🇺🇿Week of November 2

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was in Astana on 5–6 November for a working visit, where he took part in a meeting of Central Asian leaders held within the Aqaba Process, an international security initiative launched by the King of Jordan. The gathering focused on security in artificial intelligence and on preventing its use for terrorist purposes.123

Speaking at the Aqaba Process meeting in Astana, Mirziyoyev proposed opening a regional office of the UN Counter-Terrorism Department in Tashkent. He also put forward an initiative titled "Digital development in the interests of humanity" and a programme called "Enlightenment against ignorance in the digital age."45

The regional office is intended to give Central Asian states practical help in fighting terrorism, including through the use of artificial intelligence. Discussions within the Aqaba Process covered international and regional security, countering terrorism and extremism, and new threats tied to the development of artificial intelligence.56

The Aqaba Process was set up as an international initiative in the security field, and its agenda has shifted over ten years; Uzbekistan's role in the format is set out in reporting on the structure of the process. Central Asian heads of state were scheduled to discuss AI security and countering its use for terrorist purposes in Astana on 5–6 November.21

Uzbekistan's Interior Ministry is tightening control over the stable delivery of gas and coal to households and social facilities. Over the past month, authorities recorded 390 cases involving the illegal storage and sale of coal and liquefied gas.12

Gazeta.uz reported 374 cases linked to the illegal storage and sale of liquefied gas in October, with 92.9 tonnes of gas and 9,139 cylinders confiscated and 333.5 tonnes of coal taken out of illegal circulation. Daryo put the seized gas at nearly 93 tonnes and the confiscated coal at more than 333 tonnes, adding that the coal was delivered to the population for their needs.13

Students at several universities in Tashkent said they were required to install the Xavfsiz talaba mobile application, and that those who refused were not allowed to attend classes. The Ministry of Education and Science said it had taken the matter under control and set up a working group to examine the situation and protect the right to education.12

The dean of the translation faculty at the Uzbekistan State World Languages University, Ulugbek Yuldashev, was dismissed after complaints that students were being forced to install the app. Similar cases had been reported earlier at other universities in the capital, and the education ministry began an inspection.34

The university's leadership said installing the application was a task assigned by the prosecutor's office. The Ministry of Education and the Prosecutor General's Office told Gazeta.uz that installation is not mandatory.5

Uzbekistan has established a procedure for assessing and compensating damage to citizens' life, health and property caused by emergencies of a man-made nature. The rules cover accidents and disasters at industrial or technical facilities.12

Families of those killed receive a one-off payment of up to 220 million sum, equivalent to 500 times the minimum wage (BHM). The injured receive payments scaled to injury severity, with the heaviest injuries compensated at the highest rate.31

Attributed claim: Gazeta.uz reports the injured receive up to 88 million sum for serious injuries, 66 million for moderate injuries and 44 million for light injuries. Kun.uz reports payments of 100 to 200 BHM depending on the severity of the injury.32

Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the US midterm elections held on 3 November, according to counts reported by the Associated Press. The party is projected to take 53 Senate seats and at least 223 House seats, leaving President Donald Trump without full control of Congress.12

In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hemilton won 51 percent of the vote to defeat the incumbent Republican, the state's first Democratic Senate victory in 94 years. Democrats also prevailed in states that had been Republican strongholds.32

Trump said he was "a little surprised" by the results and declared himself ready to cooperate, and he accepted the outcome. Vote counting was still under way when early projections put Democrats ahead in both chambers.245

The balloting took place against sharply rising prices and the war with Iran, and the result dealt a blow to Trump's influence, Daryo reported in an account of the Republicans' defeat. The same outlet said a Muslim American is expected to become a senator for the first time.67

Democratic control of the Senate restores the party's hold on the chamber with 52 seats, limiting Trump's agenda and opening a period of opposition in Congress, with a House majority also expected. Should both majorities hold, Democrats will control both chambers from 2027.48

Ta’lim va ilm-fan vazirligi bu masalani nazoratga oldi.1

Attributed claim: Daryo: Avvalroq universitetda talabalar mobil ilovani o‘rnatmagani uchun darslarga kiritilmayotgani haqida xabarlar tarqalgandi.2

Attributed claim: Anhor: В нескольких вузах Ташкента студентов, по их словам, заставляют устанавливать приложение Xavfsiz talaba, а отказавшихся не допускают к занятиям.3

In January–September, 109 foreign companies providing electronic services paid 232.8 billion sum in taxes in Uzbekistan, 85 percent more than in the same period a year earlier. Apple, Google and Meta were the largest taxpayers.12

Apple, Google and Meta together accounted for 153.5 billion sum of the total. Anhor put the overall increase at 86.5 percent, while Gazeta.uz and Daryo reported 85 percent.312

The value of services provided by these companies rose 85.2 percent to 1.94 trillion sum, and their turnover in Uzbekistan exceeded $100 million.45

Spot reported that foreign big tech paid almost $20 million in taxes in Uzbekistan over the nine months. Yandex alone has paid almost $10 million in taxes in the country since the start of the year.467

Tashkent plans to organize dedicated bus lanes under the BRT system on four road sections with a total length of 17.9 km. The lanes will run on Mukimi street, the Karatash–Kukcha Darvoza section, Parkent street and Mirzo Ulugbek avenue. About 6.5 billion sum has been preliminarily set aside for the expense.12

The city has also synchronized traffic lights on 14 streets grouped into 11 transport corridors with a total length of 77.9 km under the "green wave" system. Average travel time on these sections fell by 23%, according to the traffic management center.3

One green-wave corridor covers 16 intersections on Kukcha Darvoza street, on the stretch from Zulfizar street to City Hospital No. 1.4

Twelve people died of gas poisoning in Uzbekistan's Fergana region within two days. Seven members of one family died on 25 October in the village of Chimyon in Fergana district, and five members of another family died on 1 November in the city of Kokand.12

The regional emergency situations department said the deaths were caused by old Vaillant gas boilers that had been brought into the country illegally and installed without proper procedure. It called on households that have installed the German-made double-circuit boilers to stop using them immediately.12

Attributed claim: Daryo reported that the boilers had been handed over for disposal in Germany, then smuggled into Uzbekistan, repaired by makeshift means and sold to buyers as new. It put the death toll from the illegally sold heating boilers at 18.3

Attributed claim: The accounts differ on the number of dead: Gazeta.uz reported 12 deaths in two days, while Daryo reported 18 deaths linked to the illegally sold boiler. Both outlets are centrist, and both trace the fatalities to the same Vaillant boilers.23

Uzbekistan's government approved raising the retail price of liquefied gas for households from 2,000 sum to 5,000 sum per kilogram, effective November 15. The new price was set at 5,000 sum per kilogram for gas delivered to the population.123

For areas without natural gas or where gas is hard to reach, the baseline electricity consumption norm was raised from 200 to 350 kilowatt-hours a month during the heating season. The government also approved a procedure for paying a one-off 1 million sum allowance to needy families.43

New rules were approved for subsidizing gas deliveries to the population.1