news roundup
News Roundup - June 9, 2008
energy:
Chevron to build new pipe on Kazakh Caspian shore
(Reuters) - U.S. oil company Chevron agreed with Kazakhstan on Friday to press ahead with a new domestic oil pipeline, due to be part of a broader $3 billion project to link Caspian oil deposits with international markets.
Chevron to help Kazakhstan skirt Russia with pipeline (Bloomberg/Houston Chronicle)
Exxon urges Kazakhstan not to revise tax rules
(Reuters) - ExxonMobil urged Kazakhstan on Friday against revising taxes for oil companies, saying the proposed measure would hinder fresh investment in the oil-rich Central Asian state.
KazMunaiGas to launch $2.5 bln loan Monday
(Reuters) - Kazakhstan oil and gas company KazMunaiGas will launch syndication on Monday of a $2.5 billion, three-year unsecured loan, a banking source said on Friday.
mineral resources:
ArcelorMittal to double Kazakh steel output
(Economic Times) - The world’s top steel maker ArcelorMittal plans to double annual steel output in Kazakhstan to 10 million tonnes through a $4 billion expansion project, a senior official said on Friday.
Bodies of five miners recovered after Kazakh coal mine accident
(RIA Novosti) - Rescuers recovered the bodies of all five miners who died after a cave-in and methane leak at a coal mine in central Kazakhstan on June 2, the country’s Emergency Situations Ministry said Sunday.
business and economy:
Kazakhstan can withstand food crisis and prepare for climate change
(World Bank) - Kazakhstan can withstand food crisis and prepare for climate change - this and other conclusions were made during the First International Forum “Sustainable Development of the Eurasian Continent” sensationally held in Astana during June 3-5, 2008.
Kazakh Eurasia Insurance rated ‘B+’ with stable outlook - S&P (Thomson Financial/Forbes)
Iran partakes in building Kazakhstan’s first highway (MehrNews.com)
Astana to hold forum on Eurasian economic integration (Kazinform)
Kazakh PM approved development plan of Almaty city (Kazinform)
National Bank of Kazakhstan: Exchange rates June 7-9, 2008 (Kazinform)
politics:
Kazakh leader wants to stay in power “for long time”
(Reuters) - Kazakhstan’s long-serving President Nursultan Nazarbayev said on Friday he intended to stay in power “for a long time”, dismissing speculation about a possible succession plan.
Don’t name capital after me yet, says Kazakh president
(AFP) - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev on Friday rejected the idea that the capital Astana be renamed after him, following a parliamentary proposal put forth to this effect.
Kazakh leader signed a number of laws (Kazinform)
Kazakh President invited CIS leaders to celebrate Astana 10th anniversary (Kazinform)
society:
In Kazakhstan, strong hand maintains an ethnic peace
Unlike many of its neighbors in Central Asia, Kazakhstan has been spared the ethnic clashes that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Kazakhstan: New incidents with Uzbek refugees
(Muslim Uzbekistan) - On 29 May 2008 in Almaty there was the next incident which has caused serious concern for uzbek muslim refugees, living temporarily in Kazakhstan.
(Christian Science Monitor) - Finally, a movie that restores the good-guy reputation of Genghis Khan! You’ve been waiting for this one, I know.
regional news:
(neweurasia.net) - Laying a gas transit route across the Caspian bed from the Azeri coast to the shores of Turkmenistan, with all its hydrocarbon wealth, remains an exciting prospect for energy-hungry Europe and one that grows tantalisingly near with the passing of time.
Western diplomatic offensive in Central Asia throws Russia on the defensive
(EurasiaNet) - As the CIS summit opened in St. Petersburg on June 6, Russia found itself in an unusual position — on the defensive in the Caspian Basin energy contest. But Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev appears to have assuaged Central Asian leaders, thereby ensuring that Moscow will continue to act as the funnel through which the bulk of the region’s oil and gas flows — if only for the time being.
Washington and Moscow vie for Turkmenistan’s supplies
Since 1991 the Kremlin and Washington have sparred over the hydrocarbon riches of the Caspian, the world’s greatest untapped regional deposits. While Azerbaijan is now firmly in the Western orbit, both Russia and America are vying for influence in Kazakhstan, but due to U.S. sanctions, Russia has greater opportunities to engage Iran. The final prize is Turkmenistan.
Leaders of ex-Soviet alliance meet (AP)
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