Author: Beyaz Tekeli

After the 2024 shock and the French elites are breaking into shell shock over the European Parliament outcome Europa’s slide to the right continues. The Christian Democrats remain firmly in power although the future of Van der Leyen and ilk is uncertain. The election had a few surprises, mainly the center left Renew Europe and the Non-attached Members (NI) and Others group. The pose with 12.50% an outlier. The ultra-right groups grouped at the Identity and Democracy Group (ID) although a minor group in the European Parliament, locally surprised many. In France, the ID block has the majority seats (30).…

President Kassym-Joomart Tokayev approved the new government of Kazakhstan under the leadership of Olzhas Bektenov. The names of the ministers were published on primeminister.kz. Most of the ministers remained from the old government. Four ministers were replaced: Nurlan Baibazarov was appointed Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy instead of Alibek Kuantyrov, Madi Takiyev became Minister of Finance instead of Erulan Zhamaubaev, Akmaral Alnazarova was appointed Minister of Healthcare instead of Azhar Giniyat, and Chingis Arinov became the new Minister for Emergency Situations instead of Syrym Shariphanov. Members of the government who remained in their positions included First Deputy…

King Abdullah II of Jordan said on Monday there will be no solution to the Palestinian issue at Jordan’s expense. The king made his remarks at a meeting in Amman with retired army and security chiefs, according to a statement by the Royal Hashemite Court. He called for ignoring the voices that try to distance the kingdom from “serving and defending its brothers and sisters,” reiterating Jordan’s continued support for the Palestinian people’s steadfastness on their land. He underlined the importance of stepping up and unifying Arab efforts to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and a political horizon to…

Brussels (27/10 – 50) Just in September this year, ten “distinguished” people in Tajikistan have been awarded general ranks. The decree on conferring general ranks was signed by the country’s president, Emomali Rahmon, on September 7th. According to this decree, there are now three more generals in the Agency for State Financial Control and Anti-Corruption. The rank of Major General of Justice was awarded to the head of the Finance and Economic Department, Fazliddin Khodjazoda, the head of the Special Operations Department, Abdurakhmon Davlatzoda, and the head of the Agency for GBAO, Zoir Gafurzoda. The rank of Major General of…

The Ground Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Monday staged a one-day military drill near the country’s western border to counter security threats, the official news agency IRNA reported. The exercise, which involved various Ground Force units, was held in Qasr-e Shirin County of Kermanshah Province, near the common border with Iraq. The drill aimed at improving the combat units’ operational preparedness in the face of complicated security and terrorist threats and scenarios, the IRNA quoted IRGC Ground Force Commander Mohammad Pakpour as saying. During the drill, the ground forces carried out special electronic warfare operations, multiple…

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) helps to promote and protect human rights by providing better lives for people of participant countries, said an Iraqi scholar. By improving living conditions, providing job opportunities, and ending peoples’ suffering through developing and promoting the infrastructure, the initiative creates better lives for local people, said Mohammed al-Jubouri, professor of media at the Baghdad-based al-Iraqia University. Referring to a recent report about the BRI released by Xinhua, al-Jubouri said that the report, based on objectivity and professionalism, is very important for giving clear, realistic examples and numbers about what the BRI has achieved. It…

An Israeli missile attack hit military sites in the vicinity of the capital Damascus on Sunday night, the latest in a string of attacks targeting military sites in Syria, state news agency SANA reported. Multiple powerful explosions reverberated across Damascus overnight. A military statement by the Syrian army said that the Israeli attack was carried out from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. It added that the Syrian air defense systems shot down some of the missiles and the losses were limited to material damages. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, the Israeli missiles…

The number of new monthly jobseekers in Israel rose to 123,200 in November, according to a report issued by the Israel Employment Service (IES) on Sunday. The number of new jobseekers in November was 326.3 percent higher than that registered in November 2022, and 75.25 percent higher compared to October 2023, said the report. The total number of jobseekers in November reached 331,900, an increase of 46.6 percent compared to previous month, reflecting the impact of the ongoing conflict with Hamas on the labor market, the report explained. The sharpest increases in the number of jobseekers since the outbreak of…

A huge fire broke out on Sunday morning at an oil refinery in the eastern Iranian province of South Khorasan, leading to the simultaneous explosion of several gas condensates reservoirs, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. The fire started at one of the reservoirs of the mini-refinery, which is located in Birjand Special Economic Zone, at 8:45 a.m. local time (0515 GMT), the report said. Firefighting, rescue and emergency teams were dispatched to the scene immediately, while firefighters were trying to contain the fire, it spread to other nearby reservoirs, causing them to explode simultaneously, added the report. “Five firefighting…

Amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), commended China’s support for upholding international humanitarian law. In a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua, Spoljaric elaborated on the dire situation she witnessed during her visit to southern Gaza last week and called on all parties to the conflict to de-escalate the situation and respect international humanitarian law so that civilian suffering is minimized and avoided. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is deteriorating, said Spoljaric. “What I saw in Gaza is a devastating humanitarian situation, it is increasingly difficult, if…