Antoine Blua is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL.
Thai officials are warning of possible retaliatory attacks the day after more than 100 Muslim militants died in clashes with security forces in the south of the country. The violence has shocked many, and led some to question whether the actions by the authorities may have been disproportionate.
Thousands of rural people in Turkmenistan's northern province of Dashoguz lack access to clean drinking water. When potable reserves are particularly low, the population resorts to drinking highly salinated water -- and the serious health complications that come with it.
Asian countries are set to sign an agreement at a UN meeting this week in Shanghai that eventually foresees a 140,000-kilometer network of highways linking all parts of Asia. The goal is to forge economic and cultural connections the way the ancient Silk Road opened up remote, land-locked societies centuries ago.
The U.S. has listed beluga sturgeon as a threatened species but has postponed for another six months any action to protect it. Environmentalists say an immediate and long-lasting ban on U.S. imports is desperately needed to help ensure the survival of the world's most valuable commercially harvested fish.
Central Asia is becoming a major region of origin for human trafficking. Thousands of young women are either abducted or lured away from the country every year and sold into the sex trade. The problem is of particular concern in Tajikistan, which is still struggling to recover from a five-year civil war that has left many people desperate to find economic prospects abroad.
The Uzbek government has denied re-registration of the George Soros's Open Society Institute (OSI), which has spent millions of dollars to help institutions within the country.
The New York-based watchdog Human Rights Watch says the Kazakh government is undermining prospects for free and fair parliamentary elections later this year by harassing its political opponents. Astana denies the accusations.
Uzbek authorities blamed the violence on Islamic militants The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is expected to announce tomorrow whether Uzbekistan has achieved reforms outlined last year by the bank.
Prague, 2 April 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Police and security forces in Uzbekistan are continuing to round up suspects following a series of bombings and violent clashes that have left some 45 people dead this week.
President Karimov has blamed the violence on extremists Prague, 1 April 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Police and security forces in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, are conducting sweeps of the city in an effort to track down suspects following a series of bombings and violent clashes that have left at least 43 people dead.
Prague, 30 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- At least 20 people were killed today in Uzbekistan as special Interior Ministry forces engaged suspected militants in a gun battle in the capital Tashkent.
Prague, 29 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Uzbek officials say a series of terrorist attacks -- including bombings and shootings -- killed some 19 people and injured at least 26 others.
The presence of a male obstetrician in a maternity hospital in southern Kyrgyzstan is offending the sensibilities of some local Muslims.
World Tuberculosis Day is raising attention about one of the most deadly infectious diseases in the world. In the next 20 years, an estimated 1 billion people will be infected with TB, and some 36 million will die of the disease.
Turkmenistan's former chief mufti, Nasrullah ibn Ibadullah, has been sentenced to prison, but the real reasons behind the verdict remain unclear.
In this second of a two-part series, Kent Hill, the assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), discusses the region's priorities with RFE/RL.
Following the 11 September terrorist attacks and the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, Central Asia has assumed a new strategic importance. But the region's new status has yet to rescue it from the economic and social hardship that is its historic and geographic legacy. RFE/RL spoke to Kent Hill, the assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In this first of a two-part series, Hill talks about the challenges still facing Central Asia.
Kazakhstan's media freedom remains under strong pressure. Both houses of parliament have approved a media bill that critics say will limit freedom of speech. The move comes as journalists continue facing beatings, intimidation, and lawsuits.
EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten ends tomorrow his five-day tour to Central Asia after meeting the presidents of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. During the visit, the first to the region by a European commissioner since 1996, Patten stressed that a sustainable and fruitful relationship requires tangible steps in the four republics to consolidate civil rights and the rule of law.
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