Kazakhstan is redoubling efforts to get two important holdouts - the United States and Uzbekistan - to endorse an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe summit in 2010. EurasiaNet recently sat down with Anthony Pahigian, deputy director of the US State Department's Office of European Security and Political Affairs, to get Washington's diplomatic take on the summit idea.

ALMATY, March 9 (Reuters) - Kazakh oil producer KazMunaiGas Exploration and Production (KMGq.L: Quote, Profile, Research) RDGZ.KZ said on Tuesday that the impact from a strike at one of its units was limited and the company sought to resolve the dispute soon.

ALMATY (Reuters) - A U.S. media group has criticized Kazakhstan for effectively banning an opposition newspaper, saying the move violated the core values of Europe's main democracy watchdog, chaired by Kazakhstan this year.

Timur Kulibayev, the billionaire chairman of Kazakhstan's state oil company Kazmunaigas (KMG) and the son-in-law of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, is coming under mounting pressure as new allegations about his past business dealings come to light.

ASTANA, March 10 (Reuters) - Kazakh financial police said on Wednesday they were conducting a preliminary investigation into allegations of corruption against President Nursultan Nazarbayev's powerful son-in-law.

Kazakhstan must loosen its grip on the media further, an OSCE official has said, even though the former Soviet state has relaxed some controls since taking over as Europe's main rights and security watchdog chief.