Asia
Ranking the greenest countries in the world
The greenest country in the world is Switzerland according to the latest data analysis from the 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). The 2018 Environmental Performance Index evaluates and ranks 180 countries on 24 performance indicators across ten categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The aim is to gauge, at a national scale, how close countries are to meeting the environmental policy goals outlined in the United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. The EPI builds on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), formally adopted in September 2015. The two main objectives of the report are to assess how 180 countries protect their ecosystems and human health. The post Ranked: most sustainable countrie...
Best road trips in the world (and how to stay online en route)
When it comes to road trips, we’ve had our fair share of mishaps. We’ve battled a total whiteout in Iceland, got stuck in a ditch in Turkey, broken down in Chile and changed a flat tyre in lion territory (in Namibia’s Etosha National Park, constituting one of the most stressful events of our travels). Despite all this, we’re irrevocably drawn to the open road. There’s a very specific freedom in being able to rent a car wherever you land and set your own course. More importantly, you can veer from the course when you want to: spend extra days in a national park or depart a tourist town earlier than planned. You are the masters of your time. The post Best road trips in the world (and how to stay online en route) appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Ranked: happiest countries in the world 2023
The happiest countries in the world 2022 have been ranked and for the fifth year running, Finland is the happiest country in the world The post Ranked: happiest countries in the world 2023 appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
10 tips for visiting Ephesus, Turkey (Türkiye)
Visiting Ephesus should be on every traveller’s Turkey itinerary. After more than 150 years of excavation, the city's reclaimed and restored structures have made Ephesus Europe's most complete ancient city. The post 10 tips for visiting Ephesus, Turkey (Türkiye) appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Ranked: most dangerous countries in the world 2023
The most dangerous countries in the world to visit in 2023 have been revealed in the latest Travel Risk Map The most dangerous countries to visit in 2023 are Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen according to the latest Travel Risk Map, an interactive tool produced by security specialists at International SOS. The map is used to predict the safest and, conversely, the least safe countries in the world to visit and has four layers in total covering a country’s security risk, medical risk, and the impact of the pandemic on travel and domestic operations. For the security layer of the map, countries are indexed according to their travel security risk rating, which uses five risk definitions: insignificant, low, medium, ...
50 quick tips for first-time visitors to India
India can be a culture shock, especially for newbies. To help you adjust, we’ve put together 50 quick tips for first-time visitors On my first trip to India, I was a relatively inexperienced traveller. I was overwhelmed by its beauty and allure. But I was also taken aback by the assault on the senses often reported by first-time visitors. On my second visit – this time with my father who lived in India for several years – I expected to be more familiar with the country’s various vagaries. In reality, I was just as overwhelmed as the first time round. That said, I did manage to avoid making some of the same mistakes. Once again, I’m planning to go back to India (more on that in a moment) and when I do, I hope to make even fewer mistakes. While I may never fully understand this vas...
$16K retest the most likely path for Bitcoin, according to 2 derivative metrics
Bitcoin (BTC) broke below $16,800 on Dec. 16, reaching its lowest level in more than two weeks. More importantly, the movement was a complete turnaround from the momentary excitement that had led to i$18,370 peak on Dec. 14. Curiously, Bitcoin dropped 3.8% in seven days, compared to the S&P 500 Index’s 3.5% decline in the same period. So from one side, Bitcoin bulls have some comfort in knowing that correlation played a key role; at the same time, however, it got $206 million of BTC futures contracts liquidated on Dec. 15. Some troublesome economic data from the auto loan industry has made investors uncomfortable as the rate of defaults from the lowest-income consumers now exceeds 2019 levels. Concerns emerged after the average monthly payment for a new car reached $718, a 26% in...
Pakistan launches new laws to expedite CBDC launch by 2025
Regulators worldwide see central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as a way to enhance fiat capabilities by inheriting the financial prowess of technologies that power cryptocurrencies. Pakistan joined this list by announcing new regulations to ensure the launch of an in-house CBDC by 2025. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) signed in new laws for Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs) — non-bank entities offering digital payment instruments — to ensure the timely issuance of a CBDC in the next three years. The World Bank helped Pakistan design the new regulations, according to local media Arab News. In addition to timeline adherence for the CBDC launch, the regulations warrant preventive measures against money laundering and terror financing while considering consumer protection and reporting r...
Avalanche to power Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure services in Asia
Alibaba Cloud, a.k.a Aliyun, a subset of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, announced an integration with Avalanche blockchain to power the company’s Node-as-a-Service initiatives. Avalanche’s partnership with Alibaba Cloud will see the development of tools that enable users to launch validator nodes on Avalanche’s public blockchain platform in Asia. The integration will allow Avalanche developers to use Alibaba Cloud’s plug-and-play infrastructure as a service to launch new validators. Developers expecting high resource demands during peak hours can also tap into additional resources — computing, storage, and distribution — offered by Alibaba Cloud. APAC’s largest cloud service provider, Alibaba Cloud, has expanded support for #Avalanche! This integration enables develope...
Uzbekistan issues first crypto licenses to two local ‘crypto stores’
As Uzbekistan prepares to adopt a new cryptocurrency framework in 2023, Uzbek regulators have started issuing regulatory approvals to local crypto service providers. The National Agency for Perspective Projects (NAPP), Uzbekistan’s major cryptocurrency market watchdog, has issued the nation’s first crypto licenses, according to an official announcement released on Nov. 17. The licenses officially authorize the offering of cryptocurrency-related services by two “cryptocurrency stores,” including Crypto Trade NET LLC and Crypto Market LLC. According to the information from the NAPP’s electronic license register, both Crypto Trade NET and Crypto Market are based in Tashkent. The data also refers to Kamolitdin Nuritdinov as Crypto Market’s single founder and shareholder. Behzod Achilov is...
Uzbekistan issues first crypto licenses to two local ‘crypto stores’
As Uzbekistan prepares to adopt a new cryptocurrency framework in 2023, Uzbek regulators have started issuing regulatory approvals to local crypto service providers. The National Agency for Perspective Projects (NAPP), Uzbekistan’s major cryptocurrency market watchdog, has issued the nation’s first crypto licenses, according to an official announcement released on Nov. 17. The licenses officially authorize the offering of cryptocurrency-related services by two “cryptocurrency stores,” including Crypto Trade NET LLC and Crypto Market LLC. According to the information from the NAPP’s electronic license register, both Crypto Trade NET and Crypto Market are based in Tashkent. The data also refers to Kamolitdin Nuritdinov as Crypto Market’s single founder and shareholder. Behzod Achilov is...
Could Hong Kong really become China’s proxy in crypto?
With its partial autonomy, the island city of Hong Kong has traditionally served as “a gate to China” — the local trade center, backed by transparent English-style common law and an openly pro-business government strategy. Could the harbor, home to seven million inhabitants, inherit this role in relation to the crypto industry, becoming a proxy for mainland China’s experiments with crypto? An impulse to such questioning was given by Arthur Hayes, the former CEO of crypto derivatives giant BitMEX in his Oct. 26 blog post. Hayes believes the Hong Kong government’s announcement about introducing a bill to regulate crypto to be a sign that China is trying to ease its way back into the market. The opinion was immediately replicated in a range of industrial and mainstream media. What happe...
