Stories from Quick Reads from May, 2023
In Azerbaijan, violence against LGBTQ+ people continues unabated
According to ILGA Europe, an international non-governmental organization advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and freedoms, Azerbaijan occupies the last place among 49 countries on the organization's Rainbow Index consecutively for three years in a row.
‘Telman was here': the story of an Azerbaijani man searching for a better life
At 50, Telman spends his days walking the streets of Baku going through every trash box he finds, collecting recyclable items, food, and dreaming of a better life.
Mongolian film ‘If Only I Could Hibernate’ reaches historic milestone at the Cannes Film Festival
The film’s success is poised to kickstart a new era in Mongolia's filmmaking industry. And the government is ready to contribute.
Hungarian beekeepers find a haven for bees in Kyrgyzstan
Describing the Toktogul region, Ferenc Takács from Fulmer says: “This is a heaven for bees because it is a heaven for flowers.”
The stories of Koreans in Kyrgyzstan who converted to Islam
Their conversion is partly the result of the re-Islamization of Kyrgyzstan, which started in 1991, after Kyrgyzstan gained independence.
For Moldovan singer, Eurovision results are a bit of a ‘déjà vu’
Both the winner, Swedish singer Loreen, and Moldova's Pasha Parfeni participated in Eurovision 2012. In 2012, Loreen won the contest, too.
‘You gave me wings': Moldovan Eurovision finalist thanks his fans
Along with the Moldovan singer, musicians from nine other countries qualified from the fist semi-final for the Grand Final: Croatia, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia and Norway.
Armenia and Azerbaijan take one step forward, three steps back in mending relations
Since active fighting ceased between Armenia and Azerbaijan in November 2020, following the 44-day war, there have been numerous attempts to normalize ties and relations between the two neighbors.
Constitutional referendum in ‘New Uzbekistan’ follows the old script
The independent expert community unanimously agrees that the main goal of holding the referendum was to nullify Mirzioyev’s previous two presidential terms and open the door for his reelection.
Moldova's Eurovision participant makes humorous plug for support on official Instagram
Pasha Parfeni, a Moldovan singer who was chosen during the national round to participate in this year's Eurovision, posted a picture of his car which he wants to sell
