Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev appointed a new emergency situations minister on June 10, hours after the dismissal of his predecessor with deadly wildfires roaring in the northeast of that Central Asian country. Fifty-six-year-old ministry veteran Syrym Sharipkhanov takes over from Yury Ilyin with a regional state of emergency declared in the east and at least three forest rangers dead and 11 others reported incommunicado a day earlier. The fires have burned some 60,000 hectares of thick forest around Abai, but authorities said early on June 10 that the situation was "stabilizing." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, click here.
Kazakh President Replaces Emergencies Minister As Deadly Wildfires Scorch East
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