27 May 2024

Image: ura.ru

Central Asia, Tajikistan, Tajikistan Environment

Rahmon Orders Map of Environmental Hazards

The Government of Tajikistan plans to create an atlas of exogenous geological processes, Sputnik has reported.

The General Directorate of Geology of the Republic will prepare the map and present it to the government for consideration. The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, announced this during his visit to the Khatlon region.

According to Rahmon, it is necessary to strengthen early warning systems regarding possible environmental hazards in Tajikistan and to prevent the adverse consequences of such situations. Leaders of regions, cities and districts, together with relevant ministries and agencies, have been instructed to take measures to mitigate the effects of natural disasters and provide assistance to victims.

“In the second ten days of May, as a result of heavy rains, floods and landslides occurred in some areas, causing economic damage as well as human casualties,” Rahmon said. He also emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation with environmental protection, emergency situations and civil defense committees, as well as the State Committee for Land Surveying and Geodesy on early warnings of potential environmental hazards.

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Times of Central Asia

27 May 2024

Atomic energy

Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan Environment, Uzbekistan Life & Culture

Uzbekistan to Establish Atomic Energy Agency

An Atomic Energy Development Agency managed by the country’s Ministry of Energy is to be established in Uzbekistan.

The move supports plans for the construction of Uzbekistan’s first-ever nuclear power plant and aligns with the Presidential Decree “On measures to improve the system of public administration and control in the field of subsoil use, industrial, radiation and nuclear safety, as well as the use of atomic energy,” adopted on 24 May.

Once in operation, the new Atomic Energy Agency will be responsible for state policy in the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

The presidential decree also includes the establishment of a Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety conducted by the Cabinet of Ministers.

As a national executive body, the committee will be charged with the implementation and coordination of a unified state policy to oversee and ensure safety measures at nuclear energy and nuclear technology facilities and at hazardous production facilities.

 

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Times of Central Asia

27 May 2024

Image: Gazeta.uz

Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Uzbekistan International Affairs

Uzbekistan Interested in Afghan Oil and Gas

TOLOnews reports that Russian and Uzbek companies have expressed their intention to develop oil and gas fields in Afghanistan, whilst the interest of other Central Asian countries in this field is also growing.

“Recently, we had meetings with Uzbek companies,” Homayoon Afghan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said. “The Ministry has announced several oil and gas sites to attract investment, including the Herat oil and gas fields.”

Plans for the exploration and extraction of oil, gas and other minerals became one of the main topics discussed during the visit of the delegation of Uzbekistan to Kabul. At that time, it was reported that Uzbekistan wanted to buy more than 1 million tons of coal from Afghanistan.

Also, on May 21 of this year, Uzbekistan sent humanitarian aid to the people affected by floods in Afghanistan. This aid included 48 tons of flour, 22 tons of rice, 100,000 canned goods and 44 tons of pasta products, 96 water storage tanks of 1,000 liters, etc.

The UN World Food Program has reported that more than 300 people have died and 1,000 homes have been destroyed in floods caused by heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan.

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Times of Central Asia

27 May 2024

@business.com.tm

Central Asia, Turkmenistan Life & Culture, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan Local Politics, Local Politics

Authorities in Turkmenistan Using Cab Drivers As Informants to Identify “Unreliable” Citizens

Turkmen authorities are forcing cab drivers to denounce and identify citizens they consider “unreliable”. This is being reported by Radio Azatlyk.

Ministry of Homeland Security (MHS) officers are reportedly forcing cab drivers to ask passengers various questions to find out their attitudes toward events in the country, and the overall situation.

“MHS officers are using cab drivers in the capital as informants. They try to incentivize these cab drivers with promises to help them if they are stopped by traffic police officers to extort bribes,” one of the capital’s cab drivers said, on condition of anonymity.

In an attempt to recruit cab drivers as informants, MHS officials hint that if the drivers agree to cooperate and provide information of interest to the authorities, their cooperation may also be rewarded financially.

“Security officials instruct drivers who agree to cooperate to ask certain questions. The questions should mostly be put to passengers who are coming from the airport, railway station, shopping centers and bazaars,” said another cab driver.

According to him, in order to strike up a conversation, the MHS officers tell drivers to ask a certain list of questions to gauge their passengers’ opinions and attitudes.

“In this way, they say, they are trying to identify ‘unreliable people’. Some drivers are agreeing to participate in these dirty games,” said a driver from Ashgabat.

Azatlyk is reporting that in recent months the Turkmen authorities have increased control over the country’s citizens. Earlier this year it reported that security agencies were questioning the parents of schoolchildren who used VPN services to visit sites disapproved by the authorities, and that these families were included in the lists of “unreliable families”.

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Times of Central Asia

27 May 2024

@Gazeta.uz

Central Asia, Uzbekistan, International Affairs, Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Business & Economy, Uzbekistan Life & Culture

First Uzbek to Receive Doctoral Degree from Harvard Business School

Economist Botir Kobilov has become the first Uzbek to receive a doctoral degree from Harvard Business School (part of Harvard University)  reported  Gazeta.uz.

The topic of his doctoral dissertation was “The Role of Information and Data in the Financial Market and Economy”.

According to an earlier report, Kobilov  worked as a doctoral student and researcher in empirical law and finance in the corporate governance program of Harvard Law School.

Prior to enrolling at Harvard,  he attained a master’s degree in economics from Duke University in the United States and a bachelor’s degree from the Singapore Institute of Management Development in Tashkent. In his early career, he worked as a leading economist at the Central Bank of Uzbekistan.

 His key areas of interest include the impact of new technologies and new sources of information on financial reporting, law enforcement, compliance, investor communication and decision-making.

Botir Kobilov now plans to pursue a faculty position at Texas State University.

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Times of Central Asia

27 May 2024

@Manas.news

Central Asia, Local Politics, Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyzstan Local Politics

Kyrgyzstan Proposes To Fine People For Speaking Substandard Kyrgyz

Kyrgyzstan’s National Commission on State Language is proposing to introduce fines for people working in certain jobs if they do not speak Kyrgyz well enough. It has submitted the corresponding bill for public discussion.

The law “On State Language” sets out a list of people who are obliged to know the state language, and use it while performing their official duties — be they in socio-cultural, educational, or other professional spheres.

The National Commission proposes that people working in certain professions must speak Kyrgyz at an average (B2) level if they are ethnic Kyrgyz, and at least the basic level (A2) if they are a member of another ethnic group. Foreign citizens living in the republic, or intending to obtain immigrant status, should speak at least elementary (A1) Kyrgyz.

The draft bill reads: “It is proposed to introduce a new article into the Code of Offenses, according to which violation and non-compliance with the requirements of the legislation on language entails a fine of 5,000 som ($57) for individuals and 17,000 som ($194) for legal entities.

In addition, the National Commission proposes to increase fines for texts in advertising and other visual information that do not meet the standards of literary Kyrgyz language.

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