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…
Information about Almaty reconstruction plan is insufficient to draw conclusions, say experts
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…
Kazakh national boxing team selected after championships in Aktau
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…
Travelling is natural freedom, says bicyclist and alpinist Magzhan Sagimbayev
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 photo exhibition commemorates St. John Paul II, Władysław Bukowiński
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…
Latest IMF report highlights need for reform in Central Asia and Caucasus
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…
Geopolitical rivalry, terrorism among threats facing Eurasia, Nazarbayev tells Astana Club
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…
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan plan joint oil and gas venture
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…
Kazakh housing construction investments surge 31.5 percent, exceed $2 billion
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…
