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☆ Kashmir: This disputed region of India has bread that rival France’s
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Smitha Menon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

While rice is the staple that’s cooked in households across Kashmir, bread is what drives the local community and economy. With so much traditional knowledge guarded and passed down through generations, Kashmir’s bread culture could qualify for a UNESCO intangible heritage listing and possibly rival France’s boulangerie tradition. Her father hailed from Kashmir so for her, summertime equals Kashmir, and Kashmir equals a warm, pillowy girda. When she returned years later, to learn more about Kashmir’s bread culture from her neighborhood baker, she was promptly told off. “Bread is really sacred in Kashmir and that relationship that a family has with their local kandurwan is really special.

Persons: Emperor Jehangir, Faisal Khan, Mukhtar Khan, France’s, Altaf, “, Mehvish, ”, AP Dal, Muzamil, Marryam, Reshii, roth, it’s, that’s, rogan josh, Roth, Jasleen Marwah, girda, I’d, Marwah, Tauseef Mustafa, Varun Totlani, tzir, Hussain Shahzad, morel, Vanika Chaudhury, Vanika, scoffed, Douglas McMaster, Chaudhury Organizations: India CNN, Silk, Anadolu Agency, Getty, UNESCO, CNN, AP, Folk, Silo Locations: Srinagar, India, Kashmir, Srinagar’s, Pakistan, kandarwans, Europe, East, Asia, Central Asia, pillowy, New Delhi, Goa, Portuguese, chai, “, Indian, Mumbai, AFP, India’s Himachal Pradesh, Masque, Mumbai’s, Lower Parel, London

☆ How Trump could exploit a looming global struggle for rare-earth minerals
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The power grab over rare-earth minerals in Central Asia could be among the issues he will seek to exploit. AdvertisementA power struggle over rare-earth mineralsAt stake for the US in Central Asia is not just political power but access to the region's reserves of rare-earth minerals such as uranium, lithium, and tantalum. Rare-earth minerals are needed to make all sorts of products, from F-35 stealth fighters and smartphones to internet fiber-optic cables and MRI machines. It produces around 60% of the world's rare-earth minerals and processes nearly 90%, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There are rare-earth minerals worth exploring/exploiting, and if the US/EU could strike a major deal with [Kazakhstan's capital] Astana, this would certainly contribute to breaking China's monopoly," said Wolff.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Xi, Putin, he'd, Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, ALEXANDER RYUMIN, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Herbst, Stefan Wolff, Wolff, Herbst, Trump Organizations: Service, Putin, The Republican, Biden, Getty Images, Center for Strategic, International Studies, University of Birmingham, BI, Trump, EU, Astana, Central Asia Summit, Getty Images Central, Central, China Locations: Russia, China, Central Asia, Mongolia, Saudi, Getty Images China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Xian, Shaanxi, FLORENCE, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Washington, Moscow, Beijing

☆ Almaty, Kazakhstan: How a drab Soviet metropolis became Central Asia’s capital of cool
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Almaty, Kazakhstan CNN —Several cities around the globe have reinvented themselves in recent years, but none more successfully than Almaty. Since the collapse of the USSR, Kazakhstan’s largest city (population 2.2 million and growing) has evolved from a drab, run-of-the-mill Soviet metropolis into the urban star of Central Asia. “It’s an incredibly livable city,” says long-time American resident Dennis Keen, a historic preservation advocate and founder of Walking Almaty. Over and underground artThe Abilkhan Kasteev State Art Museum is filled with more than 20,000 works of art. Other good collections include the Ihlas Museum of Folk Musical Instruments (in a Russian-style wooden mansion built in 1908) and the ethnographic artifacts of the Almaty Museum.

Persons: It’s, “, ”, Dennis Keen, ” Keen, “ It’s, Jama Nurkalieva, Charles O, Cecil, Alamy, Auyl, James Talalay, Lukas Bischoff, Keen, Roshcha Organizations: Kazakhstan CNN, Walking, Central, Cathedral, Astana, Tselinny Center of Contemporary, Dynamo, Prix Versailles, Park, Art, Louvre, Art Museum, Ihlas Museum, Folk, Almaty Museum, Eiffel, of Contemporary, Academy of Science, Turkish Airlines, Air Astana, Ritz, Carlton Locations: Almaty, Kazakhstan, USSR, Kazakhstan’s, Central Asia, Walking Almaty, “, Central Asian, China, Europe, Russian, Soviet Union, Shan, Lower Kolsai Lake, There’s, Soviet, Zholy, Almaty Metro, Almaly, Auezov, Istanbul, Beijing, Seoul , New Delhi, Bangkok, Arasan, Otrar, Lanzhou, Novotel, Darejani, Ascension

☆ Trump said he will divide Russia from China. It's a tough bromance to break.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

President-elect Donald Trump claims he can split the alliance between Russia and China. "The one thing you never want to happen is you never want Russia and China uniting," Trump said. These are potentially all things that Trump could use to drive a wedge between Russia and China." The Trump effectAnother factor likely to draw Russia and China closer together is Trump himself. In East Asia, Trump has accused allies of freeloading off the US, a source of tension Beijing will likely seek to exploit.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Tucker Carlson, Trump, Biden, Vladimir Putin of, Xi, China's, Putin, Stefan Wolff, Carlson, Wolff, Paul Cormarie, Jonathan Ward, Vladimir Putin, they'd, Robert Dover, Zhiqun Zhu, Cormarie Organizations: Service, Trump, University of Birmingham, Pentagon, Trade, Anadolu, Getty, Central, RAND Corporation, BI, Hudson Institute, Kremlin Press, Anadolu Agency, International Security, Hull University, NATO, Bucknell University Locations: Russia, China, Ukraine, Glendale , Arizona, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Moscow, Beijing, Taiwan, Russian, Bering, European, East Asia

☆ Whelan says he fed information to Western officials that he received from fellow prisoners fighting in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Sam Fossum | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Paul Whelan, the American who spent five and a half years wrongfully detained in Russia, revealed Sunday that he had passed to Western officials information he received from fellow prisoners who were fighting for Russia on the frontlines in Ukraine. “The prisoners from the camp that went to the frontline, they had communication. Whelan added that he and others were able to communicate with former prisoners through “burner” phones that they could acquire even while at the Russian labor camp in Mordovia. “Yeah, we had burner phones.”Whelan added that the guards “looked the other way” in exchange for goods such as cigarettes. His camp was primarily made up of young men from central Asian countries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, Whelan said.

Persons: CNN — Paul Whelan, “, ” Whelan, Whelan, ”, Putin, CNN’s Jennifer Hansler Organizations: CNN, CBS, Wagner Group Locations: Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Mordovia, “, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, United States, Germany

☆ The West is trying to starve the wrong part of Russia's war machine, defense experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russian artillery depends on a complex supply chain vulnerable to sanctions, defense experts say. Each company has its own supply chain of subcontractors, such as factories that make special steel. Current Western sanctions tend to be too broad and sporadic to cripple Russian defense production. A better approach would be a mixture of economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure focused on Russia's artillery supply chain, concluded the report. AdvertisementNonetheless, sanctions might ultimately prove to be a more effective approach than trying to destroy Russian artillery in combat.

Persons: —, Charly TRIBALLEAU, RUSI, NIMI Bakhirev, Reich, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, Scranton Army, Plant, Getty, Burevestnik Research, NATO, Allied, Germany, Central, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Donetsk, British, Soviet, Scranton, Pennsylvania, AFP, China, Germany, South Korea, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Yekaterinburg, Volgograd, Perm, Nizhny Novgorod, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kazakh, Turkey, Forbes

☆ Myanmar’s internet freedom is now as bad as China’s, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —For the past decade, China has consistently ranked last in the world for internet freedom due to its all-pervading online surveillance and content control system dubbed the “Great Firewall.”But a new report out Wednesday shows that internet freedoms in China’s neighbor Myanmar are now just as lacking. The report from Freedom House, a US government-funded NGO, found that global internet freedom has declined for the 14th consecutive year. In a record 43 countries, people were physically attacked or killed in retaliation for their online activities, the report found. The Central Asian nation Kyrgyzstan showed the biggest drop in internet freedoms, according to the report, as President Sadyr Japarov ramped up efforts to silence digital media and suppress online organizing. The report also covers online disinformation campaigns and political interference in the run-up to elections, including harassment of independent researchers and fact checkers.

Persons: ”, Mao Ning, Sadyr Japarov, Kloop, “ Organizations: CNN, Freedom, Trust, United Nations, UN, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ”, Central, US Locations: China, China’s, Myanmar, Central Asian, Kyrgyzstan, Iceland, United States, ’

☆ Spanish police seize Russia-bound chemicals, including possible weapons material
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Police in Spain have seized 13 tons of banned chemicals, including “possible” chemical weapons precursors, that were bound for Russia despite the sanctions imposed on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, they said on Tuesday. “During the investigation, it was proven that internationally sanctioned chemicals, some of them possible precursors for chemical weapons or nerve agents, had been exported in the past using this company structure,” national police and the tax authority said in a joint statement. The statement did not say which chemicals were seized in the latest operation. The Spanish company had established a sophisticated logistical and financial network to export internationally sanctioned chemical products to Russia, police said. However, Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters in May that Moscow remained bound by its obligations under the treaty that bans chemical weapons.

Persons: Sant Feliu, Santa Perpetua, Mogoda, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: police, European Union Locations: Spain, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, “, Sant, del Valles, Santa, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, United States, Britain, London

☆ Putin hails ‘very close’ links with Iran at landmark first meeting with president, as Middle East tensions soar
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Lauren Kent | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Iran has supplied thousands of “Shahed” attack drones to Russia, and according to US officials, built a drone factory in Russia. “We are actively working together in the international arena and our assessments of events taking place in the world are often very close,” Putin said during the landmark meeting, according to Russian state media outlet TASS. In a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Tehran last week, the Iranian leader called for accelerating joint projects. Meanwhile, Russia expressed interest in expanding trade and economic cooperation as well as diversifying its bilateral trade with Iran. “But, of course, the situation in the Middle East will not be ignored, it will also be on the agenda.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Masoud, “, ” Putin, ”, Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, Bashar al, Assad, Bassiri Tabrizi, Ebrahim Raisi, Mikhail Mishustin, Pezeshkian, Dmitry Peskov, Viktor Bout, Brittney, Bout, ” CNN’s Gianluca Mezzofiore, Natasha Bertrand, Kylie Atwood Organizations: CNN, Central, Ukraine, Moscow, Analysts, Russian, TASS, Street, Chatham House Locations: Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Iran, Ukraine, Russia, “, Moscow, Tehran, Syrian, Russian, Yemen

☆ Israel is weighing up how to strike back against Iran. Here's how it could play out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Global stocks dipped again on Thursday, while oil prices rose further as markets braced for a wider regional war in the Middle East. "He has been advocating for hitting Iran and for the United States to target Iran. There are several potential targets Netanyahu may be considering:Iran's oil facilitiesOne target could be Iran's oil production facilities. Oil prices spiked for a third day on Thursday, fueled by speculation that the growing conflict could limit production. With oil prices rising, there are fears that the industrial recession the US economy is experiencing could snowball into a full-fledged downturn.

Persons: —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Biden, Piper Sandler, Jake Oubina, Axios, Beni Sabti, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Chris Doyle, Naftali Bennett, Bennett, Gen Herzi Halevi, Farzan, Sabet, Israel's Organizations: Service, Experts, Central, Politics, Deakin University, Iran, Financial Times, Reuters, Brent, West Texas, Fox Business, Institute of National Security, Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Council, Guardian, US, Military, Global Governance Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute Locations: Israel, Iran, Middle East, Australia, United States, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Tel Aviv, British

☆ I've been to over 50 countries, but this lesser-visited Central Asian gem was one of my favorites
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Alex Schnee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

My friend and I traveled to Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian country between China and Kazakhstan. Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. But as someone who's been to over 50 countries and is always up for a new adventure, I quickly booked my flight to join her.

Persons: —, Jessie, I'd, who's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Kyrgyzstan, Central Asian, China, Kazakhstan, yurt

☆ An astrologer warned me against traveling around my 40th birthday. I didn't listen and booked a trip to Uzbekistan.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Erin Levi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

When I was 38, an astrologer in New York City warned me about traveling around my 40th birthday. I wasn't there seeking travel advice, and I found his ominous words triggering. AdvertisementI ignored the astrologer's advice and went with my gutAnd so, I decided to flout his advice and booked a last-minute trip to Uzbekistan. AdvertisementPlanning my trip to UzbekistanI booked a $1,100 ticket to Samarkand on Turkish Airlines, with a free stopover in Istanbul. Related storiesWhile my birthday trip was my fourth visit to Uzbekistan, it was the first one I'd planned and organized myself.

Persons: —, astrocartography, Howard, Uzbekistan Erin Levi, brunch Organizations: Service, —, Business, AIDS, Central Asian Security, St . Andrews University, New York Times, Bukharian Times, Turkish Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, InterContinental Locations: New York City, Uzbekistan, New York, Middle East, Scotland, Samarkand, Queens, Turkish, Istanbul, Brooklyn, Bukhara, Chorsu, Tashkent

☆ More countries are openly flaunting their ties with Putin. They say it's just business.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Go to newsletter preferencesSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewRussian President Vladimir Putin is having a very social year as his country continues to wage war in Ukraine. So far, Putin has met top leaders from Asian countries including China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Russia is the BRICS chair this year, and Putin has invited Mongolia to join the group's summit in October. Russia's push for a multipolar world order resonates with countries who desire a more equitable international order.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sean McFate, McFate, Anwar Ibrahim, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, couldn't, Russia —, Serik, Li Qiang's, Syracuse University's McFate, it's, Derek Grossman, Grossman Organizations: Service, Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship, Public Affairs, Business, Malaysian, Criminal, ICC, World Bank, European Union, NATO, Bloomberg, Moscow, Central, European, EU, United Nations, RAND, Foreign Locations: Ukraine, China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Mongolia, Mongolian, Russia's, European, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Central Asian, European Union, Moscow, Beijing, Europe, Syracuse, Brazil, South Africa, Malaysia, Switzerland, United States

☆ This 70-year-old med student just graduated. He has this advice for others
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Toh Hong Keng/Henry Ahn Photo StudioHis family constantly checked on him, helping to dispel many waves of doubt. “The only reason why I decided to study medicine was because I wanted something useful to do,” he said. “If I can’t be a practicing doctor, at least I can look after myself somewhat,” he said. Feeling a little dejected, he got in touch with his family’s former domestic worker whose daughter recently graduated from medical school in the Philippines. A week later, in 2019 he packed his bags, found a small apartment on the island and started his medical school journey.

Persons: ”, Hong Keng, Toh, ” Toh, didn’t, flashcards, Toh Hong Keng, Henry Ahn, “ Sir Toh, Marvi Dulnuan, “ Mr Toh, “, Hong, Atomic Leow Chuan Tse, Dr Howard Tucker, Tucker, he’ll Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Southwestern University PHINMA, “, Southwestern University, American Medical Association, University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Guinness World Records, University of Bradford, Association of American Medical Colleges, Private, Southwestern University for Toh Locations: Hong Kong, Malaysian, Cebu, Philippines, ”, Kyrgyzstan, Asia, 2019, United States, Romania, Europe, Cleveland , Ohio, Malaysia, Britain, London, jetting

☆ A longtime Russian ally says it's frozen its participation in Putin's NATO 'at all levels' after a year of snubs
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-02 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO at all levels," he said, according to a translation by US think tank the Institute for the Study of War. AdvertisementHowever, he added that Armenia may "see the need to make another decision" in the future, per the ISW. Pashinyan announced his decision to leave the CSTO — a military alliance made up of Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan — in February. Tensions have risen between Russia and Armenia since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which Pashinyan has repeatedly refused to support. Other CSTO members have also snubbed Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, berate Putin, Thomas Graham Organizations: Service, Collective Security, Organization, NATO, Business, for, Tajikistan —, Kremlin, Yale Locations: Russian, Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pashinyan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia's, East

☆ Turkmenistan’s flaming ‘Gates of Hell’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-30 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Darvaza, Turkmenistan CNN —Rarely does an industrial accident develop into a major tourist attraction. Mysterious originsNo one is quite sure when the gas crater opened, apparently because the Soviet-era reports are missing, incomplete or still confidential. Reaching DarvazaThe gas crater lies a four-hour drive north of Ashgabat, the national capital. Located around a five-minute walk from the crater rim, the camp features yurts with beds and chairs, a shaded dining area and porta-potty/outhouse-style toilets. Garagum lies about a 10-minute walk from the crater rim and even closer to a small rocky mount where visitors can snatch a bird’s-eye-view of the Gates of Hell.

Persons: Hell, Joe Yogerst “, ”, Ged Gillmore, Dylan, wasn’t, George Kourounis, who’s, Kourounis, I’ve, Garagum, “, there’s Organizations: Turkmenistan CNN, Central, Geographic, NASA, futon, CNN Travel Locations: Darvaza, Turkmenistan, Soviet, Central Asian, “, Central Asia, Canadian, Ashgabat, Iwanami_Photos, Bokurdak, Darwaza, porta, Hell

PARIS — The United States and China each won 40 gold medals, in the first Summer Games draw in Olympics history, with America pulling into a tie Sunday with victory in the last event, women’s basketball. But then San Diego native and decorated cyclist Jennifer Valente bailed out the United States by defending her gold in the women’s omnium. Gold medalist Noah Lyles of Team United States celebrates on the podium during the Men's 100m medal ceremony at the Olympics in Paris, on Aug. 5, 2024. The United States still came out with the most overall medals, taking home 126 from Paris 2024. The United States hasn’t failed at winning the most medals since 1992 when the “Unified Team,” athletes from the former Soviet Union republics, won 112 medals, 45 gold.

Persons: China’s Li Wenwen, could’ve, Yuka Kagami, Jennifer Valente, Noah Lyles, Cameron Spencer, United States hasn’t, Simone Biles, Jamie Squire, France's Anastasiia, Katie Ledecky, Germany's Isabel Gose, Jonathan Nackstrand, Frenchman Leon Marchand, Summer McIntosh, Lee Kiefer of, Lauren Scruggs, Eleanor Harvey, Patrick Smith, David K, Li, Sean Nevin Organizations: PARIS, America, France, Chicago, Kennedy Blades, Team United, States didn't, United, “ Unified, Soviet, Olympic Games, Bercy Arena, Getty, Paris La Defense, Lee Kiefer of Team United States, Team United States, Team Canada, Grand Palais Locations: United States, China, Japan, Italy, San Diego, Paris, U.S, States, Beijing, Norway, Germany, Soviet Union, Barcelona, Tokyo, Rio, London, Nanterre, AFP, Grand, France, Israel, Ecuador, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Soviet Republic

☆ China’s Great Wall of Villages
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Muyi Xiao | Agnes Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

China’s Great Wall of Villages China has moved thousands of people to new settlements on its frontiers. Mr. Akester and Mr. Barnett, who have studied Tibet’s border villages for years, reviewed The Times’s findings. In neighboring Xinjiang and Yunnan, The Times identified six new and 59 expanded border villages. (China says there are hundreds of villages like them, but few details are available and many appear to be mere upgrades of existing villages.) A Times investigation found 12 villages in disputed areas Disputed areas Villages in disputed areas Other villages CHINA CHINA TIBET Arunachal Pradesh Controlled by India Claimed by China BHUTAN INDIA MYANMAR 50 miles CHINA CHINA TIBET Arunachal Pradesh Controlled by India Claimed by China BHUTAN MYANMAR INDIA 75 miles Source: RAIC Labs and The Times analysis of Planet Labs satellite imageryChina makes clear that the villages are there for security.

Persons: ”, Xi Jinping, Bhutan Gyalaphug, Tian Shan Wang, Matthew Akester, Robert Barnett, Akester, Barnett, India Demchok, ” Mr, Xi’s, Brahma Chellaney, Mr, Chellaney, Liu Pengyu, Brian Hart, India Migyitun, Jing Qian, Tenzin, “ Organizations: Daily, New York Times, RAIC Labs, Planet Labs, The Times, SOAS University of London, India, China United Front News Network, Times, ”, Embassy, Local, Planet Labs India, China Power, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Maxar, Center for, Asia Society, Communist Party, Human Rights Watch Locations: China, India, Beijing, Arunachal Pradesh, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Tajikistan Fumin, Aimin, Vietnam, Luozha county, Shannan, Tibet Autonomous, Fumin, Xinjiang, Yunnan, China’s, CHINA CHINA TIBET Arunachal Pradesh, China BHUTAN INDIA MYANMAR, China BHUTAN MYANMAR INDIA, New Delhi, South China, Washington, ” India, Ladakh, Times, ”, Center for China, Central Asians, Dokha

☆ Sanctions-hit Russia is rushing to set up payment systems, including crypto, to make trading easier
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewRussia is stepping up sanctions-evading measures to keep its international trade flowing. Russian central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina said the first transactions are expected by the end of this year, per Reuters. An existing ban on crypto payments in Russia remains, but Moscow's greenlighting crypto for international trade marks a significant shift. Russia could be eying a digital-currency-based settlement systemIt isn't clear how Russia's crypto and digital currency regimes will shape up. Even China, which has one of the world's most advanced digital currencies, relies on a "two-tier" system involving banks as wallet-holding agents.

Persons: —, Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, Vladimir Putin, Moscow hasn't, Christopher Granville, Granville Organizations: Service, Russia's, Duma —, Reuters, Business, Bloomberg, US Treasury, GlobalData, Lombard, Russia Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, cryptocurrencies, Hong Kong, Moscow, China, UAE, Turkey, Austria, India

☆ China's trade with Russia is getting so difficult that payments can take half a year and most bank transfers are returned
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trade between Russia and China is getting ever more difficult, with some payments between partners taking up to half a year, the Kommersant business daily reported on Monday. AdvertisementThe troubles started in December when the US authorized secondary sanctions targeting financial institutions that help Russia skirt sanctions. This prompted global banks from China to the UAE, Turkey, and Austria to reduce transactions with Russia to avoid getting in the crosshairs. Related storiesTo force Russia to halt its war, West blocked some Russian banks from the widely used SWIFT messaging system for payments early in the conflict. The continued business activity between the two countries sent trade between Russia and China to a record $240 billion last year.

Persons: —, China's, Moscow's, Andrei Kostin, Russia's Organizations: Kommersant, Service, Business, Bloomberg, US Treasury, Russia, VTB Bank Locations: Russia, China, UAE, Turkey, Austria, Moscow, Ukraine, Beijing, Russian, Hong Kong

Neumann noted the latest Europol data showed “the number of attacks and planned attacks has more than quadrupled” since 2022. The apparent uptick in the recruitment of young radicals to carry out acts of terror comes as European security officials express worries at a potential resurgence of organized – or “directed” - terror attacks. The group has built a remarkable presence in Turkey over the past three years, according to court documents and analysts. Swiss police in March arrested a 15-year-old Swiss boy and a 16-year-old Italian boy for ISIS support and plotting bomb attacks, according to a police statement. Yulia Morozova/ReutersThe extent of ISIS-K’s use of Turkey as a transit hub is acknowledged by officials in the Turkish indictment.

Persons: Peter Neumann, Neumann, ”, ” Neumann, “, Lise Jaulin, Dilara Senkaya, “ Rustam, Rustam, Yulia Morozova Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Paris Olympics, King’s College London, MIT, Swiss, Analysts, Soviet Union, Turkish, Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church, Foreign Operations, Hall, Foreign Locations: Europe, West, Paris, Islamic, Khorasan, Central Asia, Turkey, Saint, French, France, Haute, Savoie, Dusseldorf, Heidelberg, Montenegro, Austria, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Moscow, Italian, Istanbul, Swedish, Pakistan, Tajik, Iran, Russia, Crocus, Syria, Iraq

☆ How to Become a Player in the Global Mineral Trade
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Daisuke Wakabayashi | Chang W. Lee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Every year in Kazakhstan, workers pull hundreds of thousands of tons of copper from below the nation’s soil. Exporting oil and metals has been the life force of this former Soviet republic’s economy for decades. Now, as the world moves toward cleaner energy and electric vehicles, nickel and other minerals have become even more valuable, kicking off a boom. China, the country’s neighbor to the east, is well positioned to capitalize. It has invested billions upgrading Kazakhstan’s rail lines ...… and new ports and other infrastructure — visible symbols that this Central Asian country is open for business.

Locations: Kazakhstan, Soviet, China

☆ How China and Russia Compete, and Cooperate, in Central Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Keith Bradsher | Anatoly Kurmanaev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With Russia mired in a long war in Ukraine and increasingly dependent on China for supplies, Beijing is moving quickly to expand its sway in Central Asia, a region that was once in the Kremlin’s sphere of influence. Russia, for its part, is pushing back hard. As the leaders of Central Asian countries meet with the presidents of China and Russia this week in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, China’s rising presence is visible in the region. Flag-waving Kazakh children who sang in Chinese greeted Xi Jinping, China’s leader, upon his arrival in Astana on Tuesday. But as the group has expanded its membership, China and Russia have used it as a platform to showcase their ambitions of reshaping a global order dominated by the United States.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir V, Putin Organizations: Russia, Central, Shanghai Cooperation Organization Locations: Ukraine, China, Beijing, Central Asia, Russia, Astana, Kazakhstan, United States

☆ A growing club led by Xi and Putin to counter the US is adding a staunchly pro-Russia member
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

After adding Belarus, it will boast 10 members, representing more than 40% of the world’s population and roughly a quarter of the global economy. Growing ambitionsAs the SCO grows in international visibility and economic weight, it has also broadened in geopolitical ambitions. Putin speaks to Xi at the SCO summit two years ago in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. But the Belarus membership also creates big question marks that will hang over the organization, Gill said. After the summit in Astana, China is due to take up the rotating presidency of the SCO for a year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Moscow’s, ”, “, Eva Seiwert, Seiwert, Putin, Xi, Sergei Bobylev, Bates Gill, Gill, –, ” Gill, Modi, they’re Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Indian, SCO, Union, Mercator Institute for China Studies, ”, Putin, AP, National Bureau of Asian Research, “, Central, Modi, Astana –, Kremlin, Central Asia, NATO, European Union, Seven Locations: Hong Kong, China, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Belarus, Astana, Kazakhstan, Beijing, Moscow, United States, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Turkey, Berlin, “, Eurasia, Samarkand, Central Asia, New Delhi, Soviet, Xi’an

☆ DHS identifies 400 migrants smuggled into US by network that may be connected to ISIS
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The purpose of the network was to smuggle people, not bring in terrorists, one of the officials said. There was specific “derogatory information” linking those individuals to ISIS, the official said. In the latest case, the 400 migrants under scrutiny – mostly from Central Asian nations – are being screened purely because of their connection to the human smuggling network. The leadership of ISIS-K is mainly made up of Tajik nationals and the group has recruited from both countries. Tajik nationals have carried out a series of recent attacks in Europe on behalf of the group, including the Crocus Hall attack in Moscow in March that killed more than 100 people.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, ”, Mayorkas, CNN’s Evan Perez Organizations: CNN, Department of Homeland Security, ISIS, Central, Homeland, NBC News, Crocus, US, MSNBC Locations: Central, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Europe, Moscow, United States, Kazakhstan

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