sept. 4. Participants, including TV journalists, tour operators and local and foreign travel bloggers, will travel 4,595 kilometres across the Akmola,…

ASTANA – School opens Sept. 1 and the Kazakh education system is ready for the academic year, said Minister of Education and Science Yerlan Sagadiyev, reporting on kindergarten and school preparation during an Aug. 22 government meeting. The country has 10,311 kindergartens for nearly 900,000 pre-school-age children, including 6,727 public and 3,584 private institutions. Extensive…

ASTANA – Vladimir Akulov, businessperson and agrarian from the East Kazakhstan region is among 102 winners of the nation’s 100 New Faces project for his attention to corporate social responsibility and charity. The project was established to recognise exemplary individuals and promote their success stories to inspire others. In times of post-war hardships in Belarus,…

ASTANA – Qurban Ait (Eid al-Adha), one of two main Islamic holidays, is being celebrated Aug. 21 – 23 this year. The holiday, mostly associated with sacrificing an animal, symbolises kindness and generosity, friendship and mutual understanding for many Kazakh citizens. According to Islamic tradition, Muslims throughout the world slaughter an animal, such as a…

ASTANA – The number of transport card users has almost doubled since the July 21 introduction of differentiated fares and the new enter-and-exit rules for city bus passengers. The initial 221,000 transport cardholders reached 405,000 by the end of the month. As of Aug. 7, the figure had risen to 415,000, including 61,900 passengers eligible…

ASTANA – Local designers are helping Kazakh citizens look stylish and feel comfortable while wearing clothes with traditional elements. Kazakhs have typically paid a great deal of attention to the garments they wear. Clothes, often made from fur, silk and wool, were used to show well-being and social status and ethnic ornaments were the main…

ASTANA – Moskva Business Centre, a multifunctional complex containing offices, conference halls, a shopping area, restaurants and sports clubs, is a landmark project symbolising friendship between Moscow and the Kazakh capital. Its construction, combining the innovations and traditions of European and Asian capitals, was completed by the company owned by international entrepreneur and philanthropist Elena…

ASTANA – Yuri Novgorodov, Archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kazakhstan and representative of the World Lutheran Association, discussed church activities, the role of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions and relations with the other confessions in Kazakhstan with The Astana Times. “The mission of the church is the proclamation of…

ASTANA – Nurlan Yermekbayev, until recently the Assistant to the President – Secretary of the Security Council, was appointed Kazakhstan’s Minister of Defence Aug. 7. “In the light of changing geopolitical situations and formation of new challenges, one of the main tasks placed ahead of the Ministry of Defence is technological improvement and weapons modernisation.…

ASTANA – The nation’s childhood cancer rate increased 9.3 percent in 2016-2017, as the number of detected cases rose from 558 to 610 per year. “Every year, on average 600 new cases of malignant tumours are detected and approximately 40 percent of them are cases of leukaemia. We believe that the increase in childhood cancer…

ASTANA – Kazakh Ministry for Investments and Development and Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund have launched a programme to support entrepreneurs running investment projects related to energy saving technologies. The mechanism was designed to execute the sustainable low-carbon city development project initiated by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Global Ecological Fund (GEF) and the Kazakh government.…

ASTANA – The Astana city government collected in 2017 the highest amount of revenue in 10 years, reported finprom.kz. The past year also witnessed greater investment into Astana’s fixed assets. “Astana’s budget revenue reached a record high of 469.4 billion tenge (US$1.37 billion) in the last ten years. Tax revenue contribution increased from 30.2 percent…

ASTANA – Recent changes to Kazakhstan’s legislation have resulted in higher pensions, more social assistance payments and more expensive cigarettes, while procedures for issuing visas and electronic passports for vehicles have been altered. Higher basic pension payment Some changes involved the calculation of basic pensions, which previously comprised 15,274 tenge (US$44.75) or 54 percent of…

ASTANA – The capital celebrated the 20th Astana Day with several days of festivals, concerts and sporting events across the city starting July 4. A flag-raising ceremony at 11 a.m. July 4 marked the official start of the Astana Day celebrations. More than 60 artists performed during the Echo Asia International Festival of circus art…

ASTANA – Lyazzat Aitkozhina, one of Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces, is a devoted gynaecologist and fertility specialist who helps women experience the joy of motherhood through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). “I love my job and I believe being a doctor is not simply a professional choice; it is a gift from God. It is not enough…

ASTANA – Estonia, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its independence this year, has established friendly relations with Kazakhstan during 26 years of diplomatic relations. Bilateral cooperation, which has great potential, has not yet been fully explored, said Estonian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Heiti Maemees in an interview with The Astana Times. “Overall, our bilateral…

ASTANA – The pristine nature and breathtaking scenery of Katon-Karagai, the nation’s largest national park high in the Altai Mountains in East Kazakhstan, attracts many tourists. Although difficult to access, the region boasts multiple active tourist and recreational sites. During one trip, guests can enjoy all kinds of landscapes, including snowy mountains, dense forests, green…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Senate recently ratified an agreement between the Kazakh and Chinese governments to construct the Chukurbulak (Almaly) dam on the Khorgos River. “The dam is necessary to ensure the safety of Khorgos international cross-border cooperation centre since it is situated in a dangerous location. The project cost is estimated at 11.7 billion…

ASTANA – Yelena Dmitrienko, one of Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces, is the president of Zhuldyz Association, which unites children’s public organisations across the country. She has devoted more than 40 years to education, devising a pre-school development programme for children’s organisations. “The programme’s mission is to nurture free and creative individuals living up to high…

ASTANA – The Kazakh National Bank recently denied rumours being spread on social media of a pending currency devaluation. “At the moment there are no obvious risks of devaluation. Minor fluctuations in the exchange rate of the tenge observed recently are a consequence of an increase in seasonal demand for foreign currency due to summer…