ADB trims 2016 growth forecast for Central Asia from 2.1% to 1.7%

BISHKEK (TCA) — Continued soft commodity prices and the recession in Russia have further dampened the growth outlook for Central Asia, with the earlier 2016 forecast of 2.1% trimmed to 1.7%, and 2017 cut to 2.7% from 2.8%. The slump in revenues from hydrocarbon exports are affecting fiscal consolidation efforts in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, while lower remittances, particularly from Russia, continue to hurt domestic consumption in the Central Asia region, says a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) report.

Continue reading

Sergey Kwan

TCA

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
divider
Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

View more articles fromTCA

EBRD loan to support private sector in Tajikistan

DUSHANBE (TCA) — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a local currency loan of up to US $2 million equivalent to the Tajik microfinance institution Arvand for on-lending for local micro and small enterprises (MSMEs). This loan is a part of a larger financing package approved for Arvand which also includes an agricultural component, the EBRD said.

Continue reading

Sergey Kwan

TCA

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
divider
Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

View more articles fromTCA

Kazakh authorities say lone ‘Islamist’ gunman behind deadly Almaty shootings

ALMATY (TCA) — Kazakh authorities say they believe they have captured the lone gunman in multiple attacks that President Nursultan Nazarbayev described as a “terrorist act,” which targeted police and left seven people dead and eight others injured in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, on July 18, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reported.

Continue reading

Sergey Kwan

TCA

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
divider
Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

View more articles fromTCA

Almaty on alert after deadly attack on police and national security facility

ALMATY (TCA) — A “red” alert has been issued for Kazakhstan’s commercial capital, Almaty, after gunmen attacked a police station on July 18, killing at least three officers and wounding several others, RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service reports.

Continue reading

Sergey Kwan

TCA

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
divider
Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

View more articles fromTCA

Failed coup in Turkey a message to Central Asia: the cases of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

LONDON (TCA) — Has the failed coup attempt in Turkey been a warning sign that its controversial head of state should behave? Or has it been an attempt by hardliners dissatisfied that he was starting to show signs of behaviour? What it has demonstrated is that a nation suffering from severe personality splits remains unpredictable and its future course, either with or without Erdoğan, unclear. For Central Asia’s regimes, it means that they have to remain on the alert on all levels while keeping their heads cool.

Continue reading

Western Tien-Shan added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List

BISHKEK (TCA) — The UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee on July 17, the last day of its 40th session which opened on 10 July in Istanbul, Turkey, inscribed eight new sites on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List including Western Tien-Shan, a transnational site shared by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, UNESCO said.

Continue reading

Sergey Kwan

TCA

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
divider
Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

View more articles fromTCA