Author: Sharubyah

Synopsis Israel’s recent killing of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders and missile attacks on Tehran have made Iran’s dialogue with the West problematic and forced Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to seek closer relations with Russia, China and the Gulf States. The failure of Iran’s strategy of forward defence, as shown in its inability to fend off the Israeli attacks, may compel Iran to acquire a nuclear arsenal earlier. This could derail its hard-won relations with the Gulf States and complicate its desired rapprochement with the West. Commentary Since July 2024, Iran’s policy community has experienced unprecedented events, including the assassinations of…

Washington 6 Nov (20). Donald J. Trump is back. Hate him or love him but we got four years more with the same narcissistic copy of Mussolini. Not Hitler, but Mussolini. Trump has managed to polarize everyone. On the policy side Trump is as shallow as the old guard. Trump brings back the babes of pretty in heels and tight dresses. But that’s all. Now a disclaimer. Harris and Biden are to blame for the Democratic defeat. So were Pelosi, Schumer, and Schiff but Harris and Biden topped it. And who wants a family crushing social climber who stepped over…

The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency warned the country’s leading research universities on Thursday that foreign states are targeting their institutions and imperiling national security. “We know that our universities are being actively targeted by hostile actors and need to guard against the threat posed to frontier research in the most sensitive sectors,” said the deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, who also attended the briefing. The threat requires “further measures,” said the deputy PM, who announced that the government was launching a consultation with the sector so it could “do more to support our universities and put the right…

Prince Rahim Aga Khan, representing the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), recently engaged in asignificant dialogue with Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov, underlining their shared commitment toadvancing sustainable development in the country. The meeting, held at the Ala Archa State Residencein Bishkek on March 1, highlighted the importance of collaboration in addressing critical issues such asclimate change, education, economic opportunity, and cultural preservation.President Japarov welcomed Prince Rahim’s visit, acknowledging the AKDN’s longstanding contributionsto Kyrgyzstan’s socio-economic progress. He expressed gratitude for the AKDN’s efforts in improvingliving conditions, particularly in mountainous regions, and invited further partnership in combatingclimate change, conserving biodiversity, and enhancing…

Dushanbe 25/2 (35.71) The social networking activity of “influencer” Ismoil Mahmadzoir is causing a stir within the country’s political and security corridors. His grandfather President Emomali Rahmon is planning his succession, which has triggered quiet maneuvering within elite factions, including Mahmadzoir’s relatives. Nobody is clear about how becomes the next president of Tajikistan. The daughters jockeying for the top job besides the grandson.Video of a bland speech by Tajikistan’s long-time President Emomali Rahmon was posted late last month on Instagram by Buzkashi_1111, a handle created by Ismoil Mahmadzoir, the 25-year-old son of Firuza Emomali, one of the president’s daughters, who…

On the first anniversary of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s deadliest border war, marked in September, irascible Kyrgyz national-security chief Kamchybek Tashiev aired his frustrations at the slow progress in talks aimed at demarcating the disputed frontier. Tajikistan, said Tashiev, was making “territorial claims” against Kyrgyzstan in the talks. “But our answer is that there should be no such claims,” Tashiev fumed, noting ominously that Kyrgyzstan had found “new documents” related to the border. “Based on those, we know that many parts of Kyrgyzstan had been given to Tajikistan,” he claimed. “If [Tajikistan] does not renounce its territorial claims against Kyrgyzstan then…

Jaishankar is in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala to represent India at the two-day summit of the Non-Aligned Movement External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday on the sidelines of the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Ugandan capital, Kampala.Jaishankar posted from his official X handle on Saturday In a series of bilateral meetings and engagements at the ongoing NAM summit in Uganda, Jaishankar met with his counterparts from Bolivia, Azerbaijan and Venezuela on Friday.In his meetings with the leaders, Jaishankar exchanged views on regional and global issues and discussed…

Government Body Could Impose Sweeping Censorship, Prosecute Offenders A repressive new internet law that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to rush through parliament this week would create broad and vague new speech-related offenses punishable by lengthy prison terms. The law would seriously threaten the right to freedom of expression as Sri Lanka prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year. The proposed law, the Online Safety Bill, purportedly provides protections against online harassment, abuse, and fraud. Instead, it is mostly concerned with creating a new “Online Safety Commission,” appointed by the president, that can decide what online speech is “false” or “harmful,”…

Brussels (21/10 – 75) In May 2022, tens of ethnic Pamiri protesters were killed by security forces as demonstrations were violently suppressed and an “anti-terrorist operation” was launched in the east of the country. Activists, local leaders, journalists and bloggers were arrested and sentenced in unfair trials. Many reported being tortured. Access to information, including through the media and internet, remained heavily restricted. Domestic violence remained widespread with victims rarely securing justice or support. Afghan refugees continued to be detained and deported. Tajikistan’s economic and political life continued to be tightly controlled by the president, in the 30th year of…

Israeli shelling killed two people in south Lebanon on Friday, a Lebanese official said, as the collapse of a truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas prompted a resumption of hostilities at the frontier. The Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, said it had carried out several attacks on Israeli military positions at the border in support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where a week-long pause in the fighting ended early on Friday. The Israeli army said its artillery struck sources of fire from Lebanon and air defenses had intercepted two launches. The army also said it…