The Gazette of Central Asia

Happy Nowruz 2021

Babak KHANDANI, Catherine BISSON-SERIAN — 2021-03-19T20:04:13Z

In these lands that have become predominantly Muslim, sometimes Christian, one of the last remnants of Indo-European paganism and its solar cult, an essential element of Mazdean rites, Nowruz remains vibrant. In this time of pandemic concerns, let us glorify the sol invictus and beg him for wisdom and foresight. As a greeting card, here is a video from Silk Road Dance Company: From the steppes of Central Asia to the mountains of the Caucasus, from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf, (...)

- About Us / Video

A New War in the Middle East in Perspective

Babak KHANDANI — 2020-11-25T17:25:57Z

With Trump's chances of staying in the White House melting like snow in the sun, and Joe Biden's promise to rejoin the nuclear treaty with Iran (JCPOA), the Islamic regime in Tehran is breathing again. The exchange rate of currencies against the Rial shows it well: 273,000 rials for $1 two months ago against 250,100 today. The Iranian currency had even reached an all-time low just before the American elections to reach 330,000 rials for $1. Nevertheless, if I were in the place of the Supreme (...)

- Misc / Iran, Saudi Arabia, USA, UAE, Israel, Iranian Nuclear Crisis

Asia Is Lying

Babak KHANDANI — 2020-06-24T14:00:00Z

For over two months now, the coronavirus death-counter in China has been stuck at 4,634. Since then, the world's most populous country, where the pandemic began, has fallen in the world rankings to 21st place in terms of infections (83,430 cases) and 18th in terms of deaths. At this rate, even Greenland will soon overtake China. Impressive, isn't it? No. In our pseudo-scientific age, numbers and statistics are truths in themselves. It is sufficient for any organization to publish any data (...)

- Misc / China, COVID-19

What Erdogan Wants

Babak KHANDANI — 2020-03-13T16:30:00Z

While the world lives in the midst of Coronavirus Dooms Day, Erdogan seems to be inhabiting another planet, totally spared by the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, Turkey reported its first case of infection only this past Tuesday, and at the time of writing, just five cases of infection have been officially recorded. So Turkey seems to be a safe haven, and its leader could therefore have his hands free for his Ottoman adventures by attacking both Russia (through Syria) and Europe (through (...)

- Misc / Turkey, EU, COVID-19, Syrian Conflict

Coronavirus and Central Asia

Babak KHANDANI — 2020-01-27T18:00:00Z

In the Middle Ages, the Black Death had taken the Silk Road to reach Europe. Today, there are fears of transmission of the coronavirus epidemic more through the China Sea and the Pacific, and of course by air transport. Meantime, the Central Asian Gateway is neglected. However, the massive presence of Chinese companies and citizens in this region should worry the health authorities. For more than twenty years, China has been expanding its economic and physical presence in Central Asia, (...)

- Afghanistan / Iran, China, COVID-19

A Second Iran-Petrodollars War?

Babak KHANDANI — 2018-09-25T12:01:43Z

As we approach the fateful date of November 4, i.e. the Trump imposed deadline for world to stop buying Iranian crude, the pressure rises on all sides on Tehran. In the economic front, Iran is finding it increasingly difficult to sell its oil and derivatives. Unlike the period before nuclear agreement, EU quickly rallied to the Americans. Russia pretends to support Iran while seeking to take advantage of the absence of Iranian oil to increase its own exports. Even the most loyal customers, (...)

- Misc / Iran, Caricature

Crusade against the Integration of the Middle-East with the Caucasus and Central Asia

Babak KHANDANI — 2018-07-19T15:35:10Z

The near-end of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) with the blessing of the US – at least in appearance – may provide the illusion that calm is returning to the region. However, this is not so. Saudi Arabia's $380 bln in military orders from the US are not merely a gift to the US. The Saudis intend to use these weapons, and the US will assist them. Only this plot can explain US President Donald Trump's about-face regarding the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. For the US and its (...)

- Misc / Turkey, Iran, Russia, Caricature

Vostochny Cosmodrome to Rescue OneWeb

Babak KHANDANI — 2018-07-11T15:17:00Z

BAIKONUR/YAKUTSK (Interfax) — The launch of satellites under the contract with OneWeb in 2019 is now in jeopardy because of disagreements with the Kazakh local authorities concerning the drop zone for the rocket first stages, a source at the Baikonur cosmodrome told Interfax on Wednesday. The first launch of the Soyuz 2.1b rocket with OneWeb satellites from Baikonur was previously postponed and is planned for June 2019, the agency's interlocutor said, who added: However, there were (...)

- Kazakhstan

Kazakh Tungsten

Babak KHANDANI — 2018-06-20T12:24:18Z

ASTANA (Tau-Ken Samruk press service) — To date as many as 12 tungsten deposits have been explored in Kazakhstan with total reserves estimated to exceed 2 million tonnes of tungsten trioxide, the press office of the national mining company Tau-Ken Samruk has said. The company is a national operator of the mining and metallurgical industry and was established to ensure effective subsoil use operations. Beside oil & gaz, Kakzakhstan is also one of the world's major producers of natural (...)

- Kazakhstan

KazNU and its Supercomputer

Babak KHANDANI — 2018-02-02T17:00:00Z

ASTANA (KazInform) – A supercomputer granted by the Chinese Government will become the core of KazNU Technology Park. When implemented, the project will allow creating a unified data processing centre for all tertiary institutions in Kazakhstan and members of the Alliance. The centre will render digital services and carry out High-performance computing (HPC) for research projects. KazNU expects that its supercomputer will become a powerful computing resource and one of the world's top 500 (...)

- Kazakhstan