Vladimir Norov on LinkedIn: An Indonesian delegation is visiting Kabul. It is headed by Mohammad Yusuf… (2024)

Alinia AI, an alignment platform that enables companies to safely and controlled deploy generative AI, guided by their policies and business, has raised $2.4 million in Pre-Seed funding. Significant adoption of generative AI is underway, but its rapid adoption comes with substantial challenges. An example is managing control and safety in the face of risks to prevent inappropriate or brand-damaging content.There's also the need to navigate upcoming regulatory efforts like the EU AI Act, Biden's Executive Order, or Canada's Bill C-27, which demand rigorous safety checks and clear documentation.Evaluating the performance and reliability of generative AI applications from both safety and business dimensions is a top obstacle for the enterprise today. https://lnkd.in/d9b927ku

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Universities from Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been ranked the best in the Arab world in a new global higher education league table.Seven institutions across the region made the top 250 of the QS World University Rankings 2025, with three from Saudi Arabia and two from Qatar making up the top five in the Middle East.King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals led the way in 101st position – up from 180th last year – out of 1,500 universities worldwide.Qatar University is the second highest-ranked university in the Arab world, rising more than 50 places from 173rd to 122nd in the list.King Abdulaziz University, in Saudi Arabia, was ranked 149th, down from 143rd last year.Qatar's Hamad bin Khalifa University climbed more than 100 places, from 310th to 183rd.King Saud University, in Saudi Arabia, was ranked 200th. Universities were judged on academic reputation, employer’s reputation, faculty staff ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international students ratio, sustainability score, employment outcomes’ score and an international research network score.In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia is the dominant higher education system with 20 ranked universities, four of which are new entries, and have 85 per cent of their universities in the top 1,000.UAE’s twelve ranked universities all featured in the top 1,000 and improved their overall performance by 75 per cent, with a slight decline in some cases.Saudi Arabia exceeds the global average in two performance indicators, for faculty staff ratio and international faculty ratio. https://lnkd.in/dgCXpkPu

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In Kazakhstan, over ten low-cost airlines operate regular flights, including Malaysia’s Air Asia X, India’s IndiGO, Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways, the United Arab Emirates’ Wizz Air Abu-Dhabi, Air Arabia, and FlyDubai, Türkiye’s Pegasus Airways, Egypt’s Air Cairo and Red Sea, Saudi Arabia’s Flynas, and Vietnam’s Vietjet AirMalaysian airline Air Asia X, one of the largest low-cost carriers in Southeast Asia, launched direct scheduled passenger flights on the Kuala Lumpur-Almaty route on March 14, with a frequency of four weekly flights.Additionally, from June 18, Omani airline Salam Air plans to resume flights to Kazakhstan, operating twice a week on the Almaty-Muscat route using Airbus 320 and Airbus 321 aircraft.Kazakhstan introduced an open skies policy several years ago, which allows foreign airlines to operate flights into the country without any restrictions. This policy is expected to attract new foreign low-cost airlines to establish routes to Kazakhstan.https://lnkd.in/dE-Yyr2q

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In the Bukhara region Canadian Condor intends to invest $582 million in oil and gas production Over the past seven years, investments worth $4 billion have been attracted to the Bukhara region. As a result, 90 thousand jobs and an export potential of $1.8 billion were created. This year, 607 projects worth $1.3 billion will be implemented in the region.80 projects with a total value of $14 billion have been formed in the Bukhara region, which can be implemented by foreign and local investors.During his visit to the region, Shavkat Mirziyoyev got acquainted with the presentation of 14 projects worth $4 billion. The projects cover industries such as building materials manufacturing, electrical engineering, chemicals, textiles, food, pharmaceuticals, medicine, mining and fish farming.The investors are companies from China, Russia, Turkey, Germany, Saudi Arabia, India, Malaysia, South Korea and Iran. For example, a Chinese company can build a 600 MW wind farm in Gijduvan district.Mam Minerals from Malaysia plans to develop a graphite deposit and produce batteries for electric scooters in the Peshkun district.It is planned to create a chemical cluster in the Bukhara region with the participation of Iranian companies. As a result of the implementation of 80 investment projects, more than 22 thousand new jobs will be created.The President gave instructions to increase the production of high-value-added products and localization, as well as the development of the service sector.In February, Condor Energies signed a new gas production contract with the Government of Uzbekistan. As part of the agreement, it was planned to increase fuel production in a cluster of eight gas condensate fields.

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At the age of 18, he earns 800 thousand tenge per month on freelancing. The story of a student from Almaty Beknur Seydazim lives in Almaty and studies at the Faculty of History of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. In parallel, an 18-year-old guy works in IT: for the fourth year he has been fulfilling freelance orders. He writes Python code and earns income as a middle backender - an average of 800 thousand per month. Digital Business learned from Beknur where he learned to code, how he looks for orders and why he wants to hire. They also asked about the specifics of working with Kazakhstani and foreign clients. And the programmer also shared tips for novice IT freelancers.“I am a Python backend developer. I also work a bit with AI. Orders are different. I have the most expertise in developing chatbots. I would not advise novice freelancers to linger on this for a long time, because chatbots are a thankless business. Specialists who are actually schoolchildren (as I was) are dumping, so it's difficult to make money on chatbots. It is better to develop skills and go into a more serious field. After I stopped dealing with bots, I was genuinely surprised at how much developers are paid.”https://lnkd.in/dwS5HEa6

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Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, met with Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi.Khalid Zadran, the Taliban police spokesperson in Kabul, tweeted on his social media platform X on Tuesday that he traveled to the UAE with a delegation.He is accompanied on this trip by the head of the Taliban’s intelligence agency.This comes amid the third Doha talks on Afghanistan, hosted by the UN and scheduled for June 30th and July 1st.These talks aimed to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the political situation in Afghanistan. Representatives from various countries, including key regional stakeholders, will participate in the discussions to find a sustainable solution to the conflict and support the Afghan people.The UN and participating nations will call for the Taliban to uphold human rights, especially women’s rights, as a critical condition for international recognition and support.A significant outcome of the talks will be the agreement to form a working group to monitor and report on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. This group will collaborate with international NGOs and local organizations to ensure that aid distribution is transparent and effective.The discussions will also highlight the need for a political framework that includes all Afghan factions. Participants will urge the Taliban to engage in dialogue with other political groups to establish an inclusive government that reflects Afghanistan’s diverse population.

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Rare metals of Tajikistan: sources of wealth and the struggle for InfluenceIn today's world, where digital technologies and the transition to a green economy are rapidly advancing, the demand for oil products is decreasing, giving way to rare metals.Tajikistan is a country in the Central Asian region with vast mineral reserves. According to the Main Geology Directorate under the Government of Tajikistan, over 700 deposits of valuable natural elements have been discovered in country. Tajikistan has identified four gold-bearing belts and 18 prospective areas, with a total of 28 gold deposits.Iron ores are known in northern Tajikistan, on the southern slopes of the Kuramin Range. Large deposits of polymetallic ores have been explored in northern and central Tajikistan. The main deposits are found in the Karamazar and Altyn-Topkan mountain ranges in southwestern Tian Shan, near the border with Uzbekistan. Confirmed lead reserves are estimated at 1.8 million tons, and zinc at 4.66 million tons. Silver reserves amount to 44,000 tons, placing Tajikistan fifth in the world. The country also holds a leading position in antimony and mercury ore reserves within the former Soviet Union.Despite Tajikistan's rich rare earth element deposits, extraction has been challenging due to the difficult terrain, requiring significant funds. Until recently, Chinese investors were the primary interested parties, mainly focusing on gold mining. However, the situation has begun to change, with other global powers showing increased interest in Central Asia's mineral wealth.Experts believe attracting multiple countries to develop the mining industry in the region, including Tajikistan, is crucial. "Competition is necessary; we cannot allow investments and large loans to come from just one country. Western investments in the exploration and extraction of REEs in Central Asia are a vital opportunity not only to establish global supply chains but also to support regional integration, sovereignty, and economic freedom in these states," said Tajik political scientist Asad Behruz. "Essentially, the 21st-century competition is shifting from oil, gas, and other hydrocarbons to the global race for rare earth elements. Investments in developing REE extraction will accelerate economic growth in Central Asia, creating a vital market for producing components necessary for transitioning to green energy. The key is ensuring that competition among major countries benefits the region without leading to conflict."Read more: https://lnkd.in/dAsTdivN

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Kazakhstan and China signed an agreement to construct a smelter with a capacity of 300,000 tons of copper per year during a June 3 meeting between Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Chairman of China Nonferrous Metal Mining Xi Zhengping,The trilateral agreement was signed between KAZ Minerals Smelting LLP, China Nonferrous Metal Industry’s Foreign Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (NFC), and NFCThe plant will be built near the village of Aktogai in the Abai Region. Its construction will create a cluster combining one of the world’s largest copper mines and a modern copper smelting facility. The project, with a preliminary cost of $1.5 billion, will employ over 1,000 people and is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2028.https://lnkd.in/dfqNB7Tc

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Uzbekistan, like many other countries, faces serious environmental problems that have a negative impact on human health and ecosystems. However, taking into account the need to preserve the resources and health of citizens, the government of the country is actively developing measures to prevent environmental crises and introducing innovative approaches to improve the state of the environment. In 2021, at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a large-scale nationwide program called “Yashil Makon” (“Green space”) was launched in the country, which provides for the annual planting of 200 million trees and shrubs until 2030. As a result, an increase in the area of green spaces in cities is expected from the current 8% to 30%, as well as an increase in the forest cover area of the state forest fund from 7.5 to 15%.Over the past period, within the framework of the national “Yashil Makon” project, about 500.0 hectares of parks, 935 hectares of green zones, 6179.2 hectares of public parks, as well as green belts around the cities of Bukhara, Nukus, Khiva, and Urgench with a total length of 40 km have been created.As part of the systematic organization of work on the development of “green” areas, 219.7 million seedlings of fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs were planted in 2023. 2.83 million seedlings were planted around 189 industrial enterprises with a high impact on the environment, “green belts” with 220,000 tree seedlings were created; and 196 garbage collection points were organized, around which arboretums were created.Uzbekistan is also conducting consistent and effective reforms in the field of waste management, improving the quality of services provided to the population, and combating environmental pollution. Thus, according to the plan, in 2024-2028, by attracting investments, waste recycling, alternative energy, and organic fertilizer production projects will be implemented in each region of the country. Indicators will also be set for the annual production of 2,000 MW of alternative energy from 2.8 million tons of waste, the production of 1.1 million tons of organic fertilizers from 1.3 million tons of waste by composting, and the commissioning of 14 waste recycling plants.https://lnkd.in/dmNTXyuV

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Crypto Week Uzbekistan 2024 has attracted around 200 participants, including entrepreneurs, investors, developers, and crypto enthusiasts. These participants are engaged in various activities designed to share knowledge and explore the potential of crypto-assets and blockchain technology. In his opening speech, First Deputy Director of the Agency Vyacheslav Pak emphasized the progress Uzbekistan has made in the realm of crypto-assets. "Today we can proudly say that thanks to the support and political will of the head of state, Uzbekistan has become a unique platform where a regulatory and institutional framework for the functioning of crypto-assets has been created," Pak stated.He further mentioned the primary objective behind the development of the crypto industry in Uzbekistan. "Undoubtedly, the main goal of crypto-industry development in Uzbekistan is to increase the investment attractiveness of our country, to introduce new forms and methods of investments attraction, both local and foreign, which is ultimately aimed at ensuring sustainable economic growth and improving the well-being of citizens," Pak added. https://lnkd.in/dmgDM3aN

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