Kyrgyzstan: New Government, Old Faces
Is President Akaev building a slimmed-down government for reform, or just rearranging an entourage of old friends?
22 Feb 05
Central Asia
Snooping Kazak Officials
There are fears the authorities could soon be handed a license to eavesdrop on their critics.
22 Feb 05
Kyrgyzstan: Top University Rocked by Dispute
Clash between two senior academics resolved by sending both on sabbatical – but the row may not be over.
22 Feb 05
Turkmen Troops Double Up as Nurses and Bakers
State looks to plug holes in budget by putting soldiers to work in the public sector.
22 Feb 05
Kazak Election Law Fails to Impress
New legislation looks good on paper but opponents say will do nothing to make elections fairer.
22 Feb 05
Kyrgyzstan: Deadly Disease Peril
Cash crisis in health service so acute that specimens of anthrax are ferried to an infectious diseases laboratory by public transport.
22 Feb 05
Moscow Extradites Controversial Tajik Politician
Russia sends former interior minister back to uncertain fate in Tajikistan.
22 Feb 05
Despair Drives Women to Drugs Trade
Central Asian drugs-traffickers are offering Kyrgyz women lucrative employment and an escape from grinding poverty
22 Feb 05
Kyrgyz Protestors Challenge Election Defeat
Once dubbed an "island of democracy in Central Asia", Kyrgyzstan is facing widespread unrest in the wake of this month's disputed parliamentary elections.
22 Feb 05
Islamic Defeat in Tajikistan
The Islamic opposition fails to become a credible political force after disastrous election results
22 Feb 05
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