List of All Articles with Tag 'ion'

Uzbekistan holds a snap presidential election on Sunday, a vote that follows a constitutional referendum that extended the incumbent's term from five to seven years. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was elected in 2021 to a second five-year term, the limit allowed by the constitution. But the amendments approved in April's plebiscite allowed him to begin the count of terms anew and run for two more, raising the possibility that he could stay in office until 2037. The 65-year-old Mirziyoyev is set to win the vote by landslide against three token rivals. “The political landscape has remained unchanged, and none of the parliamentary political parties stand in open opposition to the president’s policies and agenda,” the elections observer arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said in a pre-voting report. Since coming to power in 2016 after the death of longtime dictatorial leader Islam Karimov, Mirziyoyev has introduced a slew of political and economic reforms that eased some of the draconian policies of his predecessor, who made Uzbekistan into one of the region's most repressive countries. Under Mirziyoyev, freedom of speech has been expanded compared with the total suppression of dissent during the Karimov era, and some independent news media and bloggers have appeared. He also relaxed the tight controls on Islam in the predominantly Muslim country that Karimov imposed to counter dissident views. At the same time, Uzbekistan has remained strongly authoritarian with no significant opposition. All registered political parties are loyal to Mirziyoyev. In April’s referendum, more than 90% of those who cast ballots voted to approve the amendments extending the presidential term. As part of his reforms, Mirziyoyev has abolished state regulation of cotton production and sales, ending decades of forced labor in the country’s cotton industries, a major source of export revenues. Under Karimov, more than 2 million Uzbeks were forced to work in the annual cotton harvest. Mirziyoyev has also lifted controls on hard currency, encouraging investment from abroad, and he moved to improve relations with the West that soured under Karimov. He has maintained close ties with Russia and signed a number of key agreements with China, which became Uzbekistan’s largest trading partner as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. Like the leaders of other ex-Soviet Central Asian nations that have close economic ties with Moscow, Mirziyoyev has engaged in a delicate balancing act after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, steering clear of backing the Russian action but not condemning it either. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

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Edgars Rinkevics came out in 2014 and has been a vocal champion of LGBT rights.

PARIS (Reuters) -Paris police banned a protest on Saturday against violence by the force, a week after France was rocked

The Dutch government has collapsed after failing to reach an agreement on curbing immigration.

Kylian Mbappe says PSG's failings in the Champions League must be addressed with the club's hierarchy. The 24-year-old has one year left on his deal and has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid.

The island became a symbol of Ukraine's resistance after troops there defied a Russian order to surrender.

A North Dakota county election official is suing the state’s election director to block the counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day

Former President Donald Trump went after his main rival for the Republican presidential nomination Friday on an issue

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week

Republican presidential hopeful Tim Scott expressed confidence that he will meet his party’s eligibility requirements to participate in

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday that she will support President Joe Biden's reelection bid given the challengers he currently faces in the primary.