"U.S. brings Silk Road to India" from The Hindu

"TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project) is in actuality a Silk Road project connecting Central Asia to the West via Gwadar, which will make Pakistan the U.S.'s gateway to Central Asia."

"Chinese company waiting to mine at ancient Afghan ruins" from South China Morning Post

"It was another day on the rocky hillside, as archaeologists and labourers dug out statues of Buddha and excavated a sprawling 2,600-year-old monastery."


"The woman represent a Chinese company eager to develop the world's second-biggest unexploited copper mine, lying beneath the ruins."


"But Mes Aynak is caught between Afghanistan's hopes for the future and its history. Archaeologists are rushing to salvage what they can from a major religious site on the famed Silk Road connecting Asia and the Middle East. The ruins, including the monastery and domed shrines known as "stupas", are likely to be destroyed once work at the mine begins."


"Mes Aynak's religious sites and copper deposits have been bound together for centuries - "mes" means "copper" in the local Dari language. Throughout the site's history, artisanal miners have dug up copper to adorn statues and shrines."

"From Italy to China on autopilot" from Wired UK

"Alberto Broggi and his team have spent 15 years developing a true supercar: a vehicle that runs autonomously - in any conditions. Is the future of driving really driverless?"

"Right now, a tiny Piaggio Porter minibus is making its way along the old Silk Road from Italy to China, a distance of around 13,000km."