Curtain up at Astana Opera. Belarusian Entrepreneurs To Protest Eurasian Customs Union. India Pushes Customs Union and Investment Projects in St. Pete

Euro News - Curtain up at Astana Opera - It is the latest architectural project in the city which only became capital in 1997. A reported eight percent of the national budget has been spent on government buildings, a massive home for the president, and numerous monuments in Astana.

The Moscow Times - India Pushes Customs Union and Investment Projects in St. Pete - India and Russia made progress in forging a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement between the Asian giant and the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation during the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The Huffington Post - A Prison within a Prison: the Plight of Kazakh Poet Aron Atabek - Hooded and handcuffed, sixty year old poet Aron Atabek shuffles around a dimly-lit room. The guards accompanying him prevent any communication with his fellow prisoners; the hood that they've forced him to wear ensures that he can't even see them. This is the prize-winning poet's brief, daily exercise regime.

Bloomberg - Russia, Kazakhstan Join Turkey in Raising Gold Holdings in May - Russia and Kazakhstan expanded their gold reserves for an eighth straight month in May, buying the metal to diversify assets even as investors lost faith in bullion amid the outlook for reduced stimulus.

Radio Free Europe - Belarusian Entrepreneurs To Protest Eurasian Customs Union - Owners of small and medium-sized businesses in Belarus say they will organize "a warning strike" on June 27 to urge the government to quit the Eurasian Customs Union, which includes Kazakhstan and Russia.

Eurasianet - Kazakhstan: Hostile Takeover One Step Closer for Resources Giant - The consortium bidding to win control of the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) submitted a slightly revised offer to take the company back into private hands on June 24, after its initial proposal last month fell flat when minority shareholders said it undervalued the company.

The Press Enterprise - BOXING: Golovkin hopes to move up the ranks - Gennady “GGG” Golovkin (26-0, 23 KOs) defends his WBA and IBO middleweight world titles against United Kingdom’s Matthew Macklin (29-4, 20 KOs) on Saturday. HBO will televise the event, which will be at MGM Grand Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut.

Middle East Online - Abu Dhabi initiative sees release of 93 endangered falcons into Kazakhstan wild - Ninety-three falcons were released into the wild in Kazakhstan this year as part of the Sheikh Zayed Falcon Release Programme (SZFRP).