Articles by Saltanat Boteu

NUR-SULTAN – Some of Kazakhstan’s 11,814,019 eligible voters who went to the polls in the county’s June 9 presidential election told The Astana Times they consider voting a central part of their civic rights and duties and they hope the elections will be fair and bring positive change. “I wanted to express my will, as…

NUR-SULTAN – The first Jasyl Jol electric car rally appropriately started on June 5, World Environment Day, at the capital’s EXPO 2017 site. The cars, which are noiseless and pollution free, set off along the 540-kilometre Nur-Sultan-Burabai-Nur-Sultan route. “Sustainable development is impossible without sustainable transport. Transport is the catalyst for progress on at least nine…

NUR-SULTAN – British scholars Guillaume Tiberghien from Glasgow University and John Lennon from the Glasgow Caledonian University recently presented their research on two Soviet labour camps in Kazakhstan, stressing that the two could become destinations for “dark tourism.” The two visited the museums of the Karaganda Labour Camp (Karlag) and the Akmola Camp for Wives…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan marked May 31 the Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repressions by laying floral tributes at the monuments of political repression victims and launching exhibits at museums across the country. This day helps the people of Kazakhstan remember the lessons of the past and treat each other with care, said Nur-Sultan…

NUR-SULTAN – The Roma People’s community of the Aktobe Region, founded in 2011 by Yelena Dmitriyeva, is the only Roma People ethno cultural centre registered in the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan. The community of approximately 100 members sees its main goal as familiarising Kazakh people with its culture and customs and giving its youth…

NUR-SULTAN – Iowa University’s International Writing Programme (IWP) along with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department organised May 20-26 the Lines and Spaces reading tour to Almaty and Nur-Sultan. The tour was meant to connect Kazakh and American writers. In Almaty, a group of American creative professionals consisting of…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh chess champion Zhansaya Abdumalik improved her Elo rating to 2,414 by defeating former world champions in blitz at the 2019 International Mind Sports Association’s (IMSA) World Masters Championship, becoming the only Kazakh woman with an Elo rating above 2,400 in all three types of chess (classic, rapid and blitz). The invitation was…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh State String Quartet performed for the first time May 17 at Brussels’ BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, staging the works of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, German composer Felix Mendelssohn, Kazakh composers Kurmangazy Sagyrbaiuly and Gaziza Zhubanova and Kazakh thinker and writer Abai Kunanbayev. The quartet aimed to introduce the European audience…

NUR-SULTAN – Four Kazakh presidential candidates and three of their representatives discussed social and economic issues and how to solve them in a May 29 live televised debate at the Kazmedia Centre in the capital. At the debates, Nur Otan Party national headquarters’ head Maulen Ashimbayev represented presidential candidate and incumbent President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Ak…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s presidential candidates will participate in an 80-minute televised debate May 29 on the Khabar national television channel, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced May 24. The election includes seven candidates, and each has been invited to the debate. The debate will include three rounds. The first round will focus on economic development…

NUR-SULTAN – Uly Dala Kyrandary (which in Kazakh means Eagles of the Great Steppe) national movement candidate Sadybek Tugel, the first person to propose his presidential candidacy to the Central Election Commission, is running on a platform focused on Kazakhstan’s “ideology, social policy, fair politics and socially responsible economy.” “I made such a decision (to…

NUR-SULTAN – Coursera’s most popular course, Learning How to Learn, is now available in the Kazakh language. Its translation into Kazakh was made possible through the cooperative efforts of the Edgravity e-learning company and the academia.kz pedagogical skills’ virtual laboratory. The course is now available free at the udemy.com and academia.kz websites. Since launching in…

NUR-SULTAN – The Orleu International festival of Choreographic Educational School provides a platform for world choreographers to communicate, promotes national and classical choreography and helps support new generations of artists. This year’s festival, held May 11 to 13 in Almaty, was dedicated to the 85th anniversary of Almaty’s Seleznev Choreographic School (ACS). The ACS and…

NUR-SULTAN – Participants at this year’s Eurasian Media Forum in Almaty attended master classes May 22 discussing forms of journalism, such as environmental journalism, freelance, journalism using Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, photo and mobile journalism. The first day of the May 22-24 forum began with master classes conducted by media experts from around the world.…

NUR-SULTAN – The Turkestan Region’s authorities are developing green energy sources, including solar power plants to reduce the region’s electricity deficit. The alternative energy will cover 30 percent of the region’s energy demand. Solar power plants are being built in the Saryagash and Suzak districts and Arys and Kentau cities, reported kursiv.kz. Three of those…

NUR-SULTAN – The World Trade Centres Association (WTCA), Nest Investments Holding and Kazakh authorities planted a symbolic capsule May 17 in the foundation of what will be the World Trade Centre (WTC) at the EXPO 2017 site in the capital. It was not announced what the capsule contained, but the symbolic gesture is similar to…

NUR-SULTAN – Astana Economic Forum (AEF) participants discussed the role of Kazakhstan May 17 in cooperation with Central Asia and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As a regional hub, they called on Kazakhstan to facilitate regional connectivity with global economy through transport infrastructure and improving human capital. The panel session dedicated to…

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is a multinational state, where more than 130 ethnicities live in peace. Each group has the right to learn its own language and create communities that help to preserve its traditions and customs and pass them to the next generation. Through this, the people of Kazakhstan write their common history, said German…

NUR-SULTAN – The Karabekov Foundation opened May 7 a children’s inclusive co-working space in the Kazakh capital as a part of its Pryanik project to socialise children with special needs. The space welcomes children to participate in master classes in arts and cooking as well as in movie nights. The project attracts volunteers, who help…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Central Electoral Commission (CEC) registered May 6 the last four candidates to qualify for Kazakhstan’s June 9 presidential election. Registration closed May 11 and a total of seven candidates will campaign until June 8 for election to the country’s highest office. The last four candidates to be registered by the CEC…

NUR-SULTAN – Four young Kazakh pianists, Rasul Abdugulov, Henry Allan Keppel, Aliya Assanova and Bekzat Rakymov, will perform at the 2019 Astana Piano Passion International Festival and contest in the capital. “The Astana Piano Passion contest is one of the unique, bright and prestigious events that take place in Kazakhstan, in our capital. The fact…

NUR-SULTAN – FlyArystan, Kazakhstan’s only low-cost airline, launched its first flight from Almaty to Nur-Sultan May 1 on a 180-seat Airbus A320. The company plans to fly a million passengers by the end of 2019. The company organised a May 1 presentation at Nur-Sultan International Airport, where guests greeted the plane and watched a welcoming…

NUR-SULTAN – The Kyzylorda Region has long been associated with one of the region’s main products, Syr Marzhan rice, and the birthplace of Korkyt Ata, the Turkic songwriter and composer from the ninth century. But now the region is becoming more attractive as a tourism destination because Kamystybas Lake, has become an ecological and medical…

NUR-SULTAN – The 2019 Burabike Fest, a charitable sports and music event, will take place Aug. 25-26 at Burabai resort. Guests will be invited to participate in an amateur bike ride (Aug. 24) and professional bicycle race (Aug. 25), open-air performances, charity auctions and creative workshops while staying at the Rixos Borovoe or tent camp…

NUR-SULTAN – Belarusians and Kazakhs are open and hospitable people which brings them closer, said Radima Belarusian Cultural Centre’s Chair and composer Dmitry Ostankovich. He has taught at the Kazakh National University of Arts in the capital for 17 years, growing a new generation of musicians. “Hospitality is one of the best traditions of our…