Astana Arlans Start Season with Win over Baku Fires
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s two-time World Series of Boxing (WSB) champions Astana Arlans beat the Baku Fires in its opening match of their defending championship 4:1, on Jan. 23 in Karaganda. “In general, I am satisfied,” General Manager of the team, Olympic champion Serik Sapiyev said as quoted by the Astana Arlans’ official website. “Good start…
70,000 Brave Souls Nationwide Dive into Freezing Water to Celebrate Epiphany Day
ASTANA – In total, more than 70,000 people took part in the traditional Epiphany Day swim across Kazakhstan on Jan. 18-19, Tengrinews reported. The residents of the capital beat out all other regions with a whopping 13,000 freezing water enthusiast divers, while the Kostanai and Pavlodar regions both had about 8,000 each. “This is not…
Leader of Kazakhstan’s Turkish Community: Day of Gratitude Will Reinforce Unity among Ethnic Groups
ASTANA – Kazakhstan recently added another important celebration to its calendar. The Day of Gratitude will mark the unity of the people of different ethnic groups living in the nation and highlight their appreciation to the hospitable Kazakhs who sheltered millions of victims of Stalinist deportations in the USSR during the mid-20th century. “I was…
Home-Cooked Korean Salads Still in Vogue on Kazakh Dinner Tables
ASTANA – Would it be completely out of line to include fresh, homemade salads as a grocery item on your shopping list? No, not in a 130-nation country like Kazakhstan, where the tradition to spice up a casual once-a-month dinner with Korean salads is a “no surprise idea.” “People in Kazakhstan like Korean salads, but…
WBC Names Gennady Golovkin, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez Best Boxers of 2015
ASTANA – World Boxing Council (WBC) President Mauricio Sulaiman announced Jan. 12 Kazakh middleweight WBC interim champion, unified World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organisation (IBO) middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and absolute WBC champion Mexican Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez as winners of the WBC’s Best of 2015 competition. “Only the passage…
Poltoranin Wins World Cup Stage to Claim Top 5 Spot Overall
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Alexey Poltoranin took three podiums out of eight races, which had starts this year and won a World Cup Stage during the International Ski Federation (Fédération Internationale de Ski or FIS) World Cup series held Jan. 1 – 10 in Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Poltoranin beat three-time Olympic Champion Swiss Dario Cologne…
Kazakh Cinderella Designer Opens Store in Paris, Launches International Brand
ASTANA – People yearn to hear success stories in the per aspera ad astra (to the stars through difficulties)genre, especially in light of consumerism and the constant demand for cash.It’s harder each day to find exceptions, especially for citizens of the post-Soviet countries. The broken Soviet ideology has spawned millions of immigrants from the former…
Kazakh Breeders Export Large Yedilbayev Breed Sheep
ASTANA – Atyrau sheep stock breeders are growing 100-150 kilogramme sheep of the famous Kazakh Yedilbayev breed, 24kz reports. Each sheep can give up to three kilogramme of wool, the media reports. The Atyrau breeders managed to preserve the breed and are now targeting markets in neighbouring countries. These hefty, meaty animals are in demand…
Largest Martial Arts Academy in Central Asia Opens in Astana
ASTANA – Qazaq Batyry, Central Asia’s largest martial arts academy, which includes 10 training groups, recently opened in Astana, vesti.kz reported Dec. 19. “Our [Academy] offers a variety of the most popular martial arts,” said Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Federation of Kazakhstan Aidar Makhmetov. “We have established an…
Short Documentary Portrays Lives of Kazakhs Working as Truck Drivers in US
ASTANA – A 23-minute documentary portraying difficulties Kazakh immigrants face working as truck drivers in the U.S. was released on Nov. 17, 2015 by Director Kanat Beisekeyev on his personal Youtube channel and immediately drew the attention of Kazakh social media users. Some have experienced the same, while others were curious what the immigrant life…
Kazakhstan to Host Two Army Games Competitions in 2016
ASTANA – A delegation of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Defence recently took part in a conference in Moscow, along with 47 other state delegations, to discuss the 2016 International Army Games, the press service of the Kazakh Ministry of Defence reported Dec. 21. Two competitions, Masters of Artillery and Sniper’s Landmark, will take place on the…
Kazakhstan Continues to Increase Gold Reserves
ASTANA – Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey continue increasing gold reserves, The Washington Post and Bloomberg reported on Dec. 21, citing the International Monetary Fund (IMF). For Kazakhstan, November has been the 38th straight month maintaining an upward trajectory in gold reserves. The country increased its reserves from 6.69 million ounces in October to 7.03 million…
Apostolic Nuncio Ends Mission in Kazakhstan, Honoured by Diplomatic Corps
ASTANA – The Kazakh Humanities and Law Institute (KAZGUU) Academic Diplomatic Club and the embassies of the Republic of South Africa and the Kingdom of Norway recently held an event in Astana in honour of Miguel Maury Buendia, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See of the Vatican,who completes his diplomatic mission in Kazakhstan on Dec. 30,…
Kazakh Junior Hockey Team Takes Bronze in IIHF World Championship, Stays in Division I
ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s junior national ice hockey team beat hosts Austria 5:2 to win bronze at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship under 20, Division I Group A, on Dec. 20. Earlier, the team defeated Norway in a Dec. 17 comeback 4:3 and shut out Italy 7:0 on Dec. 16. But the start of the…
Kazakh President Establishes New Civil Service Ministry
ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree to establish the Ministry of Civil Service to improve the civil service and counter corruption, the Akorda’s press service reported on Dec. 11. The decree establishes the new ministry and replaces the previous Agency of Civil Affairs and Anti-Corruption that was in charge. The new Anti-Corruption Bureau…
When Hollywood Iconic Characters Start Speaking Kazakh
ASTANA – What a pleasure it is to have one’s favourite films professionally dubbed instead of having to read subtitles. Dubbing particularly enhances the experience for children to have their childhood heroes and iconic film stars speak their language. One of the latest examples is James Bond in the “Spectre.” The Astana Times interviewed the…
Behind Scenes of “La Bayadère,” Astana Opera’s Last Premiere of the Year
ASTANA – On the eve of the New Year, the main holiday season throughout the world, the Astana Opera is planning to close 2015 with a grand and extraordinary performance. The famous ballet “La Bayadère” will be presented Dec. 25 and 26. The Astana Times took a sneak peek behind the scenes to find out…
Universiade 2017 to Help Position Kazakhstan as Major International Event Host
ASTANA – Although Almaty lost the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics to Beijing, the country hopes to be in contention in the future. And the upcoming Universiade 2017 in Almaty will help keep those hopes alive. After losing the Winter Olympics bid, Almaty shifted its focus to preparations to host the Universiade in…
Kazakh Weightlifter Ilya Ilyin Wins Gold, Sets Two New World Records in Grozny
ASTANA –Kazakh two-time Olympic Champion and four-time world champion Ilya Ilyin, 27, set two new world records at the Fifth Russian Federation President Weightlifting Cup in Grozny, Russia on Dec. 12. “The people of Kazakhstan, I dedicate my victory to the Independence Day of Kazakhstan,” Ilyin said as he continued in Kazakh “Alga, Kazakhstan!” (meaning…
UAE Top Officials Discuss Terrorism, Syrian Crisis and Relations with Iran
ABU DHABI – On the eve of the celebration of the 44th National Day of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UAE’s National Media Council invited foreign journalists to Abu Dhabi for press briefings with top Emirati officials on Nov. 27 – Dec. 2. Among the pressing issues on the agenda were terrorism, extremism, religion,…
Astana Hosts UAE 44th National Day Reception
ASTANA – The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Astana hosted a reception at the Rixos President Hotel to mark the UAE’s 44th National Day on Dec. 3. Kazakhstan and the UAE enjoy solid and prospering relations, according to Charge d’Affaires Hamad Rasheed Alhebsi, who welcomed guests with an opening speech. “On Dec.…
FC Astana Draws in All Three Home Games in Champions League Group, Eliminated from Playoffs Following Draw with Benfica
ASTANA – With practically no chance of making the Champions League playoffs, FC Astana went into their Nov. 25 battle with Benfica at full throttle anyway, charging their visitors from the first moments of the game in hopes of at least getting their first Champions League win. Earning a two-goal lead for much of the…
Nazarbayev Amends Education Law, Introduces Dual Training, Other Changes
ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed the law “Introducing amendments in legislative acts of Kazakhstan on education” as part of the 100 Concrete Steps Plan, to be effective Jan. 1, 2017, reported the Akorda press service. “The new amendments will introduce ‘dual training,’ renewal of school educational standards and development of functional literacy,” noted the…
Astana Media Forum Discusses Complexities in Reporting on Ethnic Issues
ASTANA – The second Media Forum of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan (APK) on Nov. 12 covered important issues regarding Kazakhstan’s inter-ethnic unity and the quality and competitiveness of the local mass media as well as the popularisation of the Kazakh model of public accord and national unity under the slogan Culture of…
Kazakhstan’s Top Skier Eager to Start New Season
ASTANA – The International Ski Federation (Fédération Internationale de Ski or FIS) World Cup will begin Nov. 27-29 in Ruka, Finland. On the threshold of the new season, The Astana Times interviewed top Kazakh skier and three-time World Cup winner Alexei Poltoranin. “In general, I feel good. Prior to the World Cup, there will be…
