Author: Blake Morgan

The Tajikistani authorities are perpetuating systemic discrimination and severe human rights violations against the Pamiri minority, according to new research by Amnesty International. The Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO) in East Tajikistan is home to several ethnic groups forming the Pamiri minority, mostly practicing the Shia Ismaili branch of Islam. Denied official recognition as a minority and regarded as ethnic Tajiks by the central authorities, Pamiris face systemic discrimination, suppression of cultural and religious institutions, political oppression, and brutal reprisals for defending their rights. “The ongoing persecution and human rights violations against the Pamiri minority in Tajikistan reached an alarming scale…

Sri Lanka’s president said Wednesday he was seeking a moratorium on foreign debt repayments until 2028, following a government default during the island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis two years ago. A collapse in foreign exchange reserves saw months of food and fuel shortages along with street protests that forced the ouster of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s predecessor in 2022. Sri Lanka has since signed up to an International Monetary Fund rescue package and is working to repair public finances since the government default in April of that year. Wickremesinghe said talks were still ongoing with both bilateral and private creditors to…

Sanjiva Weerawarana is a Sri Lankan success story. He founded enterprise software firm WSO2 in 2005, got it close to $100 million in ARR as its CEO, then sold it to private equity firm EQT for $600 million in May. He sometimes drives for Uber, too. Sri Lanka isn’t renowned for its startup ecosystem, but one company has been something of an outlier in the South Asian island nation these past two decades. WSO2, an open source enterprise software provider with customers such as Samsung, Axa, and AT&T, recently agreed to be acquired by private equity giant EQT, at a valuation TechCrunch reported at the time…

Paris/Jakarta (24/7 – 28.57). “Coffee is the common man’s gold, and like gold, it brings to every person the feeling of luxury and nobility.” – Sheik-Abd-al-Kadir A friend recently opened a coffee shop is called after its owner, Muteeya. Though modest, it embodies the burgeoning coffee culture found in Paris, London, the US, and now Jakarta. The coffee is steaming hot, and soft tunes fill the air. Outside, rain pounds against the window, streaking down and forming small puddles on the street. As I gaze through the glass blurred by water, I take a sip of my warm coffee,…

Tajikistan and China have agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of transportation and logistics.   Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport (MoT) and Kashgar Jinlida International Logistics Center Co., Ltd have agreed to expand bilateral cooperation.  The parties reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of transportation and logistics, the MoT press center says.    The document was reportedly inked in Dushanbe on May 29 by Mr. Rahmiddin Salomzoda, Director of the State Unitarian Enterprise (SUE) Road Transport and Logistics Services at a Mot, and Mr. Yan Xijang, Director-General of the Jinlida International Logistics Center Co., Ltd in…

Europe’s new “Iron Lady”, Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, is one of the strongest voices for an uncompromising stand against belligerent Russia. Brussels (30 June – 28). Having grown up under the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Kaja Kallas was urging EU leaders to take the Russian threat seriously long before the invasion of Ukraine On Saturday, the Reform Party chose climate minister Kristen Michal to replace outgoing Kaja Kallas, who is the EU’s new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The unanimous decision to nominate Michal was made following a closed-door meeting by the party’s governing board only two days after…

ISLAMABAD   –   A ringleader of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was reportedly killed in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, reports coming from the neighbouring country suggested. The slain terrorist Abdul Manan alias Hakeemullah (Shura Member of ex-TTP Malakand) was killed in Chaghasarai, District Asadabad, Kunar, Afghanistan. According to the reports, on 16 June 2024, prominent terrorist commander Abdul Manan was fatally injured as he remained actively involved in all sorts of terrorist activities including target killings, IED attacks, etc. Abdul Manan was formerly associated with the TTP Malakand Shura and was recognized as an aide to TTP leader Azmatullah Mehsud alias Azmat Lala and…

Brussels/London (16/6 – 33.33) The defeat of the Russian Federation is a foregone conclusion. It is a reality. It is a must. Victory for Ukraine is non-negotiable. It is an absolute necessity. As ironclad as Brussels, London, Berlin or Washington. As ironclad as the Normandy battlefield, Waterloo, Verdun, or many other spots on the planet. We, the ones living in this generation that saw the war erupted right in front of our eyes, owe it to the young men and women in the Ukraine who gave their lives for this conviction. An excessive number of sceptics advocate for surrender. We…

Last week, within just two days, China’s self-developed regional jet ARJ21 completed two breakthrough commercial operations linking China’s northwestern province of Xinjiang with the Central Asian region. The first commercial operation of the ARJ21 passenger-to-freighter conversion First, on June 6th, the ARJ21 passenger-to-freighter conversion aircraft completed its first commercial flight, marking the first time a derivative model other than the passenger version of the ARJ21 program entered commercial operation. The first commercial operation of the ARJ21 passenger-to-freighter conversion aircraft was by YTO Cargo Airlines, flight number YG9097, which flew from Yining, the capital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, to Tashkent,…

After 16 years of containment and deterrence strategy toward Hamas, it seems that the barbaric massacre committed on October 7 brought the State of Israel to the conclusion that a terrorist organization that works to destroy the Jewish State cannot exist on its borders. Thus, the IDF’s tactical and intelligence failure may lead to a strategic turning point in Israel’s perception of security, not only against Hamas in the Gaza Strip but also toward Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy in Lebanon, which possesses an arsenal of more than 150,000 missiles with greater precision and destruction capabilities than those of Hamas. While October 7 will…