Astana, Berlin (21/08 – 50)

The Sports Day is celebrated in Kazakhstan on the third Sunday of August. This year it falls on August 20. This holiday is of great importance for sportsmen, coaches, children and teens engaged in sport.

At the 1st session of the Parliament of Kazakhstan of the VIII convocation, the Head of State was assigned to create conditions to make children interested in sport. There are more than 43,000 sports facilities in Kazakhstan, more than half of them are situated in the rural areas.

The Sports Day is celebrated in Kazakhstan on the third Sunday of August. This year it falls on August 20. This holiday is of great importance for sportsmen, coaches, children and teens engaged in sport. This year, Kazakhstan approved the physical culture and sport concept by 2029. It aims at ensuring continuous training of national teams, sports reserves, and attracting population to mass sports.

This year, Kazakhstan approved the physical culture and sport concept by 2029. It aims at ensuring continuous training of national teams, sports reserves, and attracting population to mass sports.

Since the beginning of the year Kazakhstani athletes won 586 medals at the official international tournaments.

Kazakhstan won 373 medals in Olympic sports, including 121 gold, 111 silver, and 141 bronze medals, as well as 118 medals in non-Olympic sports. Kazakh para-athletes added 95 medals to the country’s tally securing 33 gold, 33 silver, and 27 bronze.

Another highlight, Kazakhstan took four gold, one silver, and second place in the team scoring at the World Boxing Championship in Tashkent. Notably, Kazakh Ruslan Kurbanov won the country’s first-ever bronze medal at the Fencing World Championship in Italy.

Coming up on September 8-15, Astana will host one of the main sports events – the 8th World Nomad Games. It is organized by the Kazakh Culture and Sports Ministry with the support of the Association of the National Sports of Kazakhstan.

Source

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IndiGo, India’s leading carrier, is embarking on a Central Asian journey with the introduction of two new international destinations. Effective from September 23, 2023, IndiGo will connect Almaty, Kazakhstan, to Delhi, offering travellers seamless access to Central Asia’s prominent financial centre. This expansion comes shortly after the announcement of non-stop flights between Delhi and Tashkent, Uzbekistan, commencing on September 22, 2023.

Almaty will become IndiGo’s 32nd international destination and the 111th overall station within the extensive 6E network. This new route aims to enhance India’s connectivity to Kazakhstan and bolster trade, commerce, and tourism between the two nations. Similarly, the introduction of Tashkent as the 31st international destination will not only promote trade but also foster stronger economic and cultural ties between India and Uzbekistan.

Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales at IndiGo, expressed enthusiasm for these developments, stating, “These new routes represent our commitment to delivering affordable, on-time, courteous, and hassle-free travel experiences. Almaty and Tashkent, both vibrant cities with rich cultural offerings, open doors to captivating experiences for both leisure and business travellers.”

Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis nestled amidst the Trans-Ili Alatau Mountains, offers stunning landscapes and diverse attractions. Meanwhile, Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, entices with its blend of modern and historic architecture, vibrant cultural scene, and iconic landmarks.

Travellers looking to explore these new destinations can conveniently book tickets through IndiGo’s official website, www.goIndiGo.in. These strategic expansions underscore IndiGo’s ongoing commitment to strengthening its international network and providing passengers with diverse travel options.

Source: Aviation24

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NAMANGANJ  and TASHKENT, Uzbekistan , Aug. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Manipal Hospital, Delhi, a leading Indian healthcare institution, will be organising a Mega Healthcare Camp in Namanganj and Tashkent, Uzbekistan on the occasion of the concluding 76th Independence Day Celebration, “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. Manipal Hospital, Delhi will also be launching an information centre and an OPD camp in Tashkent with Chinor Medical Centre. This mega healthcare camp is scheduled from August 10 to August 12, when experts from Manipal Hospitals will be coming to Uzbekistan to offer healthcare services to the people of Namanganj and Tashkent.

The camp will offer a comprehensive range of healthcare services, including an extensive OPD camp where the highly skilled team of doctors will provide specialised medical care across various disciplines like liver transplant and gastroenterology, spine and neurosurgery, and oncology surgery. With a focus on individualised attention and personalised treatment plans, the camp will address the unique healthcare needs of each patient, ensuring the best possible outcomes.

“We are delighted to be organizing this Mega Healthcare Camp in Uzbekistan,” said Dr. Shailendra Lalwani, Head of the Department of Liver Transplant and HPB Surgery. “This is a great opportunity for us to share our expertise with the people of Uzbekistan and help them improve their health and well-being. We are confident that this camp will make a positive impact on the lives of many people.”

The camp is open to all patients, regardless of their nationality or ability to pay. Patients can register for the camp online or by calling the Manipal Hospital office in Tashkent.

“We are committed to making high-quality healthcare accessible to everyone,” said Dr. Anurag Saxena, HOD and Consultant Neurosurgery. “This camp is a step towards achieving that goal. We want to make sure that everyone in Uzbekistan has the opportunity to receive the best possible care.”

Dr. Durgatosh Pandey, Head of Oncology Sciences and Consultant said this initiative is a significant step towards strengthening the healthcare ties between India and Uzbekistan. It is a testament to Manipal Hospital’s commitment to providing high-quality healthcare to people around the world. In the Mega Healthcare Camp, we aim to offer cancer care services to those in need. 

For more information about the Mega Healthcare Camp, please visit the Manipal Hospital website or call the Manipal Hospital office in Tashkent.

Source: PR News Wire

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XI’AN, China, Aug. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — On August 3, the inaugural ceremony of the China Railway Express (Xi’an – Tashkent) freight train for exporting LONGi’s PV modules to buttress Shaanxi-Uzbekistan economic and trade cooperation was successfully held at Xi’an. With a clear train whistle, “Chang’an”, the freight train loaded with 20MW PV modules (first batch of products for the 1GW project in Uzbekistan), set off for Uzbekistan to support the green and low-carbon development of Central Asian countries.

The construction of 1GW project in Uzbekistan was signed during the visit of the Uzbekistan Energy Minister to China and currently is the largest PV project invested by Chinese enterprises overseas. According to the agreement, China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) will build two 500MW solar power plant in Uzbekistan’s Qashqadaryo and Buxoro regions. As the most reliable and intimate partner of China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC), LONGi successfully won the bid and will exclusive supply all the 1GW PV modules. As the largest overseas N-type PV plant, the 1GW project in Uzbekistan will adopt LONGi’s latest product Hi-MO 7 and all PV modules will be successively transported by “Chang’an” in 60^th shipments with 3,000 containers. When put into operation, it is expected to generate 2.3 billion kWh of electricity annually, reducing natural gas consumption by about 588 cubic meters per year.

The Hi-MO 7 modules used in the project in Uzbekistan, is LONGi’s latest product launched in May this year at the Shanghai SNEC exhibition. It is a next-gen high-efficiency module designed for the global utility market. The product uses LONGi’s HPDC cell technology based on N-type silicon wafers and incorporates SMBB welding technology on the module end. It maintains the standard module size of M10-72c (2278x1134mm) and can achieve a mass production module power of up to 580W with an efficiency of 22.5%. The module is particularly suitable for application in deserts and Gobi with high surface reflectivity and high environmental temperatures. Compared with mainstream bifacial modules, Hi-MO 7 can achieve a 3% increase in power generation. Based on high-quality silicon wafers, cells and module packaging design optimizations, LONGi provides a linear power output warranty with an annual degradation rate less than 0.38%, effectively ensuring long-term benefits for customers.

Over the years, LONGi has always been focusing on customer value, continuously reducing LCOE via technological R&D and innovations. Since April 2021, LONGi has broken the world record for solar cell efficiency in different technical routes 14 times, and it recently achieved a new 33.5% efficiency for its perovskite/crystalline silicon tandem solar cells based on commercial CZ silicon wafers. Facing the trend of global energy transition, LONGi continues to innovate on products and services, allowing more people worldwide, especially those in developing and underdeveloped countries and regions, to enjoy affordable clean energy.

Zhong Baoshen, Chairman of LONGi stated that the shipment of modules to Uzbekistan is the first overseas PV power generation project after the China-Central Asia Summit. It represents the important responsibility and mission undertaken by Chinese companies in the global energy field under the “Belt and Road” initiative. Looking forward, LONGi will continue to cooperate with partners and engage in the construction of new energy projects in Central Asia, supporting the development of PV industry along the B&R initiative with reliable and high-quality products.

LONGi has achieved great results since the implementation of this national initiative. In 2022, LONGi provided 1/3 of the core equipment for PV projects in five Central Asian countries. In Uzbekistan, it participated in several government-led projects, including PV projects of the State Tax Committee Building of Uzbekistan, Almalyk Mining-Metallurgical Complex, and Uzbek State University of World Languages. In February this year, the company signed three MOU cooperation agreements with Uzbekistan and will also be deeply involved in the country’s green energy transition in the years to come.

So far, Chang’an has shipped LONGi’s modules overseas for export for over 100 times, totaling 5,000+ HC containers. It has been to Netherland, Germany, Belgium and other different countries. LONGi will continue to deepen cooperation with countries and enterprises in Central Asia, lead technological innovation during the “Belt and Road” construction and promote the development of the industry.

Source: PRN Asia

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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, July 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — A week-long international conference entitled “New Uzbekistan: development, innovation and enlightenment” opened today in Tashkent to explore the past seven years of progress on reform and to contemplate next steps.

Several hundred guests from various national institutions and government organisations together with many international partners and experts from 15 countries will spend five days discussing Uzbekistan’s achievements and progress.

The conference is a joint endeavor of the Center of Sustainable Development of Uzbekistan and and the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan.

Increased transparency and dramatic reforms have seen Uzbekistan’s speedy development in all areas of society – from a collaborative foreign policy and regional cooperation to sustainable energy and tourism. Uzbekistan has become a new destination for foreign investment, business partnerships and tourism.

The recently adopted new Constitution will ensure that the rights of domestic and international investors and business are protected.

Sodiq Safoyev, First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, noted:

“The Week of Partnership Initiatives is a unique and timely event for Uzbekistan and the international community. A number of conferences on the broadest topics will become a platform for discussing not only the results, but also the starting point for further steps in cooperation between our country and international organizations and partners

In addition to showcasing the country’s successes the conference will be a platform to debate Uzbekistan’s further steps.

With over 14 panel sessions and discussions, and other side events organized by partners and sponsors, the conference will offer many opportunities for debate. They will be moderated by a series of renowned international journalists and experts.

During the week, academic conferences, meetings, presentations, film screenings, opening of exhibitions and other events will be held with the participation of orientalists and researchers from more than 15 countries. This week will once again demonstrate the success of New Uzbekistan in the field of cultural heritage and create an excellent platform for dialogue between representatives of scientific and cultural circles from different parts of the world and discussion of many projects aimed at studying the culture and art of Uzbekistan.

The discussions will cover a broad spectrum of topics, from the new constitution to the new foreign policy, favourable business environment to quality education and innovation as well as green and renewable energy. Topics such as women’s role in the new Uzbekistan and the nation’s digital future will also be discussed.

Source: PR News Wire

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LOT Polish Airlines has launched flights to Uzbekistan’s Tashkent city, Trend reports via Uzbekistan Airports JSC.

According to the source, on March 21, 2023, at 18:03 (GMT+5), a plane from a Polish airline arrived at the international airport of Tashkent.

The air carrier plans to operate direct regular flights in this direction on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft once in 10 days until the middle of June.

In the nearest future, with the transition to the winter schedule, the airline looks to increase the number of flights on the Warsaw — Tashkent — Warsaw route.

LOT Polish Airlines is a Polish airline headquartered in Warsaw. The airline is a member of the Star Alliance — the oldest existing, largest, and most representative aviation alliance in the world. Polish airline is the 18th largest operator in Europe with over 120 destinations across not only Europe but also Asia and North America. In 2022, the fleet of the airline consisted of 79 aircraft.

Furthermore, due to growing interest in flights from Uzbekistan to European cities, Uzbekistan Airways in March 2023, announced increasing the frequency of flights from Tashkent to Germany’s Frankfurt and Latvia’s Riga.

Starting from March 29, 2023, Uzbekistan Airways introduces additional flights Tashkent- Frankfurt-Tashkent route and flights in this direction will be operated four times a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

At the same time, from March 29, 2023, the frequency of flights on the Tashkent – Riga – Tashkent route will increase up to three times a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Source : Trend

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Uzbekistan has long had special, good relations with Belarus, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said as he visited an exhibition of the Belarusian cultural center Svitanak during Navruz celebrations in Tashkent, BelTA has learned.

At an event in Yangi Oʻzbekiston, a major park in Tashkent, the Uzbek leader talked to chair of the Belarusian cultural center Svitanak Galina Tatarenko.

“We love Belarusians very much. We have had special, good relations with Belarus for a long time. You probably see, feel this,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized addressing the Belarusian diaspora representatives.

The president of Uzbekistan drew attention to the importance of peace: “The most important thing is to have peace all over the world. In this difficult time, we must support each other, live in peace and tranquility. And I will do everything to make sure that we in Uzbekistan live in peace, as one family.”

“I wish you good health and Happy Navruz,” the Uzbek leader said addressing the Belarusians.

Representatives of the Belarusian diaspora greeted the president of Uzbekistan with bread and salt and a Belarusian song.

Navruz celebrations were held in Tashkent and throughout Uzbekistan on 21 March. The festive event in Yangi Oʻzbekiston was attended by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He toured the stands of diasporas and centers of folk crafts.

Source : Belta

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People participate in events to celebrate Nowruz in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, March 21, 2023. (Photo by Georgiy Namazov/Xinhua)

People participate in events to celebrate Nowruz in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, March 21, 2023. (Photo by Georgiy Namazov/Xinhua)

People participate in events to celebrate Nowruz in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, March 21, 2023. (Photo by Georgiy Namazov/Xinhua)

People participate in events to celebrate Nowruz in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, March 21, 2023. (Photo by Georgiy Namazov/Xinhua)

Source : English News

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People shiver inside their homes after a power-plant failure in Kazakhstan. A village in Tajikistan can’t pump water due to blackouts. Streetlight are used in a “restricted” capacity in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.

Not for the first time, the cold season is throwing Central Asia’s energy shortages into sharp relief and giving hurting populations more reasons to be angry with their governments during an economic crunch.

“The shortages are caused largely by mismanagement,” Alisher Khamidov, an expert based in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek who consults on development projects, told RFE/RL. “There are huge losses of electricity, up to 40 percent in some of these countries, because the grid networks are so outdated and governments have not renovated them in years.”

Nothing Left To Spare?

In Safarmoh Bobohonova’s village 10 kilometers from the Tajik city of Kulob, daytime electricity came to a halt when scheduled blackouts began in October.

But that was the least of her problems, she told RFE/RL’s Tajik Service. “The water pump needs electricity to work. And so we haven’t had water for a month,” Bobohonova said.

In settlements around Tajikistan — although not in the big cities — annual blackouts are growing longer from week to week and are forcing residents to turn to coal.

Yet amid across-the-board inflation, coal prices have spiked 20 percent this year — a situation that traders told RFE/RL had been exacerbated by increases in road tolls levied by an omnipotent toll-collecting company.

But it is Central Asia’s most energy-rich country that has provided the most stunning evidence of the energy collapse this winter.

Ekibastuz, a city of 150,000 people in northern Kazakhstan, sits close to two of Central Asia’s largest coal mines and just 15 kilometers from a power station that supplies around 15 percent of the country’s energy.

Yet the smaller, privately owned power station that supplies the city itself and is now almost 70 years old broke down on November 27, just as temperatures plunged to -30 degrees Celsius.

In the days since the crash, footage has shown residents preferring to stand by fires instead of freezing in their apartments or face a crush to try and get an electric heater.

Residents of the northeastern city of Oskemen have also reported central-heating issues. A representative of the power station told RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service that plans to expand the station to meet growing demand were interrupted by geopolitical fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with a Russian supplier unwilling to supply parts for the rebuild.

Four of the five Central Asian countries — gas-rich, information-scarce Turkmenistan being the exception — have suffered power shortages in the last month.

Uzbekistan witnessed rare — if small — provincial protests over power shortages two years ago, and the shortages are looking similarly acute this year.

In the first half of November, a key fertilizer plant in the agriculture-rich Ferghana region ended production nearly two months ahead of schedule due to gas shortages, employees of the Ferganaazot company complained to RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service.

In Tashkent, the state company responsible for street lighting in the capital explained that nighttime illumination of central streets would be “restricted” from November 16. “We hope residents and guests of Tashkent will understand the temporary inconveniences in the…night and will also take an active part in solving the common problem of using electricity rationally and optimally,” the Toshshaharnur company said.

While Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan look to thermal power plants for the biggest share of their energy mix, in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan hydropower plays an important role in keeping the lights on.

That makes the volume of glacier-fed reservoirs adjoined to hydroelectric power stations like Toktogul in Kyrgyzstan and Nurek in Tajikistan a perennial worry for the region’s two poorest governments.

But an expert interviewed by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service argues that Tajik electric company Barqi Tojik did not have that excuse this season, suggesting that the rolling blackouts in villages this year reflected Dushanbe’s priorities. “Industrial plants receive electricity in unlimited volumes and we know that electricity is being exported to Afghanistan,” economist Abdurahmon Hakimzade said. “We should satisfy the people of Tajikistan with electricity first.”

Russia’s Offers, Renewables Drive

For the two countries with larger populations and bigger budgets — Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan — energy diversification is a visible priority.

As Ekibastuz froze, Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev was on a visit to Paris, where Kazakhstan and France signed agreements including a nearly $2 billion deal for a wind farm in Kazakhstan’s southern Jambyl region — a part of the country where the power deficit is particularly pressing.

Tashkent has also embarked on a renewables drive and signed deals worth $12 billion with Saudi Arabia in August that included plans for the world’s largest wind farm and other green energy projects.

And Russia, a thorny but long-standing energy partner for the region, does not want to feel left out. Prior to the Kremlin launching an unprovoked, full-scale war in Ukraine in February, Moscow’s Rosatom had offered to build nuclear power stations in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

But while Rosatom has yet to fall directly under Western-led sanctions, the war has added more than an element of uncertainty to those potential mega-projects.

Earlier this week, the presidential administrations of Russia and Kazakhstan confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed a “three-sided gas union” with Astana and Tashkent during a November 28 meeting with Toqaev in Moscow.

Neither country has thus far given any indication that it wishes to join such a union.

For both states, gas shortages are a straitjacket, not least because they interrupt potentially lucrative trade with China, the region’s biggest purchaser of natural gas.

In June, Sanzhar Zharkeshov, the chief of Qazaqgaz, Kazakhstan’s natural-gas company, warned officials and lawmakers that exports would not be viable next year unless there were radical changes in the sector.

One of the biggest problems, he said, were low domestic gas prices that make extraction unappealing.

This is the same argument made by the Kazakh Energy Ministry, which has complained that low tariffs for heating give power providers — especially private ones — limited incentives to overhaul outdated infrastructure.

But Khamidov, the consultant, says the fatal unrest in Kazakhstan this January ignited by an overnight spike in the cost of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) is an example of why Central Asian leaders will be very cautious about any proposals to increase energy prices for its citizens.

“Governments find it more convenient maintaining Soviet-era centralized subsidies because this keeps people calm, even if the infrastructure is falling apart,” Khamidov said.

On January 25, parts of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan — the three surviving members of the conjoined Central Asia Power System, a Soviet-legacy super-grid — all suffered blackouts in an event that some observers linked to excess demand from a boom in regional cryptocurrency mining.

Source : TheIndianExpress

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