KYRGYZSTAN LETTER:The mainly Russian population is aging. Young ethnic Russians and Ukrainians are leaving, writesMICHAEL FOLEY

For those of you who missed it, Central Asia-based Eurasianet contributor Myles Smith had a great story out of Bishkek about Begemot ("hippopotamus"), a local fast food chain that's revolutionizing the Kyrgyz food scene by selling western-style burgers. Curious to learn more about the story, I sent Smith -- a freelance analyst who has lived in Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan for the last five years ...

Copyright show:  No A curious debate involving individual rights and the limits of state authority is unfolding in Kyrgyzstan. International donors and local policy makers are wrestling with the idea of whether Bishkek can compel people with tuberculosis to receive treatment – even if they don’t seek it. read more

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan - Bishkek's relations with Beijing have never been easy since Kyrgyzstan gained its independence in 1991. Trade and investment cooperation push Kyrgyzstan and China more closely together.

THE King's Sword Martial Arts (KSMA) bagged a total of eight gold medals, seven silvers and nine bronzes to emerge over-all champion in the 2012 American Bushido-kai Karate (Abka) Philippine Bushido Martial Arts Tournament held recently at the NCCC Mall of Davao Activity Center. The Nell Astudillo-mentored KSMA...

In Bishkek in the State residence “Ala-Archa” today, 30 April, took place the first meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on economic and humanitarian cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan under the chairmanship of the first Vice Prime-Minister of Kyrgyzstan Aaly Book and first Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Saying His Service Weapon . Correspondent ...

Copyright show:  No A slight, kalpak-wearing man from Afghanistan with weathered cheeks, Abduvali Abdulrashid looks out of place at a posh sushi joint in downtown Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital. He’s a one-man advocacy delegation, seeking Bishkek’s help so that roughly 1,500 ethnic Kyrgyz nomads in Afghanistan can migrate to their titular homeland. read more

In Kyrgyzstan, and throughout much of the former Soviet Union, a child with cerebral palsy, impaired hearing or autism is segregated in a so-called special school, cut off from “normal” children. Under this system, a recent study found, almost half of all children with special needs – nearly 10,000 kids – simply don’t go to school at all, robbing both the children, and society at large, of ...

Copyright show:  No This is a tale of a hippo emulating a behemoth. The outcome is a Central Asian version of a Happy Meal. read more

Embargoed: 0700hrs 16 May 2012 Premier Gold Resources plc ("Premier Gold" or the "Company") Sampling Results from 2011 Exploration Work Premier Gold (AIM: PGR), the Central Asia-focused ...