Author Archives: admin

Georgia’s President appoints new judges

SEPT. 10 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili named Irina Imerlishvili, secretary of the National Security Council, and Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze, former parliamentary secretary of the President, as new judges at the Constitutional Court. Soon after the upcoming election, Parliament and the Supreme Court are also due to nominate two new judges, which could significantly change the makeup of the 9- seat Court.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

Pakistani police arrests Kazakhs

SEPT. 13 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Pakistan’s police arrested two Kazakhs for violating their visa conditions, as they had overstayed their permits after joining an Islamic school linked to Tablighi Jamaat. Tablighi Jamaat is banned in Kazakhstan and considered an extremist organisation. Tablighi Jamaat schools span India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

ITF bannes corrupt Uzbek officials

SEPT. 14 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – The International Tennis Federation banned for life two Uzbek officials for betting offences. The two officials, Sherzod Hasanov and Arkhip Molotyagin,communicated via mobile phone the scores of games they were officiating to a third party, before recording them into the official electronic score- board, allowing illegal betting.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

World Bank finances Uzbek textile factory

SEPT. 13 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – The International Labor Rights Forum published a report corroborating claims that the World Bank could be inadvertently financing a textile factory involved in forced labour practices. The report, which follows a petition in July sent by human rights activists directly to the World Bank, targets specifically an Uzbek-Indonesian joint venture, Indorama Kokand Textile. The World Bank had previously denied the allegations, saying it only deals with forced labour-free companies.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

Pope to visit Georgia and Azerbaijan

SEPT. 12 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Vatican released a schedule for Pope Francis’ second trip to the South Caucasus. The Pope will spend two days in Georgia, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, and the following day in Azerbaijan. In June, Pope Francis had visited Armenia.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

Kazakhstan creates new ministry

SEPT. 13 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – A presidential decree connected to the recent reshuffle in the Kazakh government established the ministry of religious affairs and civil society, headed by Nurlan Yermekbayev. Mr Yermekbayev, former aide to the president and secretary of the Security Council, pledged to foster inter-religious dialogue. Analysts have criticised the creation of the new ministry as a new instrument to control society.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

Azerbaijan’s SOCAR predicts oil prices

SEPT. 15 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company, said it expects oil prices to stabilise at $40/barrel in 2017. Oil prices are crucial for Azerbaijan’s economy as it earns most of its income from oil exports. Earlier this year, after Brent prices fell below $30/barrel, Azerbaijan’s parliament formed its 2016 budget with a $25/barrel forecast.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

Inflation raises in Tajikistan

SEPT. 14 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Tajikistan’s Central Bank said that annualised inflation amounted to 6.4% in August, an increase from last year’s level of 5.1%. Inflation is volatile in Tajikistan, as it is closely tied to the Central Bank’s currency interventions. Despite repeated Central Bank’s interventions, the Tajik somoni has lost 19% against the US dollar in the past 12 months.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

China connects with AF through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

SEPT. 11 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – The first rail freight from China arrived in Afghanistan via Central Asia, potentially opening up a new trade route. China has tried to create interconnected transport infrastructure in Central Asia to promote alternatives to sea shipping. The railway linking China and Afghanistan also crosses Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for a total length of 7,500 km.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)

Kyrgyz court jails IS recruitors

SEPT. 14 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – A Kyrgyz court sentenced two women to six and seven years in prison after they tried to recruit another woman to join the IS extremist group in Syria. The prosecutor also said that the brother of one of the women was currently fighting in Syria. Kyrgyzstan and other countries in Central Asia are increasingly worried about a rise in IS recruitment in the region.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 296, published on Sept. 16 2016)