Rock beats, steppe strings: Layla-qobyz creates new pop flavour with Kazakh instruments
ASTANA – Kazakh musician Layla Tazhibayeva and her group Layla-qobyz, known for playing rock music using the traditional Kazakh string instrument, the kobyz (also sometimes spelled qobyz), have announced plans to perform in early December in Astana and Almaty. “This time we want to perform music from famous films and cartoons. For example, we…
Ontustik SEZ wins Editor’s Choice award from fDi Intelligence’s Global Free Zones of the Year 2018
ASTANA – The Shymkent-based Ontustik Special Economic Zone (SEZ) received an Editor’s Choice award in the Ones to Watch category of fDi Magazine’s Global Free Zones of the Year 2018, released Oct. 8. “The zone’s proximities to a supply of raw cotton, as well to a motorway that allows the movement of raw material and…
Astana Opera to premiere ‘The Barber of Seville’ opera with 4D effects
ASTANA – Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” opera staged by Italian director Alfonso Antoniozzi will premiere Oct. 12-14 at the Astana Opera House, reported the theatre’s press service. Sundet Baigozhin and Emil Sakavov will perform the part of Figaro, Yevgeniy Chainikov and Alexander Krassikov will play Bartolo and Saltanat Akhmetova, Alfiya Karimova and Aizada…
Atameken launches contract designer service for SME protection
ASTANA – The Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs (NCE), in cooperation with BestProfi, launched a contract designer online service on Oct. 1, reported the organisation’s press service. The business protection initiative, which provides well-written business contracts for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), contains 100 legal contract templates to create documents according to entrepreneurs’ needs. “The…
Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve plans to attract more tourists, launches biodiversity conservation school programme
ASTANA – More than 453 excursions and 2,500 tourists have visited the Korgalzhyn Nature Reserve in the first nine months of the year, said Akmola Region tourism department head Daniyar Idiyatov at the Oct. 3 regional communications service briefing. The six hotels in Korgalzhyn village can accommodate up to 100 people and a visitor centre…
Independent creative company stages play to raise awareness about mental health
ASTANA – ORTA Centre for Universal Arts will present the techno-performance “Svetoprestavleniye Sergey Kalmykov” on Oct. 6, 7, 9 and 10 in Almaty. The play was the headliner this year at the New Drama Festival in Moscow’s Meyerhold Centre. The Astana Times spoke with centre founder Rustem Begenov to learn about the production and its…
Hilton brings new affordable hotel brand, plans to expand business in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Hilton, one of the world’s largest hotel chains, opened the first Hampton by Hilton Aug. 15 in the Kazakh capital. The Astana Times spoke with Astana Triumphal Arch General Manager Maria Temerova to learn about the hotel’s amenities and why the company is attracted to the Kazakh market. “We are proud to announce…
Turkish companies to invest $1.7 billion in Kazakhstan’s non-primary sectors
ASTANA – Turkish companies will invest $1.7 billion in Kazakhstan based on 22 trade and economic cooperation agreements reached between the countries Aug. 12 as part of the Kazakh-Turkish investment forum in Ankara, reported the Kazakh Invest press service. The projects will develop the non-primary sectors and create in excess of 3,000 jobs. The event,…
Qazaq Geography expedition highlights Kazakh attractions, raises awareness of environmental concerns
ASTANA – Travelling from sea to sea, the Kazakh National Geographic Society’s (Qazaq Geography) fifth expedition started Sept. 10 from Almaty. The participants will travel more than 3,000 kilometres in 12 days, finishing Sept. 21 in Aktau. The team, composed of 25 individuals including local and foreign travel bloggers, reporters, photographers and a Kazakh TV…
Secondary raw materials reception point opens to reward Astana residents for proper recycling
ASTANA – Green Station, a 5.5 million tenge (US$14,630) reception point for secondary raw materials, opened Sept. 11 in the Baikonur district of the capital, reported the press service of the mayor’s office. Recyclable materials will be collected, sorted and then sent to waste processing plants. The centre, operated by Astana Clean Time at 2/2…
Yiddish Glory tells story of Kazakhstan welcoming refugees during Holocaust
ASTANA – “Yiddish Glory – The Lost Songs of World War II,” released Feb. 28, features unique musical recordings created by Holocaust victims and survivors, mostly women and children, and Jewish refugees during the war. Hidden since 1947, the ballads are now receiving standing ovations from sold-out crowds. The Astana Times spoke with University of…
Digital television transition to be completed in 2021
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s full transition to digital television will provide access to 30 TV channels in regional centres and up to 15 TV channels in villages and district areas, Minister of Information and Communications Dauren Abayev told a Sept. 4 government meeting. The domestic package includes news, children’s programming, culture, cinema and sports TV channels.…
Regional interaction is key to empowering Afghan women, UN Women official says
ASTANA – Regional cooperation is necessary to empower Afghan women, UN Women Director of Programme Division Maria-Noel Vaeza told The Astana Times in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Sept. 5 Regional Conference on Empowering Women in Afghanistan held in Astana. “The gender inequality is a universal challenge,” said Vaeza in her address…
Burabai resort sees major improvements, new facilities to open next season
ASTANA – More than 850,000 people visited the Shchuchinsk-Burabai resort zone in 2017, reported Akmola Region Akim (Governor) Malik Murzalin at an Aug. 25 press conference in the oblast. This figure is expected to increase by 20,000 people this year. “I met with hotel and restaurant owners in the tourist area. They agreed that the…
Italian artist motorbikes through 11 countries, finds ‘surprising hospitality’ in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Rosaria Iazzetta started a motorbike journey to battle her own fears, but, in fact, her courage and enthusiasm has inspired thousands of people she has met during the trip. Likewise, she got inspired by the great hospitality of people of all walks of life along the route, including, most recently, in Kazakhstan. …
Kazakh industrialisation map projects are growing, driving increased exports
ASTANA – Approximately 100 projects worth about 1.1 trillion tenge (US$3 billion) will be launched in the second half of this year, Minister for Investment and Development Zhenis Kassymbek reported at an Aug. 22 government meeting in the capital. This will create 12,200 new positions. The projects include a new steel welded pipes plant in…
Skolkovo’s recent study focuses on Islamic economy in Eurasian region, growth factors
ASTANA – What is the real size of the Islamic economy phenomenon? Why are Islamic economy and its ecosystem an important theme? What Eurasian country has the most Islamic financial assets and holds the leading position in terms of the quality of its ecosystem? Skolkovo Institute for Emerging Market Studies (IEMS) released Islamic Economy –…
Kyzylorda Theatre presents ‘Akbayan’ folk legend at Edinburgh Festival Fringe
ASTANA – Kyzylorda Theatre of Music and Drama premiered Aug. 6-8 “Akbayan” folk legend directed by Hussein Amir Temir at the Fringe International Theatre Festival in Edinburgh. This is the first Kazakh theatre performance at the world’s largest arts festival, which included artists from more than 50 countries. Head of UK-based Aitmatov Academy Rahima Abduvalieva…
Chinese manufacturer to build display, TV set production plant in Kostanai region
ASTANA – China’s HKC Corporation Limited will be constructing a display and television assembly plant in the Kostanai region, the Kazakh Invest press service reported Aug. 2. The company will announce the plant location within two months, said Vice President Li Jin at a meeting with the regional administration. One of the top TV manufactures…
Veterinary vaccine plant to be built in Zhambyl region
ASTANA – BioVetKZ will be constructing a veterinary vaccine plant in the Zhambyl region, the regional press service reported July 30. The two billion tenge (US$5 million), Kordai district-based biofactory has a design capacity of 25 million doses per year, with future capacity expected to increase almost three-fold. The enterprise will produce and sell vaccines…
Belgian envoy predicts ‘interesting results’ from combining Brussels’ experience with Astana’s potential
ASTANA – Small Belgium and large Kazakhstan have more to learn from each other than one might think – Belgium’s long history of industrial development can help Kazakhstan on its development path, and Astana’s recent stint on the UN Security Council can serve as an example for Brussels, Ambassador of Belgium to Kazakhstan Alexis de…
Kazakhstan serves as photographic inspiration for Cyprian academic
ASTANA – With an ambition to become one of the progressive global cities, the Kazakh capital is attracting more and more foreigners. Academic and photographer Evagoras Xydas spoke with The Astana Times about his personal experience living in the city and the inspiration it has provided. Moving to the capital was an adventurous decision, as…
Paris Opera Ballet presents Gala de Paris tour in Astana
ASTANA – The Paris Opera Ballet will present its Gala de Paris programme July 27 to 30 at the Astana Opera House in the Kazakh capital. The gala is part of a tour dedicated to the 350th anniversary of the National Opera of Paris; Maestro Vladimir Lande will conduct the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra for…
Kazakh state healthcare programme services, contributions expanding
ASTANA – Contributions for compulsory social health insurance totalled more than 80.6 billion tenge (US$233 million) for a one-year period, said Social Health Insurance Fund Chairperson Yelena Bakhmutova at a July 17 meeting. The figure covers approximately six million individuals, including 553,560 employees. This year, the Mandatory Social Health Insurance Fund will also provide guaranteed…
UNFPA ‘Right to Choose’ campaign raises youth awareness of reproductive health
ASTANA – Family planning is key to economic stability and prosperity. Giulia Vallese, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative for Kazakhstan and Country Director for Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, delivered that message on World Population Day (July 13) at a Right to Choose talk in the capital. Ana Uyi (Mother’s Home) Public Fund and Artishock Theatre…
