Author: Leto Kormiade

Brussels (07/09 – 14.29) Anies Baswedan has become the first Indonesian presidential candidate to make his vice-presidential nominee official by his selection the past weekend of Muhaimin Iskandar from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Islamic mass movement. ALEXANDER R. ARIFIANTO argues that this nomination highlights the importance of NU’s support in next year’s presidential election. He believes both Ganjar Pranowo and Prabowo Subianto are likely to also consider nominating an NU-affiliated politician as running mate. Anies Baswedan has formally announced Muhaimin Iskandar, chairperson of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and a high-profile Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) politician, as his vice-presidential nominee. This…

Syrians fleeing their homes first head to migrant hub Libya before navigating the world’s deadliest migration route. For desperate Syrians, a WhatsApp message saying “I want to go to Europe,” can be all they need to start a treacherous journey to Libya and then across the Mediterranean. Twelve years into the conflict that broke out when President Bashar al-Assad repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests, Syrians are trying to escape a war that has killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and pulled in foreign powers and armed groups. At least 141 Syrians were among up to 750 refugees thought to have…

With many of Russia’s intelligence officers kicked out of embassies in European capitals in the last 18 months, the Kremlin has resorted to other methods to keep their spy networks alive. When three Bulgarian nationals were charged this week for their part in a spy plot, ripped from the pages of an Ian Fleming novel, it exposed the lengths that Vladimir Putin’s regime has to go to obtain potentially valuable information, and the risks it now has to take. On the surface, the Bulgarians seemed almost unremarkable, each with very varied backgrounds which can be charted across their social media profiles. Orlin…

The Greek authorities have initiated construction work for a 35-kilometer-long steel fence along the Meriç River as part of the first phase of a new 140-kilometer-long wall project on the Turkish border to prevent irregular migration. Subcontractor companies have started to work in the area, including tree cutting, clearing the area and opening roads for the passage of construction machinery. According to the agreement signed in March between the Greek government and the companies “Terna” and “Intrakat,” the construction of the 35-kilometer-long fence will cost 99.2 million euros ($109 million). The cost is being covered by the Greek government as the European Union refused to finance…

After months of tough negotiations, Turkey’s president announced his support Sweden’s NATO membership bid on Monday, moving the Scandinavian country a step closer to becoming the transatlantic alliance’s newest member. The addition of Sweden, already a close US military partner, will increase NATO’s ability to deter and counter Russia. Swedes have been preparing for a potential war with their larger neighbor for decades, and they can teach the rest of the alliance a thing or two. Indeed, a recent drill in northern Sweden where US Green Berets trained a guerrilla force to take on the Swedish Home Guard shows how the Swedes are planning…

Visitor numbers to the attraction were up 70 per cent last month, giving a taste of what is to come this summer without crowd control. The Acropolis can’t help but stir a sense of wonder in visitors. But when Caroline Kutek visited the renowned archaeological site in Athens recently, she struggled to overlook the crowds. “The wait and the amount of people that are here are definitely overwhelming,” said the 30-year-old customer services operator from the US. She stood in sight of hundreds of people queuing on the uphill path to the 2,500-year-old monument, an all too common sight. Australian sales assistant…

London, New York, Mexico City (11/3 – 18) PGA is looking gloomy – are the fat years over? The emergence in 2019 of LIV Golf has spectacularly upset the status quo, posing a threat as a rival to the PGA Tour monopoly, as the leading professional golf tour in the world. Newcomer LIV Golf brazenly hijacked a number of some of the most famous professional golfers from the PGA Tour, luring them away with more lucrative deals. Several major champions and former world numbers, including names like Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Patrick Reed are now…

Libya’s state-owned oil company, the National Oil Corporation (NOC), had established last month a new program office, but multiple foreign press reports claim that one of the staff running the office is embroiled in a major fraud case in Kazakhstan. Peter Sztyk, a Canadian lawyer and entrepreneur who also goes by the name “Petro”, has joined a group of foreign consultants who will manage the Office of Strategic Programs, which the NOC inaugurated in February 15 during a meeting with local oil industry executives in Benghazi. Who is Peter Sztyk? The Canadian lawyer graduated in 1993 from Concordia University with bachelor in…

Feta is the soft white “king” of Greek cheeses, renowned around the world. Its origins can be traced back to ancient times, since the first mention of the famous cheese is as old as Homer’s Odyssey. In fact, it’s the oldest cheese in recorded history. When Odysseus and his men enter the cave of Polyphemus, the Cyclops, the first thing they notice is the smell and sight of the rich, white cheese made with goat and sheep’s milk in brine: “We entered the cave, but he wasn’t there, only his plump sheep grazed in the meadow. The woven baskets were full of cheese,…

New York, London, Nassau (8/1 – 33) Dustin Johnson came out on top of 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series. In the first season of the new professional golf tour, now a fierce rival to the PGA Tour, Dustin Johnson was crowned “Individual Champion”. The former PGA Tour player won the LIV Golf Invitational Boston on 4 September 2022. Johnson also collected total 135 points from 7 events in the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series. The 38-year-old American snatched First Place in the final individual points standings. He came in ahead of Branden Grace (South Africa), Peter Uihlein (USA) and Patrick…