Kyrgyzstan
PANNIER: Uzbeks, Kyrgyz cooperating to level unthinkable 10 years ago
Gone is the era when Uzbekistan’s late president Islam Karimov was walling off his country from its immediate neighbours.
Big freeze that was feared by gas hungry Europe hits Central Asia, Iran
Tales of families sleeping in cars that are warmer than homes as cold front brings sub-zero temperatures not experienced in half a century.
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OUTLOOK 2023: Small Stans
The ‘small stans’ will spend another year striving to recalibrate political and economic relations with Russia and China – and other players Turkey, Iran and the West – amid the geopolitical maelstrom triggered by Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Central Asia’s shorter winters are whittling away glaciers
Glaciers are disappearing around the world. Here’s how it happens in Central Asia.
Kazakhstan closing loophole permitting Russians escaping Ukraine war call-up to stay indefinitely
Continuous ‘three-month visa runs” no longer possible for draft dodgers from next week.
EBRD invests record €13.1bn into its region in 2022
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested a record €13.1bn into its Emerging Europe and Eurasia region in 2022, the bank announced on January 12.
NEMETHY: Key economic and financial drivers to watch in 2023
There is an old joke that the role of economic forecasters is to make astrologers look good. Forecasting GDP or inflation for the upcoming year with any degree of accuracy is virtually impossible, but there are some scary signs appearing.
Central Asian rain may be caused by Indian, Chinese pollution
New research suggests that pollution thousands of miles away may be responsible for unusually strong summer downpours in Central Asia.
bneGREEN: Japarov wants Kyrgyzstan’s $4.2bn external debt ploughed into building green economy
President says countries and financial institutions from which Bishkek borrowed could participate in construction of hydropower plants in his country.
The looming fight over nuclear power in Kyrgyzstan
Can safety protocols be maintained in a poor country like Kyrgyzstan, where corruption is rampant?
Kyrgyzstan presses ahead with prosecution of border deal critics despite hunger strike
Making an example of group looks like attempt to put indefinite end to Kyrgyzstan’s periodic cycle of extra-parliamentary regime changes.
Belarus Corruption Watch: How companies in Central Asia help Belarus bypass Western sanctions
In a recent investigation, the Belarusian Investigative Centre has detailed how Belarusian wood working suppliers use Central Asian countries to circumvent EU sanctions.
A middle class emerges in Central Asia
Central Asia is bouncing back from the coronavirus pandemic and after three decades of growth, incomes have risen to a point where a middle class is emerging in the steppe. And nothing says middle class more than a hoover.
Start of a new super cycle – fat and flat for 2023?
The global economy has been through some enormous changes in recent years, leading investors and analysts to believe we are at the start of a new high-inflation, lower-growth super-cycle that could last for as long as a decade.
IMF: Global food prices to remain elevated amid war, costly energy, La Niña.
Interest rate hikes have eased price pressures, but the weather, war and material costs could keep food prices elevated for longer,
Kyrgyzstan meets population boom with uncertainty and confidence
The pains of the education system are a vivid testament to the challenges ahead.
IMF: Riding the global debt rollercoaster
Global debt remained above pre-pandemic levels in 2021 even after posting its steepest decline in 70 years, underscoring the challenges for policymakers.
NEMETHY: The case for gold today – again
In April 2021 gold was sitting around a price of $1,700; as of December 10, 2022 it is now approaching $1,800. Relative to just about every other asset class, this is not a bad performance.
Kyrgyzstan claims to be mulling end to graft-ridden customs service
But a contentious procurement law in the works has fuelled scepticism about government claims to be fighting corruption.
Ukraine faces one of worst declines in GDP from a war, says EBRD
The contraction in Ukraine’s GDP will be among the worst 10-20% of those in conflicts in the last 200 years, the development bank predicts in its 2022/23 Transition Report.
