The Ministry of Emergency Situations today sent humanitarian aid to Iran consisting of protective equipment and medicines due to the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19, the ministry said.

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 coronavirus in Uzbekistan has reached six, the Ministry of Health said. The spouse and grandson of the infected woman who arrived from France were tested positive for the virus.

Uzbekkino (Uzbek cinema) national agency suspends cinemas as part of measures taken by the government to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, the agency said.

Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, who was appointed as the head of the formed National Commission for Prevention and Spread of Covid-19, reported on measures taken by the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus at a briefing Sunday.

The laboratory of the Institute of Virology On March 15 at 6:00 AM found coronavirus Covid-19 in the blood of an Uzbek national, who returned from France, the chief sanitary doctor, director of the Agency for Sanitary and Epidemiological Well-Being Bahrom Almatov said.

Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are continuing to discuss draft intergovernmental agreement on construction and operation of hydropower station in Zarafshan river basin.

Uzbekistan Defense Minister Bakhodir Kurbanov will pay a one-day working visit to Tajikistan on March 14, Asia Plus said.

The Prosecutor General’s Office of Uzbekistan and the Investigative Committee of Russia signed a cooperation agreement and a cooperation program for 2020–2021 on Thursday, the Prosecutor General said in a statement.

The accelerator lab of the UN Development Program in Uzbekistan on March 11 launched a crowdfunding campaign to plant greenery on the bottom of the Aral Sea. The initiative aims to mitigate the effects of environmental disasters in the region and improve the livelihoods of the local people.

Uzbekistan advanced 4 places to rank 92nd in the 2020 WJP Rule of Law Index which measures rule of law adherence in 128 countries worldwide. Featuring primary data, the WJP Rule of Law Index measures countries’ rule of law performance across eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

After 3 unsuccessful attempts, Uzbek Ministry of Justice today registered human rights organization Huquqiy Tayanch (Legal Support), headed by former political prisoner Azam Farmonov, which plans to advocate on criminal justice reform. It is the first human rights group registered since 2003.

The Ministry of Justice granted accreditation for a branch of Mercy Corps, a U.S. based non-profit organization, in Uzbekistan Monday, the ministry said.

Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, officially launched its new five-year tuberculosis (TB) program that will provide targeted investments to further reduce the burden of tuberculosis on Uzbekistanis.  The First Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Bakhodir Yusupaliev; U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Uzbekistan, Daniel N. Rosenblum; and the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Uzbekistan Dr. Lianne Kuppens participated in the event.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is postponing his upcoming trip to India, Uzbekistan and Pakistan in order to help manage the Department of Defense’s coronavirus response, a department spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

The deputies of the Legislative Chamber today backed the candidacy of Sardor Umurzakov for the post of Deputy prime minister in charge of investment and foreign economic relations/ Minister of investments and foreign trade.

The second Tashkent Law Spring International Legal Forum, scheduled to be held April 23–25, has been postponed, the forum’s organizing committee said.

Power outages may occur in some provinces of Uzbekistan due to a malfunction at Yangi-Angren TPP, the National Electric Networks said.

The Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister/Chairman of the Tourism Development Committee, Aziz Abdukhakimov hosted the head of the Eastern Europe Zone at Airbus Helicopters, Ralf Weber.

On March 6, the Cabinet of Ministers issued a decree introducing a system for processing and issuing national ID cards, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The Legislative Chamber and Senate will consider the government’s proposal to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as an observer state, UzA said. The Cabinet of Ministers on March 6 discussed conclusions and proposals it will present to the parliament following analytical and comprehensive assessment of Uzbekistan’s becoming the member-state in the EAEU. The working group on economic integration, composed of the members of the government, ministries and departments, reviewed 16 major sectors of the economy. The meeting reviewed the findings of independent consulting companies and research institutions, proposals and conclusions of foreign and local experts. The expert opinions were studied on large sectors of the economy and industrial policy, streamlining customs tariffing and foreign trade policy, labor migration, standardization and veterinary medicine, sanitary and phytosanitary control, and other issues, the report said. Uzbekistan’s possible becoming an observer-state in the EAEU was stated in January by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.