Ben Aris in London
Tue, 26th May -- What's in store for the battered Kazakh bank sector? If you ask around the investment banks in Almaty, no one will give you a straight answer. The governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, Grigory Marchenko, doesn't have any answers either.

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Tue, 19th May -- Building a successful business from scratch was difficult in Kazakhstan even during the boom years. As the economic slowdown becomes more severe, small businesses are struggling with falling demand and a lack of access to funding.

Clare Nuttall in Almaty
Tue, 26th May -- Kazakhstan's economy is slowing faster than the government predicted. As the crisis forces changes in the economy, Visor Capital believes there is a chance for Kazakhstan to achieve more stable and sustainable growth in the future, but careful planning and improvements in education are needed.

Nicholas Watson in Prague
Tue, 26th May -- Russia's command of its so-called "near abroad" has been more or less complete over the past few years as the EU has floundered to find a coherent strategy to counter Moscow's dominance there, especially in the energy sphere. But recent oil and gas deals in Central Asia show Moscow's grip is loosening.

bne
Tue, 26th May -- The EU signed off on a watered-down energy agreement at the beginning of May that gives a boost to its pet gas pipeline project, the badly named Nabucco pipeline, which will run from the Caspian Sea region to Austria via Turkey, bypassing Russia in the process.