Eurasia / Features
New American company seeks to realise Trans-Caspian pipe dream
The new proposal’s modest scope, and new diplomatic developments, could finally make the pipeline feasible.
Tajikistan press-gangs an army to defend long Afghan border
The conscripts, generally Tajikistan’s poorest young men, are brutalised into service. And they are the country’s first line of defence.
Have Georgia’s crypto glory days passed?
More expensive electricity means global cryptominers are avoiding Georgia.
Ready for war at any time in southern Armenia
After last year's war, Armenia’s southernmost province of Syunik is now bordered by Azerbaijan on two sides. Local people fear they are next.
Kazakhstan looks to nuclear amid crypto-driven energy shortage
The country no longer has a choice, the president says.
Uzbekistan’s multi-coloured textile revolution
Uzbekistan has a very long history of making luxury textiles and today the country is trying to revive them.
Uzbekistan’s golden giant, the Navoi Mining & Metallurgy Kombinat
The Muruntau gold mine located in the Qizilqum (aka Kyzyl-Kum) desert in Uzbekistan is the world’s biggest open-cast gold mine. Discovered in 1958, some $3bn has been invested into modernisation, and the plan is to privatise it in the next years.
Uzbekistan’s cement giant Qizilqumsement on a roll
Qizilqumsement (QZSM) is of Soviet vintage and is the biggest cement maker in Central Asia. Its business is booming as demand is outstripping demand. A new production line is due online in December that should make the company even more profitable.
Uzbekistan central bank focuses on inflation targeting, but rising prices remain a problem
The Uzbek economy was one of only two major economies in the world that didn't go into recession in 2020. While the macroeconomic fundamentals are solid, the main headache remains inflation.
Savitsky’s museum, the Louvre of the Steppe
The small town of Nukus in the wastes of Uzbekistan’s Qizilqum (aka Kzyl-Kum) desert is the “Louvre of the Steppe.” The new building houses an Aladdin’s cave of lost Russian impressionist art, rescued from Stalin's terror of the 30s.
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Digital divide adds to multi-speed recovery from coronavirus finds EBRD
New EBRD Transition Report warns there is a widening gap between economies that have stepped up their use of online and digital services and those that have fallen further behind.
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Uzbekistan: People no longer in the dark about power shortages
Until now, officials had been silent about ongoing power cuts, even calling them a thing of the past.
bneGreen: Development banks ADB, EBRD, EDB up the ante at COP26
The UN’s COP26 climate conference in Glasgow has seen development banks from around the world come together to outline their contributions to a low-carbon future. Robust financial infrastructure is key to a just and efficient transition.
Perspectives | Islamic State using China to vilify Taliban
Since the Taliban took Kabul, Islamic State sympathisers across South Asia have increased attacks on the movement over its ties to China.
The hoovers of Nukus
Nukus in Uzbekistan's far west used to be an ecological disaster zone, but the worst of its problems are fixed. The country's leading white goods manufacturer Artel has set up a flourishing hoover production facility in the desert town.
Kazakh food exports to China plummet
Kazakh exporters say China is pushing them aside, interested in a transit corridor but not a supplier.
Uzbekistan privatises its entire cotton sector in its most radical reform yet
In the most radical of all reforms made since Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took over in 2016, the entire cotton sector has been privatised and production of this vital crop is now entirely owned by private companies.
Uzbekistan rising
Uzbekistan’s economy is taking off. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took over five years ago and launched a radical reform programme, which are now bearing fruit. The economy is flourishing.
Tajik labour migration to Russia hits historic high, officially
More than a fifth of Tajikistan’s total population has entered Russia so far this year.
Kazakhstan: Boys in skirts blame Nazarbayev school suicide on conservative staff
The protests have spread to several of the prestigious schools around the country.
