JAN. 20 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Gulnara Karimova, the embattled eldest daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, said via twitter that she is working on a new design project. The announcement triggered speculation from analysts that she is trying to normalise her schedule after clashing with rivals in Uzbekistan’s intelligence services.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 21 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan increased its car production in 2013 by 4.8% to 251,342, media quoted the state’s statistical department as saying. The biggest increase was in truck production. Uzbekistan has boosted its car manufacturing base considerably over the past five years or so.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 15 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek officials flew to Moscow to attend an inter-government committee on economic cooperation. At the meeting they signed a deal to improve relations and encourage cross-border investment. This is more significant than usual as, last month, Uzbekistan ratified a deal to join a CIS free trade zone.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan’s economy is booming, Uzbek President Islam Karimov told ministers. Last year, Mr Karimov said, Uzbekistan’s economy grew by 8%, boosted by foreign investment. But while Mr Karimov’s numbers might suggest a booming economy, it doesn’t feel that way on Uzbekistan’s streets.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 21 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Highlighting the importance of finding work in Russia, Uzbeks are adding Russian names to passports. By adding a patronymic and its suffix -ovna or -ovich to their names, Uzbek youth believe they will more easily register with the Russian authorities and find work there, Radio Free Europe reported.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 17 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Another Chinese company opened up a factory in Uzbekistan. Under a joint venture with Uzbek partners, Puyang Sanshun Commerce Co. ltd will produce mobile phones and tablets in the Navoi Economic Free Zone, media reported. The Navoi Free Economic Zone has attracted a clutch of companies from Korea and China.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 22 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek President Islam Karimov has expanded the number of crimes that can be punishable under anti-terrorism laws, local media reported.
The authorities have said this move was necessary to protect the country from Islamic militants who have previously attacked government targets. Human rights defenders, though, said the expansion was an excuse to lock up more people and silence the government’s critics.
It will now be punishable by up to seven years in prison if a person is convicted of the loosely defined term of training for a terrorist act.
The expansion of the state’s anti-terrorist powers came shortly after the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its annual global report.
HRW was bleak on Uzbekistan.
“Uzbekistan’s human rights record remained abysmal across a wide spectrum of violations,” HRW said in its report.
HRW also accused the United States and the EU of ignoring these human rights violations in return for help extracting their soldiers from Afghanistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 168, published on Jan. 22 2014)
JAN. 13 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan’s government ordered the country’s largest industries to cut production costs by 10%, media reported quoting an official document. The order is a reflection of the bloated nature of Uzbekistan’s industrial base and also of the poor health of the Uzbek economy. It may also herald potential job cuts in 2014.
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(News report from Issue No. 167, published on Jan. 15 2014)
JAN. 14 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — In a speech at a military parade, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said the withdrawal of NATO soldiers from Afghanistan would increase tension along the Uzbek-Afghan border and could give Islamic militants the chance to attack. NATO soldiers are planning on withdrawing steadily through 2014.
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(News report from Issue No. 167, published on Jan. 15 2014)
JAN. 10 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) — The Uzbek government increased the price of petrol by 20% because of continued shortages. Uzbeks are already labouring under a series of price rises, from food to general utilities. The jump in petrol prices could cause resentment to grow.
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(News report from Issue No. 167, published on Jan. 15 2014)
