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☆ 'Intellectually inferior' humans caused Neanderthals to go extinct, a new book claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new book “The Naked Neanderthal” says humans were the main cause thanks to their superior weapons. Compared to early humans, Neanderthals were muscular with a prominent brow and less pronounced chin. Since humans were the final species to occupy the cave, Slimak argues it's because they'd replaced those Neanderthals by wiping them out. Humans' superior weaponsScientists have found relatively few weapons belonging to Neanderthals , Slimak wrote. Yet genes can't tell us much about the nature of these interactions or how closely or amicably humans and Neanderthals lived.

Persons: Ludovic Slimak, —, April Nowell, sapien, “, ”, Slimak, Bill O'Leary, sapiens, they'd, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology Hendrik Schmidt, Nowell, haven't, Nikola Solic, ” Nowell, Sapiens Organizations: Service, University of Victoria, Smithsonian Museum, Washington, Getty, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology, Reuters Locations: Europe, East, Central Asia, Southern Siberia, Southern France, Chemnitz, France, Spain, Krapina, Croatia

They found that 10 countries, including Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Yemen, and Pakistan, experienced the majority of locust outbreaks among 48 affected nations. The researchers also found a strong link between the magnitude of desert locust outbreaks and weather and land conditions like air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and wind. El Nino, a recurring and natural climate phenomenon that affects weather worldwide, was also strongly tied to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks. “As such variability increases, it is logical to predict that locust outbreaks will increase as well,” said Tallamy. The desert experienced locust outbreaks in 2019 after uncontrolled breeding following cyclones, which filled the desert with freshwater lakes.

Persons: Elfatih Abdel, Rahman, Douglas Tallamy, ”, Paula Shrewsbury, al Khali, Xiaogang Organizations: Agriculture Organization, National University of Singapore, Food, International, of, Physiology, Nino, University of Delaware, University of Maryland, World Bank, Associated Press Locations: Africa, South Asia, Agriculture, Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Yemen, Pakistan, East Africa, Shrewsbury, India, Asia, Arabian, West Africa, AP.org

☆ BlackRock is overhauling the way it advises powerful investors, from sovereign wealth funds to central banks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The shake-up targets the $10 trillion money manager's influential group that provides services to high-stakes institutional clients like sovereign wealth funds, insurers, and central banks. The group has ambitions to become "the most trusted advisor to financial institutions in our industry," he wrote. AdvertisementThe FSIG includes the firm's Financial Markets Advisory team and the Financial Institutions Group. It had also historically encompassed the Official Institutions Group, known as OIG, which will no longer be a stand-alone unit, a BlackRock spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday. She has been critical to driving relationships with institutions and "instrumental in making BlackRock the partner of choice for central banks globally," he wrote.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Charles Hatami, BlackRock's, Hatami, Isabelle Mateos y, OIG, Mateos y, Crystal Wan, Olivier Van Eyseren, Anne Parthiot, Mark Erickson, Kimberly Kim, Erickson, Hiro Shimizu, Philipp Hildebrand, BlackRock's Brandon Hall, Brandon Hall, Ben Leax, Rob Goldstein, FMA, Larry Fink Organizations: Service, Business, BlackRock's Financial, Strategic Investors Group, Business Insider, Financial, Group, BlackRock, International Monetary Fund, FIG, EMEA, Presidential, Brandon Locations: Isabelle Mateos y Lago, Hatami, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, Pacific, Ukraine, Central Asia, US

The highway is the most politically charged slice of a politically turbulent country. It winds 180 miles from Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, through the fertile plains of Punjab Province to Lahore, the nation’s cultural and political heart. For centuries, it was known only as a sliver of the Grand Trunk Road, Asia’s longest and oldest thoroughfare, linking traders in Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. As Pakistan heads into national elections on Thursday, the road is buzzing. Politics dominates the chatter between its vendors and rickshaw drivers, their conversations seeped in a culture of conspiracy, cults of political personality and the problems of entrenched military control.

Locations: Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Punjab Province, Lahore, Central Asia, Pakistan

☆ Former Drug Smugglers Share How Drug Trafficking Actually Works
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Dylan Brzezinski | Ju Shardlow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Pieter Tritton, a former cocaine smuggler, speaks with Business Insider about trafficking cocaine from Ecuador to Europe through a cartel connection. Tritton was arrested in Ecuador and sentenced to 12 years in one of the world's most violent and corrupt prisons. David McMillan is a British Australian former drug smuggler. Shaun Attwood is a former drug smuggler who ran a successful ring trafficking MDMA pills in the US in the '90s. He speaks with BI about his experience with drug-dealing gangs and how the drug market works.

Persons: Pieter Tritton, Tritton, David McMillan, Adi Jaffe, Jaffe, Shaun Attwood, Attwood, Neil Woods, Woods, incapablestaircase.com Adi Jaffe, Neil Organizations: University of California Locations: Ecuador, Europe, British Australian, Southeast, Central Asia, Los Angeles, American

☆ White House, Capitol Hill divide on use of military in Red Sea is getting dangerous for the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

U.S. import and export data shows that the majority of the country's trade is on foreign-flagged vessels. The Congressional calls to consider prioritizing U.S.-flagged vessels come at a time when the Iranian-backed Houthis continue to attack shipping in the Red Sea. Other nations, including U.S. ally France, have already declared their priority is to escort French-linked vessels after facing nationalistic pressure. "It could also be argued that directing military action to defend U.S. commercial shipping is within this power. However, most vessels transiting through the Red Sea are not U.S. ships, which raises questions about the extent to which these authorities can be exercised," they wrote.

Persons: Gerald R, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Mohammed Al, —, Biden's, Charles, Bud, Darr, Salud Carbajal, Hapag Lloyd, Carbajal's, Tim Kaine, Todd Young, Chris Murphy, Mike Lee Organizations: United States, Ford, Anadolu, Getty, Capitol, U.S, MDS Transmodal, Congressional, Gaza, Senate Foreign Relations, White House, Representatives, MSC, U.S . Navy, Maersk, White, Senate Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Senate, Relations, Counterterrorism Locations: Red, U.S, Iranian, Iran, France, Marshall, United States, East, South Asia, Central Asia

☆ I founded a company in Singapore in my 20s. Then I realized it was the perfect time in my life to walk away — so I did.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cheah Wenqi , the 28-year-old cofounder of a Singapore-based media company. I was in my third year at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore when I cofounded a media company with three friends. Some of the videos we worked on for our class went viral, which is when we started thinking about creating our own platform. In my final years with the company, I headed the product growth and development team and worked on developing our YouTube page. After around five years on the job, I started thinking about what's next.

Persons: Cheah Wenqi, I, what's, Cheah, TikTok, Instagram, I'm Organizations: Nanyang Technological University, Central Locations: Singapore, Japan, China, Central Asia

The terrorist threat from al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and their affiliates remains high in conflict zones in Africa and in Afghanistan – and threat levels have risen in some regions including Europe, U.N. experts said in a new report. The Islamic State group broke away from al-Qaida over a decade ago and attracted supporters from around the world. In Iraq, they are carrying out “a low-intensity insurgency with covert terrorist cells” while in Syria attacks have intensified since November, the experts said. In West Africa and the Sahel, the panel said, “violence and threat have escalated again” in conflict zones, raising concerns among U.N. member nations. The experts point to “a deficit in counterterrorism capabilities,” which Islamic State and al-Qaida affiliated groups are continuing to exploit.

Persons: Abu Hafs al, Hashemi, “, ”, Al Organizations: Islamic State, . Security, Central, Islamic Locations: Africa, Afghanistan, Europe, Iran, Pakistan, Central Asian, “, al, Iraq, Syria, Islamic, West Africa, Islamic State, Somali, Shabab, “ al, Mogadishu, Somalia, Israel, Gaza, Al, Islam, Jerusalem, France, Belgium

☆ I left the US and moved to Istanbul for a fresh start. I love it here, and my American dollars go far.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Maria Mocerino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I left the US to start over and I've spent the past few months falling love with Istanbul. The city is stunning and bustling — and I find that my American dollars go far here. For example, I'm living in a digital-nomad hotel in Kadikoy, one of the hippest neighborhoods on the Asian side, right by the water. I'm able to save money each month, which I always found challenging to do while living in NYC. I've had chestnuts, corn, and mussels stuffed with spiced rice and topped with fresh lemon juice for just a few dollars.

Persons: I've, It's, —, who's, I'd, Maria Mocerino, Hagia Sophia Organizations: Service, East, West, Yorker Locations: Istanbul, United States, Los Angeles and New York City, —, Central Asia, Kadikoy, NYC, Europe, Asia, Marmara, Hagia, Sultanahmet, Beyoğlu

Global inflation is expected to fall to 5.8% in 2024 and to 4.4% in 2025. “The global economy begins the final descent toward a soft landing, with inflation declining steadily and growth holding up. That is not to say the global economy is without challenges. It also raises concerns about a revival of global inflation pressures as importers face surging shipping costs,” said Lydia Boussour, senior economist at EY-Parthenon. “For now, we don’t expect the situation in the Red Sea to substantially alter the outlook for global inflation and global monetary policy this year,” she added.

Persons: ” Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, ”, Lydia Boussour, Gourinchas, ” Gourinchas, Eric LeCompte, LeCompte Organizations: Monetary Fund, IMF, Federal Reserve, . News, USA Locations: U.S, China, –, Ukraine, Iranian, Suez, EY, India, Russia, East, Central Asia, Saudi Arabia, “, Brazil

☆ Pope Francis says Africa’s criticism of same-sex blessing a “special case”
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Pope Francis has addressed criticism over his consent to priests to bless same-sex couples, saying the pushback from African bishops was “a special case” influenced by culture. African Catholic bishops said in a letter the pope’s endorsement “caused a shockwave” on the continent and “has sown misconceptions and unrest in the minds of many”, including pastors. Kazakhstani bishops Tomash Peta and Athanasius Schneider jointly described blessings for same-sex unions as a contradiction to the age-long practice and doctrine of the Catholic Church. “To bless couples in an irregular situation and same-sex couples is a serious abuse of the most Holy name of God,” said the preachers who head the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in the country’s capital Astana. French Archbishop Hervé Giraud said last month he could bless a gay couple as he believed such a blessing was not an acceptance of a same-sex union.

Persons: Pope Francis, “, Francis, ”, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Tomash Peta, Athanasius Schneider, of Saint Mary, Hervé Giraud, ” Giraud Organizations: CNN, Italian, Stampa, Catholic Church, of, “, Catholic, La Croix Locations: Africa, Madagascar, Uganda, Asia, of Saint, Astana, Europe, France, Austria, Germany, Sens

☆ China earthquake: Powerful 7.1 quake strikes Xinjiang region near Kyrgyzstan border
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The quake struck Wushi county, also known as Uqturpan county, in Aksu prefecture near the Kyrgyzstan border shortly after 2 a.m. local time, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Strong tremors caused two houses to collapse and downed two major power lines near the epicenter, though electricity was quickly restored, according to Xinhua. The Xinjiang railway authority immediately sealed off routes in areas affected by the quake and suspended 27 trains, Xinhua reported. Nearly 200 rescue workers have been dispatched to the quake zone, and hundreds more are being assembled, Xinhua reported. The tremors were also felt across the border in Kyrgyzstan, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Persons: ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Xinhua, CCTV, China Earthquake Networks, United States Geological Survey, Reuters, Residents, United Nations Locations: Hong Kong, China’s, Xinjiang, Central, Aksu prefecture, Kyrgyzstan, Xinhua, Wushi, Kashgar, Hotan, Kazakhstan, Almaty, Uzbekistan, China, Beijing, Gansu, Qinghai

☆ Why ISIS has unleashed its suicide bombers against Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

By the day's end of the day, scores of supporters of the rulers of Iran were dead, and hundreds were injured in a twin suicide bombing. AdvertisementHe was considered a hero, she said, by many in Iran for driving ISIS out of Iraq and helping to defeat them in Syria. Stringer/Anadolu via Getty ImagesIt was the latest in a string of attacks by the ISIS affiliate that has been targeting Iran for five years. The Iranian intelligence ministry sought to blame its old enemy Israel for the atrocity and said one of the bombers had Israeli citizenship, the Times of Israel reported. AdvertisementThey will continue to attempt attacks against Iran "no matter what," Washington Institute for Near East Policy expert, Aaron Zelin, told the VoA.

Persons: Qassem, —, Qassem Soleimani, Kerman, Barbara Slavin, Soleimani, Stringer, Khomeini's, Abdollah Tajiki, Slavin, It's, it's, White, John Kirby, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Saudi King Salman, Prophet Mohammed, Salvin, Donald Trump, Aaron Zelin Organizations: Sunni, Service, Revolutionary, Reuters, The Stimson Center, Iran Initiative, Asia Center, ISIS, Anadolu, Getty, Iranian, Ministry of Intelligence, Revolutionary Guard, Saudi, US, UK, Red, Quds Force, The Stimson, Washington Institute for Near East, VoA Locations: Kerman, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Asia, Kerman City, Tehran, Tajik, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Hormuz, Soleimani, Iranian, Fars, Republic, Yemen, Iran's, United States, al Qaeda, American

☆ Ancient DNA reveals genetic roots of multiple sclerosis and other diseases
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

These genetic variants may have subsequently proved beneficial to European populations in making the shift from hunting and gathering to farming. “DNA from hunter-gatherers is present at higher levels in Northeastern Europe, which means the region has an elevated genetic risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” Barrie said. Similarly, the ancient genetic information shed light on the evolutionary history of traits such as height and lactose tolerance. And for most traits, MS included, the genetic effects are the result of multiple genetic variants,” he said. “Ultimately, we can’t say that MS came from Bronze Age populations, but these populations’ movements and environments contribute to differences in MS risk today.”

Persons: “, ”, Rasmus Nielsen, It’s, William Barrie, Astrid Iversen, ” Iversen, ε4, ” Barrie, Samira, Asgari, Tony Capra, Capra, wasn’t Organizations: CNN —, University of California, Danish National, University of Cambridge’s, University of Oxford, Icahn School of Medicine, Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute Locations: Western Europe, Central Asia, Europe, Berkeley, Kazakhstan, Northeastern Europe, Mount Sinai, New York, Bakar, San Francisco

U.S. officials, after learning about the plot in late July, demanded that India investigate, a senior administration official said. High-level meetings and pledges of closer cooperation have continued, with Biden's secretaries of state and defense visiting Delhi this month. A senior U.S. administration official called the assassination plot a "serious matter" and said Washington expects India to stop such activities, even as the Biden administration pursues "an ambitious agenda to expand our cooperation" with India. Biden has made a priority of nurturing ties with India, hoping to counter China’s ambitions in Asia while drawing India away from Russia as the U.S. seeks to isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. "Both the U.S. and India realize that they need each other, perhaps the U.S. a bit more than India."

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Nikhil Gupta, Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Biden, Modi, Lisa Curtis, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada’s, Happymon Jacob, Richard Rossow, Ashley Tellis, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Krishn Kaushik, Jonathan Landay, Trevor Hunnicutt, Don Durfee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Eisenhower, White, REUTERS, Rights, Federal, New, New York City, Indian, White House, CIA, Washington, South, National Security Council, Canada, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Biden Administration, Carnegie Endowment, International, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, India, Washington , U.S, U.S, China, Manhattan, New York, New Delhi, Delhi, The U.S, Central Asia, Asia, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, York, Canada, Vancouver suburb, Gujarat

☆ Russia has a 'high tolerance' for losses after losing 100s of aircraft, 1000s of tanks, and more than 300,000 men in Ukraine, NATO chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Since the invasion, Russia has become "weaker politically, militarily, and economically," he said. But Jens Stoltenberg warned that this doesn't mean Russia will stop. And more than 300,000 casualties," Stoltenberg said. AdvertisementBut Stoltenberg warned against thinking that Russia would stop its invasion as a result of all this, stating that "we must not underestimate Russia." AdvertisementThis could include getting some territory from Ukraine, something Ukraine said it is not willing to accept and that's unlikely to actually stop Russia.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, —, Stoltenberg, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Putin's Organizations: Service, NATO, Russia, Ukrainian, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Moscow, Beijing, Russian, Ukrainian

Helping these countries, which face some of the biggest risks from climate change, access these will be a key aim during the COP28 climate talks underway in Dubai. Ambitions for results at COP28 got off to a good start on the opening day on Thursday when countries approved plans for the climate disaster fund, after months of negotiations. About 60% of low-income countries are either in or at high risk of debt distress, the CDP said. The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program, for example, aims to agree a disaster relief bond issuance and a regional risk transfer facility, the ADB's Principal Disaster Risk Insurance and Finance Specialist, Thomas Kessler, told Reuters. "We are ready to scale up climate protection through early warning systems, anticipatory cash, climate insurance and community-based resilience projects," said Gernot Laganda, director of Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction at the United Nations World Food Programme.

Persons: COP28, Ekhosuehi Iyahen, IDF's Iyahen, Michèle Plichta, Lydia Poole, Odile Renaud, Basso, Thomas Kessler, Otis, Gernot Laganda, Alessandro Parodi, Simon Jessop, Libby George, Karin Strohecker, Susan Fenton Organizations: Insurance, Forum, PAF, Disaster, European Bank for Reconstruction, Global, Swiss, Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation, Finance, Reuters, UN, University of Cambridge's Institute for Sustainability Leadership, United Nations, Food, Thomson Locations: GDANSK, LONDON, Dubai, London, Mexico

☆ OSCE Meeting Causes Rift Over Whether to Share Stage With Russia's Lavrov
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The United States and its allies are seeking to simultaneously keep the OSCE alive and hold Russia to account over its invasion of Ukraine. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters at a meeting with his counterparts from other NATO member states. Estonia had been due to take over the annually rotating OSCE chairmanship but Russia spent months blocking it. A last-minute deal for neutral Malta to take over the chairmanship must also be formally approved at Thursday and Friday's OSCE meeting in Skopje, hosted by the current chair North Macedonia. I think that is simply wrong," Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins told reporters at the NATO meeting.

Persons: Andrew Gray, Francois Murphy, Ingrid Melander, Russia's Sergei Lavrov, Margus Tsahkna, Lavrov, Tsahkna, OSCE Michael Carpenter, Antony Blinken, Vladimir Putin, Helga Schmid, Krisjanis Karins, Humeyra Pamuk, William Maclean Organizations: Organization, Security, Cooperation, OSCE, Central Asia, Ukrainian Foreign, AS, United, U.S, Macedonian, United Nations General Assembly, NATO Locations: Ingrid Melander BRUSSELS, VIENNA, Baltic, Ukraine, Russia, Balkans, Central, United States, Estonian, Estonia, Malta, Skopje, Macedonia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Moscow, West, New York, Latvian

☆ As global rates turn, banks in India and Indonesia set to win
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Loan growth at Asian banks is estimated to rise from 4.5% this year to 10% next year, LSEG data shows, with banks in India and Indonesia leading with 15% and 11% growth, respectively. Ng likes banks in India and Indonesia, given the better economic growth in those economies and ability of banks to sustain margins. LSEG data shows profits at banks in India and Indonesia will grow 13% and 11% respectively next year, nearly double the 6% average rise across Asia-Pacific banks. That compares to price-to-book ratio for MSCI's index for all-country Asian banks (.dMIAS0CB00PUS) of 0.9. Banks in Australia are estimated to see a drop of 5% in profit in 2024 while profits at Singapore banks will be flat.

Persons: Frederic Neumann, Neumann, Morgan, Yao Ng, abrdn, Ng, Vinay Agarwal, Agarwal, Morgan Stanley, Ankur Banerjee, Gaurav Dogra, Patturaja, Vidya Ranganathan, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: U.S . Federal, Fed, HSBC, ICICI, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Axis Bank, FSSA Investment Management, Indonesia's Bank Central Asia, BCA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Asia, Japan, J.P, Pacific, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Banks, Australia, China, Bengaluru

☆ Russia is wrestling with a labor crisis — and is making it even worse by sending highly-skilled workers to war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But contradictory policies are worsening the situation, a think tank said. Russia is deterring potential workers by trying to send them to fight in Ukraine. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRussia is wrestling with a labor crisis — but making it even worse by sending highly-skilled workers to war, a think tank said. AdvertisementRussia has experienced steep casualty rates in Ukraine, with reports saying that it's lost around 300,000 soldiers.

Persons: —, Vyacheslav Volodin, Vladimir Putin, they'd, it's Organizations: Service, RFE, European Council Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Washington, DC, Central

☆ Neutral Malta to Chair OSCE After Moscow Blocks NATO Member Estonia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

OSCE countries' foreign ministers meet on Thursday and Friday in the North Macedonian capital of Skopje to discuss the chair role and renewing four senior OSCE officials in their posts at the Vienna-based organisation. Small, neutral European Union member state Malta was acceptable to all sides. The deal "brings with it the guarantee of another year of functionality and a legitimate chair," one senior Western diplomat said. Russia and staunch ally Belarus have still not backed the renewal of four senior OSCE officials in their posts, including veteran German diplomat Helga Schmid as OSCE secretary-general, diplomats said. "We do care about the top four but the chair is existential - the organization cannot operate without it," the Western diplomat said.

Persons: Francois Murphy VIENNA, Bujar Osmani, Helga Schmid, Francois Murphy, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Organization for Security, Cooperation, OSCE, Macedonian, Twitter, European, NATO, Union Locations: Europe, Malta, Russia, Estonia, Macedonian, Skopje, Vienna, United States, Canada, Central Asian, European Union, Britain, Ukraine, Belarus, Western, Moscow, Washington

☆ Three Camel Lodge gives travelers rare opportunity to experience the Gobi, Mongolia’s famed desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Jane Sit | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

How the Three Camel Lodge was bornThe Three Camel Lodge was the brainchild of 68-year-old Mongolian-American businessman Jalsa Urubshurow. In 2002, Jalsa decided to build something more permanent in the Gobi, and the Three Camel Lodge was born. Despite being in the desert, it’s one of just a few regions in the Mongolian Gobi that’s covered in mounds of sand. Considered a pioneer in sustainable tourism, the Three Camel Lodge today follows three main pillars: sustainable stewardship, preservation and community empowerment. Getting thereGetting to and from the Three Camel Lodge isn’t for the travel-weary – did we mention it’s remote?

Persons: Khan, Mongolia CNN —, Jalsa Urubshurow, ”, Jalsa, “ I’ve, “, Roy Andrews, Buyandelger, Andrews ’, Moltsog Els, –, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Mongolia CNN, Mongolian, ”, herder, Nomadic Expeditions, American Museum of, Expeditions, CNN Travel, birdlife, Investment, Dalanzadgad Locations: Khan khongor, Mongolia, Khan konghor, Central Asia, gers, Kalmykia, Russia, New Jersey, Bayanzag, Ulaanbaatar

☆ ‘Turkey’: The Thanksgiving Icon Named for the Wrong Country
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Ben Zimmer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Illustration: James YangThanksgiving is so intimately connected with eating turkey that Americans have long dubbed the holiday “Turkey Day.” But the bird on the Thanksgiving table has had some unexpected geopolitical ramifications, with the country of Turkey in recent years seeking to distance itself from the avian name. The connection between “turkey” the bird and “Turkey” the country is rooted in an old misapprehension. The ethnic designation “Turk” dates back to 8th-century inscriptions naming a nomadic confederation that migrated from central Asia to the Anatolian peninsula, eventually home to the Ottoman Empire.

Persons: James Yang, Turk ” Locations: Turkey, Asia, Ottoman Empire

☆ She Once Won Eurovision. Now She’s on Russia’s Wanted List.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | More About Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 after a popular uprising ousted a Russia-leaning president in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Jamala won the Eurovision song contest in 2016 with a song dedicated to the Crimean Tatars who were deported in the 1940s after they were accused of cooperating with Nazi Germany. Her ancestors were deported to Central Asia, where she was born. “It happened in 1944, and then in 2014, and now again,” she said. In 1954, the peninsula was transferred from Russian to Ukrainian authority within the Soviet Union.

Persons: Jamala, ” Jamala, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Organizations: Tatars, Soviet Union, Ukraine — Locations: Ukrainian, Crimean, Soviet Union, Russia, Crimea, Ukraine, Kyiv, Nazi Germany, Central Asia, Russian, Soviet, Moscow

☆ Russian artist receives seven-year sentence for anti-war protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Anna Chernova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian artist Alexandra Skochilenko, who had replaced price tags with anti-war messages in a St. Petersburg grocery store as an act of protest, was sentenced to seven years in jail by a court in the Russian city on Thursday. “Today, scientists and doctors around the world are fighting to increase human life expectancy and find cures for deadly diseases. Therefore, I don’t understand: what is (this) war for? War is death,” she added, according to a courtroom correspondent for the independent news outlet Mediazona. “Her persecution has become synonymous with the absurdly cruel oppression faced by Russians openly opposing their country’s criminal war.”

Persons: Alexandra Skochilenko, Skochilenko, Skochilenko “, “, ”, Marie Struthers, Struthers, ” Skochilenko “, ” Struthers Organizations: CNN, Armed Forces, Russian Federation, Novaya Gazeta, “, Amnesty, Central Asia Locations: Russian, St, Petersburg, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Eastern Europe

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