News: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 
Article of the Day
Thousands attend dedication of ‘world’s largest tent’
By Hal Foster
Halfway up the slope of what looks like a cone-shaped, 150-tall spider web was a tiny dot moving slowly.
It was hard to tell what the construction worker was doing only an hour away from the nighttime dedication of Astana’s newest architectural masterpiece, the $220-million Khan Shatyr pleasure dome.
Perhaps smoothing out the semitransparent material that covers the residential and commercial complex, Central Asia Newswire reported.
But the scene was surreal, like something from a Spiderman movie, as the man lowered himself along a rope to the place on the web where he wanted to work.
President Nursultan Nazarbayev, seven other heads of state and thousands of Kazakhstanis turned out Monday night for the dedication of famed British architect Norman Foster’s second piece of the Kazakhstan capital’s rapidly changing landscape. Foster is already working on a third piece.
Nazarbayev took the controversial step of moving the capital from Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, to the wind-swept northern steppes in 1997. The official reason for the shift was that Almaty was earthquake-prone.
But “the real motivation for relocating the capital was more likely the need for Kazakhstan to stake a strong claim to its empty northern territories,” journalist Clare Nuttall has noted.
The area is largely populated by ethnic Russians, and the Nazarbayev administration was determined to make a pre-emptive move against Moscow making any claims to the land, Nuttall said.
Nazarbayev was aware that many government officials were grumbling about moving from the comfortable and urbane existence of Almaty to the boonies.
Perhaps with that in mind, he decided the new capital was going to be something to behold.
He asked renowned Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa to do a master plan for the capital, which is not actually a “new city” like Brasilia but rather a massive expansion of the once-sleepy town of Akmola.
Nazarbayev then asked Foster, Italy’s Manfredi Nicoletti and other world-class architects to design many of the structures in the capital. A lot of them have such distinctive designs that they carry nicknames like “the lighter” and “the wedding cake.”
Architects and contractors are putting Astana’s new pieces together at a blistering pace. Forty percent of all the construction in the country is occurring in the capital, government officials say – and that’s at a time when the government is spending $5.68 billion rebuilding the famed Silk Road highway between Russia and China.
The company that has nearly completed the Khan Shatyr, Turkey’s Sembol, has stoked public interest in it by calling it the largest tent in the world.
The tent, shaped liked a smooth-edged pyramid, is just the covering, however.
Inside are offices, a five-star hotel, tropical gardens, a small lake, beaches and water slides, an amusement park, concert halls, restaurants and cafes, beauty centers and medical facilities. There is also a monorail with seven stations.
The tent allows the 1.5-million-cubic-yard interior to be climate-controlled, a godsend in a city where the temperature can reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and minus 40 in winter.
More than 400 Turkish high-altitude construction specialists built the tent, a task that involved building a skeleton of cable, then stretching the covering material over it.
It was a tough job – not just because of the height but because the work was done year-round, regardless of weather.
The crowd at Monday’s dedication listened to Italian opera and pop star Andrea Bocelli and watched folk dancers and a fireworks display.
But most weren’t allowed inside the Khan Shatyr, whose name means “royal marquee,” because Sembol has yet to wrap up the interior construction.
“We wanted to see the inside and, because that’s not possible, we decided not to hang around,” said a university student named Nikita, who was with two friends.
Sembol is also working on a sister project to the Khan Shatyr, two multistoried apartment buildings known as the Khan Shatyr Residences.
The 51,200-square-meter complex will have spectacular views of the Presidential Palace, the Pyramid of Peace, the Baiterek and other eye-catching structures and gardens. The Baiterek, a monument to the Kazakh people, looks like an egg on top of a high pedestal.
Foster and Sembol’s next collaboration in Astana will be a domed, climate-controlled city within a city that will include Venetian-style canals.
The 123,000-square-yard city will contain housing for 20,000 people plus shopping, dining, entertainment and recreational facilities, including a mini-golf course.
At 1.2 miles in diameter, the dome will be twice as large as the Millennium Dome in London, the site of an exhibition during the year 2000 marking the start of the third millennium.
Another indication of its size will be that it will cover 10 skyscrapers.
Italianate architectural embellishments will tie everything together.
The development’s covering will be made of material that absorbs sunlight to create the effect of year-round summer inside.
It will take a year to produce the dome, which will be 500 feet tall at its highest point.
The first Foster-Sembol collaboration in Astana was the Pyramid of Peace, a building that Nazarbayev cherishes because it symbolizes the message of interethnic and interreligious tolerance that he has long preached.
The Pyramid of Peace is where the Congress of World Religions is held every three years. The gathering of leaders of dozens of faiths – a Nazarbayev idea -- is aimed at promoting international tolerance and harmony.
Nazarbayev opens each session with a major address identifying world flashpoints and suggesting how religious leaders can help defuse them.
The pyramid includes meeting and convention space, a museum and a 1,500-seat opera house.
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Kazakhstan General
Nazarbayev to Visit France
By Damir Baimanov
President Nursultan Nazarbayev will make an official visit to France in October, kazinform.kz reports.
French trade official Anne-Marie Idrac made the announcement when Kazakhstani and
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Kyzylagash Flood Victims thank President
A dam above the village of Kyzylagash burst under the weight of melting snow and rain in March of this year.
The floodwaters wrecked the Almaty Oblast
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Universities to let Orphans Study Free
Universities in South Kazakhstan Oblast have decided to let 86 orphans study for free, according to caspionet.kz.
Four universities are providing most of the grants. They are
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Filipino Leader wants Kazakhstan in a ‘G-21’
The former House leader of the Philippines drew enthusiastic applause at a recent economic conference in Astana when he said the Group of Twenty nations should
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Nature Preserve gets Fire-fighting Facilities
By Lyudmila Malko
Storage facilities for fire-fighting equipment are being built in the Altai-Sayan nature preserve near Ust-Kamenogorsk in East Kazakhstan Oblast, according to kazinform.kz.
Germany’s ministry of
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Oil and Gas Sector
Kazakhstan has New Oil Export Duty
Kazakhstan began levying the same oil export duty that Russia uses on July 1, the day that duties were standardized across the three Customs Union countries,
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Caspian Pipeline Consortium Volume dips in First Half
The amount of oil flowing through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline fell slightly during the first six months of the year, the consortium said.
The pipeline carried
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Farmers to Get Fuel Subsidy for Harvest
The government will subsidize farmers’ fuel prices during the harvest season, caspionet.kz reports.
The price of diesel that growers will pay will be 62 tenge per liter,
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Finance and Investment
Russia gives Kazakhstan $700-million power loan
Russia will lend Kazakhstan $700 million to build a third generating unit at its Ekibastuz power plant, according to ww.hurriyetdailynews.com.
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and President Nursultan
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Moody’s raises rating on Alliance Bank
Moody's Investors Service has raised its rating on Alliance Bank’s deposits toB3 from Caa3, according to istockanalyst.com.
Moody’s assigned an initial rating of B3 to the senior
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Arnur Credit gets Swiss microfinance loan
A Swiss microfinance fund has loaned Arnur Credit of Kazakhstan $200,000 for microfinancing projects, according to www.microcapital.org.
The responsAbility Global Microfinance Fund said Arnur Credit had $4.8
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Metals and Minerals
Steelworks Visit was Poignant for Nazarbayev
A 20-year-old fresh out of technical college has fond memories of being one of thousands of men who helped build the steelworks in Temirtau.
Last week he
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Trade and Consumer Goods
Customs Union nations may adopt common currency
Commentary by Hal Foster
With Belarus signing the Customs Duty agreement that everyone wondered if it would sign, the next step for the three countries in the
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Kazakhstan-Poland Trade jumps, with Group’s Help
Trade between Kazakhstan and Poland has quadrupled to more than $1 billion in the past two years,
According to caspionet.kz.
The two-year-old Polish-Kazakh Chamber of Commerce has played
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Agricultural-Sector Growth forecast
Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector will experience solid growth over the next four years, according to companiesandmarkets.com.
One reason is a government drive to improve food self-sufficiency, according to
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Regional Business News
Clinton assures Russia's Neighbors of Support
By Ellen Barry
At the end of a trip intended to reassure Russia's neighbors that the Obama administration would not forget them in its push to improve
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Poland's President-elect vows to drop Party Affiliation
Poland's President-elect Bronislaw Komorowski says he'll drop his party affiliation and be a unifying force during his five-year term, the Associated Press reports.
Komorowski made the pledge
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Russians begin assembling Chinese cars
By Ilya Khrennikov
BYD Co., the Chinese automaker partly owned by American billionaire Warren Buffett, has begun assembling cars in the southern Russian city of Taganrog, according
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Drought prompts Russia to cut Grain Forecast
By Maria Kolesnikova
Russia’s Agriculture Ministry cut its grain-crop forecast by 5.6 percent to 85 million metric tons for the 2010-11 season because of heat and drought,
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Russian Mayor Irks Security Agency, and Suffers
By Clifford J. Levy
On the edge of the Siberian village of Listvyanka is a resort with a veiled guest list and armed guards at the
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Old Espionage Technologies still work
By Stuart Fox
When it comes to espionage, some old-school technologies stand the test of time.
While the Russian spy suspects that the FBI arrested last week
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Prices and Statistics
Volume and Share Index by Visor Capital
Date: July 7, 2010; Source: Visor Capital
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Market Movers by Visor Capital
Date: July 7, 2010; Source: Visor Capital
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Oil and Gas Prices
Date: July 7, 2010; Source: Bloomberg.com
| Petroleum
($/bbl) |
|
Price* |
Change |
%Change |
Time |
| Nymex Crude Future |
72.05
|
.07
|
.10
|
01:58 |
| Dated Brent Spot |
70.89 |
-.00 |
-.00 |
02:05 |
| WTI Cushing Spot |
71.98 |
-.16 |
-.22
|
07/06 |
| Petroleum
(cent/gal) |
|
Price* |
Change |
%Change |
Time |
| Nymex Heating Oil Future |
192.39
|
.67
|
.35 |
01:57
|
| Nymex RBOB Gasoline Future |
197.26
|
.13 |
.07 |
01:30 |
| Natural gas
($/MMBtu) |
|
Price* |
Change |
%Change |
Time |
| Nymex Henry Hub Future |
4.71 |
.03 |
.62 |
01:58 |
| Henry Hub Spot |
4.85 |
.14 |
2.97 |
07/06 |
| New York City Gate Spot |
5.60 |
.49
|
9.59 |
07/06
|
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Commodities
Date: July 7, 2010; Source: Bloomberg.com
| Commodity |
Price |
Change |
%Change |
Time |
| COPPER FUTURE (USd/lb.) |
295.400 |
-1.700 |
-0.57 |
02:28 |
| GOLD 100 OZ FUTR (USD/t oz.) |
1188.200 |
-6.900
|
-0.58 |
02:29 |
| SILVER FUTURE (USD/t oz.) |
17.700 |
-0.157
|
-0.88
|
02:29 |
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Metal Prices
Date: July 7, 2010; Source: Kitco.com
| Silver |
17.70 |
-0.14 |
| Platinum |
1499.00 |
-14.00
|
| Palladium |
429.00 |
-7.00
|
| Rhodium |
2,400.00 |
0.00
|
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Exchange rates
Date: July 7, 2010; Source: the National Bank of Kazakhstan
| 1 USD |
KZT 147.34 |
1 CHF |
KZT 138.71 |
1 CNY |
KZT 21.76 |
1 TRY |
KZT 94.42 |
10 JPY |
KZT 1.68 |
| 1 EUR |
KZT 185.06 |
1 AUD |
KZT 123.99 |
1 KGS |
KZT 3.22 |
1 UZS |
KZT 0.09 |
|
|
| 1 GBP |
KZT 223.94 |
1 CAD |
KZT 138.66 |
1 RUB |
KZT 4.74 |
100 KRW |
KZT 11.99 |
|
|
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