While international attention has focused on Russian military operations in Ukraine and Syria, Moscow has also been involved in a flurry of diplomatic and security initiatives to address the growing instability in northern Afghanistan.

Oil money is rolling into Kazakhstan, and new architectural landmarks in the capital city, Astana, reveal the country's economic aspirations. Jonathan Fryer recently visited the central Asian country and witnessed how President Nursultan Nazarbayev's ambitions are omnipresent there.
The 62m (200ft) high Palace of Peace and Harmony rises out of the stubbly grey grass of one of Astana's parks as starkly as the pyramids in the sands of Giza.

Continuing a discussion on the role of money-laundering and the housing bubble. LA Biz Journal. “Economists at UCLA Anderson School of Management foresee healthy growth for the nation’s economy over the next two years, but California will likely experience a slowdown in employment growth. In another essay, Economist William Yu looks at the turmoil in China’s economy and the potential implications for Los Angeles’ economy. Yu says that China’s economy is more volatile than suggested by official numbers and its economy, housing market, stock market, and currency are all in trouble.”

Political divisions prevent the global community from reversing the rise of the Islamic State group, Kazakhstan's top diplomat said, urging world leaders to unite efforts to combat extremism.

Fresh from successes on Iran and with the pope, President Barack Obama still carried heavy burdens into critical meetings this week at the U.N. General Assembly.

Kazakhstan’s diplomatic balancing act over the conflict in Ukraine has been upset by a fresh row about the status of the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula.