Kazakhstan News

By:A Erica Marat , published by approbation by the author. Less than two months before Kazakhstan takes over the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , Kazakh NGOa s are warning the international community about the rapidly worsening human rights situation in the country.

Uzbekistan has closed its border with central Asian neighbor Kazakhstan to all but citizens of each nation returning home, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said on Monday, as swine flu spreads in both countries.

Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal has not yet notified Kazakh authorities of his intention to pull out of his oil exploration projects in the Caspian Sea, Kazakh Energy Minister Sauat Mynbayev said on Thursday.

Bank CenterCredit , Kazakhstan's sixth largest bank, reported a net income of KZT5.46 billion in the first nine months of 2009, down 11 percent compared to the same time period in 2008, according to its preliminary financial statements.

Kazakhstan will allocate $50 million to train 1,000 Afghan specialists in the next five years in Kazakh higher educational establishments and vocational schools, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

Some of the most active companies traded Monday on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange : Eastern Platinum Ltd.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko held a meeting with Prime Minister of Moldova Vlad Filat.

Kazakhstan, Astana, Nov. 20 / Trend News K. Konyrova /

Kazak Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabaev will pay an official visit to Afghanistan Nov. 22.

At that he noted that regular meeting between Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers is rescheduled for February in Luxemburg.

Company cements position in Central Asian oil and gas industry with second national comedy tour and raises US$4000 for the Children's Health Charity, Aktau 20 November 2009 - shipping, marine and logistics services provider GAC Group has hosted its second comedy tour of Kazakhstan, as promised at the conclusion of the highly acclaimed inaugural ...

Kazakhstan, Astana, Nov. 20 / corr. Trend News K.Konirova

The joint presentation of the "Kazakhstan's presidency at OSCE" report will be held in RIA Novosti office in Moscow on Dec. 9. The report was prepared by Russian experts and considered with representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Lomonosov Moscow State University expert group head Aleksey Vlasov told Trend News

Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 19 November / Trend Capital, G.Hasanov /

International Gas Union (IGU), established in 1931, invited the gas producing states of Central Asia - Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, to join it. The Secretary General of the organization Torstein Indrebo made this proposal today during Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan-2009 conference held in Ashgabat.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has begun a third round of discussions in Almaty about upcoming counterterrorism exercises, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.

Kazakhstan, Astana, Nov. 19 / corr Trend News K.Konirova

Kairat Kelimbetov was elected president of the Kazakhstan Cycle Racing Federation today. Kelimbetov is chairman of the Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund, the Fund Samruk Kazina told Trend News.

Kazakhstan, Astana, Nov. 18 / Trend Capital K. Konyrova /

Today new ambassadors from eight countries, including the Netherlands, Canada, Latvia, Belgium, France, Finland, Mongolia and Georgia, presented their credentials to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Ak-Orda.

Kazakh banks will be able to return to international capital markets in the second half of next year, central bank chairman Grigoriy Marchenko said on Wednesday in an online press conference.

The Mazhilis, Kazakhstan's lower house of the parliament, approved the 2010 state budget on Tuesday which sees the economy growing by 2.4 percent next year.

The International Finance Corporation has lent $60 million to ATF Bank, Kazakhstan's fourth largest bank, to facilitate small business financing, the bank said on Tuesday.

Kazakhstan's banking sector reached the bottom this fall and is now on its way to recovery, according to a research report authored by Russian investment bank VTB Capital.

Tethys Petroleum, a Kazakhstan-focused oil company, has reportedly filed an application with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to list on the exchange in the first quarter of 2010, Chinese media reported, citing market sources.