Labour Ministry Clarifies Changes to State Guarantee on Pension Savings
Kazakhstan's Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has responded to discussions in the media and on social media regarding proposed changes to the state guarantee on pension savings.
The ministry recalled that the state guarantee has been in place since 2003. It was introduced at a time when contributors were not allowed to choose how their pension savings were invested. Under the system, if investment returns fell below the rate of inflation, the state compensated contributors for the difference.
Contributors now have the right to choose both their pension asset management company and investment strategy. According to the ministry, under these conditions the state should not be held responsible for the outcomes of investment decisions made independently by individuals.
The ministry also stressed that the state guarantee is a one-time compensation mechanism and does not affect the amount of regular pension payments over the long term.
At the same time, the ministry emphasised that the proposed changes do not mean the state is abandoning its role in safeguarding pension savings. The pension asset management system will continue to operate under a multi-tiered system of state oversight, as before.
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Kazakhstan’s Shubat Fest 2026 to Be Held in Aktau on August 29
Images | Depositphotos
Kazakhstan’s national Shubat Fest 2026 will take place on August 29 at the Amphitheatre Square in Aktau, where the country’s best producers of shubat, a traditional fermented camel milk drink, will be selected, according to the press service of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The festival aims to promote shubat and other camel milk products, as well as encourage the development of gastronomic tourism.
The main event will be a competition to determine Kazakhstan’s best shubat producer. Participants will also compete in several special categories. The festival will feature kurt, a traditional dried dairy product, balkaymak, desserts, ice cream, coffee and cocktails made with camel milk.
Individuals, companies, as well as agricultural and farming enterprises producing camel-based products are eligible to take part. Twenty participants will be selected for the final, with samples of their shubat tested by an independent accredited laboratory.
Winners will be determined according to three criteria. Laboratory test results will account for 40% of the final score, the decision of a professional jury for another 40%, and a public vote for the remaining 20%. Specialists will assess the safety and quality of the shubat, while the jury will evaluate its taste, consistency, aroma and presentation.
The top three winners of the main competition will receive 1 million, 700,000 and 500,000 tenge, respectively. The Grand Prix winner will be awarded a car. Cash prizes will also be presented in the special categories.
The festival will conclude with a gala concert featuring popular performers. Organisers expect 20,000 to 25,000 people to attend Shubat Fest 2026.
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"Sky of Baiserke 2026": major air show takes place near Almaty
Images | Akimat of Almaty Region
The annual Sky of Baiserke 2026 aviation festival has opened in the village of Baiserke in the Ili district of Almaty Region, bringing together aviation enthusiasts, industry professionals, local residents and visitors, the regional administration said.
As part of the festival, a press conference was held focusing on the development of general aviation in Kazakhstan, aviation tourism and efforts to encourage young people to pursue technical careers.
Experts said events of this kind give children and teenagers an opportunity to learn more about careers as pilots, engineers and aircraft technicians. Seeing aircraft up close and speaking directly with industry professionals can help spark young people's interest in aviation and engineering careers, they said.
Participants also focused on the development of general aviation. They said this would require fostering a stronger aviation culture, raising public awareness of opportunities within the sector and regularly holding events open to the public.
The main programme of Sky of Baiserke 2026 began after the press conference. Visitors were treated to flight demonstrations and displays of aviation equipment, as well as entertainment and educational activities. Guests were able to see aircraft up close and learn about their features and careers in the aviation industry.
Tourism development was another key theme of the festival. Organisers said Almaty Region's natural landscape and vast open spaces offer opportunities to develop aviation tourism and attract more visitors to the region.
The Sky of Baiserke 2026 festival aims to promote aviation, introduce young people to technical careers and showcase the tourism potential of Almaty Region.
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Atyrau Region hosts LOTUS FEST 2026
Images | Akimat of Atyrau region
The LOTUS FEST 2026 cultural and tourism festival has opened in the village of Teniz in the Kurmangazy district, the regional communications service said.
The festival is dedicated to the region’s lotus fields and aims to attract more tourists to the Atyrau Region.
"This festival not only introduces the wider public to the natural beauty of the lotus fields, but also helps boost the region’s tourism potential. Such unique natural attractions will help increase the number of visitors to the Atyrau Region," Kurmangazy district akim Abat Zhangaliyev said at the opening ceremony.
A concert programme was organised for festival visitors, featuring performances by the Sarmad ethno-folk ensemble, the Zhaiyk Kyzy folk dance ensemble and singer Kuandyk Rakhym.
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Astana Plans District Boundary Changes and Seven New Bus Routes
Astana authorities plan to revise the boundaries of several districts and launch seven additional bus routes, officials said at a city maslikhat meeting on Aug. 14.
Altynbek Akhmetov, head of Astana’s Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Land Relations, said certain sections of the boundaries had been adjusted where they followed the riverbed.
Following the revisions, the district areas will change as follows:
Almaty district will shrink by 106 hectares, from 8,518 to 8,412 hectares;
Yesil district will expand by 87 hectares, from 20,431 to 20,518 hectares;
Saryarka district will expand by 369 hectares, from 6,775 to 7,144 hectares;
Nura district will shrink by 411 hectares, from 18,927 to 18,516 hectares;
Baikonyr district will expand by 61 hectares, from 18,129 to 18,190 hectares.
The changes are intended to update land registry records and bring the districts’ official boundaries into line with their actual boundaries.
The meeting also addressed the development of public transportation. Askhat Karagoishin, head of the Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development, said officials had proposed launching seven additional routes in response to residents’ requests:
No. 67: Prigorodny residential area to Yryskeldi Kazhy Mosque;
No. 74: Uly Dala Avenue to the Yugo-Vostok residential area;
No. 76: Alai Market to the Zheleznodorozhny residential area;
No. 83: Ondiris residential area to the railway station;
No. 506: Zhansugurov Street to the Family Village cottage community;
No. 507: Nurly Zhol railway station to the Zhagalau-4 residential complex;
No. 508: Nurly Zhol railway station to the Logistics Department.
Karagoishin said the new routes were expected to be in high demand, carrying up to 30,000 passengers a day.
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Kazakhstan Pet Owners to Remain Responsible After Abandoning Animals
Kazakhstan is changing its rules on pet ownership. Owners will no longer be able to simply abandon their pets and immediately absolve themselves of responsibility for their care. The amendments have been introduced to the Standard Rules for Keeping and Walking Pets.
If owners can no longer care for their pets, they must make arrangements for the animals’ future. A pet may be transferred to a shelter, a temporary holding facility, or another person or organization capable of providing appropriate care.
However, owners will retain their responsibilities when placing an animal in a temporary holding facility. They must continue to cover the pet’s care until its legal status is determined.
The rules also explicitly state that relinquishing an animal does not terminate the obligations of its owner or the person responsible for it. Those obligations remain in force until the pet is transferred to a new owner or shelter, or until its legal status is determined at a temporary holding facility.
This means owners cannot simply leave an animal at a temporary holding facility and walk away from responsibility for it.
The amendments revise the May 20, 2022, order approving the Standard Rules for Keeping and Walking Pets.
The order will take effect 10 calendar days after its first official publication.
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Volunteers From Eight Countries Join Caspian Sea Action Week in Mangystau
Images | Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information
Caspian Sea Action Week 2026, an international volunteer initiative, has concluded in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region, the Ministry of Culture and Information said.
The event brought together participants from eight countries: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
They included government officials, international experts, environmentalists, volunteers and youth leaders.
The week featured the "One Caspian - One Future" expert session, the international Caspian Clean Challenge environmental marathon, the opening of the Friendship Alley, and a series of environmental, cultural and youth events.
One of the main events was the international Caspian Hackathon, where participants presented projects focused on environmental protection and sustainable development. The creators of the best projects received awards at the closing ceremony.
Participants were also introduced to "Volunteers of the World," an international volunteer anthem, for the first time.
The international week of action to preserve the Caspian ecosystem began in Aktau on Aug. 7. The initiative brings together volunteers and international organizations to protect the Caspian Sea ecosystem and promote environmental cooperation.
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Google Brings AI-Powered Sign Language Translation to Smartphones
Google DeepMind has introduced a new sign-language-to-text model designed to help Deaf and hard of hearing users communicate through their phones, bringing sign language AI to consumer products for the first time, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The model, called SL2T, powers sign-to-text dictation in Gboard and Live Transcribe on Pixel 11, initially supporting American Sign Language (ASL) to English. Google said more devices and sign languages will follow.
The technology allows users to sign anywhere they would normally type. They can use it to search the web, draft messages and documents, or ask Gemini to complete tasks. In Live Transcribe, users can sign responses during conversations instead of typing them.
Unlike spoken language transcription, sign language translation requires AI to understand independent languages with their own grammars and vocabularies, as well as complex movements involving the hands, arms, torso, head and face.
SL2T was trained on more than 100,000 hours of data covering over 50 sign languages, with about a quarter of the data in ASL. Google said training across different languages, dialects and proficiency levels helps the model learn shared structures.
For privacy, the system does not send raw camera footage to the server. An on-device model tracks points on the signer’s body, and only the resulting geometric coordinates are sent for translation. The original video can then be discarded immediately.
The company developed the system with members and organizations from the Deaf community, including through user studies and the AI Sign Language Advisory Committee.
SL2T is currently available in Gboard and Live Transcribe on Pixel 11 at no additional cost. Google said it plans to expand the technology to additional sign languages and develop sign language generation capabilities.
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Jastar Day Youth Festival Draws 3,000 Participants in Astana
Astana hosted the JASTAR DAY festival dedicated to International Youth Day. The event brought together about 3,000 young people from across Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Today reports.
The festival was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva, Astana Deputy Akim Talgat Rakhmanberdi, and representatives of government agencies and youth organizations.
Balayeva read out an address by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev marking International Youth Day.
The president noted that sweeping reforms are underway across all areas of the country and that supporting young people remains one of the government’s key priorities.
"Supporting young people will always remain one of our government’s key priorities. New schools, sports facilities and development centers are being built across the country. Large-scale projects are being implemented, and talented young people are receiving comprehensive support. The Tauelsizdik Urpaktary grant is a clear example of this," the address said.
The festival included an awards ceremony for the Tauelsizdik Urpaktary grant. This year, the authors of 30 projects in science, culture, information technology, media, business and civic engagement received funding. Each winner was awarded a certificate for 3 million tenge to implement their project.
The Tauelsizdik Urpaktary grant was established at the president’s initiative in 2021 to support talented young people. Since the program was launched, 153 young Kazakhstanis have received the grant.
JASTAR DAY also featured talks by speakers working in leadership, media, technology, the arts and social initiatives.
The festival concluded with a concert featuring Kazakh performers Ersultan Omar, DANIAL, Yerkebulan & Bauyrzhan, and other artists.
International Youth Day is observed annually on Aug. 12. It was proclaimed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1999 following a recommendation by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, held in Lisbon in 1998.
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