Author: Soliya Karimova

Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh resigned on February 26 in anticipation of postwar governance challenges. “I see that the next stage and its challenges will require new governmental and political arrangements,” Shtayyeh said, emphasizing “the emerging reality in the Gaza Strip, the national unity talks, and the urgent need for an inter-Palestinian consensus.” American and Palestinian officials expect that Abbas will nominate Mohammed Mustafa, the chairman of the Palestine Investment Fund, as Shtayyeh’s successor. Expert Analysis “Bringing in Palestine Investment Fund chief Mohammed Mustafa and pushing out the current prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh is the rearranging of the…

The number of antisemitic acts registered in France and Belgium have risen sharply since Hamas’ attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza The number of antisemitic acts registered in France and Belgium rose sharply since Hamas’ attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, according to figures released Thursday in both countries. In France, data from the Interior ministry and the Jewish Community Protection Service watchdog showed that 1,676 antisemitic acts were reported in 2023, compared to 436 the previous year. According to the Council of Jewish Institutions in France — the country’s main Jewish interest group — the number of…

The first-ever charter flight to Goa from Uzbekistan landed at the Manohar International Airport near here on Thursday amid the tourist season reaching its peak in the coastal state, an official said. A senior state tourism department official said the flight from the Central Asian nation, whose weekly service will continue till March-end, landed at the new airport in Mopa in North Goa shortly post-noon and travellers were accorded a warm welcome. “The historic flight, Centrum Air Q6 5545, operated by Elaine Avia in Uzbekistan and Goa’s operating agent Concord Exotic Voyages Pvt Ltd, landed at the Mopa airport at…

Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, the world’s largest private water desalination company, announced it had broken ground on the first phase of a 3,000 metric tons per year green hydrogen project in Uzbekistan. Chinese state-owned company PowerChina was selected as general contractor for the project, which is set to be developed in two phases. In the first phase, the company will set up a 3,000 metric tons per annum green ammonia pilot project. Construction has already begun after hydrogen purchase and power purchase agreements were signed in May 2023. In the second phase, the company will add 2.4 GW of wind…

The Ministers discussed projects to promote employment of population, primarily youth, which are being implemented in both countries, and discussed new levels of cooperation. Minister Baatyrova said that Kyrgyzstan is implementing such active employment measures as paid public works, vocational training and vocational guidance, employment projects for persons with disabilities, returning migrants, and supporting women’s entrepreneurship. Minister Baatyrova emphasized importance of the Social Contract Program for overcoming poverty. “We can share our experience in implementation of Social Contract Program. The government provides 100,000 som grants to low-incomes families for start of business. More than 70,000 people improved their lives due…

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…

Brussels (25/10 – 42.86) An independent investigation revealed the secretive daughter of Tajikistan’s president has quietly built a health-care empire that benefits from government largesse, state promotion, and lobbying from her husband, an ambassador for the Central Asian nation. Parvina Rahmonova is among the many children and other relatives of authoritarian President Emomali Rahmon who have amassed significant wealth or been appointed to senior government positions since he came to power more than three decades ago. Unlike several of Rahmon’s other children, however, Rahmonova maintains a nearly invisible public profile. She rarely appears in publicly available family photographs and she…

Berlin (06/11 – 58) UN Special Rapporteur of Human Rights Defenders, Mary Lawlor, has once again called on the authorities of Tajikistan to release imprisoned Tajik journalists and bloggers. Mary Lawlor posted on her social media account, formerly Twitter, that during a meeting with Tajikistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jonibek Hikmat, in New York on October 24, she reiterated her call for the Tajik authorities to release the convicted human rights defenders and journalists, including Daler Imomali, Abdullo Gurbati, and Ulfatkhonim Mamadshoeva. Last year, in Tajikistan, eight journalists and bloggers were sentenced to various prison terms, ranging from 7…

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, held meetings with Celso Sabino, Minister of Tourism of Brazil; Rosa Ana Morello Rodríguez, Minister of State for Tourism of Spain; Aziz Abdel Hakimov, Minister of Environment, Environmental Protection and Climate Change and responsible for the tourism portfolio of Uzbekistan; Mariam Kvrishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainability of Georgia; and Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation; to explore ways to develop the national and global tourism sectors. The meetings took place on the sidelines of Al Marri’s participation in the 25th Session of the General Assembly of the United…

Dubai is calling for a united front to spur the development of generative artificial intelligence to maximise its potential and reap economic benefits, the chief executive of the Dubai Future Foundation has said. Countries need to come together to prepare society for the innovation and to help bridge the gap between policies and the advancement of the emerging technology, which has a reported business opportunity of as much as $4.4 trillion, Khalfan Belhoul said at the Dubai Assembly for Generative AI conference on Wednesday. The industries with highest AI potential include banking, software and platforms, energy, communications and media, and health, according to the DFF. Mr Belhoul made his…