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.

To each their own annus horribilis.

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

The mood in Baku is triumphal but it’s heavy and vengeful rather than joyous.

5,000 people are taking part in the trials.

Medics say they are actively discouraged from seeking the compensation.

In the early days of the pandemic, Georgia enjoyed one of the most enviable rates in the world. Things began to fall apart in late summer.

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

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

Officials were irked by coverage about haphazard preparations for the heating season.

The government will help outlets that publish its propaganda.

Numbers of coronavirus cases has seen a sharp surge recently.

Ecological conservation is a matter of pride in Turkmenistan. But a disconnect between rhetoric and reality is a hallmark of the Berdymukhamedov era.

The population has not been counted in over 30 years.

The healthcare sector has been embroiled in corruption scandals for years.