Author: Zardusht

Jakarta, Surabaya (19/11 – 20) With the elimination of their national team on Saturday, Indonesia’s capabilities to put on its finest show as the host of the 2023 Under-17 World Cup will be tested. Indonesia has been given a second chance to host a global football tournament once again, with the 19th Edition of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, a moving spectacle held in Jakarta, Surabaya, Surakarta and Bandung, from 10 November to 2 December 2023. This opportunity arrived just months after FIFA stripped out Indonesia’s hosting rights for the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. The bid wa doomed by…

London (11/11 – 40) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Sri Lanka’s membership with immediate effect, citing government interference in its administration. Sri Lanka’s sports ministry had dismissed Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) board and replaced it with an interim committee following poor World Cup performance – although the sacking was stayed by Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal. “The ICC board met today and determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a member, in particular the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in the governance, regulation…

This aircraft has the ability to transport up to 60 tons of cargo in the direction of up to 4200 km. It is usually used to transport military equipment. On the night of October 19-20, an Il-76MD military aircraft caught fire at the military airport on the outskirts of Dushanbe. Video footage of the plane fire was sent by Radio Ozodi users. According to the users of Radio Ozodi, this incident happened at the airport of Hisar, close to Aini airport. Radio Ozodi’s efforts to get the opinion of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan did not work, on October 21, no one…

Paris (08/11 – 75) Sri Lanka’s economic and political crisis of 2022 left the country bankrupt. Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as President of Sri Lanka in July 2022 when the country was in the middle of its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1948. His predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had been forced out of power after facing mass protests prompted by 12-hour power cuts and persistent fuel and food shortages. The nation was bankrupt.Wickremesinghe brought in the International Monetary Fund and has focused on reaching macroeconomic stability and driving tough but much-needed structural reforms. Today, as Sri Lanka embarks…

Abubakr Sherov, a Tajik wrestler, won a bronze medal at the World Championship among youth, which is taking place in the city of Odivelas, Portugal. This 20-year-old Tajik wrestler defeated the American Ruslan Korotich in the first round, the Brazilian Gabriel Falcao in the second round, and the Hungarian Gergel Adorjani in the third round and reached the quarter-finals. However, Abu Bakr lost to Kazakh Almaty Adileti in the quarter-finals. He defeated France’s Eliot Prevet in the consolation round and defeated Japan’s Keito Kihara in the bronze medal match. Winners of weight -73 kg 1. Vusal Qalandarzoda (Azerbaijan) 2. Jack Yonezuka…

Frankfurt, Brussels (6/10 – 27) While Tajik authorities have not been able to lay their hands on their activist opponents living in Europe, they are able to turn the screws on their families and relatives, back in the old country. The recent case of arrest of family members took place shortly after President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany, to attend a summit of Central Asian leaders, at the end of last month. Throughout Rahmon’s visit, he was trailed by demonstrators holding up placards bearing pictures of political prisoners and calling him a dictator. When Rahmon headed to the Bundestag on…

Khairiniso Yusufi, the deputy chairman of the People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan, Abdukhalil Khaliqzoda, called the author of the controversial book “The weather of my life” a “domestic enemy” and accused him of treason against the nation and the state and provocation. Abdukhalil Khaliqzoda, manager and owner of the private hospital “Ibn Sino” was arrested at the beginning of August this year on the suspicion of “inciting national hatred and regionalism” by order of the Prosecutor General of Tajikistan. Later, Abdukadir Rustam, a well-known writer who contributed to the editing of the book, was arrested on the same charge. Tajik activists condemned the arrest of these…

Copenhagen (17/08 – 78) Kidnapping, intimidation, and blackmail are just some of the means used to hit enlistment quotas in Tajikistan. When conscription season comes around in Tajikistan, military recruiters begin resorting to desperate measures. Scooping young men off the streets in actions tantamount to kidnapping is standard. But that is just for starters. To pressure communities into giving up their sons, recruiters will disconnect the electricity, detain relatives, and shut down mosques. Eligible levees draw lots to decide who will be the one to hand themselves over. The hunting season for men of draft age, which applies to people…

As WP notes, Russia is targeting people whose age and background are less likely to attract the attention of the security services, favoring refugees and young people in their 20s. Russian intelligence agencies are recruiting agents in Poland via the Internet, including among Ukrainian refugees , to track the transit of weapons to Ukraine. According to WP , such vacancies began to appear on the Internet at the beginning of the year. The publication reminds that earlier a large spy network collaborating with the Russian special services was uncovered in Poland. Over the course of several weeks, agents were tasked with scouting Polish seaports, placing cameras…

Tajik authorities have questioned the mother of prominent opposition politician Sharofiddin Gadoev who now lives in the Netherlands, and Gadoev has asserted it was done on Russia’s behalf. Oyisha Abdulloeva, 72, said security officers interviewed her at her home in the southwestern city of Farkhor on August 16, asking about Gadoev’s personal habits, including whether he used drugs, consumed tobacco, or drank alcohol.Tajik authorities have not officially commented on the case, and it remained unclear what specific security department was responsible.Sharofiddin Gadoev, a 37-year-old founder of the opposition movement Group 24, said he believed the interview was prompted by Russia’s…