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[1/3] Members of the pro-Ukrainian Chechen battalion check an area, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Bakhmut, Ukraine November 11, 2022. Maga, his nom-de-guerre, is part of a unit of Chechen fighters helping Ukraine battle Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. "We're not fighting just for the sake of fighting," said Maga, who declined to give his real name for security reasons. That has not extinguished hope among Kadyrov's opponents, including Chechens fighting Russian forces in Ukraine, that the authoritarian "power vertical" which Putin has built could crumble if Moscow lost in Ukraine. "The armed forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria are being renewed here today," he told the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Oct. 24.

Fighting flared in September between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the two sides said more than 200 soldiers had been killed. "It is depressing that Armenia's membership in the CSTO did not deter Azerbaijan from aggressive actions," Pashinyan told the meeting in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. "Right up to today we have not managed to reach a decision on a CSTO response to Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia. In his own remarks, Putin acknowledged some unspecified "problems" facing the CSTO, and said more effort was needed to bring about peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan enjoys backing from Turkey and is not a member of the CSTO, which comprises Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as Russia and Armenia.

☆ A failed war helped bring down the Soviet Union. Now Putin's failing war in Ukraine might set Russia up for a bleak future.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Joy Neumeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan and Russia's current war in Ukraine have obvious similarities in their disastrous planning and execution. In the 1990s, Afghanistan veterans' sense of aggrievement fused with that of veterans returning from Boris Yeltsin's war in Chechnya. Putin's war, Russia's futurePutin meets soldiers at a military training center outside the town of Ryazan in October. While glasnost-era revelations about the Soviet war shocked the country into supporting withdrawal, these days there is little left to expose. Public self-criticism surrounding the Soviet war in Afghanistan, however brief and contested, shows that reassessment of imperial ambitions is possible.

☆ From Russia with cash: Georgia booms as Russians flee Putin's war
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Jake Cordell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), for example, predicted in March the Ukraine conflict would deal a major blow to the Georgian economy. "On the contrary, we see the Georgian economy growing quite well this year, double digits." Business leaders also worry that the country could face a hard landing should the war end and Russians return home. TO GEORGIA WITH $1 BILLIONGeorgia itself fought a short war with Russia in 2008 over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, territories controlled by Russian-backed separatists. 'THE CRISIS COULD HIT'TBC's Butskhrikidze said he saw potential in the new arrivals to fill skills gaps in the Georgian economy.

☆ MENA, Central Asia economies show resilience but global headwinds loom -IMF
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Wayne Cole | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Economic activity in the Middle East and Central Asia was resilient with recovery continuing in 2022 but the region must guard against growing global headwinds and push ahead with reforms, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday. Countries should be on alert as "headwinds are growing, vulnerabilities are growing" with a global economic slowdown, volatile food and energy prices and tightening financial conditions, IMF Middle East and Central Asia Director Jihad Azour told Reuters ahead of the October report's release. An urgent policy challenge was tackling the cost-of-living crisis by restoring price stability, protecting vulnerable groups through targeted support and ensuring food security. Economic growth in 2023 was forecast by the IMF at 4% percent and likely narrow to 3.5% in the medium term. "Spillovers from the war could put the CCA's progress toward reducing poverty and inequality at risk," the report said.

☆ 2 intensifying border wars show Putin is losing sway in his neighborhood while Russia struggles in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In recent weeks, border disputes in the Caucasus and Central Asia have escalated into clashes. And the Russian troops that once kept the peace between those feuding neighbors? Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesRussia's complicated history with Central Asia goes back centuries. Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin, inherited this colonialist mindset, seeing Central Asia (and Ukraine) as part of the Russia sphere. KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty ImagesTo some extent, the deployment of Russian troops, or threat to do so, has tamped down conflicts.

☆ Ukraine lawmakers brand Chechnya 'Russian-occupied' in dig at Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ichkeria is the historical name of Russia's southern region of Chechnya that was devastated by two bloody wars between Russian troops and Chechen separatists after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. A majority of Ukrainian lawmakers voted on Tuesday to back a resolution that "recognises the Chechen republic of Ichkeria as territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation as a result of armed aggression which contravened the UN's Statute". Ukraine uses the same language - "temporarily occupied" - to describe swathes of Ukrainian territory that were seized by Russian forces in 2014 and following this year's invasion. Ukraine's 450-seat parliament, which has continued to function behind closed doors despite Russian attacks on the capital Kyiv and other cities, said 290 lawmakers had voted to adopt the resolution. The parliament known in Ukraine as the Verkhovna Rada said 352 lawmakers were present for the vote.

☆ Analysis: What is Russia's policy on tactical nuclear weapons?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

WHAT ARE TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS? Academics and arms control negotiators have spent years arguing about how to define tactical nuclear weapons (TNW). The clue is in the name: they are nuclear weapons used for specific tactical gains on the battlefield, rather than, say, destroying the biggest cities of the United States or Russia. The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945 was about 15 kilotons. The president is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to using Russian nuclear weapons, both strategic and non-strategic, according to Russia's nuclear doctrine.

☆ France accuses Russia of stoking Armenia, Azerbaijan conflict
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - France's President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia on Wednesday of purposefully provoking the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of an effort destabilise the Caucasus region and beyond. The worst fighting between the two ex-Soviet countries since 2020 broke out in late September, killing more than 200 people. However, speaking to France 2 television on Wednesday Macron said Moscow had stoked tensions in recent months in favour of Azerbaijan. France, along with the United States and Russia are co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group that mediates over Nagorno-Karabakh. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by John Irish; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russian Borders Swamped as Putin’s Draft Order Sparks Exodus
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Drew Hinshaw | Kate Vtorygina | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DARIALI, Georgia—On a narrow road high in the Caucasus Mountains, thousands of cars packed with young men have waited three days to inch through a six-mile traffic jam to the Russian frontier, their passengers running low on food and water. North of the Arctic Circle, a sleepy Norwegian border post has been swamped with five times its normal traffic, as potential Russian conscripts trek hundreds of miles to one of the last remaining entry points into Europe. Tens of thousands more cars wait snarled up at border posts along the Mongolian steppe.

Russians trying to avoid getting conscripted to fight in Ukraine appeared to be trying to cross the border into Georgia, Kazakhstan and even remote Mongolia, satellite imagery suggested Monday. Russian border guards didn’t appear to be trying to stop them. The Russians are fleeing to Georgia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and other countries because they don't require visas. Logvin said he waited 34 hours at the border before he was allowed to enter Georgia. According to Maxar, this satellite image appears to show a traffic jam near the Russian border with Georgia on Sunday.

☆ Desperation on Russia's borders as draft-eligible men flee
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Travellers from Russia cross the border to Georgia at the Zemo Larsi/Verkhny Lars station, Georgia September 26, 2022. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterHis escape was part of a vast exodus from Russia that has seen thousands of military-age men make for the borders with Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. On Monday, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that 261,000 men had left Russia since mobilisation was declared, citing a Kremlin source. On the Kazakhstan border, Nikita described would-be emigres pitching tents along the highway leading up to the Vishnyovka border post, while others less well-equipped slept on the tarmac, building makeshift beds out of their own clothes. Some of the most dramatic scenes were at Russia’s only operational border crossing with Georgia, which allows Russians to stay for a year without a visa.

☆ Gunman fires at Russian draft office amid anger over Ukraine mobilization
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

A gunman opened fire at a draft office in Russia’s Siberian region of Irkutsk on Monday amid a growing backlash against President Vladimir Putin’s chaotic efforts to mobilize more people to boost his troops in Ukraine. A video circulating online, confirmed by NBC News to have been shot in the draft office, showed people inside running for cover and screaming as the gunman fired. But Melvin said it's further evidence of Russia's disorganized mobilization drive. The unrest throughout Russia comes against the backdrop of a voting process underway in four Moscow-occupied regions of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that Russian soldiers who die in the war against Ukraine will be cleansed of their sins.

☆ U.S. warns of 'horrific' consequences if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Washington responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin's veiled threat of using nuclear weapons, warning of serious consequences and that the U.S. response would be "decisive." "The consequences would be horrific," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an interview. The number cited for the mobilization — 300,000 — is nearly double the size of the initial invasion force. Anti-mobilization protests appear to be continuing, with reports of standoffs with authorities and several arrests in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan. Western and Ukrainian officials are condemning the referendums as a sham that will allow Putin to annex the territories and then use them to justify threatening anyone trying to retake them with nuclear weapons.

☆ Russians flee to Georgia after Putin's mobilisation order
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Georgian capital Tbilisi had already seen an influx of around 40,000 Russians since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to government statistics. There, they hired a local driver to take them through the border checkpoints and after 24 hours they arrived in Tbilisi. The exact number of people who have left Russia since Putin announced what he called a "partial mobilisation" last Wednesday is unclear. LOCAL RESENTMENTRussians already in Tbilisi saw Putin's mobilisation decree as further vindication of their decisions to flee. More than 200 men who were detained at anti-war protests in Moscow last week were issued draft summons, state media reported.

☆ Police clash with people opposed to mobilisation in Russia's Dagestan
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sept 25 (Reuters) - Police clashed on Sunday with people opposed to the mobilisation in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, underscoring the level of discontent with President Vladimir Putin's decision to send hundreds of thousands more men to fight in Ukraine. Russia's first military mobilisation since World War Two, announced by Putin on Wednesday, has triggered protests in dozens of cities across the country. Public anger has appeared to be particularly strong in poor ethnic minority regions like Dagestan, a Muslim-majority region located on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the mountainous north Caucasus. There have been several reports from across Russia of people with no military service or parents of young children being called up in the draft - despite guarantees from Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu they would be excluded. Earlier on Sunday Russia's two most senior lawmakers - key Putin allies - also addressed public concerns about mobilisation, acknowledging "excesses" had stoked public anger.

☆ In poor, rural Buryatia, Russia's partial mobilisation hits hard
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Ulan-Ude draft office and the defence ministry in Moscow did not reply to a request for comment on the situation. PROVINCIAL MOBILISATION"There’s nothing partial about the mobilisation in Buryatia," said Alexandra Garmazhapova, president of the Free Buryatia Foundation, an organisation that provides legal help to those mobilised. Her foundation collected hundreds of appeals for help from residents whose relatives had received mobilisation papers. One resident of the Buryatia village of Orongoi, whose population in 2010 was 1,700, told Reuters that 106 men from the village had been mobilised. "The federal centre is trying not to touch St Petersburg and Moscow, because in Moscow you can have protests against the Kremlin," she said.

☆ Speaker Pelosi strongly condemns 'illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan' during visit to Armenia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds a press conference in the Parliament in Yerevan on September 18, 2022. - US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned on September 18, 2022, Azerbaijan's attack on Armenia, days after border clashes between the Caucasus arch foes claimed the lives of more than 200 people. (Photo by Karen MINASYAN / AFP) (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty Images)U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks in Armenia on Sunday to express support for the nation in the wake of deadly clashes with neighboring Azerbaijan. In a press conference, Pelosi strongly condemned "illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan" and added that the violence "threatens prospects for a much-needed peace agreement." Pelosi is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Armenia since it achieved independence in 1991, according to the release.

☆ Thousands of Russian tech workers pulled off a perilous escape from their crumbling homeland. Now they face an anti-Russian backlash, reluctant banks, and sky-high rents.
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-14 | by ( Belle Lin | Masha Borak | Kylie Robison | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

While Kristina is leaving Russia soon, she said she has received threatening messages including, "You are the Putin enemy," and "The police are already after you." To staunch the outflow of talent, the Russian government has offered some tech workers favorable loans, mortgage rates, and even income-tax exemptions. Even after securing a precious visa or a flight out, Russian immigration officers closely monitor departing workers' every move. According to Alexandra, Russian workers are also transferring their funds into cryptocurrencies in order to access funds outside the country. As Russian workers establish their new lives in exile, some say they're worried about the costs they've paid.

☆ TOP 5 aplicații create în cadrul Hackathonului media „Puterea a cincea”
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-09 | by ( Alte Articole | ) www.civic.md time to read: +5 min

Centrul pentru Jurnalism Independent a lansat în luna aprilie curent cea de-a șaptea ediție a Hakathonului media „Puterea a cincea” în cadrul căreia redacțiile media sunt provocate să creeze aplicații care ar facilita interacțiunea cu cititorii. Pentru a încuraja redacțiile să se înregistreze în concurs, am realizat un top al celor mai reușite aplicații create în cadrul edițiilor precedente ale hackathonului. Media QuizEdiția a patra a hackathonului a revenit la tema educației media. Una din echipele câștigătoare a fost Centrul Media pentru Tineri care a creat jocul „Media Quiz”. Serialul oferă profesorilor şi elevilor instrumente accesibile pentru a înţelege fenomenele media, a filtra informaţiile şi a contribui la dezvoltarea gândirii critice, dar şi pentru a crea conţinut media de calitate.

Persons: CJI, Prințul Organizations: Jurnalism Independent, Facebook, Evrica, Educației, Abraziv, Jurnalism Locations: Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Republica Moldova, UK

☆ The EU and the “changing” Eastern neighborhood - between “post-factum diplomacy” and realpolitik, Analysis by Dionis Cenușă
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-14 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +21 min

The EU and the “changing” Eastern neighborhood - between “post-factum diplomacy” and realpolitik, Analysis by Dionis CenușăOp-EdThe diversity of realities in Eastern Europe requires from the EU a "differentiated diplomacy" which emerges from the dynamics of local and external factors, dominant in the region ...Dionis Cenuşa, Senior ContributorThe European strategy for the Eastern Neighborhood is losing ground to the ever-changing reality. It is these shortcomings that define European diplomacy of post-factum, which remains relevant in 2020. First of all, Russia has structural levers that can influence the situation on the ground in the Eastern Partnership states. Instead, the emphasis of Westerners is on calming the political situation, without encouraging the opposition to annul the results of the parliamentary elections. Dionis Cenuşa, Senior Contributor Dionis Cenuşa, Senior ContributorAreas of research: European Neighborhood Policy, EU-Moldova relationship, EU's foreign policy and Russia, migration and energy security.

Persons: Cenușă, Dionis Cenuşa, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Maia Sandu's, Fiasco, Igor Dodon, Maia Sandu, Vladimir Putin, oligarch Bidzina, Ivanishvili, Nikol, ”, Ilham Aliyev's, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Hanns Seidel Organizations: EU, European People's Party, Social Democrats, Eastern Partnership, Eastern, Constitutional, Socialist, OSCE, Moldovan, Russian, Hanns Seidel Foundation, IPN Press Agency, Policy, Institute of Political Sciences, Liebig, Justus University, College of Europe, Twitter Locations: Eastern Europe, EU, Belarus, Nagorno, Karabakh, Brussels, Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Chisinau, Moldovan, Turkey, South Caucasus, Yerevan, Moscow, Baku, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Iran, Ankara, Minsk, Belarusian, Giessen, Germany

☆ International desserts: 50 famous desserts around the world
▼ + stars: | 2018-11-30 | by ( Jen Rose Smith | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +41 min

Taste that rich filling for evidence of the Arab influence that infuses Sicilian cuisine: The candied citrus that often flavors the creamy interior remains beloved throughout the Middle East. In the 1990s, the cake became a menu star as a lava cake or molten chocolate cake. A soft, flaky dough is shaped into a plump half-moon that barely contains the sweet filling, then topped with a light blanket of powdered sugar. Variations on medovik differ widely, but the most popular takes incorporate one of two very Russian ingredients into the sweet filling. Sesame Balls, Jian Dui, ChinaShutterstockBite into the crisp shell of a deep-fried jian dui to discover a sweet filling within the golden, sesame-seed-studded exterior.

Persons: Hong, Austria Natasha Breen, it’s, United States Robert Lachman, Fannie, they’ve, Katharine Hepburn, “, don’t, ” Cannoli, Johanna Kindvall, Ruth Wakefield, Cornes, Brûlée, France David Carson, Louis, Dan Tats, eggy tarts, beignets, Maine’s, Bob Fila, you’re, Gulab Jamun, gulab, Eid, kashata, Kouign Amann, amann, Dominique Ansel, Brittany, kouign amann, kulfi, Pierre Hermé, Torte, daubing, ma’amoul, they’re, blini, United States Nathan Congleton, Pavlova, Aussies, Anna Pavlova, you’ll, Rigó, Rigó Jancsi, Princesse de Caraman, Saffron, Jian, Anita Chu, jian, Xue Hua Bing, Taipei’s, xue, bing, Sticky Rice, rong, treacle, ’, Tatin, you’ve, ”, Tim Krob, tim krob Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Times, Boston Cooking, Southern, Morocco –, Louis Post, Dispatch, TNS, Chicago Tribune, Gelato, Sudan –, New, NBC, Philadelphia, Taste Research, New Zealand, Kiwis, Midwestern, Le, Central America Locations: Africa, Asia, Italy, Portugal, South, Argentina, Peru, de leche, America, Vienna, Baklava, Turkey, Ottoman, Levant, Balkans, Caucasus, North Africa, Constantinople, Germany, Middle East, East, United States, Fannie Farmer’s, Sicily, Palermo, Sweden, fika, Singapore, pandan, States, Massachusetts, Boston, France, Southern United States, Gazelle, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Moroccan, Tetouan, St, Hong Kong, nata, Macau, Portland, Portland , Oregon, Torta, Hungary, Austro, Europe, Sarajevo, Budapest, Latin America, Spain, Mexico, Chocolat, Gelato, Bologna, India, Persia, York, East Africa, Kifli, Knafeh, Amman, Alexandria, Palestinian, Nablus, Brittany, SoHo, Breton, Kulfi, Mughal, Paris, Austria, Linz, Austrian, Tangier, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Medovik, Russia, borscht, New York, Eastern Europe, Philadelphia, Netherlands, Wageningen, Australia, New, New Zealand, Philippines, Manila, Mexico City, Qatayef, Rigó Jancsi, Belgium, Cream, Iran, Persian, Saffron, Tehran, Tehrangeles, China, Taiwan, Midwestern United States, Midwest, Mango, Thailand, Southeast Asia, United Kingdom, Treviso, Umbria, Ulaanbaatar, Tres, Central, United, Oakland

☆ Bucatele moldovenești, pe locul 36 în topul celor mai bune mâncăruri din Europa
▼ + stars: | 2016-02-04 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | Angelina Aduce Cititorilor | Diez Informații Utile Din Sfera Educației Și Doza De Relaxare Din Lifestyle. Îi Place Jurnalismul | ) diez.md time to read: 1 min

Bucatele din Republica Moldova s-au plasat pe locul 36 din 48 de state, într-un top realizat de Caucasus Business Week al țărilor europene unde se gătește cea mai gustoasă mâncare. Despre bucatele moldovenești, autorii articolului au precizat că printre preferințele lor sunt tradiționala mămăligă, brânza de capră, zeama și ciorba de burtă. Țara noastră a fost depășită cu două poziții de România, care s-a plasat pe locul 34, însă a devansat Ucraina, care este poziționată pe locul 42. Lider al clasamentului este Italia, despre aceasta menționându-se faptul că aici, tradițiile s-au păstrat de secole întregi. Topul este urmat de Franța, Spania, Georgia, Germania, Belgia și Croația.

Locations: Republica Moldova, România, Ucraina, Italia, Franța, Spania, Georgia, Germania, Belgia, Croația

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