The tariff for water for the population has increased by 100% in Turkmenistan. Residents of the capital and regions learned about this when paying for utilities. The country’s authorities did not notify the population about the tariff increase, which caused fears among the population that other services, including electricity, may also become more expensive, Radio
The chairman of a farm in the Tajik district of Dosti was sentenced to five years in prison for “cooperating” with Islah TV, a website close to the government opposition, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. The Khatlon Regional Court on January 4 handed down the sentence to 60-year-old Mahmudjon Bobomurodov after finding him guilty of watching
A 38-year-old social media user who accused Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine has been sentenced to 5 years and 1 month in prison, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported. The Kattakurgan District Court in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan handed down the sentence on January 4 to Bunyodjon Boboniyozov, for “insulting or
Kazakh television operator TVCOM says it has stopped broadcasting several stations launched by Russian state-run Channel One in a move to reduce the share of foreign news channels on the local market, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported on January 4. TVCOM said the move was also due to the fact that its subscribers are “more media
At the beginning of 2023, a preferential leasing mechanism for the renewal of city buses was launched in the regions of Kazakhstan through the Industrial Development Fund. As a result, 2.5 thousand vehicles were supplied to bus fleets, including 774 environmentally friendly buses, the Kazakh Transport Ministry said. Also, during the past year, all regions
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will launch joint manufacturing of 12 models of motor vehicles in 2024, the Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic, Daniyar Amangeldiev told a news conference in Bishkek late in December. The Minister said that a joint car assembly plant is being prepared for commissioning, adding that the joint project
The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon has issued the Decree “On declaring 2024 the Year of Legal Education”. The decree aims to increase the level of legal education of Tajikistan citizens, promote democratic values, strengthen the respect of human rights, ensure the rule of law, form a stable system of legal behavior and the inevitability
The trial of 14 people accused in the murder of Shohrat Ismattuloev, deputy chairman of Tajikistan’s Orienbank, has started. According to information obtained by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, the trial is taking place in a temporary detention center behind closed doors. Ismattuloev’s body was found on August 15, two months after his abduction from Dushanbe. Security
The year 2023 was full of significant events for Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in an interview with the Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper. The country completed major political reforms, including the establishment of the Constitutional Court, holding elections of the Mazhilis (parliament) and maslikhats (local councils) of all levels according to the new rules, and the
Around 3,000 migrants were detained in St. Petersburg on New Year’s eve as part of a series of mass detentions across Russia, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reported on January 2 citing local media. The Fontanka news outlet said more than 100 of those arrested in St. Petersburg are going to be deported. The SOTA news website
Police in Germany on January 1 arrested another suspect in connection with a possible planned terrorist attack on Cologne Cathedral, saying it was a 41-year-old man with German and Turkish citizenship, RFE/RL reported. A total of five suspects have now been detained in connection with the terrorism alert. On Christmas Eve, a 30-year-old Tajik was
The Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan announced the cancellation of restrictions imposed on the country’s transit vehicles in Afghanistan. The agreement was reached in a meeting between high-ranking officials of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan late in December, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported. The Uzbek ministry said that the transportation authorities of both countries have determined the costs
In 2023, with the support of KAZAKH INVEST national company, 47 new production facilities with foreign participation were put into operation in Kazakhstan for about $1.1 billion. These projects created more than 4.5 thousand jobs for Kazakhstani citizens, the acting Chairman of the Board of JSC National Company KAZAKH INVEST, Zhandos Temirgali said in an interview
2023 was a year of great achievements and difficult challenges for Kazakhstan. In the departing year, the population of Kazakhstan reached 20 million, and the population growth is the key to the power and prosperity of the state, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in his New Year address. He said that in 2023, Kazakhstan’s economy grew
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov on December 30 signed the Decree “On recognizing the snow leopard as a national symbol of the Kyrgyz Republic,” the presidential press service said. The snow leopard has the status of a rare or endangered species in 12 countries. This animal is an indicator of the stability and health of the
Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said in a televised interview on December 29 that the Security Council of Kazakhstan had decided to remove the Taliban group now ruling Afghanistan from its registry of terrorist organizations. Smadiyarov said Astana will continue to adhere to United Nations decisions and resolutions regarding Afghanistan. Kazakhstan officially designated the
In order to promote the cultural heritage of Kazakhstan, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Serbia published a collection of Kazakh fairy tales in Serbian language. Legends, mythical stories about oldman Kanbak and the pranks of Aldar Kose, as well as other adventures of famous characters of Kazakh fairy tales are now available for young Serbian
The Tajik government has recently transferred thousands of hectares of prime land to a private company that government opponents claim is controlled by a close relative of the authoritarian president, Emomali Rahmon, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service reported. RFE/RL’s Tajik Service obtained a copy of an official document signed by Rahmon on November 29 that grants temporary ownership of
In the next six years, Uzbekistan’s electricity demand will increase from the current 83 billion to 120 billion kilowatt hours, and the country will cover this primarily through renewable energy sources, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on December 27, at the launching ceremony of major projects in the field of green energy. Mirziyoyev said that Uzbekistan
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on December 28 said it is contributing to greater sustainability of Tajik business by supporting lending activity of Tajikistan’s largest private lender Bank Eskhata. The EBRD will share half of the risk on two loans collectively worth up to US$5 million under the risk sharing agreement between the two banks. A
