Come play with us: help Astana’s Rotarians build an accessible playground for disabled children
Helping people is what Rotarians around the world have been doing since the Rotary Club, one of the world’s largest nonprofits, started back in 1905. The mission of the club is reiterated at every meeting of every Rotary Club around the world. More than 1.2 million members, including our humble Rotary Club of Astana, do…
Astana Event Celebrates Poetry of Rena Zhumanova
The Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Astana hosted a poetry evening of Rena Zhumanova’s work on May 25 to mark the launch of her new book “Pin Cushion.” The event included speeches by other prominent poets and journalists as well as reviews of the work by the Kokshetau native. “If a person is…
Magzhan Sagimbayev Successfully Completes Bike the Earth Project
More than a year after leaving Almaty, Magzhan Sagimbayev returned to the city’s Republic Square May 16 where he started his 380-day, 22-country solo bicycle tour. Sponsored by the Kazakh Geographic Society and Limpopo sports store, the 27-year-old resident was the architect of the Bike the Earth trip. His route wound through China, Australia, Cambodia,…
Forum Empowers ‘Soft Power’ of Female Entrepreneurs
ASTANA – The International Women’s Forum organised by the Kazakh Association of Business Women (ABW) was held May 21 as part of the Astana Economic Forum. The session, titled “Nurly Zhol – new opportunities,” included a business training workshop and three-hour discussion divided into two parts with panellists and delegates. Speaking at the official opening…
Kazakhstan Eyes New Opportunities in Africa
ASTANA – More than 20 permanent representatives to the United Nations (UN) from Africa arrived recently from New York to discuss cooperation between Kazakhstan and African states at a special session of the Astana Economic Forum. The meeting on May 21, titled “Africa – the Next Driver of the Global Economy,” was moderated by Kazakh…
Nazarbayev Announces Astana International Financial Centre, Addresses Economic Challenges at AEF
ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev made a few bold announcements to the delegates of the Astana Economic Forum (AEF) at the forum’s main plenary session on May 22, including the announcement of a plan to create an Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). Speaking first among panellists including top-level economists, financiers and politicians, Nazarbayev…
Kazakhstan Moves up Eight Spots in WEF Human Capital Report
ASTANA – A report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) outlining the current status of human capital in countries around the world came out on May 13, updating the first report from 2013. Kazakhstan ranked 37th out of 124 countries. The first Human Capital Report (HCR) released in 2013 placed Kazakhstan at 45th on a list…
Renovated Memorial Park and WWII Soldiers Monument Opened in Petropavlovsk
In observance of the 70th anniversary of the victory in World War II, residents witnessed the May 9 opening of the Alley of Glory to Heroes of the Soviet Union and the Cavaliers of the Order of Glory in Victory Park in the north Kazakhstan city of Petropavlovsk. The commemorative street immortalises the names of…
Almaty Industrial Zone Seeks Expertise from Similar Abu Dhabi Zone
Abu Dhabi hosted a May 3 meeting between representatives of the Almaty socio-entrepreneurial corporation (SEC) and the management of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Khalifa Industrial Zone (KIZAD). Almaty SEC chairman Kairat Kulbayev arrived in KIZAD to study the area and learn about positive experiences gained by the UAE. The Almaty industrial zone is due…
Kazakhstan Overhauls Industrial Development Plan
The first five-year phase of the State Programme for Accelerated Industrial and Innovative Development (SPAIID) has ended. Olzhas Khudaibergenov, a prominent economics analyst and head of the Centre for Macroeconomic Research, outlined the issues and a strategy for going forward in an extended blog entry on the Tengrinews website. The main focus of the piece…
Museum of First President Exhibits Heirs of Victory
“Heirs of the Victory,” a new exhibition dedicated to the feats of World War II veterans, opened May 4 at the Museum of the First President of Kazakhstan. The museum organised special celebrations in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, said deputy director Botagoz Kaipova, Ph. D. Together…
$50 Million Wind Farm to be Built in East Kazakhstan by 2016
ASTANA – A new wind farm with 16 turbines and generating 78MW of power will be built in the Tainty Ulan district of East Kazakhstan this year. All the necessary documentation of the $50 million project is ready, and a private investor has been determined, according to head of the regional Department of Energy and…
Kazakh-Specific Keyboards Expected by End of 2015
A recently patented keyboard with comfortable positioning of Kazakh letters will be produced in Almaty and is expected by the end of the year, according to project curator Medet Turgambayev. The inventors are Dias Zhunisbekov and Yergali Adambayev, students at the International Information Technologies University (IITU). The keyboard is currently made in small batches in…
Pottery Maker Speaks of Passion for Art and Country
The Kulanshi Modern Art Centre conducted master classes in pottery making and jewellery design March 25 during the Nauryz holidays. The free classes attracted more than 140 people. Yerbolat Karabdal, the master behind the potter’s wheel who showcased the basics of his art to young children and working professionals, gave an interview to The Astana…
Almaty Little League Baseball Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Chingiz Bura, president of the Almaty Little League, gave an exclusive interview to The Astana Times. An Almaty native and entrepreneur, Bura is aiming to revitalise the baseball scene in Kazakhstan starting with the youngest athletes. Tell us about the Almaty Little League. Well, the history of the league in Almaty is really exciting. American…
Astana’s Comedians Have New Platform for Stand-Up Performances
ASTANA – Humour and raw fish rolls are on the menu every two weeks when the Astana stand-up show entertains the audience. The latest live performance, on March 28, was heldat the Daikon sushi bar on the right bank of the Ishim River. Approximately 60 people showed up to watch the five to ten-minute monologues,…
OSCE Launches Election Observation Mission
ASTANA – Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights announced on March 26 the start of their mission to observe Kazakhstan’s April 26 early presidential election. During a March 26 press conference at the Radisson Hotel announcing the launch of the mission, Cornelia Jonker, head…
Russia to Give up 90 percent of Taisoigan Training Ground Lease
Ninety percent of the Taisoigan military training ground in Atyrau region will be withdrawn from Russian lease and returned to Kazakhstan, according to a March 3 report on Astana TV. Kazakh Senator Sarsenbai Yensegenov, who has worked on this issue since 2011, stated that the land coordinates have already been identified and an intergovernmental agreement…
Pension Reform Bill Likely to be Approved by Mazhilis
A bill to reform Kazakhstan’s pension system that takes into consideration the years a pensioner has worked is expected to be approved by year’s end, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development Svetlana Zhakupova said in a Central Communications Service press conference on March 3. “The bill has already been drafted and is under consideration…
Int’l, Domestic Oil and Gas Experts Discuss Exploration in Kazakhstan at Astana Forum
ASTANA – The first international forum on oil and gas exploration titled, “Kazakhstan Geology Forum: Oil & Gas in Focus,” took place in Astana’s Rixos Hotel on March 12-13 with the support of the Ministry of Investment and Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. “Since independence, the theme of oil and gas geology has been…
Ambassadors Club in Astana Opens New Season
ASTANA – After a long hiatus, a club meant to bring together on a regular basis international chiefs of missions is reviving its activities in the newly opened Marriott Hotel. The first revived Ambassadors Club event is planned for March 25, celebrating the traditional Nauryz Festival. The Ambassadors Club is an initiative by Art Club…
Trumpeter’s Journey Takes him From Wales to Astana Opera
ASTANA – Astana has been home to a globetrotting musician for the past two years, and Astana Opera for one. Originally from northwest Wales, Ross Clarke came to the capital of Kazakhstan on the recommendation of a good friend to work at Haileybury Astana, where he conducted the international choir. Two years later, he is…
Alatau Industrial Zone Key to Almaty Anti-Crisis Plan, Says Akim
The Almaty anti-crisis programme was presented by Akim (Mayor) Ahmetzhan Yessimov Feb. 19 during a meeting with the public. Yessimov noted that the optimisation of Almaty’s budget to 35 billion tenge (US$189 million), while increasing revenues, would not affect the volume of the city’s social obligations. The first point in a list of key priorities…
Kazakh National Academic Library Offers Multitude of Winter Events
ASTANA – The National Academic Library in Astana hosts many events throughout the year and invites members of the public in February to various exhibitions and presentations. An exhibition titled “Nurly Zhol – Be a Legend of the Future!” consists of four sections and includes an exhibition of book collections from the National Academic Library.…
Kazakh National Museum Receives Works of Famous St. Petersburg Artists
ASTANA – “We are together,” the exhibit of Russian artists Alexei Talaschuk and Latif Kazbekov, has been on display at the Kazakh National Museum with the aim of deepening cultural ties between the two countries. Launched Dec. 11, the show ended recently with a round table discussion among Russian and Kazakh artists, museum administrators and…
