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 Afghanistan News.net http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/cat/929bcf2071e81801/ en-us Thu, 23 May 2013 10:25:12 -0400 Thu, 23 May 2013 10:25:12 -0400 30 Kazakhstan defeated India 3-2 in the China International men's volleyball tournament here. Kazakhstan won 25-12, 23-25, 24-26, 25-20, 15-7 Wednesday, reports Xinhua. "Our team is so young that they didn't cooperate well and made mistakes, but I am satisfied with their performance," said Gilyazutdinov Rafael, assistant coach of Kazakhstan team. "Our setup was bad today and that is why we lost ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214708110/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:30:01 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214708110/scat/929bcf2071e81801 China will import gas from the world's second largest gas reserve in the Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan. Kakageldy Abdullayev, CEO of Turkmenistan's national gas company Turkmengaz, said the Galkynysh field will be used to build up Turkmen gas exports to China. The field is expected to produce 25 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year for China, with Turkmenistan's total gas ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214707156/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:10:01 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214707156/scat/929bcf2071e81801 United States President Barack Obama has congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on upcoming Republic Day. Congratulation posted by the official website of the president says the following: "Dear Mr. President, I congratulate you and the people of Azerbaijan on Republic day On May 28, 1918, independent Azerbaijan became an example for the international community as a first ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713925/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 08:48:01 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713925/scat/929bcf2071e81801 In January-April this year, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia amounted to USD 904.315m. The State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan reports that during the reporting period, Russia received products worth USD 426.696m, which corresponds to 5.07% of the total export of Azerbaijan. During the same period, imports were in the amount of USD 477.618m, representing 15.17% of total ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713926/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 08:47:58 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713926/scat/929bcf2071e81801 "Necessary funds for the rise in salaries and pensions have been provided," the minister said. There is no problem in raising pensions and salaries in Azerbaijan and I think that we all will witness such a move in 2013, the statement came from Finance Minister Samir Sharifov while addressing the meeting of the economic policy committee of the parliament which discussed the bill ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713927/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 08:47:56 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713927/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu has commented on the disappearance of votes from Azerbaijan for the Russian singer in Eurovision 2013 contest. "We wanted to make the Russian public know that this is either a technical failure or elementary provocation," he said in an interview to Komsomolskaya Pravda. "Under the court decision, all three of our providers ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713928/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 08:47:53 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713928/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Shavkat Kasymov Despite the optimism with which Tajik government officials hailed their country's accession to the World Trade Organization in January, there is a need for a more realistic assessment of the potential economic prospects in regards to membership of the world trading community. Tajikistan is a remittance-dependent country with strong political affinity to Russia, ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713929/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 08:09:09 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214713929/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The exact date of the beginning of Ramadan month in Azerbaijan has been made public. Deputy director of the Shamakhi-based Tusi Astrophysical Observatory of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) Khidir Mikayilov ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214712572/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 07:37:52 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214712572/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Azerbaijan is to decide about routes of its gas supplies to European market in June, which will significantly raise the role of the country in ensuring the European energy security. The statement came from US ambassador to Baku Richard Morningstar at a conference in Baku 'Emerging challenges: raising energy security in the 21st century'. As for the provision of energy security, the ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214711350/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:27:12 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214711350/scat/929bcf2071e81801 According to changes to the article 126 of Code of Administrative Violations of Azerbaijan adopted at today's meeting of the Agrarian Policy Committee of the parliament, the fines for violation of rules of the treatment of animals in the country increased at least 10 times. These changes are the result of a desire to bring national legislation into line with the European Convention for the ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214711421/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:27:09 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214711421/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Dmitry Shlapentokh The Boston bombing is still in the process of investigation and could have a variety of repercussions in both the short and the long run. Many of these repercussions cannot be predicted, but some can be seen. One is connected with the North Caucasus jihadis' involvement in the Syrian conflict, and their relationship with the US. While several months ago the North ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214711423/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:47:59 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214711423/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Shahin Abbasov BAKU - Azerbaijan in late April crossed a self-imposed "red line" in its relations with southern neighbor Iran by dispatching Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to Israel, Tehran's arch-foe. Reasons for the timing of the move are not clear, but, so far, Tehran appears to be biding its time with a response. While Israel and Azerbaijan - like Iran, a majority ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214711422/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:47:59 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214711422/scat/929bcf2071e81801 An effective anti-crisis strategy helped protect Azerbaijan from the 2007-2010 crisis, said the head of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Elman Rustamov. "Over the past 10 years, Azerbaijan has made a major transformation, the economy has stabilized and tripled, the volume of per capita income reached USD 10,000. The country has a low rate of inflation," said E.Rustamov, ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214710503/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:19:14 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214710503/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The Hilton Hotel in Baku has hosted a press conference devoted to holding 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games in Azerbaijan. "We looked at all the facilities, and I want to say that Azerbaijan is ready to host the Islamic Games. I think the representatives of all the sports delegations will be glad to see the infrastructure of Baku. I myself was pleasantly and surprised by what we saw," ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214710504/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:19:11 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214710504/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Active opposition is only carrying out "small parties" and voicing statements, political analyst Zardusht Alizadeh thinks. He told FaktXeber.com that they just do not have the capacity for more than that. "In this way, changes cannot be achieved," says the analyst, adding that to change the internal political system they must either "take up arms, or hold a meeting ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214709353/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:09:16 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214709353/scat/929bcf2071e81801 A press conference related to Islamic Games to take place in Azerbaijan in 2017 was held in Hilton Baku Hotel today. "Invitations have been sent out to 57 countries to participate," ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214709355/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:09:14 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214709355/scat/929bcf2071e81801 A total of 94 Azerbaijani peacekeepers serve in Afghanistan at the moment. The statement came from Vice Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ziyafat Asgarov in an interview with ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214709354/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 04:09:14 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214709354/scat/929bcf2071e81801 By Gulnura Toralieva As the Kyrgyz government prepared for a rough ride when it reports to parliament on Thursday on its economic performance over the past year, First Deputy Prime Minister Joomart Otorbaev is accentuating the positive. In an interview for International War and Peace Reporting ahead of the May 23 parliamentary hearing, Otorbaev pointed out that the economy had grown, ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214709356/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 03:26:35 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214709356/scat/929bcf2071e81801 In an exclusive interview with columnist of "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" Victoria Panfilova, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister spoke about the state of Russian-Azerbaijani relations, issues of the Karabakh conflict, and also answered a number of questions. "We, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, had a constructive exchange of views. If there is a need for our intervention ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214708350/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 02:58:19 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214708350/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Recession in Europe, growth-robbing deflation in Japan and economic anemia in the U.S. have finally caught up with export-hooked China despite the government's attempts at bolstering consumption at ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214707402/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:52:55 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214707402/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Congratulatory message of Chair of the Canada-Azerbaijan Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group MP Barry Devolin on the occasion of the 95th Anniversary 'As Chair of the Canada-Azerbaijan Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group, it is my great pleasure to extend congratulations to the Azerbaijani-Canadian community, in particular the Azerbaijan Youth of Canada Network, as you celebrate this very ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214706335/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:42:14 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214706335/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The parliaments of Azerbaijan and Uruguay have inked an agreement on cooperation at a meeting of Speaker of the Milli Majlis Ogtay Asadov with an Uruguayan delegation led by chairman of the House of Representatives of the Parliament Herman Cardoso. Speaker Asadov stressed the importance of reciprocal visits in terms of development of the bilateral ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214706336/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Thu, 23 May 2013 00:42:06 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214706336/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The 12th annual Uzbekistan "Chinese Bridge" Proficiency Competition for students of Chinese language and culture was held in Uzbekistan on Wednesday.Nine students from local universities participated in the competition. They were asked to display their knowledge of the vast terrain of Chinese language and culture.After nearly two and half hours of intense competition, Rakhimova Dildora ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214704326/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 22:16:53 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214704326/scat/929bcf2071e81801 president Saparmurat Niyazov initiated the project under the name ''Green Belt''. Each Turkmen ministry is responsible for planting its own trees. However, as past initiatives have shown, not all of the trees survive, either because of the harsh weather conditions or the lack of care, such as regular watering. According to Mustafa Bilgin, the owner of a Turkish company ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214697876/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 15:54:32 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214697876/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Turkmenistan plans to begin production at Galkynysh, the world's second largest gas field, by June 30, which will allow it boost exports to Asia and help Europe lessen its dependence on Russian gas.Turkmenistan, a post-Soviet Central Asian country of 5.5 million which borders Afghanistan and Iran, holds the world's fourth-largest natural gas riches after Russia, Iran and ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214696442/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 15:28:29 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214696442/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Russia's Dina Garipova performs during the final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, on May 18, 2013. (John MacDougall/AFP/Getty ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214694806/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 14:05:04 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214694806/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Gulnara Karimova at Fashion Week in Moscow, Russia on April 2, 2011. (AP) Documents leaked to Swedish investigative journalists and reviewed by RFE/RL appear to offer fresh evidence of a link between Swedish telecom giant TeliaSonera and Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the president of Uzbekistan. The documents, part of ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214694807/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 13:46:20 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214694807/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Fitch: Recession Concern Dampens European Investor Sentiment An increasing number of investors expect fundamental credit conditions will deteriorate across sectors, according to a Fitch Ratings investor survey. The more circumspect sentiment was most notable for the sovereign segment, where the proportion of survey respondents anticipating worsening conditions more than doubled to 55%, from 24% ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214694338/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 13:46:00 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214694338/scat/929bcf2071e81801 President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended two Baku-host exhibitions. The 19th Azerbaijan International food exhibition WorldFood Azerbaijan 2013 and 7th Azerbaijan international agricultural exhibition Agrihort Azerbaijan 2013 opened at the Baku Expo Center on 22 May.1news.az reports with reference to the official website for the President of Azerbaijan that President of Azerbaijan Ilham ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214692794/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 12:56:17 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214692794/scat/929bcf2071e81801 The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) is deeply concerned by reports that some members of Azerbaijan's parliament, the Milli Mejlis, have prepared draft legislation that would serve as yet another blow to local civil society.Prepared and presented to the Parliament by MP Gudrat Hasanguliyev, who is loyal to the authorities, the draft law "On the occupied ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214693211/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 12:51:30 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214693211/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Luhoe (China), May 22 : Chinese national men's volleyball team defeated Kazakhstan 3-0 at the China International Men's Volleyball Tournament ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214691547/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:43:35 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214691547/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed May 22, 2013 11:15am EDT (Adds Turkmen, Chinese, U.S. officials, details, background) * Turkmenistan, EU tout routes to ease dependence on Russia * Russia opposes EU-bound pipeline, security fears sour TAPI * China only winner so far as Galkynysh nears production * Hurry up, or you may lose to LNG producers, U.S. says By Michel Rose and Marat Gurt PARIS/ASHGABAT, May 22 (Reuters) - ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214693212/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:15:18 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214693212/scat/929bcf2071e81801 WAM DUSHANBE, 22 May, 2013 -- Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, is leading a UAE delegation to the 38th annual meeting of Board of Governors of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Tajikistan. In his speech, Al Tayer emphasised the importance of promoting economic growth in order to improve the quality of lives in Islamic countries, pointing out the challenges ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214691568/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 11:05:27 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214691568/scat/929bcf2071e81801 ASHGABAT, May 22 (RIA Novosti) – Gas from Turkmenistan’s largest gas condensate field will flow to China, national gas company Turkmengaz CEO Kakageldy Abdullayev said on Wednesday. The Galkynysh field, the world’s second largest by gas reserves, will be used to build up Turkmen gas exports to China. The field is expected to produce 25 billion cubic meters of natural gas per ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214688453/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 08:59:20 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214688453/scat/929bcf2071e81801 BOISE, Idaho – An Uzbek national facing terrorism-related charges in Idaho will remain jailed pending his trial after waiving his right to a detention hearing. Lawyers for Fazliddin Kurbanov on Tuesday waived a hearing where a U.S. District Court judge was to have considered whether he should stay in Ada County jail in Boise until his July 2 trial. Kurbanov is a refugee from Uzbekistan in ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214688469/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 08:48:16 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214688469/scat/929bcf2071e81801 'I support the establishment of specialized agrarian bank in Azerbaijan', said Minister of Agriculture Ismat Abbasov, APA-Economics reports. To him, today there are a lot of banks that may allocate loan to agrarian sphere in Azerbaijan: ‘Besides, the funds allotted by the National Entrepreneurship Support Fund under the Ministry of Economic Development of Azerbaijan are also ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214685852/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 06:52:44 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214685852/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Bucharest has a significant role in enhancing the relations between Azerbaijan and NATO, and it is aimed at further development of this trend. "Romania will continue to support development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO," Romanian ambassador in Baku Cristian Ciobanu said. Addressing the conference "Emerging Challenges: Improving Energy Security in XXI Century" ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214685851/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 06:52:44 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214685851/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Russia Russia is outraged over how Eurovision votes for its entrant, Dina Garipova, disappeared during a voting mishap in Azerbaijan, the Foreign Minister said. Azerbaijan gave Russia no points, despite the fact its song came second in a phone poll. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed the "outrageous" incident at a press conference in Moscow with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Elmar ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214685853/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 06:40:58 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214685853/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Azerbaijan will continue support to Afghanistan even after 2014. The statement came from head of the Azerbaijani office in NATO Khazar Ibrahim. "Azerbaijan is among the eight partner countries that will stay in Afghanistan after 2014", he said. Ibrahim said that peacekeeping troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan after 2014 and all military as tasks will be laid, mainly, on ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214684916/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 05:45:41 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214684916/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Azerbaijan is a reliable energy partner of the United States. The statement came from the US ambassador to Baku Richard Morningstar in an interview with ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214682783/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 03:31:09 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214682783/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan has launched a probe over the recent reports by the Armenian media claiming that Spanish opera singer Montserrat Caball will give a concert in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. The statement came from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Elman Abdullayev in an interview ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214682763/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 03:31:09 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214682763/scat/929bcf2071e81801 HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Japanese stocks stayed on course for a fresh multiyear high Wednesday after the country's central bank raised its economic outlook, even as it left other elements of the monetary policy ... http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214682743/scat/929bcf2071e81801 Wed, 22 May 2013 03:09:31 -0400 http://www.afghanistannews.net/index.php/sid/214682743/scat/929bcf2071e81801