Articles by Dmitry Lee

ASTANA – “Transplantology in Kazakhstan: From the Present to the Future,” an international scientific and practical conference, was held Aug. 8-9 at the National Research Cardiac Centre (NRCSC) here. The meetings included the fundamentals of transplant coordination and were dedicated to organ donation and transplantation. According to NRCSC, 163 transplants of donor organs were made…

ASTANA – Relations between Kazakhstan and Bulgaria haven’t been as active as they could be in recent years, according to the Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Kazakhstan Ivan Dimitrov. In the past year, the two countries have made quite a few steps towards achieving new levels of cooperation. Dimitrov…

Chess masters from 38 countries, including 37 international grand masters and 33 international masters, gathered July 4-12 to challenge each other at the XXXIV Open Internacional Ajedrez Villa de Benasque. Seventeen-year-old Kazakh chess prospect Dinara Saduakassova, an international women’s grand master, won two cups, taking first place among women and juniors. Saduakassova is a role…

ASTANA – Vincenzo Nibali became the sixth man in history and the first Italian since 1998 to win all three of cycling’s major tours as he secured a victory in this year’s Tour de France on Sunday. Nibali wore the overall leader’s yellow jersey for all but two stages of the race after its first…

In talking about Kazakhstan’s riches, many forget about all but oil and natural gas, completely disregarding the country’s culture. One of these overlooked treasures is a monument in the Kyzylorda region called Korkyt Ata. The monument was erected in 1980 in the Karmakchin district. It was dedicated to the famous Turkic akyn (poet and folk…

ASTANA – Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov met with his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador Ricardo Patiño, who arrived in Astana on his first official visit on July 4. The sides discussed a wide range of issues in bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation and signed a protocol on political consultations among the…

ASTANA – The new airline Air Kazakhstan has purchased 10 Q400 NextGen planes from Bombardier Aerospace to continue preparations for the domestic airline’s launch in 2015. Earlier this year, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced plans with Bombardier Presidentand Chief Executive Officer Pierre Beaudoin to discuss wider cooperation in air and rail transport. “We can build on the experience…

While most in Kazakhstan are enjoying the summer weather, the Astana Pro Team is forging ahead and setting the pace in the Tour de France 2014 several thousand miles to the west. Astana Pro Team racer Vincenzo Nibali launched an ingenious late game attack to win Stage Two and take the lead in the Tour…

Honorary ATOM Project Ambassador, painter and anti-nuclear weapons activist Karipbek Kuyukov called on humanity to abandon nuclear weapons during the international Euro Mediterranean Forum against nuclear weapons in Ankara on June 21-22. “I am happy to live at a time when the voice of one person can be heard and supported by millions living in…

The Evolution Summer FEST-2014 dance festival will be held in front of the Astana Opera theatre throughout the summer. The festival opened on June 21 for the first time with try outs. It celebrates Latin American dances and is expected to stir interest among the capital’s residents. “The idea did not emerge spontaneously. For quite some…

For the second year in a row, one of the stages of the prestigious World Grand Prix in women’s volleyball will be held in Almaty July 21-27. This year’s event will also be held under a new format. “This year, 20 teams were divided into three divisions according to the world rankings, and we got…

Seventy-one Greco-Roman wrestlers in four weight categories were whittled down to four national champions and 12 podium winners during the June 21-22 Greco-Roman wrestling Championship in Karaganda. In the 66-kilogramme weight category, Ashat Zhanbyrov of South Kazakhstan region won the title. Astana wrestler Almat Kepisbaev took silver and Almaty region representative Nurtai Nurgaliyev and Aktobe…

ASTANA – The South African Embassy in Kazakhstan hosted a premiere of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” directed byJustin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) at Sary Arka Mall on June 19. The film is based on the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, which tells the story of his early life, his fight against apartheid and the 27…

ASTANA – Hard work, dedication and entrepreneurial spirit, these are the qualities represented by the three colours of the Armenian flag. Red stands for the Armenian highland, its people’s continued struggle for survival and their maintenance of Christianity, independence and freedom. Blue symbolises the will of the Armenian people to live beneath peaceful skies. Orange…

Almaty will host a Kazakh-Israeli agricultural business forum on June 24 and 25. Major Israeli companies will present innovative solutions and the latest drip irrigation, crop protection, fish farm, post-harvest processing, dairy production, horticulture and crop production technologies. The event will serve as a platform for further agricultural cooperation and build new and existing partnerships…

Another Kazakh boxer seeks to join the boxing elite alongside Gennady Golovkin, Beibut Shumenov and Serik Sapiyev. Northern Kazakhstan’s Isa Akberbayev, also known as Bumblebee, beat Morris Okola of Kenya, June 1, in a bout in Mytischi, Russia. The match brought his record to 12-0-0 (KO-8), with a knockout percentage of 61.54. In the first…

ASTANA – Norway and Kazakhstan are two countries separated by nearly 4,000 kilometres but by only one country – Russia. Both are globally known as big players in oil and gas production, but they also cooperate and support each other in world nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament efforts. “Norway and Kazakhstan have good and established cooperation…

Representatives of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan participated in the 22nd annual conference of the Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee), which took place in Budapest from May 22 to 24. The visit was supported by the EU Civil Service Reform and…

Winner of the 15th stage of theGirod’Italia,23-year-old Fabio Aru of the Astana Team finished third overall in the prestigious race. The winner of the172 km final stage (21) of theGirod’Italia 2014 was Nairo Quintana, the first Colombian to win the Girod’Italia. His countryman Rigoberto Uranfinished second. “Quintana deserved to win the Giro. He was very strong…

ASTANA – Addressing the needs of Kazakhstan’s disabled population has become one of the biggest and more prominent domestic issues in the country in recent years. After decades of Soviet exclusion, working to create an inclusive society is a challenge – but one taken on by many, including blogger Almaz Yerzhan. Yerzhan, 33, a blogger…

The life of a nomad in Kazakhstan was unpredictable, with long hunting trips and frequent relocations and the constant battle with predators over grazing grounds. Nomadic peoples needed good, reliable transportation to take them to battle, to hunt and to transport their homes and their families, and horses played a key role in nomadic life.…

ASTANA –Kazakhstan Minister of Oil and GasUzakbay Karabalinsaid during a recent briefing at the Central Communication Service on Sept. 18 that Kazakhstan doesn’t have easily extracted oil and that the country’s oil reserves would last another 50 to 60 years. The oil and gas ministry has registered 201 contracts for subsoil use and more than…

ASTANA –The Malaysian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan government representatives and other dignitaries gathered at the Radisson Hotel on Sept. 16to celebrate Malaysia’s 50th Independence Day. The celebration included statements by H.E.Ambassador of Malaysia Dato’ Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi and Kazakhstan Director of the International Relations Department under the Ministry of Economy and Budget Kairat Torebayev, as…

ASTANA –Traditional Thai fighters and dancers helped present a slice of Thai culture to Astana residents during the Sept. 22. ThaiFestival at the Khan Shatyr Mall. “This Thai Festival is a symbolic way to mark the one year anniversary of the Royal Thai Embassy,” read a press release by the Royal Embassy of Thailand to…

ASTANA –Unified National Testing (UNT) was introduced to Kazakhstan’s educational system back in 2004. The test had served as a transition test from high school to university. The UNT includes five subjects: mathematics, history, Russian or Kazakh language and a subject of choice (English, French, German, physics, chemistry, geography or biology). Each subject includes 25…