Kazakhstan
Revisited
Semey Revisited: The legacy of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan
Nearly 30 years after the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in the steppes of eastern Kazakhstan, local people are still suffering the consequences of four decades…
Rocket carrying ISS crew fails after launch, crew safe
A booster rocket carrying a Soyuz spacecraft with a Russian and U.S. astronaut on board headed for the International Space Station failed mid-air on Thursday, forcing the crew to…
Kazakhstan bus fire leaves more than 50 dead
A bus fire in northwestern Kazakhstan killed 52 Uzbek citizens on a route used by migrant workers heading to Russia, the Kazakh Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
Revisited
Video: Dried-up Aral Sea springs back to life
Straddling the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea was once the fourth-largest saline lake in the world, an inland sea of 66,000 square kilometres. But in…
First day of Syria talks ends ‘without breakthrough’
A first day of indirect peace talks between Syrian rebels and the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Kazakhstan's capital Astana ended Monday without any apparent breakthrough, sources…
Syrian rebels refuse face-to-face meeting at talks
Syria's government envoy at the peace talks in Astana on Monday denounced as "provocative" and "insolent" a speech delivered by the head of the rebel factions attending the…
Syrian rebels will attend Russia-backed peace talks
Syrian rebel groups have decided to attend peace talks backed by Russia and Turkey in Kazakhstan next week in a bid to check Iranian influence over the war, rebel officials said…
Sharbat Gula: The tumultuous life story of Afghanistan's ‘green-eyed girl’
This week, we take a look at the tumultuous life story of Sharbat Gula – the young girl with the piercing green eyes whose unforgettable portrait featured on an iconic National…
International Space Station’s ‘one year crew’ returns to earth
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko returned to Earth on Wednesday after nearly a year on the International Space Station, a mission intended to…
Kazakh dissident to appeal French extradition order
Lawyers for Mukhtar Ablyazov, a Kazakh banker turned dissident who is accused of embezzling billions of dollars, said Monday they would appeal a French decree that authorises his…
Kazakhstan greets record-breaking Russian cosmonaut
Kazakhstan welcomed the world's most experienced space flier, Russian Gennady Padalka, and two rookie crewmates on Saturday, including Denmark's first-ever astronaut, who…
Photo of Hollande in Kazakh hat sparks ridicule online
A photo of French President François Hollande dressed in a traditional fur coat and hat given to him by his Kazakh counterpart during a visit to Astana prompted a flurry of jokes…