Author: Vasil Iarajuli

Saudi Arabia’s plan to increase crude production could seriously undercut Russia’s fossil fuel revenues needed for its war against Ukraine, Politico reported on Oct. 3. Riyadh plans to abandon its unofficial price target of $100 per barrel and drive up production to ensure its dominant position in the global market, even at the cost of dropping oil prices, the Financial Times reported last week, citing its sources. Russia is greatly reliant on oil and gas profits, which have represented almost one-third of the country’s total federal revenue in 2023 and 42% in 2022. Fossil fuel profits thus play a key role in funding Russia’s expensive war machine.…

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…

‘The logic of retaliation had to be abandoned, and civilian populations had to be protected,’ Macron tells his Iranian counterpartFrance urged Iran on Wednesday to do everything in its power to avoid a new military escalation in the region. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his deep concern over the rising tensions in the region in a phone call to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a statement by the French Foreign Ministry. Macron called on Pezeshkian “to do everything in his power to avoid a new military escalation, which would be in nobody’s interest, including Iran’s, and which would do…

Dozens of Russian military personnel are being trained in Iran to use the Fath-360 close-range ballistic missile system, two European intelligence sources said, adding that they expected the imminent delivery of hundreds of the satellite-guided weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Russian defence ministry representatives are believed to have signed a contract on Dec. 13 in Tehran with Iranian officials for the Fath-360 and another ballistic missile system built by Iran’s government-owned Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) called the Ababil, said the two intelligence officials, who requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive matters. Citing multiple confidential intelligence sources,…

Beijing, Dushanbe announced upgrading of diplomatic relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised to defend the “territorial integrity” of Tajikistan as he announced a boost to diplomatic relations with the neighbouring country on a rare visit. Xi arrived in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, Thursday night from Kazakhstan following a gathering of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), during which he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged the bloc to “resist external interference”. Central Asia is a vital link in China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive infrastructure project that Beijing has used to expand…

The successful phasing-out of gas imports from Russia risks making Europe dependent on liquified natural gas (LNG) imports, according to a report published by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) today (June 24). Between 2021 and 2022, LNG imports increased from 80 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 120 bcm — reflecting an increase from 22% to 34% of total gas imports including from Russia and pipeline — according to the ECA. By 2023, the largest LNG global exporters to the EU were Norway (30%), the US (19.4%) and North Africa (14.1%), Russia was still responsible for 6.1% of LNG imports alongside 8.7% via pipeline,…

Paris, Brussels, Kiev (11 June – 75) This meeting followed Macron’s announcement that France would be supplying Mirage combat aircraft to Ukraine, bolstering the country’s defense against Russia’s aggression. Zelenskyy’s visit to France coincided with his quest for additional Western support, particularly as Ukrainian forces battled fiercely to repel a Russian offensive near the eastern city of Kharkiv. The conflict, escalating rapidly, has become the largest in Europe since World War II, underscoring the urgent need for international solidarity and assistance. Amidst these grave circumstances, the diplomatic exchange between France and Ukraine exemplifies the crucial alliance and shared commitment to…

Russia has reportedly lost a staggering amount of troops over the past 24 hours along with dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles as bloody fighting takes its toll on Vladimir Putin’s men. Russia lost a staggering 1,740 troops in a single day, the highest tally of casualties for Moscow since the start of the invasion in 2022, according to Ukraine. In the previous 24 hours, Ukraine also claimed Russia had lost 30 tanks and 42 armoured vehicles. Death toll and military hardware statistics are difficult to assess with both sides giving different or little information. However, Ukraine’s armed forces have claimed Russia has so far lost an eye-watering…

A group of opponents of the Tajik government in Europe said that the authorities have increased pressure on their relatives inside the country for three days. The reason, according to them, was that “the president of the Republic of Tajikistan is likely to visit one of the European countries, and the representatives of the opposition should not hold demonstrations, raise slogans, and throw eggs against him.” Tajik authorities have not yet announced the president’s visit abroad. Our efforts to get an official comment have so far been unsuccessful. The travel time is also not exact. “The authorities demand the parents…

Most dismissed retired IDF general Yitzhak Brick’s warning earlier this year of a Hamas invasion. Now Netanyahu wants his advice on how to win. Yitzhak Brick might be the only Israeli military official to see what was coming. And he’s been warning of it for some time. He also does not see a ground invasion of Gaza as the only option. And Israel must prepare for a multi-front war given the situation in the north. Brick cautioned, among other things, of problems with the competence of ground forces and made it clear that the ground invasion does not have to be…