AUG. 23 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan should produce 1.1m tonnes of processed cotton in 2013, the same level as last year, an industry website reported quoting government officials. Cotton is a major foreign currency earner for Uzbekistan, the world’s sixth largest producer and second largest exporter.
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(News report from Issue No. 149, published on Aug. 26 2013)
AUG. 21 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Petrol stations in Uzbekistan have restricted fuel sales to counter a reported shortage, media reported. The shortages haven’t been adequately explained but may be due to stockpiling. A website linked to the government said fuel prices, normally controlled, may soon shoot upwards.
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(News report from Issue No. 149, published on Aug. 26 2013)
AUG. 5 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekistan is on the verge of signing a deal to send 200,000 tonnes of cotton annually to Bangladesh, media reported. Bangladesh already imports cotton from Uzbekistan for its garment-making industry but this deal should smooth the process. Human rights groups accuse Uzbekistan of using child labour to pick cotton.
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(News report from Issue No. 147, published on Aug. 12 2013)
AUG. 8 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Russia’s VimpelCom booked an 88% increase in profits from its Uzbek subsidiary for the year to the end-July because of the closure of its rival, the MTS-owned Uzdunrobita, media reported. VimpelCom has increased subscribers in Uzbekistan by 45% to 10m since Uzdunrobita closed a year ago for tax infringements.
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(News report from Issue No. 147, published on Aug. 12 2013)
JULY 23 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — At least one Uzbek soldier died in a gunfight with Kyrgyz soldiers on their shared border. Shootings are relatively common along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border but the incident again highlights tension. Analysts have said the issue could destabilise the region.
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(News report from Issue No. 145, published on July 29 2013)
JULY 24 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbekneftegaz, the Uzbek state energy company, has completed the first phase of an upgrade of the Mubarek Gas Processing Plant near Bukhara for $170m, Uzbekistan’s economy ministry said. Upgrading the 1971 gas processing plant is part of a wider investment project to modernise Uzbekistan’s infrastructure.
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(News report from Issue No. 145, published on July 29 2013)
JULY 17 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — At a meeting in Tashkent, Uzbek President Islam Karimov and China’s foreign minister Wang Yi pledged to boost cooperation between the two countries. China has been steadily increasing its economic and diplomatic interests in Uzbekistan. Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to visit Uzbekistan in September.
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(News report from Issue No. 144, published on July 22 2013)
JULY 12 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Japan Oil, Gas and Metal National Corp. (JOGMEC), a state-run company, has signed a deal with Uzbekistan to search for uranium deposits, media reported. The deal underlines Central Asia’s appeal to energy hungry countries in Asia. JOGMEC will search for uranium in the Navoi region, central Uzbekistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 143, published on July 15 2013)
JULY 13 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, quit her role as Uzbekistan’s envoy to the UN in Geneva. Ms Karimova, who has been at the centre of business bribery allegations, said she wanted to concentrate on Uzbekistan, triggering speculation over her succession ambitions.
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(News report from Issue No. 143, published on July 15 2013)
JULY 6 2013 (The Conway Bulletin) — Uzbek and Chinese companies signed deals worth $100m at an investment forum, media reported quoting Uzbekistan’s ministry of foreign economic relations. Among these was a deal between Uzbeklegprom, an Uzbek state-run company, and Chinese textile companies. The deals show China’s increasing reach in Central Asia.
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(News report from Issue No. 142, published on July 8 2013)
