News Roundup

News Roundup - January 25, 2008

By SRI ⋅ January 25, 2008 ⋅

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Corruption, Idle Promises Blamed For Mining Accidents

Two weeks after a methane explosion at the Abai mine in Kazakhstan’s central Karagana region killed 30 miners, it is still unclear why such deadly accidents continue to occur so often in the country’s mines…

Reuters: “Land of Borat” Kazakhstan shines in Oscar limelight

A Kazakh-financed film has been nominated for best foreign film at this year’s Oscars, a welcome creative boost to this central Asian country that was so heavily lampooned by the hit “Borat” movie…

Oil and Gas Eurasia: Kazakhstan to export as much crude via Russia as the pipeline system can digest

Kazakhstan plans to export as much crude through Russia as the Russian pipeline transportation system can take, with the remaining volumes to go through alternative routes, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Karim Masimov said…

Xinhua: Chinese president meets Kazakh parliament leader

Chinese President Hu Jintao met here on Thursday with Kasymzhomart Tokaev, chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan. Hu said China and Kazakhstan relations had developed rapidly since they forged diplomatic ties 16 years ago, and the leaders maintained close contacts and mutual understanding had increased…

Hemscott: Hambledon Mining says problems at Kazakhstan ops resolved; production on track

Hambledon Mining PLC said minor problems at Sekisovskoye gold mine and Ognevka processing plant in Kazakhstan have been resolved and that production is on track to meet the expected levels…

United Press International: Analysis: Growing Kazakh maritime trade

While most visitors to the rising petro-state of Kazakhstan are dazzled by the oil-fueled construction boom in Astana and the former capital, Almaty, an equally significant town is rising on the eastern shores of the Caspian.

Reuters: Kazakhmys 2007 sales grow despite output cut

Kazakhmys Plc., the world’s No.10 copper miner, said on Thursday its sales grew to $5.2 billion in 2007 from $5.05 billion a year earlier despite a decrease in copper cathode output…

Human Rights Watch: Kazakhstan: Investigate Attack on German Journalist

Kazakh authorities need to conduct a thorough investigation into last weekend’s attack on a German journalist and bring the perpetrators to justice, Human Rights Watch said today…

Agrimarket.info: Kazakhstan: annual revenue from grain and flour export would total 3 billion dollars

According to the chairman of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan Nurlan Tleubaev, the minimal annual revenue from grain and flour export would total 3 billion dollars. They plan export shipments in the volume of 10-12 mln tonnes from 2007 crop, and considering the current prices at the level of 250-300 USD/t, the indicated sum should be earned…

Financial Times: Aim is to become gas transit route

Azerbaijan, already a growing force on world oil markets, is carving a role for itself both as a natural gas exporter and as a strategic gas transit route linking the Caspian region with the west…

Neweurasia.net: It’s going to be fine, don’t worry…

The breakneck growth of the last couple of years has come along with heightened inflation, a real estate boom, and unprecedented credit expansion. In some sense thus, Nazarbayev is right. Cooling down the economic motor to allow for some corrections here and there was long overdue…

Financial Times: EBRD says region ‘holding up quite well’

Economic growth in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union will slow following the upheavals in global financial markets but the region will pull through the turmoil better than most parts of the world, says the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development…

TOL: Not Another Disaster Tourist

Decades of nuclear testing left the Kazakh town of Semipalatinsk devastated by radiation poisoning. An MEP is fighting to bring dignity to its victims…