Second round of Syrian talks in Astana adopt mechanism to monitor ceasefire

ASTANA – Another two days of talks on strengthening the ceasefire regime in the nearly six-year-old Syrian conflict ended Feb. 16 in Astana with the adoption of...


Spanish ambassador praises relationship on 25th anniversary of bilateral ties

ASTANA – Spanish Ambassador to Kazakhstan Pedro Jose Sanz Serrano praised the relationship between Kazakhstan and Spain Feb. 11 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of...


Kazakh Armed Forces sergeants receive vocational training

ASTANA – More than 40 sergeants from Kazakhstan’s Armed Forces are attending month-long vocational training at the Defence Ministry’s cadet corps, the press service of the ministry...


Third IMAX Theatre Opens in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s third IMAX theatre has opened in Astana’s Sary-Arka Shopping Centre as part of the Kinopark cinema chain. The new theatre is IMAX’s third collaboration...


EXPO 2017 construction site impresses US experts

ASTANA – A U.S. State Department official praised the progress of EXPO 2017 preparations after a recent visit to the expo site, according to the Astana EXPO...


Nurly Zhol programme created 100,000 jobs in 2016

ASTANA – More than 100,000 jobs were created as part of the Nurly Zhol programme in 2016, said Minister of National Economy Timur Suleimenov at a Feb....


Local designer participates in prestigious UK emerging designer exhibition

ASTANA – Kazakh designer Ruslan Kim will show his ready-to-wear collection at the International Fashion Showcase exhibition (IFS) initiated by British Fashion Council and British Council as...


Kazakh stuntmen to star in new Russian historical film

ASTANA – Members of Kazakhstan’s famous Nomad Stunts will star in the Russian historical film “Tobol.” The acrobats recently visited the city of Tobolsk to see the...


15 countries to present cuisines at EXPO 2017

ASTANA – Fifteen countries are getting ready to present their national cuisine at EXPO 2017 with more than 10,000 square metres of the exhibition area to be...


Suicide games raising concerns in Kazakhstan

ASTANA – A rash of suicide games on social media has recently caused panic among parents and raised alarm throughout the nation. Authorities have blocked access to...


Information society expansion puts growing pressure on nations, says Kazakh expert

ASTANA – Information density has increased tenfold over the past two years, Astana International Finance Centre Managing Director Sayasat Nurbek told a recent forum in Astana focusing...


Kaznex Invest reveals top four sectors for international investors

ASTANA – Kaznex Invest national export and investment agency and leading global strategic management consulting firm McKinsey & Company have determined the four most attractive sectors for...


President says small business burdened by too many regulations, directs large-scale review

ASTANA – President Nursultan Nazarbayev recently instructed the government together with the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs and the General Prosecutor’s Office to conduct a large-scale revision...


Accounts committee not content with People’s IPO programme implementation

ASTANA – The Accounts Committee for control over execution of the national budget audited the Samruk Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund and identified a number of violations related...


Security forces arrest 15 suspected extremists in Almaty operations

ASTANA – The Kazakh National Security Committee (NSC) in cooperation with Almaty police shut down two suspected radical groups and arrested 15 suspected religious extremists in special...


Constitutional reforms should recognise important role of political parties

One of the giants of political science, Maurice Duverger, once observed that knowing political parties was more important than knowing a constitution to understand politics. This observation...


‘Technovation Challenge’ seeks to build new generation of women leaders

ASTANA – Technovation Challenge is bringing together young girls from across the country to learn to solve real-world problems through technology. Founded in San Francisco, the annual...


Forum addresses national gender equality achievements and challenges

ASTANA – Empowerment of Women in the Corporate Sector, an international forum held Feb.10 in the capital, highlighted the involvement of women in Kazakh business. Of the...


Kazakhstan ‘strongly condemns’ North Korean ballistic missile launch

ASTANA – Kazakhstan “strongly condemns” the ballistic missile launch conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Feb. 12 as “a blatant violation of the...


New online store seeks to change Kazakh attitudes towards e-commerce

ALMATY – Two young Kazakh entrepreneurs have launched a home appliances and electronics store called Talapai.kz, which they hope will improve the quality of Kazakhstan’s e-commerce industry....


The importance of dialogue on Syria, however difficult

Ending conflicts is always difficult, pain-staking work. Shattered trust has to be slowly restored before any progress can be made. Space must be allowed for grievances to...


Astana Opera well received during two-day St. Petersburg tour

ASTANA – Astana Opera recently held a well-received two-day tour in Mariinsky-2, the second stage of Mariinsky theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where Kazakh artists performed Notre...


Almaty Festival seeks to cultivate performing arts culture

ASTANA – The fourth annual International Festival of Performing Arts Otkroveniye (Russian for Revelation) kicked off Feb. 1 in Almaty and will have its last performance on...


Freelancing in Kazakhstan: both stepping stone and ultimate prize

ASTANA – The rise of the internet has given new opportunities to people who don’t want to have bosses and work in offices from 9 a.m. to...


A Continent of Hope

Far too often, the world views Africa through the prism of problems. When I look to Africa, I see a continent of hope, promise and vast potential....


Full moon, penumbral lunar eclipse expected this weekend

ASTANA – The Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon for the first time this year on Feb. 11. According to Associate Professor of Astronomy...


Astana Arlans start new season with win over Russian Patriot boxing team

ASTANA – The two-time winner of the World Series Boxing (WSB) has started the new season with a swing. The Astana Arlans recorded a 3-2 win over...


Pro Boxer Firuza Sharipova fights her way to top

ASTANA – Firuza Sharipova will hold a master class Feb. 23 at the Floyd Mayweather Boxing Academy in Zhukovka. A native of Taraz, she is the first...


Kazakhstan welcomes Syrian ceasefire monitoring group’s first meeting, says another planned for mid-February

ASTANA – Kazakhstan welcomed the first meeting of the joint operational group of Russia, Turkey and Iran set up in January in Astana to monitor the ceasefire...


Free training programme introduced to reduce skilled labour shortage, improve social climate among youth

ASTANA – More than 20,000 young people have the opportunity to get free vocational and technical education as part of the Productive Employment and Large Scale Entrepreneurship...