Author: Akaner Firat

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is set to convene an emergency special session on Gaza on Tuesday, said Monica Grayley, the UNGA president’s spokesperson. “President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, has just informed member states that he will convene the 45th plenary meeting of the tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on Tuesday, Dec. 12,” the spokesperson said on Sunday. Egypt and Mauritania formally requested a meeting, citing the UN General Assembly Resolution 377 “Uniting for Peace” in their letter to the UNGA president. The letter highlighted the urgency of holding such a meeting after…

At least 191 people seeking shelter in the UN schools in Gaza were killed, and 798 injured in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Wednesday. In a statement, the UNRWA said the numbers are estimates as the agency continues to verify losses resulting from incidents affecting its facilities. As of Nov. 20, UNRWA confirmed 89 incidents impacting 69 of its facilities since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza, adding that 23 of its installations sustained direct hits. The UNRWA added that as of Nov. 19, the agency…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope on Tuesday that a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip would be finalized “soon” and called for special cabinet meetings in response to “developments” related to the emerging deal. “We are making progress,” Netanyahu said, addressing the Qatar-mediated efforts to sign a deal to free some of the hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a multi-day temporary cease-fire. “I hope there will be good news soon,” he said during a tour near the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel’s war cabinet is expected to meet in the…

Only by basing their protest activities abroad can opponents of Tajikistan’s government hope to steer clear of reprisals. Things are not so easy for their relatives back home, however. And even the most ardent supporters of the authorities freely admit that the security services resort to arbitrarily punishing people inside Tajikistan for the actions of their relatives overseas. When President Emomali Rahmon visited Germany at the end of last month to attend a summit of Central Asian leaders, he was given a hostile reception by Europe-based Tajik political activists. Throughout Rahmon’s visit, he was trailed by demonstrators holding up placards…

Uzbekistan China and Uzbekistan are making progress on an Uzbek-based joint venture to produce electric and hybrid vehicles. While all the pieces appear to be in place, a firm production timetable has yet to be established. The venture involves BYD Auto, the Chinese entity that surpassed Tesla in 2022 as the leading seller of electric vehicles, and Uzavtosanoat JSC. The construction of an assembly facility in Uzbekistan’s Jizzakh Region is well underway. BYD CEO Wang Chuanfu traveled to Tashkent for the JV’s signing ceremony: the agreement “provides for foreign direct investment by the Chinese company in the ongoing project,” a…

Turkmenistan is on the cusp of securing a major new buyer for its natural gas: Iraq. On October 8, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry reported on a four-day visit to Baghdad by the head of the Turkmen state gas company for meetings revolving around this prospect. The plan is for Iraq to import up to 10 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan as part of a five-year, three-way swap deal involving Iran, which lies between those two countries. No financial terms for this proposed arrangement have been disclosed. The volume of gas under discussion is eye-catching and equates to around a…

More than seven months after Turkmenistan held what was, when considered in democratic terms, a pointless parliamentary election, the report card is in. In its final report on the March 26 polls, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s vote-assessing body delivered a predictable litany of criticisms. ODIHR, as the body is known by its initials, can usually contrive some praise of technical issues to sweeten the medicine, but even that was lacking. Beyond the lack of competitiveness, the suffocating control over the media, the non-existence of real choice, and the absence of voter engagement, monitors noted that many election personnel…

Saudi Arabia announced Saturday its preliminary budget statement for 2024 with an expected 1.9 percent deficit of the GDP.The Saudi finance ministry projected total expenditures for fiscal 2024, which is identical to a calendar year in the kingdom, at 1,251 billion Saudi Riyals (about 333.5 billion U.S. dollars), and 1,172 billion riyals in revenues.The projection is based on the government’s fiscal objectives to expand strategic spending at the sectoral and regional levels, broaden and diversify the economic base, as well as improve public services, among others, the ministry said in the pre-budget statement.The kingdom is estimated to have a 2-percent…

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud announced Monday the formation of a Global Water Organization headquartered in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The organization plans to collaborate with countries facing water-related challenges and integrate and enhance the efforts made by governments and organizations in securing global water sustainably. It will promote the establishment and funding of high-priority projects, ensuring the sustainability of water resources and their accessibility for everyone. The organization also aims to serve as a hub for expertise exchanges and innovation. source

The massive international crisis of a truly planetary scale is looming. From one end the G7 countries are adamant to punish Russia and prevent it from scoring a victory in Ukraine. From the other side the world needs a lot of resources Russia used to supply the market. Without getting the resources the world economy will stagnate. With those resources bought from Russia the later will definitely survive any sanctions. The dilemma is unsolvable, but at least some of the alternative suppliers are already preparing to claim the market share. Let’s take battery metals i.e. lithium, nickel and cobalt. Kenes…