Vinokourov looks good in Tour de l'Ain opener Aug 10, 2009
Vinokourov, yet to be accepted back on the Astana team, was riding for Kazakhstan's national team ... Vinokourov was banned when racing for Astana at the 2007 Tour de France. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- More)
Russia parries US thrust in Central Asia Aug 8, 2009
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently held a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) Security Forum in Astana, Kazakhstan. This was the first such EAPC meeting outside NATO territory. (Asia Times Online)
Kazakhstan: The Forgotten Women of the Gulag Aug 7, 2009
A museum now stands on this quiet spot just outside Astana, Kazakhstan s capital. The entrance is marked by a striking black and silver monument, the Arch of Grief, whose conical shape represents a traditional Kazakh bridal headdress. (EurasiaNet.org)
* Contador launches stinging attack on Lance Armstrong Jul 29, 2009
Away from the spotlight of the Tour de France and back in Spain, his home country, Alberto Contador took the chance on Monday to say what he really felt about his Astana teammate Lance Armstrong ... At the tour, Contador and Armstrong, a seven-time tour winner, fought to be the leader of Astana, a team based in Kazakhstan ... The two became teammates when Armstrong joined Astana after coming out of a three-and-a-half-year retirement in the fall. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Bruyneel says it's time to quit Astana Jul 22, 2009
Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel announced he is set to quit the Kazakhstan-backed outfit ... He refused to elaborate on whether he will stay with the Kazakh-funded Astana team or launch his own squad ... Internal trouble has been brewing since Monaco when banned rider Alexandre Vinokourov, for whom the Astana team was created, gave a press conference saying either he or Bruyneel must quit the team after the Kazakh's doping suspension ends on July 24. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
My worst day: Cadel Evans Jul 20, 2009
Cadel Evans of Australia rides in the last kilometres ahead of seven-time Tour de France winner and Kazakh cycling team Astana's Lance ArmstrongPicture: AFP ... 5km 15th stage from Pontarlier to the ski station town of Verbier - 1 minute 26 seconds behind the stage winner and new race leader, Spaniard Alberto Contador (Astana) - saw him drop from three minutes seven seconds short of the lead to four minutes 27 seconds ... Contador is perfectly positioned in the Tour lead, as his Astana team... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Kazakhstan in CDS struggle Jul 17, 2009
Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, lies thousands of miles from Londons trading rooms let alone the political lobbyists in Washington. This summer, however, Grigori Marchenko, the Kazakh central bank governor, has reason to follow the US and UK debate about the future of credit derivatives with particular interest. (FT.com -- Markets)
Why Is Lance Armstrong Racing for Kazakhstan? Jul 15, 2009
Akhmetov a consortium of eight Kazakh companies to sponsor the team under the nationalist name Astana (Kazakhstan's capital and second-largest city), but the team the necessary number of starters and was not allowed to race. In 2007, Vinokourov raced the Tour on Astana, but ... Shorn of its stars and without confidence in the team's Swiss management, Kazakh authorities , who effectively blended the remnants of Astana and Discovery Channel into a new team under the Astana banner. (Slate)
Armstrong's team tipped for podium trifecta Jul 11, 2009
THE crack Astana team of American Lance Armstrong and Spaniard Alberto Contador are on the right path towards making a clean sweep of the Tour de France podium, believes Australian rider Michael Rogers ... 5km sixth stage from Girona to Barcelona after crashing with eight kilometres to go, said the only way to stop an Astana whitewash was for the other contenders to attack the Kazakhstan team as soon as the Tour hit the Pyrenees ... Heading into Friday's first stage into the mountain range... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Miss Ireland upstages lady in red Jul 6, 2009
Jerome Taylor reports from Astana. Monday, 6 July 2009. (Yahoo News -- Beauty Pageants)
Iranians Walk Out During Shimon Peres Speech Jul 2, 2009
Iranians walk out on Peres in Astana. By ASTANA, Kazakhstan ... Carrying out their threat, the Iranian representatives staged a walkout during President Shimon Peres's keynote address at the Congress of World and Traditional Religions in Astana, Kazakhstan on Wednesday morning, refusing to return as long as the Israeli leader spoke. (Newsmax)
Alexander Rodnyansky Steps Down as CTC Media's President Jun 24, 2009
We have developed unique brands that are well known by viewers from Moscow to Astana and Kishinev. Again, I would like to express my gratitude to the professionals who I have worked with during the last seven years. (Primezone Releases)
Brazilian President: Time for 'new world order'... Jun 18, 2009
Speaking after a meeting with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev in the Kazakh capital Astana, Lula called on the global community to seize on the crisis to create a fairer world for developing nations. "I want to say that before the crisis, there were many countries which had greater significance than others, and some countries which had no significance at all," he said through a translator. (The Drudge Report)
BRIC Dollar Bonds Beat Ruble, Real, Yuan Debt as Medvedev Blasts Currency Jun 18, 2009
The leaders of the BRIC nations didnt discuss the possibility of buying each others bonds during the summit in Yekaterinburg yesterday, Brazils Lula told reporters today in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. China trimmed its of U.S. Treasuries by $4. (Bloomberg)
Vinokourov banned from July's Tour de France Jun 17, 2009
Vinokourov and his Astana teammates were forced out of the 2007 Tour when he tested positive for a banned blood transfusion after winning the 13th stage. He retired last year, then said he planned to race again. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- More)
IMF Chief Warns It Too Soon to Roll Back Stimulus Jun 16, 2009
"Their (G8) stance is that we are beginning to see some green shoots but nevertheless we have to be cautious," the IMF's Strauss-Kahn told a news conference in Astana. "The large part of the worst is not yet behind us.". (ABC News -- Wire)
Press Release: Statement by IMF Managing Director Strauss-Kahn at the Conclusion of his Visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan Jun 16, 2009
Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today in Astana at the conclusion of his visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan. This is my first visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan. (IMF News)
Press Release: IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn to Visit Central Asia Jun 16, 2009
Mr. Strauss-Kahn will visit Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 15, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on June 16, Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic, on June 17, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on June 18. The Fund is currently supporting the Kyrgyz Republic with an Exogenous Shock Facility (see ) and Tajikistan (see ) with a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility Arrangement. (IMF News)
MAHB and JSC agree to terminate pact Jun 5, 2009
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and JSC International Airport Astana have agreed to the mutual termination of the trust management agreement for Astana International Airports, effective yesterday. In a statement, MAHB said the decision was made mutually as the expertise, knowledge and experience garnered by Astana from working with MAHB had enabled the former to manage and operate the airport independently ... MAHB had also provided assistance in auditing Astanas financial... (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
The Global Economic and Financial Outlook and Challenges for Emerging Economies, Keynote Speech by Mr. Takatoshi Kato, Deputy Managing Director, IMF, 21st Meeting of the Central Bank Governors’ Club of the Central Asia, Black Sea Region, and Balkan Countries, Kazakhstan Jun 2, 2009
Keynote Speech by Mr. Takatoshi Kato, Deputy Managing Director, IMF At the 21st Meeting of the Central Bank Governors Club of the Central Asia, Black Sea Region, and Balkan Countries Astana, Kazakhstan May 28 31, 2009. As prepared for delivery. (IMF News)
Lance Armstrong: Fatherhood, Tour de France prep ahead Jun 1, 2009
Armstrong will be training for his attempt at an eighth Tour de France win while trying to keep his Astana team from financial collapse ... Contador won the race in 2007 and did not defend his title last year because Astana was banned for doping controversies ... Astana sport director and former racer Viatcheslav Ekimov estimates that Armstrong's fitness improved 25% to 35% during the Giro. (USA Today -- Sports)
* Denis Menchov still in pink at Giro after Vesuvius stage May 31, 2009
Meanwhile, Armstrongs crisis-hit Astana team will likely survive for another few weeks, but its unclear if it will make it to the Tour de France ... Astana receives most of its financial support from Kazakh state holding company Samruk-Kazyna, but the Central Asian nations economy has been badly hit by the ongoing global financial crisis ... If Astana does not present long-term guarantees, it could lose its ProTour license. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
GE signs lucrative service deal May 30, 2009
Kairat Kelimbetov, CEO, National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna" (left) and Jeff Immelt, GE Chairman and CEO (right) in front of a GE Evolution Series locomotive in Astana, Kazakhstan. . (Erie Times-News, PA)
Armstrong is riding 'better than we expected' May 27, 2009
Its exactly what I hoped for, Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel told The Associated Press on Tuesday during the Giros second rest day ... Astana could present a three-pronged attack at the Tour with Armstrong, Alberto Contador and Leipheimer ... Bruyneel is still waiting for Astanas sponsors in Kazakhstan to pay off two months of missed salaries before a UCI deadline Sunday. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Buffett, other big names back nuclear 'bank' May 20, 2009
On April 6, the day after Obama's address, another piece of that picture fell into place nearly 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) from Prague, when another president spoke in Astana, capital of the ex-Soviet republic of Kazakhstan. "If a nuclear fuel bank for nuclear energy was created, then Kazakhstan would consider hosting it," Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced to reporters. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Federer, Nadal advance in Madrid May 16, 2009
On a day when Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen won a cold and rainy seventh stage into Chiavenna, Italy, in the Giro d'Italia and Italy's Danilo Di Luca kept the overall lead, Armstrong and all but one of his Astana teammates made a protest ... The Astana lettering that had been clearly visible was obscured. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Boasson Hagen takes stage win; Di Luca keeps Giro lead May 16, 2009
Armstrong's Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer remained fourth overall, 43 seconds behind ... Eight of the nine Astana riders protested the Kazakhstan squad's lack of salary payments by wearing jerseys that had been faded so that the sponsor names could not be seen. (USA Today -- Sports)
Armstrong, Astana riders protest failed payments May 15, 2009
(AP) INNSBRUCK, Austria - Lance Armstrong and other riders on the Astana team are protesting the Kazakhstan squad's lack of salary payments by fading out the sponsors on their jerseys. Eight of the nine Astana riders committed to the protest for the seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia on Friday, which began in Austria ... The only Kazakh rider for Astana at the Giro, Andrey Zeits, rode without altering his jersey. (OregonLive, OR -- Sports)
UCI gives Armstrong's Astana team May 31 deadline May 12, 2009
VALDOBBIADENE, Italy (AP) -Lance Armstrong's Astana team has been given a deadline of May 31 to straighten out its financial crisis or risk being suspended. Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel said Monday that the International Cycling Union sent a warning letter to Kazakhstan's cycling federation ... Astana receives most of its financial support from Kazakh state holding company Samruk-Kazyna, but the Central Asian nation's economy has been badly hit by the ongoing global financial crisis. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Armstrong's team given deadline to fix finances May 12, 2009
The International Cycling Union warned Astana's backers to fix their finances ... VALDOBBIADENE, Italy (AP) -- Lance Armstrong's Astana team must straighten out its financial crisis by May 31 or risk being suspended ... Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel said Monday that the International Cycling Union sent a warning letter to Kazakhstan's cycling federation. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- More)
Kazakhstan holds Chinese proficiency competition May 8, 2009
ALMATY, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The final Kazakh round of the Eighth "Chinese Bridge" competition, a Chinese-language proficiency contest for foreign college students, concluded on Thursday in the capital city of Astana. A senior student from the Kazakh Abai National Normal University won the first prize and got a chance to take part in the semi-final competition in China in the final with 10 contestants. (Xinhuanet, China)
Armstrong maneuvering to take over Astana May 8, 2009
Lance Armstrong says he has "high interest" from sponsors if he takes over control of the Astana cycling team ... VENICE, Italy - Lance Armstrong has received "high interest" from sponsors willing to back his cycling team if he takes over control of financially strapped Astana ... Astana receives most of its financial support from Kazakh state holding company Samruk-Kazyna, but the Central Asian nation's economy has been badly hit by the global financial crisis. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Armstrong may take over cash-strapped team May 8, 2009
Lance Armstrong maneuvering to take over Astana - More Sports - SI.com ... Armstrong maneuvering to take over Astana ... Lance Armstrong says he's received interest from sponsors to take over Astana. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- More)
Astana cycling team faces financial woes May 7, 2009
Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens confirmed reports out of Kazakhstan that the team has not been paying its riders lately ... Pro Tour teams such as Astana must meet financial parameters to stay active, or risk losing their International Cycling Union (UCI) license ... The seven-time Tour de France winner is planning to support Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer in his bid to win the Giro. (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
Lance Armstrong's Astana team in financial crisis May 7, 2009
VERONA, Italy (AP) - Lance Armstrong's Astana team is fighting through a financial crisis on the eve of the American's first Giro d'Italia. Astana spokesman Philippe Maertens confirmed reports out of Kazakhstan that the team has not been paying its riders recently ... Pro Tour teams such as Astana must meet certain financial parameters to stay active, or risk losing their International Cycling Union (UCI) license. (FindLaw News)
* Botched pest extermination has envoy up in arms jo May 4, 2009
A foreign ministry inspector was heading to the Kazakh capital Astana to look into the affair, the Ynet news Web site reported. The story began when ambassador Yisrael Mei-Ami complained that his apartment was infested with cockroaches. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
China deal helps out Kazakhs Apr 30, 2009
Still, the official opinion in the capital, Astana, is that the crisis is ameliorating, with the decline in GDP registering only 0. 2% for March. (Asia Times Online)
Kazakh budget in shrinking act Apr 17, 2009
Gulnur Rahmatullina, head of economic research at the Institute of Strategic Studies, which is linked to the Kazakh president's office, questioned a decision to transfer of a number of events at the 2011 Asian Winter Olympics from Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, to the capital, Astana. The games already account for a substantial proportion of this year's spending plans, and shifting events at a time like this is "baffling", she said, especially since money has already been spent on some of... (Asia Times Online)
Central Asians Unite To Protect Globally Important Natural Sites Apr 13, 2009
With the implementation of the IBA project in Kazakhstan, Brombacher says the country s project partner, the nongovernmental Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK), has grown into a "very professional" conservation organization with almost 30 staff and offices in Astana and Almaty. In Turkmenistan, however, the project partner remains the Ministry of Nature Protection. (EurasiaNet.org)
Obama may cede Iran's nuclear rights Apr 10, 2009
That is why the visit by the Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to Astana, Kazakhstan, on Monday assumes exceptional importance ... In this scenario, it is significant that following talks with Ahmadinejad, Kazakhstan President Nurusultan Nazarbayev chose the venue of their joint press conference on Monday in Astana to make the public offer that his country is willing to host a global nuclear fuel bank as part of a US-backed plan to put all uranium enrichment under international control ...... (Asia Times Online)
Tehran waiting for US policy change Apr 7, 2009
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Astana, Kazakhstan ... ASTANA, Kazakhstan - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran yesterday welcomed overtures by President Obama, but said Tehran is waiting for concrete steps to back up his words. (Boston Globe)
Kazakhstan rail link on hold Apr 3, 2009
Last year, Kazakhstan's government in Astana promised Beijing to set flexible prices for the transit of Chinese cargo bound for Europe. Astana sees itself as an important transport link between Europe and China and a vital economic partner of the West - one of the factors it used in bargaining for the country's chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010 ... Despite the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran, Kazakhstan has managed to strike a... (Asia Times Online)
Liquid war: Welcome to Pipelineistan Mar 26, 2009
In Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan (before it was moved to Astana, in the middle of the middle of nowhere) the locals were puzzled when I expressed an overwhelming urge to drive to that country's oil boomtown Aktau. ("Why? There's nothing there.") Entering the Space Odyssey-style map room at the Russian energy giant Gazprom's headquarters in Moscow - which digitally details every single pipeline in Eurasia - or the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC)'s corporate HQ in Tehran, with its... (Asia Times Online)
Former Saunier Duval team not in 2009 Tour Mar 18, 2009
Armstrong is riding with Astana in a comeback bid after 3 years of retirement ... Astana, which includes both Armstrong and 2007 Tour champion Alberto Contador, was kept from the 2008 Paris-Nice race and the subsequent Tour, even though it was under entirely new management. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Contador's collapse, and future Mar 16, 2009
Katusha rider Antonio Colom of Spain, left, sprints to win the eighth and final stage of the Paris-Nice ahead of second-placed Astana rider Alberto Contador of Spain and third-placed Saxo Bank rider Franck Schleck of Luxemburg on Sunday in Nice ... Heading toward what looked like an easy triumph Saturday in the weeklong Paris-Nice race, Contador, a Spanish rider for the Astana team, fell apart in the last few kilometers and struggled without power to the finish line ... His Astana team was... (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Nobel-prize winner backs one world currency... Mar 13, 2009
March 11, 2009 08:30pm AEDT. Nobel-prize winner backs world currency. (The Drudge Report)
Kazakh President Calls for Single Global Currency Mar 10, 2009
ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AFP)--Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev Tuesday called for the creation of a single world currency called the "acmetal" as a means of combatting the worsening global financial crisis ... The annual Astana Economic forum, held in Kazakhstan's new capital Astana, brings together economists and representatives to discuss the economy. (SmartMoney)
Russia's 'virtual cold war' in Central Asia Feb 21, 2009
Astana will attach an airborne assault brigade to the CSTO collective rapid reaction force, drawn from its airmobile forces headquartered in Kapchagai ... Moscow, in alliance with Astana through the CSTO, holds sway since Kazakhstan has legal obligations to prefer CSTO commitments, in contrast to its "partner" status with NATO's Partnership for Peace program ... "The Kazakh airborne assault brigade attached to the CRRF is ready for combat. It is equipped with advanced armaments and military... (Asia Times Online)
Country to cut executive pay as crisis bites Feb 11, 2009
Reuters Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Karim Masimov speaks during an interview with Reuters in Astana November. ASTANA (Reuters) Kazakhstan's prime minister said Tuesday executives at state-run firms and banks should not be paid more than him, capping their salaries to try to prevent social unrest in his Central Asian state. (Yahoo News)
Tour of California headed to Valley Feb 8, 2009
Astana: Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer headline a star-studded team named for the capital of cycling-mad Kazakhstan. Columbia Highroad: San Luis Obispo-based squad featuring George Hincapie and Mark Cavendish is sponsored by a sports apparel company. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
