Swine flu outbreak stirs panic, political discord in Ukraine Nov 22, 2009
In Turkmenistan, the authorities have been accused of covering up an epidemic, with infectious-disease wards reportedly full and people being turned away. As the pandemic H1N1 influenza surges with the onset of winter, the nations of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union appear particularly vulnerable to the deadly virus. (Boston Globe)
Key facts and figures on Afghanistan Nov 19, 2009
Afghanistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia which shares borders with Iran, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Hamid Karzai has led the country since 2001, when U.S.-backed Afghan forces ended the five-year rule of the austere Islamist Taliban movement. (AlertNet)
Karzai sworn in as president for 2nd term Nov 19, 2009
Foreign guests attending the inauguration ceremony included Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and foreign ministers of France, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. Karzai was declared the winner of the fraud-marred presidential election on Nov. 2, just one day after his top challenger Abdullah Abdullah boycotted the runoff. (Xinhuanet, China)
Paying Off The Warlords Nov 18, 2009
Kabul, Afghanistan: Every morning, dozens of trucks laden with diesel from Turkmenistan lumber out of the northern Afghan border town of Hairaton on a two-day trek across the Hindu Kush down to Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. Among the dozens of businesses dispatching these trucks are two extremely well connected companies -- Ghazanfar and Zahid Walid -- that helped to swell the election coffers of President Hamid Karzai as well as the family business of his running mate, the country's new vice... (CBS News)
Missing soldiers body found in Afghanistan Nov 11, 2009
The two paratroopers, from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, disappeared in Badghis province, a remote area that borders Turkmenistan, on Nov. 4. Local police had said the two had been swept away by the river as they tried to recover the supplies. (MSNBC -- International)
Ministry: NATO strike kills Afghan soldiers Nov 8, 2009
The airstrike occurred Friday during heavy fighting in Badghis province, a remote area that borders Turkmenistan. Two days earlier, two American paratroopers disappeared there while trying to recover airdropped supplies that had fallen into a river. (MSNBC -- International)
Miss Ireland upstages lady in red Nov 4, 2009
Welcome to Turkmenistan. Wednesday, 4 November 2009. (Yahoo News -- Beauty Pageants)
Afghan Challenger Drops Out of Election Nov 2, 2009
KABUL, Nov 19 (IPS) - Prospects for the trans-Afghan pipeline seem good with the Asian Development Bank (AsDB) indicating that it is set to launch a preliminary report on the two billion U.S. dollar project linking the vast gas field in Turkmenistan to Pakistan, through Afghanistan ... Half of the 1800-kilometer-long pipeline will pass through Afghan territory to supply gas from Dawlatabad city of Turkmenistan to the Gawadar Port of Pakistan ... " by bubbadubba November 1, 2009 8:48 AM EST The... (CBS News -- World)
World Reacts to Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Oct 10, 2009
relations with Russia and offer a fresh start to relations with the Muslim world, there is little so far to show for his fine words" Kind of says it all, right? by jameslouiky October 9, 2009 9:53 AM EDT Compare Obama's accomplishments to Reagan?s Obama freed 0 countries from tyranny, ended no war, brought no one together. Reagan Countries liberated from Communist tyranny during or shortly after RONALD REAGAN's presidency: Afghanistan Albania Angola Bulgaria Cambodia Czechoslovakia East Germany... (CBS News)
Suicide Bomber Kills 2 in U.S. Convoy Oct 3, 2009
"Genghis Khan?s intention was not primarily to loot, but to destroy the enemy. The real reason why the Mongol horsemen made their way from Mongolia and started rolling back the Muslims from areas which are today known as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, finally reaching Iran, Iraq, and Syria lay in the subterfuge, savage cruelty and other foul tactics which the Muslims had used to convert the Turks and Mongols to Islam This had led to a gradual accumulation of bitterness and a... (CBS News)
Click to read:Poll: Afghanistan Troop Increase Unpopular Sep 25, 2009
The TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) pipeline ... The TAPI (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) pipeline. (CBS News)
Liberia's Taylor trial adjourned Sep 19, 2009
Rare glimpse inside hidden Turkmenistan. World's longest running soap ends. (Yahoo News -- Liberia)
Clegg rounds on 'conman Cameron' Sep 19, 2009
Rare glimpse inside hidden Turkmenistan. Earthquake strikes off Bali coast. (BBC News -- UK)
India steps into economy class Sep 18, 2009
Krishna, meanwhile, has reportedly chosen to fly economy class on a commercial airliner on an official visit to Belarus and Turkmenistan instead of the exclusive government plane that is usually used by the country's foreign minister. To save on expenses, his entourage has been reduced considerably. (Asia Times Online)
A dangerous new Afghan road opens Sep 18, 2009
These range from war-torn Georgia to quasi-Stalinist Turkmenistan ... Until 2009, most of the American-led war effort was relegated to the Pashtun-majority south and east; the diverse northern provinces with Pashtun minorities remained quiet and prosperous while developing legal and illicit trade from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. (Asia Times Online)
US steps up its Central Asian tango Aug 25, 2009
Apart from Pakistan, which roots for the Taliban's reconciliation, Washington can now count on Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to acquiesce with the process ... Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - and China - had dealings with the Taliban in the 1990s and would have no qualms about reviving such dealings today if that would stabilize Afghanistan ... The robust US regional diplomacy in Central Asia has succeeded in weaning away Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan from Russian influence. (Asia Times Online)
New Afghan strategy should be given time to be tested Aug 12, 2009
The pipeline was to run from Turkmenistan via Afghanistan to the Port of Karachi. However the Taleban refused. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Roadside bomb kills 12 in Afghanistan's west Aug 3, 2009
Herat, one of Afghanistan's three largest cities, is usually a safe and prosperous centre because of strong trade links with neighbouring Iran and Turkmenistan. DEADLY WEEKS AHEAD OF POLL. (AlertNet)
China dips its toe in the Black Sea Aug 1, 2009
Interestingly, the renewed spurt of unrest in Central Asia (including Xinjiang) - which Russian intelligence has been anticipating since end-2008 - is taking place along the route of the 7,000-kilometer gas pipeline from Turkmenistan via Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and leading to Xinjiang that is expected to be commissioned by year-end. No doubt, the pipeline signifies a historic turning point in the geopolitics of the entire region. (Asia Times Online)
Report: Afghan Gov't Makes Truce With Area Taliban Jul 28, 2009
The ceasefire deal was reached Saturday in northwestern Badghis province, near the border with Turkmenistan, presidential spokesman Seyamak Herawi told a move the government hopes to replicate in other parts of the country, he said. "As long as the ceasefire holds, the government does not have the intention to attack the Taliban (in Badghis). And the Taliban can also take part in the elections," Herawi told Reuters. (Fox News)
Afghanistan strikes Taliban truce in remote area Jul 27, 2009
The truce was reached on Saturday in northwestern Badghis province, near the border with Turkmenistan, spokesman Seyamak Herawi said. The government wanted to make similar deals with the Taliban in other parts of the country in a bid to improve security for the Aug. 20 presidential election, he said. (AlertNet)
Iran and Russia, scorpions in a bottle Jul 24, 2009
They are in fact opposed to the new Caspian states - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Iran and Russia also face the threat of hardcore Sunni Islam. (Asia Times Online)
Will Nabucco pipeline deal free Europe from Russian gas? Jul 14, 2009
A main unanswered question is whether governments and energy fields in the supply states of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan can or will reliably divvy up and deliver gas over time ... Turkmenistan had said it would not sell gas for the Nabucco pipeline in a meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, in May, but last week said it would. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Reclusive Turkmenistan Cracks Open The Door Jul 13, 2009
TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan, Jul ... Turkmenistan's New Caspian Sea Resort Seen As Open Door By Some, Boondoggle By Others ... Yet Turkmenistan also sits atop the world's fifth-largest reserves of natural gas, and is rapidly emerging as a key player in global energy markets. (CBS News -- World)
Letters Jul 5, 2009
So it is hardly eyebrow-raising news that it is ramping up purchases of gas from Turkmenistan. And Beijing has opened new lines of credit to Turkmenistan to sweeten the deal. (Asia Times Online)
Greater China Jul 5, 2009
This follows similar initiatives with Russian energy giants and the financing of a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan via Uzbekistan to China. The global financial crisis has provided cash-rich Beijing with opportunity, and it is grasping it with gusto. (Asia Times Online)
Central Asia Jul 5, 2009
China is on the way to overtaking Russia as Turkmenistan's leading market for gas after agreeing to boost the volume of its imports of the fuel while also increasing credit lines to the Central Asian country ... Ankara's reluctance to provide fair transit for Azerbaijani gas, and its apparent choice of strategic partnership with Russia, could also result in Turkmenistan's continued isolation from Europe - not to mention Turkey's ... American diplomats are scouring Central Asia for chances to... (Asia Times Online)
Obama faces a Persian rebuff Jul 1, 2009
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan have greeted Ahmadinejad's victory. Moscow eventually concluded the regime wasn't threatened. (Asia Times Online)
Obamas Middle East Challenge Part II Jul 1, 2009
Dilip Hiro s latest book is Inside Central Asia: A Political and Cultural History of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Iran, published by Overlook Press, New York. Rights. (YaleGlobal Online Magazine, CT)
Why Iran's Twitter revolution is unique Jun 20, 2009
Only N. Korea, Eritrea, and Turkmenistan do worse ... In its 2007 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 166th of 169 countries, worse than authoritarian regimes such as Burma and Cuba, and only better than Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Eritrea. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Pipelineistan goes Iran-Pak May 29, 2009
A silent, reptilian war had been going on for years between the US-favored Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline and its rival, the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline, also known as the "peace pipeline" ... But as anyone in Brussels knows, Nabucco can only work if it is provided enough gas by either Iran or Turkmenistan ... The Turkmenistan distribution system is controlled by Russia. (Asia Times Online)
IMS Exchange student visits Washington D.C. Apr 28, 2009
" Then, ten minutes later, we were told that it was Pentagon and we were very amazed by the fact that we saw it, but we felt really silly for not knowing what it was. Driving together in the same bus with other exchange students was another really great part of our journey. We sang our national songs, and not only Russian, but Ukranian, Moldovan and many others. When we were passing the embassies, we began to sing our national anthems. Poor staff and poor driver! I think you can imagine what's... (Kalona News, IA)
Central Asia to hold water summit Apr 28, 2009
The three downstream states Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan need large amounts of water to irrigate their cotton and for other agricultural industries. In Soviet times a system of exchange enabled the five states to share water and energy resources such as electricity and gas. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
A texting entrepreneur embodies spirit of a new Rwanda Apr 10, 2009
" Freedom House ranked Rwanda 181 out of 195 countries in its 2008 Freedom of the Press survey. That's tied with China, just above Zimbabwe, and not far above the world's most restrictive authoritarian regimes, such as North Korea, Turkmenistan, and Cuba. "Tutsis fear Hutus. They have robbed power from Hutus. (Christian Science Monitor)
The leader of the Pakistani Taliban vows to strike America Apr 9, 2009
Hundreds of young jihadists from the Gulf states, Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Chechnya have also joined Mehsud's group. This has led to the development of the world's most important training center for international terrorism in Waziristan. (Salon)
Doctors Without Borders exit Darfur Mar 14, 2009
"The population is scattered all over and access is a huge problem," said Davies, who previously worked for Doctors Without Borders in Turkmenistan. "With us gone, they have no one.". (Christian Science Monitor)
Afghan supplies, Russian demands Feb 8, 2009
There is also no certainty that countries in the Russian sphere of influence, like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, would agree to let the United States use these routes without Russian permission. Today in Opinion. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
