Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Central Asia Report 01.10.2012 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 .

 

Uzbek Language Disappearing In Kyrgyzstan In June 2010, southern Kyrgyzstan erupted in violence between the Uzbek minority and Kyrgyz majority. Almost 500 people were killed, hundreds injured, and many thousands left homeless in the Osh and Jalal-Abad regions. More   Tajik Activists Demand Probe Into Death Tajik human rights organizations have urged the government to thoroughly investigate the recent death of a convict. More   Russian-Tajik Base Deal Put Back To 2103 Russian ground forces commander General Vladimir Churkin has the Ekho Moskvy radio station that a deal extending Russian forces' use of bases in Tajikistan would not be ready to sign until the first half of 2013. More   Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister Calls For Greater Global Energy Cooperation Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister Rashid Meredov has called on the UN General Assembly to create "universal political and legal mechanisms governing global energy cooperation. More   Kyrgyz Parliamentary Speaker Says Afghan Opium Cultivation Endangers Region Kyrgyz Parliamentary Speaker Asylbek Jeenbekov says that Afghanistan's opium crop is a danger to countries throughout the Central Asian region. More   Shocking Fashion From Young Kazakh Designers Some young Kazakh fashion designers have presented a shocking "eco-style" show in the Almaty grand final of the Open Way 2012 competition. The final show presented the work of 16 participants chosen from 130 designers who applied from all over Kazakhstan. More   Putin Schedules Trip To Tajikistan Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay an official visit to Dushanbe on October 5, which coincides with the 60th birthday of his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rahmon. More   More Police Deployed Amid Kyrgyz Protests Kyrgyz authorities have deployed 100 additional police officers in the southern Ala-Buka district, where several protest rallies were staged this week. More   Unpublished Aitmatov Novel Found A daughter of celebrated Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov says an unpublished novel by her father has been found in his archives. More   'No Blacklists' In Restive Tajik Area Tajikistan's Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimov says militants who give up their arms and cooperate with investigators will not face prosecution. More   Kyrgyz Rally Over Anti-Islam Film About 100 protesters have rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, protesting against a U.S.-made film denigrating the Prophet Muhammad. More   Russian Lab 'Not Behind Sheep Deaths' The director of a major Russian laboratory has denied his institute is the source of a smallpox vaccine that is thought to have wiped out thousands of sheep in Central Asia. More   Quick Shuffle Ushers In New Kazakh PM Kazakh lawmakers have unanimously approved Serik Akhmetov as the country's new prime minister. More   Vaccine Blamed In C.Asia Sheep Deaths Authorities in Uzbekistan and neighboring Kyrgyzstan are investigating a rash of sheep deaths that they say appear to have been caused by a tainted vaccine. More   Music Video Showcases One Of Uzbekistan's Most Dazzling Beauties Regular readers of RFE/RL's "Silly Dictators" series will be familiar with Gulnara Karimova's musical ambitions. For some time now, the daughter of authoritarian Uzbek leader Islam Karimov has been pulling out all the stops to launch an international musical career. More   Silly Dictator Story #22: Rahmon’s Solution To Food Shortages On September 26, Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon urged his countrymen to store two years’ worth of food reserves in order to prepare for the upcoming harsh winter. More   Big 'n' Juicy: Uzbeks And Their Marvelous Melons Central Asia is thought to be the homeland of the melon, and many consider Uzbekistan's melons to be the best in the region. More   Thousands Of Central Asian Sheep Killed By Dubious Vaccine Farmers in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan want to know who is responsible for a sheep pox vaccine they bought that has killed thousands of their animals -- causing serious health concerns and potentially destroying the livelihoods of struggling private farmers. More   Tashkent Mayor Seeks To Tone Down Extravagant Weddings Planning a lavish wedding? Then it's best to avoid the Uzbek capital. Tashkent's mayor has imposed strict new regulations on weddings, funerals, and other family celebrations. More