Author: Mahavir Sumila

Everything resembles a thriller novel. Early one morning in December last year, after months of undercover investigation and wiretapping, Belgian police officers raided dozens of locations across Brussels. Over the next 3 days, in apartments, hotel rooms and offices, they seized laptops, mobile phones and nearly 1.5 million euros in cash. The following week, 4 people were arrested on corruption charges, including 2 representatives, a former member of parliament and a current member of the European Parliament. Antonio Panzeri, a retired MEP from Italy, who eventually admitted that he was the mastermind of the corruption scheme. Meanwhile, Eva Kaili, vice-president of the…

Attack on police training academy and nearby airport one of the worst since unrest began more than a decade ago. More than 70 people are thought to have been killed in an attack by an al-Qaeda-linked group on Mali’s capital Bamako earlier this week, according to diplomatic and security sources. Hardline fighters from the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) carried out the attack on an elite police training academy and the nearby airport on Tuesday, prompting shock and anger in the West African country. A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AFP news agency that 77 people had…

Geneva (21/11) Following the publication of a report by the presidential committee, which dismissed the Channel 4 documentary on the Easter Sunday attacks, Azad Maulana – who has been in regular contact with Ravi Seneviratne and Shane Abeysekara via the Signal app – has confirmed that he will cooperate with an investigation led by them. Maulana also revealed that Nishantha Silva Kandappa, a former officer in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), a refuge in Switzerland, has been in regular contact with him. He further disclosed that he did not respond to the presidential committee’s inquiry due to the influence of…

By Elijah J. Magnier The Israeli strikes, both security and military-related, must be critically examined, particularly in light of their success in various regions and against multiple targets. These strikes eventually led to the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, despite the stringent security measures in place to protect him. Since becoming a declared target for Israel, Nasrallah’s security detail has implemented extraordinary precautions. Individuals in his immediate surroundings were prohibited from using mobile phones or the Internet. Moreover, Nasrallah adopted a highly secretive lifestyle, frequently relocating between different apartments and never staying in one location for an extended…

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…

Moscow (11 September/ 33.33). Russia waged a 2-year war of aggression against its neighbor, the Ukraine. Two years on, hundred thousand of deaths, families destroyed, Russia is no where near its 3-day goals of occupation. The Russian army slugs on, mile for mile, killed for killed. Vladimir Putin and his Siloviki continues a red army model. Heavy artillery, wave of men urging forward. The result, mass casualties. Total loss of life, and equipment. What does Russians do if in trouble. Reversing to its all bag of tricks. Spies and sabotage. Recent Russian sabotage operations across Europe were “reckless”, Moore said,…

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…

Dhaka (5/8 – 57/14). Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina flees on Monday multiple sources said, as more people were killed in some of the worst violence since the birth of the South Asian nation more than five decades ago. Estimates of the death toll reach up to 300 killed in unrests. Army chief General Waker-Us-Zaman said in a televised address that Hasina had left the country and that an interim government would be formed. Media reports said she had flown in a military helicopter with her sister and was headed to India. Various television channel said she had landed in…