Tag archive for ‘Astana’
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The Unstylish Need Not Apply
Two weeks ago, the President announced that, “Residents of Astana should look like residents of the capital. The inhabitants of Astana themselves agree the capital should be at the level of world capitals, including in fashion. There are many stylish clothes in the shops However, by their own admission, not all residents try to take […]
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Two Attacks on Journalists
Another article that got lost in the to-post-on files: Two reporters Attacked. The first was Igor Larra who works for the independent newspaper Svoboda Slova (Freedom of Speech) on the 24th of March in Aktobe, Kazakhstan near his home. The attackers, three men, allegedly said “Greetings from Zhanaozen” before beating him. At the time, there […]
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Shopping in Astana
So I get a lot of emails from people planning to move here, or doing weird things like doing a role playing game, who want very specific information on living here. As a PSA, I try to tackle the most frequent questions here every now and again. The topic today is doing the shopping and […]
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If You Make 70 Gifts for 70 Years, I’ll Fire You
In another part of the President’s speech yesterday he noted that gift-giving is something that has to stop. Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that there is no budget item for gifts for fellow civil servants and threatened to report people who give too many gifts:
Gazeta.kz quotes the President, “Accounts Committee, regularly reports to me about the most serious violations. People buy expensive cars, expensive electronic devices and begin to furnish their offices, buying expensive furniture. It’s a waste of everything.” -
Breaking News: Out with the Old Ministries, In with the New
Today, speaking at a meeting with the local governors (akimats) on the Industrial Innovation Strategy 2014, President Nursultan Nazarbayev introduced a number of large changes to the Ministries [RUS] of Kazakhstan. The Ministry of Tourism, Information and Communication will be split into two Ministries, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Information and Communication. […]
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Learn How to Drive Like a Kazakh
Kazakhstan has its first video game! Astana Racer is a racing game set in Astana and apparently features a variety of cars from the Mitsubishi Lancer to a BMW. You can race all over the city from the Left Bank to the old center of town. The game is for sale at Meloman stores and […]
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Ice Village
One of the things I am looking forward to for New Years is the Ice Town. Although I hear that they do this in Scandinavian countries, I have never seen it anywhere but Astana so I like to think of it as a unique attraction in Kazakhstan. They’ve probably already started digging ice up out […]
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A Beach 30 Minutes from Astana
Another comment I’m reposting from the Tourism page–leave a comment there on your recommendations of what to do in Kazakhstan and I’ll repost it on my blog, plus give you a credit/link of your choice. Bozaigyr: A small beach next to a lake north of Astana. There’s a cafe that serves food–shashlik and so on. […]
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The Kyzkillers
Someone in Kazakhstan watched The Ladykillers a few too many times. There was an attempted robbery on Tsenabank in Astana by digging a tunnel to the bank vault. The suspects had been working on it for 15 months. They successfully dug the tunnel from a garage to the bank and were only discovered when security […]
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Eco Village
Obviously it’s getting a bit cold for outside activities, but in a blatant attempt to promote my Tourism page, I’m republishing my comment on Ecovillage. Feel free to add information here or on the Tourism page about Ecovillage or other things to do in and around Astana. I’m also planning to repost the best comments […]