In his debut novel, Yohann De Silva takes us from Brighton Beach to the Ferghana Valley, chasing after an Afghan smuggler and an American gambler on the run. neweurasia’s Gavin reviews the novel and interviews the author. How revealing is The Opportunists about the difficult realities of Uzbek life? Or is it only skin-deep?

Kazakhstan has launched the logo for its chairmanship of the human rights (and security, let’s not forget) watchdog, the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe).
The logo, the Foreign Ministry says, combines the flag …

“Aziz. I am Uzbek now. I need to make plov, can you teach me?” So begins the journey of an Englishman who married into a Central Asian family as he embarks upon a quest to cook plov in the latest entry to neweurasia’s ongoing Central Asia’s Top Chef competition. Witness the gourmandic bravery, the culinary passion, and the gastronomical horror! (Well, it didn’t turn out *that* badly…)

Asia-Plus reports that another shootout has taken place in the Rasht Valley, this time near Nourobod. National Guardsmen were attacked and got away with injuries, but at least six of the attackers were allegedly killed. …

Kyrgyzstan’s president has told the BBC “the doors are not closed” concerning talks over the US airbase which is due to close.

It’s a dull day. The sky, the tarmac and the aircraft all merge into gray. Only the driving wet snow adds a little shine to the picture.
Business as usual at Manas. 24/7, rain or shine, …