News Roundup

News Roundup - October 29, 2007

By SRI ⋅ October 29, 2007 ⋅

Reuters: EU Urges Fair Treatment for Kazakhstan Investors

The European Commission said on Thursday that energy-rich Kazakhstan should treat foreign firms fairly, a day after the Asian country’s president signed a controversial law that could affect investments by energy firms…

Global Voices Online: Kazakhstan Blocks Opposition Websites

On October 18, 2007, Kazakhstan has blocked access to a number of independent websites switching off main opposition outlets including kub.kz, geo.kz, zonakz.net and inkar.info…

International Herald Tribune: Kazakhstan Shuts Opposition Websites amid Family Feud

Opposition Web sites in Kazakhstan were temporarily shut down this week, organizers said, for publishing documents relating to the public battle between the country’s authoritarian leader and his estranged former son-in-law…

Neweurasia.net: Four Billion Dollars

This sum is the most popular one in Kazakhstan lately. The Kazakh banks have to return 4 billion dollars to their international creditors by the end of this year. The Almaty mayor said that 4 billion dollars will be necessary to pay compensations to the owners of illegal real estate in the national parks near the city. The president ordered to allocate 4 billion dollars for liquidation of the consequences of economic crisis…

Neweurasia.net: Keep Talking

The continuous trouble over the delay in the Kashagan development has seen a few new developments over the last week. The 22 October deadline after which talks between the consortium and the Kazakh government about the stalemate should have originally been resolved got extended…

TREND: Kazakhstan Will Strengthen Its Influence on Kashagan Project: Expert of Argus Media

Increasing the participation share of Kazakhstan State Company GazMunayGaz in the development project of Kashagan field will provide an opportunity to increase the influence of the State and may bring forward tougher State control of the financial part of the project, said an analyst of the assessment agency Argus Media, Rauf Huseynov…

The Economist: Breadline Blues

Bread is more than a staple food in Kazakhstan. It is part of every meal. For many of the poor, it may even be the main meal. It is also a symbol of hospitality. When President Nursultan Nazarbayev tours the country, he is always greeted by young women in traditional dress offering him bread and salt…

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Kazakh President Accused Of Ordering Opposition Leader’s Murder

Rakhat Aliev, the controversial former son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, has accused the president of ordering the murder last year of a key leader of the country’s political opposition…

Harper’s Magazine: Mea Culpa: Haste Makes Mistake

I recently posted an item about the lobby firm APCO’s representation of the government of Kazakhstan and congressional hearings about Kazakhstan’s desire to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)…

Hemscott: Max Petroleum Posts FY Loss; Abandons East Alibek Well

Max Petroleum PLC reported a pretax loss of 24.75 mln usd for the year to end-March 2007, and said its shares are expected to resume trading on Oct 29. The company, whose shares have been suspended pending the publication of its annual report for the year to end-March, had posted a pretax loss of 23.66 mln usd in the period from April 8 2005 to end-March 2006…