Entrepreneur Family Launches Kazakhstan’s First Production of Eco-Fabric Bags
ASTANA – Dmitry and Laura Sevostyanov are young entrepreneurs who have created a whole new production line of environmentally friendly shopping bags. They officially launched their business last August; now, production is actively developing and they’re open to all offers and cooperation. “We produce bags made of nonwoven material – spun bond. Spun bond is…
Oil Production at Kashagan Field “to Resume in Fall”
ASTANA – Production at Kazakhstan’s massive Kashagan oil field will resume in the fall after being halted in 2013 because of a gas leak, the Novosti-Kazakhstan news agency reported April 5, citing a release from the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC). Kashagan’s reserves are estimated at 4.8 billion tonnes of oil. The field was discovered in…
Francophonie Week Introduces Kazakh Audiences to French Culture
ASTANA – In Kazakhstan and across the globe, the French-speaking world marks International Francophonie Day on March 20 with events intended to cover “all the diversity of the French language,” organisers at the French Alliance say. In Kazakhstan, Francophonie Week events are taking place this spring in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Karaganda and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Most of…
Aktobe Region Investment Opportunities Presented to Diplomatic Business Club
ASTANA – Developing Aktobe region as an investment destination was the theme of the March 28 Diplomatic Business Club meeting. The event, held in the capital’s Rixos Hotel, was initiated by the region’s akimat (administration) with support from the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The aim of Aktobe – Investments and Development was to present…
Kazakhstan Offers Plethora of Trekking Options
ASTANA – It is spring, just the right time for planning new destinations to breathe fresh air and finally spend more time outside. With its vast territory, Kazakhstan offers numerous opportunities for almost any kind of tourism. Trekking lovers are able to find new routes for themselves as well. Trekking is believed to have been…
International Observers Commend Kazakhstan’s Election as Transparent
ASTANA – On the day following the poll itself, foreign observers from various countries continued to share their impressions of the March 20 election. Most of them indicated the prevalent characteristics were good organisation, high voter turnout and people’s willingness to express their opinion. Bundestag (German Parliament) Foreign Policy Advisor Andreas Jahn was in Kazakhstan…
Nazarbayev Casts Vote in March 20 Election, Admits Possibility of Redistribution of Power
ASTANA – The President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev took part in the elections to Mazhilis (lower house of Kazakh parliament) and maslikhats (local legislatives) on March 20. He also answered questions of local and foreign media immediately after he cast his vote at a polling station in Astana. “Today’s elections to the Mazhilis and local…
Kazakh Angel Investor Makes His Way in Start-Up Industry
ASTANA – Nurzhas Makishev, an angel investor born and raised in Kazakhstan, has invested his own money and funds he’s raised in more than 50 different start-up projects, including Lyft, Beepi, Sproutling, Ripple Labs and many others. One of his more recent projects is the Kazakh website Chocolife. Now, Makishev is living and working in…
Italy to Export More Brands to Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Over the last two years, Italian export to Kazakhstan increased 64 percent, according to acting Honorary Consul of Italy in Almaty Pietro Calà, reported Kapital.kz. The country plans to expand its exports to Kazakhstan in the near future by bringing more brands. Italy is second in imports from Kazakhstan among European countries. First…
Six Kazakh Parties Meet in Electoral Debate Broadcast Nationwide
ASTANA – Representatives of the six parties running for seats in Kazakhstan’s lower chamber of Parliament took part in an electoral debate March 16 shown on one of the country’s national TV channels. Led by two hosts, the debates had three rounds. During the first round, each speaker had two minutes to share his party’s view…
Kazakhstan’s Zoos Offer a Slice of the Country’s Wild Side
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has several zoos boasting a huge variety of animals. Almaty, Karaganda and Shymkent provide the opportunity for people to visit, feed and watch the rare creatures living within their walls. The Almaty and Karaganda zoos were established in late 1930s, while Shymkent opened in 1979. Almaty Zoo, the oldest of the three,…
Conference Marks Completion of Civil Service Reform Project
ASTANA – March marks the end of the European Union (EU) project on Civil Service Reform (CSR) and modernising the Kazakh government. The final conference took place in the capital March 11, where the project team and representatives of the Kazakh Ministry for Civil Affairs and Academy of Public Administration under the President, diplomatic missions…
Kazakhstan Provides Free Military Armaments, Equipment to Kyrgyzstan
ASTANA – Kazakh Senate members approved the bill “On ratification of the agreement between the governments of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic for the provision of free military-technical assistance” on Feb. 18, reported Kazinform. Later on Feb. 29 Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed it. The corresponding agreement was signed in Astana between the defence…
Kazakh Restaurant in Paris Included in City’s 2016 Michelin Guide
ASTANA – Chez Mademoiselle, a restaurant in the centre of Paris featuring Kazakh, Russian and Central Asian cuisine, has been included in the city’s 2016 Michelin Guide. Fewer than 1,000 of the French capital’s 15,000 restaurants were fortunate enough to be listed in the book, noted a Feb. 29 report on Forbes.kz. Owned by partners…
City of Eggs, Buckets, Dollars and Flying Saucers
ASTANA – “Let’s meet near the Egg!” or “I’m in the Lighter!” or “I need a ride to Chupa Chups!” If you ever hear those phrases, don’t worry, you’re not hallucinating; they’re just a few of the names that have stuck to numerous buildings in Kazakhstan’s dazzling capital city. Probably a lot of people have…
EXPO 2017 is a ‘Dialogue of the International Community,’ Says BIE Chief
ASTANA – EXPO 2017 preparations are well on track in terms of construction of facilities, lining up participation and removing hurdles for travel, while the event’s success will also to a great extent depend on the media coverage it will receive, international and Kazakh officials said. Bureau of International Exhibitions (BIE) Secretary-General Vicente Loscertales, EXPO…
EXPO Preparations, Participant Privileges Discussed at Int’l Participants Meeting in Astana
ASTANA – More than 270 representatives of expo working groups from more than 100 countries took part in the second International Participants Meeting (IPM) in Astana Feb. 24–25, where Kazakhstan’s projects relating to the expo’s main theme were discussed and the Astana EXPO 2017 National Company presented an update on preparations for the event. Scores…
Kazakh Painter Conquers European Art Scene, Brings Inspiring Story to World
ASTANA – Almaty native Tolkyn Sakbayeva, 25, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child. Yet the artist has overcome her physical challenges to allow her talent and inner drive to find the way to success and the hearts of the European art world. Currently living in Barcelona, Sakbayeva had her own charity exhibition at…
Kazakhstan’s Major Banks Seek Innovations with ‘Hackathons’
ASTANA – The development time for new technologies dictates its rules to the financial sector. The country’s two major banks – Halyk Bank and Kazkommertsbank – organised trending hackathons to attract brilliant young minds to create and develop new ideas and business solutions in an effort to improve their services and performance. A hackathon, derived…
OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Head Pledges Objective Monitoring, Stresses Focus on Process
ASTANA – Observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) will monitor Kazakhstan’s March 20 early parliamentary elections in an objective way and focus on the process, not intending to pass a verdict on the validity of the vote, Ambassador Boris Frlec of Slovenia, the…
Short Film by Kazakh Director to be Shown at Cannes
ASTANA – “Tragiometry,” a short film by Kazakh director Tatyana Kim, will participate in Short Movie Corner (The Court Metrage) within the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival. The event will be held May 11-22. “There is no need to make a movie on a given topic. The more genres, styles and directors in Kazakhstan, the…
‘I Found My Soul in Photography,’ Says High-Flying Wedding Photographer
ASTANA – A wedding day is one of the most important days in lives of most of people. Memories connected to that day depend on the hidden professional – a wedding photographer. Andrey Kim is one of the most highly-paid, recognised and recommended photographers in Kazakhstan. Locations of his wedding shoots go far beyond borders…
Kazakh Snowboarding – Young and Promising, Says Head of Almaty Federation
ASTANA – Snowboarding, one of the most fascinating and breath-taking winter sports, is relatively new in Kazakhstan but already very promising. President of the Almaty Federation of Freestyle and Snowboarding Askar Valiyev sees great prospects in developing the extreme activity and a bright future for the nation’s athletes. “For Kazakhstan snowboarding is a very perspective…
Kazkommertsbank, BTA Bank Merger Named 2015’s Best M&A Deal in CIS
ASTANA – The merger of Kazakhstan’s large banks Kazkommertsbank (Kazkom) and BTA Bank was assessed as “the best M&A (merger and acquisition) deal of 2015 in the Commonwealth of Independent States,” by the Kazakh-British Chamber of Commerce, according to a Forbes.kz report dated Jan. 26. According to Kazakh-British Chamber of Commerce experts, the deal was…
Kazakhstan’s Housing Construction Bank Develops Anti-Crisis Programme
ASTANA – The Housing Construction Bank of Kazakhstan (HCBK), which is a subsidiary of Baiterek Holding, has developed a new anti-crisis programme, Svoi Dom (“Own House”), until 2020 to provide depositors with affordable housing, reported Zakon.kz on Jan. 26. It promises to provide 350,000 square metres of affordable housing in 2016 and a total 1.5…
