Author: Hristos Xenilis

Tajikistan officially banned the hijab, imposing hefty fines in its latest move to curb Islamic influence. 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 (approximately $700). Companies…

Greece is full of brilliant things to do, from paying a visit to charming little seaside villages, relaxing on one of many beaches or learning all about the country’s fascinating history at some ancient sites. And if you are into your ancient history, we have exciting news. The grand and symbolic Palace of Aigai, formerly known as the Royal Metropolis of the Macedonians, this week opened to the public after a major regeneration project. This remarkable historic site has undergone 16 years of meticulous restoration, which included excavation of the site, detailed documentation and conservation of artefacts, plus £17.5 million (€20.3 million, $21.9 million) in EU funding. …

Interior Minister James Cleverly says gov’t will raise minimum salary threshold for foreign skilled workers to 38,700 pounds ($48,800) The British government has announced a package of measures to cut net migration to the United Kingdom, including plans to raise the minimum salary required for foreign workers to be eligible for a work visa. The measure aims at raising the minimum salary migrants to the UK must earn in a job by a third after record net migration in 2022 piled pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to act. High levels of legal migration have for more than a decade dominated Britain’s…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged the two countries’ very different perspectives on the Israel-Hamas war Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan traded barbs with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz over the Israel-Hamas war during a tense press conference on Friday evening, at one point suggesting Germany won’t criticize Israel because of the Holocaust. “Since we’re in a kind of psychology of guilt here, you can’t judge it that way, but we have no debt to Israel. If that were the case, then perhaps we wouldn’t be able to talk so easily. Nor have we gone through the history of the Holocaust,” the…

Nigerian government and the German government during the 2nd German-Nigeria Symposium on Green Hydrogen, explored ways the two countries can utilise the opportunities in the low-carbon hydrogen sector. The Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo while presenting his address at the Symposium, said harnessing the country’s resource potential will provide alternative sources of energy and protect the environment. The German-Nigerian Hydrogen Office is financed by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by GIZ. Source : Tribune

As part of the visit to Uzbekistan of the delegation of the German Development Bank KfW, senior portfolio manager Vitalis Ritter and Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov signed a number of important bilateral documents, Azernews reports, citing Kun.uz News Agency. One of the key documents was a grant agreement focused on the implementation of the project “Support for Vocational Education in the Republic of Uzbekistan”. According to this agreement, grants totaling €16 million are allocated to Uzbekistan. €14 million of these funds will be used for vocational training, construction, renovation and equipment of single-centers in employment centers…

Head of the lower house of Russia’s parliament warns that ‘far more assets belonging to unfriendly countries’ will be grabbed in response if the EU confiscates earnings of Russia’s frozen holding Moscow is preparing to confiscate the assets of “unfriendly” EU nations in retaliation if the bloc pushes ahead with a proposal to seize the profits from frozen Russian holdings, a high-level Russian official said on Sunday. The warning from Vyacheslav Volodin, head of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday said the EU executive is looking into sanctioned Russian state…

Carrefour International Partnership announced last week the strengthening of its cooperation with Retail & More, with the development of stores with the Carrefour brand and its products in the Bulgarian market. Retail & More, which has taken over the master franchise of Carrefour in Greece since 2022, is already in contact with Bulgarian companies for the development of a network of stores using the franchise method. At the same time, the 20 stores of the Parkmart network, founded in 2018 by Dobromir Andonov and located in key cities in the country, such as Sofia, Varna and Burgas, will be converted…

A delegation from the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education led by its Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Lam is paying a visit to France to study the press, publishing and foreign information work in the European country. The delegation had a working session with member of the Politburo of the French Communist Party (PCF) Taylan Coskun and Secretary General of the PCF-run l’Humanité (Humanity) newspaper Anthony Draguet. Draguet briefed the guests on the communication work of the newspaper as well as challenges that it is facing amid the current strong digital transformation. Source : Vietnamplus

EU’s pasta production increased by 20% in 2022 with Italy unsurprisingly leading the production, consumption, and exports. Italy loves pasta. Penne, linguini, ravioli, fusili, capellini – the list goes on and on. Made from unleavened dough with ground durum wheat and water, many believe the modern Italian pasta to be a descendant of ancient Asian noodles. While it is difficult to trace the exact beginnings of pasta, it is firmly established that pasta has now become synonymous with Italy. The southern European country produced more than 4 million tonnes of pasta in 2022, according to the latest numbers released by…