By Kalinga Seneviratne SUUSAMYR, Kyrgyzstan (IDN) – Travelling on the new Silk Roads recently upgraded by the Chinese, one drives up through stunning mountains that are still covered by snow even as summer approaches. The road from Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek climbs up to a peak of about 4.000 meters before descending over 1500 meters to […]
Hookah Culture Invades Central Asia
By Milena Melnikova* NAYRN, Kyrgyzstan (IDN) – The culture of smoking hookah is becoming popular among young adults in the Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, because of its affordability as well as due to its being legal as a way to relax and get rid of the accumulated stress, in the absence […]
Democrats Lining Up to Try to Take on President Donald Trump
By Radwan Jakeem WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) – After months of speculation about who might run for president in 2020, the Democratic field appears to be set. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some stragglers who have yet to commit one way or another, but for all intents and purposes it appears we know who’s in the […]
China Thwarts India’s Central Asian Ambitions
By Micha’el Tanchum* TEL AVIV (IDN-INPS) – A recent investigation revealed that Chinese troops are stationed on Tajikistan’s south-eastern border, 30 kilometres from Pakistan-administered Kashmir across Afghanistan’s Wakhan corridor. India has unsuccessfully sought to establish its own military base in Tajikistan for over 15 years. The discovery of Chinese troops constitutes a severe setback to […]
Kazakh President Quits to Make Room for New Generation
By George D. Gleboff, Aidana Yergaliyeva and Nazira Kozhanova The following is compilation of three articles that appeared on The Astana Times on March 19 and March 21, 2019. ASTANA (IDN-INPS) – Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev stunned the nation March 19, announcing during a nationally televised address that he would be resigning the office he […]
Kazakhstan Attracts Foreign Investors with AIFC as the ‘Hub’
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) – Young and ambitious independent Kazakhstan is well-known for decisions marked by ingenuity and innovation. The creation of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) was no exception. In fact it confirmed the long-established tradition. The Center has turned out to be a unique project for the CIS countries. Backed […]
Lessons from Money Laundering Scandals in European Banks
Viewpoint by Maíra Martini and Laure Brillaud This article is reproduced with the permission of Transparency International. Maira Martini is Knowledge Coordinator and Laure Brillaud Senior Policy Officer, Anti-Money Laundering, of Transparency International. Any views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of IDN. LONDON (IDN) – What do all recent major grand corruption scandals have in common? Individuals and companies involved […]
UN Acclaims European Support for Implementation of Biological Weapons Convention
By Ronald Joshua GENEVA (IDN) – The activities funded by the European Union are making a difference on the ground and are helping countries to develop their capacities against the threat of proliferation of biological weapons by States or non-States actors. This was one of the conclusions at an EU side event that was organised […]
Europe Ventures to Speak Up Against USA
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | MUNICH (IDN) – “The whole liberal world order appears to be falling apart – nothing is as it once was,” said Wolfgang Ischinger, a senior German diplomat in an opinion article in the run-up to the 2019 Munich Security Conference (MSC) that he chairs. He added: “When Vladimir Putin […]
U.S. and Canadian Baby Boomers Retiring to Mexico
By Bill Dahl* REDMOND, Oregon, USA (IDN) – The term boomerang is considered a noun and a verb. As a noun, it is defined as a curved flat piece of wood that can be thrown so as to return to the thrower, traditionally used by Australian Aborigines as a hunting weapon. As a verb, boomerang […]