Nur-Sultan history festival kicks off with architectural heritage exhibit, discussion
NUR-SULTAN – The capital’s local history festival kicked off Jan. 25 with a multimedia exhibition and public discussion of architectural heritage. “The festival was meant to be a dedication to the city and consisted of a discussion panel, where we tried to raise the questions and stimulate the dialogue about architectural heritage, what it is…
Mamin, Saparbayev hold meetings on preventing emergence, spread of coronavirus in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – In reaction to the outbreak of coronavirus in Asia, Prime Minister Askar Mamin organised a government meeting Jan. 26 on ways to prevent its spread and take precautionary measures in Kazakhstan. The following day, Deputy Prime Minister Berdibek Saparbayev chaired the first meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission on Preventing the Emergence and Spread…
Third Women’s Business Forum in Shymkent gathers region’s female entrepreneurs
NUR-SULTAN – Female entrepreneurs in Shymkent work primarily in light industry, services, beauty, trade and catering industries, Chair of the Kazakh Business Women’s Council and the Atameken Business Chamber presidium member Lyazzat Ramazanova said Jan. 23 to inbusiness.kz. “We have 600 business entities in this industry in the country, and 90 percent are women-run businesses.…
Kazakh-Slovak roundtable encourages increased bilateral economic cooperation
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh and Slovak officials hosted a business roundtable Jan. 21 in Nur-Sultan to discuss bilateral trade and economic cooperation as well as to sign memorandums of understanding. “It should be said that more than 40 countries with Slovakian participation already work in Kazakhstan. … Interest to our country is significant,” said Kazakh Ambassador…
Transit of goods through Kazakhstan grew 23 percent in 2019
NUR-SULTAN – The transit of goods through Kazakhstan grew 23 percent to 664,000 containers and total transit revenues for Kazakhstan reached more than 450 billion tenge (US$1.2 billion) in 2019, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Industrial Development reported Jan. 20. Among this cargo, the number of containers in the direction of China – Europe –…
SPACES.nur-sultan city festival to bring in new exhibitions and workshops
NUR-SULTAN – SPACES.nur-sultan city festival that features exhibitions, lectures and workshops is to take place over the weekends from Jan. 24 to Feb. 7. “The team is convinced that the city, its places and spaces are made by people. What the city needs and where its development opportunities are – its residents know best,” said…
New rules for Kazakh currency exchange offices include authorised capital amount, data capture and office hour changes
NUR-SULTAN – The new rules for Kazakh currency exchange office operations include changes in the authorised capital amount, data capture and office hours, said National Bank Cash Management Department Director Zhomart Kazhmuratov in the bank’s Jan. 14 statement to the media, according to Forbes.kz. The first change will standardise the authorised capital amount in cities,…
Nur-Sultan residents discuss city memories in public philosophy talk
NUR-SULTAN – Capital residents discussed the meaning of nostalgia Jan. 11 during a public philosophy talk featuring Kazakh Humanities and Law University Senior Philosophy Lecturer Dmitri Melnikov. The event was organised as part of the Talking.TSE series. “In my opinion, our conversation about nostalgia went well. There was a response from the audience – many…
Anastasia Gorodko wins two dual moguls golds at FIS European Cup in Switzerland
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh athlete Anastasia Gorodko made her international debut by winning two gold medals in dual moguls Jan. 13-14 at the International Ski Federation (FIS) European Cup in Airolo, Switzerland, reported Olympic.kz. Gorodko, 14, won her first gold Jan. 13, earning 130 points, reported fis-ski.com. Janneke Berghuis, 18, of the Netherlands placed second with…
Central Asian country representatives discuss new extremism tendencies
NUR-SULTAN – Government, civil society and international organisation representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan Dec. 17-18 for the fourth New Tendencies in Violent Extremism and Preventive Measures regional dialogue, reported undp.org. “This dialogue serves as a platform for governments, experts and the research community to explore and elaborate on required…
Qatar Airways to launch direct flights from Doha to Nur-Sultan and Almaty
NUR-SULTAN – Qatar Airways will launch flights March 30 between Doha and Nur-Sultan. Qatar Airways will also launch from Doha to Almaty April 1, according to inbusiness.kz. “The opening of the flight will allow Kazakh passengers to travel to 160 destinations of Qatar Airways,” said a representative of the Press Service of the Civil Aviation…
Amendments to Almaty special status law give more autonomy to local government
NUR-SULTAN – Changes to the Almaty special status law in areas including architecture, city planning, land use, environmental regulation, entrepreneurship, communal property management and transport were made recently, Almaty Deputy Akim (Mayor) Mukhit Azirbayev announced at a press conference. “To ensure the development processes of social, transport and other infrastructure in urban development of suburban…
Chinese, Indian citizens may transit visa-free for 72 hours through six Kazakh airports
NUR-SULTAN – Starting Jan. 1, Chinese and Indian citizens may transit through Kazakhstan for 72 hours without the need to obtain a visa, reported inbusiness.kz Jan. 9. “There is a 72-hour visa-free regime for entry, stay and departure from the Republic of Kazakhstan for citizens of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of…
Kazakhstan’s exports fell 4.5 percent in 2019
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s export volume decreased 4.5 percent during first 10 months of 2019 and exports fell from 65.1 percent of all trade volume to 60.4 percent, energyprom.kz reported Dec. 30, using data from the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy’s Statistics Committee. Exports decreased from $50 billion in 2018 to $47.7 billion in 2019. At…
Pavlodar akimat launches guided tour buses
NUR-SULTAN – The Pavlodar akimat (administration) launched two and a half hour guided tours Dec. 6 that visit seven locations by bus, reported pavlodarnews.kz. The project is in pilot mode until Jan. 15, with tours hosted by the region’s history museum employees. Pavlodar State University students would eventually serve as guides to fulfil their credit-bearing…
Kazakh start-ups win funding at SAP UP competition in Russia
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh start-ups Kishkentai and Kid Security won funding as prizes in the SAP UP competition in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 18. “We were in Moscow for three days. It was very interesting… The money will help us with our plans, because we have to pay for designers, methodologists, developers – as you know, it’s…
Kazakhstan ready to play proactive role in global dialogue, FM tells ASEM meeting
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is ready to play a proactive role in the global dialogue, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi Dec. 16 at 14th ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Foreign Ministers meeting in Madrid. “To create a favourable external environment for our development and growth, we should adapt to the 21st-century reality and stay away from…
Kazakh men’s beach volleyball team advances to final of Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s men’s beach volleyball team won two games against the Indian team in Visakhapatnam, India, Dec. 16 and advanced to the final of the Asian Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualification Tournament. On the first day of the competition, Iran won two consecutive victories over Sri Lanka, and Kazakhstan snatched victory from the tournament hosts…
Yuliya Galysheva wins silver at Freestyle Ski World Cup in Taipei
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh professional freestyle skier Yulia Galysheva won a silver medal Dec. 14 in moguls at the 2019-2020 International Ski Federation (FIS, Fédération Internationale de Ski) Freestyle Ski World Cup stage in Taipei, Taiwan, reports the National Olympic Committee press service. Galysheva scored 79.8 points and won the silver medal of the second stage…
AMEN Animation Film Festival features works of young Kazakh artists
NUR-SULTAN – The capital hosted the AMEN Animation Film Festival Dec. 11 featuring the work of young Kazakh artists. Photo credit: @amen_aff Instagram account. “This festival will be one of…
Kazakh domestic tourism shows steady growth, reports Statistics Committee
NUR-SULTAN – Domestic tourism has grown 9.8 percent in 2019, external tourism is on the decline and Almaty is the country’s most popular destination, according to the Kazakh Statistics Committee….
Nazarbayev University launches Kazakh-Chinese genetic analysis laboratory
NUR-SULTAN – Nazarbayev University (NU) launched its Kazakh-Chinese genetic analysis laboratory Dec. 5, reported russian.news.cn. “I am glad that the Nazarbayev University site is worthy of accepting serious scientific and clinical studies that require not only good equipment, but also good knowledge and specialists. For Nazarbayev University, it means both jobs and increasing their research…
European Union and Carnegie Europe present Letter from Nur-Sultan
NUR-SULTAN – Letter from Nur-Sultan, an event held Dec. 5 in the capital, focused on the regional dimension of the European Union (EU) Central Asia strategy and whether it is an adequate answer 21st-century challenges. “The EU needs a more assertive strategy. This would entail shifting from a simple, general dialogue with the target country,…
Anti Smog air pollution mask company founders fund air quality research, raise awareness
NUR-SULTAN – Anti Smog air pollution mask company founders Dayana Tazhimuratova and Aisulu Tystykbayeva fund Kazakh air quality research and work on ways to increase awareness and counter air pollution. “Since we had health problems caused by air quality, we searched for a solution that could help us first of all to not feel so…
Tokayev discusses economic cooperation with German leaders, offers special conditions to German investors
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed economic cooperation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and German entrepreneurs during Tokayev’s Dec. 5-6 official visit to Berlin. “The purpose of my visit is to give an additional impetus, primarily to economic cooperation and political interaction. It so happened that Germany, being the fourth…