Author: Rushdi al-Pashia

Amsterdam, Copenhagen, (15/7 – 22) The governing Dutch coalition led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been dissolved as a result of sharp differences in views among cabinet members in dealing with the hot potato of immigration, forcing a new election in the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Nov. 22, according to caretaker Interior Minister Hanke Bruins Slot and the General Election Commission (KPU) of the Netherlands. Rutte, the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history and one of Europe’s most seasoned politicians, admitted that frank debate within the four-party coalition government in recent days had nevertheless failed to hammer out…

ASTANA. KAZINFORM – Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired the meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Friday, Kazinform has learned from the Akorda press service. At the meeting, President Tokayev stressed that the ministry plays a special role in maintaining the public order and fighting crimes which in turn directly affects the security of our citizens and the state in general. According to the Head of State, working in the law-enforcement agencies means working around the clock. The job has its risks and threats and it is quiet selfless in…

Paris, Brussels (13/7 – 37.5) In Kazakhstan, Ablyazov was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for murder, another sentence related to the creation of a criminal community, embezzlement and money laundering. In Russia, the ex-banker was sentenced to 15 years for embezzlement of almost 60 billion rubles.The French authorities demanded that the former head of the Kazakh BTA Bank, Mukhtar Ablyazov, leave the country within 30 days. He announced this on his Facebook page (owned by Meta, whose activities in Russia are recognized as extremist and banned). Ablyazov’s extradition is simultaneously sought by Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. The former…

New Delhi: India is emerging as a “major power” in the Middle East, and it is time to take New Delhi’s projection of power in the region seriously, read an article in Foreign Policy, a US-based magazine on global affairs. The author, Steven A Cook, cited one of his previous visits to India after which he said he was sceptical about a future Indian role in the Middle East. “India and Middle Eastern countries were already intertwined in various ways, of course. There were budding military and technology ties between India and Israel. One could not travel in the Persian Gulf…

Brussels, Frankfurt (16/6 – 33) The European Union declared late last year that it intended to investigate how Russia acquired so-called “kamikaze drones” from the Islamic Republic of Iran, for battlefield deployment. While the production of these game-changing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was not reported until after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, numerous media claim the Russian military is deploying Iranian-made Geran-2 drones on the battlefield. This was confirmed through analysis of fragments from Russian Geran-2 drones shot down by Ukrainian forces; experts conclude that these UAVs are identical to the Shahed-136 kamikaze drones produced by Iran. While the West…

After his successful re-election as President of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to make his first foreign visits to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Azerbaijan, Azernews reports. Erdogan intends to visit the TRNC and Azerbaijan on June 12-13, according to a report from the Liaison Office of the Turkish Presidential Administration. During his visit to the TRNC, the Turkish leader plans to discuss the development of bilateral relations in all areas. Issues related to the situation in Cyprus and the region as a whole, as well as the international agenda, will also be considered. In Baku, the…

You are not Forgotten. Berlin, Brussels (20/5 – 40) In the vast and remote mountain lands of Central Asia, the Ismaili Pamiris have long faced systemic discrimination and persecution at the hands of the Tajik government. Despite their proud history, rich cultural traditions, and highly educated populace, they have been targeted for cultural extermination in a chilling campaign of ethnic cleansing. Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon has demonized them as “inbred” and “criminals” and launched a brutal program to replace their community with ethnic Tajiks. In May and June 2022, the government launched a final assault on the Pamiris to end…

You are not Forgotten. Berlin, Brussels (18/5 – 40) In the vast and remote mountain lands of Central Asia, the Ismaili Pamiris have long faced systemic discrimination and persecution at the hands of the Tajik government. Despite their proud history, rich cultural traditions, and highly educated populace, they have been targeted for cultural extermination in a chilling campaign of ethnic cleansing. Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon has demonized them as “inbred” and “criminals” and launched a brutal program to replace their community with ethnic Tajiks. In May and June 2022, the government launched a final assault on the Pamiris to end…

You are not Forgotten. Berlin, Brussels (17/5 – 40) In the vast mountain lands of Central Asia, a small ethnic group located at the crossroads of Afghanistan, China, and Russia is struggling for its very survival in the face of a national program that, some experts argued, is tantamount to ethnic cleansing. The Pamiris of Tajikistan were granted autonomy by the USSR and reside in Gorno-Badakhshan region known as the GBAO. For years, the Pamiris’ ancient traditions, peaceful religious faith, and highly educated populace, accused by Tajikistan President Imomali Rahmon of being “inbred” and run by “criminals”, have faced a…

Controversial top diplomat, turning 100 on Saturday, organized airlift to resupply Israel during Yom Kippur War, secretly brokered ties with communist China. US diplomat Henry Kissinger, who turns 100 on Saturday, shaped US foreign policy like few others, with a long — and highly controversial — record. Here are some of the major moments of Kissinger, who served both as national security adviser and secretary of state to presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford: China Kissinger secretly flew to Beijing in July 1971 on a mission to establish relations with communist China, setting the stage for a landmark visit by…