Hungary celebrates National Day at EXPO 2017, highlights shared cultural traditions
ASTANA – The Hungarian pavilion celebrated National Day Aug. 18 with a varied cultural programme. To commemorate the ethnic and economic ties between Kazakhstan and Hungary that have been traditionally strong and are still improving, the pavilion offered conventional folk music performed by the Kun-Captains Ensemble (representatives of the Union of Kuns, the Turkic people…
Young int’l musicians take part in Eurasian Music Games
ASTANA – Talented international youth will gather in the Kazakh capital Aug. 15-25, as the city is hosting the Eurasian Music Games for the first time as part of the EXPO 2017 cultural programme. The main organisers of the event are Kazakh National University of Arts and European Foundation for Support of Culture (Malta). “I…
Kazakh craft fair offers handmade souvenirs
ASTANA – This summer, the capital is welcoming more tourists than ever. As EXPO 2017 nears its end, guests are seeking mementoes to take a piece of Kazakhstan home with them. The Sheberler Ayuly (Village of Crafts People) offers a variety of handmade products in national style. The exhibit, located near Baiterek monument, will be…
Sword of Kenessary Khan to be delivered to EXPO 2017
ASTANA – The Days of the South Kazakhstan region are coming Aug. 29-Sept. 3 to EXPO 2017. Artists from the southern part of the country will offer a colourful concert and programme, demonstrate historical and cultural heritage and present rare exhibits such as the sword of Kenessary Khan. Hundreds of unique exhibits will be delivered…
Kazakh Tourism set to be single operator to develop Shchuchinsk-Burabai resort zone
ASTANA – Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev visited the Akmola region Aug. 10 to assess the pace of tourism development, reported the prime minister’s press service. While touring the skiing base in the Burabai resort area, Sagintayev examined construction progress and learned about the current situation at the site. The facility, located on 140.5 hectares, is…
ATOM Project Honorary Ambassador’s exhibit opens ahead of International Day against Nuclear Tests
ASTANA – The Fallout, The Artwork of Karipbek Kuyukov, a personal exhibit featuring 20 paintings by the famous Kazakh artist and ATOM Project Honorary Ambassador, opened Aug. 9 at the Kazakh National Museum. The event, organised by the museum and supported by the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlights the heavy consequences of nuclear weapons…
South Kazakhstan attracts $543 million in investments in first half of 2017
ASTANA – Over first six months of 2017, the volume of attracted investments in the South Kazakhstan region reached 180.6 billion tenge (US$543.78 million), having increased 33 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the regional akimat (administration) press service. Under the State Programme for Accelerated Industrial and Innovative Development, 162 projects…
Kazakh naval vessels participate in 2017 Sea Cup in Azerbaijan
ASTANA – Kazakh naval vessels are among the military fleets participating in the Sea Cup in Azerbaijan under the 2017 International Army Games. Approximately 300 sailors from Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the host nation are showing their skills in combat training in the Caspian Sea. The contest includes three stages: artillery salvos, preserving the ship’s…
Volunteers clean up Astana suburbs
ASTANA – Club Dobryakov Astana (Astana Club of Kind Souls) and its founder Gulmira Abdrasheva are uniting a variety of citizens to make the city cleaner and greener. Dozens of residents are volunteering to remove garbage and tidy up its suburbs. “Every morning we wake up, make the bed and brush our teeth. This is…
Thirty-one bicycle share stations open in Almaty
ASTANA – The public bicycle system of the Almaty Bike project recently expanded its service, making available for shared use an inexpensive means of transportation. The project, implemented by the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund and Almaty’s Akimat (city administration), intends to make it easier to cycle in the city. The bike share system encourages…
Arabic calligraphy exhibition opens at National Library
ASTANA – An exhibition of Arabic calligraphy opened in the National Academic Library initiated by the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA). Until Aug. 17, visitors can view 30 works of calligraphy, including masterpieces of famous calligraphy masters. “These are the selected works of…
Kazakh Kurultai in Tyumen region brings 5,000 people together
ASTANA – The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan’s delegation from the country’s northern region took part in a July 22 Kurultai of Kazakhs in the Tyumen region. The festive event, which gathered about 5,000 individuals, was held in the Berdyuzhie district, where a significant number of ethnic Kazakhs live. North Kazakhstan region assembly secretariat…
Wheelchair Repair Centre opens in Astana
ASTANA – A wheelchair repair and maintenance centre has opened in Astana. The Inva project, created at the Public Association of People with Limited Abilities DOS Independent Life Centre provides services for the repair and maintenance of special means of transportation for people with limited abilities. The centre provides troubleshooting and routine maintenance in a…
New Alakol Lake airport opens, meant to boost tourism
ASTANA – A new airport opened July 21 in Usharal to make Alakol Lake more accessible for tourists. The airport is the latest effort to boost tourism at the lake. “Today is a special historical day for the Almaty region. During the visit to our region in 2014, President Nursultan Nazarbayev set us the task…
EXPO 2017 to be great success, says BIE official
ASTANA – EXPO 2017 has only been open five of its 13 weeks, yet based on the early attendance figures Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Deputy Secretary General Dimitri Kerkentzes believes the exhibition will rightfully be called a success. An average of 22,800 guests a day visited the expo in its first week, according to…
Astana to become most attractive city in Eurasia by 2020, says mayor
ASTANA – Urban leaders gathered for the 25th International Assembly of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Capitals and Major Cities July 13-14 to discuss a new programme of sustainable development as a response to global challenges. Akim (Mayor) Asset Issekeshev spoke on the first day about specific plans for the capital. “In accordance with the…
Taraz student to unveil education system for children with special needs
ASTANA – Fifteen-year-old Taraz resident Isaac Mustopulo, who is committed to helping Kazakh children with special needs receive a full-fledged education, participated in the Human Library under the Perception Change Project, a creative communications initiative of the United Nations Office in Geneva. The July 18 event in the Swiss Pavilion at EXPO 2017 focused on…
Kazakhstan confirms commitment to OPEC agreement to cut oil production
ASTANA – Kazakhstan confirmed July 12 its commitment to agreements between the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC countries to reduce oil production until April 2018. “I want to say that Kazakhstan will try to fulfil its obligations on all signed agreements. Our commitments were taken last year and extended at the…
Urban planning specialists discuss Astana development at Astana Urban Forum
ASTANA – International experts and city planning specialists and heads of large construction companies discussed urban development and shared international and local expertise at the July 7 First Urban Forum “DNA of the City: Communities. Business. Power” with the participation of Akim (Mayor) of Astana Asset Issekeshev. Issekeshev opened the first panel discussion devoted to…
Kazakh doctors to launch pilot programme using AI to treat cancer patients
ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov spoke about using artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose and treat oncological diseases at a July 11 government meeting. “Together with the IBM multinational technology company, we plan to launch a pilot project on the use of artificial intelligence in health care, particularly in the field of oncology.…
National Days of Azerbaijan, Latvia and Venezuela Held at EXPO 2017
ASTANA – EXPO 2017 played host to the celebration of several more countries’ national days last week, in this round Venezuela, Latvia and Azerbaijan. Venezuela marked its National Day July 8 with the participation of Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia and Kazakh Deputy Minister of Defence Talgat Mukhtarov. “The policy and achievement of the…
Little progress in Syria peace talks but negotiators agree to continue Astana meetings
ASTANA – Participants of the fifth round of the Syrian talks wrapped up an inconclusive second day at the negotiating table in Astana July 5, after attempting to finalise the boundaries of the de-escalation zones in Syria and break the deadlock over who will police them. The latest round of peace talks on Syria took…
Kazakh government approves tourism development concept
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s government approved June 27 a Concept of Tourism Development until 2023, which incorporates international best practices in state support of tourism and reconfigures some established tourist clusters. Presenting the document, Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Mukhamediuly noted that the concept analysed the international experience of some countries that have defined tourism…
Gas exchange trading to begin in Eurasian Economic Union
ASTANA – The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is set to start a roadmap launching gas exchange trading in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The decision was announced at the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service gas subcommittee meeting with the participation of representatives from the EAEU, EEC and St. Petersburg International Commodity Exchange (SPIMEX), according to an…
NU Career Centre assists graduates in landing a job
ASTANA – Nazarbayev University (NU) held its third graduation ceremony last month, awarding 728 bachelor’s and master’s degrees and for the first time presenting nine PhDs. With sheepskins in hand, what are the students’ next steps? According to statistics from 2015-2016 provided by the NU Career and Advising Centre, 54.3 percent of alumni took jobs…
