BUSINESS & ECONOMICS

Russia: On the Look-Out for Ways to Increase its Caspian Basin Energy Position
BY SERGEI BLAGOV
Russia is pressing for the creation of a new organization, dubbed the Caspian Economic Cooperation Organization, in an apparent bid to increase its influence over the region’s vast energy resources.

Tajikistan: Almost One-Third of the Population Is in Danger of Going Hungry This Winter
BY ANDREW IACOBUCCI
Almost one-third of Tajikistan’s 6.7 million inhabitants may not have enough to eat this winter, United Nations experts worry. In an attempt to avert an emergency, the UN has issued a fresh global appeal for assistance.

Despite Petrodollars, Iranians Struggle To Make Ends Meet
BY FARANGIS NAJIBULLAH
Sitting atop the world's second-largest gas and oil reserves, Iran earned an estimated $80 billion in energy sales in the last fiscal year as fuel prices spiked. But that windfall has not reached most of the population, whose living standards have plummeted.
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

Russia: Gazprom’s South Stream Pipeline Plans Face Delay
The Kremlin-controlled energy conglomerate Gazprom is pushing back the start date of the South Stream pipeline by at least two years, according to a report published by the Russian business paper Vedomosti.