E-Commerce in Kazakhstan Expands with Access to Global Online Retail Markets
NUR-SULTAN – The pandemic has accelerated the growth in the e-commerce market globally. In Kazakhstan, the share of e-commerce in retail trade exceeded 1.1 trillion tenge (US$2.5 billion) and reached 9.7 percent of the total retail turnover or 11.6 trillion tenge (US$27 billion) in 2020, according to the PrimeMinister.kz. The number of online shoppers increased…
President Tokayev Meets with National Paralympic Team Ahead of Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo
NUR-SULTAN – Twenty-five Kazakh athletes from seven sporting events will take part in the 16th Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo on Aug. 24 and Sept. 5. This was announced during the meeting of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with athletes at the Akorda on July 29. This is a record number of participants in the history of…
A Plant in Zhambyl Region Produces First Batch of QazVac Vaccine
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh vaccine QazVac (QazCovid-in) will be produced at the biopharmaceutical plant in the Zhambyl region, reported Healthcare Minister Alexey Tsoy at the July 28 Central Communications Service briefing. The plant has already produced 600,000 doses, which are undergoing safety checks. “Some 100,000 doses of QazVac vaccines are being delivered to the regions…
Kazakh Actor Yerkebulan Daiyrov Wins Best Asian Actor at Cannes Film Award
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan actor Yerkebulan Daiyrov won the Best Asian Actor award for his role in the “Sunflower” movie at the 2021 Cannes Film Award, reported the press service of the festival on July 18. “I am currently on set. I learned about the good news from Instagram. I did not believe it at first.…
Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova Dubbed the “Princess of the Olympic Games” By Fans
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh track and field athlete and flag-bearer Olga Rypakova amazed the viewers of the 2020 Summer Olympics (Tokyo 2020) opening ceremony on July 23. With her stunning hand-embroidered outfit and charming personality, she was recognized as the main stand-out character at the ceremony. International fans from Japan, Korea, China, and other countries left…
Kazakh Government Tightens Restrictions in High-Risk Red Zone Regions
StaffNUR-SULTAN – The state commission working to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection decided to tighten restrictions in the cities of Nur-Sultan and Shymkent, as well as Karaganda and Atyrau regions that are currently in the high-risk red zone, the commission announced during their meeting on Wednesday. The four regions account for 55 percent…
Almaty Region to Attract Nearly $2 Billion of Investments in 2021
NUR-SULTAN – The Almaty Region, one of the largest in the country, is developing dynamically. The region plans to attract 811 billion tenge (US$1.8 billion) in investments in 2021, said Almaty Region Deputy Akim (Governor) Zhenis Tuyakov in an interview with The Astana Times. “The amount of attracted investments increases annually. Over the past five…
Kazakh Filmmaker Wins Best Women Director Award at Rainbow Film Festival in London
NUR-SULTAN – Sharipa Urazbayeva won the Best Woman Director award for her film “Mariam” at the 22nd Rainbow Film Festival in London on July 14, reported the press service of the festival. “Mariam” is Urazbayeva’s directorial debut in full-feature films. It tells the story of Mariam, played by Meruert Sabbusinova, a Kazakh woman living with…
Mortgage Services, Registration Now Accessible Online in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – Mortgage services are now available in the real estate government database online in Kazakhstan. This was announced in July by Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovations and Space Industry Bagdat Mussin. People now can apply for a mortgage online without going to the banks and collecting documents offline. The project has been launched…
Astana Opera House to Stage Verdi’s opera “Aida” on July 11-12 to Mark its Eighth Theater Season
NUR-SULTAN – The Astana Opera House will present Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Aida” on July 11-12 to close its eighth theater season, according to the theater’s press service. The opera features Sayan Isin, a soloist from Kyrgyzstan, who will perform Radamès and Badral Chuluunbaatar, a baritone from Mongolia, who plays Amonasro. Astana Opera’s leading soloist Zhupar…
Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Senate Elected Vice-President of OSCE PA
NUR-SULTAN – Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Askar Shakirov has been elected Vice-President of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA). This was announced at the closing plenary of the OSCE PA’s 2021 Remote Session, which included several days of debates, reports and speeches, on…
Kazakh National Museum Opens Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh National Museum in Nur-Sultan opened on June 29 the new Intangible Cultural Heritage hall dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Kazakh Independence and the upcoming Capital Day, reported the press service of the museum. The hall is dedicated to the preservation of the intangible cultural heritage of Kazakhstan. The museum seeks…
Kazakh President Meets with Members of National Olympic Team
NUR-SULTAN – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part in the July 2 meeting with the members of the National Olympic team ahead of the upcoming 2020 summer Olympic Games in Japan. Some athletes participated in the meeting virtually from the Akbulak training camp in the Almaty region. Tokayev noted that it is a great honor and…
Rural Elections to be Held on July 25 in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – The elections of more than 700 rural akims (governors) will be held nationwide on July 25, reported Aide to the Kazakh President Erlan Karin. “In a number of regions, the dates for elections have been determined. The elections of remaining akims of rural districts will be held after the expiration of their terms…
Atyrau Region Implements Major Oil and Gas Projects to Attract More Investments
NUR-SULTAN – The Atyrau region is one of the largest industrial regions of Kazakhstan. The region’s economy now accounts for more than 10 percent of the national gross domestic product. Approximately 30 percent of investments attracted to the country come from this region. The share of Atyrau in total industrial output of Kazakhstan has reached…
Kazakhstan Ranks 13th among Countries of Asia-Pacific Region in Global Fintech Index Rankings Report
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan ranks 13th among the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and 66th in the overall rating among 83 countries in the Global Fintech Index Rankings Report, reported the press service of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC). Kazakhstan has entered the ratings for the first time. The authors of the report titled “Bridging…
Reform Processes Continue in Kazakhstan Despite Pandemic, Says Expert
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan has managed to minimize the negative impact of the pandemic, said Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Kazakhstan Council on International Relations Erlan Karin during the May 20 meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Kazan. Despite the pandemic outbreak, the first package of political reforms, which was…
New Law on Elections Aims to Engage Kazakh Citizens in Political Institutions, Experts Say
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev signed “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts on Election Issues of Kazakhstan” into law on May 25, reports the Akorda Press. According to political experts, the new law, which among other things sets up an electoral system of rural akims (heads of regional districts), serves as…
Humanitarian Aid from Kazakhstan Arrives in Kyrgyzstan
NUR-SULTAN – The first batch of humanitarian aid from Kazakhstan arrived on May 18 in Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The humanitarian aid consisting of 4,500 tons of flour was delivered in compliance with the sanitary and epidemiological standards. Kyrgyzstan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water…
Gennady Golovkin Beats Out Legendary Muhammad Ali on Top Boxer’s List
NUR-SULTAN – The Boxrec website dedicated to holding records of professional and amateur boxers has compiled a list of the best boxers of all time. Pound for pound (regardless of weight category) American Floyd Mayweather Jr. is recognized as the best in the history of boxing. Second place belongs to Ezzard Charles. And in third…
Altyn Emel and Charyn Canyon National Parks Will Emphasize National Historic Heritage
NUR-SULTAN – The tourism in the Altyn Emel National Park and Charyn Canyon National Park in the Almaty region will be developed with an emphasis on the historical heritage of the region. This was announced at the presentation of the project for the national parks’ development on May 11, reported the press service of the…
Humanitarian Cargos From Kazakhstan Arrive in India
NUR-SULTAN – Two Kazakh aircrafts with emergency humanitarian assistance arrived on May 14 in India’s New Delhi, reported the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On May 7, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government to dispatch medical masks, respirators, anti-plague suits, and portable artificial lung ventilation devices from Kazakh manufacturers in…
Coal Processing Plant Opens in Karaganda Region
NUR-SULTAN – The Qaz Carbon company launched a processing plant producing high-quality low-ash coal on May 11 in the Karaganda region, according to the press service of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. The plant’s capacity is 300 tons of coal per hour or two million tons per year. Some 110 new jobs have already been…
First President Nazarbayev Pays Visit to Turkistan
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev took part in the opening ceremony of the memorial to the Kazakh Khanate (15th-19th century) as part of his visit to Turkistan on May 11, reported the press service of the First President’s office. The monument is laid in memory of the founders of the Kazakh Khanate. “We…
East Kazakhstan Region Observes Growth Rates Due to Regulatory Measures
NUR-SULTAN – The East Kazakhstan region maintained a positive growth rate by the end of 2020, PrimeMinister.kz reported on May 4. The local authorities took anti-crisis measures to support small and medium-sized businesses, the agri-industrial sector and to develop infrastructure, provide jobs and prevent a decrease in the population’s income. To ensure employment, 77.4 billion…
