Articles by Yelena Levkovich

NUR-SULTAN – The international forum, Museums of Kazakhstan: Global Competitiveness, was hosted recently by the Kazakh National Museum and dedicated to its fifth anniversary. Vice Minister of Culture and Sport Eldos Ramazanov, archaeologist Zeynolla Samashev, Kazan Islamic Culture Museum head Ilnur Nizamiev, Athena Epigraphic Museum Deputy Director John Venieri, Northern Macedonia National Archaeological Museum Director…

NUR-SULTAN – Italian investor Eni launched Kazakhstan’s largest wind power production project Dec. 18 in the Aktobe Region. The $100-million effort is also supported by Kazakh Invest and General Electric. Italian Ambassador in Kazakhstan Pasquale D’Avino, regional Akim (Governor) Ondassyn Urazalin, Eni Executive Vice President for the Central Asia region Luca Vignathi and Kazakh Invest…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s famous Golden Man, the burial suit of a roughly third-century BCE Saka warrior, has finished his tour of world museums. His travels, the Procession of Altyn Adam, were summed up by Kazakhstan’s National Museum. The main goal of the project was to introduce the international community to the ancient history, rich culture…

NUR-SULTAN – Global Blue, Europe’s tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, officially launched Dec. 8 in Almaty. Tax-free shopping is part of the state strategy to attract visitors by positioning the country as an ideal shopping destination in the Central Asian region. Global Blue is a strategic technology and payment partner which empowers merchants to…

NUR-SULTAN – Bambino ice cream has one main goal – to amaze people’s taste buds with high quality, organic ice cream. The pink brand is one of the most recognisable among domestic food producers. The company, which began operation more than 10 years ago, offers in excess of 50 types of gelato, from the classic…

NUR-SULTAN – Akim (Mayor) of Nur-Sultan  Altai Kulginov presented the annual report on the socio-economic development of the Kazakh capital Dec. 18. Kulginov noted the positive dynamics demonstrated in the gross regional product growth – there was an increase of 4.2 percent in the first half of the year to 2.7 trillion tenge (US$7 billion).…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh National Museum with the support of the United Nations opened Dec. 10 a diplomatic photo and video exhibit dedicated to Kazakhstan’s Independence Day and the museum’s fifth anniversary. Diplomatic corps representatives, Kazakh deputies and others attending the opening ceremony applauded the more than 50 exhibits. The display features photographs of the most…

NUR-SULTAN – The first class of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) Academy of Law to successfully complete Foundations Programme for Future Lawyers was awarded certificates Dec. 9. For several months, 54 students from four Kazakh (Eurasian National University (ENU), KAZGUU University, KIMEP University and Nazarbayev University) and two foreign institutions (BPP University and University…

NUR-SULTAN – The capital Department of Architecture, City Planning and Land Relations has presented a unified design code for the city, according to its website. The new system will be gradually implemented within the city upgrade programme. In October, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev requested city authorities create the code, as the capital lacked a common urban…

NUR-SULTAN – Antikor Ortalygy service centre, the Kazakh Anti-Corruption Agency model for providing transparency, opened Dec. 12 in the capital. The department is the only law enforcement agency in the country that has completely switched to the open space format, as all administrative and operational investigative staff work is done in glass-enclosed rooms, demonstrating transparency…

NUR-SULTAN – The capital recently hosted the 2019 National Tourism Awards, given to the best vacation destinations and locations throughout Kazakhstan. The honours seek to stimulate competition among domestic tourism operators both locally and internationally. The awards, presented for the second year, named prize winners in 10 categories related to industry development. The prizes are…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh National Museum recently hosted Great Steppe Heritage, a celebration dedicated to the museum’s fifth anniversary, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sport. The programme is part of the Museum Parade national awareness raising campaign started in late August and still covering all regions of the country. The main goal…

NUR-SULTAN – Prime Minister Askar Mamin launched textile and food plants Dec. 5 in Shymkent and the Turkestan Region, reported Kazakh Invest press service. His visit to the country’s third largest city and adjacent region offered the opportunity to review the progress of the State Programme of Accelerated Industrial and Innovative Development and the Economy…

NUR-SULTAN – The Yessil Winter Festival took place Nov. 30 in the Kazakh capital. The city hopes to popularise winter sports among its residents with the festival, according to the Nur-Sultan akimat (city administration) website.  The festival was part of other celebrations of the Day of the First President and was initiated by the Yessil…

NUR-SULTAN – Thirteen of China’s most influential travel, lifestyle, fashion and shopping bloggers and public opinion leaders arrived in Almaty Nov. 13 to tell their followers about Kazakhstan. The tour, initiated by Kazakh Tourism with the support of Capital Partners Real Estate and Air Astana, the nation’s largest carrier, was aimed at highlighting the country,…

NUR-SULTAN – The national awareness raising campaign, “16 Days Against Violence,” launched in the Kazakh capital Nov. 25. The campaign aims to promote human rights work on maternity and child care among the population, the Nur-Sultan akimat (city administration) explained on its website. The campaign was initiated by the Nur-Sultan Police Department’s Local Police Service…

NUR-SULTAN – Not Just a Movie International Short Films Festival, a collaborative project of Vosmerka.kz and the Office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Kazakhstan, opened Nov. 29 in the capital. For three days, participants and visitors were treated to 24 shorts from three constituent regions of Russia – Chuvashia, Tatarstan and Yakutiya, – as well as Kazakhstan.…

NUR-SULTAN – The inclusion support office opened Nov. 27 at new school-lyceum No. 88 is the sixth under the Every Child Deserves a School project launched by the Bolashak Corporate Foundation, reported the capital akimat (city administration) website. “Students (with special needs) now have the possibility to study with their peers and receive the necessary…

NUR-SULTAN – Yerzhan Maksim, a young talent representing Kazakhstan at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Gliwice, Poland, took second place in the competition, scoring 227 points. Maksim, 10th in the lineup on Nov. 24, performed “Armanyńnan Qalma” (“Do Not Betray Your Dream”). The composition is a call to never give up and trust…

NUR-SULTAN – QazTrade will launch export.gov.kz in December, a website providing a wide range of services for local and foreign businesspeople, reported primeminister.kz. The QazTrade centre operates on the one window principle, serving as the platform where entrepreneurs can interact with institutions such as Kazakh Invest. To broaden its functions, officials are expanding access to…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Mazhilis approved Nov. 20 in first reading new amendments to the country’s criminal code to stiffen penalties for various crimes. The amendments follow Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s call for stiffer penalties during his Sept. 2 state-of-the-nation address. Deputy Prosecutor Marat Akhmetzhanov presented the draft law at the Mazhilis plenary meeting chaired…

NUR-SULTAN – Almaty city authorities have examined the city’s buildings to create a risk map to let people know which residential buildings can and should be renovated or redesigned to minimise earthquake consequences. The map will be released in 2020. “We plan to release a risk map next year, which will clearly define what impact…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s new draft law on the status of teachers envisages the allocation of 5.2 trillion tenge (US$12.9 billion) for wage increases, bonuses for pedagogical skills and classroom management, leave payments and other incentives for members of that profession over the next five years. The new draft law provides 10 additional protections for teachers’…

NUR-SULTAN – More than 200 people in Kazakhstan’s capital sought medical help over a few freezing, snowy days in the city in mid-November, zakon.kz reports. Local authorities mobilised all city services to cope with the snow and ice.  Four emergency stations and 20 hospital emergency rooms provide emergency trauma services in Nur-Sultan. Last week, trauma…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh capital hosted the True or False Media Literacy Championship Nov. 16, reported the akimat (city administration) website. The project, aimed at improving young people’s media literacy, began in the city in mid-October and involved 150 individuals aged 14-29.  Fifty contestants participated in the championship, conducted in the brain ring format. They…