Astana - A prominent opposition politician and journalist on Monday won his bid to challenge a trusted ally of strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan's presidential polls next month.

Astana - Police in Kazakhstan arrested dozens of protesters opposed to the country's regime on Wednesday, after rare demonstrations decrying upcoming elections that critics say will extend decades of authoritarian rule in the Central Asian nation.

Khorgos - Traders travel freely through the bustling Khorgos special economic zone that straddles the Kazakhstan-China border, but signs on the Chinese side bear a blunt warning -- no veils or long beards allowed.

Astana - Russia's envoy on Syria said Thursday that "several unclear issues" were slowing the formation of a constitutional committee which the United Nations hopes will drive a political settlement for the war-ravaged country.

Astana - The career diplomat who is a shoo-in to become only the second president of ex-Soviet Kazakhstan since its independence has always appeared to prize loyalty over political ambition.

Astana - Kazakhstan's founding president Nursultan Nazarbayev on Tuesday proposed loyalist interim successor Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as the ruling party's candidate for a snap presidential vote.

Astana - Kazakhstan's ruling party nominated a loyalist to the country's longtime leader as its presidential candidate on Tuesday, setting the stage for a smooth handover of power in the Central Asian nation.

Astana - Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday called a snap election for June as the Central Asian nation seeks a new leader following the shock resignation of its longtime ruler.

Almaty - In a gym in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty, Paralympic weightlifter Alina Solodukhina's slight shoulders are feeling the strain under more than 60 kilogrammes of cast iron.Solodukhina, who has dwarfism and is 125 centimetres (4.

Astana - The political insider who replaced long-reigning Nursultan Nazarbayev as president of Kazakhstan on Wednesday is a somewhat unusual figure in Kazakhstan's elite.

Almaty - Kazakhstan's parliament on Wednesday voted to rename the country's capital in honour of long-time ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev, a day after he resigned as president.

Almaty - People under 30 in Kazakhstan have only known one leader -- Nursultan Nazarbayev, who announced his resignation this week after shepherding the country from the Soviet era.

Almaty - Kazakhstan's new president was sworn in Wednesday following the shock resignation of the country's long-time ruler and in his first official act renamed the capital after his predecessor.

Astana - The head of Kazakhstan's senate was sworn in as interim president in a pomp-filled ceremony Wednesday, and immediately proposed renaming the country's capital after his predecessor.

Almaty - Nursultan Nazarbayev may have resigned as president of Kazakhstan but analysts say the longest-serving post-Soviet leader will hardly be easing into retirement.

Astana - Nursultan Nazarbayev ruled Kazakhstan for almost 30 years and turned the Central Asian country into an energy powerhouse while governing with little tolerance for opposition.

Astana - Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his shock resignation on Tuesday, 29 years after taking office."I have taken the decision to resign from the post of presidency," the 78-year-old said in a speech broadcast on state television.

Baikonur - A Russian cosmonaut and two US astronauts arrived Friday at the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, five months after the failed launch of a rocket carrying two of the passengers.

Baikonur - Astronauts who survived an abortive Soyuz launch said Wednesday they were confident about their upcoming flight to the International Space Station despite some last-minute malfunctions.

Almaty - Kazakh police on Sunday arrested an activist who has campaigned for victims of China's re-education drive in Xinjiang, sealing his informal group's office and taking its computers.