Full Coverage: Kazakhstan

22.02.2008 The European Union is eager to strengthen its economic partnerships with Central Asian nations, notably Turkmenistan, despite the extremely poor human rights records of countries in this region, writes David Cronin.

17.01.2008 Lo scorso 13 gennaio è arrivata la notizia della conclusione del negoziato tra l'Eni e il governo kazako per l'accordo di sfruttamento del mega-giacimento petrolifero di Kashagan. Alla fine l'Eni è riuscita a perdere meno del previsto. "Chi ha perso davvero questa partita sono purtroppo l'ambiente del Caspio del Nord e le popolazioni locali" - commenta la Campagna CRBM. "Nessuna delle parti al tavolo dei negoziati si è espressa sugli enormi rischi ambientali e sociali connessi all'esplorazione di Kashagan. La Campagna CRBM chiede al governo italiano di assumersi le proprie responsabilità e fare leva sul suo ruolo di azionista di maggioranza (30% delle azioni Eni sono controllate dal ministero dell'Economia) per chiedere all'azienda che rispetti gli accordi internazionali firmati dal governo italiano nsugli standard ambientali e sociali.

04.01.2007 Thirteen homes of Hare Krishna families were bulldozed in December outside the Kazakh capital in what is being called a "land grab" and a move to intimidate a non-traditional religious minority.

13.09.2006 SAN FRANCISCO, Sep 13 (OneWorld) - The Bush Administration is objecting to a groundbreaking treaty that set up a nuclear weapon-free zone in Central Asia.

11.09.2006 Five Central Asian states committed themselves to never acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, or testing nuclear weapons by signing a treaty Thursday to create a Central Asian nuclear-weapon-free zone.
From: Arms Control Association

27.07.2006 As the Aral Sea continues to shrink beyond recognition between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, millions have suffered from the after effects: the resulting toxic dust has contaminated drinking water and air, spreading cancer and tuberculosis throughout the region.

07.07.2006 President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed legislation that further restricts press freedom in Kazakhstan.

18.08.2005 As part of The Great Volga River Route project, an International Workshop on Sustainable Development and World Heritage took place on 28-31 July 2005 in Bucharest, Romania.The aim is to link young people through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and engage them in the preservation and promotion of World Heritage and Biosphere sites.

15.06.2005 President Putin told Tony Blair that the G8 should consider countries of the former Soviet Union just as much in need as Africa. Unconcerned for diplomatic niceties, Kazakstan is introducing laws to curtail foreign NGOs, apparently convinced that recent revolutions in Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine were financed by global pro-democracy organisations.

18.03.2005 Këshilli për Mbrojtjen e të Drejtave e të Lirive të Njeriut (KMDLNJ) në Prishtinë në përvjetorin e ngjarjeve të dhunshme të marsit të kaluar, si pasojë e të cilave humbën jetën 22 qytetarë (3 fëmijë të mbytur në lumin Ibër, 8 serbë dhe 11 shqiptarë), u dëmtuan plotësisht apo pjesërisht rreth 800 shtëpi banimi (të minoritetit serbë, rom dhe hashkali), u dogjën tërësisht apo pjesërisht 29 objekte fetare ortodokse dhe nga shtëpitë e tyre u zhvendosen dhunshëm rreth 4 mijë persona të nacionalitetit serbë, romë dhe hashkali, vlerëson se edhe përkundër përparimeve të bëra në eliminimin e këtyre pasojave, sidomos në rindërtimin e shtëpive(edhe pse të gjithë të zhvendosurit nuk janë kthyer në shtëpitë e tyre), edhe më tutje nuk është identifikuar shkaktari i vërtetë i kësaj përplasjeje ndëretnike, dhe sidomos nuk u sqarua rasti i mbytjes së tre fëmijëve shqiptarë në fshatin Qabër, që shërbeu si pretekst për trazira.

22.09.2004 The trial of a Manhattan businessman accused of making multi-million dollar illicit payments to the president of Kazakhstan and the former prime minister has been postponed till January 2005. Lawyers for the businessman insist that U.S. officials sanctioned the payments to encourage cordial relations with the central Asian country.

20.09.2004 As part of its worldwide media support programs, the U.S-based Internews is working with regional stations in Kazakhstan to promote voter awareness and civic participation through election-related programming.

03.08.2004 A federal judge last week criticized the prosecution for being tardy in furnishing the defense team with U.S. government documents in the case of corrupt oil deals involving a merchant banker and Kazakhstan government. The defense team wants to review the documents as part of its contention the banker acted with the knowledge of U.S. government agencies.

01.06.2004 A court in Manhattan will hear pretrial motions on June 3 in a case against a U.S. banker charged with paying millions of dollars in bribes to the president and former prime minister of Kazakhstan. The banker represented U.S. oil companies that purchased oil and gas rights in Kazhkstan in the 1990s.

18.05.2004 The impact of ICTs on local culture in countries of Central Asia is the focus of this multi-year research project. It has already come out with some findings on the implications of internet on society.

03.05.2004 Participants at the third Eurasian Media Forum say that the U.S. anti-terrorism struggle in Central Asia is “guided by a shaky analysis” that tends to view the global terrorist threat as rooted in Islam, thus re-casting what is essentially a war of ideas into a modern-day religious war.

06.04.2004 Six months before scheduled parliamentary elections, the U.S.-backed government in Kazakhstan is harassing the political opposition, and undermining prospects for a free and fair choice, according to a new report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch. (See Analysis)

06.04.2004 WASHINGTON, D.C., Apr 6 (OneWorld) -- Six months before scheduled parliamentary elections, the U.S.-backed government in Kazakhstan is harassing the political opposition, and undermining prospects for a free and fair choice, according to a new report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

22.12.2003 The number of juvenile alcoholics in Kazakhstan is rapidly increasing despite the state's efforts to curb the nation's alcohol drinking habit. A national centre designed to introduce a healthier lifestyle to Kazakhs reports that this year 610 children in the country were diagnosed as alcoholics. In 1999, only 29 such cases were recorded.

24.07.2003 The Youth Information Service of Kazakhstan promotes the development of youth through information exchange and promotion of gender development. The aim is to nurture youth as a resource for development efforts in the country.