A long-time confidant of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Vladimir Ni, died on Thursday after a long illness, leaving a gap in the inner circle that surrounds the veteran leader of Central Asia's largest economy. Ni, who was 77, was a board member of copper miner Kazakhmys . The group announced his death in a statement on Friday.
FORTUNE -- In May, less than a month after the blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, a key milestone was achieved with little notice: Total U.S. supplies of petroleum and products refined from it (including the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) surpassed 1.8 billion barrels, reaching the highest level in the last 20 years. Since then the total has continued to edge upward, hitting 1.87 billion barrels in the week ended August 27, according to the Energy Information Administration.
The Duke of York's former home was bought for £15million using laundered money, it was claimed yesterday.
Kazakhstan's most prominent human rights activist, Yevgeniy Zhovtis, has marked his first year behind bars. Zhovtis, a tireless campaigner who has stood up to the Kazakh authorities for years, was given a four-year prison sentence on September 3, 2009 on charges of vehicular manslaughter he denied, after a trial widely criticized for procedural violations.
The Duke of York may be called to give evidence in court over claims that a Kazakh billionaire paid £15 million for his Ascot home in a money-laundering scam.
Plant Kasachstans Botschaft in Wien die Ermordung eines Staatsfeindes? Das Innenministerium klärt die Echtheit von Depeschen, in denen davon die Rede ist
Great Silk Road's modern dark side: Government forces Uzbek children to help grow silkworms
