After months of wrangling, the dispute over the exploration of Kazakhstan’s Kashagan oilfied has finally been resolved. The Kazakh government has succeeded in increasing its share in the international consortium developing the field. US business site Forbes sees this as a major defeat for “big oil”.

The focus now turns to gas, as an exceptionally harsh winter sees demand for the commodity shooting up. Tajikistan, which is not a gas producer, has been particularly hard hit, with schools remaining closed because of the cold.

Turkmenistan continues to withhold gas from Iran, which has reacted angrily to the interruption in supply. The Turkmen government claims Iran’s failure to pay for its gas on time means that repairs necessary to the normal functioning of the pipeline have not been carried out. EurasiaNet carries a scathing attack on what it sees as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan’s cynical attempts to raise prices on the back of the cold snap.

Uzbekistan, which is planning to raise gas prices for Russia by 50%, swore in its “new” president on Wednesday 16. The start of Islam Karimov’s third term is unlikely to signal any change in domestic or international policy.

In Kyrgyzstan, which held parliamentary elections in December, citizens are becoming accustomed to the new political reality, described in a piece of analysis on EurasiaNet. The Daily Telegraph carries an interesting feature on Kyrgyz politics and society from the point of view of an English expat caught up in the tulip revolution.

Also in Kyrgzstan, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting reveals the strength of support for exiled religious leader Tahir Yoldash, one of the founding members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, among ethnic Uzbeks in the south of the country. In Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev has expressed his disapproval of foreign missionary organizations. Smaller religious groups have complained of unfair treatment in Kazakhstan, where in the past property belonging members of the Society for Krishna Consciousness has been destroyed. Meanwhile, in Tajikistan, the President has disparaged the wearing of religious dress at one of the country’s centres of Islamic learning.

In other news, the UK’s largest retailer, Tesco, announced on January 15 that it would no longer stock goods made with Uzbek cotton. Uzbekistan has been widely criticised for the use of child and forced labour in its cotton fields.

Stay tuned to Central Asia Now for fortnightly news digests. Keep an eye out for analysis slots by regional experts.

Central Asia’s election season continued in the run-up to the new year, with Islam Karimov winning as expected in the Uzbek presidential poll. The BBC pointed out that, although he has already served the maximum two terms as president, Karimov gave no explanation as to why he was able to run again.

On 2 January a government reshuffle was reported, with Rustam Azimov apparently becoming the new first deputy prime minister. The day before, Uzbekistan formally abolished the death penalty, earning plaudits from the European Union. And in an amnesty marking the 15th anniversary of the Uzbek constitution, prominent human rights activist Karim Bozorboyev was released from prison.

In Kyrgyzstan, which experienced a small earthquake earlier this week, the political dust is beginning to settle in the wake of highly controversial parliamentary elections. A new prime minister, Igor Chudinov, was appointed by President Bakiyev, whose party took the overwhelming majority of seats. The Social-Democratic party was the only opposition group to win representation in parliament. Chudinov promised to make economic growth his priority.

Radio Netherlands reported on two filmmakers’ quest to find out why foreign corporations are sponsoring translations of the Ruhnama, by former Turkmen president Saparmurat Niyazov. Translating the eccentric work, which is a collection of Niyazov’s political philosophy and assorted musings, has apparently helped companies like Shell and Siemens get a foothold in the country. Despite clinging on to the Ruhnama, the Turkmen authorities are keen to modernise and attract inward investment, their latest initiative a lifting of the ban on foreign currency trading.

Elsewhere, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty carries a feature on Kazakhstan’s forgotten famine, a result of Stalinist collectivisation policies in the 1930s. The Institute of War and Peace Reporting marks Tajikistan’s entry into the UN World Tourism Organisation with an analysis of the prospects for tourism there. United Press International gives an in-depth account of the energy game currently being played out by gas-rich Uzbekistan and it’s smaller, hydropower driven neighbour, Tajikistan.

Central Asia Now is moving to fortnightly news digests from this week. The next update will be on January 18.