Monthly Archive

As expected, Nursultan Nazarbayev has been confirmed as the ruling party's candidate for the presidential elections that will be held next April in Kazakhstan. At the Nur Otan convention in Astana, Na... read more..

An ex-adviser to the French presidency was indicted on corruption charges linked to a trade agreement between Paris and Astana during Nicolas Sarkozy's term, a source close to the probe told AFP Thurs... read more..

Russia is disappointed in the unwillingness of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to cooperate with its collective security bloc, and considers Iran to be a model those countries could follow, a senior Russi... read more..

The daughter of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor will be getting married today, a spokesman for the leader's family for the engagement and wedding ceremonies said. &n... read more..

On London's Billionaires Row in Hampstead, the seven-bedroom Carlton House with its 50-foot ballroom, underground swimming pool and 10-person Turkish bath is for sale for 14 million pounds ($21.5 mill... read more..

Prison authorities discovered his corpse at 7.20 on a Tuesday morning late last month. Rakhat Aliyev's body was hanging from a noose made from gauze bandages which had been attached to a peg in the ce... read more..

It's no secret that 2014 ended on a poor note for Kazakhstan. Sagging oil prices coupled with an economic crunch in Russia to hammer Astana's economy. Russian adventurism – and not-so-veiled threats a... read more..

A key element to President Vladimir Putin's vision of growing Russian influence in the world is his plan to lead the former Soviet republics into an economic union. Right now, though, what he's m... read more..

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are both expected to re-elect their leaders this spring. Few will be surprised if Nursultan Nazarbayev keeps his job in Kazakhstan - though he's yet to announce he is running... read more..

It's the damning new book that lifts the lid on Tony and Cherie Blair's lust for money. Yesterday, in our exclusive serialisation, we told how revelations about his relationship with a tycoon's wife p... read more..

The ignominious end of Rakhat Aliyev, Kazakhstan's most feared man, heir apparent, sugar czar, fugitive. On the morning of February 24, the warden of Vienna's Josefstadt prison announced the suic... read more..

I am in Astana, the gateway to southern Siberia. The temperature in the afternoon is around -10 degrees Celsius. All around us the ground is covered in ice, but Astana residents still say, "We've made... read more..

The lawyers of former Kazakh diplomat and Malta exile Rakhat Aliyev are insisting that his death in an Austrian prison was no suicide, and are calling for an independent investigation into the matter.... read more..

A suicide in the prison of Vienna put an end to the first phase of a political-financial thriller which preoccupied the governments of Malta, Austria and the prosecuting authorities in Europe for year... read more..

Many Kazakhstanis, including ethnic minorities, support Nazarbayev's leadership. (Photo: Joanna Lillis). A billboard in the northern Kazakhstani city of Kostanay extols the virtues of the country... read more..

On 14 December 2014, the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited Astana for the 13th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The premier's visit signified a ... read more..

An MP who is paid £15,000 a year to advise a repressive regime has been urged to confront it about human rights. Peter Lilley, the MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, is paid the sum for his advisory w... read more..

Austria has asked Switzerland to carry out an autopsy on Rakhat Aliyev, a Kazakh dissident found hanged in an Austrian prison last week, to dispel any suggestions of a cover up after a first post mort... read more..