Central Asian News Update – RP boxer gains semifinals (Manila Bulletin)

RP boxer gains semifinals (Manila Bulletin)
PLDT – Team Philippines’ Engelbert Moralde crushed his Uzbekistan opponent, 5-1, late Saturday, using a combination of speed, accuracy and defense to advance to the 148-kilogram semifinals of the 19th Asian Youth Boxing Championship at Tehran’s Shahid Shiroudi Complex in the Iranian capital. Moralde, from Davao City and a discovery of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines Youth …

What the Russian papers say (Russian Information Agency Novosti)
U.S. recognition of Armenian genocide in Turkey may strengthen ties between Ankara and Moscow / Ukrainian president to maneuver between Europe and Russia – analysts / Russian president orders renewal of 10% of army arsenals in 2010 / Nabucco’s future depends on Turkmenistan /

Renowned translator-scholar to give three public talks about Buddhism, Mongolia in Brattleboro (Brattleboro Reformer)
BRATTLEBORO — Lama Glenn Mullin, whose more than 30 widely-respected translations of Tibetan Buddhist texts and commentaries have earned him wide respect in Buddhist and academic circles, will visit Brattleboro for four days in mid-March to present talks about his work in Mongolia and to provide insights on some of the Tibetan Buddhist texts he has worked with for years.

Sports › Asashoryu, in Mongolia, denies he went on drunken rampage (Japan Today)
Mongolian-born former yokozuna Asashoryu on Thursday refuted reports of an alleged drunken rampage that preceded his retirement from sumo. ”I didn’t commit any violent act,”…

Mongolian PM to visit Europe (People’s Daily)
Mongolian Prime Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar will visit the Republic of Austria on March 8-9, to meet with authorities of the United Nations Office in Vienna, the UNIDO, the IAEA and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Mongolian Foreign Ministry’s Information Service said on Sunday. The premier also will pay an official visit to the Republic of Hungary at the …

Tajik Opposition Says Poll Rigged (Institute for War and Peace Reporting)
As expected, the People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan won a clear majority in the February 28 parliamentary election, but its opponents are convinced the count was rigged.

Tajikistan jails 56 Muslim activists for extremist activities (Russian Information Agency Novosti)
Tajikistan’s top court on Wednesday sentenced 56 followers of Tablighi Jamaat (TJ), a radical Muslim group, for extremist activities in the Central Asian state.

Manas Petroleum Tajik Seismic Program Commenced (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)
BAAR, SWITZERLAND–(Marketwire – 03/11/10) – Manas Petroleum Corp. (“Manas”) (OTC.BB: MNAP – News ) is pleased to report that its 90% owned subsidiary CJSC Somon Oil (“Somon”) has ALREADY commenced a 250 KM 2D seismic program in Tajikistan. This seismic is to further define and analyze the extension of the Tuzluk structural trend (prospects delineated in the Kyrgyz Tuzluk license) and mature a …

MONGOLIA: GOVERNMENT STRUGGLES TO COPE WITH WINTER DISASTER (EurasiaNet)
As Mongolia struggles to overcome a devastatingly harsh winter, international development organizations, including United Nations agencies and the World Bank, are urging Ulaanbaatar to take a hard look at reforming the country’s nomadic agricultural practices.

Turkmenistan Ponders Alternative Energy (Institute for War and Peace Reporting)
Although Turkmenistan has vast reserves of natural gas, some of its scientists are giving thought to alternative energy sources. Nine-tenths of the country consists of desert, so solar and also wind power could realistically be harnessed.

Turkmen gas deal for Nabucco seen in months-RWE exec (Reuters via Yahoo! Malaysia News)
ISTANBUL March 5 (Reuters) – RWE expects to seal a deal with Turkmenistan on gas supplies for the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline project in coming months, and a deal with Azerbaijan is seen following, an executive with the German energy firm said on Friday.

Locks turn in Nabucco door (Asia Times)
MONTREAL – Statements by Azerbaijani and Turkish diplomats indicate that the two sides have reached an agreement in principle concerning the price that Turkey will pay for gas from the offshore Shah Deniz deposit for its own domestic consumption.

Turkmen gas deal for Nabucco seen in months (Budapest Business Journal)
RWE expects to seal a deal with Turkmenistan on gas supplies for the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline project in coming months, and a deal with Azerbaijan is seen following, an executive with the German energy firm said.

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