Category: General

Zamin Salayev, an activist of the Party of People’s Front of Azerbaijan (PPFA) who has been on hunger strike for 46 days, fell down three times the day before and lost consciousness. The last time he severely hit his head, his son Ogtay said on Friday. A cellmate of his father’s called him about it. Salayev had difficulty speaking after another fall. However, no doctor has been called to see him. “There is no medical supervision over my father, his condition is very serious,” the son said. The Penitentiary Service and the Ombudsman’s Office could not be reached for comment. As a reminder, on 8 February Garadagh district court of Baku arrested Zamin Salayev for three months. A criminal case under Article 221.3 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism – use of force) was filed against him, and he faces up to 5 years of imprisonment. Zamin Salayev told the court that the accusation against him was false and declared a hunger strike.

Source: Turan News Agency

Uzbekistan’s UzAuto Motors will launch production of new Chevrolet Onix cars in Kazakhstan, press secretary of Uzavtosanoat JSC Zumrad Shadjalilova told Trend.

“Uzavtosanoat JSC, the controller of automobile manufacturing enterprises and automobile localization in Uzbekistan, has signed an agreement with the major car manufacturer of Kazakhstan Allure. Following the agreement, car manufacturers of both countries will produce Chevrolet Onix cars by SKD (semi-knocked-down) – 30,000 cars per year,” she said.

According to the source, UzAuto Motors, after launching Chevrolet Onix cars production in January 2023, plans to produce more than 50,000 car in the current year.

“Currently, UzAuto Motors exports cars to countries such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Lebanon, etc. We export all models of Chevrolet cars, and the new Chevrolet Onix is no exception. In this regard, we will gradually increase the volume of production, by reaching agreements with our car manufacturing partners,” Shadjalilova noted.

According to Shadjalilova, last year the Uzbek manufacturer agreed with Kazakhstan to jointly produce Chevrolet Onix.

Furthermore, she added that, in the nearest future, the Uzbek car manufacturer plans to launch the production of the new model of Chevrolet cars in Azerbaijan.

“By the end of March, Uzbekistan plans to launch production of Chevrolet Onix cars at the Azermash plant by semi-knocked-down production method,” Shahdjalilova noted.

Uzbekistan in 2022 produced 327,639 Chevrolet Cars, in particular, Chevrolet Cobalt –101,617 cars, Chevrolet Damas – 93,120, Chevrolet Lacetti – 87,105, Chevrolet Nexia – 22,245, Chevrolet Spark – 14,464, as well as Chevrolet Tracker – 9,088.

Source: Trend News Agency

An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 occurred on March 24, at 11.09 in the Ismayilli region, in the west of Azerbaijan, the Republican Center of the Seismological Service of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan reports. Note that the epicenter of the earthquake was 6 km away to the north of the Ismayilli seismic station. According to the same source, on March 24 at 07:16 Baku time, an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 was recorded in the city of Khoy of northern Iran(southern Azerbaijan). At the same time, tremors of 4-5 points were felt in Nakhchivan

Source: Turan News Agency

The British Foreign Secretary will emphasise the importance of standing shoulder to shoulder with Romania in the face of Russia’s aggression in neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday as the UK looks to bolster its partnership with the country, nationalnews reported. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is in London this week to meet James Cleverly and sign a renewed strategic partnership to strengthen and maintain the two countries’ historical connections, economic ties and trading relationship, . The strategic partnership was first established in 2003 and set out both countries’ shared commitment to growing relations. Mr Cleverly is, according to prepared remarks, expected to acknowledge the importance of strengthening the UK’s relationship with Romania in the context of the invasion of Ukraine and the security challenges facing Europe in 2023. The two ministers will also open a joint bilateral forum at the Foreign Office in London, bringing together government and business representatives, politicians, academics and members of civil society to discuss the future of UK-Romania co-operation in a range of fields including the economy, trade, energy, civil society and education. The forum presents an opportunity for the UK to emphasise its unwavering support for Romania and the Black Sea region, which forms a central bulwark in the UK’s defence system. It comes after the government announced new resilience funding for Moldova this month, underlining the UK’s support for the territorial integrity of Russia’s neighbours as it helps them to address the threat on their doorstep. ‘As discussions with my friend Bogdan Aurescu demonstrate, our countries could not be closer on the biggest issues affecting our nations, the whole of Europe and indeed the whole world,’ Mr Cleverly is expected to say at the forum. ‘We now have 1.2 million people who are able to call themselves both Romanian and British – some of which are here today – up and down the UK. ‘It is absolutely right that in 2023, we refresh our ambition and confirm our commitment to work closely together in foreign policy, defence, education, science, crime-fighting, stopping human trafficking, trade and investment.’ The Foreign Secretary and Mr Aurescu will commit to collective defence through Nato, and to working together to strengthen the transatlantic relationship, with a particular view to countering Russia’s action in the Black Sea region. Mr Cleverly will also pay tribute to the generous support provided by Romania since the invasion. Romania holds the longest border with Ukraine in all of Nato, and has provided support to about four million Ukrainian refugees, with more than 100,000 making the country their temporary home. The British embassy in Bucharest has also offered support in education, allowing Ukrainian teachers to continue to teach their curriculum in Romania. During the session, the two nations are also expected to pledge to work together to strengthen energy security and tackle climate change, expand connections between people and businesses, and to promote growth in both countries following the pandemic.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency

Flash floods caused by heavy rains have killed at least 14 people, displaced thousands more, and destroyed property in southern Somalia, the United Nations humanitarian agency said, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said lives were lost in the Bardhere district, Gedo region which has experienced the heaviest rainfall in recent days. It said several areas of Somalia have received light to moderate rains over the past week, signaling an early start of the Gu (April-May-June) rainy season.

“Rainfall forecasts indicate a continuation of the rains in most parts of the country through March, but with drier than normal conditions towards the end of the season,” the OCHA said in its latest rainfall outlook for the 2023 Gu season released Thursday evening.

Humanitarian agencies have raised concerns over a likely deterioration of the living conditions, particularly for internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in overcrowded settlements with inadequate shelter.

According to the OCHA, heavy rains in Galmudug State in central Somalia caused flash flooding and cut off electricity in Adado and Dhusamareb towns Wednesday.

In Puntland State in northeastern Somalia, the floods also resulted in the loss of crops and livestock, as well as the destruction of infrastructure including businesses and residential houses, and IDP settlements, forcing displaced to reportedly move to higher grounds.

The rains also come at a time when aid agencies are struggling with a surge in disease outbreaks, including acute watery diarrhea/cholera, and measles cases, which the UN agency said, are likely to increase due to the risk of people consuming contaminated water and lack of adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities and services.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Somalia Water and Land Information Management (FAO-SWALIM), there is a 50 percent likelihood of below-normal rainfall (drier than normal conditions), over most parts of Somalia but with high spatial variability or different performance across locations.

“This is likely to result in an unprecedented sixth below-average rainy season in Somalia, which – coupled with above-normal temperatures – will affect crops and pasture regeneration,” the OCHA warned.

The Gu season is the main wet season in Somalia and supports agriculture as well as replenishing water and pasture and this early onset will bring some relief to people affected by the prolonged drought, the UN agency said.

Source: Trend News Agency

Poland hopes that 2023 and the coming years will give further positive dynamics to the development of trade and investment cooperation with he countries of Central Asia, the source at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of Poland told Trend.

“We see opportunities for the development of economic cooperation both with today’s largest economic partners in the region – Kazakhstan and then Uzbekistan, as well as with the other countries of the region – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan,” the ministry said.

According to the source, bilateral intergovernmental commissions for economic cooperation with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are scheduled for 2023. Committee meetings will be accompanied by Business Forums, which will allow for participation and direct contacts between entrepreneurs.

“The prospects for Poland’s cooperation with the countries of Central Asia are promising and cover many different sectors. This applies in particular to agriculture and food processing, energy (including hydropower) and mining, the construction sector, the textile industry, health care, and the already mentioned environmental protection sector. In the near future, the high-tech sector, including IT, may become an important area ofcooperation,” the ministry noted.

The source added that 2023 and the coming years will give further positive dynamics to the development of trade and investment cooperation between Poland and its Central Asian partners.

Source: Trend News Agency