Author: Makbule Safet

Russia’s first e-commerce company, Ozon, has started the construction of the logistics complex in Kazakhstan, with an investment of approximately 15 billion Kazakh tenge (US$33.7 million). According to Ozon, the project, set to be completed within 12 months, will cover an expansive area of 42,000 square meters and is expected to generate 2,000 new job opportunities in the region. Ozon’s business is thriving in Kazakhstan, and the logistics complex will be expanded to accommodate increasing demand from sellers and buyers for the platform’s services. The new facility will act as a fulfilment center in Almaty, near to the Chinese border, offering…

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led the Turkish delegation that has landed in Saudi Arabia to strengthen ties with the regional leader. Around 200 businessmen, investors and owners of companies of various sizes accompanied the Ottoman president on what was the first stage of a tour that will take Erdogan to the three Gulf States (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar). His arrival on Monday evening was followed by meetings with Saudi ministers and officials, after which he was able to discuss with the crown prince a series of agreements in the energy, defence, research and development sectors, among others,…

Frankfurt, Brussels (21/7 – 37) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again reversed course, approving Sweden’s bid to join the legacy European military bloc, having been promised a brace of classic F-16 fighter jets. This new deal was hammered out at the recent NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, and included a vow by Türkiye to avoid quarrels with ancient enemy Greece also a NATO member. During a 12 July press conference on in Vilnius, Erdogan touched on several issues important for Türkiye, including ratifying Sweden’s NATO bid, its F-16 jet deal with the US, and a “balancing act” between…

Paris, Washington (13/7 – 50) Kenes Rakishev (Keñes Hamitūly Raqyşev) aka Kenges Rakishev is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, former special envoy for Kazakhstan, head of the Kazakh boxing federation, a family man, and most importantly, a man of success. Under Kenges Rakishev’s leadership, the Kazakh female and male boxing squad leaped considerable forward and secured the top ranking in the recent boxing championship putting Kazakhstan boxing squarely in the top ranking in the world. A total of 21 medals were won by the Kazakhstan’s boxers – a tally of six gold, seven silver and eight bronze – and all were honoured…

An easyJet flight from the UK to Turkey was diverted to Greece after two passengers became drunk, unruly and started shouting at other people on the plane, authorities said. The flight from Manchester to Dalaman took off early on Sunday morning but had to change course due to the behaviour of the two Russian men. The pair, aged 48 and 39, were arrested after the plane touched down in Thessaloniki in northern Greece. They have been charged with disturbing the peace, disrupting transport and disobeying instructions from crew members. Officials confirmed there had not been a physical altercation. The pair were…

As a Philippine coast guard aircraft flew over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, a message came in over the radio telling it to immediately leave “Chinese territory.” Such warnings, from a Chinese coast guard ship, have become an almost daily ritual around one of the world’s most contested archipelagos, where China is one of five countries claiming the strategic islands – or at least some of them – as their own. “Calling China coast guard vessel. You are transiting inside Philippine territorial sea,” the Philippine pilot radios back. “Request identify yourself and state your intention to prevent misunderstanding,” he said. …

The Greek-based shipowner and operator of a Marshall Islands-registered bulk carrier have been ordered to pay a combined $2 million criminal fine for tampering with the vessel’s pollution prevention equipment and failing to immediately report hazardous conditions on the Mississippi River. The two related companies, Empire Bulkers Limited and Joanna Maritime Limited, were sentenced for committing knowing and willful violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and the Ports and Waterways Safety Act related to their role as the operator and owner of the M/V Joanna. The prosecution stems from a March 2022 inspection of the vessel in…

Turkey said the Greek Coast Guard fired on a ship in international waters in the northern Aegean Sea, marking another potential escalation of tension between the NATO countries Saturday, as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused its neighbor of “bullying.” Two Greek boats opened fire on a Comoros-flagged ( 93 meters passenger vessel) named Anatolian, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing the Turkish Coast Guard. The vessel had 18 personnel and there were no injuries, Anadolu said. The vessel wasn’t emitting a signal, according to a Greek shipping ministry official, so the Greek Coast Guard requested it stop to be boarded. The…

Collaborating Chinese and Greek researchers have developed new climate datasets for the two countries dating back to 1960, according to the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. An associated paper has been published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. Using multiple methods, Chinese researchers from IAP cooperated with Greek researchers at the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, University of Patras, and Hellenic National Meteorological Service, resulting in new datasets that include homogenized monthly and daily temperature and precipitation series. According to the researchers, data homogenization involves adjusting biases in raw data caused by non-climatic factors…

Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis will visit Doha on Saturday to take part in the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) that will be held from March 4 to 9. The conference takes place every two years, and mainly focuses on an exchange of views between UN member-states on how development in the countries concerned can be accelerated. The aim of this year’s conference is the adoption of an Action Plan for the period 2023-2031 with specific commitments that will align with the targets of UN Agenda 2030. Fragogiannis will address the conference’s…