Kazakh President calls for a new economic course
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for a new economic course and instructed the government, his administration and the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs at a Jan. 24 expanded government meeting to develop an economic reform programme by May 15. The government and Kazakh Parliament have adopted programmes to achieve the macroeconomic goals…
Schengen visa fees to increase to $88 for Kazakhs starting February
NUR-SULTAN – Schengen visa fees will increase for Kazakh citizens from $66 to $88 for adults and from $38 to $44 for children from ages six to 12 as of February 2020, according to Schengenvisainfo.com. All representative missions of the Schengen countries located abroad are obliged to apply the new rules as part of the…
Tchibo Kazakhstan launches first coffee shops with convenience stores, promotes green business ideas
NUR-SULTAN – Tchibo Kazakhstan has opened its unique three-in-one model of coffee and coffee machines/home goods/coffee shops in the capital and Almaty. The company promotes family business values and is moving towards sustainable retailing. Co-founder Kamilya Serikova, who lived in Europe for 12 years, started the business with her mother Saniya Irsaliyeva and sisters Leila…
Ninety-seven percent of Kazakh population included in compulsory health insurance database
NUR-SULTAN – Ninety-seven percent of the Kazakh population is included in the compulsory health insurance database, reported PrimeMinister.kz. Since Jan. 1, hospitals nationwide have provided medical care according to the guaranteed volume of free medical care (GOBMP) and compulsory social health insurance (OSMS). “The work will continue with the remaining 3 percent, or about 550,000…
Tokayev encourages youth to take innovative approach to government
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Jan. 15 at a meeting with representatives of the Presidential Youth Personnel Reserve that the country needs civil servants who are not afraid to take responsibility and make innovative and effective decisions. The initiative to create the presidential personnel reserve was one of the key issues of Tokayev’s…
MOST Business Incubator supports Central Asian, youth startups
NUR-SULTAN – Jastar Business, a youth entrepreneurship development programme, and the Central Asia ImpactTech Accelerator Programme were named among the best projects initiated by the MOST Business Incubator in 2019, the company recently announced. The MOST Business Incubator, Citi Foundation and the YBI international organisation implemented the Jastar Business project to draw more startup companies…
Astana Opera conductor Alan Buribayev presents Letters from Italy
NUR-SULTAN – Astana Opera principal conductor Alan Buribayev will present Letters from Italy opera and symphony concert Jan. 6 in the capital. The concert is based on the stories of famous composers through their correspondence while staying in the European country, reported the theatre’s press service. The programme will feature opera and symphonic works created…
Kazakhstan ranks 50th out of 189 countries in Human Development Index 2018
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan was ranked 50th out of 189 countries and UN-recognised territories in the Human Development Index (HDI) according to the newly launched United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s flagship Human Development Report (HDR) 2019. The nation has made great strides in terms of basic capabilities, said UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan Yakup Beris. Its…
Indy Guide promotes Central Asia as travel destination, website supports local hosts
NUR-SULTAN – An adventure honeymoon in his native country turned into a business idea for ethnic Kazakh Atahan Tosun and his wife, Alexandra. In 2015, the Swiss couple founded Indy Guide, a website that offers guidance for travellers and business opportunities for Central Asian tourism companies. Atahan started his fascinating narrative about the love of…
Kazakh students seek degrees in best UK universities
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh students in the United Kingdom are pursuing their degrees in some of Britain’s highest ranked universities, reported Studying-in-UK.org. Approximately 458,490 international students study in the U.K., according to 2017-2018 academic year statistics. Students from Asia make up almost half of the number, with 204,400 individuals enrolled in British universities. The number of…
More than five million passengers to travel on Air Astana and FlyArystan this year
NUR-SULTAN – Air Astana Group expects that more than five million passengers will travel this year on Air Astana and its low-cost subsidiary, FlyArystan, reported the company’s press service. The number is a 17-percent increase over 2018. Air Astana President Peter Foster noted FlyArystan’s launch in May was a significant event for the company. “During…
Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture targets increasing investment and livestock production
NUR-SULTAN – The Ministry of Agriculture is targeting increasing investment and livestock production as part of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s plan for agricultural development outlined in his state of the nation address. Livestock has experienced a 3.9-percent increase in gross output through the first 10 months of 2019, reported the ministry’s press service Dec. 10. Gross…
Narxoz University launches dual degree programmes with universities from France, Russia and UK
NUR-SULTAN – Narxoz University is launching dual degree programmes beginning next year with leading partner institutions including Birkbeck (University of London), the University of Coventry and Keele University (U.K.); La Rochelle University (France) and the Financial Academy under Russian government. Students will study three years at Narxoz and one year at the partner university. Upon…
Barys HC celebrates 20th anniversary with 5-1 win over Dynamo Minsk
NUR-SULTAN – The capital’s Barys Hockey Club celebrated its 20-year anniversary and honoured its greatest players in a pregame ceremony Dec. 1 at Barys Arena. The jerseys worn by Nikolai Antropov, Brandon Bochenski, Kevin Dallman, Alexander Koreshkov, Fyodor Polischuk, Vitali Yeremeyev and Talgat Zhailauov were raised to the rafters for the first time ahead of…
Thirty-one agreements worth $2.3 billion inked at Almaty Investment Forum 2019
ALMATY – Thirty-one agreements worth $2.3 billion were signed between governmental bodies and the business community Nov. 27 at Almaty Investment Forum 2019. The major deals included an $11.3-million agreement on green city financing between the Almaty akimat (city administration) and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and a memorandum of cooperation with the…
Unique English language school in Kazakh capital teaches English through music
NUR-SULTAN – Scott’s Music Room, a unique English language school based in the capital, offers interactive classes delivered by British music teacher and founding director Joe Scott. Preston-born Scott opened the school with his wife Gaukhar in 2018. There are no extra requirements to enjoy the classes, as the lessons are designed for all ages…
Young Kazakh scholars change science perceptions through blog
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh researcher Amina Mirsakiyeva and 20 of her colleagues have launched an Instagram account to share their knowledge and experience with like-minded women in science. The team, known as #KzPhDGirlsUnion, is celebrating its first anniversary this month. The project’s main mission is to promote science in the country and especially to serve as…
UNODC launches programme to support management of violent extremist prisoners in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has joined the Global United Nations programme on Supporting the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalisation to Violence in Prisons along with Tunisia and Uganda, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Kazakhstan reported recently. Launched by the UNODC, the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre and the UN…
St. Petersburg Chamber Opera to perform at Astana Opera House
NUR-SULTAN – The St. Petersburg Chamber Opera, the state chamber music theatre, will present Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” Nov. 9 and Georges Bizet’s “Les Pêcheurs de Perles” (“The Pearl Fishers”) Nov. 10 at the Astana Opera House in the capital. The theatre will stage the productions with an unconventional interpretation of the stories, colourful, luxurious costumes…
UNFPA, activists promote “Qyzbolsyn” film to address women’s issues in society
NUR-SULTAN – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Nazarbayev University’s E.Quality Talks club initiated “The Power of Girls: Independent and Unstoppable on the International Day of the Girl Child” Oct. 11 in the capital. A trailer for the upcoming documentary “Qyzbolsyn” (“Let There Be a Girl”), directed by Katerina Suvorova and UNFPA activist Akmarzhan…
French company SUEZ set to build two landfills in Almaty Region
NUR-SULTAN – French company SUEZ and Kazakh Keremet Projects are planning to build two solid waste landfills near Almaty and in the Almaty region, reported the Almaty region administration press service. Keremet will oversee all stages of the project, including constructing the landfills. SUEZ, represented in 80 countries, operates 100 municipal solid waste landfills globally.…
Kazakh President proposes single visa regime for CIS
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed at the Oct. 11 meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State in Ashgabat to introduce the Commonwealth Visa, a single visa regime in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), along the lines of the principles of the Schengen agreement that exists in Europe. This approach aims…
Regional experts adopt joint programme to address land degradation issue in Central Asia
NUR-SULTAN – More than 70 scientists, politicians and experts from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan developed a common programme to solve problems related to biodiversity conservation, land degradation and climate change at a regional trialogue Oct. 9-11 in Almaty. Central Asia has arid and semi-arid areas characterised by serious transboundary desertification, reported the…
Karaganda-Balkhash highway to open in 2020
NUR-SULTAN – The Karaganda-Balkhash highway will be opened in 2020 and this year, 40 kilometres of the roads will be opened, reported Oct. 8 Primeminister.kz. The Karaganda-Temirtau and Karaganda bypass projects will be completed before the end of the year with the commissioning of 61 kilometres of roads. Prime Minister Askar Mamin also instructed to…
Situation of children in Kazakhstan: a lot of progress but more to be done, says UNICEF representative
NUR-SULTAN – In her recent open letter to the world’s children, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore stressed the need to work with today’s children and young people “on twenty-first century solutions to twenty-first century problems.” She shared her thoughts on the new set of challenges that children face globally and reflected…
