Author: Ekim Yazar

Donald Trump on the sidelines in France where he attended the re-opening of a change of direction of U.S. involvement in helping NATO and Ukraine. This was also confirmed by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaking at the OSCE conference in Malta. The Russian take the signaling of the European and U.S. as concerning. Trump is perceived as the rising star on the foreign affair domain as a tough negotiator. The toughness becomes evident with the former Lithuanian prime minister becoming the first dedicated defense commissioner this month, tasked with turbocharging Europe’s defense industry and the stuttering push to…

Suspects allegedly interfered with EU Sakharov Prize nominations to help foreign governments, leaked police files suggest. The EU’s highest honor for human rights work was targeted by an allegedly corrupt network operating on behalf of foreign governments at the heart of the European Parliament, according to a cache of leaked documents. The annual Sakharov Prize was among the aspects of parliamentary work mentioned in a file where one of the key suspects logged activities that were allegedly part of the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the EU’s Parliament. The award, which hands €50,000 to an individual or group that has…

Palestine will under no circumstances agree to Russia’s exclusion from the Middle East settlement process, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director-General Mikhail Gusman following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As Abbas emphasized, Russia “has always sought and is seeking ways for a peace solution” and is striving for “a just solution to the Middle East issue in accordance with of international law.” “And let’s not forget its role in the ‘Middle East Quartet’. The United States has always wanted to exclude Russia from this process. Under no circumstances shall we agree…

The quality of the internet has been severely compromised by restrictions placed on the market. The first step to solving a problem is admitting that it exists. Telecommunications regulators in Tajikistan have taken a surprising step in that direction by reportedly admitting this week that a staggering 95 percent of the country’s territory is covered by only outdated 2G mobile connections. This situation is in no small part due to the State Communications Service itself. In addition to regulating the sector, the service and the people running it are also major market players, albeit in highly nebulous ways that would be unthinkable…

Brussels (07/09 – 14.29) Anies Baswedan has become the first Indonesian presidential candidate to make his vice-presidential nominee official by his selection the past weekend of Muhaimin Iskandar from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Islamic mass movement. ALEXANDER R. ARIFIANTO argues that this nomination highlights the importance of NU’s support in next year’s presidential election. He believes both Ganjar Pranowo and Prabowo Subianto are likely to also consider nominating an NU-affiliated politician as running mate. Anies Baswedan has formally announced Muhaimin Iskandar, chairperson of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and a high-profile Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) politician, as his vice-presidential nominee. This…

Iran has repatriated four Iraqi prisoners under a 2011 convict extradition agreement between the two neighbors, the Iranian Students’ News Agency reported Thursday. The four prisoners were handed over to Iraqi authorities on Tuesday to serve the rest of their jail terms in their home country, ISNA quoted Deputy Iranian Justice Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs Askar Jalalian as saying. The transfer of prisoners to their country is a humanitarian issue and in line with human rights activities, he added. The extradition deal was signed by the then justice ministers of the two countries in April 2011, in…

Turkey’s central bank jacked up the country’s key interest rate Thursday, almost doubling it from 8.5% to 15% as the new economic administration of recently reelected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan embarked on a dramatic monetary policy U-turn. The bank said there will be further gradual monetary tightening until the inflation picture in the country improves. The whopping 650 basis point rate rise is the country’s first since March 2021, but was below analyst expectations of a 1,150 basis point hike to 20%. “The Committee decided to begin the monetary tightening process in order to establish the disinflation course as soon…

Drunk passengers on board a plane heading to Turkey from the UK forced the flight to abandon its route and land in Greece. The easyJet flight, which departed Manchester airport on Saturday, had been due to land in Dalaman, on the south-west coast of Turkey, but instead ended up on the ground in the Greek city of Thessaloniki after the unruly travellers began shouting at passengers and crew, reports The Mirror. The low-cost airline told The Independent that they “do not tolerate” behaviour of this kind. On arrival at the unscheduled stop, two Russian passengers – both men, one aged 39 and the other 48, were arrested and charged…

On June 8, the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, paid a state visit to the Republic of Tajikistan. The official welcoming ceremony of the high-ranking guest was held in front of the Palace of the Nation. The Founder of Peace and National Unity – Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Emomali Rahmon, warmly greeted and invited to the tribune of honor the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The welcoming ceremony was accomplished with the report of the commander…

The UAE will try to take advantage of the sanctions war between Russia and the West, but ultimately it cannot afford to ignore pressure from the United States and other Western countries. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing raft of Western sanctions have prompted an explosion of interest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) among Russians. Bilateral trade is breaking all previous records, and Russians are buying up real estate and opening businesses there. Yet for all the hope that the UAE could become an alternative to the West, the Emirates take sanctions far more seriously than Moscow would…