Election in Kazakhstan Sunday

Bl**dy big country in Central Asia. The leader of one of the main opposition parties was convicted on what sounds like a trumped-up charge and is now in internal exile, near one of the gulags where Alexander Solzhenitsyn was held. This according to the BBC World Service (couldn't find anything on their website - should be under 'Asia Pacific'). According to Reuters in the FT, 'The US yesterday (17 Sep) echoed European concerns...'

Anyone remember Afghanistan ? Long feature in the FT (sadly not a free link), My enemy’s enemies...

Update (23 Sep) Kazakh ruling party claims victory