Cities across Central Asia are becoming increasingly vulnerable to extreme heat, posing significant risks to public health, economic productivity, and infrastructure, according to a new report by the World Bank. The study, which covers 70 urban areas in Europe and Central Asia, including Astana, Bishkek, Ashgabat, Tashkent, and several smaller...
Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has proposed amendments to the national passenger transport law aimed at improving safety standards for drivers and imposing new restrictions on mountainous routes, particularly the perilous Bishkek-Osh highway. According to the draft legislation published on the government’s legal portal, the proposed changes would apply to...
After nearly a year of separation, Zulfiya Kazhir and her six-year-old daughter Sena have finally been allowed to leave Turkmenistan and reunite with their family in Turkey. The case drew widespread public attention after the pair, Zulfiya, a Turkmen citizen, and Sena, a Turkish citizen, were detained while attempting to...
Sanctions against Russia may intensify if U.S. President Donald Trump escalates pressure on the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin. But even without additional measures, several sectors of Russia’s economy are already buckling under strain. Among the most vulnerable is civil aviation, now grappling with “fleet cannibalization”, a practice born of scarcity...
A recent spate of violent assaults on doctors in Kyrgyzstan has sparked growing concern within the healthcare sector. Over the past week alone, multiple incidents of medical staff being physically attacked have been reported at the National Hospital in Bishkek, with relatives of patients identified as the primary perpetrators. The...
The Vice Mayor of Bishkek, Zhamalbek Yrsaliev, has been detained during a public meeting in the Tunguch neighborhood, presided over by Kamchybek Tashiyev, the controversial Chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (GKNB). Residents at the July 16 meeting accused Yrsaliev of illegally occupying a 1,500 m² municipal land plot where unauthorized...
The visit of Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu to Kabul (July 10–11) was a turning point not only for bilateral relations but also for the entire regional logistics agenda. While Astana's previous statements about its readiness to participate in the Trans-Afghan Corridor were viewed by many with skepticism as a...
The United States and its allies may be uneasy about the Taliban’s return to power, given their extremist history, continued repression, and the collapse of decades-long Western efforts in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Taliban is strengthening ties with the Global South—particularly Central Asia—in search of investment for railway infrastructure. For landlocked...