BISHKEK (TCA) — Authorities in Kyrgyzstan should ensure the safety of independent journalist Ulugbek Babakulov, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on June 1. Babakulov, who has been the target of intense criticism from lawmakers and pro-government media since he criticized nationalist social media posts in an article last week, has received death threats on social media, according to his editor.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — “EIB is backing the political commitments of the EU in the region of Central Asia, when financing the projects in Kyrgyzstan,” Vazil Hudak, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) said on May 31 in Bishkek, the Bank’s press service said.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia could add as much as $2.7 billion to its GDP in the long term from creating a free trade zone with India, Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) Trade Minister Veronika Nikishina said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 1, Sputnik news agency reported.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — India’s full-fledged accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be formalized in a week — during the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on June 8-9, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

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KABUL (TCA) — The World Bank on June 1 announced the results of a review of progress achieved in the health sector in Afghanistan from 2002-2017. Conducted by World Bank experts and an independent group from the University of Toronto, the review found that many key health indicators had improved more rapidly in Afghanistan than in most other countries that had started at a similar level of development.

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