Public workers mobilized in hometown of ill Uzbek leader
ALMATY, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Authorities in Samarkand, the birthplace of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, urgently mobilized public workers to clean the city's central streets late on Thursday, a source familiar with the matter said, which could mean preparations for a funeral.
Karimov, 78, suffered a brain hemorrhage on Saturday according to his daughter and the Tashkent government has since remained silent about his condition, prompting speculation that the veteran authoritarian leader had died. (Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Jack Stubbs)
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