Eurasianet

A cratering economy, the world’s slowest internet, and the army takes charge of food production. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

The World Health Organization continues to indulge Turkmenistan’s lies about the coronavirus. Our weekly briefing.

Our weekly Turkmenistan briefing: Berdymukhamedov goes traveling and lectures the WHO, while YouTube bows to Turkmen censors and takes down Eurasianet’s channel.

In recent years the Caucasus country has become a magnet for Iranian students, business owners, and dissidents. But now many report they’re not being allowed to enter.

While clumsy on COVID-19, Turkmenistan is being more sure-footed, or consistent at least, on the Afghanistan front. Plus, unsustainable agriculture. Our weekly briefing.

Poor and rural families are not equipped to handle online school. Now they fear another academic year is going to start with schools still closed.

A few months ago, the thought of taking a Chinese COVID vaccine was unthinkable to Georgians. Now it’s the norm.

Abu Dhabi invests in green energy, China gets another drilling contract, and Ashgabat cuts funding to universities. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

After some early success in fighting COVID, Georgia let down its guard. Then I did, too.

While the president and his son indulge their favorite pets, food for people is increasingly scarce. Our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Although Turkmenistan is rarely mentioned as a prospective member of the Moscow-led EAEU trading bloc, that notion is quite obviously on the Kremlin’s mind. Our weekly briefing.

The death of a nurse, hasty European policy decisions and the Georgian church’s indifference all have contributed to a rocky rollout for the vaccination campaign.

Banned news channels, banned cartoons, and a food crisis on the horizon. Our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

More than 40 percent of Georgians say they don’t want to get the jab, which could complicate public health efforts when the vaccines finally arrive.

Cover-ups are the norm. Result: more corruption, higher costs of living and a still-uncontrolled pandemic.