China to assist Kazakh agro exports to Southeast Asia
ASTANA – Kazakhstan has accepted an offer from China to create joint ventures to increase agricultural exports to Southeast Asian countries. “All the markets are opening today, especially the large Chinese market. The Chinese Government proposed to ship our products through China to Southeast Asia by creating joint ventures with Chinese partners. We hope to…
Kazakhstan to form non-joint stock company to raise funds for film production, promotion
ASTANA – The Kazakh Senate adopted a law “On Cinematography” Dec. 6 . It supports the production of national films, their wider distribution and entry into the international film industry. The law should significantly change the existing mechanisms for developing Kazakh national cinema, said Minister of Culture and Sports Arystanbek Muhamediuly while presenting the draft…
Kazakhstan opens literature and art centre in Madrid
ASTANA – The Kazakh Embassy to Spain and Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) recently opened the Centre of Kazakh literature and art in Madrid. The opening ceremony was dedicated to the Day of the First President, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs press service. Opening Kazakh literature centres abroad is being implemented…
Shymkent Oil Refinery completes modernisation, improves fuel and environmental standards
ASTANA – The Shymkent Oil Refinery recently completed a modernisation allowing it to meet Euro-4 and Euro-5 fuel standards while making the refinery more environmentally friendly. The $1.8 billion upgrade also increased the refinery’s annual production capacity from 5.25 to 6 million tonnes. The modernisation of the refinery was part of Kazakhstan’s national Industrialisation Programme…
Kazakhstan Highway Research Institute develops new road survey system
ASTANA – The Kazakhstan Highway Research Institute (KazNorDII) has developed a road asset management system. Beginning with the East Kazakhstan region, the database will use machines and up-to-date digital technology to examine cracks and other road surface damage and assess overall condition, reported YK-news.kz. “Such systems are used in many European countries. We cannot use…
Kazakhstan and UAE boost production projects, discuss aerospace industry cooperation
ASTANA – First Deputy Prime Minister Askar Mamin and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Presidential Affairs Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Nov. 25 in Abu-Dhabi to discuss investing in polyethylene and polypropylene production and the aerospace industry, highlighting the great potential for cooperation in the energy field. The visit was part of…
Kazakh Healthcare Ministry proposes reducing confidential abortion age to 16
ASTANA – Kazakh Vice Minister of Healthcare Lyazzat Aktayeva suggested reducing the age when adolescents can have an abortion without their parents’ permission (confidentially) to 16 during a Majilis (lower house of Parliament) meeting. Children’s health is the most important issue and access to timely medical services is essential, said the ministry’s public health policy…
PetroKazakhstan sponsors open youth tennis tournament in Shymkent
ASTANA – More than 70 children participated in a recent open tennis tournament in Shymkent. The tournament was sponsored by PetroKazakhstan Oil Products (PKOP) as part of an ongoing effort by the company to promote sports in the region. Tennis is popular in Kazakhstan and the Kazakh Tennis Federation often sponsors national level tournaments. However,…
Kazakh research institute to enact comprehensive plan to counter cancer mortality
ASTANA – The Kazakh Research Institute of Oncology and Radiology has prepared a 35 billion tenge (US$93.88 million) action plan to reduce cancer mortality rates for the next year, Director of the institute Dilyara Kaidarova told the recent Innovations in Healthcare forum. The comprehensive plan to fight cancer includes the purchase of innovative equipment, some…
Kazakh star Dimash Kudaibergen performs solo concert in London
ASTANA – Famous Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen performed his exclusive “DQ” solo concert Nov. 19 in London at O2 Arena’s Indigo Hall. The concert joined the celebration of Days of Kazakh culture in the United Kingdom organised by the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Kazakh Embassy in London. “When you are performing…
Kazakhstan to modernise police, conduct performance appraisals
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced plans to reform the police and other agencies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the Nov. 18 meeting at the Akorda. “Every year, more than 4.5 million citizens report crimes to the police, but the conditions for them are not created. The police need to deal with…
Modernising judicial system will foster public trust, says President
ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev called for additional measures to modernise the judicial system at a Nov. 19 presidential administration meeting. Presidential Administration Head Asset Issekeshev, Supreme Court Chairman Zhakyp Assanov and Supreme Judicial Council Chairman Talgat Donakov reported on the modernisation of the judicial system. “Trust in the courts is comparable to trust…
Kazakhstan supports extending OPEC deal in 2019
ASTANA – Kazakh Vice Minister of Energy Magzum Mirzagaliyev recently affirmed Kazakhstan’s support for extending OPEC+ output cuts in 2019. OPEC and non-OPEC countries agreed in November 2016 in Vienna to cut oil production by 1.8 million barrels per day, corresponding to roughly two percent of global oil production. The move was meant to ease…
Three-year investment arbitration dispute ruled in Kazakhstan’s favour
ASTANA – The International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) arbitration tribunal in Paris issued Nov. 8 a decision rejecting an approximately $16 million claim by the Turkish company Mağdenli Yer Hizmetleri ve Taşıma Anonim Şirketi against Kazakhstan, reports the Kazakh Ministry of Justice press service. Mağdenli Yer Hizmetleri ve Taşıma Anonim Şirketi founded the company ATMA…
New one-way roads in Astana open Nov. 15
ASTANA – According to the Astana Akimat (city administration), a new one-way traffic will be operating from Nov. 15 on two streets in Astana’s right bank. The first section is from Zhenis Avenue to Mambetov Street on Bukharbai Batyr Street. The second is from Kenessary Avenue to Bukharbai Batyr Street on the Zheltoksan Street. These…
Popularising contemporary Kazakh arts and literature is key to preserving cultural identity, say writers
ASTANA – Kazakhstan organised a forum titled “Modern Kazakh Culture in the Global World” in London Nov. 7, showcasing the works of contemporary Kazakh poets, writers, artists and cinematographers. “Our [Kazakh] literature is competitive in terms of content. We are no worse than others, but the problem is in its dissemination. To write a work…
Astana Opera premieres “Abai” in Genoa
ASTANA – The Astana Opera presented “Abai” Nov. 8 and Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven Nov. 10 at the Carlo Felice Theatre in Genoa, reported the theatre’s press service. The opera, created by Latif Khamidi and Akhmet Zhubanov, was also broadcast live in 40 countries. Astana Opera principal soloist Sundet Baigozhin performed the…
Forbes Club launches series of business breakfasts in Kazakh capital
ASTANA – Changes in Russian rouble rate should not be directly projected on tenge and Kazakhs are better off paying attention to the level of inflation instead of currency fluctuations. These opinions were expressed at the Nov. 8 Forbes Club business breakfast, the first in a series of such events. Business people chose Astana’s landmark…
Kazakhstan will support and incentivise IT innovation, says President
ASTANA – Kazakh innovators in information technology (IT) are to be incentivised and supported, said Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev Nov. 6 at the Astana Hub opening ceremony. The President said the Astana Hub is to become Kazakhstan’s centre of innovation. To facilitate this, users of the hub’s technopark will enjoy a simplified visa regime, greater…
Kazakh Majilis adopts health legislation amendments
ASTANA – The Kazakh Majilis, the lower house of the country’s Parliament, recently endorsed changes to 11 legislative documents, including the Health Code, Criminal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and Administrative Offences Code. The amendments cover several areas, said Minister of Healthcare Yelzhan Birtanov. The changes include a new model for the country’s guaranteed volume of…
Transporting two Kazakh satellites aboard Falcon 9 will cost $1.3 million
ASTANA – The price tag for Kazakhstan to launch two of its satellites aboard the Falcon 9 launch vehicle will be $1.3 million, said Minister of Defence and Aerospace Industry Beibut Atamkulov at the Nov. 6 government meeting. The satellites are scheduled for take-off Nov. 19 in California, Vice Minister of Defence and Aerospace Industry…
Chevron pioneering technology in Kazakhstan solves industry’s pipeline challenges
ASTANA – Pipeline corrosion is a major challenge faced by the global oil and gas industry, as a corroded pipeline presents a clear risk to the environment and for the companies responsible. The main obstacle in preventing corrosion is that materials may wear down over time from oil or gas moving through the pipeline, and…
Kazakh FM praises appointment of new U.N. special envoy for Syria
ASTANA – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kairat Abdrakhmanov recently praised the appointment of Geir Pedersen as new UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria in comments reported by Zakon.kz. “I am personally acquainted with the well-known Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen who received such an important and responsible post. He assumes a new position after…
Kazakh Senate adopts amendments to 2018-2020 budget plan
ASTANA – The Kazakh Senate adopted changes to the national budget for 2018-2020 during its Oct. 25 plenary session. The updated document increased the expected exchange rate per dollar from 340 tenge to 350 tenge and raised the expected price for a barrel of oil from $55 to $60. It also incorporates the revised data…
Kazakh citizens withdraw more than $21.6 billion from payment cards
ASTANA – Kazakh citizens withdrew 8.6 trillion tenge (US$21.6 billion) from payment cards from January-August, a 26.4-percent increase compared to the same period last year. At the same time, they are more actively using non-cash payments. According to a study by ranking.kz, withdrawals from international system cards accounted for 99.9 percent of the amount. Figures…
