News Roundup - April 18, 2008

energy:

Kazakhstan to impose oil export duty from May 18

(Reuters) - Kazakhstan will introduce an oil export duty of $109.91 per tonne from May 18, according to a decree published in official media on Thursday…

RusAl sells Kazakh coal stakes for $345M

(Moscow Times/Bloomberg) - United Company RusAl, the world’s largest primary aluminum producer, said Thursday that it had agreed to sell 50 percent of two coal mines in Kazakhstan for the $345 million offered in September by state-run Samruk Holding…

Caspian Energy says Canadian authorities approve C$4.35 million rights issue (Forbes/Thomson Financial)

mineral resources:

Russia’s Mechel gets over 90% takers for Oriel bid

(Reuters) - Russian miner and steel maker Mechel said on Thursday its $1.5 billion offer to buy Oriel Resources had become unconditional after acceptances exceeded the required 90 percent…

business and investment:

BTA Bank reinforced its footing in Kazakhstan, CIS and non-CIS countries in 2007

(The FINANCIAL) - Pursuing its strategy of turning into a major privately-owned bank in the CIS, BTA is gradually expanding its product range and introducing advanced banking services…

BTA Bank total assets in 2007 increased by 47.7%, net income was up 65.6% (Business Wire) 

Kazakhmys to join Kazakh Stock Exchange from May

(Forbes/Thomson Financial) - Copper producer Kazakhmys Plc. said it is joining the Kazakh Stock Exchange (KASE) Index from May 1 in an effort to increase trading volumes and liquidity in its shares…

Kazyna Fund to restructure its investment portfolio by 2010, to become independent by 2015

(Interfax) - Kazakhstan’s state fund of sustainable growth Kazyna is revising its investment priorities, said Kazyna head Arman Dunaev…

Fixed capital investment in Kazakhstan up 16% in Q1 (Interfax)

People get poorer amid economy boom and corruption

(Global Voices Online) - As the Kazakhstani economy continues to grow - although much slower now - thanks to petrodollars inflow, the resource nationalism and state expansion tendencies get stronger…

Prysmian wins 10 mln eur Kazakh oil sector order, Italy 10 mln electric order (Interactive Investor/Thomson Financial)

Indicators - Kazakhstan - April 17

(Reuters) - Kazakhstan’s economic indicators based on data provided by the State Statistics Agency, government institutions, the central bank and exchanges…

politics:

Political players reshuffled

(Global Voices Online) - It was hardly a secret for most Kazakhstanis that their government will mock the OSCE and avoid reforms…

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan signed number of documents

(Kazinform) - Head of the states Nursultan Nazarbayev and Kurmanbek Bakiyev inked the joint statement, the Protocol on amendments to the Treaty on allied relations between the countries as of December 25, 2003 and approved the Action Plan of the bilateral cooperation for the years of 2008-2010…

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan for quickest creation of CA water energy consortium (Kazinform)

Kazakh PM met US Ambassador, head of UC Commerce Chamber in Kazakhstan (Kazinform)

Kazakh parliament amends law On Republic’s Referendum (Interfax)

President offers recommendations for implementing 2015’ Industrial-Innovative Development Strategy (Interfax)

Kazakh and Slovak defense ministers signed agreement on coop (Kazinform)

society:

In the land of Borat

(Newsweek) - Travelers who actually venture to the former Soviet republic in Central Asia may be surprised by what they find…