Armenia: Mafia State?

Onnik Krikorian looks at whether or not Armenia is a mafia state.

Armenia: Benefits of Foreign Language

Nessuna posts about the benefits of speaking a foreign language in Armenia.

Uzbekistan: Women Making Ends Meet

At neweurasia, Shohruh writes about women struggling to make ends meet in Uzbekistan. In another post on the same blog, Ben Paarmann profiles a blog dealing with women's issues written in Uzbek called Ayollar Bekati (Women's Station).

Global Food Blog Report #28

#1: From Tanzania, MiRecipe.com spices up the day with an incredible easy and delicious recipe to prepare "Chatini Ya Ukwaju" (Tamarind Chutney). It is great with bread, and a tasty addition to your salad, fish or chicken dishes. Recipe in EN and Swahili. Get the recipe now! #2: From Germany,...

Tajikistan: Recent News

Vadim rounds up news about recent news from Tajikistan.

Uzbekistan: The Uzbek & the London Terror Plot

Nick of neweurasia points out that the arrest of an Uzbek militant in Pakistan provided the trigger for the recent arrests in the UK of those accused of plotting to blow up airliners headed to the United States.

Uzbekistan: Site Closures

Registan.net reports on the closure of music and video download sites in Uzbekistan and a human rights activism website that focused on Uzbekistan but was hosted in Russia.

Armenia: Walking Alongside Men

Marcella again contributes a post about women's issues in Armenia at di cavoli e di re, saying that women need to find a way to be more independent of men.

Uzbekistan: Shouting & Swearing

Shohruh of neweurasia translates an Uzbek language article on shouting and swearing as a tool of governance and briefly comments on the passivity with which it is accepted.

Mongolia: Banks

Alexa reports that Mongolia has plenty of banks, but few that are easy to do business with.

Armenia: Leaving Lachin

Onnik Krikorian reports on the depopulation of the Lachin corridor, an area of land linking Armenia to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Residents attracted there with promises of land and work are now leaving.

Uzbekistan: Andijon Refugees in US

Registan.net publishes a letter circulating amongst US resettlement workers who are helping resettle refugees from last year's violence in Uzbekistan's eastern city of Andijon. The letter addresses what the anonymous authors says are very serious problems that need to be addressed to prevent the refugees from returning to Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan: Residency Ordeal

Irene continues to detail the trials and tirbulations involved in getting a residency permit in Kazakhstan (RU).

Tajikistan: Death of a Peacemaker

James of neweurasia has more on the death of Said Abdullo Nuri, who he says was instrumental in moving forward the peace process ending the Tajik civil war.

Voices from Central Asia

Armenia: Screen Scene

Nareg of Life in Armenia wants to know what is up with the sudden appearance of large, flat-panel screens in various locations around Yerevan.

Tajikistan: Said Abdullo Nuri

Ataman Rakim writes briefly about Said Abdullo Nuri, the leader of Tajikistan's Islamic Rennaissance Party who recently passed away.

Armenia: Sex & Virginity

Nessuna carries a fictional story composed out of many elements of truth about virginity and attitudes towards sex. Onnik Krikorian and Ani have related posts.

Uzbekistan: Renewing US Ties?

Registan.net speculates on the possible reasons for today's meeting between Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov and US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Richard Boucher.

Armenia: Internet Still Spotty

Onnik Krikorian reports that internet connections in Armenia are still spotty after last weekend's loss of service. He says that if the Armenian blogosphere suddenly goes silent, the poor connection is the reason.

Kazakhstan: Doing Business

Leila of neweurasia writes about doing business in Kazakhstan and interviews a manager from a firm supplying IT equipment to Kazakhstan for additional perspective.