The accounts of Mirziyoyev's daughters offer a glimpse into the private lives of their families, demonstrating the leaders' closeness to the people, an important element of today's “political technology”. The counter-current case of Nazarbayev's grandson who - having fallen into disgrace due to drug addiction - accused all his relatives of being “greedy and insatiable”.

Thanks to funding from the Asian Development Bank with Japanese cooperation funds, Tajikistan will strengthen its monitoring of glaciers and snow cover to prevent disasters linked to climate change. A loan has also been approved for Uzbekistan to improve water resource management.

Japan is looking to the region with projects worth billion over five years. The Land of the Rising Sun's soft power policy in the area is strengthening. For Central Asians, the Japanese are ‘very reliable partners focused on practical results’. Key elements include human capital development, training and administrative programmes, technological standards and high-quality projects.

Among the millions of workers abroad in precarious conditions, hundreds die every year. Returning their bodies home is a complex procedure, and local authorities do not always cover the costs. The story of 30-year-old Tajik Džamila, killed in Russia by her employer, went viral, prompting an online fundraiser.

At the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP-20) to the CITES Convention in Samarkand, countries in the region launched a plan to help governments slow down the depletion of water resources and land degradation, improve water security in the region and manage resources sustainably. Initiatives worth million are planned with the support of the FAO.

A survey by the Currentime website has outlined the problem in the former Soviet countries. In none of the five Central Asian countries is the concept of ‘femicide’ included in the Penal Code, despite the prevalence of domestic violence. The war between Russia and Ukraine has also led to a significant increase in crimes against women in both countries.