Kyrgyzstan

Despite opposition, both foreign and domestic, Kyrgyzstan continues to push forward a law that would enact further restrictions on organizations receiving funding from abroad.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov pledged to order a “complete modernization” of the plant after a February 2 explosion.

An interview with Kloop co-founder Rinat Tuhvatshin.

Kyrgyzstan’s next presidential election isn’t due until 2027, but Central Asia doesn’t always stick to schedule – making early chatter about a second term interesting. 

Bishkek is on the one hand pursuing an anti-corruption campaign, but at the same time cracking down on the very media that expose such corruption.

The recent detention of journalists and raids on homes and offices mark a further expansion of the Kyrgyz government’s efforts to rein in the country’s media through overt pressure.

It seems this instance of an individual "vomiting up" what he allegedly owed the state has led to some indigestion, and another alleged coup forestalled by the Kyrgyz state. 

The rays on the sun are a little straighter -- even if the priorities of the Kyrgyz government remain wavering. 

But President Sadyr Japarov has also made clear that change -- and cash registers -- are coming to the country's bazaars one way or another. 

The foreign ministers of the CSTO, of which Russia is a member, without apparent irony put out a statement that says “no state should ensure its security at the expense of the security of other states.”

After a December 1 meeting in Tajikistan, security officials on both sides are proclaiming success and promising progress.

Government officials say the current iteration, which was designed just after independence, looks like a sunflower.