Author: Ruldu Patel

For many years, Tajikistan has been gravely affected by drug trafficking. At least 15-20 tons of opium and between 75 and 80 metric tons of heroin are smuggled into the country each year from Afghanistan either for local consumption or for transfer to Russia and Europe. Despite an official Tajik government policy to fight illicit drug trafficking in cooperation with foreign governments and international organizations, trafficking continues to increase. The volume of drug transit through Tajikistan is now equivalent to 30 percent of the country’s GDP. So far, the success of domestic Tajik policies and international assistance has been minimal. Trafficking is a product of numerous complex…

Prosecutors are looking at secretly filmed footage of an archbishop who appeared to offer a fake businessman a hefty bribe for securing funding for his archdiocese. Romania’s National Anticorruption Directorate, DNA, announced the start of a criminal investigation into a senior cleric of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Teodosie of Tomis. On November 21, the portal Recorder published images from a hidden camera filmed by a priest who claimed to be a businessman, and who proposes to the archbishop a way to obtain 800,000 lei in funding for the archdiocese from the State Secretariat for Cults. In exchange, he seeks…

As per MLSI, the reluctance amongst doctors to work in government facilities is leading to a shortage of doctors and an acute shortage of specialised doctors in the public health department A survey undertaken by the Medico Legal Society of India (MLSI), an association of doctors and medico-legal experts, has revealed that impractical working conditions like inadequate staff, infrastructure and supply of essential medicines are the prime reasons behind doctors’ unwillingness to work in the public healthcare sector. The pan-India survey which ended on November 18 was conducted among doctors to find out the reasons for the shortage of workforce…

“What is happening in the world, especially in our region, highlights the importance of uniting under the umbrella of Organization of Turkic States,” says Turkish President Erdogan. Ankara wants Turkmenistan to become a full member of the Organization of Turkic States, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. “I would like to emphasise that we want to see Turkmenistan, which has become an observer member of the Organization of Turkic States, as a full member in our family assembly,” Erdogan said at a press conference on Thursday. “What is happening in the world, especially in our region, highlights the importance…

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji, and Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash accompanied the first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber on his trip to Kyrgyzstan to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States. During this trip, they met and held talks with the ministers of energy and transport of this country at the request of the Kyrgyz side. In this meeting, Kyrgyzstan demanded the participation of Iran, especially the Ministry of Oil, in the modernization and reconstruction of one of the country’s refineries. In addition to announcing its need…

Berlin (21/09 – 40) His Excellency Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka, spoke at the General Debate of the 78th Session of the General Assembly on 21 September 2023, reflecting on the theme of ‘Rebuilding trust and reigniting solidarity’ and its relevance to Sri Lanka’s recent challenges. President Wickremesinghe said that amidst multiple global crises in 2022, his country experienced its most challenging period in recent times. “Nevertheless, we succeeded in bringing about a democratic political transition, due to our deeply entrenched and resilient democratic traditions,” he added. Turning to technological and scientific advances, he said they offer boundless new…

Brussels (27/10 – 50) Just in September this year, ten “distinguished” people in Tajikistan have been awarded general ranks. The decree on conferring general ranks was signed by the country’s president, Emomali Rahmon, on September 7th. According to this decree, there are now three more generals in the Agency for State Financial Control and Anti-Corruption. The rank of Major General of Justice was awarded to the head of the Finance and Economic Department, Fazliddin Khodjazoda, the head of the Special Operations Department, Abdurakhmon Davlatzoda, and the head of the Agency for GBAO, Zoir Gafurzoda. The rank of Major General of…

Paris, Frankfurt (27/10 – 20) Indonesian Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and Vice Presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka registered on Wednesday, Oct 25, the last open day, with the General Election Commission, the recently-forged Prabowo-Gibran team accompanied by millions of sympathizers; there were lengthy traffic jams. Prabowo-Gibran thus complements the two other teams of presidential and vice presidential candidates who registered on the first day: Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD. The three couples have undergone medical tests and the results will come out this afternoon (Oct 27). Since the advent of what is known as Reformasi, or a “reform…

Paris (27/10 – 40) An independent investigation done by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has found that the little-known daughter of Tajikistan’s president has built a medical empire that is generously supported by the state with finance and PR, and her husband, who is ambassador to Turkey, provides her with lobbying services. Parvina Rakhmonova – fifth daughter of the president Emomali Rahmon. Many relatives of the head of Tajikistan became owners of large fortunes or took high government positions after he came to power more than thirty years ago. Unlike Emomali Rahmon’s other children, Parvina is almost unknown to the general public.…

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called a decision by Ukraine to remove OTP from the International Sponsors of War list “a step in the right direction”, and said the Hungarian bank’s inclusion had been “unfounded, deceitful and laughable”, on Wednesday 4 October. Hungary’s top diplomat said he invited representatives of the Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) to Budapest to discuss a deal to guarantee that OTP Bank would not be included on this list in the future. “If a reassuring agreement is reached, then we will of course have to consider what steps this justifies on our part,”…