Author: Kennin Monroe

China and Tajikistan on Friday announced the elevation of ties to comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ongoing state visit to Tajikistan, injecting new momentum and opening up a new chapter in bilateral ties and common development of the two countries. The visit, which saw Xi award Tajik President Emomali Rahmon the Friendship Medal of the People’s Republic of China and the issuing of a joint statement detailing the blueprint for bilateral cooperation, is seen as a landmark event, underscoring the high-quality development and the elevation of bilateral ties led by head-of-state diplomacy, analysts said. It showed that the…

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…

Tajikistan officially banned the hijab, imposing hefty fines in its latest move to curb Islamic influence. The Central Asian nation of Tajikistan officially prohibited the wearing of hijabs and other “alien garments” this week, as the country’s parliament passed a new bill regulating Islamic clothing and Eid celebrations. The bill, approved by the upper house of parliament, Majlisi Milli, on June 19, comes after years of an unofficial clampdown on the hijab in the Muslim-majority country. Under the new law, individuals wearing hijabs or other banned religious clothing could face hefty fines of up to 7,920 somonis (approximately $700). Companies…

On the first anniversary of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s deadliest border war, marked in September, irascible Kyrgyz national-security chief Kamchybek Tashiev aired his frustrations at the slow progress in talks aimed at demarcating the disputed frontier. Tajikistan, said Tashiev, was making “territorial claims” against Kyrgyzstan in the talks. “But our answer is that there should be no such claims,” Tashiev fumed, noting ominously that Kyrgyzstan had found “new documents” related to the border. “Based on those, we know that many parts of Kyrgyzstan had been given to Tajikistan,” he claimed. “If [Tajikistan] does not renounce its territorial claims against Kyrgyzstan then…

For years, the exact reason behind the yellow color of urine remained a mystery, puzzling scientists and medical professionals alike. However, a recent breakthrough has finally shed light on this everyday biological trait. A new study found that an enzyme, known as bilirubin reductase, is ultimately responsible for giving urine its characteristic yellow color. “It’s remarkable that an everyday biological phenomenon went unexplained for so long, and our team is excited to be able to explain it,” said lead author Brantley Hall, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland’s Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics. The journey from red…

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance presented its 3D Hajj app to visitors at the Jusoor exhibition in Morocco, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Through the app, users can immerse themselves in an augmented-reality experience while learning the ritual steps involved in performing Hajj and Umrah. A high-quality realistic modeling system is used by the app through smartphones, and its services are interactive and require no internet connection. It supports the Arabic, English, French and Urdu languages, and one can easily get more information and answers on the app through voice and image. It is available for…

Brussels (25/11 – 33.3) Tajikistan Supreme Court has sentenced a widely respected 65-year-old female journalist, Ulfathonim Mamadshoeva, to 21 years in prison on charges of incitement to overthrowing the government. Mamadshoeva was accused by the authorities of being a leading figure behind the political turbulence that rocked her native Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) earlier this year. State propaganda has previously alleged that the veteran reporter and activist hatched the purported plot, for which no credible evidence has been produced, at the behest of an unnamed foreign government. Mamadshoeva’s brother, Khursand, was last week sentenced to 18 years in prison on…

No investigation has yet been opened into the death of a Sudanese woman journalist who was run down by a vehicle of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces 20 days ago, on 10 October. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls the Sudanese authorities to identify the persons responsible and bring them to justice. The journalist, Halima Idris Salim, was covering fighting between the regular army and the paramilitaries in Omdurman, a city on the opposite bank of the Nile from the capital Khartoum, when a Rapid Support Forces vehicle knocked her down and left her for dead. It is still hard to know whether she was deliberately killed,…

Paris, Wellington, Cape Town (29/10 – 18) South Africa has produced another magnificent defensive performance, to win the 2023 World Rugby Cup final. The Springboks beat New Zealand 12-11 in a Saturday thriller at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, thus becoming the first nation to win four Rugby World Cup titles – after their previous triumphs in 1995, 2007, and 2019. Four Handre Pollard penalties gave the Springboks a 12-6 lead in the first half. By that time, New Zealand already lost captain Sam Cane, red-carded for a high tackle on Jesse Kriel in the 32nd minute. The All Blacks only…

In a bid to connect West Africa to eastern Africa, Uganda Airlines Friday commenced flight operations to Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. This was coming 21 years after both countries signed the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) for flight operations. The inaugural flight of the airline touched down at the MMIA from Entebbe International Airport with passengers and a government delegation. The A330-800 aircraft was received with a ceremonial water cannon salute from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Firefighting and Rescue Services. And just as the airline commenced the three weekly flights to Lagos,…