 RFE/RL Central Asia Report 01.06.2009 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the five countries of Central Asia.For more stories on Central Asia, please visit and bookmark our Central Asia page . |
 Fruit, Nut Trees Of Global Importance Under Threat Scientists believe that many of the fruit and nut trees commonly cultivated around the world originated in Central Asia and were brought west along the Silk Road centuries ago. But a new survey shows that some of these wild ancestors of the fruits we eat today are threatened with extinction, posing a potential risk to our food security. More Sabantuy traditionally is celebrated by Tatar farmers to mark the end of the spring farming season. More  Kyrgyz Opposition Prevented From Holding Congress Kyrgyz opposition activists have been prevented by counterprotesters from holding a congress, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  New Power Line Lights Up Afghan Capital The lights are on again in Kabul. And that’s no small change. For years, residents of the Afghan capital endured shortages of electricity, with power sometimes rationed to only a couple of hours a day. But thanks to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Afghanistan’s neighbor Uzbekistan, things are now looking a little brighter. More  Fortunes Dim, Migrants' Children Get Left Behind The post-Soviet period has seen millions of people from Central Asia and the South Caucasus migrate to Russia in search of work. One consequence of that trend has been a rise in migrants' children living in Russian orphanages after being abandoned or taken away from neglectful parents. More  Former Son-in-Law Accuses Kazakh President Of Murder Rakhat Aliev, the former son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, has recently published a scandalous tell-all book about the long-time Kazakh leader. In an interview with RFE/RL, Aliev accuses the Kazakh president of the murders of several opposition leaders. More  An Energy Opportunity The EU Seems Determined To Miss The EU must seize the opportunity and set out an unashamedly political external energy strategy that puts its own interests first -- preeminent among them reducing dependence on Russia as a supplier or transit country. More  Video: Young And Homeless In Almaty Sixteen-year-old Sava expected to spend International Children's Day like any other: living on the Kazakh streets. He talked to RFE/RL about his broken family, police roundups that keep kids like him out of the public eye, and the stares of strangers. More  Tajik Deputies Amend Law On National Bank The measures are seen as a response to inspections of Tajikistan's central bank last year by an independent British auditor that revealed some $1 billion in irregularities between 2004 and 2008. More  Is Turkey Trying To Help U.S. Stay At Manas? Scant attention has been paid to Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, which began on May 26. More  Amnesty Warns Of Combined Economic, Repression Effect In its latest report on the state of rights around the world, Amnesty International warns that many governments have failed abysmally to protect human rights, human lives, and livelihoods threatened by the economic downturn. The group also says the term "security" has been misused to undermine rights. More  Attacks Raise Specter Of Extremism Islamists claim responsibility for fresh attacks in Uzbekistan and Tashkent points fingers across the border at Kyrgyzstan, while outsiders say it's too early to place blame. But they're quick to note that instability could spread quickly in Ferghana Valley, a hotbed of social unrest in Central Asia. More  Nuclear Mogul Suddenly Radioactive He was once considered one of the richest and most powerful men in Kazakhstan: the head of a company with access to the world's second-largest reserves of uranium, with lucrative contracts with Russia, China, and India. But now Mukhtar Jakishev finds himself under arrest and possibly in line to join other corporate heads who have landed in Kazakh jails. More  Power Outage Silences Kyrgyz Presidential Rival Almazbek Atambaev supporters called RFE/RL to report the electricity outage, which they alleged was deliberate by authorities. But a representative of the regional electric company blamed the power cut on technical difficulties. More  Tajik University Students Expelled Over Hijabs Two students have been dismissed from Tajik State University in Dushanbe because they violated the hijab ban at schools, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. More Inspired by The Atlantic's mock "World Leaders" Facebook group, RFE/RL presents a Facebook-style summary of last week's events. More  Petraeus Says Pakistan Is Finally Getting It In an RFE/RL exclusive, the head of U.S. Central Command talks about the Gitmo effect, deadlines in Iraq, and the militant Islamist threat. He also looks at successes and setbacks in South and Central Asia, and efforts to keep Afghan civilian casualties "to an absolute minimum." More  Uzbek Cotton Industry Sows Seeds Of Trouble Less than a year after Uzbekistan officially banned child labor from its billion-dollar cotton industry, activists say kids are not only back out in the fields -- they're being forced by teachers to grow it at home. Critics are troubled that the region's most populous adult workforce can't sustain the world's second-leading cotton exporter. More  Book Bans And 'Prior Restraint' Following the publication of a new tell-all about President Nursultan Nazarbaev, Kazakhs are told they can be punished for merely "touching" the book. RFE/RL looks at the legal basis for the ban, and how it compares to prior-restraint laws in the U.S. and Britain. More Aliev Publishes 'Godfather-In-Law' A tell-all book by the former son-in-law of Kazakhstan's president is the latest volley in a long-distance family feud. Rakhat Aliev reveals what he says are intimate details of Nursultan Nazarbaev's private life and methods used to quash political opponents. The state is not amused. More  Kyrgyz Presidential Candidates Take Kyrgyz-Language Exam A new political reality TV show launches today in Kyrgyzstan ahead of the July 23 presidential election. That's when the first of the 17 registered presidential candidates will take the required Kyrgyz-language exam, which will be broadcast live on nationwide television. More  Multiple Pipelines, But No Happiness The European Union and Russia are holding a summit in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk that will have a special focus on energy resources. The discussions on oil and natural gas are likely to reflect a spirit of competition, rather than cooperation. More  Cows Top The Tajik News This Week Dushanbe residents won’t any longer be allowed to have domestic animals at home -- that is according to a new decision made by Tajik parliamentarians. More |
