Finnish delegation headed by Mr. M. Keynenen, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland was hosted by the leadership of the National Agency for Project Management under the President of Uzbekistan on Friday. The delegation also included the Ambassador of Finland Marya Liivala, the senior adviser to the Embassy Alexey Leppannen, the attache of the Embassy of Finland Irina Ambrosin, as well as executives of Kaukointernational Ltd and other companies.

The Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, Rusatom Healthcare, and the industry-specific complex Rusatom-International Network (RIn) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) in the field of radiation technologies and nuclear medicine, the Uzbek Ministry of Energy said.

A French delegation led by the Secretary of State under the Minister of European and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne will visit Uzbekistan on April 16-17, 2019, as well as other Central Asian countries Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said.

Thirteen participants from the Ministry of Internal Affairs completed a two-week training course on interdicting terrorism, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Anti-terrorism Assistance (ATA) program.  The course is designed for police officers and other law enforcement personnel to develop the latest investigative skills and approaches to thwarting terrorists and terrorist groups.

Uzbekistan Airways accepted delivery of the fourth Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which landed at the Tashkent airport, making a non-stop flight from the Boeing plant in Everett (Washington, USA), the carrier said.

A number of bilateral accords were signed following the talks between the presidents of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev today in Tashkent.

The President Mirziyoyev held talks with the President of Kazakhstan in narrow fromat adn in particular told him that his state visit is the logical follow-up of the political dialogue that has been enhanced in recent years.

President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Uzbekistan on a state visit on Sunday, the presidential press service said.

The Minister of State for Europe and the Americas at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office of Great Britain, MP, Alan Duncan will visit Uzbekistan on 16 April to attend the Uzbek-UK talks, Uzbek Foreign Ministry said.

The aviation authorities of Uzbekistan and Georgia have successfully completed the several-months long talks on the launch of direct flights between the countries, and as early as July 16, Uzbekistan Airways will start operating the first Tashkent-Tbilisi flight since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Saida Mirziyoyeva, the elder daughter of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, was today introduced as deputy director of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications under the Presidential Administration at the agency’s BOD meeting, the agency said.

Honorary Consulate of Finland opened in Tashkent Thursday. The opening ceremony was attended by Under Secretary of State for External Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland Markku Keinänen and Ambassador of Finland to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan (stationed in Helsinki) Maria Liiva, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said.

The former first Deputy Finance Minister Akhadbek Haydarov, 47, has been appointed the Director of the State-Owned Assets Management Agency replacing Nodir Juraev, the agency said.

The Tashkent city mayor, Jahongir Ortiqhojaev, responded to an article on demolitions in the city, published on The Guardian.

Joint command and staff drill is being held in Fergana, Andijan and Namangan provinces as of April 9-13 aimed at precise performance of joint actions by all components of the armed and special forces.

The State Labor Inspection Authority launched a probe into the forced labour case involving teachers and pupils of school No. 7 in Izboskan district of the Andijan province.

In the last 2 years such cases of forced labour still occur but at significantly less frequency. The Teacher Status draft bill has been prepared, which proposes to prohibit forced labor of teachers (? forced labour is already prohibited by the law – Ed.) and collecting money from them for a newspaper subscription.

The draft bill states that it is not allowed to force teachers to any form of labor, including sweeping streets and planting trees, collecting scrap metal and waste paper, seasonal work in agriculture and others.

In addition, the Ministry of Public Education launched a special service Ustoz Ovozi (Teacher's Voice)- virtual inspector to receive complaints from teachers.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev hosted the visiting U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, the Presidential press service said.

The new President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has accepted the invitation of the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and will visit Uzbekistan on a two-day state visit, the Presidential press service said.

The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Yuksalish Nationwide Movement and the Civil Society Development Association (ARGO) of Kazakhstan launched the “Partnership for Innovations” program and a new co-working center at the office of Yuksalish.  The new co-working center is a place where staff from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society institutions can meet, share information, and work together in an effort to improve civil society in Uzbekistan.

Non-residential real estate on 4.5 hectares in Tashkent province's Kumushkon area, which formerly belonged to Akbar Abdullaev, have been put up for auction, UzA said.