News Roundup - October 11, 2007

EurasiaNet: Oil Companies on the Defensive in Kazakhstan
Development of the Kashagan oil field appears close to getting back on track, as the Kazakhstani government and a consortium led by the Italian oil company Eni SpA make progress in settling grievances surrounding the project...
Reuters: Total Presses for Kashagan Deal before End-Year
Talks between Kazakhstan and a consortium led by Italian oil company Eni on the development of the giant Kashagan oil field should be wrapped up quickly, the head of French oil company Total said on Wednesday...
CNN Money: Kazakhstan's Alliance Bank Assigned 'B+' Corporate Rating; Outlook Stable - S&P
Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned Kazakhstan-based Alliance Bank JSC a 'B+' long and 'B' short-term counterparty credit ratings, with a stable outlook...
Kommersant: Kazakhstan's Ratings Lowered
S&P lowered the country's sovereign rating on October 8. At the same time, It lowered its long- and short-term rating on obligations in tenge from BBB+/A-2 to BBB/A-3 and gave its short-term obligations in hard currency an A-3 rating...
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: EU Pushing Energy Cooperation With Central Asia
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana is in Kazakhstan today as part of a Central Asian tour to promote cooperation between the region and the EU, particularly in the field of energy resources...
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: OSCE: Member States Must Stand Up To Russia's 'Bluster'
For the past two weeks, civil-society groups from across the former Soviet region have been meeting in Warsaw with member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation In Europe (OSCE)...
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Making Sense Of Post-Soviet Alphabet Soup
Youth leaders from the four member states of the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development meet today in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku...
Ferghana.ru: Blended into the United Social Democratic Party, the Opposition Learns to Live in the New Kazakhstan
The opposition is learning to live and operate in the conditions where a multiparty system coexists with a one-party parliament as peacefully as the Communist regime and free enterprise do in China. When the figures reported by the Central Electoral Commission or Statistics Agency differ so greatly from what one sees with his own eyes, it inevitably brings to mind the concept of parallel worlds...
Gazeta.KZ: EU Is Interested in Deepening the Cooperation with Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan Today. October, 10. ASTANA. The European Union is interested in deepening the cooperation with Kazakhstan, said on briefing after the meeting with the RK Minister of Foreign Affairs Marat Tazhin the EU Council Secretary General Xavier Solana, as reported by KZ-today correspondent...
Kazinform: Fitch Teleconference: Kazakhstan Sovereign Outlook
Fitch Ratings will host a teleconference call on Wednesday 10 October at 17:00 Moscow time (14:00 London time) to discuss Kazakhstan's outlook and key sovereign rating drivers, following the agency's sovereign rating mission to the country last week and its affirmation on Monday 8 October of Kazakhstan's sovereign ratings, while revising the Outlook to Stable from Positive...
RIA Novosti: Moscow-Astana Space Symbiosis
Kazakhstan and Russia have few reasons for discord, but Russian rocket launches are an increasingly sore point between them. In Kazakhstan's opinion, they often fall on its territory causing significant environmental damage...
Gazeta.KZ: The President of Kazakhstan Discussed Almaty Regional Financial Center Development
The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, discussed with his freelance adviser, James Wulfenson, perspectives of development of Almaty Regional Financial Center, as reported by KZ-today correspondent...