Central Asia

Cotton Picking Blues

The Tashkent authorities would prefer that children forsake the classroom for the cotton fields

21 Feb 05

A lack of direction in Kyrgyz foreign policy leaves the country bereft of allies

21 Feb 05

An attempt by Caspian Sea states to divide up its riches appears only to have deepened the quarrel over the issue.

21 Feb 05

Alleged racism in the Russian police force leaves Central Asian and Caucasian immigrants vulnerable to a rising tide of skinhead violence.

21 Feb 05

A confrontation is growing between members of the majority faith and recent Christian converts amid a battle for the nation's souls.

21 Feb 05

President Karimov says harsh methods against fundamentalists are justified, while rights activists warn they only fuel their militancy.

21 Feb 05

An anticipated escalation in the government's campaign against Hizb ut-Tahrir has prompted the Islamic radicals to scale down their operations.

21 Feb 05

Uzbek women increasingly see suicide as the only way to end their suffering.

21 Feb 05

The latest epidemic is unlikely to be the last unless the country can upgrade its decaying network of water pipes.

21 Feb 05

The government is struggling to make safe decaying Soviet-era nuclear waste pits.

21 Feb 05

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