Author: Muhamad Anindita

Federica Mogherini and Bernard Cazeneuve were on the board of Panzeri’s human rights campaign. Now they’ve quit and he’s in jail. It was one of the best-connected human rights groups in Brussels, boasting an office a few meters from the British ambassador’s residence and a clutch of top names on its board. Now it is at the center of an alleged corruption scandal engulfing the European Parliament; those leading patrons have quit and even its own name plate has been removed from the door. Fight Impunity was founded in 2019 by Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former MEP, to promote the…

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,…

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…

Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova, who officially was dismissed mid-June, fled to France ‘with hundreds of millions of dollars saved in cryptocurrency.’. Tsargrad and other Telegram channels report this with reference to several sources, although confirmation or refutation of this data has not yet been received. If she fled to France, it must be a deal with the French security service, as she is sanctioned in Europe. There is a version that Shevtsova allegedly cooperated with the investigation against the detained generals, trying to avoid her own charges. According to another version, the generals, to reduce their sentences,…

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…

Kiev (6/6 – 33.33) The air was thick with tension as the elite Ukrainian special forces team, known as the “Steel Wolves,” huddled in a makeshift command post on the outskirts of a war-torn city. Outside, the sound of distant gunfire echoed through the night, a grim reminder of the relentless advance of Vladimir Putin’s troops. Colonel Yuri Ivanov, the commanding officer of the Steel Wolves, surveyed his men with steely determination. These were the best of the best, handpicked for their courage, skill, and unwavering loyalty to Ukraine. They had been fighting tooth and nail to slow the Russian…

Tajikistan officially banned the hijab, imposing hefty fines in its latest move to curb Islamic influence. Beni Mellal – 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…

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has announced a new DFC commitment of up to $126 million for Indonesian geothermal developer PT Medco Cahaya Geothermal (MCG) to support the 31-MW Phase 1 development of the Ijen geothermal project in East Java. The DFC commitment for the company is in cooperation with Indonesian infrastructure bank PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero)(SMI), with which MCG has signed a financing agreement last year. A ceremonial commitment signing was held in Jakarta between Nisha Biswal, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the DFC and representatives from PT Medco Power Indonesia and Ormat Technologies Inc. MCG is jointly owned by Medco Power (51%)…

Jakarta – Minister Manpower Ida Fauziyah outlined several factors behind Gen Z’s high unemployment rate in Indonesia. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) reported that about 9.9 million people aged 15-24 years in the country were unemployed in 2023.  According to the BPS, Indonesia has a total of 44.47 million people in the 15-24 year age group in 2023. Most of the unemployed youngsters or those who are not involved in productive activities are part of Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012. Ida disclosed that one of the causes is the mismatch between the skills that graduates possess and the labor market’s industrial needs.…

Jakarta – Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani said she has not been presented with any student loan proposal from Education Minister Nadiem Makariem. “So I cannot give my feedback yet,” she said on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.  This student loan scheme was discussed in a Tuesday meeting between the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology. This meeting discussed, among other things, the topic of tuition fees for college students. Commission X of DPR mentioned the student loan plan to overcome high tuition rates. Deputy Chairman of Commission X of DPR, Dede Yusuf Macan, said student loans must be established…