New Year in darkness
1, 250 crimes committed

Citizens of several villages and towns in Eastern Kazakhstan Oblast celebrated New Year's arrival in darkness. Windy weather destroyed local electricity trafficking wires. Such towns as Ayagoz, Zhangiz-Tobe, Urzhar and Zharma were the main places where lack of electricity turned to a real problem. The system was repaired by December 2.

Correspondents of RFE/RL quote Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry as reporting that in the night between December 31 and January 1, 250 crimes have been committed in Kazakhstan. Of those crimes 201 ones have been reportedly fully investigated already. Also it was reported that of all the 250 crimes 11 were homicides. In Almaty - former Kazakh capital, 39 local citizens were hospitalized in the first hours of the new year. The 39 patients were found as intoxicated by alcoholic beverages of suspicious quality. Five more citizens of Almaty were brought to hospitals after having been knifed. Four of them were released from the hospital next day and one is still in hospital under medical control.