Iran’s Nuclear Program, a Pawn in a US-Russian Deal. Kazakhstan: The Sweet Smell of Success

AAWSAT - Iran’s Nuclear Program, a Pawn in a US-Russian Deal - Iran left the meeting with the P5+1 group (Britain, China, France, Russia, United States, plus Germany) in Kazakhstan—which took place in the country’s former capital Almaty—under the impression that what was offered was both constructive and pragmatic. Eight months after the Baghdad conference, the P5+1 group acknowledged that it would have to come forth with “acceptable” proposals based on new grounds

The Telegraph - Tony Blair, Kazakh police and human rights questions - Tony Blair is helping Kazakhstan reform its brutal police force after widespread concern that it is at the forefront of human rights abuses in the country.

Committee To Protect Journalists - Under official pressure, Kazakh broadcaster closes - A blocked website; reporting equipment confiscated; a newsroom sealed; and reporters denied information from state agencies: these things together spelled the end of Stan.kz, a local, independent Internet-based broadcaster which for two years had tirelessly reported on developments in Kazakhstan. "We are forced to shut down the Stan.kz newsroom," Bauyrzhan Musirov, owner of parent Stan Production Company, said at a press conference Wednesday in Almaty, Kazakhstan's main city.

Eurasianet - Kazakhstan: The Sweet Smell of Success - Amid stiff competition from Russian rivals and global giants like Nestle and Mars, Rakhat – whose name derives from the Kazakh word for “pleasure” – has carved out a niche in Kazakhstan’s confectionary market. This is a business success story in a country whose economy is for many synonymous with oil and gas and little else. As a mark of its success, Rakhat’s director, Anatoliy Popelyushko, was ranked the country’s 29th most influential businessman last year by Forbes Kazakhstan.

BBC - Six held over India rape of Swiss woman - Police in India's Madhya Pradesh state say they have arrested six people in connection with the gang rape of a Swiss tourist.

Russia Today - Chavez’s successor asks US not to frame him with rival’s murder - Venezuela's acting president Nicolas Maduro has claimed the CIA and the Pentagon are conspiring to kill his main competitor in the upcoming election and pin the blame on him. He urged US President Barack Obama to stop the plot.

Trend - Situation on Azerbaijani-Armenian front-line remains tense - Armenian Armed Forces fired from their posts situated in nameless uplands of Armenia's Berd region at Azerbaijani positions in Kohanebi village of Tovuz yesterday. The fire was also coming from positions near the occupied villages Mehdili of Jabrail region, Tapgaragoyunlu of Goranboy region, Javakhirli, Sarijali and Kangarli of Aghdam region as well as from positions in nameless uplands of Khojavend and Fizuli regions, the Defense Ministry reported.

The Washington Post - For Obama, trip is a chance to repair relations with disappointed Israelis - Among the landmarks the Israeli government asked President Obama to visit during his trip to Jerusalem this week is the hilltop tomb of Theodor Herzl, the chief theoretician of Zionism, who died decades before his fears of growing anti-Semitism were borne out by the Holocaust.