Articles by Saltanat Boteu

NUR-SULTAN – The Bureau for Continuing Professional Development (BCPD) focuses on coming out with new digital products and has moved to a self-sustaining business model since the beginning of 2021. The University of the Future (UoF) that helps experienced professionals to advance their knowledge and get international certifications has become one of its major digital…

NUR-SULTAN – Heneken, a major Slovak non-ferrous metal recycling and melting company with a history of working with Kazakhstan, sees great new opportunities emerging for even greater cooperation in the future. On a recent visit to Nur-Sultan, Michal Hudoba, Heneken’s energetic general director said the company “has high hopes for Central Asia, specifically for the…

NUR-SULTAN – Adema Torebek, a Kazakh entrepreneur, opened her second coffee-tea shop in New York, US, just a month ago gaining experience from a local business in Kazakhstan. Torebek opened her first coffee shop in Nur-Sultan back in 2017 during the EXPO 2017. Although she had an education in law, she chose a different path…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) prioritize the green economy, digitalization, infrastructure, and connectivity development, said EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso during a press conference on Sept. 23 in Nur-Sultan. One of the priorities that EBRD and Kazakhstan identified is a contribution to the development of the green economy.  “The…

NUR-SULTAN – The KulanSteppe pilot project, launched in 2017, aims to increase the kulan population in central Kazakhstan, which is one of the flagship species of the steppe fauna, says scientist for the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) Petra Kaczensky, who works on the project. KulanSteppe contributes to the reestablishment of new species and…

NUR-SULTAN — Cambridge Fitzwilliam Museum, United Kingdom, has unveiled more than 300 artefacts from three burial complexes in the East Kazakhstan region for the first time after their discovery on September 28, according to the BBC News and leading British news outlets. Kazakh archeologist Zeinolla Samashev along with other scientists and students led the excavations…

NUR-SULTAN – A new long-term facility for sealed disused sources of ionizing radiation (SIRs) at the Institute of Nuclear Physics (RSE INP) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, started to operate in early July 2021.  Construction of the facility started in May 2020, after some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission headed by the RSE INP…

NUR-SULTAN – Winner of the 100 New Faces project Senior Lieutenant Ardana Botai made her first independent flight as the crew commander of the Su-30SM multifunctional fighter aircraft, reported the press center of Kazakh Defense Ministry. The Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, Aviation Lieutenant General Nurlan Ormanbetov took…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan celebrates the 115th birthday anniversary of Latif Khamidi, composer, educator, the co-author of first Kazakh anthem (1945),  People’s Artist of Kazakhstan and laureate of the Kazakh State Prize. Khamidi was a talented creator of marches, waltzes and mass songs and an educator of many high professionals in the field of composition and…

NUR-SULTAN – The Danish company Lego, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials, released a video about Dias Muratov’s life and journey with Lego. Muratov, an 11 years-old boy from Kazakhstan, who found his interest in robotics, construction, and Lego while fighting a brain tumour from the age of three.  “I am sure…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh photographer Valery Ayapov launched a nationwide wildlife documentary series project titled Open.kz dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence. The author plans to shoot 120 episodes, 12 of which are currently in post-production. Ayapov has more than 15 years of experience in photography and documentary filmmaking. He got the idea for…

NUR-SULTAN – People should be faithful to their motherland and country of residence, said Kazachya Volnitsa Cossack community leader Semyon Rakov. After serving in the Kazakh Armed Forces for 12 years, he settled in Karagandy and became the group’s head in 2001. “We urge every member of our community to love and respect the country…

NUR-SULTAN – Jongar Gate, two highlands and a narrow, long, flat plain at the junction of the Turkic and Mongolian steppes, is a mountain passage that for centuries determined civilisations’ fate. Trade caravans and steppe armies of Huns, Genghis Khan and Jongars historically passed through the hallway-like opening. The gate, between the Jongar Alatau in…

NUR-SULTAN – Almaty graffitists Yerzhan Tanayev and Ali Zakir, known as Tigrohaud Crew, have created dozens of murals throughout Kazakhstan as well as India, Russia and Turkey. Most of their works are portraits, including historical figures, in a mixed style and authentic ethnic atmosphere. The duo, created by two fellow students from Almaty College of…

NUR-SULTAN – The struggle for a nuclear weapons free world can be won because people understand its importance, as represented by the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have signed The ATOM Project petition against nuclear weapons testing, said ATOM Project Honorary Ambassador and Nevada-Semey international anti-nuclear weapons activist Karipbek Kuyukov in…

NUR-SULTAN – The 2019 Kitap (book) Fest, an annual event organised in Almaty during the past five years, will be held for the first time 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Aug. 25 at the capital’s Arbat near the Yesil River. The festival will include a BookCrossing, meetings with writers, journalists and public figures, photo exhibition, book fair…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh sport climber Rishat Khabibullin has fulfilled the participation standard for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, receiving a quota at the Aug. 11-21 Climbing World Championships in Hachioji, Japan. Eighty-three athletes from 39 countries participated in the qualification. The top 20, including Khabibullin, who ranked 14th, were involved in the qualification contest, reported…

NUR-SULTAN – Ali Turganbekov, the young boy born without legs known as ‘Kazakh Vujicic,’ recently joined Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) President Aleksander Čeferin to present the UEFA Super Cup to winner Liverpool Football Club (FC). “Friends, I was invited to the UEFA Super Cup 2019, in which the winners of the Champions League…

NUR-SULTAN – The Slavic ethno cultural centre in the Pavlodar Region has been working for 23 years to preserve Slavic culture and languages by promoting creativity, physical and spiritual development, patriotism and humanist education, especially among youth, said the centre’s head Tatyana Kuzina. “The most important thing for young people is charity action for children…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh chess player Bibisara Assaubayeva took third place among women at the Aug. 2-11 Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival Masters. The tournament attracted 150 participants from around the world. Assaubayeva once again fulfilled the norm of a female grandmaster, scoring five points in nine rounds with four victories and two draws. “At the…

NUR-SULTAN – The first meeting of the Kazakh National Council of Public Trust has been tentatively scheduled for Aug. 28. Participants will establish the council’s activities and form working groups, National Council secretary and advisor to the Kazakh President Yerlan Karin announced recently. The council is an advisory body called for and approved by Kazakh…

NUR-SULTAN – This year marks the 120th anniversary of the start of oil production in what is now Kazakhstan. Over more than one century, Kazakh oil production technology and infrastructure have experienced great change. PetroKazakhstan’s veterans recently shared with The Astana Times their experiences witnessing the growth and development of Kazakhstan’s oil sector. A representative…

NUR-SULTAN – Participants of the Aug. 12 first Caspian Economic Forum discussed economic ties among Caspian littoral countries in trade and tourism as well as infrastructure development around the inland sea. The forum took place at the Avaza resort in Turkmenistan and gathered more than 3,000 politicians, diplomats, business people, environmentalists, scholars and journalists from…

NUR-SULTAN – The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Nur-Sultan Akimat (city administration) will organise the eighth UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism under the Smart Cities, Smart Destinations theme in the Kazakh capital Oct. 9-12. The summit will contribute to the UN New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The summit…

NUR-SULTAN – The Central Asian Triathlon Association (CATA) will host its first race under CATA auspices Oct. 5 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, according to an announcement following the Aug. 2 second CATA Congress in Almaty. The event is considered part of the celebration of the Year of Kazakhstan in Uzbekistan. The race will…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s public consensus and nationwide unity model is unique and valuable and sets an example for many countries, Kyzylorda Region Turkish community leader Gulchin Geidarova told the Astana Times in an exclusive interview. The region’s Turkish ethno-cultural centre opened in December 2004. According to the centre’s head, ethno-cultural centres are created as part…

NUR-SULTAN – Citi has been supporting the Astana International Financial Centre’s (AIFC) work and plans to continue cooperating, said Julie Monaco, head of Citi Global Public Sector and the only female on the AIFC Managing Council, in an interview with The Astana Times. Doing business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions, the company provides…

NUR-SULTAN – The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan (APK) and ethno cultural centres across the country play a significant role for the nation, said the capital’s Barbang Kurd ethnocultural centre head Shamo Fatoyev. They represent and praise the diversity of the population. At the same time, abroad we are all Kazakhs, he noted. “I…

NUR-SULTAN – Bauyrzhan Khibash, an animal enthusiast from the Atyrau Region, has been volunteering to preserve and revive Kazakh aboriginal shepherd dogs for 15 years with the help of like-minded people. The work is important for the country from economic, environmental and cultural perspectives, he told The Astana Times. “Many years ago, I thought about…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh chess player Assel Serikbai won the Asian U-20 Championship, which took place June 30 to July 9 in Surakarta, Indonesia. Kazakh player Nazerke Nurgali also won gold and bronze in the championship’s blitz and rapid tournaments respectively.  Serikbai bypassed 36 rivals from nine countries to win the championship. With her tournament results,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh law enforcement detained more than 100 people July 6 for conducting unauthorised protests in the capital and Almaty, Kazakh Minister of Internal Affairs Yerlan Turgumbayev said July 9. The minister said 44 people were brought to administrative responsibility, 19 people were sentenced to administrative arrests. An administrative fine was imposed on 23…

NUR-SULTAN – The Almaty Region tops many lists with its rich natural attractions, one of which is Burkhan-Bulak, Kazakhstan’s highest waterfall. It is located in the mountainous Jongar Alatau area in the Kora River gorge. The waterfall is 168 metres long, 114 of which are visible, and rises to an altitude of 2,000 metres above…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) Chair Nurlan Nigmatulin summed up July 5 the work of the deputies in the fourth session of the sixth convocation at the joint meeting of chambers of Parliament in the capital. The Parliament adopted social and economic legislation and the national budget for 2019-2021. Nigmatulin stressed that…

NUR-SULTAN – SCAT Airlines will launch a direct Nur-Sultan – Tokyo flight July 6, Capital Day in Kazakhstan. The flight, taking approximately seven hours to Tokyo and eight hours back, will leave every Saturday from the Kazakh capital. The cost of the round-trip flight is approximately 200,000 tenge (US$519.40). The Kazakh government is subsidising the…

NUR-SULTAN – Bozzhyra is a picturesque tract on the Mangystau Region’s Ustyurt Plateau, decorated with chalk mountains that visitors call “sugar castles.” The most famous are the 200-metre tall outcrops resembling two fangs and the dazzling white landscapes are reminiscent of Monument Valley in Arizona in the U.S. The tract measures 17 kilometres north to…

NUR-SULTAN – As part of the 2019 Astana Finance Days, the Astana International Financial Centre’s (AIFC) Bureau for Continuing Professional Development (BCPD) organised Getting Trained for IPO (Initial Public Offering) seminars July 1 for Kazakh companies which are considering entering international capital markets and attracting foreign investments. The meetings involved approximately 50 companies. “Within the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev replaced his chief of staff and made new appointments to government positions June 28, reported Akorda press service. Changes were also made at the regional level. Krymbek Kusherbayev was appointed as the head of the Presidential Administration, having previously served as the Kyzylorda Region’s Akim (Governor). In the 1990s,…

NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree June 26 providing immediate debt relief to some of the country’s most vulnerable groups. The President’s one-time action calls for the government to take measures to repay unsecured consumer loans in second-tier banks and microfinance organisations for certain segments of the population, including large families, families that…

NUR-SULTAN – Timur Kulibayev, president of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan (NOC), took part in the 125th anniversary celebration of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne June 23, during which IOC President Thomas Bach officially opened Olympic House, the new headquarters of the organisation. Olympic House is recognised as one of the world’s…

NUR-SULTAN – As part of the Year of Youth, the Israeli Embassy in Kazakhstan along with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) organised a Day of Empowerment and Capacity Building June 20, with social activities to support and entertain children in contact or conflict with the law who are under the care of the capital’s…

NUR-SULTAN – The five-day International Simulation Training organised by the Kazakh Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies in the nation’s capital drew 120 participants from 17 countries to practice new skills, gain experience and enhance cooperation to address human trafficking along migration routes. The course, which will use trainings that simulate human trafficking situations, began June…

NUR-SULTAN – The Bulgar Tatar ethno cultural association in Aktau (Mangystau Region) assists those who wish to know and preserve Tatar culture, traditions and customs. The ability to maintain one’s identity and share it with others is welcome, noted association head Fandal Sakhibgareyev. “Far from the historical homeland, few have such an opportunity. The people…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh tennis player Yulia Putintseva beat Japan’s Naomi Osaka, ranked the best women’s player in the world, during the second round of the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham. Putintseva is ranked 43rd by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA); Osaka, a U.S. Open and Australian Open winner, currently tops that list. The game lasted…

NUR-SULTAN – Japanese-Kazakh relations have acquired a partnership character, as the countries are developing economic ties, trade and investment, cultural and educational cooperation. “The country grows not by natural resources but human resources. Thus, I am confident that Kazakhstan can develop by a virtue of great human resources,” Japanese Ambassador in Nur-Sultan Tatsuhiko Kasai told…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kyzyolrda Region is famous as the home of Korkyt Ata, the ninth-century Kazakh philosopher, thinker and creator of the kobyz (stringed musical instrument). The Korkyt Ata Complex, built as a tribute to its namesake, attracts foreign tourists with its unusual architecture and legends related to the famous figure. In 1980, Aleu Kusherbayev,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev directed June 17 the creation of the Ministry of Trade and Integration and the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources to improve the country’s public administration system. The new Ministry of Trade and Integration takes over the functions of the Ministry of National Economy in the formation and…

NUR-SULTAN – The classic ballet “Giselle,” written by opera and ballet composer Adolphe Adam and first staged in 1841 in Paris, premiered June 14 in the Kazakh capital. Choreographer-director and People’s Artist of Russia Altynai Asylmuratova, contemporary set designer Ezio Frigerio and costume designer Franca Squarciapino staged the performance. The conductor is Arman Urazgaliyev. Asylmuratova…

NUR-SULTAN – The inauguration of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took place June 12 at the Palace of Independence in the capital. Tokayev swore an oath to the people of the country and officially assumed the office of President, emphasising he will continue developing and implementing founding and First Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s vision of the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh weightlifters Denis Ulanov and Ilya Ilyin won gold and silver medals, respectively, at the June 7-9, 2019 British International Open weight-lifting tournament at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The tournament is a qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Ulanov, a bronze medallist at the 2016 Olympics, competed in the weight…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh athletes Sofya Berultseva, Darkhan Assadilov and Kaisar Alpysbai were among the winners at the June 7-9 Karate 1 Premiere League main series in Shanghai, proving the country’s right to be among the strongest athletes in the world. Winning a gold medal, Assadilov became a candidate for the World Karate Federation’s (WKF) Grand…

NUR-SULTAN – Some of Kazakhstan’s 11,814,019 eligible voters who went to the polls in the county’s June 9 presidential election told The Astana Times they consider voting a central part of their civic rights and duties and they hope the elections will be fair and bring positive change. “I wanted to express my will, as…

NUR-SULTAN – The first Jasyl Jol electric car rally appropriately started on June 5, World Environment Day, at the capital’s EXPO 2017 site. The cars, which are noiseless and pollution free, set off along the 540-kilometre Nur-Sultan-Burabai-Nur-Sultan route. “Sustainable development is impossible without sustainable transport. Transport is the catalyst for progress on at least nine…

NUR-SULTAN – British scholars Guillaume Tiberghien from Glasgow University and John Lennon from the Glasgow Caledonian University recently presented their research on two Soviet labour camps in Kazakhstan, stressing that the two could become destinations for “dark tourism.” The two visited the museums of the Karaganda Labour Camp (Karlag) and the Akmola Camp for Wives…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan marked May 31 the Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repressions by laying floral tributes at the monuments of political repression victims and launching exhibits at museums across the country. This day helps the people of Kazakhstan remember the lessons of the past and treat each other with care, said Nur-Sultan…

NUR-SULTAN – The Roma People’s community of the Aktobe Region, founded in 2011 by Yelena Dmitriyeva, is the only Roma People ethno cultural centre registered in the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan. The community of approximately 100 members sees its main goal as familiarising Kazakh people with its culture and customs and giving its youth…

NUR-SULTAN – Iowa University’s International Writing Programme (IWP) along with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department organised May 20-26 the Lines and Spaces reading tour to Almaty and Nur-Sultan. The tour was meant to connect Kazakh and American writers. In Almaty, a group of American creative professionals consisting of…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh chess champion Zhansaya Abdumalik improved her Elo rating to 2,414 by defeating former world champions in blitz at the 2019 International Mind Sports Association’s (IMSA) World Masters Championship, becoming the only Kazakh woman with an Elo rating above 2,400 in all three types of chess (classic, rapid and blitz). The invitation was…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh State String Quartet performed for the first time May 17 at Brussels’ BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, staging the works of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, German composer Felix Mendelssohn, Kazakh composers Kurmangazy Sagyrbaiuly and Gaziza Zhubanova and Kazakh thinker and writer Abai Kunanbayev. The quartet aimed to introduce the European audience…

NUR-SULTAN – Four Kazakh presidential candidates and three of their representatives discussed social and economic issues and how to solve them in a May 29 live televised debate at the Kazmedia Centre in the capital. At the debates, Nur Otan Party national headquarters’ head Maulen Ashimbayev represented presidential candidate and incumbent President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Ak…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s presidential candidates will participate in an 80-minute televised debate May 29 on the Khabar national television channel, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced May 24. The election includes seven candidates, and each has been invited to the debate. The debate will include three rounds. The first round will focus on economic development…

NUR-SULTAN – Uly Dala Kyrandary (which in Kazakh means Eagles of the Great Steppe) national movement candidate Sadybek Tugel, the first person to propose his presidential candidacy to the Central Election Commission, is running on a platform focused on Kazakhstan’s “ideology, social policy, fair politics and socially responsible economy.” “I made such a decision (to…

NUR-SULTAN – Coursera’s most popular course, Learning How to Learn, is now available in the Kazakh language. Its translation into Kazakh was made possible through the cooperative efforts of the Edgravity e-learning company and the academia.kz pedagogical skills’ virtual laboratory. The course is now available free at the udemy.com and academia.kz websites. Since launching in…

NUR-SULTAN – The Orleu International festival of Choreographic Educational School provides a platform for world choreographers to communicate, promotes national and classical choreography and helps support new generations of artists. This year’s festival, held May 11 to 13 in Almaty, was dedicated to the 85th anniversary of Almaty’s Seleznev Choreographic School (ACS). The ACS and…

NUR-SULTAN – Participants at this year’s Eurasian Media Forum in Almaty attended master classes May 22 discussing forms of journalism, such as environmental journalism, freelance, journalism using Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, photo and mobile journalism. The first day of the May 22-24 forum began with master classes conducted by media experts from around the world.…

NUR-SULTAN – The Turkestan Region’s authorities are developing green energy sources, including solar power plants to reduce the region’s electricity deficit. The alternative energy will cover 30 percent of the region’s energy demand. Solar power plants are being built in the Saryagash and Suzak districts and Arys and Kentau cities, reported kursiv.kz. Three of those…

NUR-SULTAN – The World Trade Centres Association (WTCA), Nest Investments Holding and Kazakh authorities planted a symbolic capsule May 17 in the foundation of what will be the World Trade Centre (WTC) at the EXPO 2017 site in the capital. It was not announced what the capsule contained, but the symbolic gesture is similar to…

NUR-SULTAN – Astana Economic Forum (AEF) participants discussed the role of Kazakhstan May 17 in cooperation with Central Asia and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As a regional hub, they called on Kazakhstan to facilitate regional connectivity with global economy through transport infrastructure and improving human capital. The panel session dedicated to…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is a multinational state, where more than 130 ethnicities live in peace. Each group has the right to learn its own language and create communities that help to preserve its traditions and customs and pass them to the next generation. Through this, the people of Kazakhstan write their common history, said German…

NUR-SULTAN – The Karabekov Foundation opened May 7 a children’s inclusive co-working space in the Kazakh capital as a part of its Pryanik project to socialise children with special needs. The space welcomes children to participate in master classes in arts and cooking as well as in movie nights. The project attracts volunteers, who help…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Central Electoral Commission (CEC) registered May 6 the last four candidates to qualify for Kazakhstan’s June 9 presidential election. Registration closed May 11 and a total of seven candidates will campaign until June 8 for election to the country’s highest office. The last four candidates to be registered by the CEC…

NUR-SULTAN – Four young Kazakh pianists, Rasul Abdugulov, Henry Allan Keppel, Aliya Assanova and Bekzat Rakymov, will perform at the 2019 Astana Piano Passion International Festival and contest in the capital. “The Astana Piano Passion contest is one of the unique, bright and prestigious events that take place in Kazakhstan, in our capital. The fact…

NUR-SULTAN – FlyArystan, Kazakhstan’s only low-cost airline, launched its first flight from Almaty to Nur-Sultan May 1 on a 180-seat Airbus A320. The company plans to fly a million passengers by the end of 2019. The company organised a May 1 presentation at Nur-Sultan International Airport, where guests greeted the plane and watched a welcoming…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kyzylorda Region has long been associated with one of the region’s main products, Syr Marzhan rice, and the birthplace of Korkyt Ata, the Turkic songwriter and composer from the ninth century. But now the region is becoming more attractive as a tourism destination because Kamystybas Lake, has become an ecological and medical…

NUR-SULTAN – The 2019 Burabike Fest, a charitable sports and music event, will take place Aug. 25-26 at Burabai resort. Guests will be invited to participate in an amateur bike ride (Aug. 24) and professional bicycle race (Aug. 25), open-air performances, charity auctions and creative workshops while staying at the Rixos Borovoe or tent camp…

NUR-SULTAN – Belarusians and Kazakhs are open and hospitable people which brings them closer, said Radima Belarusian Cultural Centre’s Chair and composer Dmitry Ostankovich. He has taught at the Kazakh National University of Arts in the capital for 17 years, growing a new generation of musicians. “Hospitality is one of the best traditions of our…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Central Electoral Commission (CEC) closed nominations April 28 for the June 9 presidential election. The field, which began with nine nominees, was reduced by one April 29 after a candidate withdrew. The candidates’ registration stage will continue until May 11. The CEC summed up the results at its April 28 meeting.…

NUR-SULTAN – Olga Zeller, a designer from Karaganda, creates coal jewellery in a variety of designs, from patterns inspired by her own heritage to modern minimalist looks. Zeller is trained as an economist, but five years ago, she got involved in jewellery manufacturing. “First I worked with polymer clay. Frankly speaking, I did not think…

NUR-SULTAN – The Ak Zhol party nominated April 24 Daniya Yespayeva as its candidate for the June 9 presidential election. If confirmed by the Kazakhstan Central Election Commission, Yespayeva would be the first woman in Kazakh history to run for president. Yespayeva, a banker from the Aktobe Region, received 49.5 percent of the party’s 190…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Tourism national company plans to take travel industry representatives and travel writers on four scouting exhibitions in 2019 to identify new tourist attractions, said its Deputy Chair Timur Duisengaliyev during the recent Almaty Travel Fest. The first tour, the Vostochnyi (Eastern) Transit international expedition, will follow the path of the famous geographer,…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh school children aged 11 to 15 now have the opportunity to win a 10-day trip across Kazakhstan by expressing what they love about their home region. The Samruk Kazyna Social Development Trust recently launched a national competition asking participants to write an essay or poem or produce a film describing what they…

NUR-SULTAN – The Finno-Ugric ethno cultural centre in the Pavlodar Region gathers nine ethnicities, providing an opportunity for its members to preserve their cultural heritage and share it with the Kazakh people, said chair Olga Nikolashina. “This is how our work on the creation of the centre began. We worked with the archive, the migration…

NUR-SULTAN – Cultural heritage tourism continues to develop in Kazakhstan, covering more regions and involving the country’s business community. As part of the Ruhani Zhangyru (Modernisation of Kazakhstan’s Identity) programme, the Otyrar, Tamgaly and Ulytau visitor centres will open this year, said Sacral Kazakhstan Research Centre head Berik Abdygaliuly after the programme’s national committee meeting.…

NUR-SULTAN – The Wings of Alakol bird watching festival will take place May 9-11 at the Pelikan Family Recreation Centre on Alakol Lake in the Almaty Region. Festival will offer bird watching opportunities as well as art and cultural activities and performances. The recreation centre and Veter Stranstvii (Wind of Travels) magazine are organising the…

NUR-SULTAN – Seventeen thousand runners will participate in the Almaty Marathon April 21, 10 percent of whom are from 53 countries of the world including China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uzbekistan. The marathon’s regional ambassadors actively promote running in nearly every Kazakh city, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan).…

NUR-SULTAN – Almaty entrepreneurs Nursultan Magzumov and Ulugbek Sharipov are promoting the culture of Kazakh men wearing suits by producing a high-quality, stylish and affordable clothing line. The team, in conjunction with the Kazakh producer Eric Tastembekov, founded Tumar Qazaqstan in 2016. In January 2017, they registered the Tumar trademark of men’s watches and launched…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh tennis player Alexander Bublik won the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, entering ATP’s top 100 ranking. Bublik defeated Serb Pedja Krstin and American Mitchell Krueger in the second and third rounds, respectively, then beat Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals, 7-6 (5), 6-3. In the semi-finals, he…

NUR-SULTAN – The Israeli Embassy in Kazakhstan, in cooperation with KazGUU University, opened the week-long Israeli Film Festival April 8 by screening Yossi Madmoni’s “Restoration.” The festival is aimed at showing Israeli culture and daily life and emphasising topics common to all people. The closed screening was attended by Israeli Ambassador to Kazakhstan Liat Wexelman,…

NUR-SULTAN – More than 400 ploggers participated in an April 7 event aimed at cleaning the capital’s parks and drawing people’s attention to the environment, recycling and a healthy lifestyle. Sparta Astana Eco Club, Sparta Astana Running Club and We Are for a Clean Country Eco Movement, supported by the city akimat (administration) and Adal…

NUR-SULTAN – The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Nur-Sultan Akimat (city administration) will organise the eighth UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism under the Smart Cities, Smart Destinations theme in the Kazakh capital Oct. 9-12. UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and Nur-Sultan Akim (Mayor) Bakhyt Sultanov signed April 5 an agreement at the…

NUR-SULTAN – Representatives of different ethnicities live in peace and harmony in Kazakhstan, with opportunities to preserve their traditions, customs and language, and share them with other members of society, said Tamara Shirmer, head of the capital’s Obereg Ukrainians’ Community. “We are proud that fate has given us the opportunity to live in such a…

NUR-SULTAN – The number of tourists to Almaty increased by 11.8 percent to 1.1 million visitors last year, one-fifth of all guests to the country. The city akimat (administration) paid attention to the infrastructure and opened a tourism hub. “Because of the simplification of the visa regime, EXPO 2017, the Universiade, creation of tourist infrastructure…

NUR-SULTAN – Professionalism and dedication is valued in the workplace regardless of gender, said Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering (KPE) engineer Yenlik Mirzabekova. Work is a part of people’s lives; thus, they should treat it with respect, spend their time with meaning and understand its value for themselves and the development of the country, she noted in…

NUR-SULTAN – The inaugural Edmund Muskie Alumni Conference was held in the capital March 29-30 to enhance connection and inspire ideas by creating common ground for dialogue and exchange. The event was organised by Cultural Vistas, a non-profit exchange organisation, with the support of the United States Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in…

NUR-SULTAN – RostOk inclusive kindergarten, which provides rehabilitation for children with autism spectrum disorders, hearing impairments and speech and movement disorders, opened April 1 in the capital. The kindergarten can accept 55 youngsters aged from two and a-half to seven on a paid basis for a full day and 65 from low-income families for a…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh male acrobatic gymnastics team of Daniel Dil and Vadim Shulyar won the gold medal March 25 at the 2019 Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) World Cup in Las Vegas. The women’s team of Anel Nurzhanova and Yulia Prosvetova took the bronze. The victories are the first for the country at the…

NUR-SULTAN – The Denis Ten Foundation organised the D10 world exhibition, dedicated to the memory of the Kazakh figure skater and bronze medallist at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, during the 2019 World Figure Skating Championship in Saitama, Japan. The four-day exhibit attracted 35,000 visitors. The exhibition presented Ten’s own photos and those taken during his…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh figure skater Elizabet Tursynbayeva, who won the silver medal at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championship in Saitama, Japan March 22, made history in the process. She is the country’s first female athlete to receive a medal and first woman to complete a quadruple salchow at the event. “I am overwhelmed with…

ASTANA – Young Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen voluntarily left the World’s Best competition and won the audience vote for the best performance singing French song “SOS d’un terrien en detresse.” At the final stage, Kudaibergen sang the “Adagio” song with which he previously won the sixth round of the ‘I Am a Singer’ competition in…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s national football team ranked fourth in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Euro 2020 qualifying’s Group I after Belgium, Cyprus and Russia, but ahead of Scotland and San Marino. Kazakhstan sensationally won its first match 3:0 to Scotland March 21 on Astana Arena. The Kazakh team scored the first goal in…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Parliament and Astana Maslikhat (city assembly) have taken the first steps to change the name of the capital city from Astana to Nur-Sultan in honour of recently resigned and founding President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The Parliament and city assembly approved March 20 a proposal from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to change the name…