A European Union delegation is meeting in Uzbekistan with Uzbek officials about the human rights situation in that country stemming from violent events in Andijon two years ago. The talks are going forward in Tashkent under a cloak of silence from both the European Union and the Uzbek government.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan Today, English)----On March 29 the Senate of the Oliy Majlis launched its 9th plenary session in Tashkent. The session was attended by the invited members of the Cabinet of Ministers, heads of state bodies whose activities deal with the issues included in the agenda of the plenary session of the Senate. The session was led by I.Savirov, Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis.

On March 29 the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov received the President of FIFA Joseph Blatter in his Oqsaroy Residence. The President of Uzbekistan noted that the cooperation with an international organization of the kind has a significant importance for the development of football.

The European Union's external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, says she thinks Uzbekistan has had "a change of mind" and is willing to respond to EU concerns about its human rights situation.

Bobur Kommilov of "Uzbekistan Today" interviews the World Bank's Country Manager for Uzbekistan Loup Brefort, draws the attention of the world's public to the economic growth of the country.

When talking about the health, many of us often mentions about such disease, as anaemia. Anaemia of deficiency of iron in a human body, in other words, today anaemia is a problem disturbing the whole world community.

A UN Human Rights Council decision on March 26 to end scrutiny of Iran and Uzbekistan has been widely criticized by rights organizations and some governments, including the United States.

Free press advocacy groups have condemned Uzbekistan for what they call the unjust prosecution of a journalist. Prosecutors have opened criminal proceedings against Nataliya Bushueva, an Uzbek reporter working for the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

International rights groups are appealing to the UN Human Rights Council to take urgent action against Uzbekistan. The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), Human Rights Watch, and the International Federation for Human Rights will make their appeal today in Geneva on the sidelines of a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council.