Slowly making my way through Abdizhamil Nurpeisov’s “Blood and Sweat” — and it’s really a tremendous epic novel. I know there was a Soviet-era, but the book could be turned into a captivating TV series as well. Probably something Kazakh producers have already thought about

The magnitude of Israel's crimes against humanity in Gaza and the West Bank demand a complete remaking of the political/constitutional order in Palestine/Israel. The 1990s "2 state solution" offer is neither viable nor appropriate. But that discussion is for the future. For now, stop the slaughter.

The Kyrgyz Parliament will shortly dissolve itself in order for early elections to be held later this year. The current Parliament is already effectively a rubber-stamping institution, but elections will allow the ruling tandem to bring in a new group of loyal cadres. timesca.com/kyrgyz-parli...

I don't think it's that complicated. You're looking at a bunch of rich people who want to be more rich

Shaun King backing up Tucker Carlson that Jews killed Jesus. It is important to state this bluntly (I should actually write a piece about it): Antisemitism is close to getting mainstream. One thing preventing it on the right is Trump's support of Israel, but Carlson and others are pushing it.

The performative absurdity of border controls on the German-French are on full display between Kehl and Strasbourg. Traffic jams on the Pont d’Europe with police controls and a tram whizzing by with passengers commuting between the two countries.

Back in January 2022, I interviewed Valentina Chupik, who told me Russia was heading towards a system of modern-day slavery, similar to what's in place in the GCC. It seemed a bit hyperbolic at the time, but looks like surveilled labor brigades is going to be the new reality.

Bridled labour: shs.cairn.info/de-l-esclava...

need to put an automatic reply to all my Central Asian friends texting me about what the hell is happening in the US to "it's fascism, baby"

Thank you, @timesca.com for posting my latest report. timesca.com/montenegro-w...

Kyrgyzstan: Human rights defender Rita Karasartova gets 5 years parole on spurious charges after a secret trial. We’re relieved she’s freed, but call for an end to all persecution against her! vesti.kg/obshchestvo/...

It looks like Russia will completely dismantle its existing labor migration system and replace it with orgnabor (basically foreign labor brigades) where migrant workers will be tied to their worksite and employer www.rbc.ru/politics/18/...

Two former video editors for independent news website Kloop have been sentenced to 5 years in prison for allegedly spreading “false information”. They were just doing there jobs, had no part in any editorial decisions, only the technical video editing. Chilling www.reuters.com/business/med...

Elizabeth Tsurkov, for me, is an example of a rare Jewish Israeli who decided to embrace the Middle East as her home, immersed itself in Arabic language and culture, struggled and put herself at risk for justice and liberty for people in Palestine, Syria and Iraq. She's a model of how things can be.

Unsubstantiated but persistent rumors are circulating in Bishkek that the renaming of Jalal-Abad into "Manas" may be the first step towards moving Kyrgyzstan's capital there, away from Bishkek. Tashiev, the country's second-in-command and some say future president, is from the Jalal-Abad region

It's all very concerning, and we all should be gravely concerned. When we do, they will also become concerned, troubled even. And that's how we protect ourselves, by close cooperation and mutually assured concerns.

And without so much as a peep, the Kyrgyz Parliament unanimously votes to change the name of Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan’s third largest city into “Manas” A peculiar erasure of Southern Kyrgyzstan’s Persian heritage, but more importantly another symbolic victory for a regime looking to reshape KG

As the situation is tense in Istanbul, following the police blockade of main opposition CHP's Istanbul HQ and the 3-day protest ban, Turkey throttles main social media and messaging platforms, from Instagram to Youtube, and whatsapp to Signal.

This is what we are talking about when we say Erdogan is blocking the roads so people can’t go to oppo party HQ. This is one of the major arteries in central Istanbul, a city of 18 million.

Und wie’s im Speisewagen einfach richtiges Essen mit großem Menü und richtige Tische gibt 🤩

AfD loses. Badly, and in the first round. It’s just a mayoral election, but Meißen is the heart of Saxony and as the thread points out, AfD invested a lot in this race.

I have a piece coming up on this but this very much reads to me as Xi making avuncular small talk and Putin being serious - something borne out by the countries' very different research priorities and levels of politicalization in science

Got stranded in Hof (Bavaria) due to train delays (thank you DB!) and was pretty shocked at the sorry state of the town. Boarded up shop windows, abandoned buildings, few people, no cafes or restaurants open. It was definitely in worse shape than lots of towns and cities in former East Germany

Maybe you all could drop the "war to steal oil" conspiracy theorizing, especially since the last war you claimed was a secret plot to steal oil did not result in stealing oil.

Hard to keep up with all the unbelievable news coming out of Kyrgyzstan, but the mayor of Jalal-Abad, the country’s third largest city, wants to rename the city into “Manas”. The city council unequivocally supports his proposal kaktus.media/doc/530704_m...

The future of Sino-Russian governance

Any English speakers in Bishkek who’d be interested in informal language exchange/English practice with some local journalists?

Commentary with @adoolotkeldieva.bsky.social on how Chinese mining companies in Kyrgyzstan have worked to adapt to a state court system in which compliance as such is an impossibility. @gvagrad.bsky.social carnegieendowment.org/posts/2025/0...

What an achievement that is for Kairat Almaty - and adds hugely important freshness to the Champions League proper in an era where spots for those outside the established elite are harder than ever to come by. Doesn’t solve the problem of scarcity but it’s good to see.

Reading my first ever Turkmen novel by Tirkiş Jumageldiýev “Energy of Fear or the Yellow Cat’s Head” a banned novel on life under the brutal dictatorship of Niyazov Wikipedia says he was born in 1938, but does anybody know if he’s still alive? He’s been banned from leaving the country for decades

Huge night for Kairat Almaty, arguably the biggest in the football club’s history, as they face Celtic Glasgow in the second leg of Champions League playoffs Could they pull off a sensation tonight?

Kamchybek Tashiev, Kyrgyzstan’s head of state security services, declares to have officially and personally put an end to organized crime in the country. People online are joking that he’s now the country’s biggest mobster kaktus.media/doc/530136_g...

Velly Joonas ‎- Stopp, Seisku Aeg! [Estonia/USSR, Soul/Funk/Ooohyeah] https://redd.it/51m4fb https://youtu.be/FEb68L-3UWY

I hope people who work outside of this field read this, if only to understand the kind of expertise and knowledge our giant FP apparatus was capable of accumulating as a casual aside, not even as a priority

Well, UChicago has paused new PhD admissions in my department now, too. One of the flagship departments for anthropology in the US and worldwide. This on top of hum, social thought, social work, and others. What happens to UChicago's brand--the so-called "life of the mind"--now?

Found this cool envelope at a stamp shop in Leipzig. Loving the Hotel Intercontinental Kabul stationary featuring Buzkashi

Kazakh Armed Forces announce the gradual transition to Aitu, a national messaging app, to replace WhatsApp/Telegram use in the army. The app is partly owned by Kazakhtelekom and provides zero confidentiality

went on a deep dive into Chechen music from the 1990s and put it all together into this Noxchi Nights mix on.soundcloud.com/oxkPltXyFYia...

when the urban environment around you starts spitting truth: “For Your Safety”

Rental prices in Bishkek have gone through the roof in the past few years. Virtually impossible to rent anything under $500 a month, which equals the average monthly salary in the capital.

In 2004, my family moved back to Russia from Alaska, where we lived back then. Putin was supposed to visit the school I attended in St.Petersburg, but never showed. I spent hours locked in a classroom because I had long hair and according to the principal would be an “embarrassment” in public

I hate this cursed feeling when, yet again, the fate of me and my people is being decided by some old man across the ocean who has nothing to do with my country.

Struggling to express it but my whole adult life Putin has been killing and imprisoning people, some of whom I’m only a single degree of separation away from

Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin, soaked in the blood of Ukrainians.

Anchorage, Alaska, a rally in support of Ukraine is taking place. ❤️‍🩹🥹

Thank you to the few hundred protesters in Anchorage, but otherwise I’m completely gutted to see this “summit” take place in my home state. It’s truly too painful to watch.

The exact opposite of what the German right wants

The draft media law has been in the works since 2022 and has been criticized by journalists, civil society, and human rights organizations from the outset.