Kazakhstan finishes second overall at third World Nomadic Games
ASTANA – Kazakhstan finished second overall behind Kyrgyzstan at the Sept. 2-8 World Nomadic Games in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. Kazakh athletes won 69 medals, including 16 gold, 24 silver and 29 bronze medals. Kyrgyzstan won 100 medals, including 40 gold. The World Nomad Games have been held every two years since 2014. The Nomad Games are…
Young Kazakh entrepreneurs share keys to success, lessons from failures
ASTANA – One of the most recent trends gaining popularity in Kazakhstan is start-ups. More and more young talents are driven by the idea of starting up a new venture that will bring something not only profitable, but that has value and the capacity to change lives for the better to the marketplace. Some grasp…
“Re: Oblomov”: Regional theatres to stage experimental play
ASTANA – An independent drama group from Almaty and a regional state theatre from Temirtau will present Sep. 14-15 in Almaty “Re: Oblomov,” a play based on Ivan Goncharov’s classic novel. The real world is the place where the creative group took their inspiration for “Re: Oblomov.” The plot of the play bravely intertwines the…
Astana Akimat introduces e-KSK and city services centres to reduce bureaucracy
ASTANA – The city akimat (administration) has devised several methods to optimise work between citizens and housing management services. The online support system e-KSK has eased a number of time-consuming operations and an in-person service centre will be opened this year. e-KSK Capital house maintenance firms (KSK) now provide online services for their residential apartments.…
Kazakh film director aspires to create inclusive society for children with disabilities
ASTANA – Aziz Zairov, a talented director, is among the winners of Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces project. Although he modestly notes there are a number of worthy people who should be included on the list, his life story shows he was not chosen by luck or chance. Zairov is a unique person who found will…
Students introduce Kazakh-speaking personal assistant
ASTANA – Seniors majoring in IT at Suleyman Demirel University have developed Aibota, an intelligent personal assistant that will speak and provide information in Kazakh. The virtual service is similar to well-known Siri and Yandex Alisa. The main reason behind the creation is to provide a similar service that can be used by Kazakh-speaking people…
Kazakhstan’s Finns and Karelians preserve and try to recover their traditions, culture
ASTANA – Finns and Karelians in Kazakhstan are small in number yet strive to preserve their identity after an uneasy history for their people during the Soviet times, the head of national cultural centre Suomi Alexander Smirnov told The Astana Times in a recent interview. “Indeed, we live in Kazakhstan so we are Kazakhs now.…
Astana Marathon has raised almost $100,000 for charity
ASTANA – The annual international Astana Marathon 2018 to be held Sept. 16 has raised 36 million tenge (US$99,675) since its existence to support Kazakh charities, reports inform.kz. Astana Marathon is a big outdoor running event that has been organised annually since 2009 in the capital. The marathon promotes a healthy lifestyle and raises money…
Astana’s economy grows in first half of 2018
ASTANA – A recent data report published by Astana Akimat (city administration) shows positive trends in basic economic sectors in the first seven months of this year. Approximately 519.9 billion tenge (US$1.45 billion) of investment was attracted in the first seven months of this year, reported Inform.kz. The industrial sector has grown 3.1 percent, which…
Kazakhstan invests in Mangistau region infrastructure to increase tourism
ASTANA – Just a few years ago, the Mangistau region could attract visitors only for its wilderness. Now, it is receiving significant investment to create infrastructure and make it a popular destination. The region, on the shores of Caspian Sea, offers numerous historic tourist and pilgrimage sites such as Beket Ata, the famous underground mosque.…
Kazakh breast cancer mortality rate declines, yet problem remains tangible
ASTANA – Kazakh oncologists discussed breast cancer mortality rates and why the country’s screening threshold was reduced to age 40 during an Aug. 15 press conference. The mortality rate reduced 9.7 percent from 2011-2017, said Dilyara Kaidarova, the Ministry of Healthcare chief oncologist and director of the Kazakh Research Institute on Oncology and Radiology. Figures…
Aral Sea being revived, partially, as fishing recovers
ASTANA – The Aral Sea and its fishing industry, one of the biggest man-made ecological disasters, is recovering, reported express-k.kz. The sea, situated between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, produced 23,000 tonnes of fish in 1946. Fifty years later, the figure had plummeted to just 30 tonnes. For the last few years, joint efforts between Kazakhstan and…
Kazakh government to provide cities and villages with 5G Internet connection next year
ASTANA – Kazakh officials discussed the progress of projects to provide broadband Internet access and introduce 5G and equally high-quality data centres in both urban and rural areas at the Aug. 14 government meeting. “Providing broadband Internet access is not our only requirement. We must not lag behind [the rest of the developed world]; the…
Fighting brain drain: Ukrainian investors envision innovation park in Astana
ASTANA – Ukrainian investment group Ufuture plans to build an “Innovation Park” in Astana with the help of the Kazakh government and local businesses. The park is intended to be a small “city within city” that creates an environment for innovation and development that will propel the region’s economy forward, Ufuture founder Vasyl Khmelnitsky said…
Kazakh doctors transplant artificial heart with donor
ASTANA – Kazakh doctors marked a historic moment in cardiac history Aug. 1 by successfully performing the world’s first orthotopic heart transplant on a patient with an artificial heart implant. “This is a new milestone in the development of cardiac surgery,” said Vice Minister of Healthcare Alexei Tsoi at a press conference. In December, doctors…
Central Asian countries discuss transboundary water management issues
ASTANA – Central Asian and neighbouring countries discussed transboundary water management, maintenance and the possibilities for strengthening sustainable development during a July 12-13 regional meeting in Almaty. Experts on energy, water, environment and health issues and official representatives of Afghanistan, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended the meeting. The participants…
Astana to host WTO Ministerial Conference in 2020
ASTANA – World Trade Organisation (WTO) members confirmed the capital as the venue for the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in 2020. The general council meeting reached a consensus July 26. Kazakhstan will be the first Central Asian country to organise a ministerial conference. The event is anticipated in June, with the exact dates to be…
Burabai CityPASS boxes save up to 50 percent on travel expenses
ASTANA – Beginning Aug. 1, Burabai National Park will offer Burabai CityPASS boxes that can save tourists up to 50 percent at local restaurants, hotels and museums and on entrance fees for cultural sites and excursions, said Marat Igaliyev, tourism advisor to the Akmola region Akim (Mayor). CityPASS boxes include a tourist card, plastic smart…
Norwegian Kazakhs promote culture through children’s summer camps
ASTANA – The Norwegian Kazakh Cultural Centre (Norsk Kazakh Kultur Senter, or NKKS) is organising summer camps for children to introduce Kazakh culture to Norwegians and establish a network of Kazakhs living abroad. The globalised world has allowed many Kazakhs to travel far beyond the steppe, making them, as it is fashionable to say, digital…
Lack of healthy competition inhibits mountain tourism
ASTANA – The Shymbulak Ski Resort hosted the third international Almaty Mount Forum July 20, where experts discussed the challenges of developing mountain tourism. One-fifth of tourists in Kazakhstan visit Almaty. In the past three years, the number has grown 14 percent, according to city Deputy Akim (Mayor) Assel Zhunussova. A survey among visitors showed…
Government officials, World Bank, Agro companies discuss increasing Kazakh agricultural exports
ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture and representatives from the World Bank and several transnational agro companies discussed the nation’s exports and new Silk Road food security July 3 during a conference at the Kazakhstan Global Investment Roundtable (KGIR). Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Umirzak Shukeyev presented macroeconomic figures showing the potential…
Direct flights to Italy will strengthen Kazakh-Italian relations, envoy stresses
ASTANA – Recently-appointed Italian ambassador Pasquale D’Avino says there’s a need for direct Kazakhstan-Italy air connections due to the growing interest among Kazakhs in Italian culture and the prospects of economic cooperation between the nations. In a recent interview, he said his top priority is establishing direct flights between Almaty-Milano and Astana-Rome by the beginning…
Food box delivery service makes healthy eating easy in Astana
ASTANA – Kese.kz, a food box delivery service, launched two weeks ago in the capital. It offers customers daily, affordable meal kits with recipes that are both healthy and easy to prepare. The company sees the service as life changing for many residents. Kese.kz offers a variety of items for those tired of the heavy…
Kazakhstan enacts law developing private venture financing
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a law on venture financing July 9 providing a number of innovations that should stimulate the private venture capital market. The law was developed by the National Agency for Technological Development (NATD) and the Ministry for Investments and Development, reported Kazinform with reference to the NATD press service.…
Kazakh anti-nuclear activist wins 2018 Nuclear-Free Future Award
ASTANA – Karipbek Kuyukov will receive the 2018 Nuclear-Free Future Award (NFFA) in the education category for his essential contribution to the anti-nuclear movement. The award will be presented Oct. 24 in Salzburg, Austria. Since 1998, three cash prizes and two honorary awards have been presented annually to anti-nuclear activists, organisations and communities who contribute to…
