Provides the latest RSS feeds for Central Asia News. For more headlines on Breaking, National, Business, Finance, Sports and World News, visit our home page Turkmenistan News.net http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/cat/929bcf2071e81801/ en-us Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:16:21 -0400 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:16:21 -0400 30 What Azeri human-rights defenders and political activists hope will also be discussed is political repression within Azerbaijan, which has increased in recent ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215313576/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:37:19 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215313576/scat/929bcf2071e81801 In this context of a rapidly deteriorating human-rights situation and growing government hostility toward independent and opposition voices, Aliev's determination to seek enhanced relations with the EU based on "equal partnership", without human-rights conditions, is not surprising. But it should be completely unacceptable to the ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215313577/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:09:34 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215313577/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The U.S. State Department Wednesday downgraded China, Russia and Uzbekistan on its human trafficking list, meaning they could face sanctions. The department promoted Azerbaijan, Congo-Brazzaville and Iraq from its Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2. China, Russia and Uzbekistan were moved from the watch list to Tier 3 on the four-tier system. The shifts came as, for the first time, the department was ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215311820/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:59:29 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215311820/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Fozil Mashrab A legal dispute between the Kyrgyzstan government and Centerra Gold has entered a decisive stage for both sides after the Kyrgyz parliament instructed the government either to renegotiate a 2009 deal with the Canadian mining company or withdraw its mining license, though Kyrgyz Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiev recently ruled out any steps to nationalize the mine. The ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215310859/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:48:02 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215310859/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Asian stock markets are poised to open lower on Thursday, falling in step with Wall Street shares after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted that the central bank could moderate the pace of its bond purchases later this year. Japan's ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215309745/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:04:45 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215309745/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Vladimir Socor On March 22 in Copenhagen, the Danish and Turkish prime ministers, Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Recep Tayyp Erdogan, witnessed the signing of agreements between subsidiaries of Danish Moeller-Maersk and Azerbaijan's State Oil Company (SOCAR) to develop a giant port near Izmir in Turkey. The petrochemicals holding Petrokimya (Petkim), majority-owned by SOCAR, is ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215307204/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:32:02 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215307204/scat/929bcf2071e81801 importing of 1,000 London taxis to Baku, the construction of an international bus station, and a lucrative road-construction project. The group has received preferential treatment and the interlinked companies owned by the families have taken large shares or even monopolized certain transportation sectors like bus transport, taxis, road construction, and cargo-transportation services in the ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215307203/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:32:02 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215307203/scat/929bcf2071e81801 experiences, and confront the topic of sexual violence. Since American Eve Ensler wrote the play in 1996, it has been performed in over 140 countries and translated into 48 languages. A performance is scheduled for April 12 in Bishkek. The Culture Ministry sent a letter to local media outlets on April 1 saying the Vagina Monologues advocates "unnatural, perverted sex under the slogan of ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215304552/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:12:20 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215304552/scat/929bcf2071e81801 WAM FUJAIRAH, June 19th, 2013 (WAM) -- H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, has received in his office at the Emiri Court, the Sudanese Ambassador to the UAE, Ahmed Sadeeq Abdul Hai, who paid a courtesy visit at the end of his tenure in the country. Sheikh Mohammed wished the Sudanese Ambassador success in his new assignment. Sheikh Mohammed also ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215303276/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:07:58 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215303276/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus ratified a package of agreements with Azerbaijan in law enforcement. The package of documents includes intergovernmental agreements on countering the legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime and terrorism financing, as well as cooperation in the fight against the theft of cultural values and ensuring their return and ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215301910/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:36:36 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215301910/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Fitch: Market Moves Bring Bank Interest Rate Risks to Forefront The recent rise in U.S. Treasury yields and speculation surrounding possible changes in the Fed's bond buying program have highlighted the potential risks faced by U.S. banks in a rising rate environment, according to Fitch Ratings. A sustained increase in interest rates, potentially signaling an end to the prolonged low rate ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215299861/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:58:15 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215299861/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Vladimir Socor Russian President Vladimir Putin and Gazprom are announcing colossal plans to expand the capacities of existing gas export pipelines and build new ones, all in Europe beyond Russia's territory. Gazprom already co-owns and controls export pipeline capacities amounting to some 110 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year in Europe beyond Russia (Nord Stream One and Two, ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215299862/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:42:38 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215299862/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The Chinese government expects peaceful nuclear negotiations will continue through multilateral dialogue with Iran, a government spokeswoman said. Iranian delegates joined officials from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany in a second round of nuclear negotiations in Kazakhstan in April but made few breakthroughs. February talks in Kazakhstan included efforts to ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215297879/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:39:57 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215297879/scat/929bcf2071e81801 BAKU, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - The statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement made by the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group conforms to Azerbaijan’s position, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said on Wednesday. Commenting on the G-8 summiteers’ statement on the Karabakh settlement, Abdullayev said, "Azerbaijan reiterated that it opposes the status quo, ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215296263/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:59:19 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215296263/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The rail line at Hairatan, Afghanistan, on the border with Uzbekistan, through which U.S. and NATO military cargo to and from Afghanistan flows. (photo: Sgt. 1st Class Peter Mayes, 101st Sustainment Brigade, 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs) Policymakers from the U.S., Europe, and Central Asia gathered last week in Riga to discuss ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215296264/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:45:52 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215296264/scat/929bcf2071e81801 HOHHOT, April 15 (Xinhua) -- Fire fighters on Sunday morning put out the blaze in a chemical plant in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, which has caused one dead and three others injured.The accident happened around 5 p.m. Saturday at Inner Mongolia 3F Fluorochemical Co. Ltd. in the city of Fengzhen. A huge amount of flammable gas has been leaked after the chemical plant caught ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215294405/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:14:09 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215294405/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Hardware vendor Ceragon Networks has announced a deal with Tajik mobile network operator Beeline Tajikistan. Under the terms of the agreement between the two companies, Ceragon will provide its Evolution Long Haul backhaul platform with a view to enabling Beeline to maintain and develop its 3G data and voice services across Tajikistan. Further, Ceragon claims its solution will serve to increase ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293010/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:50:48 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293010/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Roman Muzalevsky On February 12, Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych paid a three-day visit to gas-rich Turkmenistan to sign a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation and reiterate Kiev's interest in resuming direct imports of the Central Asian country's natural gas, which were suspended in 2006. The visit revealed Kiev and Ashgabat's strong desire to reduce ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293014/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:06:50 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293014/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Sergie Blagov Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich traveled to China on February 25 to attend a first meeting of the bilateral intergovernmental commission on energy cooperation. The commission was formed in December 2012 to replace the bilateral Russia-China energy dialogue. Dvorkovich held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier Wang Qishan, to discuss ties in the ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293013/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:06:50 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293013/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Richard Weitz Kazakhstan has become South Korea's (also known as the Republic of Korea - ROK) main economic partner in Central Asia, and powerful complementarities exist between Astana's desire for foreign capital and technologies, especially in order to develop its infrastructure and new high-technology sectors, and Seoul's need for natural resources, particularly energy and ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293011/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:06:50 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293011/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Pavel K Baev Last week marked the anniversary of the shocking performance staged by the Pussy Riot punk rock group in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. And this year saw a spectacular increase in the density of "patriotic" political noise silencing common sense in debates over such matters as separation of church and state, homosexual "propaganda" or the ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293016/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:06:49 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293016/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Georgiy Voloshin Just two weeks into 2013, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced the reorganization of the country's government. On January 16, he ordered the establishment of a new ministry in charge of regional development whose head, Bakhytzhan Sagintayev, had previously led the day-to-day activities of the ruling Nur Otan party in the capacity of its ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293017/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:06:49 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293017/scat/929bcf2071e81801 reforms and intends to spend US$13 billion to double gross domestic product (GDP) in five years, drawing on aid and investment to fund projects in agriculture, mining, transport, power and other sectors. Doubling the GDP will require an annual growth rate of at least 7%. Kyrgyzstan's GDP growth is projected at 8.5% in 2013, up to 7.5% in 2014, and up to 3.5% in 2015; inflation is ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293018/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:06:49 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293018/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Shavkat Kasymov Fifteen years have passed since a peace agreement which ended a five-year long civil war in Tajikistan. Fought between regional groups and the national government of president Rahmon Nabiyev, the conflict killed between 50,000 and 100,000 and displaced more than a million. Presidential elections scheduled for the fall offer an opportunity to reflect on the disastrous ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293012/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:06:49 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293012/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Sergei Gretsky Kazakhstan is well known for the successful transformation of its economy following independence more than 20 years ago, and the leadership has consistently set ambitious goals to solidify the gains and diversify the economy to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The year 2012 ended on a high note - the 2012-2013 Global Competitiveness Report by the World Economic ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293015/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:06:49 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215293015/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Privatization Having failed to woo Gazprom, Greece is to sell a 66 percent share in DESFA, a fully owned subsidiary of state-run natural gas company DEPA, for EUR400 million to Azeri state-owned SOCAR. Greece will receive approximately EUR188m from the sale, which it will use to pay off its massive debts. "The privatization agency is very pleased, it's basically a done deal," ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215291888/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:29:14 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215291888/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Oleg Varfolomeyev Ukraine has been moving closer to both an association and free-trade deal with the European Union, as well as observer status in the Russian-led Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Neither of the two statuses promises full integration. Because of this, Kiev believes they are not mutually exclusive. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara has said Ukraine ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215291889/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:01:47 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215291889/scat/929bcf2071e81801 In a joint statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the presidents of the U.S., Russia and France reflects the position of Azerbaijan, said in a briefing on Wednesday, the spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Elman Abdullayev. On 18 June as part of the G8 summit, the presidents of the U.S., Russia and France issued a joint statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215290934/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:35:54 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215290934/scat/929bcf2071e81801 * Stop-loss dollar selling lifts baht * Taiwan dollar up on NDFs, rebound in won * Philippine peso, ringgit down; downside limited (Adds text, updates prices) By Jongwoo Cheon SINGAPORE, June 19 (Reuters) - Most emerging Asian currencies turned higher on Wednesday as investors covered short positions after recent declines were considered excessive, and ahead of ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215290935/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:18:57 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215290935/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Investing.com - Asian stock markets were mixed on Wednesday, as investors looked ahead to the outcome of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting later in the day. Shares in Japan outperformed the region as traders continued to eye movements in the yen and in the Japanese government bond market. During late Asian trade, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 0.7%, Australia's ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215289985/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:15:06 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215289985/scat/929bcf2071e81801 BISHKEK, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - Parliament in Kyrgyzstan is due to consider a bill on renouncing an agreement with the U.S. on deployment of an airbase of the international antiterrorist coalition at Manas airport of the Kyrgyzstani capital Bishkek, the parliamentary press service told Itar-Tass. According to its spokesman, the bill has received endorsement of all the factions represented in ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215288219/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:19:46 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215288219/scat/929bcf2071e81801 TPL.TO )( ), the oil and gas exploration and production company focused on Central Asia, today announced its work programme in Kazakhstan for the second half of 2013. Forward Work ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215288220/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:07:19 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215288220/scat/929bcf2071e81801 EU institutions stint on precise terminology in respect to Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, Elman Abdullayev says. The official position of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on the adoption of the recent resolution by the European parliament provoked an angry reaction of not the European parliamentarians, as might be expected, but among a number of opposition media in Azerbaijan. The ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215287329/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:19:39 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215287329/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Between the government and the society of the Federal Republic of Germany and Azerbaijan, there is a good exchange of views, values, and interests in mutual cooperation. This was stated by Foreign Minister of Germany Guido Westerwelle on 18 June during an international media forum. He also noted that Germany's foreign policy takes into account the interests of both countries, including ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215287330/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:19:36 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215287330/scat/929bcf2071e81801 SEOUL, South Korea - Asian markets opened mostly lower Wednesday as investors waited for an update on the U.S. economy from the Federal Reserve and for some clarity from the Fed about its future course. The results of a two-day Fed policy meeting will likely ripple through stock markets once investors learn whether there will be changes in the U.S. central bank's strategy for shoring up the ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215287331/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:03:06 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215287331/scat/929bcf2071e81801 soaring nearly 150 points ahead of the central bank's conclusion of its two-day meeting on Wednesday. CNBC's Fed Survey found that Wall Street players expected the Fed roll back its stimulus program by December, compared to February, as expected ... http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215284783/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:45:28 -0400 http://www.turkmenistannews.net/index.php/sid/215284783/scat/929bcf2071e81801