In Kazakhstan, It’s Never Been Easier to Place a Bet

Eurasianet - In Kazakhstan, It’s Never Been Easier to Place a Bet - Kazakhstan is experiencing a betting boom. Bookmaker's offices are mushrooming across the country, allowing just about anyone to gamble on international sports matches. And, as if to tempt every last ludomaniac, thousands of electronic kiosks – in shopping arcades, pedestrian underpasses, and gas stations – are standing by to take your bets.

Bangkok Post - Ethnic crossroads - Kazakhstan is not a totally unfamiliar name to the average Thai, since it is occasionally mentioned in news reports, especially those concerning sports. One of the republics of the former Soviet Union, it is now the ninth largest country in the world with a land area five times that of Thailand's. It is a major oil exporter and thus one of the most prosperous countries in Central Asia.

Radio Free Europe - Kazakhs Try To Stamp Out The Hookah - Kazakhstan's deputy minister of health, Erik Baizhunusov, has warned against the creeping rise of people smoking waterpipes as part of a broader government offensive to combat the use of tobacco in the country.

The Guardian - All dogs in England to be microchipped by 2016 - Move is attempt to curb huge numbers of abandoned dogs, costing taxpayer and charities £57m a year