Astana Club platform to host fourth meeting, focus on Eurasian unity

ASTANA – The Astana Club international forum will host a Nov. 12-13 annual meeting of 50 leading experts, politicians and diplomats from 33 countries. The fourth meeting...


72-hour visa-free transit for Chinese and Indian citizens increases tourist flow to Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan in recent years has been intensively turning into a Central Asian transport hub. Our country is often called the bridge of Eurasia, based on the geopolitical...


Kazakh skater wins silver at World Short Track Cup in Calgary

ASTANA – Kazakh athlete Abzal Azhgaliyev finished second in the 500 metres at the season-opening World Cup Short Track Nov. 2-4 in Calgary, Canada. Finishing the race...


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...


Film director brings domestic violence against women into spotlight

ASTANA – Kazakh independent film director Zhanna Issabayeva’s latest film, “Rejected,” was presented in late October and distributed nationwide on the Chaplin Cinema Network. The film is...


Kazakh beach volleyball team wins country’s first world tour gold-medal

ASTANA – The Kazakh beach volleyball team of Alexey Sidorenko and Alexander Dyachenko won a golden medal at the recent Caspian Sea Series World Tour in Bandar...


Kazakh women’s basketball team wins first silver at Asia U18 championship

ASTANA – The Kazakh basketball team consolidated its claim to second place in the Division B final of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Under-18 (U18) Women’s Asian...


Latest World Bank Doing Business Index affirms Kazakhstan’s measures to improve business environment

As we have pointed out before, having the courage to set big ambitions is vital whether you are an individual, business or country. Without such goals, there...


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...


Kazakhstan’s peacekeeping mission to Lebanon is another contribution to peace

On Oct. 31, a Kazakh peacekeeping company of 120 people arrived to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for deployment as part of the forces of...


No single state corporation can function successfully for long, says Singaporean Ambassador to Kazakhstan

Singaporean Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zulkifli Bakharudin recently spoke with exclusive.kz, noting the secret of his country’s success is the absence of a “sacred cow.” The nation is...


External News in Brief

New Delhi hosted the round-table discussion, “Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran-India: Current Situation and Prospects,” Oct. 31. The event focused on logistics opportunities along the eastern route of the 7,200-kilometre North-South...


National news in brief

The French company Urbasolar SAS has attracted funding for the construction of a solar power plant in the Turkestan region, reports Kazakhstan’s Atameken Business Channel. The project,...


Business news in brief

French firm Alstom will implement two projects in Almaty, Alstom board member Philippe Delair told a recent Kazakh-Europe business forum in Brussels. The first project is to...


Economic News in Brief

The investment income of Kazakhstan’s Unified Accumulation Pension Fund (UAPF) for the first three quarters of 2018 reached 663.1 billion tenge (US$1.79 billion). At the end of...


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...


Urbanism activists preserve architectural heritage through research and dialogue

ASTANA – Archcode Almaty, a research project to conserve the former capital’s architectural identity, seeks to preserve what “we will pass on to those who will live...


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...


CIS heads of government council in Astana: Kazakhstan calls for expanding trade relations

ASTANA – The heads of government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) discussed 15 agenda items during a scheduled council meeting in the Kazakh capital on...


Kazakh vulnerable groups to be supported in seeking state-guaranteed legal aid, say legal experts

ASTANA – The effective provision of legal aid, guaranteed by the state and afforded by its budget, is vital to ensuring access to justice, said Kazakh International...


Kazakh entrepreneur seeks new ways to make movement more accessible for people in wheelchairs

ASTANA – Kazakhstan 100 New Face’s entrepreneur and Paralympic sportsperson Shahan Zholdasbayev directs all of his power and will towards creating an inclusive society by constructing ramps...


Astana International Exchange to launch post-trade infrastructure

ASTANA – Astana International Exchange (AIX) is preparing to launch post-trade market services provided by Avenir Technology Limited. The technology, used worldwide, will ensure a safe and...


Qarakoz features evil spirits from Kazakh folk tales

ASTANA – The new horror film “Qarakoz,” featuring evil characters from Kazakh tales and legends in all their glory, went into wide distribution Nov. 1. The film...


Kazakh developers win award at NASA competition in New York

ASTANA – Kazakh developers Timur Ryspekov, Vladislav Polonski and Anastasiya Kletscheva won Best Use of Hardware award at the recent Space Apps Challenge competition finals organised by...


Nazarbayev, Medvedev stress importance of bilateral economic growth

ASTANA – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev met with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev Nov. 1 in Astana to discuss bilateral relations. Nazarbayev...


State programmes increase salaries, improve vocational education, says Kazakh labour ministry

ASTANA – The state programmes designed to increase wages, the employment rate and entrepreneurship are showing positive results, reported representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social...


Kazakh peacekeepers join Indian battalion in Lebanon, as UN Secretary-General welcomes news

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s first ever UN peacekeeping contingent that is part of an Indian battalion in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) arrived in Lebanon...


Kazakh national employment programme seeks to employ more than 500,000 by year’s end

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s employment and mass entrepreneurship programme seeks to recruit 571,000 citizens through state support mechanisms by the end of 2018, said Kazakh Minister of Labour and...


Modernisation increases Kazakh defence industry productivity

ASTANA – The Kazakh defence industry has grown steadily as a result of modernisation and management changes, the Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry press service reported...


Kazakhstan jumps 8 points in World Bank’s Doing Business ranking

ASTANA – Kazakhstan jumped from 36th last year to 28th place in the 2019 World Bank Doing Business Report released Oct. 31. Kazakhstan improved in three areas...