Daily Memo: Anti-Government Protests in Kyrgyzstan, Russian Gold for Sale

Kyrgyz unrest. Six separate demonstrations were held on Monday in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, each with different demands of the Kyrgyz government and local authorities. They come weeks after protests erupted following the Oct. 6 parliamentary elections. Joint drills. Russia and Mongolia held joint military exercises in Russia’s Buryatia and Mongolia’s Doytym An regions. Russian gold for sale. For the first time in 13 years, the Russian central bank sold gold reserves to offset a shortage of foreign exchange earnings from low oil and natural gas sales. According to the World Gold Council, it sold 1.2 tons in the third quarter. Chinese takeover. Over the summer, Chinese forces took control of some 300 square kilometers (115 square miles) of territory from India in disputed parts of the Himalayas along the Line of Actual Control, the two sides’ de facto border, Indian officials told Bloomberg on Sunday. Indian forces are now reportedly being blocked from conducting routine patrols in the area, which explains why both sides have been preparing to keep unusually high troop levels along the LAC over the winter. Chinese manufacturing. Activity at Chinese factories appears to be picking up steam, with the Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index […]