Stories about Central Asia & Caucasus from January, 2008
Armenia: Presidential Election Day 2
The Armenian Patchwork reports on day two of the official pre-election campaign for next month's presidential election in Armenia. She posts photographs of a rally held by presidential hopeful and former head of state Levon Ter-Petrosian in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. Despite the cold weather, thousands of supporters from the...
Tajikistan: The ice age. Now
Despite the fact that the long-awaited hydropower station Sangtuda-1 in Tajikistan has been launched, the population still does not feel the changes. It is worth of mentioning that only the first (out of four) turbines was launched and the other three will be on till the end of this year....
Kazakhstan: German Journalist Attacked in Astana
Ben reports that German journalist Marcus Bensmann was seriously injured in an attack on his life in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan.
Uzbekistan: No Refuge from the Cold
Nathan reports that Uzbeks are suffering from severe shortages of heat and natural gas. Winter gas shortages have been par for the course in Uzbekistan in recent years, but with this winter being particularly cold, they’re having a much greater impact this year.
Kazkahstan: IKEA Comes to Kazakhstan
Joshua Foust reports that IKEA, the discount Swedish retailer which furnished a swath of my apartment, is penetrating the Kazakhstani market with opening two giant stores in Kazakhstan—one in Astana, and one in Almaty.
Afghanistan: New Report on the ‘Forgotten War’
Bipasha Ray reviews the new report by European Council on Foreign Relations calling for U.S. and European governments to “overhaul their strategies and strike a ‘grand bargain’ to stabilise the country”.
Afghanistan: Cold weather victims increase
Mohammad Fahimsays that extremely cold winter causes harsh humanitarian problems in Afghanistan, with the number of people killed by cold weather and heavy snow in several Afghanistan provinces over the past four weeks has risen to over 300.
Kazakhstan: Kazakh Billionaire Noticed in London
Steve LeVine says the Kazakhstan billionaire Horelma Peramam has just spent 50 million pounds ($97 million) in the largest new residential property sale in U.K. history.
Turkmenistan: How about Buying a Flat in Ashgabat?
Maciula comments on Berdymukhammedov’s new decree on home loans and the true reasons of its introduction, which he believes lies in the sphere of simply filling up the empty multistorey apartment blocks.
Kazakhstan: A Girl from Provincial Town Leads International Reality Show
Lena B-va reports on a girl from the northern Kazakhstani town of Temirtau, and how successfully she represents Kazakhstan on the international contest “Hello Jurmala” in Latvia.
Turkmenistan: Now Safe for Clowns
Nathan says that there has been a shift in policy in Turkmenistan. The new plan is to reopen an opera house, resume circus shows and build a cinema in the capital Ashgabat.
Turkey: Crocodile Tears?
Erkan's Field Diary posts an account of attending Saturday's memorial to slain Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink in Istanbul on the first anniversary of his murder by an ultra-nationalist youth. The blogger says that while he is pleased to see some consensus in Turkish society about the tragedy of Dink's...
Tajikistan: Children and Energy Crisis
Vadim translates an excerpt from a news report about a baby who died in a hospital because of electricity cut-off in Tajikistan amidst continuing energy defivit in the country.
Kyrgyztsan: “I do not believe” campaign goes national
Asel informs that “I do not believe” campaign activists, who have started their activities after the parliamentary elections they believe were fraudulent, are planning to create a powerful nationwide youth movement.
Kyrgyztsan: Economic Freedom Index
Mirsulzhan reviews the latest Index of Economic Freedom released by the Heritage Foundation and looks at the Kyrgyzstan's place in the rating.
Central Asia: Potential Water Wars
Marat analyses potential conflicts in Central Asia that may arise in near – or not so near – future following the deficit of water resources in these countries.
Afghanistan: How to produce opium
Bipasha Ray says that Intrepid Independent reporter Patrick Cockburn finds that Afghans are helping Iraqi farmers grow poppy and produce opium, as traditional crops of oranges and pomegranates prove to be insufficient to provide a living wage.
Turkmenistan: Russia Wins Gas War
Steve LeVine opines that Russia seems to have put the last piece in place for a triumph in the epic war to control the natural gas supply between Turkmenistan and Europe.
Turkmenistan: President Legitimizes Opera
Steve LeVine reports that President of Turkmenistan Berdymukhamedov is finally starting to disassemble the weirdest decisions of his predecessor. Today he legalized libraries, the circus, cinema and the opera.
Azerbaijan: Analyzing Black January
Asking Tough Questions in Tough Places analyzes another blog post on the 18th anniversary of Black January in Azerbaijan.
Armenia: Presidential Election Monitor
My Armenia Election Monitor 2008 blog is now fully up and running and in cooperation with GV Author The Armenian Observer, it is anticipated that a weekly round up of discussion and debate in the Armenian, Russian and English language blogospheres will be made available through Global Voices Online. The...
About our Central Asia & Caucasus coverage
