Articles by Assel Satubaldina

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

ASTANA – Urban Forum Kazakhstan recently gathered experts to discuss the Almaty renovation plan scheduled for next year. The project envisions reconstructing the Esentai and Malaya Almatinka embankments and Dostyk, Gogol, Kazybek Bi, Tole Bi and Zhibek Zholy streets. The meeting included architects, ecologists, businesspersons, sustainable transport experts, urban professionals and specialists focusing on historical…

ASTANA – The National Boxing Championship recently concluded in Aktau, naming the country’s 20 best boxers and forming the national boxing team. Boxers from the Turkestan region won two gold, three silver and two bronze medals, followed by the Mangistau region with one gold, three silver and four bronze and the Zhambyl region with one…

ASTANA – Travelling is a life changing experience. For Almaty native and experienced alpinist Magzhan Sagimbayev, the first Kazakh to travel the world on a solo bicycle trip, it is a natural freedom. Sagimbayev, also project manager at Kazakh Geographic Society, is among the country’s 100 New Faces, representing exemplary individuals throughout the country whose…

ASTANA – “Polish Advocates of Freedom – Saint John Paul II and Blessed Father Władysław Bukowiński,” a photo exhibition recently opened in the capital, pays tribute to two significant religious figures both in their historical homeland Poland and in the world. “We brought 12 stands; of those, 10 are devoted to St. John Paul II…

ASTANA – The Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) region demonstrated a dynamic and remarkable 4.1-percent economic growth in 2017 over the 2.5-percent increase in 2016 and the latest Regional Economic Outlook for the CCA released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts growth to stabilise at 4 percent in 2018-2019 and approximately 4.1 percent in…

ASTANA – Astana Club, a platform to debate public issues based on Chatham House rules, kicked off its fourth annual meeting Nov. 12. The meeting focused on challenges facing the Eurasian region and the building of Eurasian strategic architecture. The meeting gathered 50 leading experts, politicians and diplomats from 33 countries. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are studying the possibility of creating a joint oil and gas enterprise, said Kazakh Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev and Azerbaijani Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov during their meeting in Astana. “We are now considering the opportunity of setting up a joint enterprise in the oil and gas industry because…

ASTANA – Investments in housing construction have grown 31.5 percent compared to 2017, reaching 818.9 billion tenge (US$2.2 billion), reported Kazakh Minister for Investments and Development Zhenis Kassymbek. Increased construction financing by private developers (53 percent) and the population (43.2 percent) underpinned the growth. “Per one tenge of state investments, there are eight tenge of…

ASTANA – Five young and successful Kazakh women won a TechWomen seed grant for their Uki.kz project. The award ceremony at Twitter headquarters in San Francisco concluded an intensive five-week programme meant to empower and support emerging women leaders in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). The Kazakh team included Zhanargul Izimova, Sberbank retail managing…

ASTANA – Kazakh athlete Abzal Azhgaliyev finished second in the 500 metres at the season-opening World Cup Short Track Nov. 2-4 in Calgary, Canada. Finishing the race in 40.136 seconds, Azhgaliyev placed second after Wu Dajing, China’s 24-year-old champion and gold medal winner at the Winter Olympics in South Korea, whose result was 39.915 seconds.…

ASTANA – Kazakh developers Timur Ryspekov, Vladislav Polonski and Anastasiya Kletscheva won Best Use of Hardware award at the recent Space Apps Challenge competition finals organised by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in New York. This year’s competition brought 25,000 participants from more than 70 countries. The Space App Challenge is an international 48-hour…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s employment and mass entrepreneurship programme seeks to recruit 571,000 citizens through state support mechanisms by the end of 2018, said Kazakh Minister of Labour and Social Protection Madina Abylkassymova. The programme primarily seeks to improve the qualifications of the labour force, develop mass entrepreneurship and involve the self-employed and unemployed population in the…

ASTANA – The city hosted the Smart Service hackathon Oct. 27-28, where 160 participants had the chance to suggest their solutions to make the capital more innovative, attractive and comfortable. The teams had 48 hours to develop a product that would meet the city’s needs as tasked by Astana Innovations and its partners, including ARTA…

ASTANA – Astana welcomed German and Kazakh businesses, representatives of governments and specialists for the conference, Kazakhstan and Germany: Partners in Building Sustainable Agriculture, Oct. 26 in Astana. They discussed increasing competitiveness in agriculture, sustainable agriculture, point farming, digitisation, logistics and research. “The huge work is being carried out in these areas in Kazakh agriculture,”…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan has given birth to many talents, one of whom is Ivan Gusev, the Karaganda-born pianist currently residing in the United States and performing concert programmes on its world-famous stages. Born in 1988, his family moved to Korolev in the Moscow region in Russia when he was four years old. His passion for…

ASTANA – The volume of foreign directed investments injected in the Kazakh economy rose by 15.4 percent in six months, Minister for Investments and Development Zhenis Kassymbek reported Oct. 23. The figure is estimated at $12.3 billion compared to $10.5 billion during the same period in 2017. Kazakhstan tops Central Asian countries in terms of…

ASTANA – Meet & Sketch, which seeks to enrich art life in the capital, provides Kazakh urbanites with a great opportunity to hone their drawing skills while joining like-minded people from different backgrounds. Mirra Kotovskaya, a capital native working as a graphic designer and illustrator, established the community in August. She was inspired by open…

ASTANA – Sixty-six gas wells will be drilled at the Tengiz field as part of the $5 billion North East Ring Project (NERP), said Union of Kazakhstan Oilfield Service Companies Chair Rashid Zhaksylykov at an Oct. 10 press conference. Tengiz is Kazakhstan’s major oil and gas field operated by the Chevron-led joint venture Tengizchevroil. “It…

ASTANA – The Sixth Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions kicked off Oct. 10 in Astana gathering more than 80 delegations, representatives of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism, representatives of religious and public organisations and high-level officials, including President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, who was on his official visit to…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will allocate 280 billion tenge (US$762.8 million) to build 52 schools across the country, said Deputy Minister of Education Bibigul Asylova during the meeting of the commission reviewing National Fund budget spending on the Nurly Zhol infrastructure development programme for 2015-2019. President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced the programme in 2014 as a way…