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Executive Summary This report analyses the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) latest economic outlook concerning the Central Asian region, highlighting an expected deceleration in GDP growth of over 2025–2026. Despite the projected robust growth in some states, like Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the entire region is under growing strain because of global economic difficulties and domestic fiscal reforms. Inflationary trajectories diverge across the region, reflecting differentiated structural challenges and policy responses. The ADB’s projections underscore persistent geopolitical and economic risks that could compound regional vulnerabilities in the medium term. Key Takeaways The ADB forecasts a slowdown in Central Asia’s aggregate GDP growth from 5.4% in 2025 to 5.0% in 2026, influenced by global and fiscal pressures. Inflation will ease in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, but will rise in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan because of increased demand, tariffs, and currency depreciation risks. Structural reforms, regional integration, and improved trade logistics are critical to mitigating downside risks and sustaining long-term economic resilience. Background Information According to projections published in the ADB’s Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2025, the Central Asian region is entering a phase of economic moderation. Early April 2025 data projected regional GDP growth of 5.4% in 2025, slowing to 5.0% in 2026. These

Canadian musicians and music organizations are speaking out ahead of the federal election on April 28. Indie folk artist The Weather Station took to Instagram on April 15 to make an impassioned plea to Canadians not to check out of this election. She had just returned from a tour in the U.S., supporting her new album Humanhood, and told followers that now is the time to prevent Canada from following in America’s footsteps. “I cannot articulate the level of relief I felt this time crossing the border back into Canada,” she says. “I think we have no lived understanding of how bad things could get.” The Weather Station, whose name is Tamara Lindeman, has previously spoken out about the U.S. administration, citing authoritarianism, threats to free speech and the right to protest, and dismantling of public services serving climate, education, health care and social security. Trending on Billboard In her new video, she highlights the people fighting for those issues and to build community amidst the crisis south of the border. “Loved the shows, loved all the people we met, but it’s so incredibly painful to see what people are going through,” she says. “People feel exhausted, they feel afraid

When Spotify’s social media accounts started posting about the editorial team’s song of the summer predictions in 2024, global head of editorial Sulinna Ong noticed a lot of commenters asking the same question: Is this artificial intelligence? “I actually went in and said, ‘I can assure you we’re not AI,’ ” she says, adding that she then found herself wondering, “Do people care whether it is ?” The answer was a resounding yes. Ong recalls commenters were overjoyed to be able to identify her as a warm-blooded source of the faceless predictions. The reaction amounted to a collective “This is great. You’re human!” Having focused on high-tech improvements to playlisting over the last few years, such as the AI DJ that subscribers can utilize and improved personalized Daily Mixes, Daylist and other features, Ong says she realized listeners value human input and connection more than ever and decided to recalibrate the “equilibrium” between AI and Spotify’s flesh-and-blood tastemakers. Trending on Billboard “A big tenet of editorial is this idea of reflecting culture and also being able to propel culture forward,” says J.J. Italiano, head of global music curation and discovery. As a result, Spotify’s editorial team is leaning further into its top

Strategic advantage in today’s volatile world depends on the ability to understand and anticipate geopolitical trends. Policy advice, risk management, and long-term strategy all demand a clear and precise understanding of international relations; it is no longer optional, but essential. This Easter, SpecialEurasia, presents a limited-time opportunity to acquire these skills at a significantly reduced rate. From 18th to 20th April 2025, participants can enrol in the Online Course in Geopolitical Intelligence Analysis for just €199.00—a €100 discount from the standard fee of €299. What You Get This intensive, live online training delivers a structured, practical approach to geopolitical intelligence. We designed this course specifically for professionals, researchers, and analysts who must interpret global events, assess strategic risks, and produce actionable intelligence. Through focused modules, you will learn how to: Understand the key dynamics of global affairs and international relations Build your own analytical framework to interpret geopolitical trends Collect and evaluate open-source information with precision Deliver structured and impactful intelligence reports This is not a theoretical overview or surface-level webinar. We built this content to provide real-world skills for immediate application in professional settings. We crafted each element of the course to maximise value in the shortest time—just four

While many people think Tumblr died out in the late 2010s, there are still niches of fandom that endure on the website today. Being on Tumblr in that era was a singular experience that I won’t even try to explain (you really had to be there), but you can get a sense for the time by the musicians who were popular then. Here are three artists who made it big on Tumblr, and how they’ve endured today. Lana Del Rey Lana Del Rey debuted in 2012 with Born to Die. While it wasn’t much of a critical success at the time, it had a huge following on Tumblr. Dashboards were flooded with photos of Del Rey in her flower crown and edits of her lyrics over Americana-inspired backgrounds. She was essentially the Queen of Tumblr. Her internet fame was not short-lived, as we know. Lana Del Rey’s popularity lasted well beyond that first album, which even earned a retrospectively positive review from Pitchfork years later. Her music and celebrity endure today; she’s gearing up to release a new country-inspired album this year, and dropped the first single, “Henry, Come On,” on April 11. Arctic Monkeys 2013 was a big year

The 2022 album was issued on vinyl for the first time. Ethel Cain performs during All Points East Festival 2024 at Victoria Park on August 18, 2024 in London. Joseph Okpako/WireImage Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Alternative Albums chart dated April 19 nearly three years after the album, her debut, was first released. Preacher’s Daughter earned 39,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending April 10, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 37,000 units are via album sales, begetting a No. 1 debut on the all-genre Top Album Sales list. In fact, nearly all of its sales are vinyl copies, as Preacher’s Daughter benefits from its first-ever vinyl release, 35 months after it first premiered on May 12, 2022. That count also leads to the set debuting at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart. Cain becomes the first act to rule Top Alternative Albums in their first appearance on the tally since Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts premiered atop the Sept. 23, 2023, list. As Rodrigo’s was not her debut album, Cain is the first to do so with a first release since The Smile, with A Light for Attracting Attention, in

The exclusive agreement grants KreatorsNetwork access to Luminate's CONNECT platform, aiming to bolster Korean music's global expansion. Courtesy of Luminate Billboard’s data partner Luminate has signed a new partnership with South Korean firm KreatorsNetwork, granting the company exclusive rights to distribute Luminate’s global music streaming data, consumer insights, and metadata products via its CONNECT platform in South Korea. The agreement, announced on Tuesday (April 16), positions KreatorsNetwork as Luminate’s sole authorized reseller in the Korean market, providing localized access to global streaming analytics and music intelligence tools for labels, distributors, and music marketers. “At Luminate, we are dedicated to working with partners across the entertainment industry at a global level, helping them to make data-informed decisions in an ever-evolving media landscape,” said Luminate CEO Rob Jonas in a statement. “We’re glad to enter this new partnership with KreatorsNetwork, which allows us to amplify our service within such an influential and forward-thinking international market.” Trending on Billboard Steve Shin, CEO of KreatorsNetwork, added: “After serving K-pop labels for the past five years via data-driven promotional strategies, we are confident that Luminate’s expertise will help us pave the way for the Korean music industry’s move to the next phase of global expansion.”

For the first half of the 2010s, any teenage girl in her room had a chance of amassing more political influence than a junior government advisor. She could define political terms and concepts, blacklist undesirable elements and argue for a different kind of society. Thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of other teenage girls would be following her, reading and engaging. These were the days of Tumblr, a youth blogging website that functioned like a dysfunctional think tank. I first found out about Tumblr in 2012, when I was in Year 7 – the British equivalent of sixth grade; a girl in my year group started a blog about her depression and anxiety and linked it from her public Facebook. I wanted in on her mental anguish – the posts she shared would ring safeguarding alarm bells today, but they seemed impossibly grown-up at the time. At my all-girls school, having a Tumblr blog was a smug in-group identifier, signifying taste, depth and intelligence: if you already struggled making friends it gave you a leg-up over your happy, popular classmates, who mostly just logged onto the internet to post on each other’s Facebook walls. “You’re on Tumblr,” as one anonymous blogger

Robert Knotts and Jake Gear will run the iconic imprint out of Nashville. Jake Gear and Robert Knotts Matt Paskert Los Angeles-based Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) Records has set down roots in Nashville with the relaunch of the iconic Lost Highway imprint. Former Thirty Tigers executive Robert Knotts and Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN) executive Jake Gear will serve as co-heads and executive vps of the resurrected label.   “Lost Highway carved out a special place in the remarkable musical legacy of Nashville. It was a left-of-center label with one-of-a-kind artists who, at their core, were great songwriters and moved culture,” John Janick, chairman/CEO of Interscope Capitol and IGA, said in a statement. “Similarly, Interscope has always been a beacon to artists who don’t fit into a box yet are destined to inspire what comes next. With this new chapter in Lost Highway’s history, we are devoted to empowering the next generation of trailblazers, both artists and executives.” The revered label, which takes its name from the song made famous in 1949 by Hank Williams, had been dormant for 13 years after being launched by then-UMGN head Luke Lewis in 2000, who retired in 2012. From the start, Lewis and

Executive Summary This report examines the recent arrests of ethnic Tajik Taliban commanders in northern Afghanistan, highlighting emerging internal rifts within the movement, particularly between the Kandahar leadership and the Haqqani Network. The report explores how these developments may trigger renewed instability in historically restive regions, such as Takhar and Badakhshan. The geopolitical context of this analysis includes increasing Russian and Chinese engagement with the Taliban, and the possibility of a clandestine return of US intelligence assets, which sheds further light on internal conflicts. By assessing both domestic power struggles and external strategic competition, the report provides a forward-looking appraisal of Afghanistan’s short- to medium-term trajectory. Key Takeaways The Taliban leadership in Kandahar is conducting a systematic purge of non-Pashtun elements, primarily Tajiks linked to the Haqqani Network, reflecting rising mistrust and internal fractures. Internal confrontation and fractures among the Taliban might provide a fertile ground for external actors and local terrorist groups such as the ISKP. Russia, China, and the United States have intensified their interest in the Afghan dynamics putting pressure on the Taliban. Background Information In early April 2025, according to the Russian Telegram Channel Afganskiy Insaider, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence launched a series of operations