DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Riyadh joins Shanghai Cooperation Organization as ties with Beijing grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RIYADH, March 29 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's cabinet approved on Wednesday a decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as Riyadh builds a long-term partnership with China despite U.S. security concerns. Saudi Arabia has approved a memorandum on granting the kingdom the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), state news agency SPA said. Joining the SCO was discussed during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia last December, sources have told Reuters. Dialogue partner status will be a first step within the organisation before granting the kingdom full membership in the mid-term, they said. Riyadh's growing ties with Beijing have raised security concerns in Washington, its traditional ally.

☆ Xi and Putin share a deep resentment of the US, but China's new dominance over Russia could eventually shatter the alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia and China have formed closer ties to counter the power of the US. But China is the dominant one in the partnership, with Russia weakened by the Ukraine war. At last week's summit, Xi proposed a peace plan in Ukraine that critics said mainly reflected Russian demands. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21, 2023. But despite such tensions, the Russia-China alliance will likely persist because of the deep resentment Putin and Xi share over the US' status as the world's top superpower.

☆ Putin snubbed Xi back after their one-sided summit with a nuclear announcement that directly undermines China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin 'humiliated' China's Xi Jinping a week after their summit, a former US ambassador said. Putin and Xi strengthened their alliance at a summit in Moscow last week, but tensions remain. "Both Putin and Lukashenko humiliated Xi. Xi signalled to Russia last November that the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine would be a red line, Politico said. At last week's summit, Putin and Xi presented a common front against the global power of the US and its allies.

☆ Xi snubbed Putin after their summit, calling a meeting of Central Asian countries as part of an audacious power play
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China's President Xi Jinping has made a power move timed with his visit to Russia. He set up a new meeting of Central Asian countries the week, muscling in on Russia's backyard. Xi invited the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to the first China-Central Asia summit Wednesday, the AFP news agency reported. Analysts say that China has secured significant leverage over Russia in return for its diplomatic and economic support, and that in calling the meeting of Central Asian nations it is seeking to exploit that advantage. China in recent years has increased its economic and security ties with Central Asian nations, which have abundant mineral resources and lie on ancient trade routes between east and west.

☆ Xi's visit to Russia was humbling for Putin and showed how much China is dominant, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China appears to have cemented its dominance over Russia in a summit this week. China kept buying Russian oil — albeit at a hefty discount — and so helped keep the Russian economy afloat. Russia was offered no comparable stake in the far larger Chinese economy in return. The US has accused China of planning to send weapons and lethal aid to Russia to stem battlefield losses in Ukraine. China will likely seek to exert its new leverage over Russia to expand its global power, said Wyne.

☆ To escape the rat race, this pair cycled 15,000 km along the route from Finland to Singapore
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Valtteri Heinila was working in a startup when he realized he needed a break. With his friend Alvari Poikola, Heinila cycled through 21 countries in eight months, he told CNBC. The men chose Singapore as their goal because it was the farthest point they could cycle to, Heinila said. Valtteri Heinila (left) and Alvari Poikola at the Imperial City of Hue in Vietnam. Valtteri Heinila

☆ Ruling party likely to sweep Kazakh parliamentary election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

While Tokayev has reshuffled the government, the lower house of parliament - elected when Nazarbayev still had sweeping powers and led the ruling Nur Otan party - was not due for election until 2026, and the president called a snap vote. Unlike Nazarbayev, Tokayev has chosen not to lead the ruling party - now rebranded Amanat - but polls show it is likely to retain a comfortable majority and form the core of his support base in the legislature, especially in the absence of strong opposition parties on the ballot. The completion of political transition is also likely to strengthen Tokayev's hand in foreign policy. Despite receiving Moscow's backing during the 2022 unrest, he has refused to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine or recognise its annexation of some Ukrainian territories. Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK to help Kazakh exports bypass Russia, seeks critical minerals
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev shakes hands with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly during a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan March 18, 2023. Cleverly said London valued the position of Astana - which has traditionally been closely allied with Moscow - on the Ukrainian conflict. Kazakhstan has refused to support Russia's invasion or recognise its annexation of Ukrainian territories. Cleverly and Kazakh diplomats said they have signed a memorandum on critical minerals such as rare earth metals, but provided no details about it. But since the invasion Tokayev has been careful to keep his distance from Moscow and keep relations open with the West.

Two of the sources linked the increased Russian interest directly with reported Turkish plans to crack down on the transit of sanctioned goods. Some Russian firms have sought to establish long-term sanction-busting partnerships, the sources said. Under Russian law, it is an offence to comply with the Western sanctions and sanctions-busting has become a profitable boom industry for some entrepreneurs. Ankara also said it would not allow Western sanctions to be violated in or via Turkey and was taking steps to prevent this. Kazakh exports to Russia rose by a quarter to $8.8 billion last year and sales of some items surged.

☆ How Can We Measure Droughts and Deluges? Weigh the Planet.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

Scientists have long cautioned that warming temperatures would lead to wetter and drier global extremes — increasingly severe rainfall, more intense droughts. km3/month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 km3/month 30,000 Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 km3/month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 km3/ month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 km3/ month Global intensity of wet and dry extremes 30,000 20,000 Wet extremes 10,000 -10,000 Dry extremes -20,000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Source: Rodell and Li, Nature Water (2023), based on analysis of NASA Grace and Grace-FO data. Europe July 2018–April 2021 Drought across Europe returned with the La Niña that lasted through 2022. Central Africa 2. Central Africa 2.

☆ Factbox: Britain calls out Russia, China in updated foreign policy review
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) - Britain published an update to its foreign policy framework on Monday, which announced increases in defence spending and labelled China as a challenge while citing Russia as the most acute threat to Britain's security. The new strategy towards Russia will focus on denying it any benefit from invading Ukraine; contesting Russia's "malign" influence globally and degrading the country's capabilities threatening Britain, including preventing access to critical technology and materials. Britain said Russia's growing cooperation with China and Iran following the invasion of Ukraine are developments of particular concern. CHINABritain said China poses an "epoch-defining challenge" with implications for almost every area of government policy and the lives of British people. NUCLEAR PLANRecognising the growing importance of nuclear to its security, energy and economy needs, Britain said it would publish a Defence Nuclear Strategy later this year.

☆ Blast in Afghanistan's northern Balkh province kills one, injures 5
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, March 11 (Reuters) - A blast hit the capital of Afghanistan's northern Balkh province on Saturday, police said, killing one person and wounding five a few days after the death of the province's governor in an explosion claimed by Islamic State. "A blast has taken placed in the second police district of Balkh," said Mohamad Asif Waziri, Balkh's police spokesperson. A journalist based in Balkh, Mohammad Fardin Nowrozi, told Reuters he and other journalists were injured in the explosion, but did not provide further details. Taliban authorities were already investigating the explosion that killed the provincial governor, Mawlawi Mohammad Dawood Muzamil, and two others at his office on Thursday. The governor of Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar will temporarily run Balkh, his spokesman Haji Zaid told Reuters, until Supreme Spiritual Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada selects a new governor for the northern province, an important trade hub with Central Asia.

☆ Blast at Afghanistan journalist event kills at least one, injures eight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, March 11 (Reuters) - A blast hit a cultural centre during an event for journalists in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding eight, according to authorities and journalists, a few days after the province's governor died in an explosion claimed by Islamic State. Takor added that five journalists and three children were among the injured and a security guard was killed. Sajad Mosawi, a journalist in Balkh who was injured in the blast, said it had torn through the centre during an event to celebrate journalists. Taliban authorities were already investigating the explosion that killed provincial governor Mawlawi Mohammad Dawood Muzamil and two others at his office on Thursday. Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by William Mallard and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"It seems to me that all the countries located around the Russian Federation should draw their own conclusions about how dangerous it is to take a path towards engagement with the United States' zone of responsibility, its zone of interests." Putin casts the war in Ukraine as an existential battle with the West over the future of both Russia and its former Soviet and imperial satellites which since 1991 have been courted by the United States, NATO, the EU, and China. Washington and the broader West, Lavrov said, wanted to punish Russia because it was perceived as "too independent a player" which challenged the hegemony of the United States. Lavrov, Putin's foreign minister since 2004, said that events in Georgia were orchestrated from outside and motivated by a Western attempt to claw away Russia's traditional allies. They say they simply did not agree with the proposed law and want a Western future which Russia, that fought a war against Georgia in 2008, does not offer.

☆ Putin's war in Ukraine is endangering Russia's centuries of great-power status
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Robert Farley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

And yet Russian power and influence have waned in the past; the first 20 years of the 20th century represented a nadir in Russian power, as the Russian Empire lost most of its western territories after suffering a series of defeats at the hands of Japan, Germany, and Poland. Russian soldiers in World War II uniforms parade at Dvortsovaya Square in St. Petersburg in January 2019. AP Photo/Dmitri LovetskyBy virtue of its size and legacy, Russia is undoubtedly an important military power. Even as Russia has struggled mightily to impose its will upon Ukraine, nuclear weapons have ensured that NATO stays on the sidelines. Thomson ReutersBut is Russia a great power if it can't even crush its neighbor without help from China?

☆ Blinken has 'no plans' to meet Russian, Chinese counterparts at Delhi G20 meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference at the Hyatt Regency in Tashkent, Uzbekistan March 1, 2023. Olivier Douliery/Pool via REUTERSTASHKENT, March 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that he has no plans to meet either the foreign ministers of Russia or of China during the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in New Delhi. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang are attending the meeting. A Russian foreign ministry official said Lavrov was aiming to meet at least seven foreign ministers before India hosts a welcome dinner on Wednesday for delegates from 40 countries. During his trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Blinken met with counterparts from all five Central Asian countries that used to be ruled from Moscow and have strong trade links with Beijing, ahead of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting.

☆ The US is increasingly backing one of Russia's few remaining allies, seizing on cracks in the relationship after the invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kazakhstan, one of Russia's closest allies, has seemingly snubbed it since it invaded Ukraine. The US says it supports Kazakhstan's independence and wants an "even stronger" relationship with it. During his visit, Blinken said the US was "determined to make even stronger" its relationship with Kazakhstan. But the relationship between the two countries has shifted since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Kazakhstan aligning itself more with the West, drawing the fury of some in Russia. Kazakhstan also abstained in a UN vote last week aimed at condemning Russia's invasion, not backing Russia but also not totally aligning itself with the West.

☆ Blinken holds talks with Central Asian nations in wake of Ukraine anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Feb 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Central Asia Tuesday to meet officials from all five former Soviet republics following the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Blinken's visit to the capitals of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan is his first to the region as the Biden administration's top diplomat. The trip comes just days after the Feb. 24 anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, which has tested Moscow's influence in a region that also includes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Blinken will meet the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian states in Astana on Tuesday before traveling on to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In Astana on Tuesday, Blinken told Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi that Washington supports the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Kazakhstan, which won independence from Moscow in 1991.

☆ U.S. Aims to Pull Ex-Soviet Republics From Russian, Chinese Orbits
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kazakhstan’s leadership, in Astana, agreed to enforce Western sanctions against Moscow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ASTANA, Kazakhstan—The Biden administration is wooing former Soviet republics in Central Asia, expanding its efforts to prevent Russia from circumventing Western sanctions while providing an opportunity for those countries to ease their reliance on Moscow. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make his first visit to the region on Tuesday with stops in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. He will meet officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, a bloc that together with the U.S. is known as the C5+1.

LONDON/MOSCOW, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Central Asian airlines are seizing opportunities from Russia's closed airspace, with airline traffic into the region booming in the year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, executives and analysts said. "The Russian airlines themselves are severely constrained in what they can do because of equipment shortages, they can't maintain the aircraft to sufficient standards," said James Halstead, an aviation analyst and managing partner at Aviation Strategy. It will grow since the restrictions are lifted," one Russian airlines industry source said. If the war drags on in Ukraine, there could also be further opportunities for tourism in central Asia as Russian tourists look for alternatives to Europe for their holidays. The main tourist destinations were Turkey, with 5.2 million trips or about 25% less than in 2019, the United Arab Emirates, with 1.2 million trips or 21.2% more than in 2019, Egypt and Thailand.

☆ Exxon warns of Russia risks to its $2.5 billion Kazakhstan income
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HOUSTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) on Wednesday warned in a securities filing of potential risks to its Kazakhstan oil operations, which provided $2.5 billion in earnings last year. Threats to Kazakhstan oil exports have been in the spotlight since Moscow invaded Ukraine a year ago this week. Exxon and Chevron (CVX.N) are major holders in the Central Asia country's oil production and related export pipeline. Kazakhstan shares a 4,750 mile (7,644 km) border with Russia and its oil exports travel mainly through a Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) line through Russia and lands at a Russian Black Sea export terminal. Any closure of the CPC pipeline or terminal would shut in more than 1% of global oil supply and cost its producers billions of dollars in lost income.

☆ Germany supports Ukraine but is concerned about escalating tensions with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGermany supports Ukraine but is concerned about escalating tensions with RussiaStefan Meister, head of the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations, discusses Germany's attitude toward the war in Ukraine.

☆ Pakistan seeks breakthroughs in high-level U.S. trade talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Pakistan is looking for breakthroughs in agriculture and information technology during the first ministerial level meeting of a U.S.-Pakistani trade and investment body in seven years, Pakistan's commerce minister said on Tuesday. Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar will meet on Thursday with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and other senior U.S. officials under the U.S.-Pakistan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). Now that we are starting, there are many areas where we expect some breakthroughs, and that is on both sides." Qamar said Pakistan was looking to increase its exports of mangoes to the United States, and ensure smooth, increased trade in information technology and computer programming services. "When we talk about trade, we're talking about the entire spectrum, but we're focusing on these things because that's where things would start happening right away," he said.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Battle around Bakhmut goes on in the mud
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Ukrainian service members ride inside an infantry fighting vehicle near the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine February 25, 2023. * U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen paid a surprise visit to Kyiv to reaffirm U.S. support and economic aid to help Ukraine's war campaign. * China has "very clearly" taken Russia's side in the Ukraine war by providing diplomatic, political and economic support, the U.S. State Department said. FIGHTING* The military situation is becoming increasingly difficult around Bakhmut, the focal point of Russia's advances in eastern Ukraine, President Zelenskiy said. * A year into war, older refugees running out of hope* Life and death in Mariupol - a survivor's tale of war* Family mourns Bucha victim who became symbol of warPODCASTLearn more about the Ukraine war.

☆ Thousands of trucks stuck at Afghan-Pakistan border crossing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Jibran Ahmad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Men sit near a queue of trucks loaded with supplies to leave for Afghanistan, after Taliban authorities have closed the main border crossing in Torkham, Pakistan February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Shahid ShinwariPESHAWAR, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A key border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan remained closed for a third day, with thousands of goods vehicles stuck and businesses facing losses as officials from both sides try to broker a solution. "The closure of the border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been causing losses to traders of the two countries. He added some trucks had been diverted to another, smaller border crossing, but traders were worried about the security of truck drivers travelling to that region. Residents had reported heavy gunfire on Monday morning near the Torkham border crossing, but the Taliban official had denied any clashes and said the situation was under control.

Search resuls for: "CENTRAL ASIA"

25 mentions found