BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (MNTV) — South Korea has launched a $10 million project to help Kyrgyzstan tackle worsening air pollution, with a focus on the capital Bishkek, one of the world’s most polluted cities during winter months. According to the Times of Central Asia, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of...
ASTANA, Kazakhstan (MNTV) — Kazakhstan has formally criminalized stalking, becoming the first country in Central Asia to introduce a dedicated statute against obsessive harassment. The measure, reported by the Times of Central Asia, defines stalking as persistent attempts to contact or monitor an individual against their will, causing psycholo...
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan (MNTV) — Tajikistan’s government has submitted draft legislation that would outlaw the use of fortune-telling and other mystical services, extending existing penalties to include not only practitioners but also their clients. According to the independent outlet Asia-Plus, the proposed amendments would add a new clause to A...
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (MNTV) — An international team of archaeologists has found evidence that hunter-gatherer communities in Central Asia were harvesting wild barley nearly 9,200 years ago, a discovery that could rewrite the history of how agriculture began. The excavation was carried out in the Surkandarya Valley’s Toda Cave, where researcher...
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (MNTV) — Uzbekistan has launched construction of a landmark National Museum in its capital, a project designed by acclaimed Japanese architect Tadao Ando and set to become the country’s largest cultural institution. The new museum will cover more than 40,000 square meters and showcase up to 10,000 artifacts, according to t...
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (MNTV) — Uzbekistan has launched its first Migrant Resource Centre (MRC), a facility designed to provide citizens with guidance on safe migration pathways and protection from human trafficking. The centre opened Thursday in the capital as part of an EU-funded program to strengthen migration governance across Central Asia. ...
ASTANA, Kazakhstan (MNTV) — Kazakhstan is set to open Central Asia’s first private contemporary art museum, a $100 million institution scheduled to debut in September 2025 in the country’s largest city, Almaty. The Almaty Museum of Arts is designed to elevate Kazakhstan’s cultural profile and connect Central Asia’s artists with global audience...
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — South Asia’s drug economy is undergoing a dramatic shift. Afghanistan, once the world’s largest producer of opium, has seen cultivation collapse under the Taliban’s ban. But as Afghan fields lie barren, illegal narcotics production is surging across eastern India, creating a new hub for opium and cannabis. According ...
KABUL, Afghanistan (MNTV) — The World Health Organization (WHO) has received more than $6.3 million in new humanitarian funding to strengthen health services in Afghanistan, where nearly one in three people lack access to basic care. The support comes from two UN mechanisms: the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Afghanistan Humani...
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (MNTV) — Uzbekistan is preparing to host one of Central Asia’s most ambitious cultural showcases as Sublimation Festival 2025 takes over the Yunusabad Sports Complex from September 12 to 13, drawing international attention to the country’s creative industries. Organizers told the media that the festival is not just a conc...
