Articles by Dana Omirgazy

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is undertaking major political steps to strengthen the country’s position in the world and become an ever-better model of peace and friendship. The deep religious commitment of tolerant, generous people can help maintain harmony and mutual understanding between all of Kazakhstan’s people and, indeed, all people, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of…

ASTANA – Approximately 22,000 tonnes of uranium, representing an 8-percent decrease, will be extracted this year compared to a 25-percent increase in gold production, according to the research and knowledge management department of Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund, reported abctv.kz. “In 2016, nearly 24,000 tonnes of uranium were produced in Kazakhstan, 1.7 percent more compared…

ASTANA – The “Kazakhstan and the United Nations: Interaction for Peace” exhibition has opened in the Museum of the Library of the First President of Kazakhstan to mark the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s accession to the UN and the beginning of the country’s activity as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. The exhibition…

ASTANA – KAZGUU University (Kazakh Humanities and Law Institute) allocates 80 million tenge (US$251,440) every year for tuition fee concessions, educational grants and scholarships for gifted students who have demonstrated good academic results. “The KAZGUU Endowment Corporate Fund was created in 2016 to support talented students offering young people, including those from socially vulnerable families,…

ASTANA – Over 25 years of diplomatic ties, Kazakhstan and Finland’s strong and peaceful relationship has grown more intense, Finnish Ambassador to Kazakhstan Ilkka Raisanen said in a March 7 interview with The Astana Times. “We have many exchanges at different levels based on good relations that our Presidents have. President Nursultan Nazarbayev has been…

ASTANA – BRK Leasing, a subsidiary of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK), has begun financing construction of the Turgusun hydroelectric power plant on the Turgusun River in the East Kazakhstan region, reported forbes.kz. The project will cost more than 11.6 billion tenge (US$36.49 million), including 3.6 billion tenge (US$11.33 million) provided by BRK Leasing…

ASTANA – Central Asia is a historically important region comprised of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, the north-western part of China and some regions of the Russian Federation are also designated as part of the Central Asian region. Geographically it is located between Europe and Asia, rapidly-developing China with a population of almost…

ASTANA – A young and aspiring Nazarbayev University student is set to open a social café paving the way out of isolation for people with mental health challenges. The new project, created by 20-year-old Maulen Akhmetov, aims at recruiting people with mental disorders, promoting charity and spreading social awareness among youth and understanding and respect…

ASTANA – The “UltiO” short film directed by promising filmmaker Dias Azimzhanov has been accepted to the Cannes Short Film Corner, according to the Bolashak Association website. The psychological drama with elements of mysticism describes complicated relations between spouses, parents and children. “Submitting the film to the Cannes Festival Short Film Corner gives the right…

ASTANA – Forex Club information and analysis centre head Nikolai Ivchenko has advised citizens to invest funds intelligently when purchasing national companies’ shares at initial public offerings (IPOs), specifically, not to spend all their money on one particular company no matter how stable they are. “It is hard to talk about issuers; we need to…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with non-governmental organisations and the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, has developed a draft law “On introducing amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences,” Justice Minister Marat Beketayev announced at a Feb. 10 enlarged board meeting devoted to the results of 2016 and priorities for 2017.…

ASTANA – Kaznex Invest national export and investment agency and leading global strategic management consulting firm McKinsey & Company have determined the four most attractive sectors for foreign investors in short and medium terms, said Kaznex Invest Chairperson Borisbiy Zhangurazov on his Facebook page Feb. 10. The areas are food manufacturing, the chemical industry, machinery…

ASTANA – The Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon for the first time this year on Feb. 11. According to Associate Professor of Astronomy at Kozybayev North Kazakhstan State University Andrei Solodovnik, the February eclipse is of the penumbral type, which is very difficult to detect, tengrinews.kz reports. “Lunar eclipses are among…

ASTANA – Tourism officials discussed ways to boost domestic tourism, including promoting nomadic tourism, environmental tourism and working in conjunction with the government, during a Feb. 1 tourism development meeting. “These two types of tourism (nomadic and environmental tourism) need more support from the state, although they are among the most popular and promising trends…

ASTANA – Astana Opera will premiere their production of “Kyz Zhibek” by Yevgeny Brusilovsky Feb. 10-11, the theatre has announced. After “Kyz Zhibek” was released as a film in 1970, the legend of love between two young hearts became widely known. But the tale, preserved in a folk poem about a Kazakh girl, was first…

ASTANA – Forty-five-year old Umarzhan Urakhunov returned to Kazakhstan Jan. 24 after an epic round-the-world tour lasting five months. The Almaty resident set a goal to set foot on all seven continents and visit African tribes, having only three visas and knowing nothing of foreign languages.  The Astana Times interviewed the enthusiastic traveller about his…

ASTANA – The inflow of direct Chinese investment in the economy of Kazakhstan amounted to $623.9 million between January and September last year, seven times higher than in 2015, finprom.kz reports. However, the reverse trade activity continues to fall. Gross outflows from Kazakhstan to China decreased 3 percent to $41.1 million in the reporting period.…

ASTANA – The Light Industry Enterprises Association has released its first collection of clothing for people with special needs in partnership with the Ministry of Healthcare as part of the Adaptive Clothing and Shoes project. “Prior to the designing and production of clothes, we conducted a survey among people with limited abilities to determine their…

ASTANA – Two days of international talks in Astana to extend the cease-fire in Syria brokered Dec. 29 by Russia and Turkey opened Jan. 23. The talks are expected to pave the way for Feb. 8 negotiations in Geneva under the UN auspices. Monday’s meeting is the largest gathering to date in terms of parties…

ASTANA – Amendments to migration legislation on citizens’ temporary registration entered into force this month in Kazakhstan, evoking disputes among the population all over the country. New rules are supposed to tighten laws against terrorism. According to Galina Sarsenova, deputy head of the Migration Police Department, the absence of registration may result in the issuing…

ASTANA – Nordic Walking, started in Finland, is drawing attention as a sport suitable for people of all ages who enjoy being outdoors. Three years ago, Almaty resident Maxim Proshchenko founded Eurasia, a Nordic Walking school certified by Nordic Walking International (NWI) headquartered in Germany. The school currently has instructors in the Kazakh capital, Karaganda,…

ASTANA – Investment in Kazakh agriculture increased 50 percent in 2016 totalling 228 billion tenge (US$686.96 million) compared to 148 billion tenge (US$445.92 million) a year earlier. According to General Manager of Assets of the Inspection Department at KazAgroFinance Tuleugazy Seisenov, the state constantly allocates significant funds to support agriculture. The government subsidises projects, provides…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Defence recently reported on the results of the Autumn 2016 Recruiting Campaign, which was distinguished by a qualitative growth in conscripts. The young recruits underwent examinations in several areas. In particular, attention was focused on the health, mental and emotional readiness of young soldiers and level of their education.…

ASTANA – When life gets rough, people need some motivation to keep up with their goals. Twenty-seven-year-old screenwriter and director Turar Davilbekov is going to bring some of that motivation into Kazakh cinematography releasing his first full-length film “Bystree Sebya” (Faster than Myself) about perseverance and willpower. The Astana Times interviewed the young creative from…

ASTANA – Twenty-nine-year-old Almaty resident Gleb Ponomaryov recently released a dombra cover and video of Metallica’s “Battery,” which has sparked a great interest among internet users gaining almost 40,000 views in a few days. “As an old fan of the Metallica band, I always wanted to do a cover of one of their songs. I…