Within the framework of the Cultural Heritage program the Kazinform Information Agency publishes materials about historical monuments of Kazakhstan.

Kumshik-ata mosque is an underground archeological monument which was built in X-XII centuries. It is located in the city of Turkestan of South Kazakhstan oblast.

It serves for carrying out religious observances of the Sufis.

Kumshik-ata mosque is a cave of two rooms. The platform is made of raw brick. The mosque is named after ...

Cattle stock in Kazakhstan has increased by 44 percent over last 10 years. Minister of Agriculture Akhylbek Kurishbayev has announced it at the Governmental Hour in the Kazakh Majilis.

"Manufacture of cattle breeding products increased as well. 14 poultry plants started functioning, and 8 new ones were created. Owing to this the import volume in the total consumption of the poultry meat decreased from 70 to 58 percent", A.Kurishbayev said.

According to the Minister, the c...

There were elaborated master plans for development of priority directions in the cattle breeding. Minister of Agriculture Akhylbek Kurishbayev has announced it at the Governmental Hour in the Kazakh Majilis.

"We selected the most priority directions from the whole sector, on development of which we concentrate our financial opportunities. We developed special master plans on each of them. They are production and processing of meat, milk, poultry industry development and fine-wool she...

The full  results of 2009 National census will be published in several days. Chairman of the Kazakhstan Statistics Agency Alikhan Smailov informed of it at the International Scientific Conference in Astana today.

"We have already finished summing up the results of the census. In several days we plan to publish the detailed information on it", he said.

According to him, this information will include data on a wide spectrum of indices - gender and age, ethnicity, marit...

President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev received Chairman of the Agency for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption Kairat Kozhamzharov, the Presidential press service informs.

K. Kozhamzharov informed the President of the activity of the Financial Police to combat corruption and neutralize shadow economy.

The Head of State noted that the world community highly appraised the anticorruption policy of Kazakhstan. However, it is often criticized in the press.

'We have to ...

Kazakhstan takes 66th place among 169 countries according to the level of human development. The UN Development Program has presented the Human Development report for 2010 in Astana today.

"The Human Development Index of Kazakhstan in 2010 is 0.714. The country is in the category of countries with high level of human development and takes 66th place among 169 countries", Ekaterina Paniklova, the Assistant Resident Representative, Head of Governance and Local Development Unit sai...

First ever solar power station will be built in Kazakhstan in Almaty IT zone. First Vice Minister of Industry and New Technologies Albert Rau has made it public at the Kazakh-Austrian business forum in Astana today.

"In Almaty we are developing an IT zone. In particular, together with Germany we will implement a project on solar batteries assembly", A. Rau noted.

A new solar power plant with capacity of 30 MW will also be built with support of German company.

Source: ...

By the Decree of the Head of State Asset Kurmangaliyev was appointed the Deputy Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan, the Presidential press service informs.

Source: KAZINFORM

Kazakh Senate Chairman Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has visited the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Kazakhstan on Friday.

The Speaker expressed his sincere condolences to Russian Ambassador M.Bocharnikov and signed the book of condolences in the connection with loss of Viktor Chernomyrdin; the House's press service reports.

V.Chernomyrdin being Special Presidential Representative on Economic Cooperation with CIS member states was a well-known public-political figure of the country.

...

Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov talked over phone with Chairman of the Russian Government Vladimir Putin, the press service of the Head of the Government reports.

K.Massimov expressed condolences over the death of Ex-Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Victor Chernomyrdin.

Issues of bilateral interaction within the Customs Union and formation of the Single Economic Space were discussed during the conversation as well.

Source: ...

Kazakhstan and France have begun the construction of a spacecraft assembly and test center outside Astana, head of the Kazakh space agency Kazcosmos Talgat Musabayev said on Wednesday, Kazinform refers to Trend News.

The project, estimated at 110 million euros (around 154 million U.S. dollars), was agreed during French President Nicolas Sarkozy' s visit to Kazakhstan last October, Xinhua reported.

France owns 27.5 percent stake in the project and Kazakhstan 72. 5 percent stake, Mus...

Kazakhstan moved up 15 places in rating "Doing Business-2011: Making a difference for Entrepreneurs". Senior private sector development specialist Svetlana Bagaudinova has made it public at the online press conference today.

"Kazakhstan takes 59th place among 183 countries this year", she said.

According to the data of the World Bank, the procedure of starting a business was simplified due to reduction of minimum capital requirements by KZT 100 and abolishment o...

The European Union is number one trade partner of Kazakhstan. Deputy foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Konstantin Zhigalov has made it public at the international conference on cooperation issues between Kazakhstan and EU.

"The trade turnover of Kazakhstan and the EU makes about 40%. The European Union invests to the Kazakh economy. The trade between the Union and Kazakhstan is greater compared to other Central Asian states. Kazakhstan promotes its cooperation with the Union", K.Zh...

It is planned to establish Kazakh-French enterprise on production of helicopters of the latest modifications in Astana. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and New Technologies of Kazakhstan Asset Issekeshev has made it public today.

Kazakhstan will be represented by Kazakhstan Engineering under the Ministry of Defense. The joint enterprise will be established in the capital city.

"The Government held negotiations with France regarding technology transfer, staff tra...

Nur Otan People's Democratic Party suggests paying more attention to struggle against corruption causes in the country. First Deputy Chairman of the Party Nurlan Nigmatullin has said it at an opening of an international scientific conference in Astana.

"Today we should give a signal to the society by our own example, that fight against corruption is not a one-time campaign. The people should know that it is a long-term program aimed at creation of fundamental stable nationwide founda...

Chairman of the Central Election Commission Kuandyk Turgankulov has announced that Kazakhstan will not hold early elections.

"Despite various gossip on early elections, we focus only on the Constitution and constitutional term of carrying out 2011 and 2012 electoral campaigns. There will not be held early elections", K.Turgankulov said to journalists.

"The legislation does not preclude holding of the elections in 2012. we can hold elections of deputies of the Majilis...

HC Barys has climbed in the standings of the Continental Hockey League to the quarter of leaders of the East Conference after a confident victory over HC Avangard Omsk, Kazinform has learnt from the official website of the League.

The team with 37 points has moved from the fourth to seventh place of the standings and now is 13 points behind the leader of the tournament HC Metallurg Mg.

On Tuesday, November 2, in a regular season game in Astana HC Barys outplayed HC Avangard 6 to 4....

Kazakh Commissioner on Human Rights Askar Shakirov has met with a delegation of the Social Democratic Party of the European Parliament visiting Kazakhstan in order to familiarize with its activity as the OSCE chairman, the press service of the Ombudsman reports.

A.Shakirov told the deputies of the European Parliament about the main directions of the state activity in the field of human rights, including the issues of modernization of the legal base and law enforcement practice, interactio...

Draft law "On ratification of the additional agreement to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Kazakhstan and the USA on the Kazakh-U.S. Program on Economic Development as of May 5, 2006" has been approved at a plenary sitting of the Majilis today.

"The Kazakh-U.S. Program on Economic Development is based on the initiative between Nursultan Nazarbayev and George Bush adopted in Houston in 2002.

The additional agreement to the MoU is to extend it...

The share of the Kazakh content in the total information technology market of the country is expected to increase by 32 percent by the end of 2014. Vice Minister of Industry and New Technologies Berik Kamaliyev has announced it at the Government's session introducing the draft program on the Kazakh content development to the Cabinet today.

He added that the Kazakh content will be increased to 80 percent in IT-services. According to his data, last year the share of the Kazakh content in th...

Mayor of Almaty Akhmetzhan Yesimov took part in a trial run of the gondola road of Medeu. The road connects the base station Medeu with ski resort Shymbulak. 

The length of the road is 4.5 km. This is the second longest road in the world. According to A.Yesimov, the road allows to restrict the movement of cars and other vehicles, improve the ecological situation in the area. For tourists' convenience underground and surface parking for 150 and 850 cars are provided at the beginning ...

Kazakh Minister of Tourism and Sport Temirkhan Dosmukhanbetov took part in the 89th session of the UNWTO Executive Council. Kazakhstan is its member since 2007.

Representatives of the member states and observer states attended the session which was held in Iran; the Ministry's press service reports.

Within the framework of the session the issues which touch upon tendencies of the world tourism were discussed, implementation of the Work Plan for 2010-2011 was considered, a report of...

Pilot-cosmonaut, National Hero of Kazakhstan, Lieutenant General of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chairman of Kazakhstan's National Space Agency Talgat Mussabayev has been awarded with the Order of the French Legion of Honor .

The decision on admission of the Head of Kazkosmos into the French Legion of Honor was taken by President of France in early October. The ceremony of awarding the Order took place in Paris during the official visit of the Kazakh President to this country.

Award...

The Kazakh Government will hold a telephone conference today.

Commodity food prices, issues of heating season, the Program on Kazakh Content Development in Kazakhstan for 2010-2014 will be discussed within the sitting.

Source: KAZINFORM

It was the first ATP win for Mikhail Kukushkin who achieved it at the tournament in St. Petersburg.

22 years old Kazakh tennis player Mikhail Kukushkin came out victorious in the finals match with 28 years old Mikhail Youzhny on October 31. The match lasted 2 hours 26 minutes and M. Kukushkin needed two sets to beat his opponent - 6:3, 7:6.

It should be noted that it was the first win for the Kazakh tennis player at the ATP tournaments. The prize fund he will be awarded is USD 113....

The Challenger ATP PRESIDENT'S CUP international tournament opens today in Astana with the prize fund of USD 125 thousand, the press service of the Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan informs.

The tournament is held in the tennis center 'Daulet', it end on November 7. Semifinals in singles and finals in doubles will be held on Saturday (November 6) and finals in singles on Sunday (November 7).

Source: KAZINFORM

Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Kairat Sarybai has met with his Saudi counterpart Prince Khaled bin Saud bin Khaled in Astana today.

The parties discussed the status and prospects of cooperation in political, trade-economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. They also exchanged opinions on topical issues of international and regional security, considered the issues of interaction within the framework of the coming chairmanship of Kazakhstan in the OIC in 2011.

The Undersecre...

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) begins realization of a new regional project on countering human trafficking.  

The implementation of the three-year project which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Cooperation has been launched in all five countries of the Central Asian region. First the program was launched in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan joined it in October. As for Kyrgyzstan, the country will start to work on it in October ...

Famous American actor, director and producer John Malkovich temporally stopped shooting his new movie in New York in order to visit Kazakhstan. He said he had come to Kazakhstan because of his friend Michael Fitzgerald who's in Almaty to take part in the 2^nd United States- Kazakhstan Film Festival that started today in Almaty.

According to John Malkovich that is his first visit to Kazakhstan and he takes pleasure in being in Kazakhstan. As it was announced four movies would be ...

Yerzhan Boltaev has been appointed acting head of Almaty Directorate of the 16^th Asian Winter Games who previously was in the post of a deputy, the Directorate informs.

As Deputy Mayor of Almaty Serik Seidumanov said former head of the Almaty Directorate of the Asian Games Sultanmakhmut Shokbytov had been released from the post in view of the claims from the municipal akimat - failing to accomplish the set tasks. He is still working in the Directorate.

Source: ...