SEPT. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The black flag of Islamic extremist group ISIS was draped momentarily over a bridge in Tashkent, media reported. Uzbekistan is sensitive to Islamic extremist action because of its long-running fight with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). Media said that police quickly removed the flag.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 199, published on Sept. 10 2014)
SEPT. 8 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – A French warship docked at the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi for joint-exercises with Georgia forces, another show of support for the country from a NATO member. This is the third visit to Georgia by a French naval ship this year.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 199, published on Sept. 10 2014)
AUG. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – In two separate demonstrations, hundreds of protesters in Kyrgyzstan blocked roads to try and stop production at an iron ore mine and an oil refinery, media reported. In both cases, the protesters claimed the sites were damaging the environment, a well-used tactic by protesters wanting to stop industrial production.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan’s government has refused entry to athletes from Nigeria and Sierra Leone for the World Wrestling Championship scheduled to start on Sept. 8 in Tashkent because of fears that they could spread the deadly Ebola virus, media reported.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
SEPT. 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakh security forces are searching for a canister of radioactive cesium 137 after it was lost while being transported in the western region of Mangistau, media reported. The canister was being transported by car — it’s unclear where to or why — when it was lost or stolen.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – China has started work on building a new cement factory in Kyrgyzstan, underlining its commitment to Central Asia. The cement factory will be the biggest in Kyrgyzstan and will cost $70m. China has assumed an increasingly tight grip on Central Asia’s economies.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Fighting between ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Uzbeks in a village in the south of the country injured at least two people, media reported. The authorities quickly issued a statement denying that the fighting was motivated by ethnicity although media reports strongly suggested that this was the trigger.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police in Azerbaijan arrested opposition journalist Seymur Hazi on suspicion of hooliganism. Mr Hazi’s supporters said the charges were politically motivated. The US and the UN have accused Azerbaijani officials of harassing opposition activists and journalists.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) marked the UN’s International Day of the Disappeared by highlighting the dozens of people who have disappeared in Turkmenistan in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “Many families of the disappeared simply don’t know whether their loved ones are dead or alive,” HRW said in a statement.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Reports from the regions said that queues up to a kilometre-long have been forming outside petrol stations as motorist try to re-fuel their cars.
In the northern city of Uralsk only four of 11 petrol stations were serving motorists without vouchers.
A combination of low refining capacity while upgrades are made; the devaluation of the tenge currency, which has made imports more expensive; restrictions on the quantity of imports have reduced petrol supplies.
Officials have said that they are working to bring the situation under control but frustrations threaten to bubble over.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazrbayev relies, to some degree, on the people becoming increasingly rich and comfortable for his popularity. If this starts to reduce, or become visibly impaired, his popularity may drop.
ENDS
Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
Petrol shortages have worsened in Kazakhstan over the past few months.
