The Uzbek party Erk intends to field a candidate at the presidential election this October. The opposition party was banned in the 1990s and its leader fled the country. A version of this article was first published on Novastan's French

On 8 March, hundreds of protesters walked the 5km length of Shevchenko Street, a major street in Almaty, Kazahstan’s largest city, and the police looked on. This celebration of International Women’s Day is a first in Kazakhstan but the reaction

The European Union has officially added Uzbekistan to the list of countries benefiting from the GSP +. 6,200 Uzbek products will be able to access the European market without customs duties. This article was originally published on Novastan's French website on

Uzbekistan’s Covid-19 vaccination programme has started in Tashkent, Nukus and 12 regions across the country. In the first stage, vaccines are free and prioritised for clinically vulnerable groups and medical professionals. Uzbekistan started the mass distribution of coronavirus vaccines on 1

Regular direct flights from Russia to several countries including Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have officially resumed. Passengers will have to follow strict measures to minimise transmission of Covid-19. A version of this article was originally published on Novastan's French website on 31

A team of international researchers discovered a brontosaurus-like Sauropod fossil in Uzbekistan this February. Dubbed Dzharatitanis kingi, this fossil is the first of its kind found in Central Asia. This article was originally published on Novastan's French website on 19 March

Huawei has finished the 5G integration process in Kazakhstan, in commercial partnership with Beeline, the biggest independent mobile phone operator in the country. The Chinese company wants to set up a pilot project in Nur-Sultan in 2021, before extending coverage

In early 2021, Khurshed Mustafoev became artistic director of the Mayakovsky Theatre in Dushanbe. The actor, director and set designer has been working with the theatre company – the only Russian-language troupe in Tajikistan's capital – for the past 20

February saw a meeting between South Korea and Uzbekistan focusing on space exploration and exploitation for peaceful purposes. This meeting was one in a series of diplomatic gatherings showing Uzbekistan’s growing ambitions to travel to outer space. A version of this

Out in the foothills near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, one can observe a dark cloud hanging over the city throughout the year. ЛИВЕНЬ Living Asia looked into how polluted the city's air is and why. This article first appeared in

Uzbekistan is ready to invest 2.5 billion US dollars by 2023 to develop its digital infrastructure, whose weaknesses were revealed by the coronavirus pandemic. This article was originally published on Novastan's French website on 19 February 2021. On 5 February 2021, the

Russian television viewers have chosen Manizha, a Russian singer born in Tajikistan, to represent Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest. A version of this article was originally published on Novastan's French website on 17 March 2021. At the 2021 Eurovision

According to official statistics the number of tourists visiting Tajikistan fell by 72 per cent from 2019 to 2020. A version of this article was published on Novastan's French website on 23 February 2021. Tajikistan’s latest tourism statistics reveal an undeniable conclusion:

Turkmenistan celebrates 30 years of independence in 2021. But what does its past and current environmental policy look like, and what does it reveal about the country? In an article published on the Turkmen news site Orient.tm on 16 February 2021,

As parts of Kazakhstan face new restrictions in 2021, Novastan looks back at life during the country's second lockdown, from 5 July to 16 August 2020. Strict measures were enacted to slow down the crisis, impacting people’s daily lives. A

On 6 February 2021, a delegation from the Taliban visited the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat. The meeting, held with Turkmenistan’s foreign affairs minister Raşit Meredow, related to the construction of the TAPI pipeline, which aims to connect several countries within the

It’s official: Kyrgyzstan will choose whether or not to modify its constitution on 11 April. Parliament approved the bill making provisions for a referendum last week and the president, Sadyr Japarov, signed it into law on 12 March. Proponents say

The Uzbek government has announced an action plan to develop the country’s tourism industry. The new measures, targeting transport, visa requirements and taxes, are in effect since the end of February. Uzbekistan hopes to promote its tourism industry despite the