JUNE 3 2021 (The Bulletin) — In an effort to improve safety on Uzbekistan’s roads, the state-linked Muslim Board of Uzbekistan issued a fatwa against bad driving. Bad driving that kills people is now considered a sin under the fatwa. Uzbekistan’s roads are dangerous and deadly crashes are common.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 487 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on June 9 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
ALMATY/MARCH 14 2021 (The Bulletin) — A 20-year-old DJ from Aksu, near Pavlodar in Kazakhstan, won the country’s first Grammy award, considered to be perhaps the top accolade in music (March 14).
Imanbek Zeikenov won the Best Remixed Recording category for his remix of Saint Jhn’s 2016 song ‘Roses’.
“The best thing for a musician is to get a Grammy, we made it!” Imanbek, as he is known, said.
Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev sent his congratulations, highlighting the pride that Kazakhs, more used to winning boxing, wrestling and horse riding tournaments than music awards, have taken in the win.
“His work has demonstrated that gifted young people from Kazakhstan can reach great heights,” Mr Tokayev’s spokesman said.
Imanbek released his remix of ‘Roses’ onto Russian social media channels and then watched as it went viral. In March 2020 it rose to the top of the British singles charts.
Spotify, the music streaming app, said that it had been played 1.2b times.
He has since left his job working for Kazakh Railways to concentrate on making music.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
TBILISI/MARCH 12 (The Bulletin) — Apparently bowing to pressure from environmentalists and local residents, the Georgian government suspended work on the construction of its Namakhvani Hydro Power Project.
Natia Turneva, the Georgian economy minister, said that the project had been suspended to allow for extra studies on the “reliability and safety” of the project.
“This is a very important large hydropower plant with an installed capacity of 430 MW. It will bring in $800 million in foreign direct investments,” she said.
This is the line that the government has consistently taken with the project, one of the most controversial energy projects in Georgia.
Police and demonstrators have clashed near the construction site of the Namakhvani HPP on the Rioni River in the foothills of the Caucasus mountains. It is slated to be the largest power plant in Georgia when it is complete, generating 15% of Georgia’s energy.
Ms Turneva said that Georgian experts and institutions would be hired to carry out independent surveys of the impact of the dam on the environment and on local communities and that a $1.5m Rioni Gorge Development Fund would be set up to help people relocate.
The hydropower project, which is being developed in two parts — a Lower Namakhvani HPP (333 MW) and the Upper Namakhvani HPP (100 MW) — is being financed by international donors, including the Norway-based Clean Energy Group, and is being constructed by Enka, Turkey’s largest construction company.
Protesters, who complain about the environmental damage and the forced resettling of people from the area, have blocked access to the site for more than four months. They said that the government couldn’t suspend the project as construction work had not started yet.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
MARCH 11 (The Bulletin) — Azerbaijan, which has begun a mass vaccination scheme against the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease, said that it had now ordered batches of Sputnik-V, the Russia-made vaccine, and the AstraZeneca vaccine. Sputnik-V was the first recognised vaccine for the disease. Some European countries have stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine because of worries that it triggers blood clots.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
MARCH 10 (The Bulletin) — The Kazakh authorities said that coronavirus cases were worsening in both Nur Sultan and Almaty as it placed them both on its infection red list. Last week, the authorities had declared that the coronavirus was on the wane across the country. Nur Sultan and Almaty are the only cities in Kazakhstan on the red list.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
MARCH 9 (The Bulletin) — Despite not acknowledging a single case of the coronavirus that causes the Covid-19 disease, Turkmenistan has accepted batches of a China-made vaccine. It has already approved the use of the Sputnik-V Russia-made vaccine. Most Central Asian countries have accepted supplies of both the Russian and Chinese vaccines, reflecting the geopolitical struggle over the region.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
MARCH 8 (The Bulletin) — Women in Central Asia and the South Caucasus’ biggest cities marched in protests against domestic violence on International Women’s Day. The region, known for its unreformed macho overtones, has one of the worst records in the world for domestic violence. Activists have said the coronavirus lockdowns have exacerbated the issue. Last year the women’s rights march in Bishkek was attacked by masked men. This year it passed off without incident.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
MARCH 6 (The Bulletin) — Although some bars and restaurants have now been allowed to reopen, there were more protests in Georgia against the government’s anti-coronavirus 9pm – 5am curfew. Georgia has seen some of the most dogged protests against its government’s coronavirus restrictions.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 475 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 15 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
MARCH 3 2021 (The Bulletin) — Azerbaijani officials said that the F1 Grand Prix, touted as the highlight of Azerbaijan’s sporting calendar since it was inaugurated in 2016, will go ahead this year but without any spectators. Last year, like many of the F1 Grand Prix, the race was cancelled because of the coronavirus. The race, through the streets of Baku, is considered a fine city circuit. It is scheduled for June 6.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 474 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 5 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021
MARCH 3 2021 (The Bulletin) — Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon said that a “Year of the Glacier” was needed to draw attention to the impact of global warming on glaciers. The Pamir Mountains dominate Tajikistan and hold world-renowned glaciers. One of them is the 75km-long Fedchenko Glacier, the longest glacier in the world outside the Polar regions, which Mr Rakhmon said had retreated by 1km.
ENDS
— This story was published in issue 474 of the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on March 5 2021
— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2021