Author: Bakava

Warsaw, Berlin (25/3 – 80) A diverse group of Pamiri and Ismaili interest groups gathered to discuss the terror attack in Moscow. “We reject the notion this were Pamiris or Ismailis representing us”, said one of the spokespeople, who want to remain anonymous out of fear of persecution by the Tajik authorities. “They are Takfiris”, he said. Non-believers, apostates to the cause. The majlis (meeting) was called after Moscow was quick to blame Tajik immigrants for the terror attacks. Previous warnings were ignored by Moscow. “We as a Pamiri community do not belief in the use of violence against the…

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday called on ministers and political parties to stop obstructing the election of a new governor for the Central Bank of Lebanon as the term of the current governor ends on July 31. “The delicacy of the circumstances that Lebanon is going through and the sensitivity of the financial and monetary situation requires an exceptional performance from the ministers and the various concerned political leaders to avoid further tensions and address the urgent situation,” Mikati said after failing to hold a cabinet meeting to elect a new governor for the central bank due…

As the war in Israel rages, an ongoing struggle to control the narrative of the conflict is unfolding between Hamas and the Jewish state. This propaganda battle is not novel, as it has long been observed to coexist with the kinetic action between Israel and the Palestinian armed groups, dating back to at least 2014. Drawing from its prior clashes with Israel, Hamas has gained vital insights on how to effectively counter Israel. Despite being at a military disadvantage in nearly every area, Hamas has developed unconventional methods to attack Israel, including a powerful propaganda system to garner global backing…

The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin and calling for his arrest. Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagner’s field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia. Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged…

Ghassan, a 26-year-old Syrian refugee, lives a precarious and uncertain existence in Lebanon. He and his 40-year-old brother, Ayed, had originally fled Syria in 2012 as the country began its descent into civil war. They registered as Syrian refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which was meant to secure their status in Lebanon. However, on 26 April Ayed was forcibly deported by the Lebanese Army from the Qab Elias camp in Western Beqaa and handed over to Syrian forces, who conscripted him into mandatory military service against his will. Ghassan told Middle East Eye that, on the day of…

Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to take part in the state flag-raising ceremony today, Kazinform cites the Akorda press service. During the ceremony, the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan will award the officer ranks to the best graduates of the military higher education institutions. On June 8, President Tokayev will address the plenary session of the Astana International Forum. Participants of the forum themed ‘Tackling challenges through dialogue: Towards cooperation, development and progress’ will discuss the climate change, food shortage and energy security. Attending this year’s edition of the forum…

“Bulgaria has the ambition to intensify its cooperation with the Republic of South Africa, which is a key factor in international relations and on the African continent”. This was stated by the Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who met in Pretoria with the President of the Republic of South Africa – Cyril Ramaphosa. Opportunities to expand cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, transport, tourism, education and science were the focus of the meeting of the two presidents. The remarkable growth in economic exchange last year between Sofia and Pretoria of nearly 200% was also reported on it. The Republic of South Africa is among the most economically developed countries on…

Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon’s central bank, Banque du Liban, is not expected to appear as scheduled before a European financial investigation at a Paris court on Tuesday. He was summoned by French Judge Aude Buresi two weeks ago. It is thought the session was scheduled to bring charges against Salameh over allegations that he accumulated a fortune in European accounts, including cash and real estate, through a complex system of financial arrangements and the embezzlement of large amounts of Lebanese public funds. The European investigation, involving France, Germany and Luxembourg, focuses on the relationship between the central bank…

Lebanon has been historically renowned for its healthcare system; Lebanese physicians have staffed hospitals in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, while travelers have flocked to Beirut for medical tourism. For years, high class facilities and training among the country’s university medical centers enabled international standards to prevail and created a trusting and respected environment. This applied to both Lebanon’s public and private hospitals and was also demonstrable through their performance during various infectious disease challenges. Lebanon has experienced several infectious diseases including influenza, tuberculosis, hepatitis A, typhoid fever. The most recent global health pandemic, Covid-19, saw Rafic Hariri…

From May 1, JSC “KazTransOil” has raised tariffs for oil export and transit through Kazakhstan, the company’s press service reported. From May 1, the tariff for filling oil into railway tanks at the station named after T. Kasymova is 1213.20 tenge per ton (previously the tariff was 409.57 tenge). At the station named after T. Kasymov, the cost of pouring oil into the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (KPC) system without heating is 263.49 tenge per ton (previously 122.91 tenge). And the heating of oil into the KPC system will cost 320.09 tenge per ton (previously 128.43 tenge). At the “Makat”…