Kazakhstan declares state of emergency in protest-hit city, province

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has declared a two-week state of emergency in the Central Asian nation's biggest city Almaty and in the western Mangistau province, both of which have become scenes of mass protests, his office said on Wednesday.

Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities and towns after the authorities lifted price caps on liquefied petroleum gas, a popular car fuel, allowing prices to surge.

Loud explosions could be heard in downtown Almaty in the early hours of Wednesday, after police ejected hundreds of protesters from the city's main square using tear gas and stun grenades.

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