Britain leads 40-nation talks on reopening Strait of Hormuz amid Iran blockade
Britain said on Thursday that around 40 countries are exploring ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route effectively blocked...
Former Kyrgyz MP Shairbek Tashiev has been detained in a corruption investigation linked to state oil firm Kyrgyzneftegaz, as the case expands to include members of a powerful political family.
Tashiev, the brother of former State Committee for National Security (GKNB) head Kamchybek Tashiev, was taken into custody by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and placed in a temporary detention facility in Bishkek as part of an ongoing criminal inquiry.
The detention follows earlier developments in the same case, in which Kamchybek Tashiev himself was questioned by investigators and designated as a witness. In the weeks since, the inquiry has widened, with increasing scrutiny directed at his relatives and close associates, indicating a broadening investigation rather than an isolated prosecution.
According to official statements, the case centres on alleged corruption in the oil sector. Tax authorities say members of the Tashiev family may have generated substantial profits over several years through intermediary firms.
Investigators describe a possible scheme in which close relatives, including the former security chief’s son and brother, controlled the resale of petroleum products produced by a state refinery affiliated with Kyrgyzneftegaz. The refinery, according to investigators, was managed by a nephew of Tashiev, potentially enabling a closed system of distribution and control.
The allegations place the state-owned company at the heart of the case. Kyrgyzneftegaz remains a strategic asset in Kyrgyzstan’s energy sector, responsible for the extraction, refining and sale of oil and petroleum products.
Allegations involving such an enterprise carry broader economic and political significance, particularly in a system where control over key industries is closely tied to political influence.
The investigation is unfolding against a backdrop of significant political change. On 10 February, President Sadyr Japarov dismissed Kamchybek Tashiev from his post as head of the GKNB, citing the need to prevent divisions within society.
The decision came shortly after the publication of an appeal calling for early presidential elections, signed by dozens of individuals, some of whom were later detained on charges of organising mass unrest.
His removal was followed by a wider reshaping of the political landscape. Several allies were dismissed from their positions, while lawmakers associated with him, including the parliamentary speaker, relinquished their mandates.
These developments have reinforced the perception that the investigation is unfolding alongside a redistribution of influence within the country’s ruling elite.
Within Kyrgyzstan, the case is increasingly viewed through both legal and political lenses. While authorities present it as an anti-corruption inquiry, the sequence of events has led many observers to interpret it as part of a broader rift between President Sadyr Japarov and his former ally Kamchybek Tashiev, with potential long-term implications for the country’s balance of power.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
Russian-flagged tanker carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil docked at Cuba's Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, shipping data confirmed, marking a vital and controversial delivery to an island paralysed by severe energy shortages and a suffocating U.S. blockade.
A Russian military An-26 aircraft has crashed in Crimea, killing all 30 people on board, Russia’s Defence Ministry has confirmed.
Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus as Israeli air defences intercepted Iranian missiles, Syrian state television reported on Tuesday.
Afghanistan remains the third most affected country globally for unexploded ordnance casualties, with more than 50 people killed or injured each month, a United Nations official has said.
Leading Turkish official Fuat Oktay this week called for the dismantling of Israel’s alleged nuclear weapons stockpile. The head of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said Israel’s nuclear capability should be “eliminated as soon as possible”.
Fresh Houthi missile and drone strikes on Israel mark a significant widening of the Iran-centred conflict, raising fears the Yemen-based group could open a new front. Their position near the Bab el-Mandeb strait also threatens global shipping and energy flows.
Pakistan is holding talks with Afghanistan to end the worst conflict between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is in Russia for a working visit, with talks expected to focus on bilateral and regional cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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