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☆ 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.

Losses were limited by oil supply concerns after Russia halted exports to Poland via a key pipeline. That positive economic data helped global stock markets to rebound, yet shares remained near six-week lows as investors braced for interest rate hikes in the United States and Europe. Adding to global oil demand worries, rising Sino-U.S. tensions hammered equity markets in China and Hong Kong while investors awaited policy signals from the upcoming National People's Congress. On Monday, Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft said it started pumping oil from Kazakhstan to Germany via Poland through the Druzhba pipeline, while halting deliveries to Poland. Russia announced plans this month to cut oil exports from its western ports by up to 25% in March versus February, exceeding previously mooted production cuts of 5%.

☆ 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.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin says NATO nuclear capability must be minded; Russia's top diplomat says future world order is being decided
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Speaking at a conference of regional representatives of his ministry on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that "at the moment, the configuration of the future world order is being decided." The future world order is being decided right now, Russia's foreign minister said Monday, adding that Moscow has frustrated the West's plans "to isolate, and even dismember" the country. Speaking at a conference of regional representatives of his ministry on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that "at the moment, the configuration of the future world order is being decided." We now call it the world majority," he said in comments translated by Google. Lavrov's comments parrot similar remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday in which he said the West wants to defeat and divide Russia.

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.

☆ Russian Soyuz spacecraft docks at ISS to bring back stranded crew
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft blasts off from the launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan February 24, 2023, in this still image taken from video. Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERSFeb 26 (Reuters) - A Russian spacecraft on a mission to bring back to Earth a crew stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) has docked at the station, Russian space agency Roscosmos said early on Sunday. The Soyuz MS-23, which lifted off from Baikonour space centre in Kazakhstan on Friday, is to bring back Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, and U.S. astronaut Francisco Rubio in September. "Today at 03:58 Moscow time (00:58 GMT), the Soyuz MS-23 unmanned spacecraft docked to the Poisk module of the International Space Station in automatic mode," Roscosmos said on the Telegram messaging platform. The Soyuz MS-23 ship carried 429 kilograms (946 lb) of additional cargo to the station, needed to extend the astronauts' mission, Russian agencies reported.

☆ Chinese companies have rushed to fill the gap in Russia left by brands exiting from the Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Chinese manufacturers were already popular in Russia before the war, accounting for approximately 40% of the smartphone market in December 2021. Tough times for consumersAlthough Chinese brands are reaping the rewards of the Western embargo, the Russian market is shrinking as its economy slumps. If the war in Ukraine ends, Apple and Samsung will likely rebuild operations in the country — and quickly recapture smartphone sales, Stryjak said. Even then, with the return of international brands, Chinese players could retain their foothold, particularly given how long it could take to rebuild supply chains. “Stating this a bit harshly, but the Russian brands and the Chinese brands are kind of stand-ins for the real players,” said Le at Sino Auto Insights.

☆ Russian Soyuz spacecraft starts mission to return crew stranded on ISS
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERSFeb 23 (Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz spacecraft blasted off on Friday on a mission to bring back to Earth a crew stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) by a leak in the cooling system of their original return capsule, Russian news agencies reported. They were left stuck in space after the cooling system of their Soyuz MS-22 capsule started leaking two months ago. Russian space agency Roscosmos said this week the trio would now return to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-23 in September. The damaged MS-22 spacecraft is now scheduled to land without a crew in March. Tass quoted a Russian space official as saying the amount of food sent was three times the amount normally dispatched for such missions.

☆ 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.

☆ ATP roundup: Andrey Rublev escapes for win in Doha
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

February 23 - Top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia staved off three match points while rallying for a 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6) win over the Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday in Doha. Rublev knocked off three match points and broke serve. In the decisive tiebreaker, Rublev needed three match points of his own to advance to the quarterfinals. Third-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev topped British qualifier Liam Broady 6-4, 6-3. In the tournament's final two first-round matches, French wild-card entrant Arthur Fils topped Russia's Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-3, and Sweden's Mikael Ymer handled Moldova's Radu Albot 6-3, 7-6 (5).

☆ Tokyo bronze medallist weightlifter Son handed eight-year ban for doping
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 23 (Reuters) - Kazakh weightlifter Igor Son, who won bronze at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has been banned for eight years for doping but will not be stripped of his medal, the country's weightlifting federation (WFRK) said on Wednesday. Son, who won bronze in the men's 61kg category, was among six weightlifters to receive doping bans after they had tested positive for banned substances in March 2022. Son, 24, served a seven-month suspension in 2015 after testing positive for prohibited steroid methandienone and was stripped of his Youth World Championship gold medal. Kazakhstan has been stripped of Olympic weightlifting medals, including six golds, from the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games for various anti-doping rule violations. It was among several nations to be allocated only two places in weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics because of its historic doping record.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, the West formed what looked like an overwhelming global coalition: 141 countries supported a United Nations measure demanding that Russia unconditionally withdraw. South Korea Indonesia Israel Thailand Japan Saudi Arabia Philippines Afghanistan CambodiaBy contrast, Russia seemed isolated. Eritrea “Russian actions are being distorted” North Korea Russia Belarus Syria Eritrea “Russian actions are being distorted” North Korea Russia Belarus SyriaBut the West never won over as much of the world as it initially seemed. But like many other African countries, South Africa appears careful to balance its growing ties with Russia against maintaining a relationship with the West. Others that provided Ukraine with military support have declined to impose economic sanctions on Russia.

☆ Morgan Stanley ups 2023 oil demand growth estimate by 36%, flags Russia risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley has raised its global oil demand growth estimate for this year by about 36%, citing growing momentum in China's reopening and a recovery in aviation, but flagged higher supply from Russia as an offseting factor. Global oil consumption is now expected to increase by about 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd), versus its previous 1.4 million bpd forecast, the bank said in a note dated Tuesday. "Mobility indicators for China, such as congestion, have been rising steadily," while "flight schedules have firmed-up the outlook for jet fuel demand," the bank said. Earlier this month, Goldman Sachs cut its 2023 Brent price forecast and raised its global supply forecasts for 2023 and 2024, with Russia, Kazakhstan and the United States the most notable upward adjustments. But Goldman also noted that a 1.1 million bpd rise in Chinese demand this year should push oil markets back into a deficit in June.

☆ Top brands pull out of Russia, but their goods remain easy to find
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Alexander Marrow | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Brands' continued availability shows the challenge companies face in controlling supply chains when exiting a market. Market leader Wildberries sells old stock from Inditex brands and has almost 17,000 goods in its Zara catalogue. Informal supply routes could lead to more poor-quality goods entering Russia, however, as regulators lose oversight, Ben Tzion said. IKEA brand owner Inter IKEA Group said it sold remaining stock for an undisclosed amount to Yandex as it down-scaled IKEA Retail Russia. IKEA said it was looking into goods being advertised as similar to IKEA online.

☆ WTA roundup: Top seeds roll in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

February 22 - The top two seeds in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships lost a combined three games while cruising to second-round wins on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland, the reigning French Open and U.S. Open champion, routed Canada's Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 6-1, and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the reigning Australian Open champion, demolished the United States' Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-1. Third-seeded Jessica Pegula of the United States, who lost to Swiatek in the Doha final, got past Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 in the second round at Dubai. Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, had lost her first-round matches at Auckland, New Zealand; Hobart, Australia; and the Australian Open to begin the year.

☆ Russia may not be positioned to carry out a large-scale offensive, says former U.S. diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | 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 EmailRussia may not be positioned to carry out a large-scale offensive, says former U.S. diplomatWilliam Courtney, adjunct senior fellow at Rand Corporation and former U.S. ambassador to Georgia and Kazakhstan, says Russian forces have been depleted and it's not clear that they will be able to mount "a new effort that will seriously challenge the Ukrainians."

☆ Oil prices little changed, nurse last week's losses on improved supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The benchmarks closed lower by about 4% last week after the United States reported higher crude and gasoline inventories. Expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve will continue raising interest rates which could strengthen the dollar also capped oil prices. China is the world's largest crude oil importer. China, along with India, have become top buyers of Russian crude following the European Union embargo. India's Russian oil imports hit a record 1.4 million barrels per day in January, trade data showed.

☆ Sabalenka says Grand Slam win has fuelled hunger for success
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I believed in myself but I was waiting for so long, working so hard and couldn't get it. I had tough losses in the semi-finals," said Sabalenka, who will return to the tour for the first time since her Melbourne Park triumph. Sabalenka said her major win had "definitely changed" her mindset a little bit but she would not get complacent. Adelaide champion Sabalenka, who is unbeaten in 11 matches this year, will meet Jill Teichmann or Linz champion Anastasia Potapova in the Dubai second round after being handed a bye but said she was not too focused on the draw. Sometimes you look too far, then you lose the first match because you're already thinking about your semi-final match," Sabalenka said.

☆ Russia proposes Feb. 24 launch of relief ship after space station leak, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 18 (Reuters) - Russia's space agency on Saturday proposed the launch of a ship on Feb. 24 to bring two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut back from the International Space Station (ISS), news agencies reported. Investigations into a pressure loss in the Progress MS-21 space cargo ship delayed the launch of the Soyuz MS-23 ship to bring back Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Frank Rubio, who had previously been due to return to Earth on Feb. 20. Russian news agencies quoted Roscosmos as saying a decision had been made to bring the Progress MS-21 cargo ship out of orbit on Sunday, paving the way for the Soyuz launch to follow. Roscosmos proposed Feb. 24 as the new launch date of the Soyuz from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Despite tense relations due to the conflict in Ukraine, Russia and the United States still collaborate closely on the ISS.

☆ Exclusive: Kazakhstan will supply 100,000 tonnes of oil via Druzhba to Germany in March - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan will supply 100,000 tonnes of oil via Russia's Druzhba pipeline to Germany in March for the PCK Schwedt refinery after it agreed commercial and legal terms with all parties involved, two sources familiar with the talks said. Kazakhstan's Kazmunaigaz (KMG) oil company will supply the volume via the pipeline system of Russia's Transneft to the refinery, the sources said. The oil will be supplied to Rosneft Deutschland, which Germany had put under a trusteeship of the German industry regulator, the sources said. Germany stopped Russian oil imports via Druzhba from January and has been working hard to try to secure supply for Schwedt from alternative routes. Eni, which owns 8.33% in PCK Schwedt, didn't immediately answer a Reuters request for comment.

[1/2] People stand in line to use an ATM money machine in Saint Petersburg, Russia February 27, 2022. For the majority, who bank in roubles with huge retail lenders, such as Sberbank (SBER.MM), the answer is: not much. "Nothing has changed for me at all," said Vyacheslav Fatikhovich, a taxi driver in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. "The only thing is that customers are paying less by card and more often in cash," he said. "I quickly opened three UnionPay cards at different Russian banks," Andrey, who now works outside Russia, said.

☆ Kazakhstan challenges large asset transfer by ex-president's foundation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But according to a statement by the prosecutor general's office, the company through which the foundation owned the bank transferred its shares to Jusan Technologies, a British company, in 2020, "endangering public interest". A spokesperson for the Jusan Group said that Nazarbayev had "never had any role or connection - directly or indirectly - with Jusan". The Nazarbayev foundation, run by former education minister Aslan Sarinjipov, acquired Jusan in 2019 after it was bailed out by the state. According to prosecutors, the foundation asked them this month to look into the case, describing the ownership transfer as a result of illegal actions by several entities. Neither the foundation, which runs a university and a network of prestigious schools, nor Nazarbayev's spokesman could be immediately reached for comment.

☆ Sticky inflation prompts EBRD to trim 2023 growth outlook for its region
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The EBRD reduced the region's growth estimates to 2.1% from 3% for this year, even lower than the 2.4% forecast for 2022. "Also, there is still uncertainty associated with the war in Ukraine, particularly for countries that are in geographic proximity," EBRD chief economist Beata Javorcik told Reuters. Growth for Turkey, the single biggest recipient of EBRD funds, has been revised down to 3% from 3.5% for 2023, without considering the impact of the earthquake in the estimates. The EBRD estimates Ukraine's economy to grow 1% this year after a 30% contraction in 2022. "Unless there is a significant strategic change on the ground, growth in Ukraine's GDP in 2024 is likely to be sluggish, but positive at least," EBRD said.

☆ Iranian chess player in exile has no regrets about removing hijab
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Elena Rodriguez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Iranian chess player Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, 25, better known as Sara Khadem gestures during an interview with Reuters in southern Spain February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Jon NazcaSOUTHERN SPAIN, Feb 15 (Reuters) - An Iranian chess player, who moved to Spain after she competed without a hijab and had an arrest warrant issued against her back home, has no regrets over her bold gesture in support of the protest movement against her country's clerical leadership. But 25-year-old Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, better known as Sara Khadem, also told Reuters that the warrant, which made her return to Iran impossible, was "the most horrible thing" that happened to her. Ranked 774th in the world and 9th in Iran, Khadem plans to keep playing under the Iranian flag, but has received proposals from other countries. "I know that many of the athletes are not responsible for what is happening in their countries," she added.

☆ Fact Check-Video of bright light in the sky filmed in Kazakhstan in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video that likely shows a rocket launch from September 2022 in Kazakhstan is being miscaptioned by social media users online who claim that it happened shortly before the Turkey-Syria quake in February 2023. An example with more than 95,000 views at the time of publishing can be seen (here) with the caption, “Strange light in sky before earthquake….”Other examples can be seen (here) and (here). The videos include text that reads, “Before Turkey Earthquake.”Reuters was not able to independently source the original video being shared in the posts. The same video was posted on Telegram (t.me/revolutionmaltsev/91428) on Sept. 25, 2022 with the caption mentioning Balkhash, a city in Kazakhstan. The video is not related to the Turkey-Syria quake that took place on Feb. 6, 2023.

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