 RFE/RL Central Asia Report 5/31/2010 7:42:20 PM 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 . |
 NEW! Chaikhana is a blog that re-creates the atmosphere of open debate, spirited conversation, and friendly banter that has tied communities together throughout Central Asia for centuries. The only thing missing in our teahouse will be the rattling of teacups on saucers as RFE/RL correspondents Farangis Najibullah and Bruce Pannier lead the discussion on all things Central Asia. More  Cargo Trains Line Up In Latest Uzbek-Tajik Row Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, two Central Asian neighbors with long-standing disagreements over a variety of issues, are now engaged in a new row over Tashkent's stoppage of Tajik railway cars. More  Kyrgyz Regimes Share Same Bloody Entrances, But Profoundly Different Inheritances In early April, when the people of Kyrgyzstan chased their president from power for the second time in five years, it appeared spasmodic regime change was becoming a permanent fixture of Kyrgyz politics. But while there are similarities in the root causes of the March 2005 Tulip Revolution that ushered in Kurmanbek Bakiev's presidency, and the bloody unrest that led to his ouster, there are also stark differences in the way things are playing out. More  In A First, Kazakhstan's Shvedova Reaches Fourth Round At French Open For the first time, a female player from Central Asia -- Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan -- has reached the fourth round at a Grand Slam tennis tournament. More  Fears Over Large Tajik Lenin Statue Communists in northern Tajikistan say they fear authorities there are preparing to remove what is the largest Lenin statue in Central Asia. More  Turkmen Officials Prevent Opening Of Art Exhibit An art exhibit in Ashgabat for a well-known Turkmen artist has been canceled by Turkmen authorities without explanation. More  New Tajik Polio Outbreak Prompts Swift Measures From Moscow As new cases of polio appear in Tajikistan, a war of words is heating up between the Central Asian country and Russia, where officials have barred young Tajik children from entering for fear that they will spread the virus. More  Russia, Kazakhstan Form Customs Union Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says that Russia and Kazakhstan have agreed to launch a customs union from July 1, cutting Belarus out of the first stage of the union. More  'Bestsellers' That No One Reads Book lovers in China have a rather unusual new addition to their collections. More  Kyrgyz Interim Government Winds Its Way Through Obstacles Kyrgyzstan's interim authorities have maintained from the start that they have no intention of holding power indefinitely, marking a break with the authoritarian practices of almost all Central Asian rulers. Instead, they are focusing on conducting parliamentary elections to ultimately bring a democratically elected government to power. But some experts are wondering if the new leaders can hold on long enough to implement even their short-term plans. More  Kyrgyzstan Offers Rewards For Bakiev Kin Kyrgyz authorities are promising cash rewards for help in locating fugitive relatives of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev. More  Kazakhs Probe Mass Antelope Deaths Kazakh authorities have launched an investigation into the mass death of the endangered saiga antelope in the west of the country. More  Tajik Islamic Party Official Accused Of Human Trafficking A regional leader of Tajikistan's Islamic Renaissance Party has been charged with human trafficking. More  Bishkek To Revoke Akaev's Immunity Kyrgyzstan's interim government says it plans to deprive the first president of independent Kyrgyzstan, Askar Akaev, of immunity from prosecution. More  Uzbek Journalist Jailed For Extremism The prominent Uzbek sports journalist Khairulla Khamidov has been sentenced to six years in jail on charges of associating with a banned Islamic group. More  Central Asia Not Shy In Its Sporting Ambitions Some of Central Asia's energy-rich countries have their eyes set on international sport stars to boost their image. More  A Recording Coup Your government is as weak as a "cardboard house," and he's coming to burn it down -- a real threat against Kyrgyzstan's interim government by Maksim Bakiev, the son of the ousted president? More  My Turkmen Odyssey Despite having a visa to visit his home, RFE/RL Turkmen correspondent Allamourad Rakhimov was informed he was an "impermissable subject" and turned back at the Ashgabat airport. Rakhimov tells his story and reflects on the threat that one independent journalist apparently poses to the regime. More More Signs Of Karimova's Fall From Grace? Is this another sign that Gulnara Karimova's empire is crumbling? More  Baywatch: Banished To The Beach What to do when you're an ousted leader, whiling your days away in the safe confines of Belarus, trying to keep bounty hunters at bay? More  First-Family Handoff Of Kazakh Party Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev's nephew has been named the secretary of the country's main political party, Nur-Otan. More  Cluing In On The Uzbek Succession RFE/RL is closely following the troubles the Swiss-registered company Zeromax is facing, especially considering the energy company's reputed ties to the Uzbek president's head-turning eldest daughter, Gulnara Karimova. More  History, BP Oil Spill Haunt Caspian Sea As BP struggles to contain the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, a wary eye is being cast on offshore drilling projects around the world, especially in the Caspian Sea, where observers warn of severe consequences if steps are not taken to improve environmental oversight. More |
