Monthly Archive

Amirzhan Kosanov, the lone opposition candidate in Kazakhstan’s June 9 presidential election, took the opportunity of Wednesday’s televised debate to demand democratic reforms in the Central Asian n read more..

 Kazakhstan's young, creative class 'wakes up' – will the rest follow? Art imitates life, and then life returns the favour a thousand times. The Kafka-esque capacities of the Kazakh state t read more..

 With Wojciech Górecki about the Russian-Chinese game, Moscow’s strategy and about preventing burano talks Małgorzata Schwarzgruber. They say that he who rules Central Asia, rules half of th read more..

The area around the Lubyanka, the headquarters of Russia's intelligence services - the FSB - in Moscow. A recent report accuses the controversial human rights NGO Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF), read more..

 While media gurus chat, the internet has taken a dive When international journalists gather for Kazakhstan’s annual Eurasian Media Forum, they can expect lively wide-ranging debates ab read more..

The Astana Economic Forum addressed all the issues expected of an international summit: inclusivity, sustainability, security, change. But outside the conference hall, cracks seemed to be appearing read more..

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, communicated more than 1,000 times by text and telephone over eight months with the chief executive of a U.S. money-management firm with ties t read more..

Aslan Sagutdinov had a hunch. The authorities in Kazakhstan are so intolerant of dissent, he reasoned, that it does not really matter what protesters write on their placards. A dissident with not read more..

The Belt and Road Initiative, China’s mega-plan for global infrastructure, will transform the lives and work of tens of thousands of researchers. On a freezing November morning, Ashraf Islam is 3 read more..

Police in Kazakhstan have detained several antigovernment protesters who staged demonstrations during ceremonies to mark the 74th anniversary of the Allied victory against Nazi Germany in World War read more..

 To test the limits of his right to peacefully demonstrate in Kazakhstan, Aslan Sagutdinov, 22, stood in a public square holding a blank sign, predicting he would be detained. He was right. read more..

From Azerbaijan to Indonesia, Kazakhstan to the Republic of Congo, allegedly corrupt foreign officials have parked their money in Trump buildings time and again. Over the past two decades, invest read more..

 Region known for mutual hostility and glacial change shows signs of opening up Not long ago, the nations of Central Asia were planting landmines along their shared borders. Now they plan a read more..

A prominent opposition politician and journalist on Monday won his bid to challenge a trusted ally of strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan’s presidential polls next month. The central ele read more..

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office recently approved an indictment against Mukhtar Ablyazov, former head of Kazakhstan-based BTA Bank, who is accused of embezzling 58 billion rubles ($1,8 billi read more..

A Russian-tied lobbyist who attended the notorious Trump Tower meeting and a longtime GOP operative are teaming up to lobby on behalf of a Kazakh fugitive alleged to have stolen millions from the Ce read more..

 Beijing's money comes with strings attached. The Second Belt and Road Forum, which ran from 25 to 27 April in Beijing, showcased China’s progress with its Belt and Road Initiative and also read more..

 Frustrations have been bolstered by perceptions that crucial national decisions are being made without the general population being consulted. Peaceful anti-government demonstrations in a f read more..

Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only leader Kazakhstan had known since the country gained independence nearly 30 years ago, resigned March 19. During his televised announcement, the longtime autocrat read more..

Authorities in Kazakhstan are cracking down on citizens holding public demonstrations in support of the constitution. After he hoisted a banner reading "The sole source of state power is the peop read more..

The Nationwide Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan announced on Friday that it would not field a candidate for snap presidential elections slated for June 9 because it did not want to legitimize e read more..

The new Kazakh president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, flies a modest Airbus A321 jet. His predecessor and patron Nursultan Nazarbayev moves around on a much bigger wide-body Airbus A330-200. But even read more..

Kazakhstan has long set its sights on joining the world’s elite. Yet there’s a huge gap between their rhetoric and their deeds.  Until the government addresses its abject human rights record read more..

The Nationwide Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan announced on Friday that it would not field a candidate for snap presidential elections slated for June 9 because it did not want to legitimize e read more..

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk commented on the investigation concerning the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) and the Silk Road company, suspected of money laundering. “It read more..

The career diplomat who is a shoo-in to become only the second president of ex-Soviet Kazakhstan since its independence has always appeared to prize loyalty over political ambition. Kassym-Jomart read more..

Kazakhstan's ruling Nur Otan party has nominated interim President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev for the presidency, virtually assuring his victory in a snap election scheduled for June 9. The announcemen read more..

The Kazakh government is preparing to back President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's campaign ahead of the June 9 snap election, three sources told Reuters. Tokayev himself has not yet said whether he pl read more..

On 30 May, 2016, RNZ and TVNZ jointly On 30 May, 2016, RNZ and TVNZ jointly published an article headed "Panama Papers:The NZ-Kazakhstan connection". The article concerned Akezhan Kazhegeldin, th read more..

The fake human rights NGO Open Dialog Foundation (ODF), closely associated with Kazakh fugitive Oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov, has, in recent years, attracted much speculation over its financial affairs read more..