Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Friday adopting a resolution which recognizes the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire was "a wrong way to go", Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.



Turkey has recalled its ambassador to Sweden for consultations after the Swedish parliament approved the resolution in a tight vote of 131 "yes" and 130 "no" votes, with 88 abstentions. A scheduled visit of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Scandinavi

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President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus is expected to make an official visit to Venezuela March 16 and March 17, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Thursday as he opened a meeting of the Venezuelan-Belarusian high-level commission, Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.



The commission met in session in Caracas to complete preparations for the visit.



"Venezuela will be the first country Alexander Lukashenko will visit during his tour of Latin America,

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US Vice President Joe Biden publicly scolded Israel on Wednesday over a Jewish settlement plan, saying it was undermining peace efforts after Palestinians agreed to US-mediated talks, Kazinform refers to Arab News.



"It is incumbent on both parties to build an atmosphere of support for negotiations and not to complicate them," Biden said in a media statement alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.



"Yesterday

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NATO has extended the mandate of its anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia until the end of 2012, the alliance's spokesman James Appathurai has said, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.



Appathurai told reporters on Wednesday the decision was based on "the assessment that this mission is making demonstrable contribution to increased safety for shipping and reduced success rates for pirates."



Somali pirates carried out a record number of attacks and h

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Citing Iran "contrary" to U.S. interests, President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the United States will continue sanctions set by the previous administrations on Iran, Kazinform refers to Xinhua.



In a letter to the Congress, Obama told lawmakers that he has decided to make the National Emergency on Iran, which will be expired on March 15, continue in effect for one year, because of Iran's threat to U.S. national interests.



The national emergency wit

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Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday formally proposed to parliament the candidacy of his ally Mykola Azarov for the post of prime minister.



The new parliamentary coalition in Ukraine earlier nominated Azarov for the post.



The coalition numbers 235 deputies and comprises the Party of Regions, now temporarily led by Azarov, the Communists, the bloc of parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, and several independent deputies,  RIA Novosti reports.

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A key Ukrainian politician, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, declined President Viktor Yanukovych's proposal to hold a high post in the new cabinet, the presidential press office said on Tuesday; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.



"I have proposed Arseniy Yatsenyuk a high post in the future government, which I believe is to be formed in the next few days. But Yatsenyuk declined and said he should move to the opposition. I believe this will be a constructive opposition which won't harm the

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Kabul on Wednesday for talks with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, Iranian media reported, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.



The two leaders are expected to discuss Afghan problems and ways to solve them, regional cooperation issues, Afghan economic recovery and Iranian participation in it and expansion in cooperation tin he financial, trade and energy spheres.



Antiterrorism and anti-drugs efforts may also be d

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According to the forecast of the International Grains Council (IGC), in the current season, Kazakhstan will again keep the status of the world leader of flour exports. According to estimations of the experts, in 2009/10 MY, the country will increase flour exports compared to 2008/09 MY.



According to renewed estimations of the organization, at the end of the current season, the general volumes of Kazakh wheat exports will reach the level of 3 mln tonnes, an increase of 0.2 mln t

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India wants to expand civilian nuclear power cooperation with Russia and is planning to sign a document on joint nuclear research soon, a high-ranking Indian nuclear official said on Wednesday.



Srikumar Banerjee, secretary of India's Department of Atomic Energy, told RIA Novosti that the document on bilateral nuclear power cooperation, including joint efforts in the creation of fast neutron reactors, was expected to be signed during a working visit by Russian Prime Minister Vla

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     The Kazakh delegation including representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Internal Affairs is taking active part in the 53

^rd

annual session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs in the Vienna International Centre on March 8-12.

53 member states of the Commission and over 160 representatives of nongovernmental organizations from 55 countries take part in the eve...

      Following the example of many Western countries, Russia has launched a program offering owners of old cars 50,000 rubles ($1,680) each for their vehicles' disposal in a bid to support Russia's ailing car industry, a leading business daily reported on Tuesday; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

Kommersant wrote that Russian car dealers started issuing the "disposal premiums" on Monday. The money is provided to those ready to have thei...

     We need to complete the work on the new contract on creation of the CIS multilateral free trade zone in 2010. First Vice Premier of the Russian Federation, Igor Shuvalov, said during the International Economic Forum of the CIS member states - New Initiatives in the Year of Presidency of Russia in the CIS, the agency reports.



I. Shuvalov expressed hope that the presidency of the Russian Federation in the CIS "will attach new impulses to integration

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       Kazakhstan pavilion will be in the territory of the All-Russia Exhibition Centre in Moscow. First Vice Premier of the Russian Federation, Igor Shuvalov, informed during the International Economic Forum of the CIS member states - New Initiatives in the Year of Presidency of Russia in the CIS, the agency reports.



"The work on creation in Moscow on the basis of the All-Russia Exhibition Centre of the exhibitions of the CIS member states wi

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     The representatives of Russia and Kazakhstan during the meeting in Astana discussed prospects of further cooperation in organization of the parallel work of electropower systems of two countries, the agency reports citing the news agency RosBusinessConsulting (RBC).



According to RBC, during the negotiations, the parties discussed essential conditions of the new contracts on parallel work of electropower systems of Russia and Kazakhstan, purchase and sal

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As the temperature in the Western Mongolia continues to fluctuate up to 40 degrees Celsius, the United Nations Organization (United Nations) has sent wool blankets, warm footwear, hygienic sets and other accessories to help to almost 4 thousand children of school age living in poor rural areas of the country, the agency reports citing the press release on the United Nations site.



"We have doubled our efforts to provide help to the schoolboys living in remote areas as they

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The European Commission's chief on Thursday repeated his call for EU member states to speak with one voice through tighter political coordination; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.



European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso made the call while addressing the European People's Party congress here.



The chief also called for protection of the EU's social welfare achievements while maintaining a market economy and keeping national budgets on target.



B

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The presidents of Kazakhstan and Korea will open the Year of Kazakhstan in South Korea in April; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Kazakhstan Lee Byung-hwa informed about it at the opening ceremony of the Korean cultural center in Astana.



"The decision to announce 2010 as the Year of Kazakhstan in Korea was initiated last year when our President visited Astana. This April Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will pay a visit to Korea

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A gunman opened fire at the teeming subway entrance to Pentagon complex Thursday evening, wounding two military police officers before being shot, a spokesman said. Authorities said all three were taken to a hospital. Chris Layman, a spokesman for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, said the two officers and gunman were not thought to have life-threatening injuries although the suspect's wounds were more serious; Kazinform refers to China Daily.



The suspect walked up to the e

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    The government of the Russian Federation will adjust pensions upwardly by 6.3 percent on April 1 despite the pension fund deficit, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told a government meeting here on Thursday; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.



"Beginning from April 1, pensions in Russia shall be adjusted upwardly by 6.3 percent. I direct you to do that," Putin said.



In the process, according to Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, Russian pensioners sh

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     The European Commission's chief on Thursday repeated his call for EU member states to speak with one voice through tighter political coordination; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.



European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso made the call while addressing the European People's Party congress here.



The chief also called for protection of the EU's social welfare achievements while maintaining a market economy and keeping national budgets on

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      The situation around the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea was in the focus of a meeting of the G8 political directors in the city of Victoria (Canada) on March 1-2. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov represented Russia, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.



The diplomats discussed "the preparations to a meeting of the G8 foreign ministers (Gatineau, March 29-30) and a G8 summit (

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      Israel allows in only less than quarter of goods the Gaza Strip needs, a Palestinian official said Thursday following a call by a senior UN official to relax sanctions on the Hamas-controlled coastal enclave, Kazinform refers to Trend News.



"Only 15 percent of Gaza's basic needs are allowed in through one crossing that operates on partial capacity," said Jamal El- Khodary, chief of a public anti-siege committee in Gaza.

 &nbs

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The UN General Assembly accepted the resolution directed at strengthening of cooperation with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the agency reports citing the United Nations Radio.

According to the radio, the resolution was accepted at the initiative of the members of the organization - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The resolution offers the UN institutions, such as the UN Department of Political Affairs of the Se

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Russia said here Tuesday that it is necessary to seek a diplomatic solution to resolve the Iran nuclear issue, and the key is to solve the problem peacefully.

Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin made the statement at a press conference when the United States is pushing for new UN sanctions against Iran for fear that the Middle East country is developing nuclear weapons. But Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purpose.

"It's necessary to seek diplomatic so

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A violent winter storm, dubbed "Xynthia," has lashed western Europe, killing at least 62 as of Tuesday.

Portugal, Spain, France, Germany and Belgium all suffered strong gusts and heavy rain.

Spanish authorities Sunday said two men in a car were killed by a tree toppled by a gust, while an 82-year-old woman was killed by a fallen wall.

Developing in the Atlantic off the Portuguese island of Madeira, Xynthia crossed France's western coast late Saturday before movi

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A massive iceberg struck Antarctica, dislodging another giant block of ice from a glacier, Australian and French scientists said Friday; Kazinform refers to China Daily.

The two icebergs are drifting together about 62 to 93 miles (100 to 150 kilometers) off eastern Antarctica following the collision on Feb. 12 or 13, said Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist Neal Young.

The iceberg that hit the Mertz Glacier is called B9B and had broken free from another part of Antarctica

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More than 18 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, there are still 23,000 nuclear weapons remaining in the world; Kazinform refers to the Arab News.



Now, in an effort to permanently reduce the US nuclear arsenal by thousands of weapons, President Barack Obama is making final decisions on a broad new nuclear strategy for the United States.



These are tough decisions as Obama is also being urged by those both inside the Pentagon and White House to reject pro

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A Proton M carrier rocket bearing three Glonass satellites has been launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on early Tuesday, a spokesman for the Space Forces said; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.



"A Proton-M carrier rocket with three Glonass satellites was successfully launched from a launching pad at the Baikonur space center on March 2 at 0:19 Moscow time [22:19 GMT, March 1], Alexei Zolotukhin said.



Glonass - the Global Navigation Satellit

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Europe fully supports Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and his work for stabilising the situation in Ukraine, Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, said here on Monday after his meeting with Yanukovich; Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.



"Viktor Yanukovich won the democratic elections and in this way he got the mandate of the nation for the restoration of stability in the country. We intend to cooperate with him in an effective and fruitful way,"

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