Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from November, 2009
Video: Worldwide youth express themselves in 60 seconds
The OneMinutesJr project gives young people between 12 and 20 years of age from many corners of the globe the opportunity to express themselves across borders, languages and distances through 60 second videos.
Kyrgyzstan: Water Management
Misha reflects on the problems of water management in Central Asia against the background of the news about glacial retreat in Kyrgyzstan.
Afghanistan: Empowering trading potential
Sanjar shares his idea of creating opprtunities for market linkages between small entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, sellers and businesses in Afghanistan via the use of mobile technologies.
Uzbekistan: Tashkent, a green city. Or not?
Old trees are cut down in the center of Tashkent – the shocking news was spread in the city within a day. Photo by goricvet Planetrees, or platanus, planted at the end of the 19th century, were cut down in the public garden named after Amir Temur (Tamerlane) in Tashkent...
Georgia: Why?
Serqqizi's Photo-Weblog posts photographs of the anti-government Why? youth movement in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Kazkahstan: Astana Cycling Team Is Back to Life
KZBlog's post is about some good news about the cycling team Astana after losing two premier cyclists and a long period of doubt over funding.
Kyrgyzstan: Prices for utilies are skyrocketing
Aravanski reports that the Kyrgyz government sharply increased the prices for electricity and heating, making those barely affordable by most citizens.
Turkmenistan: Influenzastan
Has Turkmenistan come down with a bad case of the swine flu? Annasoltan investigates that in a series of post on Turkmen healthcare.
Uzbekistan: Presidential daughter's self-promotion
Musafirbek writes about a charity gala-concert, held with the support of UNICEF, attended not only by singer Cesaria Evora and soccer player Samuel Eto’o, but also by some bloggers, who were hired by an American PR firm to cover the event.
Afghanistan: US opens new prison
Nick Fielding reports that the US military unveiled a new $60 million prison at Bagram airbase, north of the Afghanistan capital Kabul, saying it would provide detainees with better conditions and also promote transparency.
Afghanistan: Counting the cost of war
Nick Fielding reviews “The Cost of War: Afghan Experiences of Conflict 1978-2009″, a report by nine NGOs working in Afghanistan analyzing 30 years of war and a devastating impact they had.
Mongolia: Edurelief project “Laptops for Teachers”
Radigan Neuhalfen writes about new program “Laptops for Teachers”, aimed at promotion of education in Mongolia.
Afghanistan: UK tends to quit
Dafydd talks about the slump of the Afghan campaign's popularity among the British public, media and officials – ahead of upcoming elections in the United Kingdom.
Uzbekistan: Authorities Free Sanjar Umarov
Noah Tucker reports that Sanjar Umarov, one of the most famous political prisoner in Uzbekistan, earlier charged with tax evasion and embezzlement after founding an opposition party in 2005, has been released from prison.
Kyrgyzstan: A power play beginning?
Steven_Schwerbel reviews the developments on the opposition side of the Kyrgyzstan's political field, where the major opposition party blamed the president for violation of constitution and unlawful seizure of power through the change of constitution.
Kazakhstan: A Beacon of Anticorruption Activity?
Alexander_Visotzky reflects on the recently released Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, in which Kazakhstan leaped 25 spots from 145th to 120th.
Kyrgyzstan: President consolidates his rule
Kyrgyz President Bakiyev promoted his son to lead the Central Agency on Development, Investment, and Innovation, which controls both all FDIs and major national companies, thus consolidating his patronage network, Elina Galperin writes.
Afghanistan: Corruption, corruption
Peter Marton reacts to the news that the US could start holding Afghanistan’s government accountable for corruption by withholding money for projects, and says that corruption in this country often is a consequence of the US policies.
Azerbaijan: New Year
Azerbaijan might still be a predominantly Muslim country, but Scary Azeri in Suburbs says that many of the trappings of Christmas in the West can be observed in its New Year festivities. The blog details how the holiday is spent in much of the former Soviet world.
Pakistan: Conflict With Afghanistan
Sikander Hayat discusses about the hurdles in the path of resolving the conflicts between Pakistan & Afghanistan and some possible solutions.
Azerbaijan: News of IRI departure met with concern
Following the cessation of radio broadcasts from foreign stations, as well as the sentencing last week of two video blogging youth activists, comes news of what some see as yet another threat to a fledgling process of democratization.
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