News Roundup

News Roundup - January 31, 2008

By SRI ⋅ January 31, 2008 ⋅

EurasiaNet: How far will Kazakhstan go as it tries to forge a new energy-export order

Victory in a dispute over the Kashagan oil field seems to have emboldened Kazakhstan’s government. Astana is now mulling the possibility of imposing an energy export duty, which, if implemented, could take a significant chunk out of foreign corporate profits…

Forbes: Kazakhmys Q4 total copper cathode production falls 7.8 pct

Kazakhmys PLC, the largest copper producer in Kazakhstan, said total copper cathode production fell 7.8 pct pct in the fourth quarter, although full-year output was in line with expectations…

Reuters: Kazakhmys Q4 copper output up 19 pct vs Q3

Copper miner Kazakhmys Plc posted a 19 percent jump in fourth-quarter copper cathode output compared to the previous quarter, when the firm was hit by flooding at a mine and processing problems…

Interfax: Kazakh police hold suspects of attack on German reporter

Kazakh police have apprehended suspects on suspicion of beating up and robbing Marcus Bensmann, a journalist of Germany’s ARD TV channel, in Astana, a source with the Astana police department told Interfax on Wednesday…

Forum 18: Secret police operation to close down entire denomination?

The KNB secret police subjected the Grace Presbyterian Church in Almaty to a 17-hour raid on 25 and 26 January. “They checked everybody and everything and confiscated all the computer hardware,” Dmitri Kan of the church’s headquarters in Karaganda told Forum 18 News Service…

The Oil and the Glory: Horelma and the Six-Foot Beauty

The British press says it has resolved the mystery of the Kazakhstan buyer of a 50-million-pound ($97 million) London mansion about two weeks ago…

Neweurasia.net: Is the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline moving ahead?

On 29 January the Russian daily Vremya Novostey published the article titled “USA offered Turkmenistan an audit”. The text was written by Arkady Dubnov, one of the best reporters when it comes to Turkmenistan. The article described the results of the recent visit of Admiral William Fallon, head of U.S. Central Command and senator Richard Lugar to Ashgabat…

Kazinfrom: Bolashak scholarship opens new horizons for Kazakhstan’s youth

A forum of the scholarship holders and graduates of Bolashak Program with the participation of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev will take place on January 30 in Astana. Results of the 15 years’ work will be summed up there…

Kazinform: Bolashak is one of most important breakthrough projects, focused on competitive nation formation: Nazarbayev

As reported earlier, a forum of Bolashak scholarship holders with the participation of Head of the State Nursultan Nazarbayev has been held today at «Radisson SAS» Hotel in Astana, Kazinform refers to the presidential press service…

Kazinform: US Assistant Secretary of Defense, Senator K. Sultanov met

Today chairman of the committee on international relations, defense and security of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament Kuanysh Sultanov has met with the US Assistant Secretary of Defense Mitchell Shivers…

International Center for Journalists: Websites blocked by Kazakhstan authorities

Four Kazakh websites have been blocked by Kazakh authorities. The press freedom group Article 19 believes that the four websites were chosen because incriminating recorded conversations between Kazakh leaders were posted on the websites…

Sleaford Standard: Family uproot to Kazakhstan

Mr Wilson and his brother own an engineering company specialising in power generators and have been supplying and installing generating equipment to the developing oil industry in that part of the world…

ICFA: Citi brings DCC to Kazakhstan

Citi is now providing direct custody and clearing services in Kazakhstan. This is the seventh new market that Citi has opened in the past two years, taking its proprietary network to 51 markets…

Ferghana.ru: American Road Map plan for Central Asia

While some US senators are fighting tooth and claw for the White House, others seconded by the military make sure that the next US president will have bridgeheads in faraway countries to pursue his foreign policy in.

Azeri Press Agency: Richard Lugar: Azerbaijan uses its energy resources for contributing to global security

Lugar wrote in his letter he had interesting talk to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and first lady of the country Mehriban Aliyeva in Baku not long ago. He called Azerbaijan’s opening its oil market to foreign investors and construction of oil-gas pipelines courageous step and expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijani President…