Young Kazakh Football Talent to Join London’s Chelsea in Record Transfer
ASTANA – Almaty’s Kairat football team confirmed the transfer of 16-year-old forward Dastan Satpayev to London’s Chelsea Football Club on Feb. 10. He will move to London in the summer of 2026 when he turns 18. Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that the transfer fee, including bonuses, reached four million euros (US$4.1 million), a…
Kazakhstan Reaches Progress in Transparency International’s 2024 Index
ASTANA – Kazakhstan improved its ranking in Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), climbing five spots to 88th place among 180 countries. The country scored 40 points, marking a historic high due to comprehensive measures to combat corruption. The global average score was 43, while in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region (19…
Coventry University Branch Graduates Can Earn British Diplomas in Kazakhstan
ASTANA – Graduates of Coventry University’s branch in Astana, which opened this academic year, can now receive a British diploma without leaving Kazakhstan. Deputy Prime Minister Tamara Duissenova met with Coventry University Group Vice-Chancellor and CEO John Latham on Feb. 11 to discuss training highly qualified professionals to meet labor market demands. According to the…
Kazakhstan Intends to Join Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has expressed its intention to join the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), as announced by Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev at the AI Action Summit in Paris on Feb. 10-11, reported the ministry’s press service. GPAI is an international initiative that promotes the responsible development of…
Kazakhstan’s Freestyle Acrobatics Team Wins Historic Gold at 2025 Asian Winter Games
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s men’s freestyle acrobatics team secured a historic gold medal on Feb. 11 at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin. Sherzod Khashirbayev and Roman Ivanov became the best in synchronized jumps, surpassing two strong Chinese teams, reported the National Olympic Committee (NOC). “For the first time in Kazakhstan’s history, freestyle acrobatics athletes…
Kazakhstan Plans Stricter Penalties for Illegal Archaeology
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is set to toughen penalties for illegal archaeology and introduce stricter regulations in the field. The corresponding project has been developed and is currently under consideration in the Mazhilis, a lower house of Parliament, Finprom.kz reported on Feb. 5. Scientists and archaeologists have spoken about the need for a tougher approach to…
VAT Rate Should Be Differentiated, Says President Tokayev
ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government further to study the value-added tax (VAT) rate issue, stating that it should be differentiated. According to Akorda, speaking at a meeting with domestic business representatives on Feb. 7, Tokayev stressed that any changes must be based on a comprehensive analysis and a well-thought-out strategy. He emphasized…
Kazakhstan Secures Investment Deals Worth Nearly $5.8 Billion in 2024
ASTANA – Kazakhstan concluded more than 100 investment contracts totaling approximately three trillion tenge (US$5.8 billion) last year, First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said during an investment forum on Feb. 7 in Astana, reported Kazinform. According to Sklyar, Kazakhstan ranks among the world’s top 50 leaders in foreign direct investment (FDI) and attracts over…
Tourist Numbers from China to Kazakhstan Surge 78% in 2024
ASTANA – Kazakhstan welcomed 655,000 Chinese tourists in 2024, a 78% increase from the previous year, Nurtas Karipbayev, the chairman of the Tourism Industry Committee of the Kazakh Tourism and Sports Ministry, said at a Feb. 6 press conference in the Central Communications Service (CCS). During the official visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to China,…
Kazakhstan Conducts 100th Donor Heart Transplant
ASTANA — The University Medical Center (UMC) Heart Center medical team successfully performed the 100th donor heart transplant in Kazakhstan on Feb. 4, according to the UMC’s press service. The donor, a 62-year-old man from the North Kazakhstan Region, was confirmed with brain death due to a stroke. His family agreed to donate his organs,…
Kazakhstan Provides Multilingual Information System for Tourist Safety
ASTANA – Foreign travelers arriving in Kazakhstan will now receive a special card with a QR code linking to the SafeTravel.kz multilingual website, the Interior Ministry reported on Feb. 5. The initiative aims to improve tourist safety and convenience. The first QR-coded cards have already been given to foreign nationals at the international airport in…
Kazakhstan Sets Priorities for Economic Cooperation Organization Chairmanship
ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev outlined Kazakhstan’s priorities as chair of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) during the first ECO High-Level Committee meeting on Feb. 3 in Tehran, reported the ministry’s press service. According to Bakayev, the key focus is on transport and logistics connectivity, trade, technological interaction, institutional development of the…
Kazakhstan to Provide 100% Mobile Internet Coverage on Roads by 2027
ASTANA — Under the Accessible Internet project, Kazakhstan will provide mobile internet access on all national and regional roads by 2027, Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry Zhaslan Madiyev said at a Feb. 4 government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. According to the Prime Minister’s press service, Madiyev reported ongoing work…
Preliminary Report on AZAL Crash Reveals Sonic Boom, Mid-Air Failures
ASTANA — Flight data from the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer-190 crash near Aktau last December indicate a sonic boom at 05:13:31, followed by an autopilot and throttle disconnect alarm, according to a preliminary report by the Kazakh Ministry of Transport, published on Feb. 4. One second later, the aircraft lost its primary control systems. By…
Dimash Qudaibergen’s “Smoke” Hits American Music Charts
ASTANA – Dimash Qudaibergen’s song “Smoke” climbed the United States (U.S.) music charts, reaching 32nd place on the iTunes Top 100 on Jan. 30, reported Dimashnews.com. The song also entered Amazon’s Top 10 in the Best Sellers in Songs category and claimed the first spot in Best Sellers in Pop. “Smoke,” released on April 26,…
Kazakhstan’s Tech Hub Matches US, China in Billion-Dollar Startups
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has created a tech ecosystem that is generating $1 billion and even $10 billion startups at a pace comparable to leading global ecosystems in the United States (U.S.) and China, said Yoram Wijngaarde, the founder and CEO of Dealroom.co, during the Digital Almaty 2025 forum held from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1.…
Kazakhstan Explores Satellite Systems to Enhance Internet Connectivity
ASTANA – Top global experts at the Digital Almaty forum, held from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, discussed how non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communication systems could help bridge the digital divide, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry. NGSO systems can significantly increase the availability of…
Kazakhstan Introduces National Day for Tazy and Tobet Dog Breeds
ASTANA – The Kazakh Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources issued a resolution to designate Sept. 3 as the Day of Kazakh Dog Breeds – Tazy and Tobet. “Tazy and Tobet are original Kazakh breeds, the pride of the Kazakh people, one of the seven treasures of Zheti Kazyna. Tazy dogs are irreplaceable hunting companions,…
Qazaqstan Halqyna Fund Provides $354.1 Million in Charitable Aid
ASTANA – The Qazaqstan Halqyna Fund (to the people of Kazakhstan) has provided 186 billion tenge ($354.1 million) in charitable assistance since its establishment three years ago, former chairman Bolat Zhamishev said at a Jan. 29 press conference in the Central Communications Service (CCS). Zhamishev, who led the fund since January 2022, stepped down from…
Kazakhstan to Use $8.7 Million in Recovered Assets to Build First-Aid Station in Aktau
ASTANA – The Kazakh government has allocated 4.6 billion tenge (US$8.7 million) from the Special State Fund to build a regional first-aid station in Aktau city at the expense of illegally withdrawn assets returned to the state, the Prime Minister’s press service reported on Feb. 1. The 2.6-hectare facility will be capable of handling 100,000…
Kazakh Oil Price Stands at $79.87 per Barrel
ASTANA – The price of Kazakh oil has reached $79.87 per barrel, Kazinform reported on Jan. 30. Meanwhile, Brent crude oil has been declining for five consecutive days. Since Jan. 24, its price on the London International Exchange (ICE Futures) has dropped from $78.85 to $75.42 per barrel as of 12 p.m. Astana time. Market…
Kazakhstan to Receive 11 Billion Cubic Meters of Water This Spring
ASTANA — Kazakhstan will receive 11 billion cubic meters of water by April, following agreements with Central Asian countries, as Kazakh Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov agreed at the 88th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia on Jan. 29 in Dushanbe. According to the ministry’s press service,…
Kazakhstan to Build First Nuclear Power Plant Within Eight Years
ASTANA – Kazakhstan is working to accelerate the construction of its first nuclear power plant (NPP), aiming to complete the first unit within eight years, Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev said at a briefing on Jan. 29, reported Kazinform. Nuclear power plant This follows President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s instructions to speed up the project amid the country’s…
University Medical Center Transforms Lives Through Transplant Procedures
ASTANA — The University Medical Center (UMC) in Astana continues transforming lives through advanced transplant procedures, performing miracles for patients with severe conditions. Little hero becomes a bone marrow donor for his sister A six-year-old Bogdan became a donor for his younger sister Arina, a patient at the UMC’s Mother and Child Center. Arina was…
Digital Almaty Forum to Host Plenary Session of EAEU Prime Ministers
ASTANA — The Digital Almaty 2025 forum, scheduled for Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, will feature a plenary session of the Prime Ministers of the Eurasian Economic Union countries, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Iran, as well as the heads of the Eurasian Economic Commission. According to the press…
