Author: Numa al-Iqbal

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Monday spoke over the phone with United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip. “Prime Minister Kishida, referring to the situation in the Gaza Strip, expressed that he is strongly concerned about the resumption of the fighting and that the combat has expanded to all areas of the Gaza Strip including the southern areas,” said a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry. To address the humanitarian situation on the ground, he added that Tokyo has provided “emergency grant aid” worth $10 million in…

London (15/11 – 67) The streets in Colombo, Sri Lanka, erupted into celebration on July 13, 2022 after weeks of peaceful protests forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country. Rajapaksa, long implicated in war crimes when he was defense secretary, had presided over an economic catastrophe amid allegations of widespread corruption and impunity. But a year later, despite some superficial changes, there is no sustained improvement in the country’s economic situation that impinges many people’s human rights. The acute shortage of fuel that was the most visible feature of the economic crisis has eased. But more than six million people – nearly 30…

London (15/11 – 67) Colombo Supreme Court rules that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, former Prime Minister Mahinda, were among several government officials whose conduct contributed to Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in decades. The court was ruling on a petition filed against 13 former officials by rights group Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) which said the Rajapaksa brothers and others were responsible for the crisis. “Their actions, omissions and conduct contributed to the crisis,” the ruling said. The court did not order any punishment, according to a statement by TISL. The two Rajapaksa brothers, two former central…

Berlin (06/12 – 67.67) Asliddin Sherzamonov, an activist from Tajikistan, strongly believes that the United Nations (UN) should assess the actions of the Central Asian country’s security forces during the events of 2021 and 2022 in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO). Speaking at the UN session on minorities held in Geneva on December 1, Asliddin said that an independent international commission should be established to evaluate the activities of Tajikistan’s security forces. In the operations carried out by security forces in 2021 in Roshtkala and Khorog, three people died. In another operations in the spring of 2022 by the security…

The Ukrainian military has apparently received the M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV) built on the framework of the Abrams tank. Several photos posted by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Nov. 3 to commemorate the Day of Missile Forces and Artillery and Engineering Troops revealed a vehicle resembling a hybrid of a tank and a heavy-duty harvesting machine. The U.S.-made assault breacher is set to play a crucial role in assisting Ukrainian troops in the daunting task of clearing the extensive network of minefields established by the Russian forces over hundreds of kilometers. It is not clear how the vehicle arrived in…

The UAE is set to launch a 360-degree gaming platform which it says will revolutionise esports in the Gulf state and the wider MENA. According to Zawya, the Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) has teamed up with etisalat by e& to launch “Arena Esports”, a competitive gaming initiative over the next five years, which will become a “cornerstone for the regional gaming matrix.” Arena Esports has been described as a 360-degree gaming platform, catering for all types of players, from beginners to seasoned professionals who can take part in tournaments and gain access to unique events. Adnan Al-Awadi, support services…

Berlin (24/11 – 50) The Supreme Court of the Republic of Tajikistan sentenced five Pamiri leaders from the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) to life imprisonment. They are Tolib Ayombekov, Nazhmiddin Sherchonov, Imumnazar Shoishirinov, Munavvar Shanbiev and Niyozsho Gulobov. The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan announced their detention in June of this year, presenting everyone as “leaders of an organized criminal group in the city of Khorog” – the administrative center of GBAO. According to information from the law enforcement agency, Shanbiev and Ayombekov were among those with whom the country’s authorities signed separate agreements in October…

The Palestinians’ longstanding and legitimate grievances have been irrevocably subverted by Hamas’ brazen attack against Israel on Oct 7. Unlike previous rounds of conflicts and clashes between Israel and the Palestinians on the one hand and neighbouring Arab states on the other, Thailand has become a direct casualty like never before, as 30 Thai workers have been killed to date, with at least 16 injured and 17 taken hostage. As a militant political movement motivated by Islamic fundamentalism using methods of terrorism to achieve its objectives, Hamas has made a bad name for the Palestinian cause, eliciting condemnation and opposition…

Frankfurt (11/09 – 20) Two international human rights organizations have called on the Tajikistan government to immediately release jailed lawyer and human rights activist Manuchehr Kholiknazarov, as well as other activists and journalists. The International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the international non-profit organization CIVICUS, which bills itself as “a global alliance aimed at strengthening the action of citizens and civil society around the world,” in their message published specially on the eve of Independence Day, September 8, focus on the fact that Tajik human rights activist and civil society activist Manuchehr Kholiknazarov was falsely sentenced to a long…

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) trade chief on Friday expressed the mutual desire of Türkiye and the UAE to help private sectors capitalize on close relationships and agreements between the two states, as he stressed expectations for a robust increase in bilateral trade in the period ahead. “I am confident that we will witness significant figures between Türkiye and the UAE. We will reach $40 billion in five years,” Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the Emirati trade minister, said following his recent trip for talks with Turkish counterpart Ömer Bolat. “We aim to sustain this momentum and encourage the private…