South China Morning Post - Russia & Central Asia

‘Very Nice!’: Kazakhstan embraces Borat slogan in slick tourism video

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 03:15:00 GMT

Kazakhstan banned British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s first Borat mockumentary over its portrayal of the country but is now using his “Very Nice!” catchphrase in a tourism campaign.The misogynistic, racist and homophobic fictional reporter Borat Sagdiyev returned to screens this month in a sequel to the first Borat film released in 2006.That film sparked outrage in Kazakhstan, which Baron Cohen said he chose as Borat’s native country because it was a place Americans knew nothing about.But this…

Why Russia’s hands are tied in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 00:16:39 GMT

Clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops have entered a fifth week as both countries battled to control Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region in the South Caucasus. Nagorno-Karabakh is recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan but is de facto administered by ethnic Armenians. The war over the region had been considered a “frozen conflict” for decades, leading to international dismay when the long-simmering dispute reignited late last month. While reported death tolls have been…

Coronavirus means less sex – for Chinese, Americans, British, Turkish

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 16:00:22 GMT

There is growing evidence that people across the world are having sex less frequently during the coronavirus pandemic, with studies in China, the United States, Britain and Turkey appearing to confirm the trend.A survey of Americans this month by dating website Match.com found that more than 70 per cent of single Americans did not have sex at all from March to October, while a US study by the Kinsey Institute in June found Americans in general were having less sex – one reason being tension…

Nagorno-Karabakh: US-backed ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan crumbles as fighting resumes

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 18:25:56 GMT

A US-backed ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh was in jeopardy on Monday as Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces renewed fighting in the mountain enclave, defying international efforts to end a conflict that has killed hundreds in the last month.Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said in a televised address that he wanted to resolve the conflict “by political and military means” after both sides accused each other of breaking a truce agreed hours earlier in Washington.Speaking live on Facebook later on…

US election 2020: Russia’s Putin rejects Trump’s criticism of Biden family business

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 04:57:24 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he saw nothing criminal in Hunter Biden’s past business ties with Ukraine or Russia, marking out his disagreement with one of Donald Trump’s attack lines in the US presidential election.Putin was responding to comments made by Trump during televised debates with Democratic challenger Joe Biden ahead of the November 3 election.Trump, who is trailing in opinion polls, has used the debates to make accusations that Biden and his son Hunter engaged in…

Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to new humanitarian ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

Sun, 25 Oct 2020 21:04:35 GMT

A humanitarian ceasefire will take affect on Monday morning in the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, a joint statement from the US State Department and the two governments said on Sunday.The announcement comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday met foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington in a new push for peace, and a meeting of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, formed to mediate the conflict and led…

Honduras is 50th country to ratify international treaty banning nuclear weapons

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 23:25:11 GMT

An international treaty banning nuclear weapons has been ratified by a 50th country – Honduras – allowing it to enter into force after 90 days, a United Nations official said on Saturday.“Today is a victory for humanity, and a promise of a safer future,” Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said in a statement.Other NGOs also welcomed the news, including the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a coalition that won the 2017 Nobel…

In Nagorno-Karabakh’s bomb shelters, residents safe from shelling but not coronavirus

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 16:07:02 GMT

Close quarters, poor ventilation and no masks: in the cellars of Stepanakert, the capital of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh province, residents who have not fled fierce fighting may be safe from shelling, but not coronavirus.Adjoining basements beneath one unassuming three-storey building in the city have been repurposed as a bomb shelter, where residents are seeking refuge from frequent bouts of shelling by Azerbaijan’s forces, including on Friday evening.Most of Stepanakert’s 60,000 residents…

US and Russia appear set to extend ‘New Start’ nuclear pact

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 19:54:41 GMT

The United States and Russia inched closer on Tuesday to a deal to extend their last remaining arms control pact, after US threats to allow the deal to expire early next year.The two sides signalled they are ready to accept compromises to salvage the New Start treaty just two weeks ahead of the US presidential election in which President Donald Trump faces a strong challenge from former vice-president Joe Biden, whose campaign has accused Trump of being soft on Russia.After the White House last…

US charges Russian hackers with sweeping campaign of cyberattacks

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 19:18:14 GMT

This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Eric Geller on politico.com on October 19, 2020.A US federal grand jury has charged six Russian nationals with a wide-ranging campaign of cyberattacks, including the highly destructive NotPetya malware and the 2018 attack on the Winter Olympic Games, that reflects the scope and intensity of Russia’s digital aggression.As officers of the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU, the six…

Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to declare ‘humanitarian truce’ in Nagorno-Karabakh

Sat, 17 Oct 2020 20:26:41 GMT

The foreign ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan said they would declare a “humanitarian truce” from midnight (8pm GMT) after nearly three weeks of fighting over a disputed region.It will be the warring sides’ second attempt to declare a ceasefire to quell almost three weeks of clashes over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that have killed hundreds of people.“The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan have agreed to a humanitarian truce as of October 18, 00h00 local time,”…

Iran and Ukraine to discuss compensation for passenger plane shoot-down that killed 176

Sat, 17 Oct 2020 18:44:29 GMT

Iran said on Saturday that it would enter into talks with Ukraine next week over compensation for the accidental shoot-down of a passenger plane in January, resulting in 176 deaths.Talks are to begin on Monday, when experts will first investigate the technical and legal details of the incident, Deputy Foreign Minister Mohsen Baharwand told the ISNA news agency.The Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA) Boeing 737 was shot down by Iranian air forces soon after take-off on January 8, killing all…

Missile strike destroys homes in Azerbaijan’s second city of Ganja, marking a new escalation ...

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 23:38:40 GMT

A missile strike levelled several residential homes in Azerbaijan’s second city of Ganja on Saturday, with one resident saying he saw seven victims pulled out of the rubble.The strike, which came only hours after the Nagorno-Karabakh capital Stepanakert underwent a shelling attack, marked a new escalation in the deadly conflict between ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis over the separatist region.A square block of buildings were turned to rubble in Ganja.Dozens of rescuers searched for survivors…

White House rejects Vladimir Putin’s request for extension of New START nuclear treaty

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 21:12:08 GMT

The US and Russia on Friday rejected each other’s proposals for potentially salvaging the last remaining legal constraint on their strategic nuclear forces. President Vladimir Putin called for an unconditional extension of the soon-to-expire New START treaty, and the White House called that a “non-starter.”Adding an edginess to the diplomatic clash, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, suggested the Russians rethink their stance “before a costly arms race ensues.”…

Putin proposes one-year extension of New START arms control treaty with US

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 14:48:56 GMT

President Vladimir Putin on Friday proposed that Moscow and Washington extend for a year and without any conditions the last major nuclear arms reduction accord between Russia and the United States.The New START deal was signed in April 2010 but went into force in February 2011. It lasts for 10 years but with a possible extension.“I have a proposal – which is to extend the current agreement without any preconditions at least for one year to have an opportunity to conduct substantial…

China, US space rivalry may heat up after Nasa’s Artemis Accords signed, analysts say

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:00:11 GMT

Rivalry between China and the United States in space exploration is expected to intensify after Washington signed a legal framework for behaviour in space with seven other nations, Chinese observers say.Nasa’s new Artemis Accords were signed on Tuesday between the US and Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates.The accords allow countries or private companies to extract lunar resources and create temporary “safety zones” on the moon for their operation…

Several members of Putin’s inner circle sanctioned by EU over Navalny poisoning

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 14:05:48 GMT

The British government on Thursday announced it would apply EU sanctions on senior Russians over the poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny and meddling in the civil war in Libya.These include asset freezes and travel bans on six individuals, including the head of Russia’s FSB domestic spy agency, over the attempt to murder Navalny using the Novichok nerve agent.“The UK and its partners have agreed that there is no plausible explanation for Mr Navalny’s poisoning, other than Russian…

Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbai Jeenbekov steps down after post-election unrest

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 10:15:28 GMT

Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbai Jeenbekov on Thursday announced his resignation in a bid to end the turmoil that has engulfed the Central Asian nation after a disputed parliamentary election.Jeenbekov, who has faced calls to step down from protesters and political opponents, said in a statement released by his office that holding onto power wasn’t “worth the integrity of our country and harmony in society”.“For me, peace in Kyrgyzstan, the country’s integrity, the unity of our people and the…

US and Russia reach ‘gentleman’s agreement’ on extending New Start nuclear pact

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 21:09:18 GMT

The United States said Tuesday it had reached an “agreement in principle” with Russia on extending New Start, the two nations’ last major nuclear accord, which is due to expire in February.President Donald Trump’s administration has been insisting without success that China enter the nuclear reduction agreement but, with US elections three weeks away, signalled it was willing to keep the treaty largely as is for now.“We are in fact willing to extend the New Start treaty for some period of time…

China and Russia join UN’s human rights body as Saudi bid fails and watchdog calls it a ...

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 19:53:24 GMT

China, Cuba and Russia on Tuesday were elected to the UN Human Rights Council despite vehement opposition from activists and organisations who say the countries’ governments are among the worst offenders of human rights globally.The United Nations General Assembly elected 15 new members to the 47-nation council. Seats are allotted according to regional groups, and Russia ran unopposed, as did Cuba.Saudi Arabia failed to win a seat, losing out to China, Nepal, Pakistan and Uzbekistan for spots…