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A fortnightly podcast offering analysis of Central Asia and its role in the wider world, featuring regional news, insights, and expert perspectives. Hosted by Bruce Pannier and Michael Hilliard. Proudly presented by The Times of Central Asia, The Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs and the European Neighbourhood Council. For more info and stories, please visit: - The Times of Central Asia (https://timesca.com/) - The Oxus Society (https://oxussociety.org/)
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Russian Roulette takes a look at the politics, economics, and culture of Russia and Eurasia through both interviews and lively discussion with experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and around the world. Hosted by CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program experts Olga Oliker and Jeffrey Mankoff.
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Stories from around the world and the people at the heart of them.
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Formula Indie Asia, Africa & Oceania is a 2 hours music showcase focused on independent music made in Asia, Africa & Oceania produced by European Indie Music Network info on www.euroindiemusic.info Discover more on https://euroindiemusic.info/formula-indie Country List Algeria, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Armenia, Georgia Moldova,Ukraine, Israel, Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan,Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burma, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia,Cameroon, Cape Verde, ...
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Tales of travel and mystery by thriller novelist, Kent Babin. Season 2 is a Southeast Asian thriller blending cryptocurrency, heroin trafficking, and money laundering. Produced by Edwin Lundgren. Season 1 features the adventures of Gerhardt van Jaarsveld and Hans Bergman in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. More information at: https://accidentalintrigue.com. Help keep us caffeinated: https://buy.stripe.com/28o7uBgTRgmO21G8ww
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Welcome to the Global Hunting Solutions Podcast, hosted by legendary outfitter Travis Wier. With over 30 years of full-time experience guiding hunts across the globe, Travis brings you inside the world’s most thrilling and exclusive hunting adventures. From the plains of Africa and the mountains of Spain to the wilds of Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan — all the way back to Texas and Sonora, Mexico — we cover it all. Join us for real stories from the field, expert gear reviews, ...
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A virtual panel discussion with guest panelists comprised of native culture bearers and experts in the field, taking an in-depth look at the history and cultures of the Greater Badakhshan regions found in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China. Each discussion will explore a topic related to elements or symbolism found in the traditional practices and rituals of the peoples of Greater Badakshan both in historical and modern times.
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🎙 CanadaFarsi Podcast: صدای فارسیزبانان کانادا is your trusted source for news, insights, and stories that matter to Persian speakers in Canada. Whether you speak Farsi, Dari, or Tajiki, our podcast brings you engaging discussions on immigration, business, culture, and community life. From expert advice on settling in Canada to inspiring success stories and cultural conversations, we amplify voices from across the Persian-speaking world, including Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and beyond. ...
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Welcome to a new weekly podcast series called “USCIRF Spotlight” hosted by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal advisory body. During each episode, Director of Outreach and Policy Dwight Bashir features a special guest to dive deeper on various topics and breaking developments that impact the universal right to freedom of religion or belief around the globe.
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The Eurasian Climate Brief is a podcast focusing on climate news in the region stretching from Eastern Europe, Russia down to the Caucasus and Central Asia. It aims to give a voice to the best experts and journalists, enabling them to make sense of a part of the world where environmental news is seriously underreported. The podcast was launched in in October 2021, coinciding with COP26 in Glasgow. After a year-long hiatus, the podcast finally returns - just ahead of COP29 in Baku. Make sure ...
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In this biweekly podcast, host Bruce Pannier welcomes expert guests to discuss significant political developments and pressing social issues affecting the nations of Central Asia.
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Chronicles of Backcountry hunting. Offering tips, instruction, and stories about hunting big game on public land.
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Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East, and the Balkans.
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Every week, Clay and Andrew from Global Guessing join Ross from AR Global Security to discuss the biggest geopolitical stories of the week.
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I planned for 2 years to take a break in my life taking an inspiration from people different part of the world whom I met in south east Asia. They changed the way how I should be living my life. I want to share those stories with you.. it’s extremely a peaceful, funny, happy and words cannot explain. Am going to share about it and make you happy if I can :)
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Religious Prisoners and State Repression in Tajikistan
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Since 2012, USCIRF has recommended Tajikistan for designation as a Country of Particular Concern for the government’s egregious, ongoing, and systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Among the particularly severe violations of religious freedom occurring in the country, the Tajik government regularly detains and imprisons indi…
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'Start by lighting a candle every morning.’ In other words, pray. That’s the advice on one social media platform to those looking for a rented property in the Netherlands. The pressure on housing is immense: an estimated shortage of 400,000 homes. It was the number one issue in the recent Dutch general election, with the winning D66 party promising…
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Central Asian Workers Under Attack in Russia
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This week, we're taking a look at crackdowns on the Uzbek language in northern Afghanistan, a U.S. drone going down in Afghanistan, and the latest political aftershocks in Kyrgyzstan after a former president was stripped of state titles and honours. We'll then turn back to Washington, where new payments and a fresh round of visa changes are reshapi…
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Adam Entous on U.S.-Ukraine Relations in 2025
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Max and Maria spoke with Adam Entous of The New York Times on his in-depth investigation exploring the Trump Administration's policies towards Ukraine in 2025. This conversation was recorded on January 7, 2026. "The Separation: Inside the Unraveling U.S.-Ukraine Partnership" by Adam Entous (The New York Times, December 2025).…
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FORMULA INDIE ASIA,AFRICA & OCEANIA 7.1.2026
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Dirt Road Wave - Can of Worms OzR! - Need Me! Peter Haeder - Clashing Worlds Tim Roose - Bitumen To Gravel CJ Commerford & The Supertones - Howlin Elamar - As We Grow BEST OG - Bounce Charlie Harris - All I Have Is Now Elke Louie - Killing Time Paul Louis Villani - Sweat Drips Eril Cambaz - Gitar Elimde NIGAN 333 - Hide & Seek AmorA - Alone in the …
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According to the Guinness Book of World Records, TB is humanity’s oldest contagious disease. It has become something of an afterthought in rich nations, but remains the world’s most deadly infectious disease. In 2024 it killed more than 1.2 million people. South Africa has one of the highest TB burdens in the world, but it has also developed one of…
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Youth Voices Advancing Religious Freedom in East Africa
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Youth play a crucial role in promoting religious freedom in Africa by advocating for greater religious literacy, inclusivity, and understanding. In East Africa, young people face challenges to religious freedom. The Youth Tolerance Committee (YTC), a non-governmental organization based in Kenya and Tanzania, addresses these challenges head-on acros…
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Findings from USCIRF’s Delegation to Central Asia
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In June 2025, USCIRF commissioners traveled to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to assess religious freedom conditions. During the delegation, USCIRF confirmed that both governments continue to arbitrarily apply a broad and vague legislative framework to target peaceful religious activities of independent Muslims and religious minorities. In its 2025 Annu…
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Egypt's Continued Repression of Religious Minorities
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On this episode of the USCIRF Spotlight Podcast, Commissioner Stephen Schneck is joined by Mariam Wahba, an Egypt expert and Research Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Mariam has written extensively on the Egyptian government’s targeting of Egypt’s indigenous Coptic Christian community, and will elaborate on specific laws, polic…
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People in Gainesboro, Tennessee, have some new neighbours. A conservative developer has bought land just outside the tiny rural Appalachian town, with the aim of forging an 'aligned' community based on shared values like 'faith, family and freedom'. Two of the first people to come to town are controversial Christian nationalists who talk about civi…
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Retaliation, Raids and Regional Integration,
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This week, we're tracking a packed slate of stories across Central Asia, starting with Trump's invitations for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to join the G20, while the rest of the region is left out in the cold. We'll also break down Washington's shift in visa rules for one of the Central Asian republics, before cutting through the latest reporting fro…
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Saving Balkhash: Kazakhstan's largest lake under threat from extractivism and climate change
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Lake Balkhash is the 14th largest lake in the world and one of the largest in Asia. Its ecological importance is matched by the number of threats it has been facing for decades: copper mining, hydropower, agricultural development – and now a nuclear power plant. How to reach local communities and experts, scientists and policy-makers, cultural inst…
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After decades of extinction, wild jaguars are once again roaming in Northern Argentina. It has been at least thirty five years since a wild jaguar cub was spotted in this dry and dusty part of Argentina. But in August 2025, a baby appeared on the chocolatey-brown banks of the River Bermejo. Its existence was a great success for the team from Rewild…
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Sergey Radchenko on Ukraine Peace Negotiations
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Max and Maria spoke with Sergey Radchenko about the state of affairs in peace negotiations over Ukraine as we come to the close of 2025. They discuss the different parties' goals and positions, and how this current round of negotiations compares to the talks in Istanbul at the start of the full-scale invasion back in 2022. This conversation was rec…
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Criminalizing Faith: The Persecution of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan
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Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya Muslim community continues to be severely and systematically persecuted by the government. The Pakistani government has enacted a series of discriminatory laws and ordinances that restrict Ahmadiyya Muslims’ ability to observe their faith, including identifying as Muslim. In the first half of 2025, spikes in targeted violence a…
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Stolen brides of Kazakhstan: the fightback
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In plain sight, in a modern city, a colleague offers to drive you home after work. How would you respond? One woman in Kazakhstan accepted the lift only to find herself kidnapped or ‘stolen’ as a bride. She got away, rescued by the police, but for many Kazakh women kidnap leads to marriage. Human Rights lawyer Khalida Azhigulova reckons that thousa…
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This week, we're unpacking Turkmenistan's Neutrality Summit, a rare moment where a string of big names quietly rolled into Ashgabat, and where the public messaging mattered just as much as the backroom deals. We'll also cut through the noise on the latest reporting from the Tajik–Afghan border, where misinformation is colliding with real security d…
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Two years ago a group of Jewish and Palestinian peace activists stood almost alone in Israel in calling for a ceasefire, as Israel launched a massive offensive on Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks of 7th October 2023. Emily Wither returns to hear how the lives of these activists have changed. She explores whether their message of peace and coex…
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FORMULA INDIE ASIA, AFRICA & OCEANIA 3.12.2025
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沉沦 · Falling Quarter Short It – Keeps Ruination – Losing Insight Echomatica - Month of Sundays Orlando Kallen - Greece N Paris Zara Haines - Common Ground Tawnt - Say that you Love me extended play Pandemonium - Dalí Goodspace Easier - Said Than Done DayEyez - Insecurities LB MEYER - Blue eyed demon Cat Cork - SIMPLE SONG (ACOUSTIC) Anthony Lucas -…
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Diplomacy, Defections, and Drone Strikes Across the Tajik Border
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This week, we break down a flurry of developments reshaping Central Asia's security landscape, from the debut of the new C6 format and the surprise expansion of the once-exclusive C5 grouping, to Vladimir Putin's key trip to Bishkek for the CSTO summit. We examine the alarming collapse in Tashkent's air quality, Astana's decision to withdraw from a…
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The Latest 28-Point Peace Plan for Ukraine
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Max speaks with Michael Kimmage about his immediate reactions to the new 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, and the rapid-fire diplomacy taking place in response to its release. This conversation was recorded on November 24, 2025.By Center for Strategic and International Studies
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Cuba and Nicaragua's Escalating Crackdown on Religious Communities
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Cuba and Nicaragua have ranked among the world’s most repressive governments toward religious freedom for years. In 2025, exiles and civil society organizations reported continuing severe restrictions on religious communities, including the banning of religious processions, surveillance and harassment of clergy, and legal constriction of religious …
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The Increased Level of Repressions Within the Russian Elite
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Max and Maria spoke with Nikolay Petrov and Mikhail Troitskiy, two leading experts on the contemporary Russian elite, to discuss the current status of this ruling group inside Russia today, and why it finds itself increasingly under pressure from state security organs. This conversation was recorded on November 13, 2025. "Отцы и дѣти: Генеалогическ…
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This week, we unpack how the C5+1 summit in Washington could reshape Central Asia's security and economic architecture, cutting through the new trade deals and MoUs to gauge their real-world impact. We assess Tokayev's trip to Moscow and what it signals, the Moscow arrest of a major Turkmen power broker, fresh twists in Kazakhstan's election season…
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Russian and Ukrainian Battlefield Adaptations with Dara Massicot and Kateryna Bondar
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Max and Maria had a livestreamed conversation in the CSIS Brack Studio with Dara Massicot and Kateryna Bondar to discuss Russian and Ukrainian battlefield adaptations and technological innovations. This conversation took place on November 5, 2025. A video recording is available at CSIS.org. "How Russia Recovered: What the Kremlin Is Learning From t…
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From Central Asia to the Amazon: preparing for COP30
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Central Asia is among the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. Already today, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are facing various climate consequences: from droughts to landslides, from glacier melts to flash floods. At the same time, this region's energy landscape contains almost all energy sources from…
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FORMULA INDIE ASIA, AFRICA & OCEANIA 6.11.2025
2:01:57
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Jacqui Beaa - Grid Me Liam Dutch - Parasite IZZY REBEL - Dancing Through My Tears Molly Mckew - How I want to preserve it UNDERTONE - A DATE SONG Kristina Wilson - Dumbitchitis (feat. Like Angels) CJ Commerford & The Supertones - Taste of Your Love KOHA - Bleed Red Yellow and Green Ford France Kennedy - Las Vegas Lover REVERSEREVOLUTION - Sweet Hon…
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The real ‘Yellowstone’: a battle for the cowboy way of life
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Ranches, rodeos…and public land. This is the story of a surprising battle raging in the American West, and the unlikely coalition it’s forged. Nearly half of all land in the West of the United States is owned by the federal government. Some people are trying to change that; they argue that part of it should be used for housing, amid a nationwide sh…
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American Outreach, Afghan Skirmishes and Azerbaijan's Future in Central Asia
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This week, we explore how the upcoming C5+1 summit in Washington could reshape Central Asia's political and security landscape. We'll look at Kyrgyzstan's crackdown on independent media ahead of national elections, renewed clashes between Tajik and Afghan border forces, and Kazakhstan's security services foiling a terror plot in Almaty. We'll also …
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American Outreach, Afghan Skirmishes, and Azerbaijan's Future in Central Asia
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This week, we explore how the upcoming C5+1 summit in Washington could reshape Central Asia's political and security landscape. We'll look at Kyrgyzstan's crackdown on independent media ahead of national elections, renewed clashes between Tajik and Afghan border forces, and Kazakhstan's security services foiling a terror plot in Almaty. We'll also …
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The Impact of New Sanctions and Ukrainian Deep Strikes on the Russian Energy Industry with Clayton Seigle
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Max and Maria spoke with Clayton Seigle about how new sanctions from the Trump administration could potentially impact Russian energy revenues. Additionally, they discussed the effects of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries. This conversation was recorded on October 23, 2025.By Center for Strategic and International Studies
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The 2025 Moldovan Parliamentary Elections
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Max and Maria spoke with Leah Kieff and Vlad Lupan about the outcomes of the recent Moldovan parliamentary elections at the end of September, and why they're significant for both Moldova, and the broader region. This conversation was recorded on October 14, 2025.By Center for Strategic and International Studies
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From coal to clean? Renewable energy pioneers in Central Asia
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Central Asia is among the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. And while some of the Central Asian countries are heavily reliant on fossil fuels, there is potential for renewable energy across this entire part of the world. Let's have a closer look at electricity today. Who are the main drivers of the energy transition? Is cross-borde…
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Silk Roads, Snap Elections, and Security Shuffles
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Spotlight on Central Asia returns with a brand new season and a closer look at the stories shaping the region. This week, we unpack Kyrgyzstan's snap election announcement and its controversial debate over reinstating the death penalty, major electoral reforms in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan's latest Caspian gas ambitions, and sweeping changes within K…
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A Former Prisoner's Story and the Path to Religious Freedom in Eritrea
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The Eritrean government does not recognize religious communities other than the Tewahedo Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran churches, along with Sunni Islam. As a result, there are dozens religious minorities including Jehovah’s Witnesses (including several religious leaders), Baptists, and Pentecostals currently incarcerated in Eri…
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