Author: Tsisana Machabeli

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski urged EU governments to stop providing social support to Ukrainian men of fighting age who are refugees in their countries. During the Yalta European Strategy, a forum for discussing Ukraine’s European future which was held in Kyiv, Sikorski said that to “help Ukraine’s war effort”, there should be “no financial incentives for avoiding the draft in Ukraine.” He referred to Russian drones crossing into NATO members’ airspace as reasons for EU governments to stop paying social security benefits to men of draft age and strengthen defence efforts against Russia. Airspace violations in Latvia and Romania…

Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza Thursday (8 August), killing more than 18 people in strikes on two schools, the emergency services said, as Iran accused it of wanting to spread war in the Middle East. Western governments pressed efforts to defuse tensions in the region, sky-high after the killing of two top militant leaders in attacks blamed on Israel that the militants and their Iranian backers have vowed to avenge. Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes hit two schools in Gaza City, killing more than 18 people. The Israeli military said it struck Hamas command centres. “The…

The Czechs have never forgotten that allies handed over their Sudetenland Province to Hitler in 1938 after the German dictator promised it would be “last territorial demand I have to make in Europe.” The Czechs have never forgotten that allies handed over their Sudetenland Province to Hitler in 1938 after the German dictator promised it would be “the last territorial demand I have to make in Europe.” Months later, Nazis occupied their country and waged war in Europe and around the world for seven more years, killing tens of millions. To many today, Ukraine is the next Sudetenland as it…

Berlin (29/2 – 30) Ukrainian officials are concerned that Russian advances could gain significant momentum by the summer unless their allies can increase the supply of ammunition, according to a person familiar with their analysis. Internal assessments of the situation on the battlefield from Kyiv are growing increasingly bleak as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold off Russian attacks while rationing the number of shells they can fire. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Thursday that mistakes by frontline commanders had compounded the problems facing Ukraine’s defense around Avdiivka, which was captured by Russian forces this month. Syrskyi said he’d sent in more…

Armenia has convened emergency talks at the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union after Russia refused to allow in a growing number of its trucks amid a deepening diplomatic chill between the two nations, state news agency Armenpress reported on Wednesday. Armenpress quoted Vahan Kerobyan, Armenia’s economy minister, as saying that the number of Armenian vehicles denied entry to Russia had increased dramatically in recent days. “It is simply strange that 35 trucks get turned around in a whole year, and then just within two days another 35 trucks (get turned around), when no changes have been made in our regulations or…

“The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again tried to speculate on the issue of the protection of cultural monuments. Instead of talking about sending a UNESCO mission to the territory of Azerbaijan, the Armenian side should accept such a mission on its territory.” According to Azernews, it was said in the statement of the Western Azerbaijan Community. It was noted that the community has repeatedly sent a request to UNESCO to send a mission to Armenia to monitor the condition of Azerbaijani monuments in Armenia: “According to our information, UNESCO has sent a relevant message to the Armenian government regarding…

Toronto, Atlanta (28/11 – 20) A wise old expression intones “Behind every bad borrower is a bad lender”. Like many such cute, amusing aphorisms, it is accurate as far as it goes … but what if? What if a loan approval is held up, then granted, after a couple of phone calls from the office of the Vice President? What if the borrower is a crony or relative of Mr. Big, which is what practically bankrupted Indonesia, when the Soeharto vampire children took out multi-hundred-million-dollar “loans” (wink wink) for projects whose profit-making potential was near zero? What is the potential…

Azerbaijani authorities detained former Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan on Thursday (5/10), on charges of involvement in launching an aggressive war and alleged war crimes. This detention comes amid ongoing tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed region, Nagorno-Karabakh. Quoting The National News , before clashes flared in the region, Harutyunyan resigned from his post as president of Nagorno-Karabakh in early September. He is currently being detained by Azerbaijani authorities who are conducting various investigations regarding his role in the escalation of the conflict that occurred several years ago. “Harutyunyan is suspected of waging an aggressive war and alleged war crimes,” the public prosecutor…

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population Sahil Babayev has met with newly appointed World Bank Country Manager for the country Stefanie Stallmeister, Azernews reports. During the meeting, Minister Sahil Babayev hailed the successful cooperation between the Ministry and the World Bank, stressing the importance of the projects implemented jointly over the past period. Babayev emphasized the important role of the “Employment Support Project” in expanding the self-employment program in Azerbaijan and supporting the access of vulnerable groups to small business. The meeting also focused on the social reforms and achievements, strengthening of social protection of vulnerable groups, expansion of…

On August 24, 2023, Kazakhstan-Singapore Business Council #KSBC Chairman Mr. Sultan Marenov hosted a prominent Kazakh entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist Mr.Kenges Rakishev in Singapore and arranged a meeting with the Senior Managing Director of the Singapore Exchange (SGX) Mr. Pol de Win. The parties discussed the opportunities for Kazakh companies to list on the SGX and raise capital for investment in the growing economy of Kazakhstan. SGX is one of the leading and recognizable exchanges in the world, and deepening cooperation with Kazakhstan will raise the awareness of potential investors. We look forward to continuing our discussion and establishing fruitful…