Author: Sotiris Antonotis

The European Union and Aga Khan Foundation Partner for Rural Development in Tajikistan High in the mountains of Central Asia, villagers can only dream of easy access to water for drinking and irrigation, as the river waters glisten in the snaking valleys below. That dream is about to become a reality as the European Union and the private, not-for-profit Aga Khan Foundation team together to promote agricultural development and improve access to clean and safe drinking water in Tajikistan’s Zarafshonvalley, a region characterized by mountain ranges with peaks reaching 4,000 – 5,000 meters high. The EU and Aga Khan Foundation…

Police said they have found new evidence that a 48-year-old nursery carer abused young children at a daycare center in Thessaloniki. She was arrested last November after a complaint by a colleague. Initially, the charges related to accusations of physically abusing four children. She was referred to trial, accused of beating and abusing infants up to 18 months old, and was given a three-year, nine-month prison sentence. However, she appealed and was released. A statement by police in Thessaloniki on Monday who continued the preliminary investigation after her arrest said she committed the same offenses against an additional eight children…

Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter is the most popular candidate for prime minister, opinion surveys show ahead of Thailand’s general election on May 7, but electoral rules put in place to help a coup-leader remain in power may prevent an opposition victory. Thaksin’s pro-democracy Pheu Thai Party, with allies including the Move Forward Party, could win more than half of the 500 seats in Parliament’s lower house to form a new government, recent polls show. But the opposition coalition likely would need support from members of the 250-seat Senate, who were hand-picked by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s administration, to reach the 376-vote…

As Thailand enters an election campaign in all but name even before the House of Representatives is due to be dissolved in late March, there are signs that the momentum generated coming into 2023 by Pheu Thai is being challenged as both the Prime Minister and his Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party (RTSC) and the Palang Pracharat Party led by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan campaign throughout the country with a signal from the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat on Sunday that General Prayut’s political fortunes are rising. At the same time, there was another shot across Pheu Thai’s…

A 45-year-old British national wanted in the United States for importing drugs and possessing weapons was arrested in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Tuesday afternoon. According to the US prosecution documents, he is charged with the offenses of “conspiracy to import narcotics” and “conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices,” in acts that appear to have taken place between May 2021 and December of 2022, in the US. The unnamed suspect is expected to appear before a prosecutor in Thessaloniki who will launch the procedures of his extradition to the US. Hellenic Police (ELAS) said in a…

Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella continues to claim his innocence with regard to any involvement in the Qatargate scandal, after he was taken into custody Friday and heard by investigators over the weekend. Tarabella, who had been charged with public corruption, money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation due to his alleged involvement in the cash-for-influence scheme known as the Qatargate scandal, had his home, a safe deposit box, and multiple offices of the town hall of which he is mayor searched, Belgian news media reported on Friday. The Belgian MEP was also heard by investigators on Friday and spent…

The Turkish Consulate in Thessaloniki expressed its gratitude to the Greek Rescue Team in a post on social media, where it stated that the volunteers, in cooperation with Turkish teams, managed to rescue three people from the ruins in the city of Adıyaman. “The Greek search and rescue team that started from Thessaloniki, rescued three of our citizens from under the ruins in Adıyaman in coordination with the Turkish teams. We are grateful to them,” the Consulate pointed out in its post, which is accompanied by a video from the Haberturk TV channel. The Hellenic Rescue Team mission, consisting of 30…

By taking the right steps, the EU can mitigate the reputational harm caused by the Qatargate corruption scandal. There is still time for the European Parliament to tighten up rules and prevent conflicts of interest, writes Sir Michel Leigh. Sir Michael Leigh, a former EU official in charge of EU enlargement, teaches at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) in Bologna. A longer version of this article appeared on the GIS website. Qatargate appears to have knocked the EU from its pedestal as the world’s human rights and rule-of-law champion. Brussels holds strongman regimes from Hungary to China accountable for their democratic failings.…

A 13-year-old was injured on Tuesday morning after being hit by a car at the Kalamaria district of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. The incident took place at about 7.30 a.m. at the corned of Plastira and Passalidi Streets, a local news website said. The unidentified driver fled the scene of the accident. An ambulance took the teen to the Ippokrateio Hospital for treatment, but there were no further details on the extent of the boy’s injuries.Source: ekathimerini

As the “Corriere della Sera” points out, more than 3,400 NGOs operate in the capital of the European institutions. However, denounces the Italian daily, a large number of them actually defend the interests of large private groups. Or even worse. Brussels is still the world capital of lobbies. And, from within the institutions, they always seek to influence EU policies. Sometimes disguised as NGOs. An example ? The cases of No Peace Without Justice and Fight Impunity [founded by Antonio Panzeri, key figure in Qatargate], two non-governmental organizations which, officially, dealt only with human rights. However, according to Belgian justice, their leaders would have received bribes from…