Central Asians Unite To Protect Globally Important Natural Sites Apr 13, 2009
With the implementation of the IBA project in Kazakhstan, Brombacher says the country s project partner, the nongovernmental Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK), has grown into a "very professional" conservation organization with almost 30 staff and offices in Astana and Almaty. In Turkmenistan, however, the project partner remains the Ministry of Nature Protection. (EurasiaNet.org)
Kazakhstan indefinitely postpones space program Apr 10, 2009
ALMATY, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan has indefinitely postponed a plan of sending its own cosmonaut to the International Space Station (ISS) for lack of funding, Talgat Musabayev, head of the National Space Agency, said on Thursday. Musabayev told reporters that the sole reason for putting off the plan was lack of funding. (Xinhuanet, China)
U.S. space tourist, crew return to Earth Apr 8, 2009
ALMATY (Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz space capsule carrying U.S. billionaire Charles Simonyi and a Russian-American crew touched down safely in Kazakhstan on Wednesday. U.S. entrepreneur Charles Simonyi waves to his wife after putting on his space suit at Baikonur Cosmodrome in this March 26, 2009 file photo. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Kazakhstan in nuclear bank offer Apr 7, 2009
Under Mr Nazarbayev's rule it voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapons inherited from the Soviet Union, says the BBC's Rayhan Demytrie in Almaty. Mr Ahmadinejad said after the press conference that he supported the idea, but did not say whether his country would consider using such a bank. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Arawak announces management, board changes Apr 7, 2009
Simon Blaydes, currently Deputy Chief Financial Officer based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer. Arawak also announces that executive Director Michael Volcko and non-executive Directors Malcolm Hope-Ross, Ross Douglas and Phillip de Boos-Smith have offered their resignations to the Board. (Canada Newswire)
Living roots of music Apr 3, 2009
Recent tours took her to Australia, to perform at Australian National University, Canberra, ACT; to the Russian Institute for the History of the Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia; and to the Conservatory of Music in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Pelon has also performed as a soloist with symphony orchestras, on television specials and with Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion." "I have always loved music," she shared, adding that she when young she didn't have a music program in school. (Storm Lake Pilot Tribune, IA)
Roundup: Movies not to miss Apr 2, 2009
He has aspirations to own a Western-style ranch, complete with satellite TV and an actual house, on the pavement-flat, nearly featureless steppes 300 miles outside Almaty, the Kazakh capital. But the local sheepherding boss won't give him a flock of his own until he gets married, and the only marriageable young woman for miles in any direction is a legendary beauty named Tulpan, whose parents have higher targets than Asa in mind. (Salon)
Abbott, Mroz of US struggle in men's free skate Mar 27, 2009
He splits his time between his hometown of Almaty and Moscow, where he sought improved practice conditions. . (Anchorage Daily News)
Liquid war: Welcome to Pipelineistan Mar 26, 2009
In Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan (before it was moved to Astana, in the middle of the middle of nowhere) the locals were puzzled when I expressed an overwhelming urge to drive to that country's oil boomtown Aktau. ("Why? There's nothing there.") Entering the Space Odyssey-style map room at the Russian energy giant Gazprom's headquarters in Moscow - which digitally details every single pipeline in Eurasia - or the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC)'s corporate HQ in Tehran, with its... (Asia Times Online)
Life with TB Mar 24, 2009
IGOR, 47, ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN ... "Prison is a terrible place. I got home to Almaty and fell out with my wife. I had nowhere to turn to. I was homeless, until the national Aids centre referred me to the Red Crescent. "They were able to secure me a place in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre and I am still living there now. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Analysis: Kyrgyz base closure risky for Moscow Feb 24, 2009
Associated Press Writer Peter Leonard contributed to this report from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Douglas Birch is Moscow bureau chief for The Associated Press. (North County Times)
Russia's 'virtual cold war' in Central Asia Feb 21, 2009
Kazakhstan has Russian S-300 air defense systems protecting Astana and Almaty. Nevertheless, Akhmetov confirmed on February 12 that the Kazakhstani Ministry of Defense expects additional S-300 systems soon. (Asia Times Online)
Mariya Kovaleva Named Horizon League Female Tennis Athlete Of The Week Feb 19, 2009
The Almaty, Kazakhstan native was victorious in both singles and doubles over the weekend against Mid-American opponent Toledo. At No. 2 singles, Kovaleva defeated Ashley Frey, 6-1, 6-4, after pairing up with and beating Martina Wodzinski and Maha Guirguis at No. 1 doubles, 8-3. (Uicflames.com)
Kazakhstan paysfor devaluation Feb 18, 2009
ALMATY - The devaluation this month of the Kazakhstan currency was too sudden and too late and as a result is fueling inflation, according to critics of the way the measure was introduced ... As Viktor Yambaev, head of the Association of Entrepreneurs in Almaty, told Kazakhstan Today on February 4, "Eighty-five per cent of our economy depends on imports, so there's a simple chain reaction - given that the dollar's value has risen 30%, everything is going to be 30% more expensive." ... Raisa, 42,... (Asia Times Online)
Muslim Battalions Feb 17, 2009
A second Muslim Battalion, or Musbat, was formed in 1980 in Kapchagai, near Almaty, Kazakhstan ... "Military action in Panjshir was ineffective," said Sergei Domnin, an Almaty-based journalist specialising in the Soviet-Afghan war. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Press freedom in Kazakhstan: Keep it official Feb 11, 2009
On December 30th one was stabbed three times in front of his house in Almaty; another was beaten up in January. And a court slapped a big fine on an opposition newspaper for slandering a parliamentarian. (The Economist)
Fighting the Plague in the Great Plains with Gerbils Feb 11, 2009
The archive, housed by the Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases in Almaty, came to the attention of Western researchers in 1996, when Herwig Leirs, an ecologist at the University of Antwerp in Belgium, reviewed a funding application from the center ... The archive was literally in big books, handwritten in thick ledgers, stored in Almaty and 12 regional stations, he describes. (Scientific American)
* Chen leads Taiwan over Kazakhstan in Cup tie Feb 9, 2009
Playing an unexpected foe who defeated him last year in five sets in a Davis Cup tie in Almaty, Chen returned the favor yesterday, defeating world No. 180 Yuri Schukin 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1 to give Taiwan an unassailable 3-1 lead in a 4-1 victory over the visitors. Chen won the deciding point in a 3-2 win over Pakistan in February 2006, but he had never played such an impressive match under pressure against such a high-ranked opponent. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Olympic flame lands in Kazakhstan Apr 1, 2008
Fans cheered and waved colourful flags as a Chinese Olympic official carrying the flame in a lantern emerged from an airplane after arriving in Almaty, a city tucked in the slopes of the Tien-Shan mountains 500 km (300 miles) east of China ... "We are very happy to be in Almaty." ... But, determined to stave off any unrest, Kazakhstan has deployed 4,500 police to patrol the streets of Almaty, once a sleepy Soviet-built town and now a booming financial centre. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Olympic Torch Rekindled in Beijing Apr 1, 2008
The Olympic torch left on a chartered plane to Almaty, Kazakhstan, Tuesday morning, according to Beijing organizers ... Stops in Almaty, Istanbul, Turkey, and St. Petersburg, Russia, aren't expected to produce trouble, though the first two legs are home to large Muslim populations who may identify with China's Muslim Uighur minority. (Time.com)
Indian athlete refuses to join in Beijing Olympic torch run Apr 1, 2008
The flame goes Tuesday to Almaty, Kazakhstan at the start of the 20-country, 137,000-kilometer (85,100-mile) global journey with protests expected in several major cities. Tibetan exiles in India are highlighting their opposition to Chinese rule in Tibet with their own relay torch and by staging their own version of the Olympics from May 15-25 in Dharmsala, the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile in northern India. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Olympic torch rekindled, begins five-week tour Apr 1, 2008
The flame left on a chartered plane for Almaty, Kazakhstan after an elaborate kickoff ceremony held under tight security in host city Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Almaty is the first of 21 stops around the world before it returns to mainland China on May 4. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- More)
Heavy security in Beijing for torch Apr 1, 2008
The torch travels on to Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, Istanbul on Thursday and St. Petersburg on Friday. On April 9, the torch run comes to San Francisco. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Beijing welcomes Olympic torch Apr 1, 2008
On Tuesday the torch goes to Almaty in Kazakhstan, its next stop on a tour of 20 countries. The 130-day relay - the longest ever, and with the most torch-bearers - underlines the importance China is giving to the Games, which it hopes to use as a showcase for its rapid economic and political rise. (Yahoo News -- Olympics)
China launches torch relay Mar 31, 2008
The torch heads to Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan on Tuesday. AFP. (iAfrica.com)
Protests mar torch-lighting Mar 25, 2008
April 2: Almaty, Kazakhstan. April 3: Istanbul, Turkey. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Torch protest plans heat up AFLAME IN GREECE: Supporters of Tibet disrupt... Mar 25, 2008
April 2: Almaty, Kazakhstan. April 3: Istanbul. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Flood in Kazakhstan leaves thousands without water Mar 24, 2008
ALMATY, March 24 (Reuters) - Thousands of people were left without fresh water in Kazakhstan on Monday after a major flood disrupted water supplies in the southwest of the Central Asian state, the Emergencies Ministry said. Spring flooding is a recurring problem across Central Asia but an abrupt rise in temperatures following weeks of severe cold has exacerbated the problem this year. (AlertNet)
Kyrgyzstan rocked by HIV scandal Mar 21, 2008
The BBC's Natalia Antelava in Almaty, in neighbouring Kazakhstan, points out that this is not the first such case in central Asia, and says the outbreak shows a dangerous trend of hospitals becoming the cause, rather than the cure, of infectious diseases across the region. Concern over conditions. (BBC News -- Health)
Russia's Gazprom settles Ukraine gas row, but profits could dip Mar 15, 2008
Almaty, Kazakhstan - It's been an important week for Russian energy giant Gazprom's bid to strengthen its hold on oil and gas markets. After withholding 50 percent of Ukraine's gas supplies in a brief dispute last week, Gazprom on Thursday struck a deal that cuts out middlemen and gives it more access to the ex-Soviet country's industrial gas customers. (Christian Science Monitor)
Dispatches From China's Wild West Mar 7, 2008
The Central Asian market is growing so much, Fang Wei said, that Hualin is planning to open a branch in Almaty, the biggest city in Kazakhstan ... In 2004, flights from Urumqi to Moscow, Almaty, and Tashkent were only weekly; now there are daily flights to those cities, as well as direct flights from Urumqi to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and several cities in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. (Slate)
Thousands Homeless As Severe Flood Hits Kazakhstan Feb 27, 2008
ALMATY - More than 12,000 people have fled their homes in Kazakhstan after rain-swollen rivers swept away houses and bridges, the emergencies ministry said on Tuesday. Spring flooding is a recurring problem across Central Asia but a sudden rise in temperatures on Feb. 20 following weeks of severe cold has exacerbated the problem this year. (Planet Ark, United States)
Building Kazakhstan, one film at a time Feb 25, 2008
Sergei Eisenstein, the high priest of Soviet film who turned propaganda into art ("Battleship Potemkin," "Ivan the Terrible") in fact used studios in Almaty during World War II.. For a country with a weak sense of where it came from and insecurity about its future, these films are the cinematic equivalent of nation-building. (International Herald Tribune)
• Astana: A skyline transformed Feb 24, 2008
In 1997, Nazarbayev moved the country's capital from the southern city of Almaty to Astana, and since then he has been using billions of dollars of Kazakhstan's oil wealth to morph this former Cossack outpost into a plate-glass Xanadu that Chikanayev calls " Manhattan on the Steppe." ... Nazarbayev's decision to move the capital to Astana angered Kazakh lawmakers and bureaucrats, who had grown accustomed to Almaty's gentler climate and mountain vistas ... But Almaty is in the southeast corner of... (FOX59, IN)
SV put on good show for choir from Kazakhstan Feb 22, 2008
On Jan. 22 and 23, the Isker Boy s Choir from Almaty, Kazakhstan, visited Sierra Vista and was hosted by the Cochise Children s Choir. It was an amazing cultural exchange between these two organizations; one that will make a lasting difference in our lives. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Black, white knightseye Kazakh banks Feb 22, 2008
Charles van der Leeuw is the editorial manager of Caspian Publishing House, based in Almaty (www. caspian-publishinghouse. (Asia Times Online)
Kazakhstan: One Of Few Remaining Independent Newspapers Faces Closure Feb 18, 2008
In March 2007, one of its journalists, Oralgaisha Omarshanova, traveled south to the Almaty area to cover ethnic unrest in a small town. The 39-year-old Omarshanova disappeared before reaching the town. (EurasiaNet.org)
Kazakhstan unveilsnew energy directions Feb 13, 2008
Perhaps an even greater problem, is assuring electrical power to some of the most populous parts of the country, viz southern Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Aqtobe (formerly Aktyubinsk), Kostanai, and Almaty city. India and Turkey have been trying separately for over 10 years to demonopolize their electricity sectors and their interrelated but distinct subsectors (such as power generation and power distribution, to name but two). (Asia Times Online)
Complete Davis Cup Results Feb 12, 2008
At Almaty, Kazakhstan. Danai Udomchoke, Thailand, def. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
BMB Munai, Inc. Announces Production and Financial Results for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2007 Feb 12, 2008
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BMB Munai, Inc. (Amex: ) has filed its quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in which it reported net income of $6 ... The Company maintains administrative offices in Salt Lake City, Utah and Almaty, Kazakhstan. (PR Newswire)
* Aussies overpower Taiwan on day one Feb 9, 2008
GOING DOWN FIGHTING: Chen Ti was overwhelmed by Lleyton Hewitt, but Lu Yen-hsun put up a good fight before succumbing to Chris Guccione in Kaohsiung AP, TAIPEI, NEW DELHI, ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN, AND MANILA Saturday, Feb 09, 2008, Page 8. Lu Yen-hsun stretches to return the ball to Chris Guccione during their Davis Cup match in Kaohsiung yesterday. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Kazkommertsbank receives banking licenses for Tajik operations Feb 7, 2008
ALMATY, Kazakhstan (Thomson Financial) - Kazakhstan's Kazkommertsbank said it has received licenses for the execution of banking operations in national and foreign currencies in Tajikistan. The presence of Kazkommertsbank in Tajikistan via its subsidiary, not a representative office, demonstrates the highest confidence in the government's efforts to create a stable political and economic climate in the country,' managing director Beibit Apsenbetov said in a statement. (Forbes -- Markets)
Kazakhstan leader goes green in annual address Feb 6, 2008
Luxury cars and ritzy shopping malls have become the norm of daily live in Almaty and Astana, its key cities ... Air pollution is a major problem in the financial capital Almaty due to automobile emissions. (AlertNet)
Kazakhstan: Government Keeps Legal Heat on Disgraced Former Presidential Son-in-Law Feb 5, 2008
Aliyev fell out of favor with President Nursultan Nazarbayev last May and is now on trial at an Almaty military court along with a former KNB director, Alnur Musayev ... The military tribunal opened on January 23, a week after an Almaty court handed down its verdict in the first trial of Aliyev and another 23 defendants, five of whom were tried in absentia ... The court heard that the men were abducted from Almaty on January 31, 2007, handcuffed, dressed in blue overalls and driven to an... (EurasiaNet.org)
How Far Will Kazkakhstan Go As It Tries to Forge a New Energy-Export Order? Jan 31, 2008
Editors Note: Abdujalil Abdurasulov is an independent journalist based in Almaty. Posted January 30, 2008. (EurasiaNet.org)
An ex-president, a mining deal, a big donor Jan 31, 2008
Late on Sept. 6, 2005, a private plane carrying the Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra touched down in Almaty, a ruggedly picturesque city in southeast Kazakhstan ... Mr. Giustra was invited to accompany the former president to Almaty just as the financier was trying to seal a deal he had been negotiating for months. (MSNBC -- Politics)
First post-adoption year a learning event — for Dad Jan 28, 2008
Published: Monday, January 28, 2008 1:12 AM CST A year ago today I was making the halfway-around-the-world journey from smoggy Almaty, Kazakhstan, to smoggy North Logan, Utah, with my new son Max. The lengthy and confusing process of adopting Max, then 7, from an age-worn yet tidy orphanage in southern Kazakhstan had exacted quite a toll on myself, my wife Monique and our other son Jaden, but we were excited and relieved to finally have Max in our home. (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
No Borat On This Junket Jan 26, 2008
That proud nation, eager to dispel the mockumentary's portrayal of Kazahkstan as a poor, backward place, is hosting a junket for British and American writers, who'll be flown, first class, to hit the hot spots included in the book, "A Hedonist's Guide to Almaty and Astana." According to a pitch letter, the journos will "take a walking tour of Almaty to highlight the city's Russian colonial and post-Soviet architectural history with some top local socialites . . . go ice skating in the largest... (New York Post -- Gossip)
Caspian Services, Inc. Announces Full Year 2007 Results Jan 21, 2008
The Company maintains corporate offices in Almaty, Kazakhstan; Aktau, Kazakhstan; and Salt Lake City, Utah. The information contained in this release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. (PR Newswire)
Kazakh mine blast death toll rises to 30 Jan 13, 2008
ALMATY, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The death toll in a Kazakh coal mine explosion rose to 30 on Sunday when authorities gave up hope of rescuing 23 trapped miners and said they could not have survived. "The high temperatures and the high concentration of carbon oxide ... have made their survival impossible," the Emergencies Ministry said in statement following Friday's explosion at the Abaiskaya mine in central Kazakhstan. (AlertNet)
Kazakhstan to Raise Uranium Production Fivefold in 10 Years, Beat Canada Jan 10, 2008
It's important for Kazakhstan to get the maximum stake in the nuclear fuel market,'' Dzhakishev, 44, said from Almaty ... To contact the reporters on this story: Nariman Gizitdinov in Almaty, through the Moscow newsroom at. (Bloomberg -- Canada)
Kazakhstan: The Forgotten Famine Dec 30, 2007
About 70 kilometers west of Kazakhstan s commercial capital, Almaty, the village is dissected by a highway ... Editors Note: RFE/RL Kazakh Service Director Merhat Sharipzhan and the Almaty bureau contributed to this report. (EurasiaNet.org)
Bombardier jet crashes in Kazakhstan Dec 27, 2007
ALMATY, KAZKHSTAN A privately-owned German jet has crashed and exploded while taking off from an airport in Kazakhstan's commercial capital of Almaty, killing one passenger and injuring three crewmembers. Officials said the Canadian-built Challenger 604 had been on its way from Hannover, Germany, to Hong Kong and landed for refuelling at the Almaty airport. (Globe and Mail -- International)
UPDATE: ExxonMobil Kashagan Resolution Terms 'Risky'-Interfax Dec 24, 2007
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -(Dow Jones)- Kazakh Energy Minister Sauat Mynbayev said Monday that U.S. ExxonMobil's (XOM) conditions to resolve a dispute over the giant Kashagan oil field was risky for Kazakhstan and differed from the rest of the Eni SpA-led (E) consortium, Interfax news agency reported. "They (ExxonMobil) say that their terms and conditions are different from those of the other (consortium members)," Sauat Mynbayev was quoted by Interfax as saying. (CNNMoney.com)
New 'Great Game' for Central Asia riches Dec 16, 2007
A Chinese driver stands near his truck on the Kazakhstan-Chinese border in Khorgos, Kazakhstan, some 400 kilometers east from Almaty, Monday, Sept. 9, 2007 ... KHORGOS, Kazakhstan (AP) The driver of the 18-wheel tractor-trailer from China idling at the Kazakhstan-China border said apples were the cargo he brought to Almaty, Kazakhstan's booming commercial center ... Almaty's region is where the first apple trees were found and the first apple orchards planted. (Anchorage Daily News)
Confucius Institute opens in Kazakhstan's Eurasia University Dec 6, 2007
ALMATY, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Officials from China and Kazakhstan on Wednesday hailed their cultural cooperation at an inauguration ceremony for the Confucius Institute at the Eurasia University in Kazakhstan, according to news reaching here from Astana. In his speech at the ceremony, Zhanseit Tuymebayev, Kazakh Education Minister, said that close cooperation between the two countries in the fields of politics, economy and culture has led to a growing demand for people proficient in the Chinese... (Xinhuanet, China)
The most powerful woman in Russia Dec 5, 2007
The petite, soft-spoken woman is from Almaty, the biggest city in Kazakhstan. She is a divorced mother of a three-year-old daughter, Alina. (Globe and Mail -- Business)
Kazakhstan: Hare Krishna Community Faces Uncertain Future Nov 29, 2007
The dispute concerning a 116-acre plot of land in the village of Bereke, outside of Almaty dates back to 2003, when Kazakhstan updated provisions regulating the privatization of farmland ... Underpinning that belief is Prime Minister Karim Masimov s recent recommendation that the local mayor, Bolat-bi Kutpanov, be dismissed following a probe into illegal construction and land allocation around Almaty ... Ninel Fokina, the chairwoman of the Almaty Helsinki Committee agreed, calling the case... (EurasiaNet.org)
Kazakhstan: Appearance of Damaging Audio Tapes Perhaps Linked to Aliyev Trial Nov 20, 2007
Aliyev s motive to damage the administration s reputation was clearly evident on November 9, when his trial got underway in Almaty ... One of the charges against Aliyev alleges that the former presidential son-in-law organized the kidnapping of Nurbank officials in order to force them and their associates into selling the Ken Dala business center in Almaty worth about 80 million euros at a price well below market value ... It was discovered in October outside Almaty near a property... (EurasiaNet.org)
A small- to medium-size company coming here will have to break the law left, right, and center. Nov 19, 2007
There he learned he was being charged with embezzling $43,000 from a company called Arna, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he had been CEO from 2002 to 2004; the Kazakh authorities wanted him back to face trial ... "Government policy actively favors domestic businesses, and the weak rule of law allows for significant corruption and insecure property rights." According to the report "Doing Business in Kazakhstan," produced by the U.S. Commercial Service in Almaty, there are "frequent harassments by... (FastCompany)
Kazakhstan: More Media Silenced As High-Stakes Feud Continues Nov 11, 2007
Less than a week later, on November 1, Almaty city prosecutors announced that Aliev will be tried in absentia on charges of involvement in abductions, financial wrongdoing, and abuse of official powers ... An officer with the Kazakh financial authorities who was contacted by RFE/RL s Almaty correspondent said she had no information about any of the cases ... Sarsenbaev, his driver, and a bodyguard were shot dead outside Almaty in February 2006. (EurasiaNet.org)
Kazakhstan looks to sovereign bonds Nov 7, 2007
But prices for premium properties in Astana, the capital, and Almaty, the business centre, have remained stable, although sales have dried up. Many premium construction projects have halted. (FT.com -- Markets)
Lufthansa Wins Russian Waiver to Resume Cargo Overflights Until Nov. 15 Nov 3, 2007
Lufthansa set up the Astana base last year to refuel and exchange cockpit crews on cargo planes heading to China and Japan, replacing older hubs in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city and former capital. Astana is Lufthansa's second-biggest freight base after Frankfurt Airport, managing 49 flights a week. (Bloomberg -- Germany)
Kazakhstan: Independent Media Outlets Face Clampdown Nov 2, 2007
"It s clear that the pressure is linked to material published about Rakhat Aliyev and someone at the top is very much afraid that Rakhat will leak information on who ordered and carried out Altynbek Sarsenbayev s murder," Respublika editor-in-chief Galina Dyrdina told a news conference in Almaty on October 31 ... With the leaked tapes seen by some observers as an attempt to blacken Aliyev s enemies, another rival Almaty Mayor Imangali Tasmagambetov remains in his position despite months of... (EurasiaNet.org)
Kazakh President Accused Of Ordering Opposition Leader's Murder Oct 28, 2007
Opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaev, his driver, and bodyguard were shot dead in February 2006 outside Almaty ... Last month, two of Aliev s bodyguards in Vienna fled to Almaty and reportedly implicated their former boss in various criminal activities, including the abduction of two bank officials. (EurasiaNet.org)
