Articles by Yerbolat Uatkhanov

ASTANA – Aktau’s new northern seaport officially became an international port when an Iranian ship was loaded with Kazakh metal and grain there. “This is the first Iranian ship that has arrived for loading at the new Aktau seaport. The seaport was put into operation in the summer of 2015, but it was only used…

ASTANA – Ela Gandhi, distinguished peacekeeper and granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, took part in Building a Nuclear Weapons-Free-World, the international conference held Aug. 29 in the capital. She lectured at KAZGUU University about the international movement Nonviolent Peaceforce, a position supported by the South African Embassy to Kazakhstan. “I visited Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. I find…

ASTANA – Alakol Lake, the second largest inland salty reservoir in Kazakhstan, is compared with the Black Sea. Now, the devaluation of national currency has made local resorts very attractive not only for locals, but also for foreign tourists. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Investments and Development reported that in 2015, approximately half a million guests visited…

ASTANA – Avenues of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) were discussed at a Sept. 6 seminar hosted by the UNDP and the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan in Astana, during which GCF representatives presented detailed information on the possibilities. “Kazakhstan has undertaken the ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said…

ASTANA – The national bodybuilding team of Kazakhstan recently won 13 medals at the Arnold Classic Asia-2016 international tournament in Hong Kong. Traditionally, the championship has been organised with the support of world-class legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, who presented at the performances of athletes, Tengrinews reports. Activities were divided into two days. A sports festival with…

ASTANA – The first Open Triathlon Championship of Kazakhstan among professionals and amateurs will be held Aug. 28 at Kapchagai Reservoir. Altyn Adam Triathlon 2016 welcomes athletes for registration for supersprint, sprint and Olympic distances. “August 28 is a great day for all of us, for amateurs and professionals. The skills of the starters in…

ASTANA – The capital hosted an international CrossFit competition, “Astana Throwdown,” Aug. 13 and 14. Participants from Kazakhstan and Russia competed for 2.5 million tenge (US$7,270) in prize money and the title of “Most Physically Trained Athlete.” The event was opened by head of the Astana Office of Physical Culture and Sport Berik Marzhikpaev. He…

ASTANA – Clearwater Documentary of Canada, managed by renowned producer, director and anthropologist Niobe Thompson, is going to shoot a documentary about the Botai culture in Kazakhstan. The film will explain why domestic horses are so important for cultures in the North Kazakhstan region. “One of the directions of our work is dedicated to the…

ASTANA – A movie about Abai’s father shot by Kazakhfilm will be included in the Sept. 5-11 11th Kazan International Muslim Film Festival. “The movie tells the story of the fate of Kunanbai Oskenbayuly, who was born in 1804 in Shyngystau village, the Semipalatinsk region (the East Kazakhstan region). He was a fair judge whose…

ASTANA – Yasnaya Polyana is a unique centre of strengthening friendship between Kazakhstan peoples, as the village is distinguished by the fact that 80 percent of its habitants are ethnic Poles. The locals, who recently celebrated the village’s 80th anniversary, say they feel and appreciate the atmosphere of peace and harmony that prevails in the…

ASTANA – Trades on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) showed a weakening of the tenge, as the U.S. dollar exchange rate reached 350.2 tenge per $1 earlier this week. The main factor is the fall in oil prices, although movement of budgetary funds, tax payment periods and the dedollarisation process are also considered to be…

ASTANA – Since 2009, Kazakhstan has been the world leader in uranium production. Today, Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP) is known as a major supplier of high-tech uranium, beryllium and tantalum products for nuclear power, electronics, metallurgy and other projects. The uranium production department of UMP is one of the world’s largest complexes for the production…

ASTANA – Serikbek Kuntugan is a professional falcon hunter. He lives and works 15 kilometres from Astana and is happy to show this national type of hunting for tourists. “At least two or three tourists come to me everyday. People are very interested in falcon hunting because it becomes more and more exotic even for…

ASTANA – The second stage of the Steppe Eagle 2016 International Peacekeeping Exercise recently took place at Stanford Training Area in the United Kingdom. The event brought together military experts from Kazakhstan, the U.K., the U.S., Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The first stage of the exercise was held in Kazakhstan at the Iliysky training centre. The…

ASTANA – A new automated bike system and a fleet of environmentally friendly buses will be changing the nature of transport in Shymkent soon. Shymkent Bus, a new transport company using environment friendly buses, will begin operating in the city soon. The company has signed a memorandum with the Shymkent city administration and intends to…

ASTANA – Kazakh officials asked for German support in bringing the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the EU together at the July 15 meeting of the Berlin Eurasian Club dedicated to that topic. The meeting was organised by the Institute of World Economics and Politics, supported by the Library of the First President of Kazakhstan,…

ASTANA – Philanthropists who don’t wish their names disclosed recently presented a house to Elmira Zhasybayeva, the mother of five who lost her home in Pavlodar region to a fire. They didn’t have shelter and she was filled with despair until the family moved to a new house in their hometown of Sherbakty. Zhasybayeva only…

ASTANA – Kazzinc is a major fully integrated zinc producer with considerable copper, precious metals and lead credits and a manufacturer of 23 types of finished products. The company Management states that a key competitive advantage is well-skilled, mobile and motivated human capital, with the company’s focus on continuous improvement and innovation stipulated in its…

ASTANA – A capital couple recently welcomed more than just a daughter into their lives. Saida Mukhamedyarova, born 1 am, July 4 in the city’s perinatal centre No. 1, became the capital’s millionth resident. Her parents, 24-year old electrician Olzhas Mukhamedyarov and 22-year old kindergarten teacher Arailym Mukhamedyarova, were happy not only to become parents…

ASTANA – Kazakh radio host Mukhamedali Bukharbayev was awarded the “Oscar for the Radio Hosts” at the international competition in Moscow. The event, known as “We Speak as Levitan,” was devoted to the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Information Bureau. “My wife learned about the competition surfing the Internet and told me about it. I…

ASTANA – A website created under the Kazakhstan without Orphans project is hoping to assist the nation towards that goal. Usynovite.kz, (which stands for Adopt.kz) established by DOM Social Fund, works to promote all ways of placing children in families, including adoption, guardianship and patronage. The idea was to create an open database of children without…

ASTANA – Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Michel Sidibe announced June 22 plans to establish a subregional office in Kazakhstan that will become a base for working with five Central Asian states. Sidibe met with Kazakh top officials on the matter and stated that the country has the opportunity to eliminate…

ASTANA – The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has reported that as a result of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) reanalyses of samples from the 2012 London Games, the samples of gold medallists Zulfiya Chinshanlo, Ilya Ilyin, Maya Maneza and Svetlana Podobedova showed positive results.   “The International Olympic Committee will consider the issue of our…

VIENNA – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov took part in a ministerial meeting commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) during his working visit to Vienna June 13, where he and other government and organisational leaders discussed current nuclear disarmament initiatives. Speakers and panellists commented on the new political…

ASTANA – KADEX 2016, the international exhibition of military equipment and armament, took place June 2-5 in the capital. The event displayed aircraft and space technologies, army and navy armaments, air defence systems, IT technologies, robotic systems and military equipment utilising alternative energy sources, with local and foreign producers closing a number of important deals.…