Central Asia & Caucasus Data

Shares in China’s biggest e-commerce companies fell on Thursday after Beijing’s market regulator summoned five of the country’s largest online shopping platforms over deceptive promotional practices ahead of the annual “618” (June 18) shopping festival. Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares dropped 5.4% to HK$107.40 (US$13.8) while JD.com fell 2.9% to HK$108.9. Nasdaq-listed shares of PDD Holdings The post Beijing reins in Alibaba, JD.com over destructive 618 price cuts appeared first on Asia Times.

In the 1950s and 1960s, a massive wave of underground humor swept across the USSR and the Eastern Bloc featuring a fictional broadcaster called Armenian Radio (known in the West as Radio Yerevan). Many of the jokes involved food lines and food scarcity, a fact of Soviet life. In one widely circulated shaggy dog story, The post UK defense – a hole in the bucket appeared first on Asia Times.

While promising more strikes against Iran on Thursday, President Donald Trump suggested that the US would soon be “taking” Kharg Island in a bid to seize “total control” of the country’s oil and gas market. That’s an operation that would likely require ground troops. “The United States will be hitting Iran (Whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other The post Trump hints at ground invasion to get ‘total control’ of Iran oil appeared first on Asia Times.

The Federal Reserve is under new leadership. Kevin Warsh, Donald Trump’s appointee to succeed Jerome Powell as chair, was confirmed by the Senate on May 13. He will preside over his first meeting of the Fed’s interest-rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee on June 16 and 17. Warsh takes the reins at the central bank aiming The post New Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh won’t immediately get what he wants appeared first on Asia Times.