Astana entered IDC’s smart cities list
ASTANA – Market intelligence and advisory firm International Data Corporation (IDC) placed the Kazakh capital among mature smart cities in its recent research analysis. IDC’s analysts evaluate the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in areas such as economic development and civic engagement, urban planning and administration, public safety, transportation and energy and infrastructure.…
2.4 million Kazakhs living in rural areas will have high quality internet by 2020
ASTANA – Construction has begun on a 20,000-kilometre optical fibre network that will supply high-speed internet to approximately 2.4 million citizens living in rural Kazakhstan by 2020, said Minister of Information and Communications Dauren Abayev in a recent yearly report video posted on Facebook. Approximately 1,200 villages including 3,500 schools, hospitals and akimats (administrations), will…
Zhambyl region reports 4-5 percent growth in almost all economic sectors
ASTANA – The Zhambyl region observed a 4-5 percent increase in all sectors of its economy in 2018, reported the regional akimat (administration) press service based on the information from the Department of Economy and Budget Planning. The akimat set goals to increase regional socio-economic indicators by 2.8 percent in the beginning of the year.…
Kazakh President approves draft sketch of World Trade Centre in Astana
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev approved the draft sketch of the proposed World Trade Centre building in Astana at a Jan. 24 meeting with representatives of the World Trade Centre Association (WTCA) and Nest Investments Holding. WTCA is an international organisation that promotes global trade and investment and has large-scale representation through its certified…
Yrys finances more than 1,200 projects to develop Turkestan’s rural areas
ASTANA – Yrys microfinance organisation has funded 1,243 projects in the Turkestan region in the last 12 months. The ventures totalled 4.54 billion tenge (US$12.03 million) and employed approximately 1,400 people. The majority of the projects, 766 ventures worth 1.519 billion tenge (US$4.03 million), were directed towards developing plant growing and spring field works. By…
Kazakhstan increases municipal solid waste recycling by 3 percent
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s share of municipal solid waste (MSW) recycling increased to 11.5 percent last year, compared to 9 percent in 2017. The country produced 4.3 million tonnes of MSW by the end of 2018, approximately100,000 fewer tonnes than in 2017. The amount of recycled waste is expected to continue increasing with the law banning…
Astana Pro Team leader Sanchez finishes fourth at Tour Down Under
ASTANA – Astana Pro Team leader Luis Leon Sanchez finished fourth in the general classification of the Tour Down Under road cycling stage race in and around Adelaide, South Australia. The six-stage tour ended Jan. 20 with the ascent of the famous Willunga Hill. The event was the 21st edition of the Tour Down Under and…
Aqkol becomes first smart city in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – The SmartAqkol project has entirely digitised all consumer and public services in Aqkol, making the small city 100 kilometres north of Astana Kazakhstan’s first smart city. Aqkol, formerly known as Alexeyevka, used to be a small provincial town with population of just over 13,000 people and lacking things as simple as public lights.…
Kaiyndy Lake attracts thousands of tourists with unique underwater forests
ASTANA – Kaiyndy Lake near Almaty is artwork created by nature. Formed in 1911 as a result of the 7.7-magnitude Kebin earthquake (also known as Chon-Kemin earthquake), the natural disaster caused a landslide and rock avalanches that took many lives and destroyed numerous yurts, but formed a magnificent natural dam. The gorge was blocked and the…
First ice sculpture competition takes place in Astana
ASTANA – The Yessil District akimat (administration) organised Kazakhstan’s first ice sculpture competition in the capital Jan. 16 for professional international participants. The sculptures will decorate the main entrance to the city’s botanical garden through the end of February. The akimat chose the theme Middle Eastern Tales: 1,001 nights of Astana to continue the garden’s…
Kazakh government to take new approach to ensuring product safety, quality
ASTANA – The Kazakh government recently adopted amendments to its laws on standardisation to enhance control over the safety and quality of domestic products. The changes will come into effect April 11, ministers announced at a Jan. 15 governmental meeting. The Ministry of Healthcare’s recent monthly monitoring report showed that 69 percent of products are…
Registration for free Kazakh language courses opens in Astana
ASTANA –The Rukhaniyat government institution is offering free eight-month courses for anyone wanting to speak and write in Kazakh, reported the capital Akimat (city administration) press service. The courses are available at all levels of difficulty – basic (A-1, A-2), average (B-1, B-2) and competent (C-1) – for those wanting to advance their communication skills.…
Two Kazakh entrepreneurs shared top entrepreneurial prize at People’s Choice Awards
ASTANA – General Directors of Raduga diversified enterprise Dmitry Sharapayev and Zhas Kanat smart poultry farm 2006 Kairat Maishev were recently awarded the Narodnyi Liyubimets (People’s Choice) Awards as the Best Entrepreneurs of the Year. They received 35 and 32 percent of votes respectively. Both launched their businesses in the 1990s and have used innovative…
Kazakh surgeons performed first hybrid cardiac surgery in country, eighth in world
ASTANA – Presidential clinic surgeons performed hybrid cardiac surgery in the capital Dec. 19 for the first time in the post-Soviet space, reported its press service. The operation was the eighth completed in the world. Hybrid cardiac surgery combines surgical and catheter-based intervention in the heart. The approach is less invasive and associated with minimised…
New tax regulation will serve as safety cushion for self-employed Kazakhs
ASTANA – The New Year started with enforcing the Unified Cumulative Payment (UCP) programme for informally employed Kazakh citizens. President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed the amendments to the Tax Code on Dec. 27. The law now directly addresses the problem of a significant number of Kazakhs who choose to avoid tax payments. The UCP is now…
Kazakh tennis player Putintseva ranks 44th in the world
ASTANA – Kazakh professional tennis player Yulia Putintseva was recently ranked the 44th best player in the world and the highest ranked player in Kazakhstan by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). The ranking followed wins at an international tennis tournament in Sydney, Australia that began Jan. 6 against Australian and 34th ranked player in the…
Mazhilis discusses Digital Kazakhstan’s progress in creating smart cities
ASTANA – After examining international practices in building smart cities, the Kazakh government has developed its own concept, announced Minister of Information and Communications Dauren Abayev at a recent Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) government hour. The concept is Digital Kazakhstan, a state programme adopted a year ago composed of five main areas, including 17…
EU sees direct dependency on Central Asian security, initiates more projects to stabilise region
ASTANA – The European Union (EU), which adopted its Central Asian strategy in 2007, will be redefining the document early next year. Peter Burian, EU Special Representative for Central Asia, spoke about the main outlined changes in an exclusive interview with The Astana Times. A report with proposals for the new strategy was summarized Dec.…
Okean Art: school for children with unlimited possibilities
ASTANA – Okean Art is relatively a small school which opens a whole new dimension that can change lives. Thirteen years ago, the school started as a small art therapy centre for children with disabilities and has now created an inclusive environment that offers a broad range of opportunities. The school focuses on psychology and…
Mangystau region has steady growth, will develop manufacturing
ASTANA – The Mangystau region’s gross regional product increased from 98.6 percent to 103.4 percent compared to the previous year, announced Akim (Governor) Yeraly Tugzhanov at a recent press conference. “It is not superfluous to say that this is a very good indicator, because for many years the indicator was at the level of 96…
Kazakh President points to improved quality of life at Independence Day gala
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated his fellow citizens on their Independence Day and summed up Kazakhstan’s progress as a sovereign state at a Dec. 14 gala dedicated to the holiday. It has been 27 years since Supreme Council adopted the Law on Independence and State Sovereignty of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Dec.…
Gharysh Sapary to supply drones to National Guard
ASTANA – Gharysh Sapary will produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones, for the National Guard, said National Guard Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Zhaksylykov in a Nov. 4 announcement with company representatives. The drones will allow the special armed forces to monitor mobile objects, provide service for navigation equipment and create geo-information systems. Garysh…
Demolition work delays Astana’s small ring road construction
ASTANA – The capital akimat (city administration) estimates building a small ring road in the city will be finished no earlier than 2020 and might be extended until 2023. The delay is based on the need to demolish several privately-owned houses prior to construction, reported the akimat’s press service. The road will be an internal…
Privatisation plan misses 2018 targets, could meet 2020 deadlines
ASTANA – The midterm results of the Comprehensive Privatisation Plan for 2016 to 2020 show that 465 entities, including state-owned and communal companies as well as assets of national holdings worth 296 billion tenge or US$800.93 million have been sold, out of a total of 532 put up for sale. Ninety-six entities are being prepared…
Kazakh satellites hitch ride on SpaceX launch vehicle
ASTANA – Two Kazakh satellites, KazSciSat-1 and KazSTSat, were launched Dec. 4 at 12.32 a.m. Astana time aboard the Falcon 9 from the Vandenberg U.S. military base in California, reported a press release by Aerospace Committee of the Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry. The two satellites were among other 64 satellites from 17 countries…
