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KABUL (TCA) — The United Nations says the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan has reached a record high in the first half of the year, despite last month's cease-fire, RFE/RL reported. Continue reading
DUSHANBE (TCA) — Tajikistan’s lucrative motor fuel business, and its revenues, is largely controlled by a relative of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon. We are republishing this article on the issue, originally published by Eurasianet: One of the most popular means to get around Tajikistan’s capital is the “three-somoni taxi,” named for the set price of the fare. No more. It will be five-somoni taxis from now – the direct result of a recent dramatic spike in the cost of car fuel and an opaque fuel-import market dominated by a relative of the president. The taxi business has been a lifeline for a huge number of Tajikistan’s unemployed, like Nozim Subhonov, 30. For the past year, Subhonov has been picking up a maximum of four people at a time in his Opel Vectra, charging 3 somoni ($0.32) to be carried along route number eight, a fixed path through Dushanbe. “Because of the financial crisis I was fired from my last job, where I worked delivering groceries,” Subhonov, who provides for two children and his parents, told Eurasianet. To save money, he converted his car to run on liquified gas, which costs less per unit traveled than petrol. Around 60 percent of drivers in Tajikistan use liquified gas to run their cars, according to the State Antimonopoly Service. But the price of liquified gas has risen dramatically in recent weeks. After the middle of June, prices for gas in Dushanbe leapt by more than one-third, from 3.40 somoni per liter to around 4.90 somoni in mid-July. Petrol has followed suit, jumping from around 6.40 somoni to 8 somoni per liter. Subhonov said this has forced drivers like him to hike their own prices. “What is the point of me working if there is no profit for me in it?” he asked. The impact has also been felt on travel between towns. Where a ride from Dushanbe to the country’s second city, Khujand, once cost around 80 somoni, now it is around 120 somoni. The rate of increase applies across the board. According to official figures, around 85 percent of the 340 tons of liquified gas imported for motorists annually comes from Kazakhstan. The rest is from Russia. Following the trail of fuel supplies is intensely complicated, however, as the business is opaque and malfeasance is said to abound. In writing about the regional rise in prices for liquified gas, Argus, a publication that specializes in analyzing the global energy market, wrote in an emailed Russian-language bulletin dated June 20 that it had been caused by a slowdown of operations at the Kazakh-Chinese-run Zhanazhol gas processing plant near Aktobe in western Kazakhstan. The price of gas at the Uzbek-Tajik border in June was recorded as rising by $140 per ton week-on-week, to $540, Argus reported in its bulletin without stating its source. Those figures, which industry insiders have said may be set to grow further, are startling for a number of reasons. The price at which bulk retailers of liquified gas in Kazakhstan,...
BISHKEK (TCA) — The Publisher’s note: Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Central Asia was the scene of intense geopolitical struggle and the Great Game between the British and Russian Empires, and later between the Soviet Union and the West, over Afghanistan and neighboring territories. Into the 21st century, Central Asia has become the area of a renewed geopolitical interest, dubbed the New Great Game, largely based on the region’s hydrocarbon and mineral wealth. On top of that, the region now is perhaps the most important node in the implementation of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative through which Beijing aims to get direct access to Western markets. Every week thousands of news appears in the world’s printed and online media and many of them may escape the attention of busy readers. At The Times of Central Asia, we strongly believe that more information can better contribute to peaceful development and better knowledge of this unique region. So we are presenting this Weekly Digest which compiles what other media have reported on Central Asia over the past week. KAZAKHSTAN Chinese Investor Disappoints Kazakhstan's National Oil Company Kazakhstan’s Kazmunaigas will have to hurry to find other ways to get cash to cover its debts and expenses July 9 — “China’s CEFC will not buy a majority stake in Kazmunaigas International (KMGI), owned by Kazakhstan’s state-owned oil and gas firm Kazmunaigas, a disappointing development for a deal more than two years in the making. CEFC and Kazmunaigas had first agreed to sell a 51 percent stake in its Romanian assets, owned by one of its subsidiaries, KMGI (formerly known as Rompetrol), in December 2015.” READ MORE: https://thediplomat.com/2018/07/chinese-investor-disappoints-kazakhstans-national-oil-company/ Kazakhstan’s Astana turns 20: A tale of two capitals As Kazakhstan’s capital city has lavishly celebrated its 20th-birthday, some in Kazakhstan argue that the festivities were ‘a feast in time of plague’ July 10 — “The capital of Kazakhstan has just enjoyed a 20th-birthday blowout costing more than $55 million. July 6 was not just a national holiday to celebrate the anniversary of Astana’s elevation to capital status – it was also President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s 78th jubilee. This extravagant and highly personalized state-funded partying is provoking mixed sentiments.” READ MORE: https://timesca.com/index.php/news/19981-kazakhstan-s-astana-turns-20-a-tale-of-two-capitals Kazakh economic openness good for the country, good for global partners Kazakhstan is pursuing a policy of encouraging outside investment and partnerships from various players — both in the East and West July 11 — “Only a few years ago, it seemed that the argument of whether countries thrived best when they had economies open or partially closed to trade and investment was decided. Although there was still a vocal minority who doubted the benefits of removing barriers and focused on the draw-backs of globalisation, it had decreasing influence. Instead, we saw a hardening consensus – supported by the evidence of sustained periods of strong growth and shared prosperity – that open economies were the way forward.” READ MORE: https://astanatimes.com/2018/07/kazakh-economic-openness-good-for-the-country-good-for-global-partners/ Kazakhstan’s banks to gain access to Uzbekistan Kazakhstan’s banks will be able to open...
TASHKENT (TCA) — At one of its latest sessions, the International Press Club in Tashkent hosted a meeting with S. Frederick Starr, chairman of the Central Asia and Caucasus Institute (CACI) of the American Foreign Policy Council. The reason behind the meeting was the recent publication in the US of the book Frederick Starr and Svante Cornell edited, “Uzbekistan’s New Face”, dedicated to the new history of Uzbekistan. The presentation of the book took place on the eve of the first official visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States, the Jahon information agency reported. Continue reading
BISHKEK (TCA) — The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) co-organized a seminar on Central Asia-Afghanistan policy partnership on July 12. The purpose of the event was an exchange of views on establishing policy partnerships at the expert-analytical level and deepening ties among researchers in the region. Continue reading
BISHKEK (TCA) — Five Kyrgyz students with disabilities and one coach traveled to the United States from June 21 to July 5 to experience American culture and polish their basketball skills. The Wheelchair Basketball program is part of the Sports Visitor Program, a U.S. Department of State initiative to empower emerging youth leaders, support disability rights and inclusion, and promote people-to-people exchange. This program is part of the U.S. Embassy’s efforts to increase opportunities for people with disabilities in the Kyrgyz Republic, including such events as the February visit of U.S. Speaker Sara Minkara, President of Empowerment Through Integration, on inclusion and entrepreneurship and the 2017 visit of U.S. Paralympian snowboarder Dustin Fleming, the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan reported. Continue reading
