American Enthusiast Launches Guidebook to Almaty’s Unique Locations
ASTANA – American teacher Dennis Keen launched Walking Almaty, featuring the urban landscape’s architecture and recognisable attractions, after moving to the city in 2013. The work has inspired residents of Kazakhstan’s largest city to provide additional information about its historic places. The project website, www.walkingalmaty.com, is a modern online museum highlighting the images in National…
100 Concrete Steps Programme has Yielded Positive Results
ASTANA – The first results for practically implementing Kazakhstan’s 100 Concrete Steps initiative were announced March 30 during the Central Communications Service opening press conference. Deputy Prime Minister Dariga Nazarbayeva, Minister of Civil Service Talgat Donakov, Minister of National Economy Yerbolat Dossayev, Presidential administration deputy head and national commission on modernisation representative Marat Beketayev, Assembly…
Kazakh Director Sanzhar Bekzhanov’s Film to Debut at Cannes Short Film Festival
ASTANA – A short film directed by Sanzhar Bekzhanov will be shown at the 69th International Cannes Film Festival on May 11-22. “A Step Forward” will be shown in the Short Film Corner competition. Apart from directing, a graduate of the New York Film Academy, Bekzhanov also wrote the script for the film and collaborated…
China’s Sinoma Group Corporation to Purchase Kazakh Agricultural Products
ASTANA – China National Materials Group Corporation Sinoma recently announced it will buy annually a range of agricultural products from Kazakhstan, according to the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture. This year, China will purchase sunflower in the amount of 50,000 tonnes, 80,000 tonnes of flaxseed, 100,000 tonnes of oilseed rape as well…
Radio that Never Goes out of Style
ASTANA – If the traditional genres and melodies of the great steppe are your type of music, Classic FM is your channel. Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, the station has increased the record database, recorded young performers, created its own original programmes and exchanged experience with the world’s best radio stations, including BBC 3…
Kazakh Children Rejoice as Country’s Schools Set to Move to Five-Day Week
ASTANA – Beginning in September, Kazakhstan will change from a six to a five-day school week. The school year for first graders will last from Sept. 1 to June 1. The change was originally planned for 2017. Students in second, fifth, seventh and ninth grades will move to a five-day week beginning September of that…
Iranian, Russian Companies Seek Cooperation with Kazakh Gold Affinage Plants
ASTANA – A trial delivery of gold from Iran and Russia has been delivered for refining to Kazakhstan. It is expected to increase supplies if the parties reach an agreement on price. Tau Ken Altyn, a subsidiary company of the national mining company Tau Ken Samruk, will process four tons of Iranian and Russian gold…
Zhambyl Farmer Offers Unique Kumys Tours, Promotes Regional Tourism
ASTANA – Sauranbai Donenbayev, a resident of the Zhambyl region, has introduced kumys (mare milk) tours as a new tourist attraction. The new wellness tour includes a special treatment programme, swimming, horse riding and other outdoor activities at a resort located near his farm. Donenbayev decided to unite his farm with a wellness centre to…
Kazakh Pop Music Experiencing Heyday
ASTANA – Sitting at the core of mass culture, various genres of popular music attract different age groups. In Kazakhstan, pop culture depends enormously on mainstream television and radio station ratings. At the same time, there are a wide range of so-called toi music artists, those who perform at the tois [large events like weddings…
Kazakh Opera Star Mukhamedkyzy Performs Concert Dedicated to Nauryz
ASTANA – A concert by Kazakh opera star Maira Mukhamedkyzy was held at the Astana Opera House on Nauryz March 22 in Astana. The singer who has performed on the world’s largest stages in Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris, Istanbul, New Delhi, and Seoul, presented a musical programme entitled “Shyrkar Anym – Astana Koktemi” (A Song…
New Dating App Popular Among Kazakh Singles
ASTANA – A mobile application for online dating has exceeded the WhatsApp and Instagram applications on the number of downloads at the local branch of the app store. The Blindime application, after launching at 10 p.m. on March 14, was downloaded by 1,685 users within two hours. It was then downloaded 10,018 times in the…
World Bank to Allocate $100 Million for Labour Market Development in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – The World Bank and the Kazakh Ministry of Health and Social Development launched a project for the development of professional skills and stimulation of job creation. The project is scheduled to be completed by June 2020. This is one of the World Bank’s major social projects in the country. The international financial institute…
Governors Optimistic about People’s Participation in Election
ASTANA – The regional akims (governors) have been among the first voters to cast their ballots in elections to the Mazhilis (lower chamber of Parliament) and maslikhats (local legislatures) on March 20. Akim of the North Kazakhstan region Erik Sultanov took part in the parliamentary elections in Petropavlovsk. Casting his vote at the polling station…
Our Unity is Our Strength, Says Chairwoman of Veteran Organisation on Election Day
ASTANA – March 20 has been a special day for the Kazakh citizens as they exercise their right to participation in governing their country. On this day, Sagilya Yessenzholova, chairwoman of the local primary veteran organisation came among the first voters to the polling station number 150 in Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana. A stockbreeder…
Kazakhstan among Top Five Countries with Most Investment from China in 2015
ASTANA – Kazakhstan was among the top five countries that drew the largest Chinese investment in 2015, reported the Xinhua news agency with reference to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. “Last year, an initial stage of the implementation of the One Belt, One Road strategy was launched. The statistics of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce…
Kazakh Plant Announces Readiness to Develop Sea Bottom Mines
ASTANA – A Kazakh plant is ready to launch the production of sea bottom mines at the request of the country’s Armed Forces. The Ziksto company plans to develop and produce four prototypes in the first stage. Sea bottom mines are a kind of sea mines installed on the bottom of the sea, which…
Kazakhstan Embraces ‘Eat Local’ Movement, First Store of Locally Produced Food Opens
ASTANA – Astana Khalyk Markasy (Astana People’s Brand), the first store featuring food only from local manufacturers opened in the capital on March 5. The supermarket provides the items at relatively low prices, approximately 10 percent to 15 percent cheaper compared to other grocery stores, according to Kapital.kz. Distributors from different regions of the…
Award-Winning Big Cities Producers to Create TV Programme Promoting Ethno-Tourism
ASTANA – Big Cities, winners of last year’s Presidential Award for the highest–rated television programme aired on 24KZ, has announced plans to launch a new programme popularising ethno-tourism. Created by Arsha Studio, Big Cities describes socio-economic urban development by featuring reporters travelling to different parts of the country and presenting the results of government initiatives.…
Kazakh Entrepreneurs Use Liquid Nitrogen to Make Ice Cream
Two Almaty businessmen have jumped into the food industry with the idea of making ice cream using liquid nitrogen. Scoopers is the first company in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that produces the treat with organic and natural ingredients. Members of the younger generation of professionals who implement advanced education and cutting-edge technologies, Aslan…
Young Kazakh Entrepreneurs Seek to Save Aport Apple
ALMATY – Two Almaty entrepreneurs are using new media and technology in their quest to restore Kazakhstan’s famous, but threatened, Aport apples. The young businessmen launched an apple orchard with little knowledge but great enthusiasm and have since gained international attention for their work. Andrey Kim, an acquiring manager, and Timur Takabayev, an information systems…
Digital Artists Believe in World without Walls
ALMATY – Invisible Wall, an installation created by the Kazakh duo The 2vvo, was presented at Kuona Trust Gallery in Nairobi last year as part of the Kenyan Art Fair exhibition dedicated to digital art. The interactive light-sound-physical display, coupled with the cultural and social project of the young artists, attracted considerable attention from the…
Graffiti Makes People Smile, Street Artist Says
“Personage,” Almaty artist Darion Shabbash’s newest works, will be on display March 18-20 at the Art Who Art exhibition in Moscow. The plastic portrait series and antique figure paintings embody the author’s idea of the modern image of the person. The talented street artist and graffiti painter’s popularity is growing and her drawings are conquering…
Almaty Gallery Displays Artist-Organised Exhibition of Works from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan
An exhibition featuring paintings, installations, sculptures, graphics and other art objects related to food was held from Dec. 29 to Jan. 9 at the Tengri Umai Contemporary Art Gallery in Almaty. It was arranged as part of the international art project Pirtoy. The event displaying art works of 30 artists from Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan…
Violin Sound Comes from the Heart, Says Ordabek Duissen
Well-known Kazakh musicians Ordabek and Dina Duissen have announced plans to present a concert as the Duissen Duo during the 2016-2017 season in London. An honoured worker of Kazakhstan and laureate of the State Youth Award Daryn, Duissen and his sister, a pianist and laureate of international competitions, have found success on the country’s and…
Music Will Keep Us Alive, Otyrar Sazy Conductor Says
Dinzukhra Tlendiyeva, artistic director and principal conductor of the Otyrar Sazy Orchestra, gives performances on the country’s main stages dedicated to the 90th anniversary of her father, Nurgisa Tlendiyev, a prominent Kazakh composer, People’s Artist of the USSR, state prize laureate and Khalyk Kaharmany (People’s Hero) title holder. There is a Kazakh proverb which notes…
