Bad week for giraffes in #CentralAsia. A twisted stomach killed one at the Tashkent zoo t.me/tashzoo/3800. The next day a 25-yo resident of the Almaty zoo succumbed to old age liter.kz/zhiraf-skoncha…. The good news is the number of 'Giraffe' cafes in Bishkek rose to 10.

A group of migrants from #CentralAsia en route to deportation at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, 30 Dec 2024 vk.com/clip-71395814_… The number of migrants forcefully removed due to violation of Russian laws and regulations reached 80,000 compared to 44,000 in 2023.

The China Index for #CentralAsia as of October 2024 china-index.io/country The index purports to measure the PRC‘s influence in different countries using methodology reminiscent of Freedom House, i.e. relying on the subjective opinion of experts. Odd dynamics for #Tajikistan.

An in-depth survey of families and inter-generational values in #Kazakhstan tinyurl.com/3p8muzdr Vestiges of patriarchy are visible. NB also how urbanisation appears to drive bilingualism at the expense of Kazakh.

A bridal store from Batken, #Kyrgyzstan reflects on trends in makeup, hair and dress between 1990 and 2024 instagram.com/p/DBB6PUoi-8a/ Was the monobrow ever fashionable in #CentralAsia?

Dogs and their handlers can be airlifted to remote border posts in the Pamirs, #Tajikistan only during the summer months. In this 2024 photo, the puppies look rather excited about their service destination.

Fascinating stats on mutual investment in #CentralAsia eabr.org/upload/iblock/… Key trends: 40% increase in volume between 2022 and 2024; #Uzbekistan has become a major capital exporter; #Kyrgyzstan has attracted a lot of regional FDI.

How much do you expect to pay for a pair of Levi's® 501® jeans? US$44 in #Uzbekistan and US$73 in #Kazakhstan apparently energyprom.kz/articles-ru/in… A genuine imitation knock-off at Dordoi in Bishkek would probably set you back by a fiver.

Fresh stats on #Kazakhstan's booming grain export grainunion.kz/en/article/3584 #Azerbaijan is the fastest-growing destination. Dreams about annual 10mn ton deliveries to China and Iran each grainunion.kz/ru/article/3596 are a tad misguided given that in 2024 overall export was 2.4mn tons.

In the best traditions of investigative journalism, Izvestia ran a scoop based on one anonymous 'informed source': USAID has forked over $700 mn to the Taliban for the construction of the Qoshteppa canal in order to destabilise #CentralAsia en.iz.ru/en/1853052/alb… Trust me bro.

Ascot-upon-Syrdarya vk.com/video-72020657… Residents of Khujand in #Tajikistan enjoy a day at the races in their finery. Spring is definitely in the air.

Pig farming is big business in #Tajikistan. It's not to everyone's liking though. An open letter to the Prosecutor General demanded action against a piggery with 1,000 animals that has infused one neighborhood with stench and filth since 2006 farazh.tj/sahifai-asosy/… Happy Nowruz

A bulky 2025 report on #CentralAsia geopolitics from the Netherlands (in English) clingendael.org/sites/default/… Interesting visualisations of Russia as a 'crucial systemic factor' and bilateral relations (#Kazakhstan vs #Kyrgyzstan?!!!)

Interesting criminal stats from #CentralAsia at the turn of the 20th century: 38 murder cases per 100,000 population in Samarkand oblast compared to 1.3 in France and 11 in the US. NB a typical colonial Orientalist explanation for the phenomenon blaming the natives' irrationality

#Kazakhstan's love affair with #BoneyM continues unabated. Latest cover of 'Rasputin' facebook.com/share/v/1HC3D2… showcases the dombra as a superior disco pop instrument. Cf. this rendition of 'Sunny' too youtube.com/watch?v=MT5VWT…

“Traveling Through #Kazakhstan with #Dimash” - an exciting new board game that is sure to delight the whole family on a rainy weekend en.dimashnews.com/polish-fans-of… Roll the dice, and a traffic cop can either escort your UAZ-452 straight to Aqtobe or send you to Aqtau via #Uzbekistan

The #CSTO SecGen Imangali Tasmagambetov posted a video addressing fellow citizens of #Kazakhstan youtu.be/lPOtTJ8UkiQ Key points: he is not a "pro-Russian traitor", and he is not trying to drag #Kazakhstan into a war. Quite a remarkable performance.

Year 2 schoolchildren in #Uzbekistan may form a skewed opinion about kangaroos as malnourished and depressed creatures. Poor Skippy.

A recent fatwa by the Hanafi ulama in #Kazakhstan resolutely condemns cyberbullying as contravening the Shari'a muftyat.kz/ru/qa/fetvy/20… References include Qur'an 49:11 surahquran.com/english.php?so… and al-Bukhari 6064 sunnah.com/bukhari:6064

Interesting take on the Sino-Russian dynamics in #CentralAsia coming from Moscow eng.globalaffairs.ru/wp-content/upl… Both actors are doubling down on the internationalisation of tertiary education as tools of soft power leaving the West behind.