Berwyn Lapesey blog

Kazakstan votes for president amid Western concern

Kazakhstan is voting in a mostly ceremonial election that is set to stretch President Nurusltan Nazarbayev's rule into a third decade amid Western worries about democracy in the resource-rich state.

The Sunday vote comes against the backdrop of violent social revolutions sweeping veteran leaders from power in other Muslim nations and has already received criticism from Western observers about the ease of Nazarbayev's expected win.

But no such unrest seemed imminent in a Central Asian republic whose younger generation is taught to refer to Nazarbayev as "Papa" and which has spent the past decade registering the region's fastest economic growth.

Officials said this stability -- a mantra of the Nazarbayev regime since it rose to power during the Soviet era in 1989 -- will allow the president to open the system to other voices and make the republic a firmer ally of the West.

"President Nazarbayev has made a strong decision for himself and got the support of the population to move toward a Western-style democracy," Prime Minister Karim Massimov told AFP in an interview.

"Checks and balances, this is a very important step. And for sustainable development in the future, checks and balances -- including of the political system -- are needed."

But he added: "You can't do it right away. It takes time."

Nazarbayev said Sunday the election provided equal access to all candidates and proved the country was firmly committed to a democratic course.

"We are an open society and a democratic one," Nazarbayev said after casting his ballot together with his wife at the National Academic Library in the capital Astana.

"All the presidential candidates had an equal opportunity to visit all the regions of our country. They had equal access to the media. They expressed their ideas, their thoughts to the Kazakh people," the veteran leader said.

"They said valuable things that we can take away with us."

For now the 70-year-old former steelworker seemed headed for a whopping victory against three minor candidates who have all confirmed their private support for the president's rule.

A top aide to Nazarbayev has predicted an outcome improving on the 91.2 percent the president received in the last election in 2005 and observers have noted that all three opponents have vowed only to compete for second place.

Monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe will release a report Monday ruling whether Kazakhstan had made a "marked improvement" on previous elections that have all been condemned as unfair.

The vote has also been marred by mystery surrounding the fate of the missing publisher of Golos Respubliki (Voice of the Republic) -- the country's most outspoken critic of the president's unflinching hold on power.

The paper's reporters believe Daniyar Moldashyov was abducted shortly after being attacked outside his home and the Committee to Protect Journalists said it was "gravely concerned" for the publisher's fate.

But a top aide to the president said the alleged disappearance was probably aimed at spoiling the world's perception of the election and promised reforms in the years to come aimed at gradually reducing the president's dominance.

"You have to understand Nazarbayev's unique role in Kazakh society. He is our first and only president," presidential adviser Nurlan Yermekbayev told AFP in an interview.

"The next leader will not be the same," the aide stressed.

One suggestion would see Kazakhstan -- with no clear successor to Nazarbayev in place -- eventually become a parliamentary republic reminiscent of a European state.

"The role of parliament has been steadily growing in our society," the presidential adviser said.

But such promises have been dismissed as either too vague or unconvincing by opposition leaders who are boycotting the elections en masse.

"We have not had fair elections in 20 years," said former Senate member and current human rights leader Zauresh Battalova.

"We are hoping that the next elections will be different. But all we can really do is hope and fight."

Stocks set to rise after unemployment rate falls

Stocks were poised for modest gains Friday after a key report showed that the unemployment rate fell to a two-year low in March.

The Labor Department said that the unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent, the lowest since March 2009, as companies added workers at the fastest two-month pace since before the recession began. Approximately 216,000 new jobs were added to the economy last month, offsetting layoffs in local governments. Economists had expected the unemployment rate to remain at 8.9 percent.

Ahead of the opening bell, Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 66 points, or 0.6 percent, to 12,319. S&P 500 futures gained 7, or 0.5 percent, to 1,328. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 13, or 0.6 percent, to 2,349.

This is a day heavy with economic data. Later this morning, the Institute of Supply Management will issue its manufacturing index for March. Economists anticipate that the index fell slightly from February, when it hit its highest level since May 2004. The manufacturing sector of the economy has expanded for the past 19 months. Separately, the Commerce Department will issue a report on the construction of new homes in February.

Auto companies will release March sales figures throughout the day.

Nasdaq OMX Group and IntercontinentalExchange said early Friday that they are making a bid for NYSE Euronext, offering what they say is a 19 percent premium to the deal the company struck with the operator of the German stock exchange.

The Dow Jones industrial average finished Thursday with its best first-quarter performance since 1999, rising 6.4 percent in the first three months of the year. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 30.88 points, or 0.3 percent, to 12,319.73. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 2.43, or 0.2 percent, to 1,325.83. The Nasdaq composite rose 4.28, or 0.2 percent, to 2,781.07.

Bomber hits checkpoint in Pakistan, kills 13

A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle attacked a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, striking amid a crowd gathered along the road to greet a prominent hardline Islamist politician and killing 13 people, police said.

It was unclear if the bomber specifically targeted the supporters of politician Maulana Fazlur Rehman or if they just happened to be there when he hit the checkpoint. Rehman has been an outspoken supporter of the Afghan Taliban, but some militants in Pakistan have shown a willingness to attack anyone connected to the government.

The bomber detonated his explosives just outside the checkpoint when a policeman told him to halt, said Saeed Khan, a police official at the main communications center in Peshawar city. The blast killed the policeman and 12 other civilians nearby, said Khan. Another 12 people were wounded.

The attack occurred in Swabi town, located some 44 miles (70 kilometers) outside the capital Islamabad. Rehman, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, passed through the checkpoint only minutes before the bomber struck and was unharmed, said Khan. Rehman was traveling to Charsadda town to address a public gathering.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. An attack targeting Rehman or his supporters would be unusual — but not unheard of — because of their hardline Islamist views.

The most prominent militant sympathizer reportedly killed by insurgents was former Pakistani spy Sultan Amir Tarar — better known as Col. Imam — who helped the Taliban rise to power in Afghanistan in the 1990s.

The Pakistani Taliban said in February that they shot and killed Tarar after holding him captive for 10 months in northwest Pakistan because the government failed to meet their demands. The Pakistani Taliban has links to its Afghan brethren but is focused on fighting the Pakistani state.

The Pakistani government disputed the Taliban's claims, saying Tarar died of a heart attack in January while in captivity.

About a year ago, a suicide bomber attacked a rally being held by the Jamat-e-Islami party, another Islamist group that is sympathetic to many of the goals of the Taliban and regularly criticizes army operations against them. The attack killed more than 20 police and civilians. Police speculated the target may have been officers watching over the rally.

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Munir Ahmed contributed to this report from Islamabad.

X-rays reveal why Van Gogh's yellows turn brown

WASHINGTON (AFP) – International scientists have discovered a chemical reaction that has caused the once-vivid yellows in Vincent van Gogh's paintings to turn brown, according to a study published in the United States.

A super-sensitive microscopic X-ray has revealed a chemical reaction taking place where the paint meets the varnish, triggered by sunlight which causes yellow to fade, said the findings published Monday in the journal Analytical Chemistry.

"This type of cutting edge research is crucial to advance our understanding of how paintings age and should be conserved for future generations," said Ella Hendriks of the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam.

The X-ray from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France also showed a reduction in chromium "was especially prominent in the presence of chemical compounds which contained barium and sulphur."

That observation led scientists to believe that "Van Gogh's technique of blending white and yellow paint might be the cause of the darkening of his yellow paint," the study said.

The best way to avoid such deterioration is to shield vulnerable artwork from ultraviolet rays and sunlight, the study authors said.

"Our X-ray beam is 100 times thinner than a human hair, and it reveals subtle chemical processes over equally minuscule areas," said Marine Cotte, a scientist with the research institute in Grenoble.

"Making this possible has opened the door to a whole new world of discovery for art historians and conservators."

The research was led by Koen Janssens of Antwerp University in Belgium. Letizia Monico, an Italian chemist, headed the experiments. Scientists from Italy, France and the Netherlands were also part of the team.

Van Gogh, known for his bold, tempestuous brushwork and having cut off his own ear, died at Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris in July 1890 after shooting himself in the chest.

Rangers outlast Kings for 4-3 shootout win

NEW YORK – Henrik Lundqvist knocked Anze Kopitar's shootout shot over the net to earn his 200th NHL win and give the New York Rangers a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.

The Kings rallied twice in the third period to stretch their streak with at least one point to a team record-tying 11 games (8-0-3).

Erik Christensen and Mats Zuccarello scored on the Rangers' first two shootout attempts before Jarret Stoll got a shot past Lundqvist to send the tiebreaker into a third round. Jonathan Bernier poke-checked the puck off Wojtek Wolski's stick to keep the Kings alive, but Lundqvist turned aside Kopitar to give New York its second straight win after six consecutive losses.

Ryan Callahan had a goal and assist, and Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov both scored in the third for New York, which had several minutes of power-play time in overtime.

Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown scored two goals and Matt Greene had a rare one for the road-weary Kings, who haven't lost in regulation since a 2-0 defeat against Phoenix on Jan. 20.

When Brandon Dubinsky shoved a wraparound shot that went in off Anisimov with 2:21 left in regulation, it appeared the Kings' point streak would end. But Brown banked a shot in off Lundqvist less than a minute later to rescue a point for Los Angeles.

Only one other time — in 1974 — have the Kings earned a point in 11 straight games, and that was before the advent of the overtime loss and the shootout. Los Angeles also recorded a point for the ninth consecutive road game (6-0-3), three shy of the team mark set in the 1973-74 season.

The Kings are 5-0-3 on their 10-game road trip that has stops left on Long Island and at Anaheim.

Greene snapped a 72-game drought with his first goal in more than a year, with help from Rangers forward Brian Boyle. Greene let go a drive from the right point that clipped Boyle's stick and found its way past Lundqvist at 7:50 — just 1:40 after Gaborik gave New York its first lead.

Gaborik had gone only seven games without a goal, but it probably felt much more like Greene's stretch of futility for a player who netted 42 last season. The speedy forward wristed a shot that beat Bernier's outstretched blocker and found its way into the long side at 6:10 for his 17th goal.

New York had gone 1-5-1 since Gaborik's previous goal at Washington on Jan. 24.

Callahan got the Rangers even 4:01 into the second period after New York controlled the puck following a faceoff in the Los Angeles zone. Derek Stepan moved the puck in front to Callahan, who slammed in his 15th goal.

Callahan has five goals in seven games after missing 19 because of a broken hand.

The Kings jumped in front 1-0 just 5:25 in when Brown capitalized on Dubinsky's early boarding penalty.

Los Angeles missed chances to take advantage of the Rangers in the second period when the Kings had the only two power plays. Despite calls against defenseman Michael Del Zotto and Dubinsky less than 3 minutes apart, New York held an 11-9 edge in shots and scored the only goal of the frame.

The Kings were 1 for 3 on the power play after going 0 for 9 in the previous four games combined.

Notes: Greene, a defenseman in his sixth season, has six career goals in 355 NHL games. He hadn't had one since Jan. 28, 2010, at Columbus. ... Stoll scored the shootout winner for the Kings on Wednesday at Columbus. ... New York hadn't played since beating Pittsburgh on Sunday.