China June Car Sales Rise Despite Pressure to Stabilize Prices
Retail sales of passenger cars rose 18% from a year earlier last month to 2.1 million vehicles, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed Tuesday. Sales of passenger cars increased 7.6% from May.
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CNN
14 minutes ago
- CNN
One of the world's most isolated countries, this former Soviet state is showing signs it's ready for more tourists
When the Turkmenistan government announced new streamlined visa regulations in April, people familiar with traveling to the Central Asian nation were unsure what to make of it. Not that there are many such experts — along with North Korea and Eritrea, Turkmenistan has long been considered one of the globe's most isolated countries, a legacy that dates to the 1990s when the nation broke away from the disintegrating Soviet Union and turned inward, settling into a sealed-off, independent authoritarianism. For certain travelers, though, especially those who gravitate toward conflict zones and geopolitical oddities, Turkmenistan's impenetrability has given it an alluring mystique. There's just one problem: getting in. Scoring a tourist visa is a long and involved process that requires obtaining a Letter of Introduction (LOI) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after booking your visit with a government-approved tour operator. The vetting — the government decides if you should be allowed to enter — can sometimes take months. Word that the regime intended to make things more user-friendly for travelers, then, was startling, says Dylan Lupine, whose UK-based Lupine Travel offers small-group Turkmenistan tours. 'We are still in the dark about it, as are our local partners in Turkmenistan, as there have been no updates since,' Lupine says. 'The new visa regulations haven't yet come into place and there's no news of when this will be happening.' If and when the new process kicks off, visitors would be able to apply online, with officials pledging that it will be much faster and result in fewer rejections. The LOI requirement will reportedly vanish, but visitors will still need a 'sponsor' in Turkmenistan, which in most cases means signing up for a guided tour. 'Once it does come into place, I do think it will strongly boost visitor numbers,' Lupine adds. CNN has reached out to Turkmenistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment. For decades — even before independence from the USSR — Turkmenistan's main attraction has been the Darvaza Gas Crater. Located in the Karakum Desert about a four-hour drive from capital city Ashgabat, the huge fiery pit is a manmade phenomenon, created during the Soviet era when a natural gas exploration rig collapsed into a sinkhole. After traveling across the desert in 4x4 caravans, visitors check into yurt camps and make their way to the edge of the rim around the 'Gates of Hell' after dark to feel the heat and listen to the sizzle of the flames licking up from the bottom. However, Darvaza is literally running out of gas. In recent years, the flames have noticeably receded, and there are predictions the crater may flame out completely in coming years. But that doesn't mean there aren't other reasons to visit. Ancient Silk Road cities with their historic mosques and minarets offer dramatic contrast to Ashgabat with its over-the-top modern architecture and grandiose monuments featuring everything from post-communist leaders and medieval poets to golden horses, the national dog, and a gigantic bull balancing the world on its head. Given the fact they encounter very few foreign visitors, the Turkmen people are warm and welcoming. If arid landscapes are your thing, around 80% of Turkmenistan is desert. And there's the novelty of exploring a place that few others have visited in modern times. 'Turkmenistan is unlike any country I have visited,' says the Norwegian writer and anthropologist Erika Fatland, author of 'Sovietistan' and other books about Central Asia and the former Soviet Union. 'The shining white marble capital of Ashgabat, with its empty lanes, is one of the weirdest capitals I have ever visited.' Spangled with golden statues and white marble, Ashgabat is both an architectural wonder and Instagram icon. Many of the structures are shaped like their government functions — like a Ministry of Oil & Gas building that resembles a giant lighter. Others were created to capture Guinness World Records — including the world's largest indoor Ferris wheel and a colossal horse head that hovers above the national stadium. At the city's indoor Russian Bazaar, vendors offer samples of caviar harvested from Turkmenistan's slice of the Caspian Sea, as this writer discovered during a recent visit. A blend of Persian and Central Asian influences, the culinary scene is surprisingly good. Nightlife is rather limited, but you can grab a cold beer at Clever's Irish Pub or the Florida British Pub. Once in a strategic position along the Silk Road trading route between Asia and Europe, the country has multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the Parthian Fortresses of Nisa near Ashgabat and the sprawling ruins of Merv in eastern Turkmenistan. Even more impressive are the richly decorated grand mosque, tombs and towering minaret at Kunya-Urgench in the far north. 'My most beautiful experiences in Turkmenistan were in the countryside, in the desert, where I encountered the friendliest, most hospitable people I have ever met,' says Fatland. 'The only drawback was the fermented camel milk, chal, the de facto national drink, that they kept serving me in generous quantities. Let's just say that it's an acquired taste.' Ironically, Turkmenistan was easier to visit during the Soviet days, when Intourist expedited travel in the USSR. Created in 1929 by autocratic leader Joseph Stalin, the state travel agency was tasked with earning foreign exchange via tourism and making sure visitors (nearly all of them on closely supervised guided tours) only saw the best side of the Soviet Union. With offices in London, New York and other foreign cities, Intourist lured travelers with striking posters and newspaper ads. Among the tours they offered in the 1930s was a 16-day Immemorial Cities of Turkestan journey that included a stop in 'flourishing Ashkhabad.' Tourism grew slowly at first. But with the Cold War thawing in the 1980s, the USSR was attracting around four million tourists per year. The unraveling of the Soviet Union after the fall of the Berlin Wall offered a chance to increase visitation even more. Yet Turkmenistan didn't leap on the bandwagon. When Moscow offered its 14 socialist republics independence in 1991, Turkmen leader Saparmurat Niyazov initially balked at the notion. 'It's really all down to Niyazov,' says Lupine. 'Prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, his actions demonstrated negativity against perestroika and glasnost. He brought in his own methods after independence, but they were strongly influenced by the Soviet model.' Or rather the old Soviet model that limited overall tourist numbers and kept them on a tight leash, on guided tours that included only the aspects of Turkmenistan that Niyazov wanted to show the outside world. Meanwhile, the country's huge gas reserves meant Turkmenistan was able to remain self-reliant and neutral in the post-Soviet era, eliminating the need for any outside international influence. Even after Niyazov's death in 2006, the new leadership continued to keep a tight rein on foreign visitation. But there are hints that change might be just around the corner. According to the most recent Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) report on Turkmenistan, the country has been plagued by economic woes for nearly a decade. Hoping to attract more foreign investment and increase employment, the government has been seeking economic cooperation with other nations, like the natural gas sharing arrangement it recently forged with Turkey and Iran. Some observers think the move to simplify its visa approvals process and increase tourism is part of this overall strategy, another way to boost its foreign exchange reserves. Tourism is booming in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, two of its Central Asian neighbors. 'When Uzbekistan simplified their visa procedures after (President Islam) Karimov's death, tourism increased manifold, and maybe they are hoping for similar effects in Turkmenistan,' says Fatland. 'The other 'Stans' have all opened for visa-free entry for many nationalities, so maybe the Turkmen felt the need to loosen up a bit.'
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
Arne Slot interview: Selling Diaz, Ngumoha's rise, and why Liverpool ‘won't hesitate' in transfer market
Arne Slot insists Liverpool 'won't hesitate' if another market opportunity presents itself during this 'historic' summer transfer window for the Premier League champions. Before heading home from the club's pre-season tour of Asia, the Dutch head coach spoke to the travelling UK media at Yokohama's Nissan Stadium. Advertisement He talked about the sale of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich, whether the Colombian attacker needs to be replaced, the rise of teenager Rio Ngumoha, the club-record signing of Florian Wirtz, and the contrast to last summer when Federico Chiesa was the only senior addition to the squad he inherited from Jurgen Klopp. Here's the best of the exchange — and our analysis of what he said… Slot on Diaz's departure 'Luis is a player we won the league with and there's a reason we won it with him because he's a very good player. It's always disappointing to see someone like that leave, to a certain extent. 'But on the other hand, we've sold him for a lot of money and, as you probably know even better than I do, this football club brings in unbelievable signings over the years, but part of the strategy is also that once in a while we have to sell someone. 'I think we did great business by bringing in Lucho for a number of years and then selling him for a very good profit. Lucho was a player who was a joy to work with because he always had a smile on his face every single day. I will remember him as someone who was a joy to work with and a Premier League title winner.' Analysis Diaz was a popular figure at Anfield and contributed 17 goals in all competitions last season, but Slot's right, given Liverpool's self-sustaining business model, the fee of £65million ($86.2m) was too good to turn down given the circumstances. Diaz turns 29 midway through the 2025-26 season and had entered the final two years of his contract, having resisted attempts to get him tied down to an extension. He was pushing for a move and given Bayern's improved offer, it would have made little sense to keep him against his wishes. Slot on whether Liverpool need to sign a replacement 'I think if players leave, whether that's Trent (Alexander-Arnold) or Lucho, then you always need to replace them with quality. But sometimes quality can be in different positions. We have more than a few players who can play in a number of positions. 'At this moment in time, we still have Cody Gakpo, Rio (Ngumoha) is showing very good signs, and I think Florian Wirtz can play from the left side as well. There are enough options for me to choose from. But as I always say, another thing about Liverpool is that if we see a chance in the market, we never hesitate to bring someone in. In the end, it's about quality, and we have already made some very good signings. In terms of quality, we are already in the right place.' Analysis Advertisement The Athletic reported earlier this week that Liverpool are happy with their left-sided options currently. Gakpo has looked really sharp in pre-season and the emergence of Ngumoha also has to be factored into the club's decision-making as they don't want to block his pathway. As well as Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike can also play off the left if required. What happens next with Slot's front line will largely hinge on whether Newcastle United change their stance and agree to sanction the sale of Alexander Isak. The departures of Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott could help to finance a British record bid for the Sweden striker. Slot on whether Ngumoha is ready for Premier League action at the age of 16 'We've only played two games over here and we haven't played against Premier League opponents yet. But I see him train, I see him play, and the impact he has when he trains and plays is really promising. 'Playing in the Premier League, playing every three days with the Champions League games in between, that's something else. But he's definitely a player who shows at this moment in time that if he keeps bringing these performances in, then tonight (against Yokohama F Marinos) definitely won't be the last time he plays a few minutes for Liverpool. It's all about consistency. He needs to show it every single day we're on the pitch.' Analysis Ngumoha was the standout performer on Liverpool's pre-season tour of Asia. He caught the eye against Milan in Hong Kong and then raised his game further at Nissan Stadium, where he capped a dazzling cameo display with a classy individual goal. He only turns 17 at the end of August, so it would be wrong to burden him with too many expectations for the coming season. But if he continues to hit these heights, Slot won't be able to hold him back. Ngumoha has endeared himself to senior players and staff with his attitude and application as well as his talent. He certainly won't be loaned out and could be a useful impact player off the bench against tiring top-flight defences. Slot on winning the race for the signature of Florian Wirtz 'Yeah, it does (say a lot about where Liverpool are at as a club). The way we do that is we don't just think, 'Let's bring a midfielder in'. This is a long-term project for the club. It's the way this club has worked over several years: targeting a specific player who we think can strengthen the squad and can bring us quality. Then we try to bring him in. Advertisement 'With Florian, it worked out quite well because he's with us now.' Analysis Liverpool faced competition from Bayern Munich and Manchester City to sign Wirtz. When the Germany international was pondering his next move after deciding to leave Bayer Leverkusen, he was blown away by the scenes at Anfield during the title celebrations and during the trophy parade when more than a million fans lined the streets of the city. Slot's impressive pitch to him about why he wanted him and where he would fit into the team also helped Liverpool secure the club-record deal. The fee could rise to a British record £116m if various add-ons are triggered. Slot on the contrast to last summer and the decision to significantly refresh the squad with a club-record outlay on transfers in this window 'You know better than me, but as well as being historic in terms of a spending summer, is it also in terms of bringing money in? 'Did Liverpool in the past five or six years ever sell players like Jarell Quansah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher, and Luis Diaz? And who knows what else is going to happen? You have to look at it both ways. 'I think this club has always worked like this. We do spend, but if we spend, then we always need to recoup some money. It's what we already started last summer when we only brought in Federico Chiesa, but we sold three or four players, which meant a big profit. So if you balance things out, we've spent, for sure, but we've also recouped money.' Analysis Liverpool have signed seven new players so far this summer, but that includes three goalkeepers, with Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman, and Armin Pecsi providing backup to Alisson. Their total expenditure, including add-ons, is just shy of £300m, with Jeremie Frimpong, Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Ekitike also on board. The sales of Alexander-Arnold, Kelleher, Quansah, Nat Phillips and Diaz could bring in up to £129m. That figure will rise sharply if, as expected, Nunez, Elliott and Tyler Morton move on. On Slot's point about bringing in money, Liverpool haven't generated this much from sales in a single window since Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona for £142m in January 2018. And he's right about last summer when Chiesa cost an initial fee of £10m from Juventus, while the exits of Sepp van den Berg, Fabio Carvalho and Bobby Clark yielded up to £62m. Slot on the challenge of getting new faces to gel, having benefited from such a settled squad last season 'Yeah, but the majority of the team has stayed the same. If you look at tonight, we had a new goalkeeper (Mamardashvili), but that was for an obvious reason, as usually Alisson would play. 'We had Milos (Kerkez), Florian (Wirtz) and Hugo (Ekitike) out there, but the other seven were from last season. Of course, you have to adjust a little bit to the qualities of certain players, but we haven't changed too much. Once, during my time at Feyenoord, we sold 14 players and had to bring in many players. That's not the situation here. 'We have brought in a few very talented players, but the core of the group has stayed the same. These players have to make a step up again as well because our competition are not standing still.' Analysis There's bound to be a period of adjustment given all the changes, but it clearly doesn't faze Slot, who believes the injection of fresh talent will help to lift standards even higher and provide the depth required to challenge for trophies on all fronts. There's no doubt that a refresh this summer was required, especially with right-back Alexander-Arnold moving on and the need to find a long-term successor for left-back Andy Robertson. Advertisement Liverpool have added youth, pace and dynamism in Frimpong and Kerkez. Wirtz already looks the part in the No 10 role and there were promising signs from Ekitike as he led the line on his debut. If Liverpool could land Isak and bring in another centre-back, this would be close to a perfect window for them.
Bloomberg
14 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
What Are Trump's Options If His Tariffs Are Ruled Unlawful?
In rolling out the most aggressive tariff regime in the US in nearly a century, President Donald Trump has leaned heavily on emergency powers that had never been used before to impose import taxes. Two federal courts ruled in May that he wrongfully invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to justify sweeping 'reciprocal' duties targeting America's trading partners, as well as separate levies aimed at China, Canada and Mexico. The Trump administration has appealed both decisions and oral arguments for one case are scheduled for July 31 at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
