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☆ 'Let us be a lesson', say Kazakhs wary of return to nuclear testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Mariya Gordeyeva | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Many nuclear proliferation experts believe resuming testing by either nuclear superpower more than 30 years after the last test is unlikely soon. "I remember I was about five years old," said Baglan Gabullin, a resident of Kaynar, another village that lived under the shadow of nuclear testing. [1/5]A view shows a model of a nuclear test at the museum of the Semipalatinsk Test Site, one of the main locations for nuclear testing in the Soviet Union, in the town of Kurchatov in the Abai Region, Kazakhstan November 7, 2023. Gabullin, speaking near a small monument to victims of nuclear tests erected in Kaynar, also said losses were common. While villages such as Kaynar and Saryzhal were exposed to direct radiation, steppe winds carried nuclear fallout across an area the size of Italy.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin, Serikbay Ybyrai, Baglan Gabullin, Pavel Mikheyev, Gulsum Mukanova, Mukanova, Alicia Sanders, Olzhas, Gloria Dickie, Olzhas Auyezov, Mike Collett, White Organizations: Soviet, REUTERS, International, Nuclear, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Kazakhstan, SARYZHAL, Russia, United States, Soviet, Semey, Kazakh, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Saryzhal, Kaynar, Soviet Union, Kurchatov, Abai Region, Italy, Novaya Zemlya, Russia's, Almaty, London

☆ 'Let Us Be a Lesson', Say Kazakhs Wary of Return to Nuclear Testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Many nuclear proliferation experts believe resuming testing by either nuclear superpower more than 30 years after the last test is unlikely soon. "I remember I was about five years old," said Baglan Gabullin, a resident of Kaynar, another village that lived under the shadow of nuclear testing. Gabullin, speaking near a small monument to victims of nuclear tests erected in Kaynar, also said losses were common. While villages such as Kaynar and Saryzhal were exposed to direct radiation, steppe winds carried nuclear fallout across an area the size of Italy. "Underground testing can also have severe consequences," said Alicia Sanders-Zakre of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Persons: Mariya Gordeyeva SARYZHAL, Vladimir Putin, Serikbay Ybyrai, Baglan Gabullin, Gulsum Mukanova, Mukanova, Alicia Sanders, Olzhas, Gloria Dickie, Olzhas Auyezov, Mike Collett, White, Timothy Heritage Organizations: Reuters, International, Nuclear Locations: Kazakhstan, Russia, United States, Soviet, Semey, Kazakh, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Saryzhal, Kaynar, Italy, Soviet Union, Novaya Zemlya, Russia's, Almaty, London

☆ Death toll rises to 42 in ArcelorMittal Kazakh mine fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Relatives of miners gather at the Kostenko coal mine operated by ArcelorMittal Temirtau during a power outage, as a rescue operation continues following a mine fire, in Karaganda, Kazakhstan October 28, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsALMATY, Oct 29 (Reuters) - The death toll from a fire at a mine owned by ArcelorMittal in Kazakhstan rose to 42 people on Sunday as a search for four miners continued, the Ministry for Emergency Situations said. "The search operation is hampered by the presence of destroyed mining equipment, as well as rubble in some places", the ministry said in a statement. On Saturday, operator ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal (MT.LU) , said 206 of 252 people at the Kostenko mine had been evacuated after what appeared to be a methane blast. The Ministry for Emergency Situations said it was still monitoring the gas situation at the mine.

Persons: ArcelorMittal Temirtau, Stringer, ArcelorMittal, Mariya Gordeyeva, Andrew Osborn, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, ArcelorMittal, Ministry, Emergency Situations, Emergency, Thomson Locations: Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Rights ALMATY, Luxembourg

☆ Death toll rises to 45 in ArcelorMittal Kazakh coal mine fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Relatives of miners gather at the Kostenko coal mine operated by ArcelorMittal Temirtau during a power outage, as a rescue operation continues following a mine fire, in Karaganda, Kazakhstan October 28, 2023. On Saturday, operator ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal, said 206 of 252 people at the Kostenko mine had been evacuated after what appeared to be a methane blast. Gennady Silinsky, a senior emergency services official, on Sunday confirmed the death toll and continuing operation in Karaganda, a major coal mining centre, to Kazakhstan's Khabar-24 television. "Work is going on round the clock in shifts in two areas of operations," Murat Katpanov, another emergency official, told Khabar-24. Earlier statements said rescue operations in the two areas - 4 km (2.5 miles) apart - were hampered by power cuts and wrecked equipment.

Persons: ArcelorMittal Temirtau, Stringer, ArcelorMittal, Gennady Silinsky, Kazakhstan's, Murat Katpanov, Khabar, Mariya Gordeyeva, Andrew Osborn, Alexander Smith, Ron Popeski, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, ArcelorMittal, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Karaganda, Kazakhstan, Rights ALMATY, Luxembourg

☆ Russia targets neighbour Kazakhstan with army recruitment ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Filipp Lebedev | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic bordering Russia, is home to over 3 million ethnic Russians and has traditionally been one of Russia's closest allies. Clearly targeting Kazakhs, ads seen by Reuters feature Russian and Kazakh flags and the slogan "Shoulder to shoulder". The ads lead to a website that offers potential recruits a chance to join the Russian army in the Sakhalin region in Russia's Far East. Joining military conflicts abroad for pay is illegal under Kazakh law. In Kyrgyzstan, a local man was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May for joining Russian proxy forces in Ukraine's Luhansk region.

Persons: Russia's, Wagner, Mariya Gordeyeva, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian, Astana, Moscow, Reuters, Human Capital Development Agency of, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Information, Social Development, Soviet Central, Thomson Locations: Kazakhstan, Soviet, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakh, Russian, Sakhalin, Russia's Far, Lysychansk, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine's Luhansk, Moscow, Bishkek

Summary Kazakhstan plans selective mining tax increasesWants to raise VAT rates, cut fuel subsidiesWill borrow to finance China-EU shipping route bypassing RussiaASTANA, June 9 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan plans to raise taxes on mining companies and cut fuel subsidies to balance its budget, while borrowing to develop the shipping route between China and Europe bypassing Russia, Economy Minister Alibek Kuantyrov told Reuters. Kazakhstan has already hiked the mineral extraction tax rate for exchange-traded metals by 50% and other solid minerals by 30% this year, but Kuantyrov said there was room for further increases in the new tax code the cabinet is drafting. "Our minerals extraction tax rates are among the lowest in the world," he said in an interview. The government also wants to raise the VAT rate for most sectors from the current 12%, while cutting it for "socially important" ones such as food staples and medicines. The government wants to tax banks more heavily and will continue cutting car fuel subsidies, a move announced earlier this year.

Persons: Alibek Kuantyrov, Kassym, Jomart Tokayev, Kuantyrov, Mariya Gordeyeva, Tamara Vaal, Olzhas Auyezov, Toby Chopra, Kim Coghill Organizations: EU, Russia ASTANA, Reuters, RUSSIA Kazakhstan, European Bank for Reconstruction, European, Thomson Locations: Kazakhstan, China, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Caucasus, Moscow, Central Asia

Two of the sources linked the increased Russian interest directly with reported Turkish plans to crack down on the transit of sanctioned goods. Some Russian firms have sought to establish long-term sanction-busting partnerships, the sources said. Under Russian law, it is an offence to comply with the Western sanctions and sanctions-busting has become a profitable boom industry for some entrepreneurs. Ankara also said it would not allow Western sanctions to be violated in or via Turkey and was taking steps to prevent this. Kazakh exports to Russia rose by a quarter to $8.8 billion last year and sales of some items surged.

☆ Former McDonald's restaurants reopen without branding in Kazakhstan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] A view shows a fast food restaurant, which used to operate under the McDonald's brand and reopened with no branding weeks after the U.S. company left the local market, in Almaty, Kazakhstan January 23, 2023. REUTERS/Pavel MikheyevALMATY, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Several restaurants which used to operate under the McDonald's (MCD.N) brand in Kazakhstan reopened on Monday with no branding to serve fast food under generic names such as "Cheeseburger", weeks after the U.S. company left the local market. McDonald's and Food Solutions KZ terminated their licence agreement this month, citing supply issues. Sources earlier told Reuters that McDonald's Kazakhstan had stopped buying supplies from Russia and had trouble replacing them. Food Solutions KZ did not say on Monday whether it has replaced any components such as beef patties with Kazakh produce, and declined to comment on any questions not addressed in its statement.

☆ Exclusive: Kazakh McDonald's shut outlets temporarily after halting supplies from Russia - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Mariya Gordeyeva | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a statement, the U.S.-based company said that its "licensee in Kazakhstan has temporarily closed all of its restaurants due to local supply issues. Food Solutions, the Kazakh licensee company, announced the closure on Nov. 17 and cited "local supply issues." After Russia invaded Ukraine in what Moscow calls a "special military operation", McDonald's exited Russia, selling all the restaurants it owned to a local licensee in May. It was unclear where the decision to ditch Russian suppliers originated. Marr Russia, one of the Kazakh company's Russian suppliers, said it never worked directly with McDonald's, dealing with its Kazakh logistics partner HAVI instead.

☆ Exclusive: Kazakh McDonald's shut outlets temporarily after halting supplies from Russia-sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Mariya Gordeyeva | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Joe LaPaille, a spokesperson for McDonald's Corporation based in the United States, said in an email: "Our McDonald's licensee in Kazakhstan has temporarily closed all of its restaurants due to local supply issues. Food Solutions, the Kazakh licensee company, announced the closure on Nov. 17 and cited "local supply issues." It was unclear where the decision to ditch Russian suppliers originated. Marr Russia, one of the Kazakh company's Russian suppliers, said it never worked directly with McDonald's, dealing with its Kazakh logistics partner HAVI instead. Miratorg said it was a supplier for Vkusno & Tochka, the Russian successor to McDonald's, and did not directly address the question of Kazakh sales.

☆ Kazakhstan seeks share of booming Russia-Iran cargo traffic
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zhumangarin said reducing red tape and improving infrastructure could streamline cargo flows. Zhumangarin also said Kazakhstan was considering building a third railway crossing on its border with China. The move could be regarded as either positive or negative for Russia, depending on where the added volumes go. The Central Asian nation is in talks with the European Union about boosting its transit capacity as part of a project to divert China-Europe cargo traffic from Russia to the Caspian and the Caucasus. Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov and Mariya Gordeyeva; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'We want respect': Putin's authority tested in Central Asia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Olzhas Auyezov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We want respect. Respect," said Emomali Rakhmon, Tajikistan's president since 1994, complaining that Moscow's attitude had not improved since the Soviet era. The conflict prompted Japarov to skip an informal meeting of ex-Soviet leaders in Moscow on Putin's birthday, Oct. 7. Kazakh state television showed a selection of street interviews in which respondents said the war in Ukraine cast doubt on whether any post-Soviet unity still existed. Its report also highlighted what it called provocative behaviour by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, widely regarded as Putin's proxy, who interrupted one of Tokayev's speeches.

☆ Kazakhstan struggles to accommodate Russians fleeing war
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ALMATY, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan is struggling to accommodate tens of thousands of Russians who have fled their homeland since Moscow announced a military mobilisation last week, officials say, but the Almaty government has no plans to close its border. Russians do not need a visa or even a passport to enter Kazakhstan, just their Russian identity papers. The Russian language is also widely spoken in the country, which is home to a large ethnic Russian minority. While some Kazakhs have already called for border closures or restrictions on Russians' entry, others have arranged meeting points for arriving Russians and set up volunteer networks to help them find shelter. In the city of Oral, some Russians have spent a night at a local cinema which invited them through social media.

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