The Times Of Central Asia | Eurasian Publication & News Online

South Korea Steps Up Central Asia Critical Minerals Push

The first South Korea–Central Asia summit, held in Seoul on September 16, capped three days of bilateral meetings that produced more than 70 agreements and memorandums. The leaders agreed to meet every two years, a separate C5+1 forum for industry ministers was established, and critical minerals took a central place on the new agenda.

The main question now is how many of those documents will translate into mines, processing plants, and long-term contracts. South Korea

Central Asia’s First Korea Summit Produces Different Deals for Each Country

South Korea and ADB Expand Central Asia Critical Minerals Push

Uzbekgaz

SOCAR and BP Prepare for Exploration Drilling in Uzbekistan’s Ustyurt Region

2 hours ago

YONAR

Artists Build a Temporary White Salt City in Karakalpakstan

2 hours ago

Pharmaceuticals

Kyrgyzstan Pharmaceutical Logistics Complex Begins Construction in Bishkek

3 hours ago

FIDE Chess Olympiad

Samarkand Chess Olympiad Hosts FIDE Election as Timur Turlov Outlines His Plans

3 hours ago

C5+South Korea

South Korea Steps Up Central Asia Critical Minerals Push

4 hours ago

Food Processing

Kazakhstan’s Shin-Line Group Plans Food Industry Cluster With South Korean Support

4 hours ago

Green hydrogen

South Korea’s YPP Considers $2 Billion Green Ammonia Project in Kazakhstan

4 hours ago

Jewelry Industry

Kazakhstan’s Jewelry Market Faces New Rules on Gold and Hallmarking

4 hours ago

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Regional Ties Grow as Global Reintegration Stalls

5 hours ago

Natural gas

Turkmenistan Advances TAPI Pipeline and Infrastructure Projects in Herat

1 day ago

Chess

Kyrgyzstan Opens National Chess Academy in Bishkek

1 day ago

Almaty Museum of Arts

Almaty Museum of Arts Begins Centre Pompidou Partnership With The Clock

1 day ago

Natural Disasters

Tajikistan Turns to Early Warning Systems as Climate Risks Grow

1 day ago

Oil Production

Karachaganak Maintenance to Cut Kazakhstan’s Oil Output by Up to 450,000 Tons

1 day ago

Central Asia-South Korea summit 2026

From Critical Minerals to Connectivity: South Korea’s Stakes in Central Asia

1 day ago

Central Asia-South Korea summit 2026

Central Asia’s First Korea Summit Produces Different Deals for Each Country

1 day ago

Economic Growth

Kazakhstan Ranks 38th in IMD World Competitiveness Ranking

2 days ago

TCA Interviews

Kyrgyzstan’s High-Wire Act: Sanctions, Compliance, and National Interest

2 days ago

C5+South Korea

What Could Come Next in Kazakhstan-South Korea Relations

2 days ago

Bonds Investments

Kazakhstan to Receive Maximum Weight in New JPMorgan Bond Index

2 days ago

State Asset Sales

Uzbekistan Privatization: Unsold State Assets Relisted With $85 Opening Bids

2 days ago

Film Festival

Women, Cinema and Changing Kazakhstan at QYZQARAS 2026

2 days ago

Rule of law

Kyrgyz Court Upholds Ex-Security Chief Tashiyev’s Conviction but Changes Charge

2 days ago

Gold Mining

AzerGold Eyes Gold Mining Projects in Kyrgyzstan

2 days ago

Education Policy

Kazakhstan Education Reform Puts 12th Grade Under Review

2 days ago

C5+South Korea

Kazakhstan Courts South Korean Investment During Tokayev’s Seoul Visit

2 days ago

digital economy

ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026 Brings Startups and Investors to Tashkent

2 days ago

Central Asia-South Korea summit 2026

South Korea and Uzbekistan Sign 13 Agreements as Seoul Deepens Cooperation Across Central Asia

3 days ago

Mining Investment

Indian Gold Mining Project in Kyrgyzstan Reaches Production Stage

3 days ago

Migration

Nearly 100,000 Uzbeks Return From Russia as Labor Migration Slows

3 days ago

Features

YONAR

Artists Build a Temporary White Salt City in Karakalpakstan

Jewelry Industry

Kazakhstan’s Jewelry Market Faces New Rules on Gold and Hallmarking

Kazakhstan produces and exports billions of dollars’ worth of gold, yet officially recorded domestic jewelry production amounted to just $7.2 million in 2025. The government now plans to tackle the gray areas of the market, from the origin of gold used by workshops to scrap from pawnshops and mandatory hallmarking...

Natural Disasters

Tajikistan Turns to Early Warning Systems as Climate Risks Grow

Central Asia-South Korea Summit 2026

Central Asia’s First Korea Summit Produces Different Deals for Each Country

The first Central Asia-Republic of Korea Summit brought five countries to Seoul with very different records of working with Korean capital. Kazakhstan arrived with commercial agreements worth about $19 billion, while Uzbekistan is discussing multibillion-dollar financing through the state-owned Export-Import Bank of Korea. In Turkmenistan, Korean companies are expanding beyond...

TCA Interviews

Kyrgyzstan’s High-Wire Act: Sanctions, Compliance, and National Interest

On September 2, the day after the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Heads of State Summit in Bishkek, The Times of Central Asia spoke with Bakyt Sydykov, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Economy and Commerce and Special Presidential Representative for Sanctions Policy. He outlined the government’s approach to sanctions compliance and protecting Kyrgyz businesses....

C5+South Korea

What Could Come Next in Kazakhstan-South Korea Relations

Bonds Investments

Kazakhstan to Receive Maximum Weight in New JPMorgan Bond Index

Kazakhstan will receive the maximum 8% country weight in JPMorgan’s new index for frontier market government bonds, creating an opportunity to attract new foreign buyers of tenge-denominated debt. JPMorgan plans to launch the GBI-EM Edge by the end of September. The maximum weight for any single country is capped at...

Film Festival

Women, Cinema and Changing Kazakhstan at QYZQARAS 2026

From August 20 to 30, Almaty hosted the third edition of QYZQARAS, an independent international film festival dedicated to women directors’ voices and the female gaze in cinema. Held this year at the Tselinny Center of Contemporary Culture, the festival presented 21 feature films, including five notable works from Central...

Martial Moves, Peculiar Procurement, and the Sixth Nomad Games

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Dastan
Short Stories from the Region

Dastan: Sobir Ruziev, Soviet Fencer Who Elevated Uzbek Sport

00:00 / 00:00

Opinions

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

Opinion: Kazakhstan’s New Income Growth Plan – Administrative Measures Against Market Realities

Igor Klevtsov

Opinion: Central Asia’s Shift from Silk Road Romance to Infrastructure Finance – What the June Forums Are Building

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

UNDP Opinion: Central Asia – Shared Wildlife, Shared Landscapes, Shared Responsibility

UNDP Representatives in Kazakhstan, Katarzyna Wawiernia, Kyrgyzstan, Alexandra Solovieva, Tajikistan, Sudipto Mukerjee, Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii.

Opinion: Beyond Multivectorism – What Kyrgyzstan’s UN Security Council Win Really Shows

Zamirbek Minbaev

Business & Economy

Uzbekgaz

SOCAR and BP Prepare for Exploration Drilling in Uzbekistan’s Ustyurt Region

Azerbaijan’s SOCAR, Britain’s BP, and state-owned Uzbekneftegaz are preparing for exploration drilling across six blocks in Uzbekistan’s Ustyurt region. Following completion of a 3D seismic survey, the next stage involves processing the data and selecting a site for the first exploration well. Drilling will help establish whether preliminary estimates of 100 million metric tons of oil and 35 billion cubic meters of gas could translate into commercially recoverable reserves. The work covered the Boyterak, Terengquduq, Birqori, Kharoy, Qoraqalpoq, and Qulboy blocks in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The seismic survey covered more than 3,000 square kilometers, compared with a minimum commitment...

Food Processing

Kazakhstan’s Shin-Line Group Plans Food Industry Cluster With South Korean Support

Jewelry Industry

Kazakhstan’s Jewelry Market Faces New Rules on Gold and Hallmarking

Oil Production

Karachaganak Maintenance to Cut Kazakhstan’s Oil Output by Up to 450,000 Tons

Economic Growth

Kazakhstan Ranks 38th in IMD World Competitiveness Ranking

Pharmaceuticals

Kyrgyzstan Pharmaceutical Logistics Complex Begins Construction in Bishkek

Construction has begun in Bishkek on what officials describe as Kyrgyzstan’s first state pharmaceutical logistics complex of its level. The new warehouse is intended to improve the storage and distribution of medicines in a country where imports account for 97% of the market. The complex is being built for Kyrgyzpharmatsiya, a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Health that centrally procures and supplies medicines and medical products to public healthcare facilities. It will occupy a 7.1-hectare site. The project will cost 650 million som, or about $7.4 million. The facility will operate in accordance with international Good Distribution Practice, or...

Green Hydrogen

South Korea’s YPP Considers $2 Billion Green Ammonia Project in Kazakhstan

South Korea’s YPP Corporation is considering building a green hydrogen and ammonia complex in the East Kazakhstan Region at an estimated cost of $2 billion. The project, outlined in a memorandum signed during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to South Korea, could produce up to 55,000 metric tons of green hydrogen or 310,000 metric tons of green ammonia annually. Green ammonia is made by combining nitrogen with hydrogen produced using renewable electricity. Most ammonia is currently used to make fertilizer, but it is also being developed as a low-carbon fuel and as a way of transporting hydrogen, which is more difficult...

Natural Gas

Turkmenistan Advances TAPI Pipeline and Infrastructure Projects in Herat

Turkmenistan has spent years seeking new gas export routes, and in western Afghanistan that effort is taking physical form. By mid-September, 122.3 kilometers of pipe had been welded and laid along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) route in Herat Province. Ashgabat is also pursuing two other connections with Afghanistan along the same corridor. Energy officials are discussing a 500 kV transmission line, while plans call for a railway from the Turkmen border to reach Herat and eventually extend farther south. Herat is becoming the focal point for Turkmen gas, electricity, and freight. For Ashgabat, supplying Herat could give TAPI its first functioning...

Central Asia-South Korea Summit 2026

From Critical Minerals to Connectivity: South Korea’s Stakes in Central Asia

On September 16, Seoul hosted the first Korea–Central Asia Summit, bringing President Lee Jae Myung together with the heads of all five Central Asian states. The meeting elevated a dialogue that has run at a ministerial level since 2007 to the level of heads of state. The leaders adopted a Seoul Declaration setting the terms for future engagement and agreed to hold summits every two years. On September 14, trade and industry ministers from South Korea and the five Central Asian states met in Seoul for the first C5+Korea Industry Ministers’ Meeting. They signed a joint statement launching a standing...

Local Politics

Education Policy

Kazakhstan Education Reform Puts 12th Grade Under Review

Kazakhstan is considering whether to eliminate the 12th grade at Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS), as some families transfer their children to regular schools after the 10th grade so they can graduate a year earlier. Established in 2008, NIS is a state-funded network of elite schools specializing in science, mathematics, and languages. It operates its own 12-year curriculum. Education Minister Zhuldyz Suleimenova said 88% of NIS graduates finish school at age 18, while about 300 received their diplomas at age 19 last year. A commission is examining whether the curriculum can be compressed into 11 grades, with conclusions expected by January...

Latin Alphabet Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Senate Approves Latin Alphabet Changes

Migration Policy

Kazakhstan Prepares QazETA Entry Authorization for Visa-Free Travelers

GKNB

Maksat Asanaliyev Approved as Kyrgyzstan Security Service Chief

Akorda

Erlan Karin’s Appointment Links Reform and National Identity

Secularism

Kazakhstan Hijab Debate Exposes Divide Over Secularism

Kazakhstan’s long-running controversy over hijabs in schools has collided with a wider public argument about religion, exposing sharp differences among prominent public figures and institutions over the boundaries of the country’s secular model. The latest religious controversy in Kazakhstan’s social media space was triggered by two statements made within the span of a week. On September 3, well-known Kazakhstani film and entertainment producer and former television host Bayan Alaguzova wrote on Threads that she was “tired of religion and its propaganda.” “I’ll say this right away,” she added. “There’s no need to frighten me with hell – it doesn’t exist...

Education

Kazakhstan Tests AI After Finding 700 Errors in School Textbooks

Kazakhstan is testing artificial intelligence (AI) as part of an overhaul of school textbooks after the Education Ministry identified around 700 errors in existing educational materials. A pilot digital textbook platform is already being used in 40 schools while the authorities consider how AI could improve future editions. One of the more striking errors is in an 11th-grade history textbook, which still refers to the capital as Nur-Sultan, even though the name Astana was restored in September 2022. Education Minister Zhuldyz Suleimenova confirmed on September 8 that the textbook, last updated in 2024, will be reissued next year. Suleimenova referred...

Government Appointments

New Kazakhstan Government Retains Core Economic Team

Kazakhstan completed the formation of its first government under the country’s new unicameral parliament on September 3. Olzhas Bektenov remains prime minister and the core economic team will stay in place, but there were changes at the foreign, culture and information, ecology, and emergency situations ministries. The government resigned on August 28 following the election of the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament, which replaced the Senate and Mazhilis. Ministers continued serving in an acting capacity while the new cabinet was formed. On August 31, the Kurultai approved Bektenov’s candidacy for prime minister. He received 137 votes, with seven lawmakers abstaining...

Government appointments

Mukhtar Tleuberdi Returns as Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed Mukhtar Tleuberdi as foreign minister on September 2. One of Kazakhstan’s most experienced diplomats is returning to a post he previously held from 2019 to 2023. For the past three years, Tleuberdi has represented Kazakhstan in Austria and at international organizations in Vienna. Tleuberdi replaces Yermek Kosherbayev, who had headed the Foreign Ministry since September 2025. The change comes as a new administration takes shape following the election of the Kurultai. Kosherbayev spent less than a year in the post, but his tenure coincided with an intensification of Kazakhstan’s relationship with the United States. In...

International Affairs

C5+South Korea

South Korea Steps Up Central Asia Critical Minerals Push

The first South Korea–Central Asia summit, held in Seoul on September 16, capped three days of bilateral meetings that produced more than 70 agreements and memorandums. The leaders agreed to meet every two years, a separate C5+1 forum for industry ministers was established, and critical minerals took a central place on the new agenda. The main question now is how many of those documents will translate into mines, processing plants, and long-term contracts. South Korea needs reliable supplies of metals for its automotive, electronics, battery, and energy industries. Central Asia wants to use that demand to develop domestic processing and...

Central Asia-South Korea Summit 2026

Central Asia’s First Korea Summit Produces Different Deals for Each Country

C5+South Korea

Kazakhstan Courts South Korean Investment During Tokayev’s Seoul Visit

Central Asia-South Korea summit 2026

South Korea and ADB Expand Central Asia Critical Minerals Push

CSTO

For the CSTO, Afghanistan Might Be the Last Credible Threat

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Regional Ties Grow as Global Reintegration Stalls

For Central Asia, Afghanistan is both a source of risk and a potential route south. Governments across the region increasingly see a more stable Afghanistan as a way to open new markets and expand economic links with South Asia. Afghanistan is a direct neighbor of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The geography is different for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, but their political and economic interests are no less significant. Many long-term plans for expanding Central Asia’s connections to the south depend in part on Afghanistan’s future and the role it can play in the regional economy. At the UN Security Council’s September...

C5+South Korea

What Could Come Next in Kazakhstan-South Korea Relations

The first Central Asia-Republic of Korea Summit in Seoul on September 16 will elevate South Korea’s multilateral cooperation with the five countries of the region to heads-of-state level. The Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum has existed since 2007 but until now has remained primarily a ministerial mechanism. Seoul is now seeking to establish a sustainable multilateral framework at the leaders’ level. The summit’s agenda is broad, with a focus on innovation, prosperity, and connectivity. One of its main outcomes is expected to be the Seoul Declaration, setting out a medium- and long-term vision for cooperation in supply chains, emerging industries, and...

Migration

Nearly 100,000 Uzbeks Return From Russia as Labor Migration Slows

Nearly 100,000 Uzbek citizens returned from Russia between August 25 and September 5, as broader figures point to a decline in labor migration from Uzbekistan to Russia amid rising costs and tighter migration controls. According to Uzbekistan’s Migration Agency, 96,415 people returned during the ten-day period. The agency has not published comparable figures for last year or explained why most of them came home, meaning the figure alone cannot be taken as evidence of a mass exodus. There is, however, evidence of a broader slowdown. Between January and June, Uzbek citizens made more than 1.1 million entries into Russia declaring...

Women in Media

Central Asian Women Journalists Set Regional Priorities Through 2029

The Coalition of Women Journalists of Central Asia is preparing a multi-year program. At a conference that opened in Tashkent on September 14, more than 100 media professionals from across Central Asia are discussing common priorities through 2029 and developing a regional guide to gender-sensitive journalism. For the coalition, the program is an attempt to move from periodic conferences toward a permanent professional network. The Second Central Asian International Conference of Women Media Professionals runs from September 14 to 15 under the theme “Regional Solidarity, Digital Security and an Inclusive Future for Journalism.” The event is organized by Uzbekistan’s Modern...

Life & Culture

YONAR

Artists Build a Temporary White Salt City in Karakalpakstan

For three days, a city appears on the Barsakelmes salt flat in Karakalpakstan. It has no permanent residents, shops, or spectators. There are tents and yurts, art installations, music, and several dozen people who have come to build, paint, perform, cook, and live together. Then the city disappears. The second international YONAR experimental art festival is taking place in Uzbekistan’s Kungrad District from September 17 to 19. Its site is about 200 kilometers from Nukus. Organizers call the temporary settlement White Salt City. There is no conventional festival audience: anyone who comes to YONAR becomes a participant. They can create...

Chess

Kyrgyzstan Opens National Chess Academy in Bishkek

Podcast

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

Architectural Heritage

Ashgabat’s Postwar Architecture Is Disappearing One Building at a Time

Cinema

Kazakhstani Director Darkhan Tulegenov: “We Have Long Been Part of the Global Film Industry”

FIDE Chess Olympiad

Samarkand Chess Olympiad Hosts FIDE Election as Timur Turlov Outlines His Plans

The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, brings national teams together from September 15 to 27. Alongside the competition, delegates will elect the next leadership of FIDE, the International Chess Federation. Three presidential tickets have been approved for the September 26 election. Entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner, co-founder of Freestyle Chess with Magnus Carlsen, is running with Malcolm Pein for deputy president. WR Chess founder and WR Group chairman Wadim Rosenstein is standing with Gordon Tang. Freedom Holding Corp. founder and CEO Timur Turlov, who also heads the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, is running with Viswanathan Anand. The Times of Central...

Almaty Museum of Arts

Almaty Museum of Arts Begins Centre Pompidou Partnership With The Clock

A year after opening, Almaty Museum of Arts (ALMA) has brought one of contemporary art’s best-known works to Kazakhstan: Christian Marclay’s The Clock, a 24-hour artwork assembled from thousands of film and television clips. The installation, jointly owned by Centre Pompidou, Tate, and the Israel Museum, marks the beginning of a long-term partnership between the Almaty museum and its Paris counterpart. The Clock opened to the public on September 12 and will run through October 12. The work is being shown in Central Asia for the first time. Marclay created it in 2010 from thousands of fragments of films and...

Elena Rybakina

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina Wins US Open Ahead of World No. 1 Debut

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina has won the US Open women’s singles title, defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in New York to claim the third Grand Slam championship of her career. Rybakina entered the final having already secured the world No. 1 ranking following her quarterfinal victory over Zheng Qinwen. She will officially take the top position when the new WTA rankings are published on Monday, becoming the first player representing Kazakhstan to reach No. 1 in singles. The US Open title adds to her Wimbledon championship in 2022 and Australian Open victory earlier this year. She has now won three...

Education

New OECD Assessment Reveals Central Asia’s Student Performance

International student assessments help governments identify where students are succeeding, where they are falling behind and how learning outcomes are changing over time. The Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA, tests how well 15-year-olds can apply what they have learned in science, mathematics and reading to real-world problems. Run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the assessment is intended to identify weaknesses and track whether learning improves over time. The results released on September 8 show improvement in some areas, declines in others and significant gaps in the regional data. PISA 2025 placed particular emphasis on...

Justice

Rule of Law

Kyrgyz Court Upholds Ex-Security Chief Tashiyev’s Conviction but Changes Charge

On September 10, the Bishkek City Court upheld convictions against former security chief Kamchybek Tashiyev and seven others, but changed the offense from plotting to overthrow the government to interfering with electoral rights. All eight had been convicted in July of plotting the violent overthrow of the government. They received four-year prison sentences, replaced by three years of probation. The change has added to the confusion surrounding the alleged plot. On September 14, Tashiyev’s lawyer asked the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate the appeal judges’ actions, saying the defense had received no warning of the new charge. The Letter of...

Murder Convictions

Uzbek Women Murdered in Istanbul: Two Men Sentenced to Life

Psychology

Psychologists in Kyrgyzstan Face New Regulation Push

Kamchybek Tashiyev

Kyrgyz Prosecutors Seek Nine-Year Prison Terms for Tashiyev and Seven Others

Islam and National Identity

Dombra Dispute and Niqab Bans Fuel Religious Debate in Central Asia

Opinion

Opinion: How Europe Balances Conditions and Interests in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan has enjoyed preferential access to the EU market under GSP+ since 2021. The program removes tariffs on thousands of products for countries that commit to implementing international conventions on human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and governance. Uzbekistan is one of two Central Asian countries, alongside Kyrgyzstan, participating in GSP+. Tajikistan receives the less generous standard GSP preferences, while Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are outside the scheme because they are classified as upper-middle-income economies. Uzbekistan makes extensive use of the program. In 2024, its preference utilization rate, the share of eligible exports entering the EU duty-free, was 92.2%. EU imports...

Illegal Migration

Uzbekistan Proposes Up to 15 Years in Prison for Organizing Illegal Migration

Uzbekistan wants to introduce a separate criminal offense for organizers of illegal migration, carrying penalties of up to 15 years in prison. The proposal comes at a time when large numbers of Uzbeks continue to work abroad, with Russia still the largest destination, even as conditions for migrant workers there become increasingly restrictive and risky. The draft amendments are open for public discussion until September 8. They would create a new criminal offense for organizing or assisting illegal migration for financial gain, including arranging unlawful border crossings or transit through Uzbekistan. Penalties would start at three to five years in prison...

Bloggers’ Rights

Uzbekistan’s New Bloggers’ Council Has No Confirmed Leader

Uzbekistan’s Union of Journalists says it plans to help bloggers when officials refuse to provide information or when they face pressure over their work. The proposal follows several prosecutions of bloggers known for reporting on alleged local corruption or criticizing public officials. The initiative immediately encountered a leadership problem: one day after the Creative Council of Bloggers was announced, the blogger expected to lead it said he had declined the position. The Union of Journalists announced the council on August 7, saying the decision reflected the growing role of bloggers in Uzbekistan. According to the union, bloggers increasingly compete with...

Cybersecurity

Kazakhstan Examines Data Leak Claim Involving 15 Million People

A database allegedly containing the personal information of 15 million people in Kazakhstan has appeared on the dark web. The seller is asking 0.5 bitcoin, about $32,000, for a dataset containing tens of millions of records. The seller claims the information was obtained after hacking the government’s eGov portal. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development has not confirmed that account. Specialists are examining samples of the database and trying to determine where the data came from. The sale was reported by the Russian Telegram channel Mash. According to the channel, the file is about 2.7 GB and contains...

Environment

Natural Disasters

Tajikistan Turns to Early Warning Systems as Climate Risks Grow

On the evening of May 1, a mudflow swept into residential neighborhoods in Kulob, southern Tajikistan. When water flooded a neighboring house, Mirzo Muloniezov rushed inside and managed to carry out his two-year-old grandson. The water had already reached the electrical outlets. Muloniezov was electrocuted. Neighbors pulled him from the water, but he could not be saved. In the first six months of 2026, Tajik authorities recorded 741 natural emergencies. Avalanches accounted for 508 of them, while another 123 were mudflows. Twelve people were killed, and economic damage exceeded TJS 52.8 million – about $5.7 million. Dushanbe is now discussing...

Central Asia Water Cooperation

Water in Central Asia: Can the Five States Reach an Agreement?

Cotton

Uzbekistan Cotton: Mirziyoyev Decries ‘Slaves to Cotton’ Past

Semipalatinsk Test Site

Tokayev Calls for Nuclear Talks 35 Years After Semipalatinsk Closure

Aral Sea

Aral Sea Restoration Could Prevent 605 Million Tons of CO2 Emissions

Glacier Melt

Kyrgyzstan Drafts $850 Million Climate Adaptation Plan Through 2035

Kyrgyzstan has put a national climate adaptation plan through 2035 out for public consultation as shrinking glaciers and changing river flows threaten water supplies, agriculture, and hydropower. Published on September 3, the draft sets out measures including climate-risk mapping, better monitoring, and improved warning systems for droughts, floods, and mudflows. The risks extend beyond Kyrgyzstan, as rivers rising in its mountains feed water systems shared across Central Asia. The draft National Adaptation Plan remains subject to public consultation and government approval. Its preliminary cost for 2026–2035 is estimated at 74.5 billion som, with more than half expected to come from...

Glaciers

Tajikistan Glacier Mudflows Warning Issued as Climate Risks Grow

Tajikistan’s government is warning people in several mountainous regions about the threat of “localized and glacial mudflows” in the next few days, highlighting the hazards faced by some communities in a country where glaciers are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change. The warning comes days after a landslide and the collapse of part of a glacier set off catastrophic flooding in Nepal that, according to the official figures on Tuesday, killed more than 1,000 people and left about 4,000 people missing. While the likelihood of a similar event occurring in Tajikistan is difficult to gauge, authorities there are aware of...

Methane Emissions

Turkmenistan Methane Emissions Under Scrutiny After 192 UN Alerts

UN satellite monitoring has identified Turkmenistan as one of the world’s most serious methane hotspots, with 192 alerts for the country issued over the past year. Three of the six largest leaks detected globally by the system over the past six months were in Turkmenistan, as were nine of the top 50. Eight major leaks have since been stopped after repairs. For Ashgabat, however, the issue is also taking on commercial significance: new EU rules are gradually linking access for imported gas to the European market with its methane footprint. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has confirmed eight cases...

Opinion

Can Uzbekistan’s Green Transition Offset Its Gas Decline?

Uzbekistan faces a widening energy gap. Natural gas production peaked in 2008 and, after a partial recovery in the late 2010s, has fallen sharply. Official figures show output dropped from 61.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2018 to 41.5 bcm in 2024. Production fell another 15% year on year in the first quarter of 2026. The gap is already being filled from abroad. Russian gas deliveries rose 15% in 2025 to nearly 6.5 bcm, while Uzbekistan also imports gas from Turkmenistan. Renewable electricity cannot replace every household or industrial use of gas. It can reduce the volume burned in power...

South Korea Steps Up Central Asia Critical Minerals Push

Latest

Features

Features

Martial Moves, Peculiar Procurement, and the Sixth Nomad Games

Latest

Dastan: Sobir Ruziev, Soviet Fencer Who Elevated Uzbek Sport

Martial Moves, Peculiar Procurement, and the Sixth Nomad Games

Dastan: Sobir Ruziev, Soviet Fencer Who Elevated Uzbek Sport

Opinions

Opinions

Issatay Minuarov

Timur Serikuly

Javier M. Piedra

Mathieu Lemoine

Timur Serikuly

Zamirbek Minbaev

Askar Alimzhanov

Zamirbek Minbaev

Igor Klevtsov

Dr. Magsud Mammadov

UNDP Representatives in Kazakhstan, Katarzyna Wawiernia, Kyrgyzstan, Alexandra Solovieva, Tajikistan, Sudipto Mukerjee, Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, Uzbekistan, Akiko Fujii.

Zamirbek Minbaev

Business & Economy

Business & Economy

SOCAR and BP Prepare for Exploration Drilling in Uzbekistan’s Ustyurt Region

Kyrgyzstan Pharmaceutical Logistics Complex Begins Construction in Bishkek

South Korea’s YPP Considers $2 Billion Green Ammonia Project in Kazakhstan

Turkmenistan Advances TAPI Pipeline and Infrastructure Projects in Herat

From Critical Minerals to Connectivity: South Korea’s Stakes in Central Asia

Local Politics

Local Politics

Kazakhstan Education Reform Puts 12th Grade Under Review

Kazakhstan Hijab Debate Exposes Divide Over Secularism

Kazakhstan Tests AI After Finding 700 Errors in School Textbooks

New Kazakhstan Government Retains Core Economic Team

Mukhtar Tleuberdi Returns as Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister

International Affairs

International Affairs

South Korea Steps Up Central Asia Critical Minerals Push

Afghanistan’s Regional Ties Grow as Global Reintegration Stalls

What Could Come Next in Kazakhstan-South Korea Relations

Nearly 100,000 Uzbeks Return From Russia as Labor Migration Slows

Central Asian Women Journalists Set Regional Priorities Through 2029

Life & Culture

Life & Culture

Artists Build a Temporary White Salt City in Karakalpakstan

Samarkand Chess Olympiad Hosts FIDE Election as Timur Turlov Outlines His Plans

Almaty Museum of Arts Begins Centre Pompidou Partnership With The Clock

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina Wins US Open Ahead of World No. 1 Debut

New OECD Assessment Reveals Central Asia’s Student Performance

Justice

Justice

Kyrgyz Court Upholds Ex-Security Chief Tashiyev’s Conviction but Changes Charge