In our articles section this week there’s a photo essay by Erik Petersson illustrating Buzkashi, a traditional sport still popular throughout Central Asia.
The worst fears of foreign investors in Kazakhstan’s oil industry were realised this week as the government moved to suspend activity in the Kashagan oilfield, citing environmental violations. The lead company in the consortium developing the field, Eni, is Italian and the EU has stated that the move may have repercussions for EU-Kazakh relations. Meanwhile Tajikistan has cancelled a major contract with a Russian firm that was to complete a hydroelectric dam in the country. In contrast Turkmenistan is banking on good relations with outside investors, inaugurating a gas pipeline linking the country to China and sending its energy minister to UAE for a bilateral meeting. The Financial Times carried broad analysis of the politics of energy in the region on Saturday.
Babies born in Kazakhstan are still suffering the adverse effects of nuclear testing carried out in the republic by the Soviet Union, according to CNN. The conditions faced by children working in coal mines in Kyrgyzstan is the focus of a report by the BBC. In Tajikistan, where a Russian tourist has been killed in an accident in the Pamir mountain region, officials celebrated the opening of a US-funded bridge connecting the country with Afghanistan.
Opinion is divided as to whether an Islamic group proselytizing in southern Kyrgyzstan is a threat to security, according to the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. In Uzbekistan, a Christian group in Namangan province is apparently facing harassment, with the threat of prosecution hanging over one member. Border controls between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan were never an obstacle during the Soviet period. Now they’re stymieing trade between the two countries and separating Uzbeks from Uzbeks, reports Peter Fedynsky on Voice of America.
Stay tuned to Central Asia Now for weekly news digests. Keep an eye out for our fortnightly analysis slots by regional experts.
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