Eurasianet

As the president celebrates, the economic crisis deepened by a coronavirus outbreak he has refused to acknowledge has left his people in a state of Dickensian misery.

Electricity exports; crowd control outside food shops; and despite denials, COVID strikes. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Let them eat cake.

Food prices have jumped this year and there are few jobs, but out-of-work migrants can’t get to where they are desperately needed.

An unacknowledged second wave, secret police at funerals, and congratulations from the Taliban. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

5,000 people are taking part in the trials.

Bishkek is also angling for yet more room to ease its debt burden.

Trials for a domestically developed QazCovid-in vaccine are not expected to be completed until March.

But there is no papering over the festering disillusionment.

Only the best medicine for the leader. For everyone else, bread shortages.

Any breakthrough in improving the lot of labor migrants will be touted as sign of his political heft.

The government is eager to stress that the loan is all but interest free.

Travel bans, dams and Russian fans. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

The government will help outlets that publish its propaganda.

Numbers of coronavirus cases has seen a sharp surge recently.