The Latest Breaking News from Central Asia

Why a Messy City Lake Holds More Bird Species Than a Tidy Park

The Ecology of MessBare mud at a lake's edge is not a sign of neglect. It is foraging habitat. Waders such as the common sandpiper and little ringed plover work the exposed margins for invertebrates buried a centimetre or two down, and they need soft, uncompacted ground to do it.…

Times Life · Oct 21

Brass, Glass and Clay: Three Days Across Moradabad, Firozabad and Khurja

Moradabad: The City That Sounds Like a HammerYou hear Moradabad before you see its craft. The tapping starts near Pili Kothi and does not stop. Brass sheets arrive by the tonne at workshops where artisans called thatheras beat, lathe and etch them into export-grade bowls, hookahs, lamps and trays. The…

Times Life · Oct 20

Rubio Arrives in Samarkand With 300 US Execs and a Minerals Mandate — What Washington Wants From Central Asia

Rubio leads nearly 300 U.S. executives to C5+1 talks in Samarkand, pushing for critical minerals access, trade corridors, and tech deals across Central Asia.

Latin Times · Oct 19

Rubio arrives in Samarkand as Washington seeks closer ties with Central Asia

The US secretary of state will meet the foreign ministers of five Central Asian countries on Monday under the C5+1 format. Trade, investment, critical minerals and security are expected to feature in discussions, while more than 200 American business executives accompany the visit.

Euronews · Oct 18

Trump’s super intelligence diplomat: Marco Rubio

Trump changed AI to SI. Now he has created a new breed of SI diplomacy.

The Economic Times · Oct 17

EIB seeks cross-border projects to boost Central Asia’s economic development

The European Investment Bank is seeking to expand cross-border investments in Central Asia, while requiring projects to meet environmental standards and offer benefits for both regional economies and European industry.

Euronews · Oct 15

The 'biggest' risk to Asia’s economies isn’t over yet, IMF warns

The IMF has warned that a prolonged Middle East war and renewed disruptions to energy production, shipping routes and critical infrastructure pose the biggest risks to economies across the Middle East and Central Asia. With energy buffers thinning, the lender expects a sharp regional contraction in 2026, followed by an…

The Economic Times · Oct 15

Is Kazakhstan the birthplace of apples? Here’s how the fruit spread across the world

The part of the Tian Shan mountains that stretches from south-eastern Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan is home to the wild Sievers apple (Malus sieversii), the ancestor of every apple we know today. But how did it travel from Central Asia to orchards around the world?

Euronews · Oct 5

Akash air defence system reaches Turkmenistan: Check its capabilities as it joins Chinese systems to protect the Central Asian country

India has exported its indigenous Akash air defence missile system to Turkmenistan, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has confirmed, expanding the weapon’s presence in Central Asia after Armenia and Tajikistan. Turkmenistan already operates Chinese-made air defence systems, including the FK-2000, FD-2000, KS-1A and FM-90. Here is a look at Akash’s…

The Economic Times · Oct 5

John Swenson’s 1975 rocambole garlic order helped spark America’s garlic revolution decade

John Swenson began his journey with garlic in 1975 after ordering bulbs from a seed catalog. He became a key figure in seed saving, donating numerous garlic varieties to the Seed Savers Exchange. In 1989, he was part of a mission that returned with 120 garlic varieties from Russia and…

The Times of India · Oct 3