The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

Imagine a team where only half the players receive training, equipment and support. That team cannot perform at its full potential. The same is true in agriculture. Women farmers are essential across Europe and Central Asia. They grow food, raise livestock, run farms and sustain rural economies. They work the...

Regional Security

The Middle East’s New Rivalry Runs Through Central Asia

Eighty years after Winston Churchill described an Iron Curtain dividing Europe from Stettin to Trieste, another geopolitical rivalry is emerging across the Middle East, with the swing states of Central Asia and the South Caucasus poised to play a pivotal role. From Gwadar to the Golden Horn, the new Mecca...

State of the Nation

Tokayev Unveils $14 Billion Construction Plan in Kazakhstan State of the Nation Address

Kazakhstan-U.S. Relations

Trump Reaffirms Support for Kazakhstan Ahead of G20 Summit

United States President Donald Trump has reaffirmed his support for Kazakhstan’s independence and territorial integrity and said he looks forward to meeting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in December. The remarks were made in a congratulatory message marking Kazakhstan’s Republic Day, published by Kazakhstan’s presidential...

Obituary

In Memory of Roza Aitmatova

Accelerating Arrests, Command Cleanouts, and Retreating Regional Rights

00:00 / 00:00

Dastan
Short Stories from the Region

Dastan: Turkmenistan Takes to the Desert in Rally Cars

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Opinions

Opinion: Why Agriculture Cannot Afford to Overlook Women Farmers

Viorel Gutu

Opinion: I Spent 15 Years in Government. Here Is What the State Can Learn Next

Zhandos Sabit

Opinion: Central Asia Is More Than Minerals

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Opinion: Weaponizing Faith – The Cold War Roots of Central Asia’s Security Dilemma

Zabikhulla Saipov

From Lenin to Kenesary: What Kazakhstan’s Renamed Streets Say About Power

Issatay Minuarov

Opinion: Why Central Asia Cannot Afford to Abandon the Iranian Route

Timur Serikuly

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Show What Diplomacy Can Deliver as Vast Rail Project with China Advances

Javier M. Piedra

Uzbekistan’s Heritage Did Not Stop With the Silk Road

Mathieu Lemoine

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s Demining Expertise Could Provide Boost to Afghanistan

Timur Serikuly

Opinion: Uzbekistan Census – When the Village Reappears in the City

Zamirbek Minbaev

Opinion: The Specter Is Back – A Kazakh Warning to America

Askar Alimzhanov

Opinion: The Amu Darya Stress Test – Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the Politics of Agricultural Adaptation

Zamirbek Minbaev

Business & Economy

Inspection Moratorium

Tajikistan Business Inspections Suspended for SMEs Until 2029, but Tax Checks Continue

Government agencies in Tajikistan will remain barred from carrying out most inspections of small and medium-sized businesses until January 1, 2029. The checks are intended to ensure businesses comply with regulations, but entrepreneurs have long complained about repeated and arbitrary inspections, fines, and pressure to make unofficial payments. On October 28, President Emomali Rahmon signed a decree extending the moratorium. Tax authorities, however, will still be allowed to conduct inspections. The two-year moratorium introduced in January 2025 covered businesses of all sizes, but the extension applies specifically to small and medium-sized enterprises. Such measures have become familiar in Tajikistan: inspections...

Energy Security

Bishkek Turns On the Heat as Soviet-Era System Faces Winter Test

FAO

Opinion: Why Agriculture Cannot Afford to Overlook Women Farmers

Electricity Supply

Uzbekistan Secures $300 Million in Loans for Power Grid Upgrades

Fashion Education

Uzbekistan to Open Tashkent International Academy of Fashion

Private Sector

World Bank: Central Asia Private Sector Needs Room to Grow

Central Asia is attracting growing interest from international investors, but turning that attention into lasting economic growth will require giving the private sector more room to develop, a senior World Bank official has said. Najy Benhassine, the World Bank’s division director for Central Asia, said the region had enjoyed strong economic growth, but much of it had been driven by public investment, favorable commodity prices, and remittances rather than improvements in productivity. In an interview published on October 27 by Novastan, an independent European news outlet, Benhassine discussed the region’s economic prospects over the coming decade. “The interest is real...

Small and Medium Enterprises

Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Generate 50.9% of Kyrgyzstan’s GDP in 2025

Small and medium-sized businesses accounted for 50.9% of Kyrgyzstan’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025, according to preliminary figures from the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic. The figures appear in its report, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship in the Kyrgyz Republic, 2021–2025, published on October 28, 2026. The sector’s share of GDP averaged 42.7% over the five-year period. These GDP figures include individual entrepreneurs and farms, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. Kyrgyzstan had 26,000 small enterprises and 1,200 medium-sized enterprises operating in 2025. They employed 138,800 people, or 5% of all those employed in the economy. This...

Cryptocurrency Licensing

Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange Receives Preliminary Approval in Kazakhstan

Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange based in the United States, has received preliminary approval to operate in the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC). The company plans to launch a trading platform in Kazakhstan and hold digital assets on customers' behalf. However, trading through Kraken's local subsidiary is not yet available because the company has not obtained its final license. The local subsidiary, Payward Kazakhstan, would give customers access to Kraken's global trading network, allowing them to buy and sell cryptocurrencies with traders in other countries. The preliminary approval was issued by the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA). Kraken has not yet...

GDP Forecasts

Kazakhstan GDP Forecast Rises to Nearly $398 Billion

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects Kazakhstan’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP) at nearly $398 billion in 2026. The figure places the country 47th in a global ranking published by Visual Capitalist, based on the IMF’s October forecasts. The fund expects Kazakhstan’s economy to grow by 4.4% this year after adjusting for inflation, compared with global growth of 3.1%. An earlier ranking, published in January, placed Kazakhstan 50th, with projected GDP of about $320 billion for 2026. The tenge, Kazakhstan’s currency, gained approximately 18% against the dollar over the year to October 28. A stronger tenge increases the dollar value...

Local Politics

State of the Nation

Tokayev Unveils $14 Billion Construction Plan in Kazakhstan State of the Nation Address

Kazakhstan plans to spend 6.5 trillion tenge (about $14.3 billion) from its National Fund on infrastructure projects by 2029 and eliminate its electricity shortage in the same period, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced in his annual State of the Nation Address on October 28. The president also outlined plans to accelerate nuclear power plant construction, expand transport routes between China and Europe, and establish a separate court for investors in the new city of Alatau. $14 Billion for Infrastructure Tokayev proposed declaring 2027 a year of large-scale construction and launching a nationwide program covering roads, airports, railway stations, and public facilities....

Public Service

Opinion: I Spent 15 Years in Government. Here Is What the State Can Learn Next

Children’s Health

International Network Launched to Support Childhood Cancer Care in Uzbekistan

LRT

Almaty Builds New Tram Line as Residents Question Costs and Delays

Public Transport

Bishkek Metro Plans Resurface Despite High Costs and Low Demand

Republic Day

Kazakhstan Marks Republic Day as World Leaders Send Congratulations

Kazakhstan marked Republic Day on October 25 with a flag-raising ceremony in Astana and congratulations from its international partners. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio used the occasion to describe bilateral relations as the “strongest” in their history. “Our countries are working together to strengthen regional security, expand economic cooperation, and create new commercial opportunities which will pair Kazakh ambition with American innovation to benefit both of our nations,” Rubio said in his October 24 statement. He praised Kazakhstan’s diplomatic role and support for President Donald Trump’s “peace initiatives,” and said the U.S. looks forward to further cooperation in the...

Military Training

Kazakhstan Military Training Overhauled with New Drone Forces Planned

Less than a month after 14 service members died during military exercises in the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan has approved plans to overhaul conscript training and introduce new safeguards against abuse in the armed forces. The reform plan was approved at a Security Council meeting on October 21, with the main changes scheduled for 2027. The September 24 tragedy prompted an investigation that uncovered serious failures in the planning of the exercises and measures to protect soldiers. A wider inspection of the Defense Ministry has since led to 13 criminal cases involving suspected embezzlement, abuse of authority, and other violations. New...

Language Politics

Rubio’s Remarks Reignite Debate on Russian Language in Uzbekistan

A brief exchange between United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a Bloomberg journalist in Samarkand has revived debate over the status of the Russian language in Uzbekistan. Speaking to reporters at Registan Square on October 19, Rubio asked Bloomberg correspondent Eric Martin whether he spoke Uzbek. Martin replied that he spoke Russian fluently. "Oh, okay. That's no longer the official language here, but it's good. A lot of people speak it. I understand," Rubio said. The exchange circulated on Uzbek social media, with some foreign outlets identifying Rubio's interlocutor as a local journalist. However, a Daryo correspondent at...

Delivery Couriers

Uzbekistan Delivery Drivers Under Police Scrutiny: Why Tashkent Lacks Space for Mopeds

A delivery courier in Tashkent says police confiscated the electric bicycle he used to deliver orders after demanding a driver's license, leaving him unable to work. In an early October video appeal, the man said his bicycle could not exceed 25 kilometers per hour and that he did not ride on roads used by cars. Economist Otabek Bakirov published the video amid increasingly frequent police inspections of moped and scooter riders, including delivery workers. Police have justified the inspections by pointing to traffic accidents. Figures released in early October put the number of accidents involving mopeds and scooters in Uzbekistan...

International Affairs

Water Management

Water Projects in Tajikistan: Japan Learns from a Troubled Grant

Residents of Moskva in Tajikistan’s Khatlon region reported receiving water for an average of just 10.9 hours a day in a 2017 survey, nearly four years after a Japanese-funded supply system was completed in June 2013. An external evaluation commissioned by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) gave the project a D rating, the lowest possible. Japan is now financing a new water supply system in Abdurahmoni Jomi district, also in the Khatlon region. The two projects illustrate how its approach to water supply assistance has developed, particularly in metering, utility management, and infrastructure maintenance. A Project That Met Its...

Aid Dependence

Emergency Aid to Afghanistan Is Not Enough, Humanitarian Expert Says

Regional Security

The Middle East’s New Rivalry Runs Through Central Asia

Kazakhstan-U.S. Relations

Trump Reaffirms Support for Kazakhstan Ahead of G20 Summit

С5+1

C5+1 Statement Omits Afghanistan, Prioritizes Trans-Caspian Trade

OTS summit

OTS Summit in Ankara: Turkey Looks to Strengthen Its Position as Central Asia Competes for Transit Routes

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Ankara on October 28, the day he delivered his annual State of the Nation Address, in which he announced plans to expand transport routes between China and Europe. On October 30, he will attend the 13th summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). Turkey is preparing to take over the organization's chairmanship from Azerbaijan, and Central Asian countries are seeking to accelerate freight transportation across the Caspian Sea. Behind the shared rhetoric of Turkic unity lie specific economic interests. Kazakhstan is building railways and expanding its capacity to handle transit cargo from China....

Marine Research

In Ashgabat, Caspian States Discuss Cooperation on Marine Research

Turkmenistan hosted a meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states to discuss cooperation on marine scientific research, part of a wider effort by the Central Asian country to promote regional collaboration over the fragile, strategic body of water. Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said delegates discussed a draft agreement about research in the Caspian Sea, where countries want to develop large oil and gas reserves while trying to mitigate the impact on the marine environment. The five littoral states are Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. “The current meeting is expected to facilitate further progress in finalizing the remaining provisions...

Diplomatic Protest

Iran Says Samarkand Heritage Posts Targeted U.S.

Iran has said that posts by its embassies about Samarkand’s Persian heritage were directed at the United States. The explanation followed a diplomatic protest from Uzbekistan, which demanded the removal of posts describing the city’s architecture as part of Persian civilization. Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on October 26 that Tehran attaches great importance to its relations with Uzbekistan and views their shared cultural heritage as a foundation of friendship between the two countries. "Some of our colleagues at certain embassies published their messages as an address to the American side," Baghaei explained. In the...

Migration

Uzbek Labor Migration to Russia Falls 13.2% in First Half of 2026

Uzbek citizens accounted for more work-related arrivals in Russia than any other nationality in the first half of 2026, despite a 13.2% decline compared with a year earlier. According to data published by TASS on October 26, Uzbek citizens listed employment as the purpose of entry on 1,178,609 occasions. Tajikistan ranked second with 494,518 entries, followed by Kyrgyzstan with 289,061, Kazakhstan and China. The statistics count border entries rather than individual people: a single worker may have crossed the Russian border several times. The Central Bank of Uzbekistan reported approximately 1.358 million such trips in the first half of 2025,...

Life & Culture

Children's Rights

Too Young to Be Responsible: When Children Raise Children in Uzbekistan

“The household chores are now on my shoulders.” The words come from a girl quoted in a UNICEF study of children affected by labor migration in Uzbekistan. Her grandmother died when she was in seventh grade. By the time she spoke to UNICEF, her grandfather had also died the previous year. She described cleaning, cooking, washing clothes, and looking after her brother, a household’s work done by one child. Her account raises a question that is rarely asked when an older sibling is praised for being helpful: who is looking after the child who is doing the looking after? In...

Film and Literature

Interview: Alina Mustafina on Her New Book and Freedom in Filmmaking

Archaeology

Prehistoric Rock Paintings Found in Uzbekistan’s Nurota Mountains

Cycling

Kazakh Cyclists Sweep UCI Asia Tour Podium for First Time

NVIDIA

NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang Receives Honorary Judo Black Belt in Astana

Obituary

In Memory of Roza Aitmatova

Roza Aitmatova died on October 26, 2026, at the age of 89. She was the younger sister of Chingiz Aitmatov, one of the most important writers of the 20th century. With her death, Kyrgyzstan has lost an invaluable witness to its history. She succeeded in turning the tragedies endured by her family into part of her nation's collective memory. Roza was born in Moscow on March 8, 1937. She was just six months old when her father, Torekul Aitmatov, a prominent political figure who had played a role in establishing the state institutions of the young Kyrgyz Republic, was arrested...

Viral Music

Brazilian Funk’s Kazakh Side Hustle

Orpheus took music somewhere it had no business going. Luís Guilherme Gonçalves, known as DJ Guilherme, created a beat that has managed something less fatal but almost as improbable. A Brazilian funk track born in São Paulo has found an unlikely second home in Kazakhstan, where local creators have embraced it as part of their digital culture. BEAT UnderCover – Taqap Taqap (Slowed Reverb), produced by DJ Guilherme and remixed by Rand0m, was released through Clima Funk in June 2025. It grew out of Só Socadinha, a baile funk single first released in January 2019. The scale of its reception...

Saiga

Prince William Praises Kazakhstan’s Saiga Recovery

Britain’s Prince William has highlighted Kazakhstan’s success in restoring its saiga antelope population, crediting government support for the animal’s recovery during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. Asked about the distinctive antelope and the Altyn Dala conservation initiative, William said the species had recovered from critically endangered status to large numbers. Kazakhstan’s government had recognized the animal’s importance to the country and to conservation, he said: “They threw their full weight behind it.” Video: The Graham Norton Show / So Television / BBC The exchange came during an Earthshot Prize edition of the BBC chat show broadcast on October...

Podcast

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

As Managing Editor of The Times of Central Asia, I’m delighted that, in partnership with the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs, we are the home of the Spotlight on Central Asia podcast. Chaired by seasoned broadcasters Bruce Pannier of RFE/RL’s long-running Majlis podcast and Michael Hillard of The Red Line, each fortnightly instalment will take you on a deep dive into the latest news, developments, security issues, and social trends across an increasingly pivotal region. This week, the team looks at Kyrgyzstan carrying out a new round of arrests in the run-up to the country's upcoming presidential elections, including...

Justice

School Violence

School Bullying in Kazakhstan: Prosecutors Propose New Deputies to Protect Students from Violence

In schools across Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region, children told visiting inspectors about beatings, extortion, and threats. Some described incidents involving brass knuckles and stun guns. But reports from those same schools recorded no bullying. The scale of the problem was exposed in October 2025, when Kazakhstan’s commissioner for children’s rights, Dinara Zakiyeva, published the findings of inspections across the region. An interagency team identified more than 200 cases of bullying and extortion in the Baizak and Zhambyl districts alone. During the first nine months of that year, 14 suicides involving minors were recorded in the region. Prosecutors have introduced the position...

Sexual Violence

Kazakh Women Share Stories of Sexual Violence Under #IAmJaneDoe Hashtag

Child Protection Laws

Uzbekistan Introduces Life Imprisonment for Rape of Children Under 14

Victim Compensation

Most Compensation for Uzbekistan’s Dok-1 Max Victims Remains Unpaid

Espionage

German Spy Scandal Puts Central Asian and Caucasus Espionage Cases in Focus

Oil Arbitration

Kashagan Arbitration: Tribunal Rejects $12 Billion in Kazakhstan’s Claims

An international arbitration tribunal has rejected approximately $12 billion in claims brought by Kazakhstan against investors in the Kashagan oil field, Bloomberg reported on October 22. Citing sources familiar with the confidential proceedings, the report said the claims concerned field development costs incurred between 2011 and 2015 and were filed after the applicable deadline. Claims concerning another $8 billion in disputed costs have been allowed to proceed. Kazakhstan had sought to exclude approximately $20 billion from the costs investors are entitled to recover through oil production. The arbitrators did not examine whether the expenses covered by the rejected claims were...

Harassment Laws

Sexual Harassment in Kazakhstan: Why Are Such Cases Difficult to Track?

A woman who said she was sexually harassed on a bus in Astana decided against going to the police because she feared she would be unable to prove what had happened. Instead, she confronted the man and photographed him. "It wasn't an accidental touch because the bus was crowded. He was groping me," she wrote on Threads. Police identified the 46-year-old man after discovering her post. A court sentenced him to ten days of administrative detention for indecent behavior on public transport. On October 13, a court in the capital had imposed the same penalty on an inDrive driver who...

Drug Smuggling

Russian Rapper Navai Detained at Kazakhstan Border on Suspicion of Drug Smuggling

Russian rapper Navai Bakirov, known professionally as Navai, was detained on October 13 while entering Kazakhstan from Kyrgyzstan. A Kazakh court has since ordered him held in custody as police investigate suspected drug smuggling and unlawful possession of narcotics. Police in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region said officers and border guards discovered and seized a narcotic substance during a search of his vehicle at the Korday checkpoint. They have not identified the substance or disclosed the quantity seized. Navai had performed in Bishkek the previous day as part of a Central Asian concert tour. His concert scheduled for October 14 in Astana...

Political Trials

Kyrgyzstan Court Jails Kadyr Atambayev and Temirlan Sultanbekov

A court in Kyrgyzstan has sentenced Kadyr Atambayev, the son of former President Almazbek Atambayev, to four years in prison and opposition Social Democrats leader Temirlan Sultanbekov to seven years over an alleged plot to seize power following last year's parliamentary elections. The defendants denied the allegations, and Sultanbekov described the prosecution as politically motivated shortly before the October 8 verdict. The trial at Bishkek’s Pervomaisky District Court was held behind closed doors despite defense lawyers’ requests for public hearings, preventing independent scrutiny of much of the evidence. Kadyr Atambayev entered politics in 2021, when he was elected to Bishkek's...

Environment

National Parks

Kyrgyzstan Plans to Expand Protected Natural Areas

Kyrgyzstan plans to expand its protected natural areas under a draft strategy for 2026–2035. The expansion would bring additional high-altitude glaciers, rocky mountain areas, and state forest lands under protection. The Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision released the document for public consultation on October 26. An accompanying explanatory note proposes increasing protected land from 11.8% of the country’s territory to 20% by 2030 and 30% by 2035. However, another section of the strategy sets 2030 as the deadline for reaching 30%, leaving the intended timetable unclear. Kyrgyzstan’s protected natural areas currently cover approximately 2.36 million hectares. The...

Snow Leopard Conservation

Kyrgyzstan Opens Snow Leopard Research and Rehabilitation Center

Air Pollution

Air Pollution in Central Asia: Why Winter Smog Persists in Almaty, Bishkek, and Tashkent

Water Security

Central Asia Agrees New Water Limits, but National Quotas Remain Unclear

Nuclear Safety

Kazakhstan Nuclear Emergency Center Opens With U.S. Support

Cotton Harvest

Uzbekistan Cotton Harvest Reaches 4.63 Million Tons as Water Losses Persist

Uzbekistan's Ministry of Agriculture says the country had harvested 4.63 million metric tons of raw cotton as of October 22, exceeding its target by 3%. About 76% of the cotton harvested so far was harvested mechanically, reflecting the industry's shift away from manual labor. A new study, however, highlights another challenge: extensive water losses in the country's irrigation system. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, nearly 3,000 harvesting machines collected 3.52 million metric tons of cotton. Mechanized harvesting accounted for 98.5% of the crop in the Jizzakh region, 94.2% in the Syrdarya region, and 81.2% in the Tashkent region. In...

Nature protection

New $8 Million Central Asia Conservation Program to Protect Rare Wildlife

Around 100 grants will be made available to local conservation groups under a new five-year program to protect threatened wildlife in the Pamir and Tien Shan mountains. The initiative will cover mountain ecosystems across five Central Asian countries, running from 2026 to 2031. The program has a budget of up to $8 million, with the European Union providing the majority of funding through the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). The British conservation organization Fauna & Flora will coordinate activities in the region, overseeing grants, providing technical assistance, and helping local organizations develop and manage conservation projects. The Pamir and Tien...

Water Shortages

Uzbekistan Rejects Claims That the Amu Darya Is Drying Up

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Water Resources has rejected claims circulating on social media that the Amu Darya River is drying up. The ministry said water continues to flow through the river, although discharge at some locations is lower than a year ago. On October 9, the water level near Termez, where the Amu Darya enters Uzbekistan, was 27 centimeters higher than it had been at the same time in 2025. Farther downstream, however, discharge at the Kerki monitoring station was approximately 11% lower than a year earlier. These figures provide little indication of the river’s longer-term condition. The ministry noted that...

Energy

Uzbekistan Solar Panel Program Targets 3,100 Sites in $20 Million Project

A $20 million solar-panel program in Uzbekistan has so far provided 1,580 homes and 334 public institutions with free electricity-generating systems. A further 1,197 households are expected to receive the equipment by May 2027. The program, known as Yorqin Xonadon (“Bright Home”), is being implemented by Uzbekistan's Ministry of Energy, Saudi energy company Acwa, and China Southern Power Grid International. According to information provided to The Times of Central Asia by Acwa, the initiative was launched in April 2023. About 65% of the new installations are intended for Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic in northwestern Uzbekistan that has been severely affected...

Bishkek Turns On the Heat as Soviet-Era System Faces Winter Test

Latest

Features

Features

Accelerating Arrests, Command Cleanouts, and Retreating Regional Rights

Latest

Dastan: Turkmenistan Takes to the Desert in Rally Cars

Accelerating Arrests, Command Cleanouts, and Retreating Regional Rights

Dastan: Turkmenistan Takes to the Desert in Rally Cars

Opinions

Opinions

Viorel Gutu

Zhandos Sabit

Eric Rudenshiold & S. Frederick Starr

Zabikhulla Saipov

Issatay Minuarov

Timur Serikuly

Javier M. Piedra

Mathieu Lemoine

Timur Serikuly

Zamirbek Minbaev

Askar Alimzhanov

Zamirbek Minbaev

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

Tajikistan Business Inspections Suspended for SMEs Until 2029, but Tax Checks Continue

World Bank: Central Asia Private Sector Needs Room to Grow

Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Generate 50.9% of Kyrgyzstan’s GDP in 2025

Kraken Cryptocurrency Exchange Receives Preliminary Approval in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan GDP Forecast Rises to Nearly $398 Billion

Local Politics

Local Politics

Tokayev Unveils $14 Billion Construction Plan in Kazakhstan State of the Nation Address

Kazakhstan Marks Republic Day as World Leaders Send Congratulations

Kazakhstan Military Training Overhauled with New Drone Forces Planned

Rubio’s Remarks Reignite Debate on Russian Language in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan Delivery Drivers Under Police Scrutiny: Why Tashkent Lacks Space for Mopeds

International Affairs

International Affairs

Water Projects in Tajikistan: Japan Learns from a Troubled Grant

OTS Summit in Ankara: Turkey Looks to Strengthen Its Position as Central Asia Competes for Transit Routes

In Ashgabat, Caspian States Discuss Cooperation on Marine Research

Iran Says Samarkand Heritage Posts Targeted U.S.

Uzbek Labor Migration to Russia Falls 13.2% in First Half of 2026

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Too Young to Be Responsible: When Children Raise Children in Uzbekistan

In Memory of Roza Aitmatova

Brazilian Funk’s Kazakh Side Hustle

Prince William Praises Kazakhstan’s Saiga Recovery

Pannier and Hillard’s Spotlight on Central Asia: New Episode Out Now

Justice

Justice

School Bullying in Kazakhstan: Prosecutors Propose New Deputies to Protect Students from Violence