A new draft antismoking law could deprive Central Asian migrants in Russia of one of their few pleasures -- a smokeless tobacco called nasvai.
Baikonur Cosmodrome in the remote desert steppes of Kazakhstan is one of the most important sites in the history of space travel. During the Soviet era, the first man-made satellite, "Sputnik 1," took off from there in 1957, and it was also the place where the first man in space, Yury Gagarin, blasted into orbit in 1961. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Baikonur has been used to launch missions to the International Space Station. Russia has also continued to operate space missions from Baikonur under the terms of an agreement with Astana, even though this cooperation is now under threat due to a dispute between Kazakhstan and Russia over the rent paid for the use of the facility. (12 PHOTOS)
Brahma Chellaney, a professor at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, has sounded alarms about the potential for conflict over water resources in Asia. RFE/RL talks to Chellaney about where the potential conflicts lie.
Kazakhstan, the world leader in uranium production, is reporting a new record for uranium output.
The British supermarket chain Tesco this month withdrew burgers from its stores in the U.K. and Ireland when DNA tests revealed that the packages, labeled as beef, contained some horse meat. The meat is not sold in Britain and its presence in ground beef was seen as gross negligence by the supplier. But in Kazakhstan, where horse meat is seen as a delicacy, consumers are wondering what all the fuss is about. (Video by Madi Bekmaganbetov, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service)
The non-Baltic former Soviet Union now rivals the Middle East as one of the most politically and socially repressive regions in the world, according to the latest edition of "Freedom in the World," the annual report compiled by U.S.-based rights watchdog Freedom House.
Russian and Kazakh news agencies report another anthem mix-up for Kazakhstan before the Saryarqa hockey club from the Kazakh city of Qaraghandy faced off against a local team in Tver, Russia.
Kazakhstan's Supreme Court has reduced the sentences of three men convicted for their roles in a high-profile violent mass protest in the western town of Shetpe in December 2011.
Kazakhstan's leading media rights group, A Just Word, has announced its decision to stop monitoring free speech issues in the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's premier foreign-policy initiative, the Eurasian Customs Union, is showing unprecedented vitality. But the European Union says membership in the ECU is incompatible with closer economic ties with the EU. This confronts many former Soviet states -- especially Ukraine and Moldova -- with a stark choice.
A court in Astana has sentenced the former chairman of Kazakhstan’s Customs Committee to 10 years in a maximum security prison.
Swedish telecommunications giant TeliaSonera just can’t get enough of Kazakhstan’s mobile market.
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