Author: Dogatpasa

The US Government is close to completing one of the most expensive embassies in US history, with a $1bn price tag that matches its now-famous London site. This time it is Lebanon – far from a mammoth economy like the UK – that is home to the new project which, in terms of land, is almost two-and-a-half times the size of the White House estate.  Lebanon, a country of just six million people (and roughly two million refugees), is three years into a multifold economic crisis that has little historic precedent on a global basis. Plans for the US embassy were announced…

In a new sign of mounting pressure on Lebanon’s central bank, President Riad Salameh, a Swiss delegation is scheduled to visit Lebanon as part of ongoing investigations. Switzerland was the first European country to begin an inquiry into Salameh, who is the subject of a series of judicial probes at home and abroad, into the fortune he has amassed during some three decades on the job.  Beirut said in January 2021 that it had received a Swiss judicial assistance request as part of an investigation into more than $300 million in financial transfers by the central bank director, his assistant, and his…

The 7th meeting of the Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation between the governments of Azerbaijan and Romania will be held in Bucharest, co-chairman of the commission from the Azerbaijani side, Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population Sahil Babayev said, the ministry told Azernews. According to the ministry, Babayev met with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Azerbaijan Vasile Soare. During the meeting, it was highlighted that Azerbaijani-Romanian relations are constantly developing and today are at the level of strategic partnership. Some 61 documents have been signed that serve to expand bilateral…

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, center, waves as he stands with Hezbollah members and Lebanese lawmakers with the Israeli side of the border in the background, during a visit to the village of Maroun el-Rass on the Lebanon-Israel border, south Lebanon, April 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari) Iran’s foreign minister toured Lebanon’s border with Israel Friday during a visit to the Arab nation, and was documented looking out at the Jewish state his regime regards as an archenemy. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian took the tour with a number of Lebanese parliamentarians and members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, after meeting with…

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev held a telephone conversation, Kazinform learnt from the Akorda press service. The Head of State congratulated Shavkat Mirziyoyev on successful holding of the nationwide referendum on amendments to the Constitution of Uzbekistan. The Kazakh President said that the results of the nationwide referendum stand as testimony to people’s high confidence and unequivocal support of the President’s strategic course. The sides reaffirmed commitment to strengthening strategic partnership and cooperation between the two nations. The Presidents debated dynamic development of Kazakhstan -Uzbekistan relations, implementation of agreements achieved earlier. Source: Kaz Inform

The Democrat Party will nominate its leader Jurin Laksanawisit as the party’s prime ministerial candidate at the coming general election, spokesman Ramet Rattanachaweng said on Wednesday. Mr Ramet said the party’s executive board made the decision at its Tuesday meeting. The decision was confirmed by party secretary-general Chalermchai Sri-on.the party’s executive board made the decision at its Tuesday meeting. The decision was confirmed by party secretary-general Chalermchai Sri-on.The party, Mr Ramet said, would field candidates in all 400 constituencies. Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome is unlikely to follow his brother  Sonthaya Kunplome into the opposition Pheu…

Scammers are using the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria to try to trick people into donating to fake causes, security experts have warned. These scams claim to raise money for survivors, left without heat or water following the disasters that have killed more than 35,000 people. But instead of helping those in need, scammers are channelling donations away from real charities, and into their own PayPal accounts and cryptocurrency wallets. We’ve identified some of the main methods used by scammers, and tools you can use to double check before donating. On TikTok Live, content creators can make money by receiving…

The Israeli government has authorised nine Jewish settlements in the West Bank which were previously unauthorised outposts. It is the first such move by the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The international community regards all settlements as illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. Palestinians see settlements as a major obstacle to a peace deal with Israel. They want all settlements and outposts to be removed from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which they seek for a future Palestinian state. Israel has built about 140 settlements housing some 600,000 Jews since it occupied West Bank and…

Ambassador Tomasz Pernicki, who has been working in Minsk since 2018, is leaving. What can be assumed? The diplomat will take the position of chief of protocol in the office of the newly elected President Petr Pavel. This is justified by the fact, E*vroradio writes, that Pernitsky used to be the director of diplomatic protocol at the Foreign Ministry. After his departure from Minsk, there will be no Czech ambassador to Belarus – only a temporary chargé d’affaires. In fact, this means that the Czech Republic is worsening diplomatic relations with the Lukashenka regime. Columnist Alexander Fridman believes that the…

It appears that the vacuum in the presidency in Lebanon will last several months given the lack of prospects for a local solution or a breakthrough in complicated regional files that will negatively impact the country. Further aggravating the situation is the near collapse of the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, which is an omen that the crisis in Lebanon will become tied to international developments. Lebanon has already held ten presidential elections sessions at parliament but no candidate has come out on top. Intense contacts have been held between local political powers to reach a breakthrough but they have…