Construction projects worth 192 trillion soums, BYD and a fake bank that crushed cars in Urgench - local daily

**Local Digest: 192 Trillion Soums of Construction, BYD Incident in Urgench and Fake Bank Warning**

In the first half of this year, construction work worth 192 trillion soums was carried out in Uzbekistan. Also, a tax evasion case worth 42.5 billion soums was exposed, and the possibility of opening a direct flight from Tashkent to Manchester is being discussed. The country has started the procedure for mandatory registration of animals, and in Urgench, a BYD driver intentionally damaged three cars. These and other important news of the day are summarized in the local digest.

**192 Trillion Soums of Construction Work Completed in Uzbekistan in Half a Year**

A total of 192 trillion soums of construction work was completed in Uzbekistan in the first six months of 2024. According to the National Statistics Committee, Tashkent city led the way among the regions with an indicator of 61.2 trillion soums. The next places were occupied by Tashkent, Fergana and Bukhara regions. In Samarkand region, construction work worth 9.9 trillion soums was carried out in January-June.

**Tax Evasion of 42.5 Billion Soums Revealed**

As a result of inspections conducted by the department under the Prosecutor General's Office and the Tax Committee, a case of intentional non-payment of taxes of 42.5 billion soums was revealed. According to the investigation, the heads of six enterprises illegally withdrew 32.6 billion soums of value-added tax from the budget. They also sold products worth about 196 billion soums for cash and did not transfer the proceeds to the bank. The investigation revealed that some officials of the Tashkent regional tax department also issued documents without calculating taxes in the amount of 5.2 billion soums during the audit. A criminal case has been opened on these cases, and the investigation is ongoing.

**Direct Flights from Tashkent to Manchester Possible**

Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom are discussing the possibility of launching direct flights from Tashkent to Manchester. This issue was considered at a meeting between the Uzbek ambassador and the management of Manchester Airports Group. The parties noted that the new route will serve to develop business and tourism relations between the two countries and expand Uzbekistan's air connectivity with Europe. At the end of the meeting, it was agreed to continue cooperation on organizational issues related to the launch of flights.

**Mandatory Animal Registration Begins in Uzbekistan**

From August 7, the procedure for mandatory identification and state registration of animals kept or bred by citizens and organizations in Uzbekistan came into force. According to the new law, cattle, sheep, goats and camels must be identified 14 days after birth, pigs after one month, dogs and cats after three months, and horses after four months. After the specified period, the animal must be registered with the state no later than one month. Animals imported from abroad for keeping or breeding must be identified within 21 days. If an animal is slaughtered, dies or is taken abroad, it will be released from the state account within seven days.

**BYD Driver Intentionally Crashed Three Cars in Urgench**

A video has been released in the city of Urgench showing a BYD Chazor driver intentionally crashing three cars after a disagreement. According to the Khorezm regional Department of Internal Affairs, a disagreement arose between two citizens on August 4. After that, one of them intentionally damaged a Cobalt in a BYD Chazor, another BYD Chazor and Damas. No people were injured in the incident. Internal Affairs officers stopped the driver's actions, and an investigation is currently underway into the incident.

**First Aerological Balloon Launched in Uzbekistan**

For the first time since Uzbekistan's independence, an aerological balloon was successfully launched as a test in the Bukhara region. A weather probe mounted on the balloon measures air temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction at different altitudes and transmits the data to a ground station. According to experts, this technology will increase the accuracy of weather forecasts, detect dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena earlier, and provide aviation and agriculture with more accurate meteorological data.

**Central Bank Warns of Fake Bank Named “Oltin Oy Kredit”**

The Central Bank has warned that a fake bank license under the name “Oltin Oy Kredit” is being distributed on the Internet. According to the regulator, there is no joint-stock commercial bank with such a name in Uzbekistan and it has not been issued any license by the Central Bank. Citizens are advised to check information about financial institutions through official sources of the Central Bank.