The first meeting of the tripartite working group on the implementation of the Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway project was held in Tashkent on 2 February, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade reported.

The Uzbek authorities managed to better mitigate the consequences of the COVID pandemic than most other developing countries, stated Suma Chakrabarti, adviser to the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on economic development, good governance and international cooperation.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry has announced that Polish journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska had been accredited. The Polish journalist and correspondent for Qatar's Al Jazeera in Uzbekistan, has been accredited by the Foreign Ministry, the press service of the Ministry said.

Uzbekistan and Russia are preparing a solid program for the upcoming state visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Russian Federation, said the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The Agency for External Labor Migration under the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations urged the Uzbeks in Russia not to participate in mass protests in various parts of the Russian Federation and are not authorized by the authorities of this country.

The staff of Samarqand Darvoza (SD) MALL on January 28 turned off the power supply to the trading floor and warehouse of the Makro supermarket chain (Darvoza Savdo).

Two electric vehicles charging stations have been installed in Tashkent city, the Ministry of Energy said in a statement.According to the ministry, systemic work is being carried out in pursuance of the President’s Additional measures to increase the energy efficiency of economy and reduce dependence on fuel and energy products by attracting available resources Decree.

At the Feb. 3 meeting, MPs of the Legislative Chamber approved the termination of the powers of some members of the current composition of the Central Election Commission and the election of new members, the Yuksalish movement said.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the World Health Organization have released the first interim forecast of COVID-19 vaccine distribution worldwide as part of the COVAX Initiative (PDF).

On February 2, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hosted the Afghanistan delegation inclufding the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, and Chief of Staff to President Ghani, Muhammad Shakir Korgar, the presidential press service said.

On February 2, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the leaders of political parties, the presidential press service said. Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that it is important that political parties via their parliamentary corps study social and economic problems on the ground, put forward proposals for their solution, as well as exercise effective parliamentary and public control.

On February 2, the Kattakurgan City Criminal Court made its ruling over the rape of a 16-year-old student of a lyceum in Samarkand province, the press service of the Supreme Court said.

On February 2, Shavkat Mirziyoyev hosted the adviser to the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Abdul Razak Dawood, the presidential press service reported.

The Uzbek Foreign Ministry has commented on the incident with the Polish journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska, who reported of her being rejected journalistic accreditation, sexual harassment and pressure by an Uzbek Foreign Ministry official.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Central Asia Media Program kicked off the second annual MediaCAMP Eduthon 2021, an innovative seminar on media and digital literacy. The virtual event gathers university professors, schoolteachers, media trainers, and experts in the field of media and digital literacy from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Over the course of five days, with mentorship from international and local media and digital experts, participants will team up and develop projects on interactive teaching of media and digital literacy to various populations using digital tools.

Narzullo Oblomuradov has been elected Chairman of the Ecological Party of Uzbekistan, replacing Komiljon Tojiboev, who worked only for two months – since November 2020.

On February 1, the Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov hosted the his Afghan counterpart Hanif Atmar, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said.

The Uzbek Ministry of Energy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, with support from the EBRD and the Japanese government, attracted a consortium of international experts to develop a roadmap to explore the possibility of creating a carbon-neutral electricity generation sector in Uzbekistan by 2050.

Agnieszka Pikulicka, fellow of the Coalition for Women in Journalism (a New York-based nonprofit organization) currently based in Tashkent, reported of her being rejected journalistic accreditation, sexual harassment and pressure by an Uzbek Foreign Ministry official. She wrote about this on Twitter on February 1.

A 10-year-old Uzbek girl, who arrived from the UAE, was diagnosed with the UK strain of coronavirus. This is the first case of this type of COVID-19 in the country, said Deputy Minister of Health/Head of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare Service Bakhodir Yusupaliev.