Author: Ulus Karakas

Paris, Frankfurt (13/10 – 42) Twenty-First Century technology has a way of speeding everything up – often overdriving events beyond human control. Exhibit “A”: the internet. Hamas and its supporters were undoubtedly aware of the multiplication impact of social media when they mounted their recent murderous attack on a “peace party” along the Israeli border (twist the irony dial); Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, intent on a blanket reprisal on the Palestinians, apparently does not care what the internet thinks, says or reports. It is perplexing to the simple-minded when there are no “good guys” in a fight. Note how the…

Generally favorable conditions for spring grain planting will see Kazakhstan harvest 14 million tonnes of wheat in marketing year 2023-24, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture. The latest forecast for wheat is 1 million tonnes higher than FAS Post Astana’s original outlook in April with no significant changes to planted area at 12.9 million hectares, about 10,000 more hectares than 2022-23. Kazakhstan is estimated to have produced 16.4 million tonnes of wheat the previous marketing year. Wheat exports are seen at 9.5 million tonnes, the same…

The sizeable but smaller-than-expected rate hike by Turkey’s Central Bank has come as a relief for banks, which had feared the fallout of a much more aggressive and abrupt increase under a new economic leadership pledging a return to “rational” management of the economy. In a departure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s unorthodox policy of cutting rates despite soaring inflation, the central bank raised its policy rate by 650 basis points to 15% on Thursday. The move came after Erdogan appointed a new governor, Hafize Gaye Erkan, and a new treasury and finance minister, Mehmet Simsek, in a bid to regain investor…

According to the latest figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), Iran’s trade with the neighboring country hit $2.190 billion from January to May 2023, Tasnim News Agency reported. The institute put the value of trade between the two countries at $2.740 billion in January-May 2022. According to TURKSTAT, Turkey’s export to Iran from January to May 2023 reached $1.152 billion, recording a four percent decrease compared to last year’s corresponding period. Turkey had exported over $1.204 billion worth of products to the Islamic Republic in the first five months of 2022. Turkey’s imports from Iran also registered a…

The trade exchanges between Iran and Turkey in the first five months of 2023 were about $2.2 billion, showing a 20 percent decline compared to the same period of last year. According to the latest figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), Iran’s trade with this neighboring country hit $2.190 billion from January to May 2023, registering a 20 percent slump compared to a year earlier. The Institute put the value of trade exchanges between the two countries from January to May 2022 at $2.740 billion. According to this report, Turkey’s export of products to Iran from January to…

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a cabinet meeting in Tokyo February 7, 2023. The meeting passed a resolution allowing residents to return to restricted areas that were hit by the Fukushima nuclear leak after decontamination measures. Japan is also facing international criticism for its irresponsible plan to dump nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean. Japan’s cabinet on Tuesday approved reciprocal access agreements (RAAs) previously signed with the United Kingdom and Australia, signaling Japan’s ambition to diversify its defense partnership and grow militarily. According to the Nikkei newspaper, the RAA will simplify entry procedures for personnel and ammunition during Japan’s joint military…

Avesta.Tj – Tajikistan has reduced imports of flour and wheat since the beginning of this year. According to the customs service of the republic, in the first month of this year, flour imports decreased by 24.7% compared to 2022, and wheat imports decreased by 18%. According to the source, over 2.7 thousand tons of flour entered the republic during this period, which is 24.7% less compared to the same period last year. The amount of flour imports amounted to $865,000. During this period, there was also a decrease in the volume of wheat imports compared to last year – by 18%. In…

At least two Ismaili home owners in Mountainous Badakhshan were fined one month’s average wage each for hosting prayers in their homes. The regime banned such meetings in late 2022. Officials told elders on 14 January in Khorugh not to allow prayers in homes, that local people must remove portraits of Ismaili spiritual leader the Aga Khan, and that study at the London-based Institute of Ismaili Studies is no longer allowed. The authorities banned voluntary lessons for children based on a course from the Aga Khan Foundation. Local administrations in the Mountainous Badakhshan Region in south-eastern Tajikistan have issued at…

The UAE is Germany’s most important trading partner in the region, with exports from the European country totaling $8.4 billion in 2021, says a top German diplomat.The new German Ambassador to the UAE Alexander Schonfelder said: “For the year 2022, Germany’s imports from the UAE increased 67 percent year on year, already reaching $1.3 billion.”Schonfelder told the Emirates News Agency that bilateral trade figures showed the strength of the relationship, while cooperation in decarbonization to tackle climate change will open an opportunity for both countries to look forward to a hydrogen future.The German diplomat added: “I think those trade figures…

Saudi’s Water and Electricity Holding Company (Badeel) and energy company ACWA Power have signed power purchase agreements to develop the largest solar energy plant in the Middle East, Reuters reports. The 2,060 megawatt solar facility will be built in Al-Shuaibah, in the Makkah province, and is expected to become operational by the fourth quarter of 2025. Badeel, a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), and ACWA Power will each hold a 50 per cent equity stake in the project. Under its Vision2030 plan, Saudi Arabia seeks to reach 27.3 gigawatts of renewable power capacity by 2023. “This marks a key achievement toward…