HEAVY RAIN AND STORMY WEATHER LAST NIGHT CAUSED FLOOD IN THE FORMER CAPITAL OF KAZAKHSTAN. According to RFE/RL correspondents� report last night heavy rain and storm caused stone fall in Medeu mountains. About 60 children resting in the summer camps of Alatau Mountains are isolated from Almaty City. There is no telephone or other connection. Electricity supply system was also destroyed reportedly. In the lower part of the former capital, namely in the area of Raiymbek (Formerly Tashkentskaya) and Aerodromnaya streets, all the private houses were destroyed by flood. Citizens of the area spent the whole night on the roofs of their family houses, many of which lost some of their walls. No casualties are reported. Two private cars and one bus were destroyed by the flood. City authorities started helping the citizens hurt by the flood.
CIVIL PARTY STARTED DISTRIBUTING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND MEDICINE AMONG THE HOSPITALS OF THE FORMER CAPITAL. Civil Party, known as loyal to President Nursultan Nazarbayev, started distributing some medical equipment and drugs among the hospitals of Almaty this week. RFE/RL correspondents say that the action was started in order to advertise the party on the eve of the Parliamentary elections scheduled for September 17 (to the Upper House - Senate) and October 10 (to the Lower House - Mazhilis) this year.
JOINT KAZAKH AMERICAN MILITARY MANEUVERS STARTED IN QAPSHAGHAY TODAY. Kazakh American military exercises started today, July 15 are expected to last for one month. The main goal of the maneuvers is to assist Kazakh Army in training of peace keeping troops. Exercises are being held in Qapshaghay region of Almaty Oblast.
RUSSIA BANNED MEAT IMPORT FROM KAZAKHSTAN. According to information provided by RFE/RL correspondents Russian officials banned meat import from the Kazakh territory due to foot-and-mouth disease viruses found in the meat brought from Kazakhstan. 1200 heads of cattle in Qostanay Oblast, North Kazakhstan were found as foot-and-mouth disease virus infected. 45 cases of salmonella virus infection were reported from Qostanay region this week too.
LOCUSTS REACHED THE CENTER OF THE FORMER CAPITAL. RFE/RL correspondents report that locusts started their invasion to the center of the former Kazakh capital. Parks of Almaty are being affected by the locusts currently. One can meet thousands of them on almost every central street of the city.
TWO CRIMINALS ESCAPED FROM LABOR CAMP IN ZHAMBYL OBLAST. Two criminals, jailed for killings, left penitentiary in Zhambyl Oblast this week. They reportedly heavily beat one of the labor camp�s guards and took his machine gun with them. Investigations are underway. Authorities of the labor camp refused to give any details on the case.
PS. All the news are based upon reports sent by RFE/RL correspondents Sultankhan Aqquly-Uly and Aselim Qalken Qyzy from Astana, Sayasat Beyisbay and Toqzhan Sabyrzhan from Almaty.
July 15 (RFE/RL)
ALMATY, July 13
(THE GLOBE)
�The National Nuclear Centre plans to make a control blow of chemical charge at Semipalatinsk polygon on September 25, 1999,� Gulsum Kakimzhanova announced at the press conference organised to show the results of the workshop devoted to �The Access of the population to the information of radiation security through non-governmental organisations�.
According to the representative of �Iris�, the agreement for conduction of control tests was signed jointly with the American party and is intended first of all for determination of the influence of our region and further studies of nuclear tests recently conducted by Pakistan and India.he capacity of the blow will be 100 tons, which is not dangerous either for the nature or the local population.
The representative stated that another urgent problem discussed at the workshop in Kurchatov was the construction of atomic power stations (APS) in Kazakhstan.
�We have already two projects for construction of APS near the lake of Balkhash and in eastern Kazakhstan,� Mrs. Kakimzhanova remarked.
However, at present the state is just unable to find required financial resources to construct APS, that is why this issue has been postponed for some time.
According to Mrs. Kakimzhanova, one of the most urgent ecological problems in Kazakhstan is a low efficacy of the system of collection and storage of ampoule sources of ionising radiation (ASIR).Today�s situation is sharpened by the fact that many enterprises using ASIR are either not solvent or liquidated. A great number of these radioactive sources are kept at temporary primitive warehouses.
�In eastern and northern Kazakhstan some sources were stolen and lost. They were found in settlements, even in children�s hands,� Gulsum Kakimzhanova emphasised.
She said that regarding this issue, participants of the workshop had sent a letter to the Parliament and the government of RK. This letter stated the necessity to finance the system of collection, transportation and storage of utilised radioactive sources at the created store of nuclear waste products �Baikal-1�, which had been put into exploitation in January 1995, from the budget.
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