The China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly

A suspected Islamist militant has killed seven people in the city of Taraz in southern Kazakhstan - one of the worst attacks the country has seen. The man shot dead four members of the security forces and two civilians before blowing himself up, killing another police officer, say officials. The attack is the latest of several this year. It is likely to raise concerns that the militant threat is growing in Kazakhstan. (BBC)

A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has approved a package of proposed reforms for Russia, clearing the way for the country to join the group after 18 years of negotiations. The WTO said Thursday that Russia's bid will now go before a meeting of all 153 members in December, where it is expected to get final approval. The reforms include a cap on tariffs and a provision allowing foreign banks to establish subsidiaries in Russia. U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated Russia for making progress on the issue. (VOA)

Kazakhstan has lifted a moratorium on test launches of Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) from the Baikonur space center, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos Vladimir Popovkin said. The ban was imposed in 2009 in line with the Kazakh government’s plans to make Baikonur a purely commercial space launch facility. Baikonur, built in Kazakhstan in the 1950s, is the main launch facility for the current generation of Russian rockets and was leased by Russia from Kazakhstan under an agreement signed in 1994 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. (RIA Novosti)