Journalist focused on Central Asia. Ex-@RFERL @AFP @Eurasianet. Views my own
Joined July 2012
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I now wonder if Borat influenced @nytimes when it bizarrely referred to Central Asia at the "mustache belt" a few years ago. I don't think mustaches are any more common in the region than elsewhere in the world.
Sacha Baron Cohen apologizes to Kazakhs for Borat for the first time
The actor said that Borat originally had nothing to do with Kazakhstan.
The character was initially conceived as an Albanian, with other options, including Moldova, considered later.
When the project moved to HBO, Cohen chose Kazakhstan because international audiences knew little about the country.
The actor admitted that the Kazakh embassy’s complaint at the beginning of the project was entirely justified.
“I’m very sorry. I apologize to you. I can’t imitate your accent. I don’t know how you speak. You don’t look anything like Borat!” Cohen said.
Chris Rickleton retweeted
Next year in #Kazakhstan could be all about building: President Tokayev has declared 2027 as the Year of Large-scale #Construction.
Important that it’s about not only roads and airports, but also libraries, sports and creative centres in every region.
qazinform.com/news/president…
All you need to know about #Kazakhstan media environment in a single @Peter__Leonard #Havli bullet.
Depressing and unnecessary.
Chris Rickleton retweeted
Proud to introduce enhanced version of #SME Landscape Guidebook for #CICA region
Grateful to #CICA_MSs for contributions & @CICA_Secretariat teammates for dedicated work
Hope this practical resource will evolve to reflect #Asia's dynamic economic growth & encourage cooperation
Chris Rickleton retweeted
Jason Tindall is too much Jason for Jason Wilcox. No one is more Jason than Jason Tindall. And Jason Wilcox knows that.
Chris Rickleton retweeted
NVIDIA решила инвестировать в ИИ-стартап Higgsfield AI. Основатель NVIDIA Дженсен Хуан, отметил, что команда Higgsfield состоит из талантливых людей и визионеров. Очень рад за свою старшую дочь Жанель которая также входит в эту команду и вносит свой вклад в развитие стартапа.
Good @simonmundy @FT explainer on why demand for copper from AI data centers will slow the green energy transition, "especially in developing countries" confronted by soaring copper prices.
ft.com/content/06209f51-de7c…
Chris Rickleton retweeted
President Kassym-Jomart #Tokayev met with Atletico Madrid Chief Executive Officer Miguel Ángel Gil Marín to discuss expanding cooperation in football development, infrastructure and youth training in #Kazakhstan, according to the presidential press service.
astanatimes.com/2026/10/toka…
Chris Rickleton retweeted
NEW!! In Samarkand, I pressed Rubio on why the Cold War-era Jackson-Vanik restrictions remain in place. His answer: “We are in favor of repealing it.”
He blamed Congress for the delay and said the administration hopes lawmakers will act.
🇦🇱 Still smiling at 117, Albanian may be world's oldest woman
At 117, Qamile Marra is not particularly concerned with proving she may be the world's oldest woman. Born under Ottoman rule, Marra turned 36 a fortnight before the end of World War II. She has spent almost her entire life in her village, growing her own food and tending livestock.
Chris Rickleton retweeted
Baku-based activist and artist İlkin Huseynov has been unreachable since yesterday, shortly after he set up the ‘Let Leyli Go to School’ project, which sought to organise tutoring for those boycotting school amid hijab ban protests.
🔗 Read more: oc-media.org/azerbaijani-act…
Only a dozen or so countries allow seven-year terms for presidents with real powers. Tajikistan and Azerbaijan started the trend among former Soviet states. Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan followed. It can't really be justified for any reason other than not liking elections...
Chris Rickleton retweeted
23 years of Ilham Aliyev today. The two-term limit would have ended it in 2013, so the limit had to go (2009). Then five-year terms felt too short (2016). Then a vice-president was needed, and who better than his wife. Dynasties don't build themselves.
Chris Rickleton retweeted
Azerbaijani users report that several government websites like of the Cabinet of Ministers (nk.gov.az), the Ministry of Emergency Situations (fhn.gov.az), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (din.gov.az), the State Examination Center (dim.gov.az), the Ministry of Health (sehiyye.gov.az), and other government bodies are inaccessible right now. It is not known if it is a result of attack or deliberate shutdown.
Chris Rickleton retweeted
Chechen Leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been awarded the title of ‘Honorary Railway Worker’, adding to his extensive list of awards and titles he has received over the years.
🔴Kadyrov has been awarded for his ‘contribution to the development of science’, given the titles ‘Honoured Worker of the Agro-Industrial Complex’, among others, with dozens of these awards conferred to him following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Chris Rickleton retweeted
In his first interview since his dramatic sacking, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's ex commander-in-chief told me about Ukraine's strategy to contain more powerful Russian forces, his key battles, new tech and his dismissal youtube.com/watch?v=WrXDc2NT…
Chris Rickleton retweeted
Ukraine strikes on Russian data centres disrupt Yandex services across Central Asia: Taxi bookings, delivery platforms and other digital services go down. dlvr.it/TVtv8R Follow for news
Chris Rickleton retweeted
NEW!! Zelenskyy pushes back on a “refinery-for-refinery” approach to an energy ceasefire, saying Ukraine will halt strikes on Russian oil infrastructure only if Moscow stops attacking Ukraine’s power grid and critical infrastructure
“This is only fair,” he explains
👇
It is clear that Putin does not read Truth Social, and his “shahed” drones follow a different set of instructions. But we in Ukraine immediately supported the idea of an energy ceasefire, as we did more than once for months when we ourselves put forward this idea. We agreed to an energy ceasefire. The American team knows very well what this means for us.
We do not have major oil reserves, large oil export capacity, or dozens of oil refineries. In Ukraine, we have just one oil refinery, and it was badly damaged by Russian strikes long ago. We import large amounts of diesel and other oil products. And I am grateful to all our neighbors, especially Poland, for helping us with our energy needs. For us, the key issue is electricity. Russia started its campaign of strikes against our power generation and power grid years ago. And every winter, including this one, Russians try to make these attacks even more intense – we have power cuts every single day.
For Russia, of course, gasoline shortages and burning oil refineries – because of our strikes in response – are painful. And these are not the same volumes that could be lost because of the crisis in Hormuz. But if Russia wants us to stop our long-range strikes against its oil refineries and oil exports, then Russia must stop its strikes against our energy system and critical infrastructure. This is only fair.
From a speech at the Warsaw Security Forum. (1/3)