By empty (11/29/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Azerbaijani employees of McDermott Caspian Contractors Inc. (MCCI) launched a second strike on 28 November to protest the company management\'s rejection of their demand for higher wages. Some 2,000 Azerbaijani employees of MCCI staged a one-day stoppage last week to demand the same wages as foreign workers with the same qualifications.

By empty (11/29/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Kazakh Central Electoral Commission Chairman Onalsyn Zhumabekov vowed on 28 November to ensure greater voting transparency in the country\'s upcoming presidential election, Interfax reported. In a meeting in Astana with U.S.

By empty (11/29/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The leader of the For a Just Kazakhstan opposition bloc, Zharmakhan Tuyakbai, outlined his presidential campaign platform in a 28 November televised speech, Kazakh Television reported. Speaking in a 15-minute address featuring video images of impoverished Kazakh families, Tuyakbai vowed to fight poverty, corruption, and injustice. He concluded by warning that \"we are turning into a country of sharp contrasts where a social division might lead to an explosion in the future and opposition,\" with closing video footage showing Kazakh officials on a golf course, riding in expensive foreign cars, and at luxury hotels.