UZBEKISTAN: ORDINARY UZBEKS PRICED OUT OF STING CONCERT

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10/06/09

Tickets to see British singer Sting perform in Tashkent will cost
between $1,000 and $2,000 dollars, organizers say.

The former Police front man will play at the Alisher Navoi Theater on
October 18 as part of Art Week Style.uz-2009, a fashion and art event
masterminded by Gulnara Karimova, President Islam Karimov’s daughter,
the CA-News.org news agency reported on October 6.

Even the cheapest ticket will cost more than 45 times the average
monthly salary in Uzbekistan, the report notes. Previous entertainers
at Karimova’s showcase include Rod Stewart and Julio Iglesias.

The weeklong program aims to promote international and Uzbek fashion
items, including Karimova’s own range of jewelry designed for Chopard,
a Swiss luxury brand. Karimova is currently head of the Permanent
Mission of Uzbekistan to the United Nations in Geneva.