Articles by Dana Omirgazy

NUR-SULTAN – During the first five months of this year, the volume of transactions through international money transfer systems from abroad to Kazakhstan hit a record 178.8 billion tenge (US$370 million), which is 58.4 percent higher than in the same period last year, ranking.kz reports on July 14. Two-thirds of the funds were received from…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh citizens registered over 367,000 securities accounts during the first six months of this year, Kazakhstan Central Securities Depository (KCSD) reports on July 12. The overall increase reached 64 percent since the beginning of the year. To compare, since July 1, 2021, the number of sub-accounts has more than doubled (+187,000), of which…

NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed July 14 new amendments and additions to legislative acts that enhance citizens’ ability to exchange and receive documents in electronic form, granting them the same legal status as paper copies, the presidential press service reports. The law also provides measures to improve the quality of communications in rural areas…

NUR-SULTAN – The European Union Special Representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala expressed interest in strengthening transport and logistics cooperation with Kazakhstan during the July 14 videoconference with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reports the presidential press service. The Kazakh President confirmed his keen interest in developing cooperation with the EU and his readiness to boost…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will establish the Kazakh Animation creative association at the Kazakhfilm studio, Minister of Culture and Sports Dauren Abayev wrote on his Facebook page on July 12. He said that the new association will become a game-changer in the country’s animation industry and will boost competitiveness, as young and promising animators get the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin agreed that the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) will not suspend operations, said Smailov in his interview with Qazaqstan TV channel on July 12. “On July 5, the Primorsky District Court in the southern Russian city of Novorossiysk suspended the activities of the…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov emphasized the need for increased support for the country’s three new regions – Abai, Ulytau and Zhetisu in his July 12 interview with the Qazaqstan TV channel. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree to establish three regions on May 4 before it entered into force on June…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan plans to use best international practices and advanced technologies in the construction of a nuclear power plant, said Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov in an interview with Qazaqstan TV channel on July 12.  “According to our analysis, the country could face an electricity shortage in the future. To deal with it, we need…

NUR-SULTAN – Numbeo, the world’s largest cost of living database, mentioned Nur-Sultan and Almaty in its list of the most expensive cities, Cost of Living Index by City 2022 Mid-Year ranking.  Out of 510 cities, Almaty ranks 466th, and the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan, is placed 475th.  Hamilton, Bermuda was revealed as the world’s most…

NUR-SULTAN – Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a British company specializing in the analysis of higher education institutions around the world, has released the annual ranking titled Best Student Cities 2023, which includes two cities from Kazakhstan – Nur-Sultan and Almaty. Ranking based on cities with the best conditions for studying abroad considers a range of criteria…

NUR-SULTAN – The volume of investments in fixed assets over the past five months amounted to 4.1 trillion tenge (US$8.6 billion), which is 2.5 percent higher compared to the same period last year, reported the press service of the Ministry of National Economy.  Investments were directed to the education, public administration, social security sectors, and…

NUR-SULTAN – This year, some 4,000 Kazakh citizens went to Mecca for the first post-pandemic Hajj, according to the Kazakh Spiritual Directorate of Muslims.  After a two-year restriction, Saudi Arabia allowed one million Muslims, including nearly 850,000 foreigners, to make the annual Hajj pilgrimage. However, it introduced strict requirements: pilgrims should not be over 65…

NUR-SULTAN – From July 8, Kazakhstan has introduced a unilateral visa-free regime up to 14 days for citizens of India, Iran and China, press service of the Migration Service Committee informs. Meanwhile, the 72-hour visa-free transit for India and China has ceased to operate. “According to the visa-free regime conditions, citizens of India, Iran and…

NUR-SULTAN – A herd of Siberian ibex goats – one of the largest and most heavily built goats, was spotted by a camera trap near the watering hole in the Altyn Emel National Park of the Almaty region, the park’s press service reported on June 14.  The video reveals a herd of large Siberian ibexes…

NUR-SULTAN – Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev posted a video of the Aral Sea on his Telegram channel showing the surface of the Aral Sea.  “Flying over the Aral Sea… or rather, what is left of it,” Artemyev wrote under the video. The Aral sea is an inland salt lake located between Kazakhstan (Aktobe and Kyzylorda…

NUR-SULTAN – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) seeks to continue its partnership with Kazakhstan, Head of the IMF mission for Kazakhstan Nicolas Blancher said during a videoconference with Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov, the Prime Minister’s Office reported. During the meeting, the sides discussed the results of the IMF mission, recommendations on priority areas…

NUR-SULTAN – TikTok, a short-form video hosting service, seeks to promote its cultural and informational content in Kazakhstan including the promotion of theaters and museums. This was announced during the meeting of Kazakh Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Almas Aidarov with General Director of TikTok Rus Serguei Sokolov in Nur-Sultan, reported the press service of…

NUR-SULTAN – The gross international reserves of the Kazakh National Bank increased by 0.8 percent over the month and totaled $33.4 billion in April, according to the latest press release from the bank. “Gold and foreign currency reserves expanded due to an increase in the gold portfolio and receipt of funds to accounts of the…

ASTANA – American businessperson David Valera seeks to develop tourism in Kazakhstan by opening the country as a cultural and tourist destination for foreign visitors. “I am proud to say that I am the only New Yorker, the only American, who has his company 100 percent dedicated to promoting tourism in Kazakhstan. That was a…

ASTANA – The Blind Race 2018 Astana-Paris bike marathon for cyclists who are blind or visually impaired will kick off noon, Aug. 4 from Mangilik El monument. Kazakh and foreign athletes will pass through six countries and pedal 5,000 kilometres. “This year, we have organised our third marathon. The first was Almaty-Astana and then Almaty…

ASTANA – Archaeologists have begun excavating a Saka burial mound found 10 kilometres from Astana, in the course of their work discovering seven other graves dating to the much more recent past (to the 15th and 16th centuries), two of which held women’s jewellery. “A female copper ring was found in one of the graves.…

ASTANA – Astana Around Us depicts the capital and its residents from an unusual perspective. The photo exhibit, composed of approximately 120 works of the best photographers from Belarus, France, Germany, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Slovakia, Turkey and Uzbekistan, is on display through July 31 along Nurzhol Boulevard (also known as Green Water Boulevard) near the…

ASTANA – Asaý Júrek, a resale shop opened in April in Almaty, offers high quality and select clothes and accessories. Founder and city resident Marina Anichkina sells mass-market, luxury, vintage and other styles. “We do not order containers with clothes from the prosperous countries of Europe… We accept clothes from people with a similar vision…

ASTANA – Taraz native Marat Sarshayev, 33, a neurosurgeon at the Central Clinical Hospital in Almaty of the Medical Centre of the President’s Affairs Administration of Kazakhstan, is one of the nation’s 100 New Faces. Despite his young age, Sarshayev independently conducts brain vessel endoscopic, endovascular and micro-neurosurgical surgeries. He also operates to remove brain…

ASTANA – Free classes on Indian music, dance, the Hindi language and yoga were recently launched at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the Embassy of India press service announced. According to Sanjay Garg, SVCC director, the classes are open for everyone regardless of age or educational qualifications. “Indian dance classes would include lessons in…