Authorities seek to provide housing for large families in capital
NUR-SULTAN – Nur-Sultan Akimat (city administration) issued certificates for 150 apartments for rent to large families in the capital’s housing queue June 4 as part of the Berekely Baspana rental housing programme and to mark the Day of Kazakh State Symbols, reports its press service. There are more than 46,000 people in the capital’s housing…
Kazakhstan’s remaining second-tier banks continue mergers as field reforms
NUR-SULTAN – After the National Bank’s purge of what it identified as bad actors in 2018, Kazakhstan’s remaining second-tier banks are now undertaking mergers and acquisitions to ensure financial stability, reports Finprom.kz. The Kazakh National Bank’s measures were intended to remove unscrupulous financial institutions from the banking sector and support those that conducted a “healthy…
Kazakhstan to build 5G infrastructure in three largest cities, plans to expand to other population centres
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government plans to build the infrastructure necessary to support 5G networks in Nur-Sultan, Almaty and Shymkent by the end of the year. The projects will serve as models for 5G infrastructure development in all population centres with more than 50,000 residents, the prime minister’s press service reports. Kazakh Prime Minister Askar…
Kazakh swimmer takes bronze in breaststroke at Champions Swim Series’ second stage
NUR-SULTAN – Rio 2016 Olympic champion and Kazakh swimmer Dmitriy Balandin won a 200-metre breast stroke bronze medal May 12 in the Champions Swim Series’ second stage in Budapest, Hungary. The International Federation of Water Sports (FINA) organised the Champions Swim Series for the first time this year. The tournament gathers the best swimmers, who…
French author presents comic book featuring Kazakh traditions and culture
NUR-SULTAN – French engineer Jacques Ortet presented the comic book “Les aventures de Jak et Bil au Kazakhstan: Le trésor de Gengis Khan (The Adventures of Jacques and Bil in Kazakhstan: the Treasures of Genghis Khan)” in Brussels May 19 at a meeting with Kazakh Ambassador in Belgium Aigul Kuspan. The adventures of photographer Jacques and…
Kazakhstan Science Fund seeks to act as investor in its commercialisation projects
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan’s Science Fund would be able to expand its sources of finance and improve its profitability and innovation if it is able to function as an investor in its commercialisation projects, said Kazakh Senate Speaker Dariga Nazarbayeva during her May 14 visit to the organisation. She also advised the organisation to advertise its…
Kazakhstan installs tourism police at popular attractions, hopes increased security will boost tourism
NUR-SULTAN – Tourist police units were recently added to attractions in Almaty, Nur-Sultan, the Akmola Region, the Almaty Region, the East Kazakhstan Region and the Turkestan Region by an April 10 order of the Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs, said Nur-Sultan Police’s Migration Service Department Head Arman Baimukhamet at a May 20 tourist police demonstration…
Tenge projected to become stronger, National Bank says
NUR-SULTAN – Internal and external currency value factors including oil prices, foreign investments and international reserves indicate that the tenge will become stronger, the Kazakh National Bank has announced. “Fundamental drivers of the exchange rate add up favourably. So, since the beginning of the year, oil prices have risen from $54 to $70 per barrel.…
Thirteen Kazakh banks to launch mobile phone payments by end of 2019
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh National Bank in cooperation with 13 banks is developing instant payments to boost the country’s e-commerce industry. By the end of the year, the banks will be connected to a mobile phone payment system. “The National Bank has introduced a project that allows using a mobile phone as a means of…
“Muzbalak” to screen at Zlin Film Festival in Czech Republic
NUR-SULTAN – “Muzbalak,” a film by Kazakh artist-animators Turdybek Maidan and Tlek Toleugazy, will participate in the out-of-competition programme at the 59th Panorama International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Zlin, the Czech Republic. The event will run from May 24-June 1. “The time has come when Kazakh animation dynamically makes its way into…
Kazakh government launches system allowing citizens to provide certain documents online
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government recently launched a system which allows citizens to provide employers and government agencies documents via an online system, rather than the citizens having to collect and deliver those documents in person, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Digital Office reported May 3. “Within the framework of already existing mechanisms,…
Yerevan hosts Qazaq Kuresi Championship, next competition scheduled in Poland
NUR-SULTAN – The first Armenian Qazaq Kuresi Championship, organised with the support of the Qazaq Kuresi International Federation, was held recently in Yerevan. The second European Qazaq Kuresi Championship will be held June 16 in Wrocław. Qazaq Kuresi, a traditional Kazakh style wrestling, is included in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)…
Kazakh government kicks off campaign to encourage participation in June 9 presidential election
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the June 9 presidential election and to encourage voter turnout. The Heart of the Country Votes campaign includes Facebook and Instagram accounts as well as public events. The social media posts will encourage voter participation. The Facebook Elorda Live page also allows…
New website makes volunteering easier in Kazakhstan
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh Ministry of Information and Social Development and National Volunteer Network presented April 29 in the capital the qazvolunteer.kz website for the development of the Kazakh volunteer movement. The website seeks to coordinate communications among more than 200 volunteer organisations and 50,000 volunteers simplifying their communication. “Currently, more than 200 volunteer organisations…
Kazakhstan quadruples construction of student housing, will build dorms for 9,200 students this year
NUR-SULTAN – Twenty-nine dormitories with spots for 9,196 students will start operating this year, said Education and Science Vice Minister Bibigul Assylova at an April 29 press conference after the government meeting. Although the overall number needed is 91,000, the 2019 figure is four times more than previous years. “This has not happened in the…
Fish to EU, grain to Afghanistan: Kazakhstan exports continue to grow in 2019
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh agricultural exports totalled $610.2 million in January-February, a 12.9-percent increase compared to the same period last year, reported the Ministry of Agriculture press service. The bulk of the exported goods were plants and their processed products ($579.8 million); the balance ($30.4 million) was livestock and its processed products. Afghanistan, China, Iran, Russia,…
Electronic railway ticket sales increase eightfold in five years
NUR-SULTAN – Electronic tickets sales for Kazakh railway transportation have increased eightfold in the last five years. The system eases the purchase process and reduces illegal re-sales. Online sales were introduced in 2014, when 2.55 million tickets were sold. Purchases increased to 6.7 million the following year, then nearly doubled to 11.6 million in 2016.…
Kazakh PM briefs Western diplomats, officials on new measures to attract foreign investment
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan hopes recently launched measures by the government will increase foreign investment cooperation with countries and institutions, Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin told an April 24 meeting with a group of Western diplomats and officials. American Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Doris Bradbury, British Ambassador to Kazakhstan Michael Gifford, Canadian Ambassador to Kazakhstan…
New Nur-Sultan Emergency Health Centre meets international regulations for public health crises response
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh government has opened an Emergency Health Operations Centre in the capital aimed towards emergency response preparedness, protecting the life and well-being of the country’s population and minimising the negative consequences of emergency situations. “This centre has been established to implement the requirements of the International Health Regulations (IHR) and the Global…
Kazakhstan tests text messages as way to confirm receipt of state-administered medications
NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan is testing a pilot programme using text messages to confirm patients receive medication paid for by the state. The programme was launched at the end of 2018 and will continue through the end of June. It was launched by the Information System of Drug Provision (ISLO) in cooperation with the Kazakh Ministry…
Yerzhan Maksim to compete in Russia’s ‘The Voice Kids’ final April 26
NUR-SULTAN – Yerzhan Maksim, a 12-year-old schoolboy from Oral, was selected by Russian singer Valeriy Meladze to compete in the final of the Russian reality talent show “The Voice Kids” in Moscow April 26. “A lot of people came to support my son, but only four were let in – me, an aunt, my friend…
Kazakh National Guard to shoot film about fallen soldiers’ heroism in 1995 Tajik-Afghan border battle
NUR-SULTAN – The Kazakh National Guard will be shooting a film and TV series about the heroism of fallen Kazakh soldiers in the 1995 battle at the Tajik-Afghan border while protecting the Commonwealth of Independent States’ (CIS) external borders, said National Guard Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Major General Mukhometkali Satov at the April 6 wreath laying…
Kazakh orphans find four-leaf clover with Irish parents
NUR-SULTAN – The statistics show that Irish citizens have adopted more children from Kazakh orphanages than in any other European countries. Today, approximately 150 young ethnic Kazakhs have found new families in Ireland. The Kazakh diaspora in Ireland along with the Kazakh embassy organised a March 30 festive event at the Pearse Museum in Dublin.…
Kazakhstan establishes uniform pricing for pharmaceuticals, makes prices available online
NUR-SULTAN – Uniform prices will be set in all Kazakh pharmacies by May. Medical supply prices will be available online, as well as by request, to make medicine more accessible. “A law will come into force tomorrow, according to which the Kazakh Ministry of Healthcare is vested with the competence to set prices for all…
Atyrau authorities, investor to build waste processing plant
NUR-SULTAN – Atyrau authorities and a private investor will be constructing a waste sorting complex and plastic processing workshop. The high-tech installation is scheduled to launch in May. “The complex was purchased at the expense of a private investor. The equipment will be delivered from Belarussian Sifaniya-Ekotekhnika company, which supplies waste processing equipment to the…
