Kyrgyzstan

by Vladimir Rozanskij | CENTRAL ASIA

For some time now, the authorities in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan have banned end-of-school-year celebrations in order to ‘avoid excesses’. However, these celebrations continue to take place in secret in country houses or basements, with spending on gifts increasing year after year.

Central Asia and Beijing after the Astana summit

by Vladimir Rozanskij | CENTRAL ASIA - CHINA

Kyrgyz migrants become drug mules to Russia

by Vladimir Rozanskij | KYRGYZSTAN - RUSSIA

Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan slowly resume trade

by Vladimir Rozanskij | CENTRAL ASIA

Russia’s uncertain ‘turn to the East’

by Vladimir Rozanskij | RUSSIA - CENTRAL ASIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The region holds vast reserves of these minerals, now highly sought after by the high-tech industry. Kazakhstan speaks of “unparalleled deposits”. The European Union is working to foster suitable partnerships as a possible alternative to China for supplies. However, these efforts are hindered by underdeveloped technological infrastructure, which slows down the region’s real prospects for growth.

| 14/05/2025
| CENTRAL ASIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Since the collapse of the USSR, the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia have been debating whether to abandon the Cyrillic alphabet in favour of Latin script. Some argue it more closely reflects the phonetics of Turkic languages, but the issue is entangled with broader calls for “de-Russification” in the context of the war in Ukraine. Even in Kazakhstan—where Nazarbayev launched the transition with the aim of completing it by 2031—serious doubts remain.

| 08/05/2025
| CENTRAL ASIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Through tax breaks and the commissioning of new small hydroelectric power plants, the government in Bishkek is resolutely pursuing a path of ecological transition. This will bring significant benefits for businesses, but doubts remain about the impact on the behaviour of individual citizens.

| 28/04/2025
| KYRGYZSTAN
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The ‘patriarchal’ traditions of the region seem to be increasingly shifting towards the female faces of the local ‘dynasties’. This is confirmed by the sudden emergence from the shadows of Oguldžakhan Atabaeva, sister of theTurkmen President, Serdar Berdymukhamedov, and daughter of the President-father Gurbanguly.

| 14/04/2025
| TURKMENISTAN
by Vladimir Rozanskij

A proposal to modify the voting regulations is causing controversy in Bishkek. It would impose registration fees three times higher than the current ones on aspiring members of parliament in order to be able to present their candidacy. ‘Only the rich will be able to stand for election’.

| 09/04/2025
| KYRGYZSTAN
by Vladimir Rozanskij

After much hesitation and meetings at the level of individual countries, now in Samarkand the European Union has openly declared its intention to ‘raise relations to the level of strategic partnership’ with the region as a whole. But local leaders, who aim to ‘diversify’ their foreign policy, are waiting to see how many resources Brussels will really put on the table.

| 07/04/2025
| CENTRAL ASIA
Editor's choices
 
by Alessandra De Poli
Four years after the death of the Jesuit who dedicated his life to defending the land rights of India’s indigenous peoples, the Bagaicha centre, which he founded in the State of Jharkhand, continues to fight for the poor. Despite threats and continuous ...
| 05/07/2025
| INDIA
 
An investigation by Finance Uncovered has revealed that almost US$ 40 million from state development funds from the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark have been invested in a company that operates digital surveillance infrastructure and technologies ...
| 04/07/2025
| MYANMAR
 
In the anniversary of the former British colony's transition to the People's Republic, the Hong Kong Democracy Council takes stock of the repression. Of the 161 convicted, 102 are still serving prison sentences. On 14 August, Jimmy Lai's ...
| 01/07/2025
| HONG KONG
 
by mons. Pierre Suon Hang Ly *
The new coadjutor apostolic vicar of the Cambodian capital, appointed yesterday by Pope Leo, tells AsiaNews about the challenges facing the tiny local Church reborn after the persecution of the Khmer Rouge, who fifty years ago also killed Msgr. Samar, ...
| 29/06/2025
| ECCLESAI IN ASIA
 
by Lisa Bongiovanni
On World Drug Day, a well-known South Korean journalist and former addict, Huh Jae-hyun, spoke out against a short-sighted war on drugs that marginalises rather than reintegrate in society. While local media chase after celebrities accused of drug abuse, ...
| 26/06/2025
| SOUTH KOREA
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
The report drafted for the late pope by a group of economists led by Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz has been released. The study calls for a new global initiative for the most indebted poor countries but also lays out the rules for fairer finance ...
| 20/06/2025
| VATICAN
 
Maryam Marof Arwin, founder of the Purple Saturdays Movement, spoke to AsiaNews about often inhumane conditions of Afghan refugees in Iran, which got worse following Israel’s recent strikes. At least one Afghan has died so far from an airstrike. ...
| 20/06/2025
| IRAN - AFGHANISTAN
 
by Alessandra De Poli
On 19 June, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Burmese democratic leader will turn 80 in prison, where she has been held since the military coup in February 2021. Despite her enforced silence, her son Kim Aris tells AsiaNews how his mother ...
| 17/06/2025
| MYANMAR
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”