Author: James Ramos

After Tajiks were charged with a deadly attack in Moscow, the country has cracked down on signs of Islam. But experts say it’s not addressing the causes of terrorism. People in Tajikistan were expecting a government crackdown after Tajik men were arrested and charged with a terrorist attack on a Moscow concert hall in March. But it still seemed excessive to Nilufar, a 27-year-old education professional, when she saw local authorities with scissors outside a K.F.C. in Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital, trimming beards that were deemed too long. Excessive, but not so surprising. In the span of a month, Nilufar herself…

Budapest (5/7 – 11.11) Former European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker defended U.S. President Joe Biden after his disastrous debate performance last week and warned of his rival Donald Trump’s “incomplete mind and flawed reasoning,” in an interview with Brussels Playbook. Juncker, who was Commission president from 2014 to 2019 during much of Trump’s presidency, said he had yet to watch last week’s debate, which triggered calls for Biden to step aside and make room for someone else to run as the Democratic presidential candidate. Still, Juncker insisted that “one can be of a certain age … and do a good job.” But Juncker…

A telling similarity has been noticed between what Germany was doing before it invaded Poland in September 1939 and what China is doing now – stockpiling resources and raw materials. In the eastern Chinese port of Dongying, the start of 2024 has often seen several tankers docked simultaneously discharging Russian crude oil into a new 31.5 million barrel storage facility completed late last year, Reuters had reported in April. Traders said it was all part of a concerted and deliberate Chinese effort to build up strategic stockpiles for a perhaps uncertain future. In a piece for international affairs and conflict…

The story of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency, culminating in his decision on June 9 to dissolve the French national assembly and call fresh legislative elections, is a tragedy in four acts. Act one was the 2017 presidential election. Macron created a new centrist party, En Marche (now Renaissance), marginalising the formerly dominant parties of centre-left and centre-right, and leaving only the extremes as alternatives. It looked like a brilliant move — in two ways. Politically, the new party was broad enough to help Macron to an easy victory over Marine Le Pen in the presidential election, and then to obtain a…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Washington DC will act if China does not stop sending parts to Russia which fuel its assault on Ukraine. Speaking to the BBC in Beijing, the US’s top diplomat said he had made clear to his counterparts they had to stop selling key components to Moscow. He would not be pushed on what measures Washington DC was prepared to take if not. But Mr Blinken was also keen to stress progress had been made in some areas of cooperation. His visit forms part of a significant increase in dialogue and diplomacy -…

The situation in and around Ocheretyne is desperate for Ukraine This weekend, Russian drones and scouts surveilling the front line just west of the ruins of Avdiivka, in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, observed something strange. Ukrainian trenches just east of the village of Ocheretyne, previously manned by soldiers from the Ukrainian army’s elite 47th Mechanized Brigade, were empty. The village was undefended Seizing the opportunity, the Russian army’s 30th Motor Rifle Brigade raced several miles along the railroad threading west from Avdiivka and captured most of Ocheretyne—and potentially also Novobakhmutivka, the village south of Ocheretyne. It’s the fastest penetration into…

Moscow (28/2). Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that non-governmental organizations in Central Asia have stepped up their anti-Russian activities amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. Shoigu said this at the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense on February 27. According to him, there are more than 100 “large pro-Western non-governmental organisations” operating in Central Asia, which have more than 16,000 representative offices and branches. “Against the backdrop of the special military operation, these NGOs have significantly increased their anti-Russian activities in order to reduce military-technical, economic and cultural cooperation between the Central Asian states and Russia.…

INDEPENDENCE, Ore. — A small plane crashed into power lines in Oregon late Saturday afternoon and killed all three people on board, police said. Polk County emergency services received the report of the single engine plane crash in Independence around 4:55 p.m., the Independence Police Department said in a statement posted on social media. Police said the initial investigation found the collision with electrical power lines resulted in a small brush fire and a power outage in the community about 12 miles (19.3 kilometers) southwest of Salem. Pacific Power said at least 375 customers were without power in Independence after the…

The idea of “AUKUS Plus” has re-emerged after the UK Foreign Affairs Committee issued a 2023 report saying the United Kingdom should extend cooperation “to partners such as Japan and South Korea” as part of AUKUS “Strand B” – or “Pillar Two.” This strand focuses on military technology cooperation with close allies on cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, quantum and undersea innovations, hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, electronic warfare capabilities and further information sharing. While “Pillar One” – which is concerned with nuclear-powered submarine building – remains exclusive to AUKUS’ core of Australia, United Kingdom and the United States, the possibility of Pillar Two cooperation has opened…

Actor who played Chandler Bing in the beloved sitcom remembered as ‘incredibly gifted’, after reportedly drowning at his Los Angeles home Matthew Perry, best known for playing Chandler Bing in the hit TV sitcom Friends, has died at 54. Perry died in an apparent drowning at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, sources including a representative for the actor and law enforcement told NBC News. An official cause of death has yet to be released. Warner Bros Television Group, which produced all 10 seasons of Friends from 1994 until 2004, paid tribute to “our dear friend” and “an incredibly gifted actor”. “The impact of…