By Alexei Igushev (8/1/2001 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Last week, Russian Federal border guards quartered in Tajikistan seized a record consignment of raw opium – 2.185 kilograms at one haul. Since the beginning of this year, they have seized more than 3,5 tons of drugs, out of which more than one ton is heroine produced in neighboring Afghanistan.

By Konstantin Sudakov (8/1/2001 issue of the CACI Analyst)

According to experts who attended a conference in Almaty less than a month ago, Central Asian countries have a ‘unique opportunity’ to prevent the spread of the HIV infection to the people not in the so-called ‘risk groups’. Nevertheless, some experts added that in order to achieve this result, the scarce resources available should be used more effectively, and a better interaction between regional governments and international donors is needed.

A conference dedicated to the problems of the HIV infection, AIDS, and sexually transmitted diseases was held in the end of May.

By Ruth Ingram (8/1/2001 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Widespread pollution, ecological damage, nuclear testing, and poverty are wreaking havoc on the health of Xinjiang Uyghurs, some of the poorest citizens of China. Cities cloaked in dust 200 days of the year, factories belching pollutants unchecked into the atmosphere, filthy water, and a birth control policy that forces women to abort every unplanned pregnancy, are some of the factors that are making this province one of the unhealthiest in the country.

Urumchi, the capital, is China’s self-confessed most heavily polluted city, scoring 500 on the latest Air Pollution Index, way ahead of Xining, next on the list at 320.