November 2015

Near-Record U.S. Penalty Seen for VimpelCom in Uzbek Case

28 Nov

Corruption!

2367

Near-Record U.S. Penalty Seen for VimpelCom in Uzbek Case

VimpelCom Ltd., a mobile operator partly owned by Mikhail Fridman and other Russian billionaires, is in talks to pay about $775 million -- a near record -- to settle U.S. allegations it paid bribes in... read more..

TeliaSonera could face wider Eurasia probe

28 Nov

Corruption!

2289

TeliaSonera could face wider Eurasia probe

US authorities are considering a probe into TeliaSonera’s operations in other Eurasian countries, building on an ongoing investigation over alleged corruption in Uzbekistan. TeliaSonera’s business de... read more..

Europe's money-laundering machine: still spinning

28 Nov

Corruption!

1878

Europe's money-laundering machine: still spinning

When the first flames of the Arab Spring began to burn, a Tunisia suffering from decades of mismanagement, inequality and abuse broke free from under the long reign of Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali.As the g... read more..

Kazakhstan seeks global recognition through ties with major powers

26 Nov

Political process

1771

Kazakhstan seeks global recognition through ties with major powers

Kazakhstan's relations with China have been growing extensively since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1992. As the first Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan, my memory of this bilateral ... read more..

26 Nov

Corruption!

1964

Transparency International report shows telecom companies can do much more to prevent corruption

Report shows weak disclosure on corporate holdings and country-by-country reporting, disclosure of programmes to prevent corruption scores betterThe world’s biggest telecommunications companies do not... read more..

26 Nov

Political process

1887

A New Title for the Tajik President

Just in case it wasn’t clear, Emomali Rahmon is likely to be named the Leader of the Nation. Perhaps the only thing surprising about the news that a group of Tajik parliamentarians have worked up a... read more..

An Overview of Central Asian Markets on the Silk Road Economic Belt

26 Nov

Economy

1994

An Overview of Central Asian Markets on the Silk Road Economic Belt

Central Asian countries (CACs), consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are not yet key export markets or investment destinations for Hong Kong companies, but th... read more..

Kazakhstan: Aging President Urges Aging Public Servants to Retire

23 Nov

Events and opinions

1858

Kazakhstan: Aging President Urges Aging Public Servants to Retire

Kazakhstan’s septuagenarian leader Nursultan Nazarbayev has issued a heartfelt call for public servants to step aside after 25 years in the job and make way for fresh blood. The long-serving presiden... read more..

23 Nov

Events and opinions

2220

Eurasian Union vs. Fascist Eurasia

In late 2011, Vladimir Putin presented his idea for the creation of a “Eurasian Union,” in the north-eastern part of the Euro-Asiatic continent.[1] By that time, he had already been officially nominat... read more..

Malaysia’s scandalous first family: After Najib’s RM2.6 bil ‘Donation’, in-low shocks with hermes bags ‘Hijacking’

23 Nov

Corruption!

4084

Malaysia’s scandalous first family: After Najib’s RM2.6 bil ‘Donation’, in-low shocks with hermes bags ‘Hijacking’

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak must be super proud of his family, for the wrong reason. Najib himself is easily the most controversial prime minister the country has ever produced. Born ... read more..

Kazakhstan jails pro-Russian 'separatist' blogger

23 Nov

Events and opinions

1977

Kazakhstan jails pro-Russian 'separatist' blogger

Ethnic Russian man given five-year jail sentence for running a web poll on region's sovereignty. An ethnic Russian blogger from Kazakhstan's east was given five years in jail for publishing an onli... read more..

19 Nov

Economy

1937

Legalisation Campaign Seeks to Add Revenue to National Budget, Reduce Shadow Economy

Kazakhstan launched property and capital legalisation campaigns in September 2014 that are scheduled to run until Dec. 31, 2015. The campaigns include the approval of a law “On amnesty of Kazakhstan c... read more..

18 Nov

Events and opinions

1809

The end of the Nazarbayev dream

Kazakhstan’s networked authoritarianism is a powerful system of media control, but it leaves little room for the regime to manoeuvre. After a visit to Almaty’s Children Hospital in September, Ainura ... read more..

China Eyes Russian Central Asian Role As It Considers Energy Interests

16 Nov

Economy

1839

China Eyes Russian Central Asian Role As It Considers Energy Interests

China will be keeping a close eye on its energy interests in Central Asia as Russia reinforces the borders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) against external threats. Speaking at a summ... read more..

Examining Kazakhstan’s Religious Contradiction

16 Nov

Events and opinions

2569

Examining Kazakhstan’s Religious Contradiction

Kazakhstan has used a variety of means to promote itself as a model of economic development and social progress, such as chairing the OSCE in 2010, hosting Expo 2017 and bidding for the 2022 Winter Ol... read more..

High dependency on petrodollars leads Kazakh currency to devaluation

16 Nov

Economy

1837

High dependency on petrodollars leads Kazakh currency to devaluation

A significant devaluation of Kazakhstan's the national currency tenge over the last months resulted from the country's high dependence on oil revenues, according to European experts. "It became evide... read more..

Visionary-Style Economics Meet Reality in Kazakhstan

16 Nov

Economy

1819

Visionary-Style Economics Meet Reality in Kazakhstan

It’s unclear that Astana can match big ambitions with the reality of an underdeveloped bureaucracy. Kazakhstan, without a doubt, has capitalized on its natural resource wealth, using massive oil and ... read more..

Bribery Investigation Traps Nordic Executives in Ex-Soviet Mess

16 Nov

Events and opinions

1511

Bribery Investigation Traps Nordic Executives in Ex-Soviet Mess

Another day and another few Nordic executives are stepping back from their roles because of a corruption scandal in a former Soviet economy. Telenor ASA, a phone company owned by the Norwegian govern... read more..

Rule of law risks weigh on Kazakhstan’s privatisation

08 Nov

Events and opinions

1596

Rule of law risks weigh on Kazakhstan’s privatisation

In the face of his country’s ongoing economic turmoil, Kazakh President Nazarbayev is engaging in fast-paced diplomacy to boost his country’s growth prospects. Hot on the heels of high-level... read more..

08 Nov

Events and opinions

1581

Telenor Begins Its Review Of VimpelCom

Norway's Telenor ASA sought to control damage from bribery allegations engulfing its 33%-owned affiliate VimpelCom on Thursday, as Norwegian prosecutors detained a former VimpelCom chief executive and... read more..

Queen lunches with Kazakh dictator who's relative paid Andrew £3m extra for his house

06 Nov

Events and opinions

1891

Queen lunches with Kazakh dictator who's relative paid Andrew £3m extra for his house

THE Queen rolled the red carpet out today for the Kazakh dictator whose son-in-law bought Prince Andrew's house for £3 million more than the asking price. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kaz... read more..

Security officials of China, Kazakhstan meet for further cooperation

06 Nov

Events and opinions

1661

Security officials of China, Kazakhstan meet for further cooperation

Senior security official Meng Jianzhu met Chair of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan Nurtai Abykayev here on Wednesday, urging the two sides to enhance cooperation in fighting crime. Meng... read more..

Kazakh president arrives in UK for two-day visit

04 Nov

Events and opinions

1724

Kazakh president arrives in UK for two-day visit

Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose regime has been criticised by rights groups, will meet David Cameron, the Queen and UK business leadersThe man who has ruled Kazakhstan for two and a half decades, Presiden... read more..

Kazakhstan faces oil dilemma as prices plunge

02 Nov

Economy

2273

Kazakhstan faces oil dilemma as prices plunge

In Texas or the North Sea, oil companies struggling with falling prices are firing thousands of employees. In Kazakhstan, it is not so simple. The central Asian nation was a poster child of the ... read more..

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