News Roundup

News Roundup - November 12, 2007

By SRI ⋅ November 12, 2007 ⋅

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: UN Refugee Chief Visits Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, has arrived in Kyrgyzstan on his first visit to Central Asia since he started as UNHCR chief in 2005…

International Herald Tribune: German government says deal with Russia in cargo flight dispute extended

A dispute with Russia that forced Lufthansa Cargo flights to skirt the country’s airspace as they flew to Kazakhstan has been resolved through February, German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee announced Friday…

Forbes: Lufthansa rejects report that it has agreed to shift freight hub to Siberia

Deutsche Lufthansa AG rejected a report that said it had entered into an agreement with Russian authorities to shift its freight hub from Kazakhstan to Siberia…

Registan.net: Russia Muscles Astana? Or Just Berlin?

Knowing Lufthansa maintains a hub in Astana, it wasn’t clear exactly what the Central Asia connection could be if it was merely, as I had suspected, an attempt to gouge more fees from the German carrier.

Reuters: Eni says “not great moment” for Kashagan talks

Eni’s chief executive said on Sunday it was “not a great moment” for the talks that the Italian oil company and its partners were holding with the Kazakh government on the Kashagan oil field…

CNN Money: Kazakhs want $10 billion, bigger stake to solve Kashagan spat

The Kazakh government wants an Eni SpA-led (E) consortium developing the Kashagan field to pay a $10 billion fine for cost overruns and delays at the giant oil field, as well as a bigger stake for its own oil and gas company, daily Corriere della Sera reported Saturday…

Guardian Unlimited: Inpex says aims for “amicable” talks on Kashagan

Inpex Holdings Inc said on Friday it aims to have “amicable” negotiations with the Kazakh government on the Kashagan oil field. Kashagan, in which an Inpex unit has an 8.33 percent stake, is an important project for the Japanese firm…

Forbes: Caspian Energy 9-month loss widens; extends work program in Kazakhstan

Caspian Energy Inc reported a wider loss for the nine months ended Sept 30, but said it expects to continue with future growth through continued work in Kazakhstan…

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Kazakh President’s Former Son-In-Law Goes On Trial

The Kazakh authorities’ public enemy No. 1, Rakhat Aliev, has gone on trial along with more than 20 co-defendants. Kidnapping, assault, corporate raiding, money laundering, and perhaps even murder could all feature in testimony in the case against Kazakhstan’s one-time golden boy, who was once considered a possible candidate for the presidency…

Eurasia Daily Monitor: Kazakhstan moves further away from Russian domination

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao recently concluded a whirlwind tour of Central Asia following the sixth Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, held in Tashkent on November 2. While there, Wen met with Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Karim Masimov…

United Press International: Russia to stay at Baikonur until 2020

Russian space officials say they will continue to use Kazakhstan’s Baikonur launch site until at least 2020. Roskosmos chief Anatoly Perminov said the space agency plans to build a new launch facility in Russia’s Far East, but will continue to lease Baikonur from Kazakhstan to launch its Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station…

neweurasia.net: Olympiad, Central Asian style

As Xxrock informed recently, the Government of Kazakhstan came out with the unexampled initiative to hold Asian Olympics in 2011 not only in Almaty, but also in the new capital – Astana…

The News: America, the new ‘Great Game’ in Central Asia and the politics of oil

The United States is the world’s biggest consumer and importer of oil. But the Chinese economic juggernaut is fast catching up with the US as an oil importer and is projected to have more cars than the US by the year 2020. The competition between the two countries for new sources of oil is going to be intense…

Budapest Business Journal: Russia urges creation of Central Asian energy club

At a meeting of SCO prime ministers, held November 2 in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, Russian Premier Viktor Zubkov reiterated Moscow’s desire to forge a Central Asian energy ‘club’…

Eurasianet: Turkmenistan: Still an independent energy player in Central Asia

Turkmenistan continues to be a wild card in Central Asia’s contest over natural resources and export routes, a fact that casts doubt on Russia’s ability to implement its grand energy plan for the region…

The Moscow Times: Severstal closes in on Celtic

Steelmaker Severstal said Friday that it struck a deal to buy gold and precious metals miner Celtic Resources Holdings for 173 million British pounds ($364 million)…

Eurasia Insight: More media silenced as high-stakes feud continues

The Kazakh media has been caught in the crossfire as mudslinging continues between a former presidential son-in-law and the country’s ruling elite. Four opposition weeklies that planned to republish a recent RFE/RL interview with Rakhat Aliev have been rejected by their publishing houses and did not go to print today, amid veiled official threats…

Sunday Observer: Kazakhstan clinch Asian Rugby Title with a 24-17 win over Sri Lanka

Kazakhstan enjoyed its finest moment on the rugby field when they won the Singer Rugby Asiad with a hard fought 24 points (3 tries, 3 penalties) to 17 (1 try, 4 penalties) win over a gallant Sri Lanka outfit at CR and FC grounds, Longden Place after leading 16-3 at the breather…

China Knowledge: Euro-Asia forum in Xi’an seeks co-op ventures

At the second Euro-Asia Economic Forum in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, possibilities to strengthen economic cooperation between countries in Central Asia, Russia and China in industries such as energy, tourism, financing and education were discussed…

Gulf News: Mohammad and Kazakh president discuss ties

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday held talks with visiting President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, who is currently on a visit to the UAE…