Articles by Staff report

Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Terracotta Army to Be Exhibited at EXPO 2017

ASTANA – The exhibition “Cultural monuments of terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang” will be held at the National Museum of Kazakhstan July 5-8, according to the press service of EXPO 2017. The terracotta army exhibition will be held within EXPO 2017 International specialised exhibition. The terracotta statues were buried with the first emperor…

Honey Production to Gain Momentum in Eastern Kazakhstan, Say Experts

Experts are forecasting a honey production boom in eastern Kazakhstan in the next two-three years amid increased exports to China. The history of beekeeping in the area dates back more than two centuries. The first 200 beehives were brought from Russia’s Orenburg oblast in 1792 and a century later, the vicinity had 150,000 hives spread…

Kazakhstan Takes Delivery of Sukhoi Su-30SM Jet Fighters

The Kazakh Armed Forces recently took delivery of a new batch of modern multifunctional Su-30SM jet fighters of the 4++ generation, the press office of the Defence Ministry reported. The fighter jets are capable of performing a wide range of all-weather combat missions and counter hostile aircraft at a considerable distance from the base. The…

Tengribank Strengthens Position on Kazakh Market

The international rating agency S&P Global Ratings confirmed Dec. 22, 2016 the long-term credit rating of TengriBank at B+, which reflects the bank’s stable financial status, provided also due to high quality of the loan portfolio and high level of the capital adequacy. Enjoying the unconditional support of Punjab National Bank, the assets of TengriBank as…

National Emergency Response System Begins Operation

EVAK, the Kazakh national emergency call system in case of accidents and catastrophes, began operation Jan. 1.   The developers of the device, from the Institute for Space Applications and Technologies, reduced the time on alert rescue services for accidents to 20 seconds. In late December, First Vice Minister for Investment and Development Albert Rau…

Aktobe Residents Gave Away Nearly 450 Cars

ASTANA – A pilot project on utilising old cars or those unfit for use was successfully realised in several of the country’s regions. Aktobe residents gave away 448 cars, receiving 150,000 tenge (about US$451.90) for each vehicle. “A person who has an old or perhaps unusable vehicle should come to a registration and examination subdivision…

Ten Kazakh Students to Visit Japan under Science Youth Exchange Programme

ASTANA – Ten Kazakh school students were invited to participate in the Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Programme in Science (SAKURA Exchange Programme in Science) Jan. 22-28 in Tokyo. The Kazakh school students are winners of various international competitions. The SAKURA Exchange Programme in Science is an international academic project implemented and supported by the Japanese Ministry…

Kazakh Farmers Collect Nearly 24 Million Tonnes of Grain

ASTANA – The gross grain harvest in Kazakhstan this year was 23.7 million tonnes, almost 4 million tonnes more than last year’s yield. Kazakh farmers have also harvested 3.6 million tonnes of vegetables and 2.2 million tonnes of melons, exceeding last year’s produce yield by 511,000 tonnes. First Vice Minister of Agriculture Kairat Aituganov reported…

FDI in Kazakhstan Grows 4.7 Percent in 2016

ASTANA – Foreign direct investment in the country increased 4.7 percent to 6 trillion tenge (US$18.12 billion) in the first 11 months of 2016, according to Kazakh Minister of National Economy Kuandyk Bishimbayev. “Realisation of industrial-innovative and infrastructural projects within the state programme Nurly Zhol and the anti-crisis programmes contributed to the growth. Since the…

Kazakh Programmers Develop Game to Test Users’ Knowledge of Countries

Kazakh programmers recently created an intellectual quiz mobile application “Smart Country.” The application is for all ages and offers the opportunity to play against people from all over the world: the opponent is determined randomly. The idea is to demonstrate your knowledge of an opponent’s country better than he knows yours. According to Talgat Taiymov,…

Kazakhstan’s Economy Adapts to New Exchange Rates, National Bank Says

Kazakhstan’s economy has adapted to new exchange rate conditions, said National Bank Chairperson Daniyar Akishev Dec. 20 at a governmental meeting. The annual inflation rate fell to a single-digit value. Akishev cited data on inflation, according to which by the end of November, inflation was at 1.2 percent and, since the beginning of the year,…

Kazakh Flag Raised on Antarctica’s Highest Peak on Independence Day

ASTANA – Kazakh alpinists raised Kazakhstan’s state flag at the peak of Antarctica on the country’s Dec. 16 Independence Day, according to the Kazakh Geographic Society. “A special gift was made to all Kazakh people for Dec. 16. The state flag was set at the highest point of Antarctica – Mount Vinson (4,892 metres) for…

Central Asia’s Largest Bridge Crossing Unveiled in Pavlodar

ASTANA – Central Asia’s largest bridge crossing held its official opening Dec. 14 in Pavlodar to mark the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence, KazAvtoZhol press service reported. “Today we are witnessing a historic day. We are opening this important facility. I congratulate all residents on this significant event,” Pavlodar Region Akim (Governor) Bolat Bakauov told…

KEGOC Builds High-Voltage Transmission Line in Eastern Kazakhstan

ASTANA – A new high-voltage Ekibastuz-Shulbinskaya-Ust-Kamenogorsk power line will cover the electricity needs of eastern Kazakhstan. Implementation of a large-scale project titled “Construction of 500 KW North-East-South Transmission Grid” began in 2014. It was launched by President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the Dec. 6 annual teleconference on the Industrialisation Day. The project seeks to create a…

KEGOC Builds High-Voltage Transmission Line in Eastern Kazakhstan

ASTANA – A new high-voltage Ekibastuz-Shulbinskaya-Ust-Kamenogorsk power line will cover the electricity needs of eastern Kazakhstan. Implementation of a large-scale project titled “Construction of 500 KW North-East-South Transmission Grid” began in 2014. It was launched by President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the Dec. 6 annual teleconference on the Industrialisation Day. The project seeks to create a…

Kazakh Parliament Approves Amnesty, Says “No” to Terrorists, Rapists, Drug Traffickers

ASTANA – Both houses of the Kazakh parliament have passed a draft law on amnesty initiated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The Mazhilis voted in favour on Dec. 7 and the Senate on Dec. 9. Presenting the bill in both houses, Prosecutor General Zhakyp Asanov commented on the amnesty marking the 25th anniversary of the country’s…

Kazakhstan Nominates Assyk Game to Be Included in UNESCO

Kazakhstan will nominate the Assyk and Heritage of Korkyt games and other examples of Kazakh culture for acceptance to a UNESCO cultural heritage list. Kazakh officials announced the submissions during the Nov. 30 to Dec. 1 11th session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative…

Certain Cars Within Customs Union Must Include Emergency Services Device Beginning in 2017

A new Customs Union law will require certain cars in Customs Union countries to be equipped by Jan. 1, 2017 with a device to assist emergency responders. The ERA-GLONASS device is able to call emergency services and provide location, direction and speed information after the emergency button is pressed. It also sends an emergency signal…

Astana to Host First Major Drone Racing Event

ASTANA – Drone Racing Kazakhstan dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Independence will be held for the first time in Kazakhstan Dec.16. The championship will include racers from all regions of the country and feature a one million tenge (US$2,938) prize. The event is being sponsored by Kazakhstan Engineering and will be at the Barys…

Astana Adopts Tourism Concept Focusing on Events, Business, Health

ASTANA – The Astana akimat (city administration) has adopted a new concept for tourism development that will focus on events and business and health travel, according to the press service of the akim (mayor) of the city. According to Marat Igaliyev, director of the Kazakh Ministry for Investments and Development’s Department of Industry and Tourism,…

New Kazpost Services Let Villagers Buy Airline Tickets, Car Parts Online and Pickup at Post Offices

ASTANA – Kazpost is offering new services to residents of rural settlements that will allow them to purchase electronic tickets for domestic flights and spare parts for cars made in Kazakhstan online. Customer can get their goods in any of Kazpost’s 2,000 post offices. “Kazpost is actively diversifying its portfolio of services. More than a…

New Heart Valve Surgery Technique Brings Hope to Kazakh Patients

ASTANA – Some of the world’s leading surgeons recently held a master class for their Astana counterparts, which involved advanced techniques and reconstructive surgery to restore natural heart valves for six patients. The operations were carried out in the framework of a master class named “Modern Cardiac Reconstructive Surgery.” Leading cardiac surgeons from the U.K.,…

More Than 350,000 Tonnes of Kashagan Oil Shipped For Export

ASTANA – More than 350,000 tonnes of oil from the Kashagan field has been transported through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline system this year. More than 450,000 tonnes of raw materials have been produced in this field as of Nov. 19, according to the Ministry of Energy. The Kashagan field reached 90,000 barrels per…

Mazhilis Approves Law on LEU Bank in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis (lower chamber of Parliament) approved Nov. 2 the draft law “On ratification of the agreement between the Kazakh government and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on establishing the low-enriched uranium (LEU) bank in Kazakhstan.” Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev said that the IAEA LEU Bank will provide a supply of…

Austrian EXPO 2017 Pavilion: Mind, Soul, Power

ASTANA – Austria is readying to showcase its latest developments in clean and alternative energy at the next international exhibition to take place next year. The nation is one of the world’s recognised leaders in developing clean energy, with two-thirds of its total electricity generation coming from alternative sources. Thus, Austrian officials have enthusiastically accepted…