News Roundup

News Roundup - April 23, 2008

By SRI ⋅ April 23, 2008 ⋅

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energy:

S&P on Kazakhstan’s oil and gas infrastructure

(Reuters) - Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services analyzes how Kazakhstan could finance its major investments toward developing new fields and creating pipeline infrastructure to increase its oil and gas production and strengthen its presence in the country’s hydrocarbon sector…

The Kazakh Rockefeller of nuclear fuel

(Bloomberg/The Moscow Times) - Mukhtar Dzhakishev, president of state-owned mining enterprise Kazatomprom, said he plans to triple production at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Ust-Kamenogorsk, a former secret city south of Siberia…

Kazakhstan gears up for electricity shortages

(Reuters) - Kazakhstan plans to build new power plants and import more gas from neighbouring Uzbekistan to cope with an electricity deficit it is likely to face later this year…

Russian market prices driving Kazakhstan’s gasoline prices up (Interfax)

Kazakh Leader urges Central Asia states to solve water-energy problems concurrently (Kazinform)

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to intensify cooperation in energy: Ambassador (Trend Capital)

In 2008 gas supply for inner market of Kazakhstan from Uzbekistan will increase by 20% (Kazakhstan Today/Gazeta.kz)

Energy sector of Kazakhstan needs urgently investment (Kazakhstan Today/Gazeta.kz)

Kazakhstani oil processing plants should produce 2,7 million of black oil - Mynbayev (Kazakhstan Today/Gazeta.kz)

mineral resources:

European Minerals to acquire Lero Gold in all-share deal; shrs suspended on AIM (Thomson Financial/Forbes)

business and economy:

Kazakhtelecom’s ‘BB’ long-term CCR affirmed with stable outlook - S&P

(Thomson Financial/CNN Money) - Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it affirmed its ‘BB’ long-term corporate credit rating on Kazakhstan’s telecom provider, JSC Kazakhtelecom with a stable outlook…

Majority Kazakh banks lack clear-cut strategy after financial markets rally, S&P

(Interfax) - Majority banks in Kazakhstan focus their efforts to maintain stability of current market conditions, but they still lack a clear-cut action plan for the future after the financial markets rally…

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to create free trade zone (Kazinform)

Indicators - Kazakhstan - April 22

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

politics:

Initiative on Central Asian Union establishment is irreceivable for Uzbekistan: I.Karimov (Kazinform)

Kazakhstan is the most important and largest partner of Uzbekistan in Central Asia: Uzbek President (Kazinform)

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan should jointly stand against new challenges: N.Nazarbayev (Kazinform)

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are able to play a crucial role in solution of Central Asian stability problem: I. Karimov (Kazinform)

society:

Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan: Lenin’s birthday (Global Voices Online)

other news:

Russian news agency says Soyuz crew was in danger on descent

(AP) - The crew of the Soyuz space capsule that landed hundreds of miles off target in Kazakhstan was in serious danger during the descent, a Russian news agency reported Tuesday…

regional news:

Turkey uses gas pipe as leverage in EU talks

(Bloomberg/International Herald Tribune) - Turkey is playing hardball in the geopolitical struggle over an $8 billion pipeline at the center of Europe’s efforts to cut dependence on Russian natural gas…

Russia’s links with transit states, gas customers (Reuters)

analysis:

Analysis: EU and Central Asian gas

(UPI) - The European Union, gazing hungrily at Central Asia’s vast oil and natural gas deposits, has long sought to weaken Russia’s grip over Caspian exports. Now the EU has succeeded in getting its nose under the Turkmen tent…