The Taliban reject US President Trump’s bid to retake #Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan apnews.com/article/afghan…

#Kazakhstan plans foray into "panda bonds", yuan-dominated sovereign debt, to fund a raft of joint projects with #China bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

The Taliban has shut down access to fiber-optic Internet in large swaths of Afghanistan. The Internet has been a lifeline for Afghan women, many of whom lost their right to work and study following a Taliban ban in 2022. By Azadi Radio rferl.org/a/afghanistan-…

Smile for the camera -- or don’t. Photoshop can fix that. In Central Asia, official photos of presidents are often heavily retouched: wrinkles erased, teeth whitened, height altered, and smiles added. Sometimes the edits are so extreme, the photos spark jokes online.

13 citizens of Uzbekistan were trapped in forced labor in Ukraine. Promised high wages, their passports were seized and they were locked on a farm in brutal conditions until local police uncovered the scheme and freed them.

Пажӯҳишгоҳи Идоракунии Амниятии Иёлоти Муттаҳида як семинарро барои ҳамтоёни тоҷик оид ба вокуниши гражданӣ-ҳарбӣ ба офатҳои табиӣ, зери роҳбарии ИМА баргузор намуд. Якҷоя, онҳо нақшаҳоеро барои вокуниши фаврӣ, бехатар ва ҳамаҷониба ба заминларзаҳо, обхезиҳо ва дигар ҳолатҳои

Revered founding father or despised despotic dictator? Check out my new Substack post on attitudes to the late president Islam Karimov in the New #Uzbekistan that his sucessor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, says he is building. open.substack.com/pub/joannalill…

New Havli Weekly Roundup Kyrgyzstan sets early elections, Tokayev rails against climate “fraud,” Kazakhstan names a nuclear site, and Real Madrid thrash Kairat amid chaos in Almaty. Plus: China’s projects advance, and a notorious Turkmen prosecutor dies. Link in replies

Kyrgyzstan president seeks the restoration of the death penalty after a teenage girl was raped and murdered in Bishkek. rus.azattyq.org/a/prezident-ky…

In his latest analysis, Bruce Pannier traces Turkmenistan’s gas export struggles and TCP’s failure. With TAPI & TCP stalled and 80% going to China, can Ashgabat diversify? Link to article: turancenter.org/analysis/trans…

After Internet Restored, Afghans Recount ‘Being Suffocated’ During Blackout #afghanistanoffline #Kabul rferl.org/a/afghanistan-…

Central Asians fall under new regulations in #Russia limiting those who enter visa-free to only 90 days in the country per year - even Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, who are meant to enjoy free movement under the Eurasian Economic Union tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_new…

An important interview by Aqylbek Muratbai for Власть on plight of Karakalpaks + his own plight as activist persecuted for his vital work. Aqylbek has done more than anyone to raise international awareness about rights abuses in #Karakalpakstan #Uzbekistan vlast.kz/english/66712-…

Iranian Women Refusing To Wear Hijab, the Weakened Regime Looks The Other Way. #hijab #Iran #WomanLifeFreedom rferl.org/a/iran-hijab-w…

To protect supplies in Russia, where long lines at gas stations have been reported in some regions, Moscow has banned or restricted the export of gasoline and diesel. How is this affecting Central Asia? By Farangis Najibullah , Азаттык радиосу rferl.org/a/russia-expor…

#Kyrgyzstan’s #economy is booming — 10% growth in less than a year. But when “growth” comes from #Russian money rerouted by sanctions, how real is it? Kyrgyzstan GDP up 10% in Jan-Sept year-on-year as Ukraine war reroutes supply chains reuters.com/world/asia-pac…

Russia's Ban on Energy Exports Exposes the Extent of Central Asia's Dependence on Moscow rferl.org/a/russia-expor…

After Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries prompted Moscow to restrict exports of gasoline and diesel, Central Asian countries are facing crippling fuel shortages. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Farangis Najibullah breaks down the impact on some of the former Soviet republics 👇 rferl.org/a/russia-expor…