8 killed, 40 hurt in Kazakhstan clashes

Eight people have been killed, dozens hurt and property burned during clashes in southern Kazakhstan, prompting concern Saturday from authorities who portray the country as a beacon of stability. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held an emergency government session yesterday to tackle the violence Friday in an ethnically-mixed pocket of the Jambyl region, near the border with Kyrgyzstan. A commission of inquiry was also set up.