President Xi Jinping's latest, highly ambitious tour through the Central Asian republics [in September] took regional political circles by surprise. From the points of view of Central Asian capitals, it seems clear that Beijing is marching through Moscow's turf in Central Asia, forging close ties by offering more money and less meddling compared with the Kremlin's often troublesome integration schemes. However, the cordial ties between Beijing and Central Asian regimes stand in sharp contrast to popular attitudes to China.

Tony Blair's multi-million-pound deal to boost 'good governance' in Kazakhstan has resulted in civil rights and freedom of the Press getting worse, it was claimed yesterday. The former prime minister was accused of helping to preside over heavy reversals in human rights as he advised the Kazakh regime led by dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev. The two-year contract has come to an end but could still be renewed.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat says government will remove minister's discretion to award citizenship to applicants facing politically-motivated charges.

The decision by Spain's high court to extradite an asylum-seeker to Kazakhstan, despite compelling evidence that it would place him at risk of torture, violates international law and must be reversed immediately, Amnesty International said. Spain's high court (Audiencia Nacional) today approved the extradition request for Aleksandr Pavlov, 37, the former head of security for the Kazakhstani opposition figure Mukhtar Ablyazov, who fled the Central Asian country in 2009.

The spurned ex-wife of a Kazakh fertilizer tycoon says her former hubby is full of it. In new court papers, Maira Nazarbayeva asked a Manhattan judge to toss her hubby's lawsuit against her – in which he accuses her of swiping almost $100 million of his fortune to pay for jewelry and a Plaza apartment — because she believes he's faking an illness to duck depositions.

Kazakhstan is interested in British defense experience, Tengrinews reports referring to the press office of the Defense Ministry of Kazakhstan. "Kazakhstan is moving towards establishing a professional army, and Britain possesses valuable experience in this realm. Kazakhstan is interested in studying the methods of recruitment into the Armed Forces, personnel policies, combat training, budget planning specifics and social security. The heads of the Defense Ministries (of Kazakhstan and UK) have expressed readiness to cooperate in this areas," says the statement posted after the meeting of Kazakhstan Defense Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov and UK Minister of Defense Phillip Hammond.