Kyrgyzstan backs new flag, says ‘smiling’ sun to aid growth

Lawmakers in tightly-controlled Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday backed a proposal to modify the country’s flag so that it will feature sun rays, arguing the move would boost the economy. Kyrgyzstan’s flag, adopted in 1992 after the Soviet collapse, currently features a yellow orb, representing a traditional nomadic yurt, against a red background, surrounded by lines emanating from the centre. In November, parliament speaker Nurlanbek Shakiev put forward a bill to change the emblem in order to make those lines “clearly reminiscent of sun rays”.