The training of Ukrainian pilots on United States-made F-16 fighter jets is to begin in Romania in August. Officials have said on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lithuania that Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced the Romania training programme on Tuesday alongside Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren and Denmark’s acting Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
-
Cyclone hits Southern Brazil
At least 12 people have died, five are missing and nearly 3,000 have been left homeless after an “extratropical cyclone” hit Brazil’s Rio Grande Do Sul. Traveling to the region’s hardest hit regions, government authorities have reinforced the role of the state’s relief structure and called upon the solidarity of the population.
-
Ukraine is the spotlight at UN leaders’ gathering
The war in Ukraine and its visiting president take center stage at the United Nations this week, but developing countries will be vying for the spotlight as well as they push for faster action on poverty and inequality at the first full-on meeting of world leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel three years ago.
-
Boqir, the Pamiri Leader Who Defied Tajikistan’s Regime
Mamadbokir “Boqir” Mamadbokirov was a highly respected leader of the Pamiri people. He was born and raised in Khorog, the capital city of the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region (GBAO). This vast mountainous area is spopulated with only 2% of Tajikistan’s population, but that makes up 45% of the country. The Pamiri people, mostly Ismaili Shi’ites, had been granted autonomous political status by the Soviet Union due to their unique culture, languages, and minority religion.
