India Week and Indian Food Festival on in Kazakhstan

October 6th, 2009 ABU DHABI - The United Arab Emirates capital will a host a camel festival from Jan 30 to Feb 8, WAM news agency reported. The Mazayina Dhafra Camel Festival will be organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH).

September 16th, 2009 KATHMANDU - Maoists re-opened the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) office of centuries-old Pashupatinath Temple here on Tuesday. It was locked about two weeks ago after the two Indian priests were beaten up.

September 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - He may have faced derisive comments and stares for heckling President Barack Obama in Congress during an address on healthcare reform, but Republican South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson retains the affection for one ethnic group -- Indian Americans. According to Sanjay Puri, the chairman of the US Indian Political Action Committee (USPAC), the Indian American community has by and large had a positive relationship with Wilson, formerly co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.

September 11th, 2009 ASTANA - A mountaineering expedition team comprising six members of the Indian Army and eight from the Kazakhstan Army has successfully scaled the Mount Marble Wall Peak in Kazakhstan. The expedition was jointly led by Lt Col SS Shekhawat and Ilinski, and the team reached Base Camp on August 23 at 3300 meters and established three camps on the mountain by August 27.

September 9th, 2009 ASTANA - An India Week and Indian Food Festival underway in this Kazakhstan capital is giving people here a unique opportunity to enjoy the delicious cuisine of India prepared with original Indian spices and traditional flavours and with Indian music and films making for a genuine Indian ambiance. The festival, inaugurated here Tuesday by Indian Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar, will shift Sep 14 to the previous capital of Almaty, where it will run till Sep 18.

September 4th, 2009 MOSCOW - Many events were organised to celebrate 'Year of India' at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on Thursday. A concert 'Sahasra Patra' (a lotus of thousand petals) was held at the theatre that coincided with the visit of Indian President Pratibha Patil.

August 15th, 2009 ASTANA - India's 63rd Independence Day was celebrated in this Kazakhstan capital Saturday with a flag hoisting by Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar and the singing of the national anthem and patriotic songs. Indian nationals living in Astana and cities like Karaganda (250 km), Atyrau (3,000 km), Pavlodar (500 km), officials of the embassy along with their families and children participated enthusiastically in the celebrations.

August 15th, 2009 ASTANA - The 62nd anniversary of India's Independence Day was celebrated at the residence of India's Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Ashok Sajjanhar, this morning. The ceremony began with the flag hoisting by Ambassador Sajjanhar and singing of the national anthem and patriotic songs by ladies of the Indian Embassy.

August 14th, 2009 Port-of-SPAIN - A Festival of India, showcasing Indian art, craft and culture, is being held in Trinidad and Tobago for the first time and is proving a big draw for people of all ethnic groups in the island where over 40 percent of its 1.3 milllion population is of Indian origin. Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra said that the event, which commenced last Saturday and marks India's 62nd Independence anniversary, will continue for a month.

July 15th, 2009 Ukraine bans Baron Cohen's 'Bruno' film as immoralKIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine's Culture Ministry says it has banned Sacha Baron Cohen's new hit movie "Bruno" because it is immoral. The movie is centered around the adventures of a flamboyant gay fashion journalist from Austria.

July 7th, 2009 ASTANA - Kazakhstan is "very keen" on Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari visiting the Central Asian republic and is waiting for its next big international event that would give him an opportunity to do so, a top official said. Ansari, in fact, had been personally invited by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to attend a just-concluded global faith meet here but could not make it because of his commitments in the Indian parliament, where he is chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the legislature.

July 6th, 2009 LONDON - A beer festival, called the Beer on the Wye festival, in Herefordshire had to close before time, because customers drank the bar dry. The festival, which was to run until July 5, had to close after running out of beer, cider and perry on Saturday.

June 7th, 2009 TORONTO - India is all set to hold a year-long 'Festival of India in Canada' in 2011, showcasing the country's rich cultural heritage, said Indian High Commissioner to Canada S.M. Gavai. "It could be called the Festival of India or the Year of India.

May 26th, 2009 ALMATY - Indian and Kazakhstan business ties received a significant fillip when 71 Indian premier companies participated in a major trade promotion jamboree in this scenic commercial capital of Kazakhstan. The Indian trade fair provided an "excellent opportunity for Indian and Kazakhstani businessmen to forge one-to-one contact and promote and enhance economic cooperation", Indian Ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar said in a press statement issued here Tuesday.

April 22nd, 2009 SKorean businessman briefly held in KazakhstanSEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean businessman was kidnapped Wednesday in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan but quickly released, the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry said in a news release posted on its Web site that he was freed unharmed.