News: Monday, February 01, 2010 
Article of the Day
President calls for OSCE Summit in Astana
President Nursultan Nazarbayev has called for the first Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) summit of heads of state in 11 years to be held in Astana, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
Nazarbayev said during his annual televised address to the nation at a joint session of parliament that many of the 56 OSCE members supported his idea of a 2010 summit in Astana. He said topics such as regional security, the situation in Afghanistan, and questions of tolerance would be discussed.
The last such summit of heads of state was held in Istanbul in 1999.
Nazarbayev also spoke about the post-economic-crisis period that currently exists in Kazakhstan and said scholarships and public-sector salaries will be increased starting on April 1.
He gave his address once in Russian and a second time in the Kazakh language.
Kazakhstan took over the yearlong OSCE chairmanship from Greece in January.
When bidding for the OSCE chair, Kazakhstan promised to liberalize its laws on elections, the media, and political parties to bring them closer to democratic standards. But human rights organizations said the changes made were mostly cosmetic and that Kazakhstan is unfit to lead an organization devoted to promoting democracy.
Kazakhstan, the first ex-Soviet republic to assume the OSCE chairmanship, has never held an election judged free and fair by Western observers.
The lower house of Kazakhstan's parliament contains the members of just one party, Nazarbayev's Nur-Otan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
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Kazakhstan General
Saudabayev warns against quitting Afghanistan
When Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister, Kanat Saudabayev, begins a five-day US visit in Washington on Monday, one of the main topics of discussion is likely to be
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Public Prosecutor’s Office of Thailand to dismiss charges against plane Il-76 crew
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Thailand has decided to dismiss charges against the crew of the Il-76 aircraft that was detained at the Bangkok Airport with
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Oil and Gas Sector
Kazakhstan eager to win back Energy Assets
Kazakhstan is trying to extract more cash from domestic oil and gas fields developed by Western companies in a move some observers fear is part of
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Kazakhstan to provide Domestic Market with Mineral Oil by 2014
Kazakhstan will completely provide its domestic market with mineral oil by 2014, head of state, Nursultan Nazarbayev said while delivering his annual national address, Kazakhstan Today
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Kazakhstan mulls Supplies to Belarusian Refineries
A customs union that came into existence at of the beginning of the year is expected to facilitate the movement of goods and people within a
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Chevron's Profit Skids 37%
Chevron Corp.'s fourth-quarter profit fell 37% due to a steep loss in its refining and marketing business, a segment the oil company said will continue to
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OMV 4Q Output +3.2% on Qtr, Refining Margin below EUR1
Austrian oil and gas company OMV AG (OMV.VI) said Friday its fourth-quarter hydrocarbon output rose 3.2% on the quarter, helped by higher production in Austria and
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Finance and Investment
Kazakhstan sets 20-Nation Entry Target by 2020
Kazakhstan has set itself an ambitious goal of making its presence as a business and investment powerhouse in at least 20 countries by the year 2020.
Addressing
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Budget Employees to get Raises
Employees paid under the state budget will receive increases in wages and benefits as of April 1, 2010, President Nursultan Nazarbayev stated in his national address
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President orders New Bill on Special Economic Zones
President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, while delivering his annual address to the people of Kazakhstan, ordered new legislation on special economic zones, Kazakhstan Today reports.
"We should
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Social Enterprise Corporations to be transferred to local executive powers
Head of state, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in his annual address to the people of Kazakhstan ordered the government to transfer authority over social enterprise corporations to local
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Prime Minister tells Finance Ministry to bring Amended Budget for 2010 to Parliament
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Karim Masimov, at a government session, ordered the Ministry of Economy and Budgetary Planning of Kazakhstan to bring to the Parliament of
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President orders Government to develop Program for Scientific Technological Development by 2020
President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, on Friday ordered the government to develop a national inter-sector plan for scientific technological by 2020, taking into account industrial priorities,
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Nazarbayev – Sustainable Development to be achieved Through National Competitiveness
Sustainable development will be achieved in Kazakhstan over the next decade through diversification and increasing the competitiveness of the national economy, the head of state, Nursultan
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Nazarbayev orders Doubling of Agricultural Productivity
President Nazarbayev has ordered the government to double productivity in the agricultural industry by 2014 at a joint session of the chambers of parliament on Friday.
"The
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Total International Reserves and National Fund Assets grow by over 25 Times
Total international reserves and the assets in the National Fund have grown over the last 10 years by more than 25 times, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said
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Trade and Consumer Goods
President orders Government to “stir up” WTO Accession
President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, while delivering his annual address has told the government to stir up the processes of Kazakhstan joining the World Trade Organization
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Regional Business News
Kazakhstan's Uzbek Refugees wait in Limbo
Rustam and his wife asked not to be identified
Rustam and his wife and baby share a house on the outskirts of Almaty with several other families.
Welcome
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Russia: Test Flight of New Fighter called a Success
The Russian military conducted the first successful flight of its new fifth-generation stealth fighter jet on Friday, Russian media reported.
The Sukhoi T-50 prototype, the first completely
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Turkmenistan: US will keep pressing Ashgabat on Refusnik Students
The US Embassy in Ashgabat says it welcomes the government of Turkmenistan’s decision to permit State Department-funded students to continue their studies in Bulgaria.
Last summer hundreds
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Berdymukammedov to visit France on Monday
Experts say the two presidents are likely to focus on the development of trade and economic cooperation, including in the energy sector.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov will
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Uzbekistan: Thousands of State Employees to be laid off
Thousands of state employees in Uzbekistan are set to loose their jobs under a belt-tightening resolution set for implementation on March 1.
According to the resolution reportedly
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Two Dead, Four Injured in Azeri Base Shooting
Two soldiers in Azerbaijan shot dead four fellow servicemen and then killed themselves at a military base, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
The ministry said the motive
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Prices and Statistics
Oil and Gas Prices
Date: February 1, 2010; Source: Bloomberg.com
| Petroleum
($/bbl) |
|
Price* |
Change |
%Change |
Time |
| Nymex Crude Future |
72.75
|
-.14
|
-.19
|
01:43 |
| Dated Brent Spot |
71.30 |
.84 |
1.19 |
01:41 |
| WTI Cushing Spot |
72.89 |
-.75 |
-1.02
|
01/29 |
| Petroleum
(cent/gal) |
|
Price* |
Change |
%Change |
Time |
| Nymex Heating Oil Future |
191.54
|
.24
|
.13 |
01:40
|
| Nymex RBOB Gasoline Future |
190.93
|
-.41 |
-.21 |
01:38 |
| Natural gas
($/MMBtu) |
|
Price* |
Change |
%Change |
Time |
| Nymex Henry Hub Future |
5.26 |
.13 |
2.49 |
01:34 |
| Henry Hub Spot |
5.25 |
-.08 |
-1.50 |
01/29 |
| New York City Gate Spot |
7.32 |
-.26
|
-3.43 |
01/29
|
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Commodities
Date: February 1, 2010; Source: Bloomberg.com
| Commodity |
Price |
Change |
%Change |
Time |
| COPPER FUTURE (USd/lb.) |
303.100 |
-2.150 |
-0.70 |
01:59 |
| GOLD 100 OZ FUTR (USD/t oz.) |
1081.100 |
-2.700 |
-0.25 |
01:59 |
| SILVER FUTURE (USD/t oz.) |
16.175 |
-0.015
|
-0.09
|
01:58 |
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Metal Prices
Date: February 1, 2010; Source: Kitco.com
| Silver |
16.23 |
+0.04 |
| Platinum |
1511.00 |
+10.00
|
| Palladium |
414.00 |
0.00
|
| Rhodium |
2,310.00 |
0.00
|
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Exchange rates
Date: February 1, 2010; Source: the National Bank of Kazakhstan
| 1 USD |
KZT 148.21 |
1 CHF |
KZT 141.17 |
1 CNY |
KZT 21.71 |
1 TRY |
KZT 99.41 |
10 JPY |
KZT 1.64 |
| 1 EUR |
KZT 207.17 |
1 AUD |
KZT 132.66 |
1 KGS |
KZT 3.36 |
1 UZS |
KZT 0.10 |
|
|
| 1 GBP |
KZT 239.69 |
1 CAD |
KZT 139.47 |
1 RUB |
KZT 4.88 |
100 KRW |
KZT 12.76 |
|
|
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