The Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov spoke to his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev over the phone Thursday. The counterparts exchanged views on bilateral ties and discussed a number of topical issues of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, the Russian government portal said in a statement.

The Uzbek-Russian joint venture Andijanpetro, set up by Uzbekneftegaz and Zarubezhneft (Russia), has begun operations.

Construction wings of Uzbekistan Railways completed tunneling works in the right tunnel of the Yunusobod line extension and docked it with the existing Shakhristan station. Ahead remains laying engineering-communication systems, docking the existing Shakhristan station to those under construction - Turkiston and Yunusobod and of the rail-sleeper grid.

On December 3, 2019 in New Delhi, the Uzbek President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Ergashev held talks with National Security Deputy Adviser to the Indian Prime Minister, Pankaj Saran, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Vijay Thakur Singh and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Deepak Mittal, the Foreign Ministry said.

A 3^rd-grader of a school in one of the districts of Ferghana province was sexually assaulted by a 11^th-grader of the same school, the General Prosecutor said in a statement.

The joint Sharq-2019 (East) tactical drill of the military units of Uzbekistan and Russia took place at the Gurumsaray training ground of the Eastern Military District, the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy Tashkent worked with local Uzbek partners to produce a book of American fables and fairytales in the Uzbek language, “Amerika ertak va afsonalari.”  The colorfully illustrated book, which includes over 60 short stories about animals, birds, ghosts and other interesting characters, taken from www.americanfolklore.net, was published by the Baktria Press in Tashkent.

Former First Deputy Mayor of Margilan city in charge of Economy and Entrepreneurship, Elyor Tukhtamatov, was found dead, the General Prosecutor's Office said in a statement citing the Fergana Police Department.

The President signed Volunteering Bill into Law, the Ministry of Justice said. According to the law, volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no financial or social gain.

The President Shavkat Mirziyoyev today hosted the mayor of Tajik capital Dushanbe, the President Emomali Rahmon’s son, Rustam Emomali, the presidential press service said.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a resolution aimed at improving the Uzbekistan News Agency (UzA), the state-owned news agency, the presidential press service said.

Uzbekistan governors and mayors will no longer be able to distribute cars or apartments as presents, Jamshid Abruev, the chief of the main department of the Ministry of Finance said.

The meeting of the chiefs of police departments of capital cities of CIS countries was held for the first time in Tashkent Friday, the Uzbek Interior Ministry said.

Today, Charge d'affaires Alan Meltzer delivered opening remarks at an event organized by USAID’s Judicial Reform in Uzbekistan Program marking the internationally recognized 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence (GBV) campaign. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women and Gender Equality Sayyоra Baratova, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Uzbekistan Svetlana Artykova, Development Strategy Center (DSC) Director Eldor Tulyakov joined CDA Meltzer in recognizing the role the U.S. government and the Government of Uzbekistan have taken to promote gender equality in Uzbekistan at the event, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

The historical city of Khiva in Uzbekistan is named the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2020. This decision was adopted unanimously at the 37th meeting of the TURKSOY Permanent Council in Osh Saturday.

The Khorezm Province Civil Court of Cassation rejected the complaint of the blogger Nafosat Ollashukurov requesting her release from the neuropsychiatric dispensary, the Supreme Court said.

Tashkent is hosting the second Consultative Meeting of the Central Asia leaders, where the Uzbek leader made opening remarks the presidential press service said.

As reported earlier, the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov today arrived in Tashkent on a working visit. The visit began with the talks with the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the presidential press service said.

On November 29, Tashkent will host the first meeting of the heads of the police departments of the CIS countries capital cities, the Tashkent Police Department said.

Uzbekistan’s external public debt is 23.8% of GDP, the Ministry of Finance said in a report. Uzbekistan’s total public debt is recorded 33.6%, which is moderate according to the IMF.