First Montessori school in Kazakhstan opens doors in Astana

ASTANA – Parents in Astana now have more educational options for their kids, as the first Montessori school in Kazakhstan opened in the capital welcoming first ten...


Advancing disarmament within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The nexus between disarmament, arms control and development The idea that disarmament and arms control are connected to development is not new. Article 26 of the Charter...


Kazakh President appoints new finance minister, security council secretary, economic aide

ASTANA – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed Sept. 19 Alikhan Smailov new Minister of Finance and Gabit Baizhanov the Assistant to the President – Secretary of the...


Dombra players set record in Uralsk

ASTANA – In Uralsk, 1,700 dombra players recently played simultaneously Kurmangazy’s works at the square of the First President and set a record. The action was dedicated...


Kazakhstan introduces new approaches to primary healthcare

The Social Medical Insurance Fund (SMIF) has introduced new rules for registering at polyclinics across Kazakhstan. Citizens may now enrol at the clinics, egov.kz website and public...


Kazakhstan supports settlement of intra-Syrian conflict by peaceful means

ASTANA – Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Kairat Umarov reiterated at the Sept. 11 United Nations Security Council meeting on Syrian conflict Kazakhstan’s endorsement...


Kazakh National Bank revokes Astana Bank licence, buys Tsesna Bank agriculture loans

ASTANA – Kazakh National Bank revoked Astana Bank’s licence Sept. 19. The bank suspended operations in May and National Bank has appointed temporary management. Kazakh President Nursultan...


Le Sallay International Academy offers distance learning for middle schoolers

ASTANA – Le Sallay International Academy in France offers children aged 10 to 14 the option of distance learning. The pioneering distance learning programme combines home study...


Tsin-Kaz witnesses tremendous breakthrough over 20 years, and offers reasonably priced, high quality products

ASTANA – Tsin-Kaz LLP, a major Kazakh company with an established name, has been specialising in processing and canning fruits and vegetables for two decades. The company’s...


Influenza vaccination begins in October

ASTANA – Influenza vaccination will be conducted in Kazakhstan starting Oct. 1. Nearly 1.5 million doses were purchased for approximately one billion tenge (US$2.76 million), according to...


Ban on non-lethal weapons use proves effective, says Kazakh minister

ASTANA – Kazakh Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmukhanbet Kassymov clarified the decision-making process behind the country’s ban on non-lethal weapons during a recent Central Communications Service meeting....


Disney to develop more projects with Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Walt Disney’s Commonwealth of Independent States’ (CIS) office is enthusiastic about Kazakhstan’s draft law “On cinema” and plans to cooperate with the country by assisting...


First Almaty Film Festival seeks rapprochement of cultures, international cooperation

ASTANA – The first Almaty International Film Festival, held Sept. 15-19, achieved its goals of developing Kazakh cinema, increasing the public’s interest in film art and strengthening...


Kazakh citizens to declare income, property and debts

ASTANA – Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, every Kazakh adult citizen will be required to declare his or her income, property and even debts. The tax declarations will...


Turkish company to buy Karaganda region gold deposit

ASTANA – Turkish company Lidya Madencilik plans to purchase 100 percent of the shares in the Karaganda region’s Yuzhno-Moyintinskoye gold deposit. Estimates indicate the deposit can produce...


Kazakh Foreign Ministry works to return citizens from refugee camp in Syria

ASTANA – The Kazakh Foreign Ministry is working to return 23 Kazakh citizens, seven women and 16 children, from a refugee camp in Syria. The individuals must...


Tselinny: from old Soviet cinema to modern contemporary arts centre

ASTANA – Tselinny, once a fashionable Soviet cinema in Almaty, has been reconstructed into the country’s first centre for contemporary culture and arts. The re-opening began Sept....


Kazakhstan expands social assistance while reducing overall national budget spending

ASTANA – The Kazakh government has significantly increased budget spending on social assistance and security this year while achieving an overall decrease in budget expenses compared to...


Company offers turnkey tours around Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

ASTANA – Explore Kazakhstan, an Almaty-based tourism agency, offers fully organised tours of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan ranging from helicopter tours to nature trips with tents. Founder Chingiz...


Astana Akim reports on capital’s transport, engineering, social facilities development plan

ASTANA – Astana Akim (Mayor) Bakhyt Sultanov reviewed the comprehensive plan for the capital’s development of engineering and transport infrastructure for 2019 to 2023 at a Sep....


Annual Astana Marathon promotes charity and healthy lifestyle

ASTANA – Astana Marathon 2018 gathered 4,661 runners from 37 cities in Kazakhstan and abroad on a rather cold Sept. 16 morning. Organised annually since 2009, the...


Spirit of Dance festival unites cultures through music, movement

ASTANA – Astana hosted The Spirit of Dance festival, part of the Spirit of Tengri project, Sept. 14 at the Kazakhstan concert hall, the city’s largest. The...


Independent creative company stages play to raise awareness about mental health

ASTANA – ORTA Centre for Universal Arts will present the techno-performance “Svetoprestavleniye Sergey Kalmykov” on Oct. 6, 7, 9 and 10 in Almaty. The play was the...


New ADB Kazakhstan report identifies economic growth opportunities

ASTANA – A new Asian Development Bank (ADB) country analysis identifies diversification, manufacturing and agriculture among Kazakhstan’s opportunities for economic growth. Diversification of the economy and introducing...


Kazakhstan decreases number of young people who are outside of education, employment

ASTANA – The number of young people in Kazakhstan who are neither employed nor in the education system, known as NEETs, has decreased to 7.7 percent of...


Kazakhstan joins countries with very high human development

ASTANA – Kazakhstan ranked 58th among 189 countries and territories in the latest human development index (HDI) released Sept. 14 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)....


Hilton brings new affordable hotel brand, plans to expand business in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Hilton, one of the world’s largest hotel chains, opened the first Hampton by Hilton Aug. 15 in the Kazakh capital. The Astana Times spoke with...


Kazakh National Bank’s Invest Online goes mainstream

ASTANA – Kazakh National Bank’s Invest Online system is becoming popular among citizens. The advantages of the system include online service, guaranteed investments in government securities with...


Kazakh Supreme Mufti: care for peace is moral, civic duty of every Muslim

ASTANA – Kazakhstan is home to more than 130 ethnic groups and the nation’s prosperity is only possible when there is peace and harmony, said Serikbay kazhy...


UNESCO to conduct events supporting Silk Road Heritage sites

ASTANA – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) will conduct events in September and October to support its Silk Roads Heritage Properties in Central...