At a government meeting on measures to create decent conditions for Uzbekistan nationals working abroad, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev touched upon the situation in the country related to the pandemic, the presidential press service said in a statement.

Uzbekistan residents will have 3 days off in a row on the occasion of the Independence Day. According to the relevant presidential decree, regardless of working days (5 or 6 day-a-week), Uzbekistan residents will have days off from August 30 to September 1.

On Sunday, August 16, 40 physicians from Russia landed in Uzbekistan to assist in the fight against COVID-19. Barno Abdusamatova, a member of the headquarters for the fight against coronavirus, announced during a briefing at the Agency of Information and Mass Communications.

Uzbekistan Airways announced the cancellation of international flights and part of local flights, planned earlier for August 16-31, the company said in a statement. This is reportedly a forced measure due to epidemiological restrictions in the countries of destination and in the administrative centers of Uzbekistan.

On August 14, USAID’s Future Growth Initiative with Uzbekistan Venture Capital Association (UZVCA) hosted an online roundtable “Formation and Development of Venture Investment in the Republic of Uzbekistan.” Participants discussed the development of private equity and venture capital investment, a necessity for the future development of competitive entrepreneurship in Uzbekistan.

The republican anti-coronavirus commission has made an additional decision, keeping some lockdown restrictions that will keep effect in all provinces and cities of Uzbekistan after August 15.

Otabek Umarov, the President’s younger son-in-law, announced his resignation from the chair of the Triathlon Federation and the Association of Mixed Martial Arts of Uzbekistan role, the Triathlon Federation said in a statement.

The United Nations office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), in collaboration with the CIMA Research Foundation and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), organized the first online introductory workshop for the countries of Central Asia on the “DesInventar-Sendai” system software for the systematic collection, analysis and reporting of data related to disaster losses. The support for the establishment of a mechanism for accounting the damage and losses resulting from disasters is part of the UNDRR regional Initiative “Strengthening disaster resilience and accelerating implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Central Asia 2019-2022” funded by the European Union.

The Special Anti-Coronavirus Commission has updated the list of green, yellow and red flights. According to the decision, China, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia and Japan were included in the category of countries with a stable sanitary and epidemiological situation (Green flights). Individuals who have been in these countries for the last 10 days will not be quarantined.

The Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov over phone Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Until now, there was only one mosque in Olmaliq, a city with over 150,000 residents. On August 12 this year, the Department of Justice of Tashkent province registered the Hilol mosque, located at Veterans street, 50 in Evalak makhalla in Olmaliq, and issued the registration certificate.

The journalist Bobomurod Abdullayev was arrested in Bishkek at the request of the Uzbek authorities in line with the 1993 Minsk Convention "On Legal Assistance in Civil, Family and Criminal Cases, the General Prosecutor's Office of Uzbekistan announced on Wednesday.

Uzbekistan, the United States and Afghanistan are stepping up cooperation in countering the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, terrorism and drug trafficking, the press service of the UZbek Foreign Ministry said.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a government meeing yesterday and touched upon the planned relaxing of lockdown measures, the presidential press service said.

The study Assessment of the social protection system in Uzbekistan has been published. It contains a description of key social protection programs in Uzbekistan and an assessment of their effectiveness, the nationwide movement Yuksalish said.

The important aspects of protecting the rights and interests of youth will be discussed in the Samarkand Human Rights Web Forum on Youth  (12-13 August), the National Center for Human Rights of Uzbekistan said.

By its Aug 10 resolution the Cabinet of Ministers modified the Rules for carrying cash in and out of Uzbekistan. From September 1, individuals will be allowed to carry 70 million soums (US$ 6,841) in and out of the country without declaring.

All Uzbekneftegaz gas stations are planned to be equipped with EV chargers, the Ministry of Energy said. "We are now making detailed calculations for setting up of the so-called hybrid filling stations. A proposal is also being prepared to stimulate private investment in the development of infrastructure for electric vehicles. In my opinion, it is not the state that should be investing in hybrid charging stations," the Deputy Energy Minister Sherzod Khojaev said.

According to him, the state only needs to stimulate this process, while investment must be provided by private capital. Therefore, now the Ministry of Energy, together with the Ministry of Innovative Development, is conducting a study to stimulate the creation of EV chargers.

For example, investors will be offered land plots for such filling stations on preferential terms or even free of charge. At the same time, the land will be allocated not on the outskirts, but where there is a serious traffic flow, he added, which may interest investors and "pull" additional private investments.

Do not forget, he noted, that these electric filling stations differ in their principle of operation from ordinary ones. This is a rather lengthy process. That is, they need to be developed in a different way. So, for example, city transport, minibuses, taxis, official cars of various ministries and departments, all this transport stands at night and moves during the day. Therefore, to refuel them, you can make cheaper rates at night.

"People will charge their electric cars at night, when energy is cheaper, and use them during the day. What will this give? At night, when consumption drops everywhere, we are forced to turn off the power units and turn them on again in the morning. As a result, a certain amount of idle fuel combustion occurs, we want If we make it profitable to refuel electric vehicles at night, people will use it, and they will not have to turn off the power units, in total, the economic profit from this will be quite serious, " Khodjaev said.

He also added that the ministry sees interest from private business, which is ready to invest in electric vehicles, but fears that the necessary infrastructure will not be created in the country. On the other hand, there are people interested in organizing a network of charging stations, but they are afraid that there will be no demand.

Khodjaev believes that the main goal for the state now is to show the seriousness of its intentions to develop this sector, to become a real leader, for example, to buy electric vehicles instead of the usual ones for several ministries.

"Now we are negotiating with potential investors from Southeast Asia who are ready to invest in the creation of infrastructure. Conditionally they can build covered parking lots, on the roof and walls of which there will be solar panels. This energy will accumulate. People will just come to the office, install your car to the parking lot, and it will be automatically charged," he noted.

According to him, Chinese, Malaysian and Thai companies are now showing interest in these projects.

The Ministry of Energy plans that by 2030, that is, in 10 years, about a quarter of the city's transport will be electric. This will happen due to two factors - the development of infrastructure and a decrease in the price of electric vehicles.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a decree aimed at enhancing guarantees for the protection of human rights and freedoms in judicial and investigative activities.

Uzbek military servicemen landed in Moscow to participate in the International Army Games, which will be held from 23 August to 5 September, the Uzbek Ministry of Defense reported.