AUG. 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbekistan’s government has refused entry to athletes from Nigeria and Sierra Leone for the World Wrestling Championship scheduled to start on Sept. 8 in Tashkent because of fears that they could spread the deadly Ebola virus, media reported.
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(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
SEPT. 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakh security forces are searching for a canister of radioactive cesium 137 after it was lost while being transported in the western region of Mangistau, media reported. The canister was being transported by car — it’s unclear where to or why — when it was lost or stolen.
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(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – China has started work on building a new cement factory in Kyrgyzstan, underlining its commitment to Central Asia. The cement factory will be the biggest in Kyrgyzstan and will cost $70m. China has assumed an increasingly tight grip on Central Asia’s economies.
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(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Fighting between ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Uzbeks in a village in the south of the country injured at least two people, media reported. The authorities quickly issued a statement denying that the fighting was motivated by ethnicity although media reports strongly suggested that this was the trigger.
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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 29 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Police in Azerbaijan arrested opposition journalist Seymur Hazi on suspicion of hooliganism. Mr Hazi’s supporters said the charges were politically motivated. The US and the UN have accused Azerbaijani officials of harassing opposition activists and journalists.
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(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) marked the UN’s International Day of the Disappeared by highlighting the dozens of people who have disappeared in Turkmenistan in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “Many families of the disappeared simply don’t know whether their loved ones are dead or alive,” HRW said in a statement.
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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 28 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Reports from the regions said that queues up to a kilometre-long have been forming outside petrol stations as motorist try to re-fuel their cars.
In the northern city of Uralsk only four of 11 petrol stations were serving motorists without vouchers.
A combination of low refining capacity while upgrades are made; the devaluation of the tenge currency, which has made imports more expensive; restrictions on the quantity of imports have reduced petrol supplies.
Officials have said that they are working to bring the situation under control but frustrations threaten to bubble over.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazrbayev relies, to some degree, on the people becoming increasingly rich and comfortable for his popularity. If this starts to reduce, or become visibly impaired, his popularity may drop.
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(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
Petrol shortages have worsened in Kazakhstan over the past few months.
SEPT 2 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmenistan is one of China’s most important energy suppliers, the deputy director of PetroChina, Lu Gongxun, said in an interview.
His comments, while not breaking news, underline the importance and high regard that China places on its new partner. Turkmenistan has become vital for the Chinese economy, sending around 50 billion cubic metres (cbm) of natural gas to China each year.
And it’s going to become even more important. By 2021, Turkmenistan will be pumping 65bcm of gas to China each year, eclipsed only by Russia.
“Turkmenistan’s rich gas resources facilitate the implementation of China’s goal of diversifying energy imports. The natural gas imports from the Central Asia play an indispensable role in ensuring the state energy security of China,” he Lu said according to press reports.
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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 27 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – Around 50 residents of an Ashgabat suburb blocked workmen from removing air conditioning units from their apartment block, media reported, a rare public protest in Turkmenistan. Turkmen officials have ordered apparently unsightly air conditioning units to be removed from apartment blocks despite the souring summer temperatures.
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(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)
AUG. 30 2014 (The Conway Bulletin) – The Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU) is still a few months from coming into existence and yet Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is already threatening to quit the Russia-led alliance.
In an interview with a local TV station, Mr Nazarbayev said he wouldn’t be afraid of quitting the EaEU if the group was damaging the national interests.
“Our independence for which our forefathers fought is our greatest asset,” he said. “First, we will never sacrifice our independence. Second, we will do everything to defend it.”
Mr Nazarbayev’s comments are important as they come against the backdrop of fighting in Ukraine, where Russia is accused of supporting pro-separatist forces. Kazakh officials have become increasingly nervous that the Russia dominated north of the country may look to secede with Russia’s support.
Although economics and business interests weren’t mentioned by My Nazarbayev, there was also a clear underlying message.
Kazakhstan’s increased association with Russia has hurt it economically. Russia’s economy is so important for Central Asia that if it is impinged, this economic malaise is felt further down the chain.
The Eurasian Economic Union will come into place in 2015 and will be a direct descendent of the current Customs Union. Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus are members Customs Union. Kyrgyzstan and of the Armenia plan to join the group in the next few months.
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Copyright ©The Conway Bulletin — all rights reserved
(News report from Issue No. 198, published on Sept. 3 2014)