Articles by Staff Report

Rolling Stone Lists Aisultan Seitov’s Music Video Among 150 Greatest Hip-Hop Videos

ASTANA — The music video directed by the Kazakh director Aisultan Seitov for the song “A Lot” by 21 Savage featuring J. Cole in 2019 was ranked 82nd in the list of 150 greatest hip-hop videos by New York-based Rolling Stone magazine on Aug. 10. Rolling Stone, an American monthly magazine focusing on music, politics,…

Kazakh President to Attend BRICS Plus Dialogue Via Video Call Tomorrow

ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will address via video call the BRICS Plus dialogue session on Aug. 24 in Johannesburg as the current Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), reported the Akorda press service. Kazakhstan will join the meeting held as part of the 15th BRICS Summit, at the invitation of the President…

Comic Con Astana Festival to Gather World Stars, Geek Culture Followers

ASTANA – The Kazakh capital will host the Comic Con Astana international festival dedicated to the industry of comics, cinema, video games, anime, and other areas of modern popular culture on Sept. 15-17.  It will feature an alley showcasing comics authors and a fair area, where visitors can buy unique paraphernalia, anime, comics, books, handicrafts,…

Kazakhstan’s S1lkPay Fintech Startup Receives US Patent

ASTANA – Kazakhstan-based fintech startup S1lkPay has secured a patent in the United States on Aug. 8 for its innovative method and system for distributed payment processing using a centralized payment-processing platform, reported the company’s press service. S1lkPay is a peer-to-peer prepaid card exchange platform where users provide instant access to their funds without the…

Kazakhstan, Pakistan Discuss Trade and Logistics Opportunities

ASTANA – Serik Zhumangarin, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration, discussed the development of trade and logistics opportunities with Pakistan at an Aug. 21 meeting with Khalid Nawaz Awan, the founder and chairman of TCS Private Limited, the country’s largest logistics company, reported the Prime Minister’s press service. Zhumangarin highlighted Kazakhstan’s…

Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company’s Net Profit Increases to $49.7 Million

ASTANA – In the first half of 2023, net profit of the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) grew 64.3% to 23 billion tenge ($49.7 million), compared to the same period last year, the company’s press service reported on Aug. 17. KEGOC’s operating income made up 114.4 billion tenge ($247.5 million), growing 11.3% by 11.5…

Kazakhstan to Put Seized Assets in Building Schools

ASTANA – An education infrastructure support fund, established on the instruction of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has allocated money seized from corrupt dealings to build 62 schools, the government’s press service announced on Aug. 17. The schools, which will cost 96.5 billion tenge ($208.8 million), will be built for 76,000 pupils in several regions of…

Foreign Tourists Coming to Kazakhstan Bring Record $841.9 Million in 2022

ASTANA – Last year, around one million foreign tourists brought Kazakhstan 389 billion tenge ($841.9 million), a record result on taxes from tourism activities, the Culture and Sports Ministry’s press service reported on Aug. 16. Meanwhile, accommodation facilities in the country earned 183 billion tenge ($396 million). According to the National Bank, each tourist to…

Kazakhstan’s Inflation Slows Down to 14% in July

ASTANA – The inflation rate in Kazakhstan decreased in July to nearly 14% in annual terms, said Deputy Governor of the country’s National Bank Vitaliy Tutushkin at an Aug. 15 government meeting, reported Kazinform. “Food inflation in annual terms has nearly halved from 26.2% at its peak in February to 13.5%. Non-food and service inflation…

Airlines in Kazakhstan Hit Record $178.2 Million Profit

ASTANA – The profit of air companies in Kazakhstan reached a record 80.5 billion tenge ($178.2 million) in July, according to the Bureau of National Statistics, Data Hub analytical source reported on Aug. 15. The previous record of 73.6 billion tenge ($162.9 million) was set in August last year. Over the seven months, airlines’ total…

Seven Regions of Kazakhstan Elect 17 Rural Mayors

ASTANA – Seventeen rural akims (mayors) were elected in seven regions of Kazakhstan on Aug. 13, State Counselor Erlan Karin wrote on his Telegram channel. Over the period of two years, Kazakh citizens have elected 1,668 akims of villages, settlements, rural districts, and towns of district significance as part of the presidential political reforms. Of…

Kazakhstan to Build More Electric Charging Stations by 2029

ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to build more electric charging stations as part of the electric vehicle infrastructure roadmap by 2029, reported the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development on Aug. 9. The roadmap, approved by the Kazakh government last month, provides for regulatory and technical requirements regarding the design and arrangement of the necessary infrastructure,…

Tim Draper Reality Show Invites Kazakh Startups to Win $1 Million

ASTANA – The Astana Hub, an international technopark of IT startups, invites Kazakh startups founders to submit their project ideas to the Meet the Drapers reality show about startups, Astana Hub CEO Magzhan Madiyev said in his Telegram channel on Aug. 11. The show is set to film an episode for its seventh season on…

Almaty to Host Eurasian Film Market This September

ASTANA – Almaty is set to host the first edition of the Eurasian Film Market (EFM) on Sept. 11-14, reported the Travel Tomorrow on Aug. 7. “Due to its rich natural environment and varied scenic landscapes, most films are shot in or around Almaty, making it the center of the Kazakh film industry. The main…

Kazakh President Receives Adviser on Economic Development 

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev positively assessed the contribution of Suma Chakrabarti, adviser on economic development, in improving the country’s investment policy at an Aug. 11 meeting, reported the Akorda press service. Tokayev thanked Chakrabarti for his work, noting that the proposals he made at the Supreme Council for Reforms meetings found support in several…

Qazaq Air to Launch Direct Flights Between Almaty and Bishkek in September

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s airline Qazaq Air will launch direct flights from Almaty to Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic, on Sep. 11, the airline’s press service reported on Aug. 10. The flights will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on modern and comfortable De-Havilland Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. The cost of a one-way ticket…

Kazakhstan’s Population Approaches 20 Million People

ASTANA – As of July 1, Kazakhstan’s population reached 19,899,377, with 48.8% of men and 51.2% women, according to an Aug. 10 statement by the Bureau of National Statistics. Some 12,317,671 people live in the cities, whereas 7,581,706 are rural residents. In the first half of the year, 189,500 children were born in Kazakhstan, of…

Kazakh Chess Players Win Silver and Bronze Medals at World Schools Team Championship

ASTANA – A Kazakh team from Astana took bronze medals in a category under 12. The chess players from Almaty claimed silver in a category under 18 at the World Schools Team Championship held from Aug. 4 to 8 in Aktau, reported Kazakhstan Chess Federation. The Velammal MHS Mogappair team from India won gold in…

Kazakhstan and Lithuania Bolster Partnership in Development Assistance

ASTANA – Kazakhstan Agency of International Development (KazAID) and Lithuania’s Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation to implement joint projects and strengthen regional interaction in the field of official development assistance (ODA) on Aug. 8 in Vilnius, reported KazAID’s press service. The sides underscored the great potential for cooperation…

Kazakh Ministry Announces Number of Days Tourists Spend in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Tourists from Germany, India, South Korea, and the United States spent an average of four days in Kazakhstan, according to the eQonaq information system for registering international visitors, the Ministry of Culture and Sports announced on Aug. 9. Tourists from Uzbekistan are leading in terms of average length of stay, spending up to…

Kazakh Folk Ensemble Performs Abai’s Songs at Austria’s Oldest Festival 

ASTANA – The Alatau folklore ensemble representing the Kenen Azerbayev Philharmonic of the Zhambyl Region performed works of Abai on the eve of the famous Kazakh poet’s birthday, celebrated on Aug. 10, at the largest traditional festival Villacher Kirchtag in Austria, Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Aug. 7. Sophisticated audience members from Austria,…

Kazakhstan Plans to Send 100,000 Tons of Oil to Germany This Month

ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to send 100,000 tons of oil to Germany via the Druzhba oil pipeline in August, despite the shutdown of one of its strings due to a leak in Poland, reported the Kazakh Energy Ministry on Aug. 7. The Bolshoi Chagan oil pumping station received 11,600 tons from Aug. 3 to 5,…

Saudi Company Installs Central Asia’s Largest Wind Turbine in Uzbekistan

ASTANA — ACWA Power, a Saudi-listed company, installed the first wind turbine at the Bash wind farm project in the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan, the company’s press service reported on Aug. 8. The wind turbine generator (WTG) is the largest in Central Asia, with a capacity of 6.5 MW. According to ACWA Power’s Chief Portfolio…

Astana Football Team Wins Home Match of Europa League

ASTANA — Astana football team won (2:1) a home match against Ludogorets team (Bulgaria) in the third qualifying round of the Europa League on Aug. 8, Sports.kz reported. Grigory Babayan, the head coach of Astana, changed the starting lineup, putting Marin Tomasov on the bench and Abat Aimbetov and Dembo Darbo on the field. The…

Kazakh Capital to Host International Circus Festival “Echo of Asia” This Week 

ASTANA — The Kazakh capital will host the 14th international festival of circus art, “Echo of Asia,” on Aug. 9, to commemorate Astana’s 25th anniversary, reported the capital’s administration on Aug. 7. After 14 years, the festival has become a staple of Kazakhstan’s vibrant circus scene. The festival’s highlight is the best performances by young…