January 2019

Shuttered at home, cement plants bloom along China's new Silk Road

31 Jan

Economy

1089

Shuttered at home, cement plants bloom along China's new Silk Road

On a windswept steppe in southwestern Kazakhstan, the new Chinese-backed cement plant on the outskirts of the village of Shieli stands as a gleaming symbol to some of the Central Asian country's indus... read more..

30 Jan

Corruption!

1273

NYC's dirty money files

In 2012, Joseph Chetrit TRData LogoTINY, a Moroccan real estate investor known for his New York City developments, allegedly flew to Geneva to meet Nicolas Bourg, a Belgium-based real estate fund mana... read more..

World Trade Center building to appear in Astana

29 Jan

Events and opinions

1216

World Trade Center building to appear in Astana

The President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has held talks with Rolf Draak, member of the Board of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), and Mehran Eftekhar, Finance and Corporate Services ... read more..

Ex-Trump Associate Felix Sater Draws Scrutiny in Bank Suit

24 Jan

Corruption!

1165

Ex-Trump Associate Felix Sater Draws Scrutiny in Bank Suit

A Kazakh bank entrenched in a global effort to track down $4 billion it claims was embezzled hit a bump in the U.S. after being accused of paying a key witness $100,000 a month to wrangle favorable ev... read more..

Kazakh leader's grandson complains he is passportless after stint in ‘private Russian jail’

24 Jan

Events and opinions

1721

Kazakh leader's grandson complains he is passportless after stint in ‘private Russian jail’

Screenshot of Aisultan Nazarbayev's Facebook account. The man kissing a young Aisultan in the cover photo is Kazakhstan's de facto leader-for-life, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The grandson of Kazakhsta read more..

The cone of silence around China’s Muslim ‘gulags’

09 Jan

Events and opinions

1406

The cone of silence around China’s Muslim ‘gulags’

It’s unclear how many people are living in some sort of detention in Xinjiang, the restive region in China’s far west. Last month, a State Department official testified before a Senate committee th... read more..

5 ISIS militants, families returned to Kazakhstan with US mediat

08 Jan

Terror in Kazakhstan!

2088

5 ISIS militants, families returned to Kazakhstan with US mediat

A member of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) removes an ISIS flag in the town of Tabqa, April 30, 2017. Five ISIS militants, 11 women, and 30 children were handed over to Kazakh a... read more..

Bar Brawl Death Touches Off Caustic Ethnic Tension Debate in Kazakhstan

08 Jan

Events and opinions

1034

Bar Brawl Death Touches Off Caustic Ethnic Tension Debate in Kazakhstan

The facts of the initial fight, in which a young man was killed, have been entirely eclipsed by the politics of nationalism. During New Year celebrations in the Kazakh city of Karaganda, the countr... read more..

06 Jan

Events and opinions

1167

Easy as ABC? Not in Kazakhstan

Montrealers and out-of-province students alike may marvel at the complex linguistic politics of Quebec – but the daily difficulties of “Bonjour-Hi” are insignificant to many Kazakhs, who will have to ... read more..

Kazakhstan: Latest Nazarbayev biopic leads a path to sleep

04 Jan

Events and opinions

1031

Kazakhstan: Latest Nazarbayev biopic leads a path to sleep

The movie is a forgettable addition to the presidential cult of personality. “What began as the dream of one man has now become the victory of a whole nation.” These are among the last words spoke... read more..

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