Articles by Kamila Zhumabayeva

ASTANA – Kazakh Special Forces prevented 12 terroristic and violent extremist acts in the nation in the past few years. Since the start of 2017, they have also been able to prevent a single citizen from leaving for overseas to be involved in terrorist activities, said National Security Committee Deputy Chairperson Nurgali Bilisbekov at a…

ASTANA – Fifty geography students from the Netherlands’ Utrecht University visited Kazakhstan for their annual study trip. The Astana Times learned how they were enjoying the good old hospitality, friendliness and kind-heartedness of the Kazakh people.    “We are geography students from the Netherlands on our study trip here. We do this every year, chose…

ASTANA – As the May 20-21 Spirit of Tengri 2017 contemporary ethnic music festival in Almaty gets closer, one of its most anticipated guest performers, the Japanese Oki Dub Ainu Band, and Ainu music and culture, is coming into sharper focus.  “I bumped into the Kazakhstan team in the elevator at the 2017 Sapporo Asian…

ASTANA – Fishermen of the Amangeldy production cooperative in Atyrau recently caught a huge beluga fish weighing 160 kilogrammes. The fish was caught in seine in the lower part of the Ural River on April 1, ATPress.kz reports. “She is more than two metres long. The fish is now placed in a pool of one…

ASTANA – Young chess champion and grand master Dinara Saduakassova is now ranked among the world’s top 30 female chess players after winning first place at the recent HD Bank Cup International Open Chess in Vietnam. “People are very hospitable and kind there. It was cold when I was leaving Astana while the weather in…

ASTANA – Wizz Air will launch June 8 direct flights between Budapest and Astana , airline officials announced April 3. “This became real thanks to many years of painstaking work by the governments of the two countries and it is timed to the 25th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Kazakhstan and Hungary,” Nurbakh Rustemov,…

ASTANA – Insurance company mergers are to be expected after the requirements were raised for their authorised capital, said National Bank insurance supervision department head Zhanat Kurmanov, reported Kapital.kz. “One should expect consolidations in the insurance market as a result of requirements on increasing authorised capital. This is most likely among general insurance companies, because…

ASTANA – “Manon,” a dramatic ballet from the repertoire of London’s Royal Opera House, will open April 28-29 at the capital’s opera house. The presentation by the Astana Opera Ballet Company will be staged with the design of the late renowned British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan and to the music of Jules Massenet.   “The…

ASTANA – The Astana Opera will host its first Astana Opera Ball in the opera house’s Marble Hall on July 1. Cast members are being chosen and tickets to the public will be made available soon. “Young people from all over Kazakhstan may take part in this ball. For now, mostly residents of the capital…

ASTANA – Agape Evangelical Centre in Almaty supports the idea of religious harmony in Kazakhstan. The church has its own annual and Sunday gatherings for church services, Bible readings and prayers. In 1989, Baikal Dzodziyev and Yuri Shumayev founded the Agape mission. During the 1990s, several evangelisations (outreach) were organised in Almaty and Agape Church…

ASTANA – Iranian investors plan to do big business in South Kazakhstan in meat – they’re planning to buy 20,000 tonnes per year from the region, Kapital.kz reports. The website of the regional akim (governor), Zhanseit Tuimebayev, explains that the plan, which is being implemented through bilateral agreements between the two countries, was presented to…

ASTANA – A new Kazakh novel about love and three generations of Almaty residents in an historic retrospective of the 20th century was recently presented in Almaty in honour of International Women’s Day. “I was writing this book for two years but was nurturing the idea for a long time. I wanted to tell about…

ASTANA – The 2017 American adaptation of “Diamond Cartel,” directed by Kazakh filmmaker Salamat Mukhammed-Ali, will premiere in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia for the first time in the nation’s cinema history. “After a successful release of our ‘The whole world is at our feet’ film in Kazakhstan, American distributors offered to bring…

ASTANA – The ancient historic, architectural and religious town of Turkestan welcomed thousands of guests March 21, including an official delegation from 22 Turkic and other countries, as it received the status as the 2017 Cultural Capital of the Turkic World. “We have 20 hotels ready to welcome guests. Six of them are VIP-located near…

ASTANA – A month-long exhibition titled “Kazakhstan and Russia: a strategy of eternal friendship” dedicated to 25 years of diplomatic relations opened March 16 at the National Museum of Kazakhstan. “For a quarter of a century Kazakhstan and Russia has built a positive model of good-neighbourly relations and friendship, prolific trade and economic and humanitarian…

ASTANA – Twenty-six-year-old Kazakh actor and director Olzhas Nurbayev recently won Best Director at the Barcelona Planet Film Festival for his short film “The Boon” shot in Los Angeles. “‘The Boon’ is a short feature I made for my graduation work at New York Film Academy. The film is about a homeless man whose life…

ASTANA – Takebs, positioned as the world’s fastest parcel delivery service, has launched in Kazakhstan. The app is available in 11 languages on the IOS platform and by mid-March can be downloaded on Android. Bauyrzhan Karymsakov, who devised the mobile app for the international service, noted it is the first joint consumption project in the…

ASTANA – The UN Women and Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan public Fund raised the issues of women’s participation in the country’s economic life and the rights and opportunities of women in the workplace by organising exhibitions in honour of International Women’s Day. This year, women in rare occupations are in the focus of special…

ASTANA – A 34-year-old Kazakh-born tailor is bringing fashion trends to the streets of Auckland. Asya Sadyrova has made clothing for beauty contest participants and offers custom-made tailoring. Born and raised in Ust-Kamenogorsk (East Kazakhstan region), Sadyrova has had a propensity for varied handcrafts since she was young, even making doll furniture. ”I was studying…

ASTANA – “Kelinka Tozhe Chelovek” (“Daughter-in-law is a Human, too”), a small budget comedy from Kazakh director Askar Uzabayev, was scheduled for a Feb. 23 release. The film tells the story of the tense relationship between wicked mother-in-law Maira and daughter-in-law Aizhan living under one roof. There is very likely only one way to solve…

ASTANA – The project to build a new 60.2 billion tenge (US$188.7 million) terminal for the capital’s airport is being implemented. However, the terminal construction requires 20 billion tenge (US$62.7 million) more than expected. Berik Beisengaliyev, a managing director of Asset Optimisation at Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund, spoke about the progress of building the new terminal,…

ASTANA – A new app has been launched to make learning the Kazakh language, as well as facts about the country and its history, easier and fun. The app was developed by Intellection Studio headed by London School of Economics and Political Sciences graduate Bakytzhan Baizhikenov. The Qazaq App for iOS and Android is designed…

ASTANA – More than 40 sergeants from Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces are attending month-long vocational training at the Defence Ministry’s cadet corps, the press service of the ministry reports. These 40 sergeants are among 500 expected to receive training. During the training, the sergeants must elevate their skill level, become more efficient and supplement military and…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s third IMAX theatre has opened in Astana’s Sary-Arka Shopping Centre as part of the Kinopark cinema chain. The new theatre is IMAX’s third collaboration with Kinopark, and it won’t be the last, senior vice-president of IMAX business development in the region John Schreiner said in a press release from the Kinopark 8…

ASTANA – A rash of suicide games on social media has recently caused panic among parents and raised alarm throughout the nation. Authorities have blocked access to content posted by so-called death groups on social networks such as VKontakte. Experts are also calling on Kazakh citizens to check their children’s phones to protect them from…