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Culture & History Current Events Eastern Europe Issue Russia Vietnam

BBC to End its Radio Broadcasting in Post-Socialistic States

BBC World Service, which is a U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded Broadcasting Services Organization in 32 languages world wide, will close its broadcasting operations in Azeri, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Russian, as well as in five languages of Balkan Republics due to the drastic budget cuts by the British government from Saturday March 26.

The broadcasting operations are going to close in Serbian, Portuguese, Macedonian, Albanian, and English in Balkan republics Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo.

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Central Asia China Culture & History Current Events Issue Politics Russia

Aftermath of Middle East Rebellions to Hit Central Asian States

Oil-rich Azerbaijan had its first Facebook-organized rally last Friday.

According to Amnesty International information, about 300 people gathered in the city’s Fountain Square for a rally held by the Musavat opposition party. Several people were also detained on their way to the event by the police.

“There is no justification for heavy-handed tactics to be used against obviously peaceful protestors,” said Natalia Nozadze, Amnesty International’s Azerbaijan expert who was present at the protest.

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Central Asia Current Events Issue Legal & Regulatory Politics

Kazakhs Try to Keep First President

Kazakhstan’s long-serving president Nursultan Nazarbayev on Monday asked a constitution council to examine a proposed referendum on another decade of unchallenged rule, which would allow him to bypass two elections and lead the country unopposed until 2020.

On December 27, the Central Election Commission registered a statement by the initiative group in favor of such a plebiscite, which was endorsed by both houses of parliament. In their letter to Nazarbayev, the legislators asked him “to support the initiative to call a national referendum on the following question: Do you accept the law on Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, envisaging the possibility of extending in a national referendum the powers of the first president of Kazakhstan?”

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Culture & History Current Events Economy & Foreign Trade Issue Politics

Lukashenko Wins His Fourth Election

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko won a fourth term on Monday after a landslide victory marred by a violent police crackdown on mass protests and the arrest of opposition challengers.

Early Monday the state electoral commission said Lukashenko had won 79.7 percent with Sannikov, his closest rival, garnering only 1.6 percent.

Belarus police Monday arrested hundreds of protestors. The numbers of demonstrators at a rally in central Minsk swelled to tens of thousands at one point, AFP correspondents reported, with some of them trying to storm government buildings and smashing the glass doors.

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Central Asia Current Events Economy & Foreign Trade

Mongolia to Sort-Out Gold Mining Licenses

Mongolia’s government is reviewing a list of more than 1,700 mining licenses for possible termination under regulations aimed at environment protection, a senior official told reporters.

The suspended gold projects were said to contravene the country’s new Water and Forest Law, which bans mining activities in water basins and forest areas of the landlocked country, where water is in scarce supply.

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Current Events Eastern Europe Economy & Foreign Trade Russia

Russia, Poland Agree to Gas Supply Deal

Reuters is reporting that Russia and Poland have agreed a new gas supply deal conforming to EU rules.

The deal should ease worries that Europe, which takes gas through the Polish pipeline, will face shortages during the coming winter.

Russia and Poland agreed on to increase gas delivery to Poland and its transit to Germany through the Yamal pipeline last year but was not signed due to worries that it was incompatible with European Union laws.

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Culture & History Current Events International Relations Issue Politics

Kim Jong-il Attends Concert Marking “Victory” in the Korean War

North Korea’s iconic leader Kim Jong-il hailed his country’s “shining victory” and sang patriotic songs while attending a concert  on Wednesday, according to official media outlets.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il attended a concert yesterday celebrating the 57th anniversary of the Korean War as the two main adversaries from that conflict conducted war drills off his country’s eastern coast.

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Central Asia China Current Events International Relations

Mongolia Mulls Casino Proposal for Border Town

Mongolia continues its transition to a free-market economy by making a legal framework for launching casino in one of the country’s Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in the Mongolia-China border town of Zamyn Uud. Members of the Ikh Khural (Parliament) D.Zagdjav and D.Batbayar proposed a draft law for a Limited Casino to speaker D.Demberel.

This is the third try to pass the law on Casino through Ikh Khural. Two other drafts were rejected by the previous Parliament.

“Neighboring regions of neighboring countries don’t have any casinos or gambling centers, which allows such businesses to flourish in Mongolia,” deputies said to Business Mongolia. Law initiators believe that it will contribute to the Mongolian economy and revenue.

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Central Asia Current Events Politics

Minsk Yet to Receive Extradition Notice for Ousted Kyrgyz President

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belarus at the moment has not received any notice from Kyrgyzstan about the extradition of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev who is currently in Minsk. This was stated by Foreign Ministry spokesman, Andrei Savinykh, at a press briefing on April 22.

Answering journalists’ questions about the situation in Kyrgyzstan, a spokesman of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry underlined: “We’re faced with a serious international problem. Our President, Alexander Lukashenko is working on directions for a resolution. There is no doubt that this problem can be solved only within the framework of international law.”

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Central Asia Current Events

Kyrgyzstan’s Post Coup Chaos Flares On

The third day of another Kyrgyz revolution has passed but things are far from over. According to multiple reports, people have been killed and injured while aggressive drunks have control of the streets of various cities while private houses and shops are being looted. The latest news reports bloody clashes between police and anti-government protesters in Bishkek resulted in 68 people shot dead. There are also victims in other cities. Over 500 people were injured and Bishkek hospitals were filled with patients in dire need of blood.

Interior Minister Moldomusa Kongantiyev and First Deputy Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov were severely beaten by protesters in the town of Talas, where the unrest began on Tuesday, the Ferghana.ru news service reported. The Kyrgyz Interior Ministry denied reports that Kongantiyev had died of his injuries.

The protesters set fire to the prosecutor’s office and looted state television headquarters. Kyrgyz state television and state-controlled Channel Five have suspended broadcasting, reports Interfax.