Podcasts about Central Asia

Faith Cha's mother and grandmother fled North Korea for their lives. Miraculously, they survived the violence when many around them did not. Not only did they survive, but God crossed their paths with Christians who helped them.These believers—normal people of no renown—played huge roles in the lives of these women by small acts of kindness and grace. These blessings not only helped these women fleeing North Korea, but also the next generation. Faith herself was richly blessed by kind Christians who loved and encouraged her as a refugee kid, confused in a strange, new country.Through this journey and divine interactions, a spiritual legacy was born. In time, Faith and her husband carried forth that spiritual legacy in surprising, but fitting, ways. They crossed the globe to make Christ known to Muslims in Central Asia. And today they help others minister to refugees, just as others once helped her frightened mom and grandma.Be encouraged. This testimony reminds us that even our smallest acts of kindness can make powerful impacts in the lives of others. God can use them to transform lives, families, communities and even generations.To learn more about resources mentioned in this episode, see the following.Crescent Project (Ministry): https://www.crescentproject.org/Christian Emergency Alliance: https://www.christianemergency.com/Follow the Christian Emergency Alliance on Twitter: @ChristianEmerg1Follow the Christian Emergency Alliance on Facebook: @ChristianEmergencyThe Christian Emergency Podcast is a production of the Christian Emergency Alliance.Soli Deo Gloria

节目简介 | Episode Description | エピソード紹介中文：中亚对我来说一直是一个有些陌生的地方。出发之前，我对这里的了解并不多。不过这次旅行中，最让我印象深刻的并不是某个景点，而是旅途中遇到的人。这期节目跟大家分享几个中亚旅行中的难忘瞬间。English:Central Asia had always felt like a distant and unfamiliar place to me. Before this trip, I didn't know much about the region. Surprisingly, what stayed with me most were not the famous landmarks, but the people I met along the way. In this episode, I share a few memorable moments from my journey.日本語：中央アジアは私にとって少し馴染みのない地域でした。旅行に行く前は、この地域についてあまり詳しく知りませんでした。でも今回の旅で一番印象に残ったのは観光地ではなく、旅先で出会った人たちでした。今回はそんな忘れられない瞬間についてお話しします。#中亚旅行 #旅行故事 #CentralAsia #TravelStories #TravelMemories #中央アジア #旅の思い出Send us Fan MailSupport the show如果您喜欢我的播客，欢迎通过下方方式表达您的支持。您的支持对我来说是巨大的鼓励。但无论如何，我都很感激有您作为听众。能够每周与您分享几分钟的时光，对我来说是莫大的荣幸。❤️If you enjoy my podcast, you're welcome to show your support through the options below. Your support means a great deal to me and is a huge source of encouragement. But no matter what, I'm truly grateful to have you as a listener. It's an honor to share a few minutes with you each week!❤️ ☕

In this DeepDive SpaceTech episode, David Wortmann speaks with Daria Stepanova, CEO and co-founder of AIRMO, about a climate gas that has long stayed out of sight: methane. It is responsible for around 30 percent of current global warming, yet roughly 70 percent of leaks go undetected, costing the energy industry billions in lost gas every year. The tricky part is not the fix. A leak can be sealed and an open vent closed quickly. The real challenge is finding it, because methane is invisible. This is where AIRMO comes in, with a proprietary sensor suite that measures the gas through its absorption lines in the shortwave infrared and pairs a spectrometer with a micro-LiDAR system for higher accuracy. Daria explains how the company combines drones, aircraft and satellites into a monitoring approach that spans from a few metres to 500 kilometres from the source, why it still relies on public satellite data today, and how a first proprietary mission with partner EnduroSat is set to grow into a constellation of more than twelve satellites for global, near real-time monitoring. The conversation covers AIRMO's customers, from energy companies such as Uniper to gas storage and pipeline operators across Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, the role of the EU Methane Regulation as a driver, and the question of how a view from space can reveal one of the fastest levers in climate action.

Katy and Alan spent five years dreaming about this adventure and then went ahead, put their careers on pause and spent a full year cycling 20,000km around the world. Halfway through the adventure, a monotonous desert section through Central Asia nearly broke them, so they threw out their initial planned route and let the trip become something even better.These are the key lessons from their journey:You don't need to wait for retirement to take a big adventureA plan is a starting point but it's ok to change and adapt themThe less you know about a place, the more it can surprise youPeople will help you, almost everywhere, almost every time.Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.Fear of the unknown is usually worse than the unknown itself.Shared goals matter more than shared stats.Hard days don't last, but you will have hard days on big adventuresYou don't need a year to have an adventure.Be sure to give Katy and Alan a follow via their account @CycleTheLongWayHome Check out the Manzanita Cradle from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I'm an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:

How can we adapt to new cultures when we are travelling or working aboard?In this episode we look at culture from the perspective of being an international visitor or someone working in another culture. Being immersed in another culture gives us a unique opportunity to see how other people live. It also gives us a great opportunity to see what it feels like to be a visitor. You may find yourself leading people from different cultures, putting yourself in the position of being the visitor can be a valuable way of understanding things from their perspective.Joining Chris and Jordy in this episode to discuss how we can better adapt to new cultures is Patrick Barrow. Patrick Barrow has been guiding around the globe for 20 years, toggling between adventure travel and outdoor education. Pat is an ACMG Hiking Guide who has worked extensively in Central Asia, Western China, Southeast Asia, Russia, the Himalayas, Australia, Europe and Canada.This is another engaging conversation that offers practical strategies on how we can integrate into new cultures.Key TakeawaysTo adapt to new cultures, we can:Observe: This is where we we watch behaviours and habits, looking for what is normal for them.Integrate: This is where we participate, join in and interact on the level they are interacting in.Manipulate: This is where we copy what people are doing, mirroring behaviours.Amalgamate: This is where we put everything together to the point where we get a level of acceptance within the group or culture.Respect Ego: This means being aware of not causing others to lose face by challenging their ego. Not respecting the ego of others can cause serious relationship damage.Guest BioPatrick Barrow has been guiding around the globe for 20 years, toggling between adventure travel and outdoor education.A student of anthropology, originally from Australia, Pat's path into adventure guiding came through travel. Pat has worked across Europe and Australia, parts of the Indian and Nepalese Himalaya, the Stans and the Silk Road of Central Asia and West China, jungles of South East Asia, on the Yamal Peninsular of Arctic Russia with Indigenous Reindeer Herders, and most recently Canada.Pat's career focus has been on facilitating formative expeditions for both youth and adults in culturally remote locations around the world. In particular living a decade between Kyrgyzstan and Russia, and guiding locally in Kyrgyzstan across the Tienshan Mountains. Guiding locally has given a unique perspective in working across cultures and what it takes to manage international teams.In Canada Pat is an ACMG hiking guide and an Outdoor Council of Canada Instructor.In Australia Pat has Cert IV in Outdoor Recreation, Cert IV in Outdoor Leadership, Cert IV Trainer & Assessor and is an Associate Fellow of the Academy of Extreme Environment Medicine.Guest LinksTengrie Expeditions: www.tengriexpeditions.comPatrick Barrow Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-barrow-83712b36Patrick Barrow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tengriexpeditions?igsh=MTI4dnlmZTNrZWNheg==Resource LinksFeedspot Top 30 Pacific Northwest Adventure Podcasts: LinkFollow or SubscribeDon't forget to follow the show!Share & Social Linkshttps://linktr.ee/deliveringadventure

A version of this essay was published by firstpost at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/from-indo-pacific-to-pacific-delhi-must-prepare-for-strategic-loneliness-14024528.htmlI refer, of course, to the (in)famous newspaper headline which said, “Ford to City: Drop Dead” in 1975 when then-POTUS Gerald Ford refused to bail out New York City during a financial crisis.It appears to be the same sentiment now with POTUS Trump regarding India. The end of India's fond hopes of a strategic alliance came not with a bang, but with a whimper: the Pentagon announcement, right in the middle of the G7 conclave in France, that the US has reverted its Indo-Pacific Command to the “Pacific Command”, which had been the name before Trump changed it in 2018.What this means is clear: the US has turned its back on the Indian Ocean, on India, and on the vaunted “strategic partnership” that Indian policymakers had long assumed would be a corollary of that presumed bedrock of Indo-US relations: the mutual need to contain a rampaging China.Coming on top of the remarkable cavalierness about the murders of three Indian merchant-navy sailors, and numerous other slights, we see a pattern of indifference at best, or disdain at worst. The US is signalling that they don't need India. India, in other words, has no leverage. I am not amazed, to be honest: I wrote in 2023 that in an era of relative decline, it made sense for the US to downgrade its aspirations from sole hyperpower to first among equals: that is, a “G2 condominium” with China. This is, in principle, the same as the Vatican-brokered Treaty of Torsedillas in 1494 that divided the world into Portuguese and a Spanish spheres of influence. Interestingly, that didn't end up well for either party, but we shall let that pass. Let us connect the dots: there is a ‘Donroe Doctrine' whereby the US is asserting its hegemony in the Americas, its sphere of influence. Trump has ejected China from Venezuela, and is in the process of kicking them out of the Panama Canal zone; although the Pacific-to-Atlantic railway project in the Brazilian rainforest, and its terminus, the deep-water Port Chancay in Peru, remain.The disastrous Trump foray into Iran was predicated on denying China easy access to that country's hydrocarbons. But the MoU after 100+ days of war suggests that the US has received a bloody nose, and is withdrawing, retired hurt. The shrinking of ambitions away from the Indian Ocean as in the reversion to the ‘Pacific Command' suggests that the US is ceding the continent, including West Asia, to China.America-watchers have noticed this strange attitude to Asia before. Evan A. Feigenbaum, a former advisor to US Secretaries of State, wrote about this in 2011:For Washington, the problem is at once intellectual, strategic, and bureaucratic. Intellectually, the United States still has three separate foreign policies in Asia—one for East Asia, another for South Asia, and a third for Central Asia (which it scarcely regards as a part of Asia at all). As Asia reintegrates, then, the United States is too often stuck in an outdated mode of thinking ...Asia is being reborn, and remade. Yet, the United States is badly prepared for this momentous rebirth, which is at once stitching Asia back together and making the United States less relevant in each of Asia's constituent parts. Asians are, in various ways, passing America by, restoring ancient ties and repairing long-broken strategic and economic links.Well, this is also the end of the “pivot to Asia”, even though it was probably half-hearted at the best of times. Then-POTUS Obama started using the term in 2011, but was himself guilty of ‘awarding' “South Asia” to Chinese overlordship on a visit to that country. Now that the US is dumping its European allies, it should not be surprising, in view of the ‘Fortress America' tone of the National Security Strategy of 2025, that India is also being thrown under the bus.A US official, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said this bluntly in Delhi at the Raisina Dialog 2026: India should understand that we're not going to make the same mistakes with India that we made with China 20 years ago in terms of saying oh you know we're going to let you develop all these markets and then the next thing we know you're beating us in a lot of commercial things.Landau is right from a short-term US perspective. The US blundered, presumably taken in by Chinese propaganda, and allowed itself to be stripped of its industrial prowess. They have learned a lesson: squash potential competitors when you can. This is a back-handed compliment: it suggests that the US is aware that India can be a challenger, and make the G2 a G3. India is literally the only power that's large enough to make it to Great Power status: Brazil, South Africa, Nigeria, etc. have too many problems.No incumbent power wants an insurgent power to challenge its hegemony. The so-called “Thucydides Trap” predicts that chances are that they will go to war: a kinetic war or an economic war or both. India is simultaneously facing Thucydides Traps from both the US and China, those G2 buddies. I wrote about this as an “Abhimanyu Syndrome” for India: splendid isolation. I hasten to add that though Abhimanyu died, his side did win convincingly.So it's time for India to be pragmatic, and develop its own self-reliance, both in military power and economic/trade power. The existing G2 are looking for vassals, not allies. The equation between them is also interesting. It is clear that the US is in gentle relative decline; but it does have deep resources, and can survive as a continent sized economy, even if it turns its back on the rest of the world, as it has done several times in its 250-year history. But Trump did kowtow to Xi on his May trip to China: he looked like a supplicant paying tribute to the emperor.China, if you look at its 3000-year-long history, is volatile and unstable. A pattern repeats, again and again: there are periods of prosperity and power under a strong imperial center, followed by collapse and utter chaos. An unwinding of the Chinese empire, much like the implosion of the Soviet empire, is probably only a matter of time.If you look at Indian history, the nation was mostly stable, though its prosperity invited invaders. As far back as 3000 years ago, India was the center of a lucrative Indian Ocean trade, based on Pax Indica in the region. With a deep water navy, a massive manufacturing push, and self-reliance, India can regain its past glory. Military power breeds respect from others. Economic power makes others want to trade.1100 words, 18 Jun 2026AI-generated slideshow courtesy notebookLM.google.com: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

In "How to Predict the 2026 Intermodal Rebound with IANA's Andrew Sibold" Joe Lynch and Andrew Sibold, Director of Economics and Freight Policy at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), discuss how IANA's new predictive Intermodal Volume Index (IVI) helps logistics leaders navigate shifting market capacity and operational friction to successfully forecast the 2026 freight recovery.  About Andrew Sibold Andrew Sibold is the Director of Economics and Freight Policy at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), where he leads market analysis, research, and economic forecasting that informs both private capital strategy and public policy. Before IANA, he spent five years at the Federal Highway Administration as a financial and economic analyst, where his benefit-cost and net present value modeling helped adjudicate more than $12.1 billion in federal infrastructure grants. He came to economics through the U.S. Army, serving as an Armor officer who led logistics and operations on deployments across Europe and Central Asia. Andrew holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Tennessee, as well as advanced degrees in economics, econometrics, and international relations. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife and four children. About Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) is the leading industry trade association representing the combined interests of the intermodal freight community. Its membership spans the full ecosystem that moves containerized freight across modes — railroads, ocean carriers, ports and terminals, drayage and motor carriers, intermodal marketing companies, and equipment providers. IANA promotes the efficiency, safety, and growth of intermodal transportation through industry standards, professional education, government affairs, and data services. As the connective tissue of a sector that handles a substantial share of North American freight, IANA gives members a unified voice on policy and a shared infrastructure for operations. Increasingly, it also serves as a source of market intelligence, equipping members with the economic data and forecasting they need to navigate a volatile freight cycle. Key Takeaways: How to Predict the 2026 Intermodal Rebound In "How to Predict the 2026 Intermodal Rebound with IANA's Andrew Sibold" Joe Lynch and Andrew Sibold, Director of Economics and Freight Policy at the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), discuss how IANA's new predictive Intermodal Volume Index (IVI) helps logistics leaders navigate shifting market capacity and operational friction to successfully forecast the 2026 freight recovery.  IANA as the "Conductor" of the Intermodal Ecosystem: The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) serves as the critical connective tissue and unified voice for a fragmented freight community. By connecting railroads, ocean carriers, ports, drayage motor carriers, and 3PLs, IANA acts as an industry "conductor" to harmonize operations across multiple transportation modes that handle a substantial share of North American freight. Eliminating Blind Spots with the Intermodal Volume Index (IVI): Historically, intermodal freight data has been fragmented and heavily lagging—with rail data delayed by a week and port data lagging by two to three months. Launched publicly in May, IANA's new IVI solves this industry pain point by acting as a real-time, seasonally adjusted "pulse check" on North American freight activity. Shifting from Lagging to Predictive Capacity Planning: Unlike traditional freight indicators that only look backward (like GDP or older equipment data), the IVI functions as a predictive bridge. By utilizing a mathematical process to bring historical data into the present and factoring in seasonal fluctuations, it provides mid-market shippers, 3PLs, and asset-based carriers with a forward-looking forecast to confidently adjust capacity planning. Unconventional Market Strength in 2026: The IVI is currently printing quite strong—tracking right around 106 for June, which is 6% higher than the pre-COVID baseline. While total import container volumes (TEUs) have softened due to tariff effects, intermodal volumes are rebounding rapidly due to a surge in high-value domestic manufacturing freight, driven heavily by investments in data centers and infrastructure built to support modern AI. Reducing Operational Friction via Standardization: Intermodal logistics inherently suffers from handoff friction between different actors, leading to costly demurrage, detention, and lost productivity. IANA mitigates this administrative nightmare by managing standardized operational frameworks—most notably the Uniform Intermodal Interchange and Facilities Agreement (UIIA)—which serves as a single, universal contract that lowers industry insurance costs and streamlines driver registrations. Navigating Volatility and Truck-to-Rail Conversion: Global supply chains remain highly volatile due to geopolitical factors, international conflicts, and oil infrastructure damage keeping global energy prices elevated. When diesel prices spike and over-the-road trucking capacity tightens due to shifting domestic regulatory and immigration policies, the IVI helps transportation managers identify exactly when and where rail capacity is tightening so they can strategically lock in contractual rates. The Competitive Advantage of Modal Conversion: Beyond operational efficiency, IANA empowers its members to turn modal conversion into a measurable economic and environmental advantage. Because rail transport is significantly cleaner and greener than over-the-road trucking—with a single stacked rail car capable of moving the equivalent of multiple trucks—shippers are increasingly leveraging intermodal data to hit corporate sustainability mandates as the 2026 market recovers. Learn More About How to Predict the 2026 Intermodal Rebound Andrew Sibold | Linkedin IANA | Linkedin Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) Scale: The Search for Simplicity and Unity in the Complexity of Life, from Cells to Cities, Companies to Ecosystems by Geoffrey West The Box (Levinson book) – Wikipedia The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

Brandon Langley talks with two missionaries with the IMB in Central Asia. They discuss current gospel work and regional needs in Central Asia, missiological principles guiding the work, how churches can partner in global missions, and more. 

From Shipping in Paraguay to Photojournalism in Kyrgyzstan: Luke Oppenheimer's Journey & the Making of Ottuk

Interview with Gavin Ferrar, CEO of Central Asia MetalsOur previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/central-asia-metals-lsecaml-beats-cash-forecasts-pays-dividends-9808Recording date: 12th June 2026Central Asia Metals (CAML) has announced the proposed acquisition of ASX-listed Cygnus Metals in an all-share transaction aimed at strengthening its project pipeline and adding a development-stage asset to its portfolio. The deal, expected to complete in September, will see Cygnus shareholders receive approximately 0.06 CAML shares per share, resulting in ownership of about 30% of the combined entity, with existing CAML shareholders retaining 70%. The structure preserves CAML's debt-free balance sheet and allows continued funding of operations, exploration, and dividends.The acquisition centers on the Chibougamau copper-gold project in Quebec, Canada, a brownfield asset comprising five deposits and an existing processing facility. Under Cygnus's ownership, the project's measured and indicated resource increased by 78% to 6.4 million tonnes at roughly 3% copper equivalent, with over 8 million tonnes of inferred resources and significant exploration potential across an 18-kilometre strike length. Existing infrastructure, including an idle mill and permitted tailings facilities, is expected to reduce development costs and timelines compared to a greenfield project.CAML plans to advance the project through an updated preliminary economic assessment followed by a feasibility study, targeting a construction decision within four to five years. The company intends to leverage its operational and tailings management expertise from its Sasa mine, while retaining Cygnus's local management team and community relationships to support permitting and development.Strategically, the acquisition fills a long-standing gap between CAML's exploration assets and producing operations in Kazakhstan and North Macedonia. These existing mines are performing strongly, supporting ongoing dividends of 30–50% of free cash flow. The transaction also reflects a broader industry trend of larger, cash-generative miners acquiring development-stage assets from smaller explorers to unlock value and accelerate project timelines.Learn more: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/central-asia-metalsSign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com

The Darvaza gas crater — the so‑called “Gates of Hell” — is finally dimming after more than 50 years of nonstop burning. But as the flames shrink, the mystery grows. Is this a sign of environmental recovery, a warning of something worse, or just another strange chapter in Central Asia's most famous accident? We dig into the science, the speculation, and the weird history behind one of Earth's strangest landmarks.For half a century, Turkmenistan's Darvaza gas crater has burned so fiercely it earned the nickname “The Gates of Hell.” But new satellite and infrared data suggest something unexpected: the flames are dimming, the heat signature is dropping, and the once‑roaring inferno may be entering its final act.In this Fringey Mini, we explore what scientists actually know — and what they don't. Is the dimming a natural decline in the gas pocket? A sign of shifting geology beneath the Karakum Desert? A looming environmental problem? Or simply the slow end of a decades‑long mistake that became a tourist attraction?We walk through the crater's bizarre origin story, the political myths surrounding it, the environmental uncertainties highlighted in recent reporting, and why the fading of a giant fire pit might not be the good news it sounds like.A shrinking hell‑mouth should be comforting. Instead, it's just another mystery on the fringe.article: The ‘Gates to Hell' Are Dimming. That May Not Be a Good Thing. - The New York Times

What does it mean, three decades after the demise of the USSR, to inhabit cities built for a future that has never arrived? In pursuit of the question—what is left of the socialist city?—this book aims not only to trace the material and mnemonic remains of the socialist city,  but to show how the Soviet discourse of the city at times engendered radical ideas that challenged the narrow confines of state socialism itself. These ideas are, for instance, the efforts of Esperanto-speaking internationalists from Czechoslovakia to build the internationalist city from below in the Central Asian steppe, the quest of Armenian Futurists to root the architectural style of Soviet Armenia in the country's Persianate heritage, or a Jewish-Kyrgyz philosopher's vision of turning a science town in the hinterland of Moscow into the first ecopolis of the USSR. In an effort to rethink the life and afterlife of the Soviet city from its geographical South, The Death and Life of Southern Soviet Cities: Urban Futures and Their Afterlives (Routledge, 2026) explores the material and immaterial legacies of socialist-era urbanization in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus. To this end, it embarks on a historical and ethnographic journey to urban sites in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In a quest to reconstruct competing visions of urbanity that emerged from within the Soviet South, using varied empirical sources in Armenian, Czech, Kyrgyz, and Russian, the book outlines four urban visions: bottom-up urbanity, rooted urbanity, polycentric urbanity, and ecocentric urbanity. By understanding the social vision of a "socialist city of the future" beyond the political center in its trans-local independence, the book highlights the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Soviet South and its historical embeddedness within the regional dynamics of the Global South. David Leupold is a sociologist, scholar of memory wars and research fellow in the ERC-funded research project REVENANT: Revivals of Empire. He is the author of the prize-winning book Embattled Dreamlands: The Politics of Contesting Armenian, Turkish, and Kurdish Memory (2021), the former principal investigator of the DFG-funded research project Future Images of the Past (2021–2025), and a current resource scholar for the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (Middlebury Institute of International Studies). He lives in Berlin.  This interview was conducted by Ernest Lee, PhD student at the University of Chicago. He researches the history of postcolonial energy through the lens of development, infrastructure and environment, with a focus on West Africa and Southeast Asia.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What does it mean, three decades after the demise of the USSR, to inhabit cities built for a future that has never arrived? In pursuit of the question—what is left of the socialist city?—this book aims not only to trace the material and mnemonic remains of the socialist city,  but to show how the Soviet discourse of the city at times engendered radical ideas that challenged the narrow confines of state socialism itself. These ideas are, for instance, the efforts of Esperanto-speaking internationalists from Czechoslovakia to build the internationalist city from below in the Central Asian steppe, the quest of Armenian Futurists to root the architectural style of Soviet Armenia in the country's Persianate heritage, or a Jewish-Kyrgyz philosopher's vision of turning a science town in the hinterland of Moscow into the first ecopolis of the USSR. In an effort to rethink the life and afterlife of the Soviet city from its geographical South, The Death and Life of Southern Soviet Cities: Urban Futures and Their Afterlives (Routledge, 2026) explores the material and immaterial legacies of socialist-era urbanization in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus. To this end, it embarks on a historical and ethnographic journey to urban sites in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In a quest to reconstruct competing visions of urbanity that emerged from within the Soviet South, using varied empirical sources in Armenian, Czech, Kyrgyz, and Russian, the book outlines four urban visions: bottom-up urbanity, rooted urbanity, polycentric urbanity, and ecocentric urbanity. By understanding the social vision of a "socialist city of the future" beyond the political center in its trans-local independence, the book highlights the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Soviet South and its historical embeddedness within the regional dynamics of the Global South. David Leupold is a sociologist, scholar of memory wars and research fellow in the ERC-funded research project REVENANT: Revivals of Empire. He is the author of the prize-winning book Embattled Dreamlands: The Politics of Contesting Armenian, Turkish, and Kurdish Memory (2021), the former principal investigator of the DFG-funded research project Future Images of the Past (2021–2025), and a current resource scholar for the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (Middlebury Institute of International Studies). He lives in Berlin.  This interview was conducted by Ernest Lee, PhD student at the University of Chicago. He researches the history of postcolonial energy through the lens of development, infrastructure and environment, with a focus on West Africa and Southeast Asia.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/central-asian-studies

What does it mean, three decades after the demise of the USSR, to inhabit cities built for a future that has never arrived? In pursuit of the question—what is left of the socialist city?—this book aims not only to trace the material and mnemonic remains of the socialist city,  but to show how the Soviet discourse of the city at times engendered radical ideas that challenged the narrow confines of state socialism itself. These ideas are, for instance, the efforts of Esperanto-speaking internationalists from Czechoslovakia to build the internationalist city from below in the Central Asian steppe, the quest of Armenian Futurists to root the architectural style of Soviet Armenia in the country's Persianate heritage, or a Jewish-Kyrgyz philosopher's vision of turning a science town in the hinterland of Moscow into the first ecopolis of the USSR. In an effort to rethink the life and afterlife of the Soviet city from its geographical South, The Death and Life of Southern Soviet Cities: Urban Futures and Their Afterlives (Routledge, 2026) explores the material and immaterial legacies of socialist-era urbanization in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus. To this end, it embarks on a historical and ethnographic journey to urban sites in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In a quest to reconstruct competing visions of urbanity that emerged from within the Soviet South, using varied empirical sources in Armenian, Czech, Kyrgyz, and Russian, the book outlines four urban visions: bottom-up urbanity, rooted urbanity, polycentric urbanity, and ecocentric urbanity. By understanding the social vision of a "socialist city of the future" beyond the political center in its trans-local independence, the book highlights the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Soviet South and its historical embeddedness within the regional dynamics of the Global South. David Leupold is a sociologist, scholar of memory wars and research fellow in the ERC-funded research project REVENANT: Revivals of Empire. He is the author of the prize-winning book Embattled Dreamlands: The Politics of Contesting Armenian, Turkish, and Kurdish Memory (2021), the former principal investigator of the DFG-funded research project Future Images of the Past (2021–2025), and a current resource scholar for the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (Middlebury Institute of International Studies). He lives in Berlin.  This interview was conducted by Ernest Lee, PhD student at the University of Chicago. He researches the history of postcolonial energy through the lens of development, infrastructure and environment, with a focus on West Africa and Southeast Asia.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

David Hunsicker spent two decades at USAID building the institutional capacity for what came to be called Strategic Religious Engagement. That work culminated in the 2023 policy Building Bridges in Development, a framework for partnering with religious communities and faith-based organizations around shared goals. In this conversation, Hunsicker traces the path from a Pennsylvania Dutch upbringing, through conversion to Islam and graduate study in Central Asia, to an unexpected pull into US government work after September 11. We discuss the policy work that followed, what was lost when USAID was closed in 2025, and the new Strategic Religious Engagement Hub at Georgetown's Berkley Center. Show Notes:Building Bridges in Development: USAID's Strategic Religious Engagement Policy (https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/publications/building-bridges-in-development-usaid-s-strategic-religious-engagement-policy/)Send us Fan Mail

What does it mean, three decades after the demise of the USSR, to inhabit cities built for a future that has never arrived? In pursuit of the question—what is left of the socialist city?—this book aims not only to trace the material and mnemonic remains of the socialist city,  but to show how the Soviet discourse of the city at times engendered radical ideas that challenged the narrow confines of state socialism itself. These ideas are, for instance, the efforts of Esperanto-speaking internationalists from Czechoslovakia to build the internationalist city from below in the Central Asian steppe, the quest of Armenian Futurists to root the architectural style of Soviet Armenia in the country's Persianate heritage, or a Jewish-Kyrgyz philosopher's vision of turning a science town in the hinterland of Moscow into the first ecopolis of the USSR. In an effort to rethink the life and afterlife of the Soviet city from its geographical South, The Death and Life of Southern Soviet Cities: Urban Futures and Their Afterlives (Routledge, 2026) explores the material and immaterial legacies of socialist-era urbanization in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus. To this end, it embarks on a historical and ethnographic journey to urban sites in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In a quest to reconstruct competing visions of urbanity that emerged from within the Soviet South, using varied empirical sources in Armenian, Czech, Kyrgyz, and Russian, the book outlines four urban visions: bottom-up urbanity, rooted urbanity, polycentric urbanity, and ecocentric urbanity. By understanding the social vision of a "socialist city of the future" beyond the political center in its trans-local independence, the book highlights the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Soviet South and its historical embeddedness within the regional dynamics of the Global South. David Leupold is a sociologist, scholar of memory wars and research fellow in the ERC-funded research project REVENANT: Revivals of Empire. He is the author of the prize-winning book Embattled Dreamlands: The Politics of Contesting Armenian, Turkish, and Kurdish Memory (2021), the former principal investigator of the DFG-funded research project Future Images of the Past (2021–2025), and a current resource scholar for the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (Middlebury Institute of International Studies). He lives in Berlin.  This interview was conducted by Ernest Lee, PhD student at the University of Chicago. He researches the history of postcolonial energy through the lens of development, infrastructure and environment, with a focus on West Africa and Southeast Asia.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

What does it mean, three decades after the demise of the USSR, to inhabit cities built for a future that has never arrived? In pursuit of the question—what is left of the socialist city?—this book aims not only to trace the material and mnemonic remains of the socialist city,  but to show how the Soviet discourse of the city at times engendered radical ideas that challenged the narrow confines of state socialism itself. These ideas are, for instance, the efforts of Esperanto-speaking internationalists from Czechoslovakia to build the internationalist city from below in the Central Asian steppe, the quest of Armenian Futurists to root the architectural style of Soviet Armenia in the country's Persianate heritage, or a Jewish-Kyrgyz philosopher's vision of turning a science town in the hinterland of Moscow into the first ecopolis of the USSR. In an effort to rethink the life and afterlife of the Soviet city from its geographical South, The Death and Life of Southern Soviet Cities: Urban Futures and Their Afterlives (Routledge, 2026) explores the material and immaterial legacies of socialist-era urbanization in Central Asia and the Southern Caucasus. To this end, it embarks on a historical and ethnographic journey to urban sites in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In a quest to reconstruct competing visions of urbanity that emerged from within the Soviet South, using varied empirical sources in Armenian, Czech, Kyrgyz, and Russian, the book outlines four urban visions: bottom-up urbanity, rooted urbanity, polycentric urbanity, and ecocentric urbanity. By understanding the social vision of a "socialist city of the future" beyond the political center in its trans-local independence, the book highlights the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Soviet South and its historical embeddedness within the regional dynamics of the Global South. David Leupold is a sociologist, scholar of memory wars and research fellow in the ERC-funded research project REVENANT: Revivals of Empire. He is the author of the prize-winning book Embattled Dreamlands: The Politics of Contesting Armenian, Turkish, and Kurdish Memory (2021), the former principal investigator of the DFG-funded research project Future Images of the Past (2021–2025), and a current resource scholar for the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (Middlebury Institute of International Studies). He lives in Berlin.  This interview was conducted by Ernest Lee, PhD student at the University of Chicago. He researches the history of postcolonial energy through the lens of development, infrastructure and environment, with a focus on West Africa and Southeast Asia.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hear about travel to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and the annual Amateur Traveler trip as host Chris Christensen and guest Bill Abbott talk about a tour to 2 of the 5 'Stans in Central Asia. This week's show is supported by the new Smart Travel Podcast. Travel smarter — and spend less — with help from NerdWallet. Check out Smart Travel ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Why should you go to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan? Chris says, "In this area, you can stand in these beautiful cities that date back over two thousand years. This is a trip through some of the great crossroads of world history: Persian empires, Silk Road merchants, Turkic tribes, Mongol armies, Timurid architects, Russian generals, Soviet planners, and two very different modern countries. This is not the edge of the map as we tend to view it, but historically, it's the middle of the map." In this episode of Amateur Traveler, we celebrate episode 1,000 with a trip through Central Asia to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The episode follows a G Adventures trip, Best of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, with a small group of Amateur Traveler listeners. ... https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-uzbekistan-and-turkmenistan/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you for your continuing support and prayers. Though it is becoming more difficult to preach the Gospel in many places, God is in the business of opening doors! Following the many years of miracles in Europe and the former Soviet Union, God has opened Central Asia and the Caucasus. I believe that what God has done, He can do in this vital region where we are the major Evangelistic Mission because they all know what God did through my ministry in the former Soviet Union and Europe. To make a donation to support David's ministry: https://www.eurovision.org.uk/donation Join David in London, 19 September 2026, for a Day of Prayer and Worship: https://www.eurovision.org.uk/release 

Hi, I'm John Sorensen, President of Evangelism Explosion International, and you're listening to Share Life Today. As we conclude this week talking about the church globally and how we're called to go to the nations, I wanted to share a testimony with you from a challenging part of the world. Made up of the former Soviet Union and most of the Middle East, Central Asia is a region where persecution happens almost every day to Christ-followers. And yet, God is moving mightily in these countries. For instance, in a small village in Lebanon, a family heard the Gospel from a team of Christians who knocked on their door. The husband, the wife, and all the children gave their hearts to Christ that day. And the villagers were not pleased and began persecuting them heavily. However, God used these same Christians who led the family to Christ to share with the villagers also, and their minds were changed. So let's be encouraged today to step out ourselves and to share the Gospel. You can learn more about how you can share your faith at ShareLife.Today. That's ShareLife.Today.

Max and Maria sit down with Dr. Nina Khrushcheva, Professor of International Affairs at the New School and one of the world's leading experts on Russia, to discuss her new Russian‑language book Nikita Khrushchev: Vozhd vne sistemy (“Nikita Khrushchev: An Outlier of the System”) and her experience as one of the few scholars still traveling to and from Russia. As Nikita Khrushchev's great‑granddaughter and adoptive granddaughter, she offers a rare, personal view of how Russian culture, politics, and society are evolving. Mentioned:  No Exit from Stalin | by Nina L. Khrushcheva in Project Syndicate (April 2026)  Russia's Descent Into Tyranny: How Four Years of War Have Remade Society | by Nina L. Khrushcheva in Foreign Affairs (Dec. 2025)  Nikita Khrushchev: Vozhd vne sistemy (Nikita Khrushchev: An Outlier of the System) | Book by Nina L. Khrushcheva  Feedback? Suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.  If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile 

Think the Black Death was just a medieval European tragedy? Think again.When you picture the Black Death, you probably imagine a third of Europe being wiped out while flagellants marched through British and French villages. But pandemics don't stop at borders. What if our standard history lessons have completely ignored more than half of the story?In this special episode for the Chalke History Festival, host Paul Bavill sits down with Tom Asbridge, Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary University of London and author of The Black Death, a Global History. Together, they shatter the Euro-centric myths to reveal a truly global disaster that stretched from Central Asia all the way across the medieval world.Discover how the plague reshaped the wealthy and sophisticated Mamluk Empire. Massive Middle Eastern cities like Cairo—which completely dwarfed London with a population of half a million people—faced unimaginable mass mortality. Tom explains the fascinating doctrinal differences that dictated survival; while Christian Europe viewed the disease as divine punishment that justified flight and abandonment, Islamic doctrine saw it as a merciful martyrdom. This completely altered how communities reacted, locked down, and ultimately collapsed under the weight of the pandemic.From the horrific eyewitness accounts of parents burying their own children to the long-term socioeconomic shifts that triggered peasant revolts and altered workers' rights, this episode zooms out to a global scale and zooms in on the raw human experience. If you want to understand the true scale of history's most terrifying disease, hit play now!About Our GuestTom Asbridge is a professional historian, author, and Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary University of London.See Tom Live: Catch Tom speaking at the Chalke History Festival on Friday 26th June at 4:00 PM. Grab your tickets at: https://www.chalkefestival.com/Buy the Book: Get your copy of The Black Death, a Global History directly from the History Rage Bookshop to support the show: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9780241399408Recommended Episodes To Check Out NextEpisode 193: Luke Pepera rages that there is an African history long before any Europeans turned up.Episode 143: Eleanor Janega brings the rage to prove that medieval women absolutely worked.Support and Follow History RageIf you love truth being freed and myth getting a long, slow, brutal death, help us keep the anger alive!Support us on Patreon: Join the inner circle for £5 a month to get entry into our monthly book draws, pitch questions to future guests, access live streams, and grab the coveted History Rage mug: https://www.patreon.com/historyrageFollow us on Twitter/X: https://x.com/HistoryRageVisit our Website: Get the latest updates and episodes directly at https://www.historyrage.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comments/ideas: ACFpod@outlook.comChina's carbon market is already the world's largest, and it's about to get far more complex. Leading market expert Jeff Huang has a front-row seat to what's coming: absolute emissions caps replacing the old intensity targets, carbon auctioning arriving in steel, cement and aluminium, and Hong Kong quietly positioning itself as the trading hub that connects all of it to global markets. If you're watching how carbon pricing shapes capital flows and CBAM compliance, this episode is worth your time.Reference: AEX Holdings. Op-ed sample - Beyond critical mass (China Daily, 16 January 2026)ABOUT JEFF: Jeff Huang is founder & CEO of AEX Markets based in Hong Kong. He is former Managing Director Greater China of the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), VP Asia for Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), and was appointed Chief Advisor for Chongqing Gas Exchange. He's also founder of AsiaREC Limited, a non-profit carbon standard in Hong Kong. Jeff has more than 10 years of experience in cross-border M&A, Joint Ventures and futures markets in the United States, covering spaces including exchanges, futures companies, financial software infrastructure, etc. Prominent deals he has led include the creation of the Tianjin Climate Exchange (a joint venture between CCX and CNPC/PetroChina), forming a JV for futures brokerage between Citic and Calyon (SocGen) and a fintech acquisition for SunGard.Recommendation: The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk: A gripping historical account of the 19th-century imperial rivalry between the British and Russian empires as they vied for supremacy in Central Asia.HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli  |  MUSIC: Ep76 onward excerpts from Vivaldi's La Follia, played by Luca Jacobelli.

For 18 years Ron poured his life into the people of Central Asia, helping them to release worship music in their own indigenous language. On this conversation James talks with Ron about the power of worship in connection to the Great Commission. Find out more about YWAM Furnace below

Whistling Arrows and Heavenly Horses: The Han-Xiongnu War John Ross speaks with Scott Forbes Crawford about his book The Han-Xiongnu War, 133 BC–89 AD. For more than two centuries, Han China fought a bitter struggle against the Xiongnu, a powerful confederation of horse-riding nomads from the Asian steppe. This was far more than a border war. It helped shape the future of China, transformed Central Asia, and opened the routes that would become known as the Silk Road. In writing this history, Scott followed the example of China's greatest historian, Sima Qian (the subject of BOA episode 82), and took a biographical approach. We learn about remarkable figures such as Modun, the ruthless founder of the Xiongnu Empire; Li Guang, the legendary “Flying General”; the explorer Zhang Qian; and Princess Jieyou, a royal diplomat/spy who spent decades advancing Han interests deep in Central Asia. Notes: The full title of Scott Crawford's book is: The Han-Xiongnu War, 133 BC–89 AD: The Struggle of China and a Steppe Empire Told Through Its Key Figures (Pen & Sword, 2023) To learn more about Scott's work, including his novel Silk Road Centurion, visit his website: https://www.scottforbescrawford.com/   The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

Ralph Goff is a retired senior CIA officer and former intelligence executive, best known as a six-time CIA Chief of Station with a 35-year career in U.S. intelligence. His overseas service included postings and operational work across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and several war zones. He later served as Chief of Operations for Europe and Eurasia and as head of the CIA's National Resources Division, where he worked with senior U.S. private-sector figures in finance, banking, and security.Before joining the CIA, Goff served in the U.S. Army as a Russian linguist and signals intelligence officer on the East German border during the late Cold War, monitoring Soviet forces. After retiring from the CIA in October 2023, he became a public commentator on intelligence, Russia, Ukraine, and great-power competition. He has traveled regularly to Ukraine, met with Ukrainian officials, and argued that Western support for Kyiv has often been too cautious. In a 2025 interview, he said the West had given Ukraine “enough weapons to bleed, not to win,” criticising fear of escalation as a strategic constraint. In 2025, Goff was reportedly selected by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to become Deputy Director for Operations, the post overseeing human intelligence and covert action, but the appointment was later withdrawn. Reporting by Politico and The Washington Post said the reversal surprised many intelligence professionals and was linked by sources to political concerns, including Goff's public support for Ukraine. Today, Goff is known as a forthright advocate for rebuilding U.S. clandestine capabilities, strengthening Western intelligence posture, and supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression. His public persona combines old-school operations experience, Atlanticist conviction, and a blunt critique of risk-aversion in Western policy.----------LINKS:https://www.thecipherbrief.com/experts/ralph-goffhttps://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ex-cia-chief-we-gave-ukraine-enough-weapons-to-bleed-not-to-win-r3q0r2fcghttps://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/02/cia-drops-agency-veteran-clandestine-operations-00267346----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.gofundme.com/f/scaling-up-campaign-to-fight-authoritarian-disinformation----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Car4Ukrainehttps://car4ukraine.com/en-US/campaignsDzyga's Pawhttps://dzygaspaw.com/projectsSuperhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/----------PLATFORMS:Substack: https://substack.com/@siliconcurtainTwitter: https://twitter.com/CurtainSiliconLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finkjonathan/Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4thRZj6NO7y93zG11JMtqm----------

This is a live show, recorded on stage at the Antique Bar in Melbourne. Joining me on stage were three guests who between them have cycled through some of the most remote, challenging and eye-opening places on earth, Fergal Guihen, Em Hulbert and David McCourt.Fergal cycled from Roscommon, Ireland to Sydney via Mauritania, Iran, Afghanistan, the Tibetan Plateau and beyond. Em Hulbert is mid-journey on a solo ride around the world, delivering water filters to communities in need through her project The Water Cycle. David McCourt set off from Melbourne bound for Northern Ireland, taking a route through Central Asia, Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal and Turkey that took years and produced stories he'll be dining out on forever.In this episode we cover:Going from thought bubble to turning pedalsLuxury items on the bike and what actually earns its placePerceptions versus reality: China, Iran, Bangladesh and ThailandGetting drugged and robbed in the Iranian desertA sex dungeon in rural Thailand at 4am after 250 kilometresThe Nullarbor without music, podcasts or any distraction at allSolo female bicycle travel and the extra layer that comes with itThe spaces in between and why that's where the magic happensWhy the hardest moments are the ones you'd go back and reliveWant to hear the full individual episodes with each guest? Find them here:Em Hulbert: Ep. 127: David McCourt: Ep. 99: and Ep. 120. Fergal Guihen: Ep. 144 and Ep. 145: Follow the guests on Instagram:Em Hulbert: @emhulbertFergal Guihen: @rossi.to.aussieDavid McCourt: @longwayhome__2022 Check out Old Man Mountain's new Manzanita Handlebar Cradle  Support the showBuy me a coffee!I'm an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:

节目简介｜Episode Description｜エピソード紹介这期节目我跟大家简单聊聊我今年暑假的安排，包括回中国、中亚旅行、北海道旅行，还有暑期网课的计划。因为六、七月到八月初有很多事，《五分钟中文》的更新可能不会像平时那么及时，也希望大家见谅。In this episode, I share my summer plans, including my trip back to China, travels to Central Asia and Hokkaido, and my summer teaching schedule. Since I'll have a lot going on from June through early August, podcast updates may not always be as timely as usual. Thank you for your understanding.今回は、中国への帰国や中央アジア旅行、北海道旅行、そして夏休み中の授業予定について簡単にお話しします。6月、7月から8月初めにかけて予定が多いため、『五分钟中文』の更新がいつもより遅くなることもあるかもしれませんが、ご了承ください。#旅行 #TravelPlan #暑假安排 #Summer #夏休み #暑假计划 Send us Fan MailSupport the show如果您喜欢我的播客，欢迎通过下方方式表达您的支持。您的支持对我来说是巨大的鼓励。但无论如何，我都很感激有您作为听众。能够每周与您分享几分钟的时光，对我来说是莫大的荣幸。❤️If you enjoy my podcast, you're welcome to show your support through the options below. Your support means a great deal to me and is a huge source of encouragement. But no matter what, I'm truly grateful to have you as a listener. It's an honor to share a few minutes with you each week!❤️ ☕

Iran appears increasingly isolated, yet missiles and drones keep flowing. A new China–Iran railway through Central Asia may help explain why. Drawing on years of travel in the region, Eugene examines the corridor, its geopolitical implications, and what it could mean for the future of the Middle East.

03 Jun 2026. Abu Dhabi is freezing all rent hikes until further notice. Tenants signing new leases will pay the same rent as the preceding contract, with residential, commercial and industrial rents all frozen. We get analysis on what that means for the market. The Wegovy weight loss pill is here, with the UAE only the second country in the world to greenlight it. The country is also set to become a hub for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy production, serving up to 70 countries across the Gulf, Africa and Central Asia. We hear from Executive VP Emil Larsen. Plus, with UAE fuel prices up nearly 66% since February, it’s getting more expensive to transport goods. Could the cost of food go up? We find out with the CEO of Choithrams. And DXB saw a welcome revenue boost from Eid Al Adha travel. We find out what families planning summer travel can expect at the world’s busiest airport.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

① British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has made a three-day China visit. Can China and Britain develop a long-term strategic partnership? (00:54) ② Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee is leading a large delegation on a tour to Central Asia. What is driving Hong Kong to seek closer ties with the region? (15:47) ③ A European Parliament committee has voted to scrap EU import duties on a range of US goods in order to comply with a US-EU trade deal. Why is the EU ready to compromise? (24:53) ④ Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is urging Washington to keep out of her country's domestic affairs. We look at how tensions grow between the US and Mexico over anti-drug cooperation. (34:14) ⑤ From DeepSeek's Liang Wenfeng to Unitree Robotics' Wang Xingxing and AgiBot's Peng Zhihui, a number of young entrepreneurs are becoming central figures in China's next wave of tech innovation. What's driving this new generation of innovators? (43:37)

Deep in the mountains in the heart of Central Asia, an AFM missionary family seeks to share the gospel with the unreached people of this predominantly Hindu and Buddhist region. It's a tall task, but what the Castillo family discovered was that God has already been working on hearts through the influence of the Holy Spirit.                                                               ----------------Today's stories are told by the Castillo family, AFM career missionaries on the Himadri Project in Central Asia. Subscribe and leave us a review if you enjoyed listening to today's story!

Ghost opens episode 109 with the Iran peace deal moving toward signature: a draft plan is on the table, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are proposing a $300 billion investment fund for Iranian reconstruction, and Ghost walks through why this is the Venezuela model playing out in real time, not a Zionist puppet operation. Jim Rickards calls it a game of chicken and says the US blinks first. Ghost dismantles the Washington Examiner's "Abraham Architecture" op-ed as neocon regime change dressed up in platitudes, and reiterates Saudi Arabia's unbreakable red line on Palestine. Ben Gavir declares Israel will not allow any deal, while the US quietly prepares to pull all military aircraft from Ben Gurion within 72 hours of a signing. The episode then pivots to a bombshell: an Israeli state TV documentary exposes ritualistic child sexual abuse in the Gush Etzion West Bank settlement, with survivor testimony describing Knesset members as participants. Ghost connects it to the UN's blacklisting of Israel for prison sexual violence and an Israeli-born US attorney dropping gun charges against an Israeli national running an illegal biolab in Las Vegas. The episode closes with the DRC Ebola outbreak accelerating and Trump's Armenia rail deal revealing the emerging global trade corridor from Central Asia to North America.

Max and Maria welcome Sir Lawrence Freedman, historian, author, and Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine, how he sees the conflict evolving, and what to expect in the critical months ahead. Is Ukraine winning the drone race? by Sir Lawrence Freedman  Link to Substack: Comment is Freed   Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Ideas to help us improve? Email us at erep@csis.org.  If you love Russian Roulette, let us know by subscribing and leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Listen to our sister podcast, covering all things Europe through a Washington lens: CSIS Podcasts | The Eurofile  

Outsourcing podcast Get the full show notes for this outsourcing podcast here: outsourceaccelerator.com/590   Frank Prempeh, CEO of Corpshore Solutions, returned to the Outsource Accelerator Podcast to discuss the BPO's expansion into Uzbekistan, where it became the first Canadian outsourcing firm to set up. From the country's deeply multilingual workforce to AI-driven demand for non-English data annotation, Frank lays out a clear case for Central Asia as the next major outsourcing destination.   References: Website: https://corpshore.solutions/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/corpshore-solutions   Start Outsourcing Outsource Accelerator can help you transform your business with outsourcing. Get in touch now, or use one of the resources below.   Business Process Outsourcing Get a Free Quote - Connect with 3 verified outsourcing experts & see how outsourcing can transform your business Book a Discovery Call - See how Outsource Accelerator can help you enhance your company's innovation and growth with outsourcing The Top 40 BPOs - We have compiled this review of the most notable 40 Business Process Outsourcing companies in the Philippines Outsourcing Calculator - This tool provides you with invaluable insight into the potential savings outsourcing can do for your business Outsourcing Salary Guide - Access the comprehensive guide to payroll salary compensation, benefits, and allowances in the Philippines Outsourcing Accelerator Podcast - Subscribe and listen to the world's leading outsourcing podcast, hosted by Derek Gallimore Payoneer - The leading global B2B payment solution for the outsourcing industry   About Outsource Accelerator Outsource Accelerator is the world's leading outsourcing marketplace and advisory. We offer the full spectrum of services, from light advisory and vendor brokerage, though to full implementation and fully-managed solutions. We service companies of all sectors, and all sizes, spanning all departmental verticals. Outsource Accelerator's unique approach to outsourcing enables our clients to build the best teams, access the most flexible solutions, and generate the best results possible. Our unrivaled sector knowledge and market reach mean that you get the best terms and results possible, at the best ALL-IN market-leading price - guaranteed.

Is Kazakhstan entering a new political era or consolidating authoritarian rule under President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev?In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe's Deep Dive, Alexandra Karppi speaks with journalist and researcher Paolo Sorbello about Kazakhstan's controversial constitutional referendum and what it could mean for the country's future.The discussion explores the restructuring of parliament, the return of the vice presidency, concerns over centralization of power, restrictions on civil society and media, and the broader geopolitical balancing act between Russia, China, Europe and the United States.Paolo Sorbello is the English-language editor at Vlast.kz and has covered Central Asia for nearly two decades. ABOUT THIS PODCASTWe publish twice weekly:- Every Tuesday: Expert Interviews featuring deep dives withleading analysts, journalists, and scholars- Every Friday: Weekly News Roundup with essential updatesand commentary on the latest developmentsRead the New Eastern Europe Magazine Bimonthly publication with exclusive long-form analysis. →Become a member: https://neweasterneurope.eu/become-a-member-of-new-eastern-europe/Support us on PatreonJoin our community for bonus content, early access,behind-the-scenes insights, and access to our exclusive WhatsApp group where we discuss the news in real-time. → Join the Talk Eastern Europe community: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneuropeBrief Eastern Europe NewsletterWeekly briefing sent out every Monday with news updates,expert commentary, and our editorial picks - free to your inbox. → Subscribe: https://briefeasterneurope.eu/subscribeFree ArticlesRead our latest analysis at neweasterneurope.euFOLLOW USInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/neweasterneuropemag/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewEasternEurope/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-eastern-europe/

Digital finance is no longer only about banking apps and payments.It is becoming a question of infrastructure, trust, customer behaviour, and how financial systems evolve in emerging markets.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Nika Kurdiani, CEO of TBC Uzbekistan, joins the show for a sharp conversation on digital banking, AI, open banking, and why Uzbekistan is becoming one of the most interesting financial markets to watch.Nika explains how TBC built one of the largest digital financial ecosystems in Central Asia, why customer experience matters more than legacy banking scale, and how AI is bringing the relationship manager back into the app.From cash economies and digital adoption to regulation, ecosystem strategy, and the future of financial services, this episode explores what happens when fast-growing markets leapfrog traditional banking models.

A regional deep dive exploring how Uzbekistan can anchor an Islamic investment and capital-raising corridor across Central Asia. The session highlights opportunities for regional cross-border trade and capital flows, infrastructure financing, investment partnerships, and the policy measures needed to elevate Uzbekistan's competitiveness as an Islamic finance and capital market hub in the New Asia economic landscape.Moderator:Dr Adnan Aziz, Managing Director, Inclusive Resource ManagementPanelists:Alisher Djumanov, Managing Partner, AD WealthDiyor Isroilov, Head of Investor Center Coordination Unit, Ministry of Investment, Industryand Trade of the Republic of UzbekistanJames Sadler, Head of Debt Capital Markets and Structured Finance, Banking and Corporate Finance, Oman Investment BankLeah Weldon-Evans, Head of Islamic Capital Markets and Structuring, Simmons & Simmons Middle EastUlan Abylgaziev, Division Manager, Line of Finance Division, Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector

In today's episode of The Quiz, we're blasting off to test your knowledge on everything from legendary Hollywood stars to major moments in American wartime history. Can you answer these? Florida Landmarks: We take a drive down south to look at a famous stretch of highway. What is the reptilian nickname given to the road running straight from Naples to Fort Lauderdale, Florida? Presidential Decisions: We travel back to a pivotal moment in the American Civil War. On November 5, 1862, which commander of the Army of the Potomac did President Abraham Lincoln officially fire? Global Geography: We wrap things up with a trip to Central Asia. Can you name the official capital city of Tajikistan? Play. Share. Listen, with Host of ‘The Rich Zeoli Show,' Rich Zeoli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it take to bring the gospel where Christ is not yet known—and remain faithful for the long haul? Summary In this episode of the Lausanne Movement Podcast, Jason Watson speaks with Janelle Stoops about calling, cost, perseverance, and leadership formation in frontier mission. Drawing from her years in Central Asia and her current leadership with A3, Janelle shares what she has learned about reaching unreached and unengaged people groups, preparing leaders for mission, and cultivating rhythms that sustain faithful service over time. Main Points Calling begins with surrendered obedience. Janelle shares how a sense of calling at age 16 eventually led her to Central Asia as a young missionary. Frontier mission is costly and often slow. Life among unreached people requires perseverance, cultural humility, language learning, and faithful obedience when visible fruit takes time. God is already at work among the unreached. Stories of dreams, visions, digital outreach, and spiritual hunger remind us that mission begins with joining what God is already doing. Prayer must come before strategy. Janelle emphasizes extraordinary prayer as foundational for ministry among unreached and unengaged peoples. Disciple-making should be relational and reproducible. The gospel spreads naturally through families, friendships, local believers, and simple practices that new disciples can carry forward. Leadership must be formed for the long haul. Competence and charisma should never outpace character; healthy leaders need spiritual formation, rhythms of silence and solitude, and wisdom for each season of life.   Call to Action If this episode encouraged you, subscribe to the Lausanne Movement Podcast and share it with a leader, missionary, or young person discerning a call to mission. We'd also love for you to join the conversation in the Lausanne Movement Podcast space on the Lausanne Action Hub, where you can share your thoughts and engage with our podcast community—and if this episode encouraged you, please consider leaving a rating or review so others can discover it too. Guest Bio Janelle Stoops serves as U.S. President of A3, bringing experience in global missions leadership, organizational strategy, and cross-cultural engagement. She previously served with her family as a church planter in Central Asia, later worked with Frontiers in strategic leadership roles, and now helps strengthen A3's work of developing Christlike leaders for mission and multiplication. A3's announcement of her appointment describes her as uniquely qualified to lead its U.S. ministry into its next chapter of growth and impact. Lausanne Movement Podcast Archive The Making of a Leader: How God Forms Character, Calling, and Influence Over a Lifetime with Richard Clinton The Art of Whole Life Mentorship: An Interview with Ole-Magnus Olasfrud Training Christlike Leaders for the Harvest: Preparing Leaders in Every Nation and Every Sector of Society   Links & Resources A3 — Learn more about A3's work developing Christlike leaders who multiply churches and transform communities. A3 Leaders — Explore stories, updates, and resources from A3's global leadership community. Mission Frontiers Article by Janelle Stoops — Janelle's article on using AI tools with wisdom in nonprofit and mission contexts.

After Putin's Beijing visit - long on rhetoric, short on results - I look more broadly as Asia: the limits of the "friendship with no limits" with China, heding with India, and the ebbing of hegemony in Central Asia. In short, everyone is a transactional pragmatist, behind the talk of "all-weather partnerships" and "eternal friendships." But then again, isn't everyone everwhere, these days?The podcast's corporate partner and sponsor is Conducttr, which provides software for innovative and immersive crisis exercises in hybrid warfare, counter-terrorism, civil affairs and similar situations.You can also follow my blog, In Moscow's Shadows, and become one of the podcast's supporting Patrons and gain question-asking rights and access to exclusive extra materials including the (almost-) weekly Govorit Moskva news briefing right here. Support the show

Producers for MMO #219   Associate Executive Producers Serpent Slithered his way to the AEP spot   Fiat Fun Coupon Producers Eli the Coffee Guy Trashman Susan A. Nail Lord of Gaylord Praetor Wiirdo of the not so flat lands   Booster Producers phifer

Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Andy and Mary Ellen Faust, Canadian Americans who have worked with a mission organization focused on Bible translating for over 20 years. Mary Ellen is a recruiter and missions coach, and Andy is an instructor at the Canada Institute of Linguistics. Separately, they spent many before marriage in former Soviet bloc countries, and then they met in and returned to Central Asia as a young family. Listen to their stories of what they thought would be a short return to Canada that turned into 16 years.See photos of our guests and sign up for our email list at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠roundtripstories.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow @roundtripstoriespodcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

What is God leading you to uniquely do in the discipleship of Him? In this episode, Jeff and Steve discuss:  Developing leaders and allowing God to sow the seeds for what will happen later.  Creating IBAM and the Tiger Medical Institute. Keeping the gospel as the core, no matter the tool of your business.  Realigning with the Kingdom Path.    Key Takeaways:  The outside of something can look fantastic, but the inside may be crumbling. Don't just take what you see at face value.  Discipling is a commitment to walk with Jesus, not just speaking the right words. He calls for us to abide with Him.  Abiding with Jesus does not require a grandiose plan. It requires walking with Him in His way.  There is nothing secular in your life. Every decision and every action you take is sacred.    "If you want to disciple others, you've got to be a disciple yourself." —  Steve Adams   Episode References:  Practicing The Way by John Mark Comer With by Skye Jethani At Work As In Heaven by Scott Ryser Jordan Raynor Books: https://www.jordanraynor.com/books Get Free Access to Third Fish Academy: https://www.thirdfish.org/   About Steve Adams: Steve Adams is the Founder and CEO of IBAM (International Business As Mission), a global movement equipping Christian entrepreneurs to launch redemptive businesses that fuel church planting, disciple-making, and sustainable poverty alleviation. After leaving a successful corporate banking career at God's urging, Steve built a company to $100M in revenue — then redirected that operating discipline toward Kingdom impact. A 2004 mission trip to Bangkok ignited a calling that would reshape his life. Over the next decade, Steve helped plant 30 churches and witnessed 1,500 new believers come to Christ. But something was missing. As a businessman, he couldn't see himself working as a traditional missionary in a way that used his particular strengths. A business-driven mission trip to Russia in 2007 changed everything — training local believers to start sustainable businesses as platforms for discipleship showed him the power of entrepreneurship as a mission. In 2014, Steve launched IBAM and built the Three Fish Model: Give a Fish (startup loans), Teach to Fish (biblical entrepreneur training), and Equip for Discipleship. Today, IBAM operates across multiple countries in Africa, Asia, and Central Asia, with indigenous master trainers replicating the model locally. Biblical business training has raised loan repayment rates from roughly 40% to over 90%, proving that every dollar creates a flywheel — not a one-time handout. Steve also hosts the IBAM Biblical Entrepreneurship Show, a weekly podcast inspiring faith-driven entrepreneurs worldwide. His long-term vision: a business-as-mission practitioner in every village and one million entrepreneurs discipling nations through business. Learn more at www.ibam.org   Connect with Steve Adams: Website: http://www.ibam.org/  Website: https://www.tigermi.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iBAM-org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-l-adams/ Twitter: https://x.com/ibamtoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/internationalbusinessasmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ibamtoday/     Connect with Jeff Thomas:  Website: https://www.arkosglobal.com/ Podcast: https://www.generousbusinessowner.com/ Book: https://www.arkosglobal.com/trading-up Email: jeff.thomas@arkosglobal.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArkosGlobalAdv  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkosglobal/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkosglobaladvisors Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkosglobaladvisors/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLUYpPwkHH7JrP6PrbHeBxw

Max and Maria welcome back Dr. Sam Greene, professor of Russian Politics at King's College London, to discuss the state of Russian public opinion today, and whether domestic conditions have begun change given the state of the economy, war, and reports of increasing paranoia in the Kremlin. 

Today's episode is an "on the ground" recording made by LMPC's team that recently visited ministry partners in Central Asia. Pastors Brian Salter and Wil Nettleton, joined by Tripp Johnston and Keith Michaels, sat down together in Baku, Azerbaijan to record this conversation and reflect on what they've seen during this trip.Please plan to join us at LMPC on May 17th at 6:00 P.M. for a full report about this trip.Host: Brian SalterSpecial Guests: Wil Nettleton, Tripp Johnston, & Keith MichaelsProducer: Ben WingardMusic arranged by David Henry and performed by David Henry and Hannah Lutz.To contact Pillar & Ground or to submit a question that you would like to hear addressed on a future episode, please email podcast@lmpc.org.  

Today's episode is an "on the ground" recording made by LMPC's team that recently visited ministry partners in Central Asia. Pastors Brian Salter and Wil Nettleton, joined by Tripp Johnston and Keith Michaels, sat down in a board room in Almaty, Kazakhstan to record some of their initial thoughts and reflect on their time on the first leg of this 10-day trip.Please plan to join us at LMPC on May 17th at 6:00 P.M. for a full report about this trip.Host: Brian SalterSpecial Guests: Wil Nettleton, Tripp Johnston, & Keith MichaelsProducer: Ben WingardMusic arranged by David Henry and performed by David Henry and Hannah Lutz.To contact Pillar & Ground or to submit a question that you would like to hear addressed on a future episode, please email podcast@lmpc.org.  

And then we got to this part where the trail had … um … the trail fell down the mountain!                                                               ----------------Today's stories are told by Alisha Taylor, a former AFM missionary to the Himadri in Central Asia.

1 Hour and 52 MinutesPG-13Dr. J. Otto Pohl received his PhD in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has taught at the American University Iraq Sulaimani, University of Ghana, and American University of Central Asia. He is the author of Ethnic Cleansing in the USSR, 1937–1949 (Greenwood, 1999), The Stalinist Penal System (McFarland & Co., 1997), and The Years of Great Silence The Deportation, Special Settlement, and Mobilization into the Labor Army of Ethnic Germans in the USSR, 1941–1955 (Columbia University Press, 2022). His articles have appeared in, among other journals, The Russian Review, Journal of Genocide Research, Human Rights Review, and Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism.This is a combination of two episodes:Episode 1062: Who Was the Most Persecuted Group Under the Soviet Regime? w/ J. Otto PohlEpisode 1166: An Overview of the Soviet Regime Pre- and Post-War w/ J. Otto PohlThe Years of Great SilenceDr. Pohl's SubstackDr. Pohl's PatreonDr. Pohl's TwitterPete and Thomas777 'At the Movies'Support Pete on His WebsitePete's PatreonPete's Substack Pete's SubscribestarPete's GUMROADPete's VenmoPete's Buy Me a CoffeePete on FacebookPete on TwitterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-pete-quinones-show--6071361/support.

Day 1,518.Today, after months of back-room negotiations, delays and doubts, we go live to Brussels as the EU finally approves the €90 billion loan for Ukraine. How significant is this decision for Kyiv's war effort – and what happens now that the funding is secured? We also report on the proposal of “Donnyland”, a suggested name for territory in Donbas Ukraine may dedicate to Donald Trump. Then we round up the latest headlines from Russia and Central Asia.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent). @Barnes_Joe on X.James Kilner (Russia Analyst). @Jkjourno on X.NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED:Ukraine to launch EU-funded weapons spending spree after Orban defeat (Joe Barnes in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/21/ukraine-to-spend-90bn-eu-windfall-on-patriots-and-storm-sha/ The Ukrainian negotiator who can silence Russia's guns with one call (Joe Barnes in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/20/ukrainian-peacemaker-swapping-prisoners Ukraine proposes creating ‘Donnyland' to satisfy Trump (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/22/ukraine-proposes-creating-donnyland-to-satisfy-trump/ A banking crisis made in the Kremlin is gripping Russia (Melissa Lawford in The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/22/a-banking-crisis-made-in-the-kremlin-is-gripping-russia/ Putin closes major oil pipeline to Germany (The Telegraph):https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/22/putin-stokes-european-fuel-crisis-cutting-off-oil-germany/ Russian economy is faltering despite oil windfall, Sweden warns (Financial Times):https://www.ft.com/content/04a9d05d-2502-44d4-b7e0-041aaa4f83cd?syn-25a6b1a6=1 ‘Donnyland'? Ukraine Proposes Naming Part of the Donbas in Trump's Honor (New York Times):https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/us/politics/donnyland-ukraine-donbas-trump.html Russia and North Korea Celebrate Joining of First Road Bridge (Moscow Times):https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/04/21/russia-and-north-korea-celebrate-joining-of-first-road-bridge-a92556 New biography on author Mikhail Bulgakov labeled under 'drug propaganda' law in Russia (Kyiv Independent):https://kyivindependent.com/amid-growing-censorship-laws-book-on-author-mikhail-bulgakov-labeled-drug-propaganda-in-russia/?mc_cid=9364e648a5&mc_eid=08d0680a95 EMAIL US:Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk . We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.HIGHLIGHTS: EU approves €90 billion loan for Ukraine.A territory in the Donbas region of Ukraine may be named ‘Donnyland' in tribute to Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.