FemAgora festival encourages Almaty community to explore gender equality
ASTANA – As the world celebrated March 8 International Women’s Day, the Almaty community had a chance to explore and promote gender equality through the prism of art, media, health, science, cinema, economics and politics during the week-long FemAgora festival. The event was designed to show different examples of women sharing their success stories and…
Kazakh national social insurance fund accumulates $3.7 billion, envisions changes
ASTANA – As of January, the National Social Insurance Fund has accumulated 1.4 trillion tenge (US$3.7 billion) and is reaching 6.126 million citizens, or 70.3 percent of the country’s working population, said Vice Minister of Labour and Social Protection Svetlana Zhakupova at the recent discussion by the Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) of the mandatory…
Nurly Zhol finishes first phase, as second phase to be presented in March
ASTANA –The first phase of the 2015-2019 Nurly Zhol programme, designed to upgrade infrastructure build-up throughout the country, will be completed this year. The plan for the second phase will be presented in March. The programme received 791 billion tenge (US$2.1 billion) in 2018, including 437.2 billion (US$1.16 billion) from the national budget. The funding…
Norwegian embarks on solo crossing of Balkhash Lake for first time in Kazakh history
ASTANA – Using skis and ice skates, Norwegian William Byholt is in the midst of crossing Balkhash Lake in central Kazakhstan for the first time in the nation’s history. The solo expedition, supported by the Kazakh Geographic Society, started Feb. 20 and is expected to take 20-23 days, said Kazakh Geographic Society project manager Magzhan…
Dimash, Daneliya advance to next stage of CBS’ ‘The World’s Best’
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s rising singing stars Dimash Kudaibergen and Daneliya Tuleshova advanced to the next round in the latest episode of “The World’s Best,” the global talent competition show that premiered Feb. 3 on CBS. Kudaibergen and Tuleshova are among 24 contestants. The latest episode, which aired Feb. 20, saw them compete in the first…
Japanese spring festival celebrates Japanese, Kazakh culture in Astana
ASTANA – Capital residents will have a chance to get acquainted with Japanese traditional music and classics, as the Japanese Spring Festival comes to the city Feb. 27 for its eleventh edition this year. The Organ Hall of the Kazakh National University of Arts will host the concert. The concert will feature the performance of…
Kazakhstan has two and a half million hectares of unused agricultural land
ASTANA – Kazakhstan, the ninth largest country by area in the world, has two and a half million hectares of unused land. Measures taken recently by the Ministry of Agriculture found 388,000 hectares in use and 804,000 returned to the state. The remaining 1.4 million hectares will be returned to the country through legal proceedings.…
Kazakh clock-in, clock-out automation service start-up plans expanding to Southeast Asia
ASTANA – Kazakh start-up Clockster, a clock-in, clock-out automation service powered by biometric identification, seeks to expand to Southeast Asia after selling four devices to SubicWorx in the Philippines, said CEO Yerzhan Ryskaliyev in an interview with The Astana Times. Kazakhstan is well known for its abundant natural resources, but is far less known for…
Kazakhtelecom, Air Astana to be listed as IPOs in 2019
ASTANA – Kazakh national telecom operator Kazakhtelecom and national airline Air Astana will be listed as IPOs this year, Minister of Finance Alikhan Smailov said at a Feb. 11 press conference. “In 2019, we plan to list two Samruk Kazyna [Sovereign Wealth Fund] companies through IPOs. These are Kazakhtelecom and Air Astana. In 2020, the…
Kazakhstan launches Qazaq Epos contest to promote folk culture among youth
ASTANA – Kazakhstan will launch the Qazaq Epos project to encourage school students’ spiritual development through the prism of the nation’s rich ethno and philosophical legacy in folk eposes. The competition is open to sixth-tenth graders throughout the country. Participants must recite “Kobylandy Batyr,” a 107-page epos, by heart; explain the meaning of different archaisms…
National Museum in Astana presents world-famous art masterpieces
ASTANA – The National Museum of Kazakhstan unveiled the “Old and New, Great and Unique” exhibition, displaying some of the world’s most prominent art pieces. Among 45 exhibits are the works of Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Albrecht Dürer, Marc Chagall, Joan Miro and Pierre Auguste Renoir. Work of well-known Kazakh artists is also on display,…
Turkestan region plans development of 188 settlements
ASTANA – The newly established Turkestan region plans to create 188 development plans for settlements in the region, said Turkestan Region Architecture and Urban Planning Department Head Baktybai Duisebekov. The Turkestan region is the youngest among the nation’s 14 regions. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev declared the establishment of the new region in June 2018. The…
Kazakhstan’s 7-20-25 affordable housing programme grants $137 million in loans
ASTANA – The Kazakh 7-20-25 affordable housing programme has approved 4,350 applications for 52 billion tenge (US137.2 million) since its launch in July, said Kazakh National Bank Chairman Daniyar Akishev at the Jan. 22 government meeting. The programme is among the Five Social Initiatives announced by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in March 2018. They also cover…
Kazakh alpinist leads expedition to climb K2
ASTANA – A seven-man expedition led by experienced Kazakh alpinist Vassiliy Pivtsov has set out from Askole, a Pakistani village near the city of Skardu, to climb K2. Located in the same country, the world’s second highest mountain after Mount Everest rises 8,611 metres above sea level. The expedition will last 60 days. The expedition includes…
Kazakh government makes strides in e-government development, plans further services
ASTANA – Kazakhstan does not plan to lag behind in the global digitisation trend and the Kazakh government is taking an active approach to developing electronic government services, planning to digitise 90 percent of those by 2020. The United Nations E-Government Survey in 2018 examined how digital technologies affect public services across its member states,…
Kazakh colleges now offer distance learning bachelor’s degrees
ASTANA – Students studying in Kazakh universities are now able to receive bachelor’s degrees with 100 percent of their credits received through distance learning. “There will be a completely different system. Currently, to receive a certain bachelor’s degree, students are required to complete a programme totalling 7,000 hours. Earlier, students studying off campus completed only…
Kazakh junior hockey team wins hearts at World Juniors, retains spot in top division
ASTANA – The Kazakh junior hockey team retained its place in the top division at World Juniors after defeating Denmark 4-0 Jan. 4 in Vancouver, Canada. Team captain Sayan Daniyar and David Makutskiy scored first-period goals and Artur Gatiyatov scored a pair of empty-net goals during the last minutes of the game. The loss relegated…
Kazakh government to increase irrigated land area to 3.5 million hectares
ASTANA – The Kazakh government plans to increase the nation’s irrigated land area from the current 7 percent to 16 percent by 2028, said First Vice Minister of Agriculture Arman Yevniyev at a recent government meeting. The plan is to put back into operation 600,000 hectares of irrigated land and add an additional 1.5 million…
Kazakh animator and graphic designer creates art with purpose
ASTANA – Kazakh animator and graphic designer Erden Zikibay tries to amalgamate culture, history and politics to create art with purpose. An Almaty native, graduate of George Mason University and former instructor at Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts, Zikibay has vast experience in graphic design and animation. His works, including static art, animations and…
Kazakh boxer Kanat Islam to return to ring in March
ASTANA – Prominent Kazakh boxer Kanat Islam (25-0, 20 knockouts) will return to ring in March next year. Islam is an ethnic Kazakh born in Xinjiang, China, where he started his boxing career as an amateur in 1997. He won bronze medals at the Summer Olympics in 2004 and 2008, at the Asian Games in…
Mangistau region: land of 362 saints and historical monuments
ASTANA – The Mangistau region, located in south western Kazakhstan, is known for a myriad of historical sites. Though the region is better known for its vast oil and gas onshore and offshore reserves, it is also known among locals as the land of 362 saints attracting pilgrims. Located east of the Caspian Sea, bordering…
TEDxAbayStWomen, TEDxYouth@AbaySt promote openness, provoke conversation that matters
ASTANA – Almaty residents and guests will have a chance to immerse in the TED Talk experience, famous for its “ideas worth spreading” mission, as the city will host TEDxAbayStWomen Dec. 2. The day will present speakers an opportunity to share unique stories and ideas about the role of women and girls in Kazakhstan, their…
Fab Lab at Nazarbayev University promotes material innovation, tech savvy
ASTANA – Nazarbayev University’s Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory), is a place where innovative solutions are nurtured with the help of engineering and fabrications tools. The lab, part of the Nazarbayev University Research and Innovation System cluster, is intended to contribute to the innovative and technical potential of the country, Fab Lab manager Asselya Bizhanova told…
New Turkestan Oblast, beaming with opportunities, set for remarkable growth, governor says
In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Akim (Governor) of the recently created Turkestan Oblast Zhanseit Tuimebayev discusses the significance of the step and the impressive prospects for the development of a strategically located region known for its cultural heritage, density of population, economic potential and entrepreneurial spirit. What is the vision for developing the region…
Zhurekten Zhurekke charity fund founder among Kazakhstan’s 100 New Faces
ASTANA – The Zhurekten Zhurekke (From Heart to Heart) charity fund promotes charitable culture in Atyrau and beyond by helping children diagnosed with severe diseases, people with disabilities and low-income families. Founder Aigerim Doskaliyeva is among the country’s 100 New Faces. The project includes 102 exemplary individuals from around the country, whose sustained efforts could…
