Kyrgyzstan Braces For Swine-Flu Outbreak

BISHKEK -- The official number of swine-flu cases in Kyrgyzstan has been put at 61, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

Health Ministry spokesman Zuridin Nurmatov told RFE/RL that some 1 million surgical masks have been imported this month, adding that more than 2 million more masks will be made available through pharmacies.

Local experts estimate that about one-third of Kyrgyzstan's 5.5 million people will be infected by the H1N1 virus this season.


Source:rferl.org

HRW urges Kyrgyzstan to free activists

A prominent international rights group has urged Kyrgyzstan to free two jailed activists who it says were imprisoned because of their investigation into rights infringements.
Human Rights Watch said Thursday that Bakhrom Khamroyev and Izzatilla Rakhmatillayev were arrested in the southern town of Osh while researching claims of abuse against alleged religious extremists.

Khamroyev works for Russia-based Memorial Human Rights Center, whose director was barred entry into the Central Asian nation in February.

Government opponents says political freedoms have steadily declined since President Kurmanbek Bakiyev came to power in 2005.

Kyrgyzstan hosts a U.S. air base serving as a supply transit point for troops in nearby Afghanistan.

Source:etaiwannews.com

At least 369 Christian institutions function in Kyrgyzstan

At least 369 Christian religious institutions function in Kyrgyzstan, Kanybek Osmonaliev, Director of the State Religious Affairs Commission told the news agency 24.kg.Wednesday.

About 46 temples and parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church, a convent, two Old Believers churches, four catholic communities carry out their activities at the territory of the republic. Over 311 protestant institutions, including 49 Baptist sects, 21 Lutheran organizations, 53 Pentecostal objects, 31 Seventh-day Adventists, 33 Presbyterians institutions, 43 objects of Charismatic movement, 41 institutions of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 16 religious protestant organizations and 24 missions of foreign Christian confessions carry on their religious missions in the country.

As to Osmonaliev, 15 protestant educational institutions function in Kyrgyzstan, therewith over 88 percent of Christian institutions and objects lay in the north. “They are situated mainly in economically and socially developed regions, in particular, in Bishkek and Chui region,” head of the state commission said.

Source:24.kg

MP: Kyrgyzstan not to create new Internet bill, amend current ones

“Kyrgyzstan has made a decision not to create a new Internet bill, but to amend the current ones,” Alisher Sabirov, Member of the Kyrgyz Parliament said Tuesday at the regional round table on human rights Internet-initiatives and online-journalism in Central Asia.

“Kyrgyzstan as part of the Interparliamentary Assembly signed a model Internet draft which was later submitted to the Kyrgyz Parliament’s consideration and caused heated debates in the society. Finally, we decided not to create a separate bill, but make amendments to the current ones. For instance, corrections to the Media bill or bill on Communications will help and prevent spread of porn, coarse language and calls for violence over the Internet,” Sabirov said.

Earlier, this was a responsibility of the Culture and Information Ministry to work out amendments to the Internet bill. Now this function was passed to the presidential secretariat.

“Kyrgyzstan takes the lead on rapid Internet developemtn among neighbors,” the lawmaker added.

Source:24.kg

Kyrgyzstan pays $1.7M to Uztransgaz

Kyrgyzstan has transferred $1 million 750 thousand the National Holding Company Uztransgas, leaving $8 million 281 thousand of debt to pay, press service of the Kyrgyzgas Company informed the news agency 24.kg Wednesday.

In November 2009 Kyrgyzstan paid $7.2 million, while the local consumers’ indebtedness to the Kyrgyz gas supplier went down by 36.2 percent and reached 298 million soms. “Citizens’ indebtedness makes 187 million, while the rest is made by industrial institutions (92.2M) and state-financed organizations (18.5M),” the press service added.

As of November 1, 2009, the Mayluu-Suu electric-bulb factory is the biggest gas debtor in Kyrgyzstan (61.4M soms).

Source:24.kg

Kyrgyzstan to harden drunk-driving charges

Kyrgyzstan is going to harden charges for driving under the influence of alcohol, the Main Road Safety Department informed the news agency 24.kg Wednesday.

The current statistics for the ten months of 2009 shows Kyrgyz traffic police held 12,625 drunk drivers, whereof 1,187 did not have the license. Of those 12,625 cases 8,488 offenders have to pay administrative charges, while 1,492 have their driving licenses suspended. The figures are 35 percent higher as compared to the last-year indices.

Hereat, the Main Road Safety Department suggests hardening the drunk-driving charges and extension of the license suspension period.

20 alcohol-related car accidents took place on Kyrgyz roads in September 2009, where 111 persons got killed and 490 were injured


Source:24.kg

Kyrgyzstan, Russia pledge closer cooperation between capitals

Nariman Tyuleev, the Bishkek city governor on Wednesday vowed closer cooperation with Moscow at the end of his official visit to the Russian capital.

In course of bilateral meetings Tyuleev and his Moscow counterpart Yuri Luzhkov outlined importance of strategic partnership, development of traditional business, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties in new economic climate.

“The heads of the administrations have marked spheres for extension of cooperation. It is municipal housing economy, health care, cultural and humanitarian spheres, capital construction and investments. New cooperation agreement between the two cities is to be signed in the nearest days,” the report said.

Source:24.kg