The seriousness of the debate can be seen at the UK sponsored conference on AI at Bletchley Park. Following this was the adaptation of the European law on Artificial Intelligence. 28 countries at the summit, including the United States, China, and the European Union, have issued an agreement known as the Bletchley Declaration, calling for international co-operation to manage the challenges and risks of artificial intelligence. Emphasis has been placed on regulating “Frontier AI”, a term for the latest and most powerful AI systems. Concerns that have been raised at the summit include the potential use of AI for terrorism, criminal activity, and warfare, as well as existential risk posed to humanity as a whole.

Having such a platform between the world’s two largest players in AI will be increasingly important as global efforts to regulate AI and manage the associated risks gather momentum. Earlier this year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution on AI without a vote, capping off a period that saw several global summits being held on issues related to AI, such as the Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) summit at The Hague and the AI Safety summit at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom.

While these circumstances should not be surprising, the question remains: what can be meaningfully achieved in terms of global governance and arms control for AI? Platforms such as the REAIM summit and AI Safety summit have featured norm-building efforts such as a call to action and declaration, respectively, while the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) discussing the regulation of LAWS at the UN adopted 11 guiding principles in 2019.

Nevertheless, the overall temperature of relations will continue to play a part in how effective subsequent bilateral talks on AI will be. Managing both related and unrelated derailers will be important, especially since it is impossible to fully compartmentalise dialogue on specific issues like AI from the broader state of bilateral relations.Some of the questions ringing loud include the systemic failures of Israel’s intelligence community and its sophisticated early warning systems to detect Hamas’ operational plans in advance, Israel’s prolonged political fragmentation and internal protests that undermined military readiness, and why the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) units deployed in the “Gaza Envelope” were overran.

By William Schrodinger  

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It is believed that he had the greatest significance for the country.

On September 26, 1999, a national referendum on amendments to the Constitution of the republic was held in Tajikistan. This was the second popular referendum in the history of independent Tajikistan. The main amendments concerned increasing the presidential term from five to seven years and the establishment of a bicameral parliament.

The referendum was planned for the first half of 1998, but it was postponed indefinitely for various reasons. After lengthy debates between the government and the opposition, on June 30, 1999, the parliament of Tajikistan (at that time unicameral) finally approved the date of the referendum – September 26, 1999. At this time, the republic had a Constitution in force, adopted by a popular referendum in 1994, at the height of the civil war.

The referendum took place exactly on the appointed day, September 26, without any special incidents. Polling stations were open to voters from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

According to official data, the turnout at the elections was 92.53% – 2 million 591 thousand 905 people voted (citizens of the country with the right to vote numbered 2 million 800 thousand 947).

75.31% of Tajik citizens voted for the amendments to the Constitution, while 24.69% of voters voted against. 0.01% of ballots were declared invalid.

After the referendum, a bicameral parliament was created in Tajikistan, consisting of the Majlisi Milli (upper) and the Majlisi Namoyandagon (lower).

The term of office of the President of Tajikistan after the presidential elections on November 6, 1999 became seven years.

And the main opposition Islamist Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan was officially registered and received the right to participate in the next parliamentary elections in 2000, conditions were provided for the registration of religious organizations, freedom of speech was protected by law…

During the existence of the Tajik SSR, four Constitutions were adopted: – in 1929, 1931, 1937 and 1978. And today we remember how many times it changed over the years of independence, how many amendments were made to it and, most importantly, how much it cost us…

First edits
The country’s constitution was adopted at the most difficult time for Tajikistan, when the republic was plunged into civil war, negotiation processes between the conflicting parties were just beginning, and about a million Tajik citizens were in forced migration.

At the request of the warring parties, parliament introduced dozens of amendments to the country’s Constitution. Later, the head of the working group for developing the draft of the main document of the country, the then first deputy head of the Supreme Council of the country, Abdulmajid Dostiev, said that so many amendments had been made to the basic law that it was impossible to list them all.

The draft of the first Constitution of independent Tajikistan was published in the press for public discussion in the spring of 1993; for more than a year the people of the country could speak out on this issue.

True, given the situation at that time, there was no discussion as such – the people thought, first of all, about their safety and their daily bread.

On November 6, 1994, a referendum was held in Tajikistan on a new Constitution, which restored the post of president, and presidential elections were also held. Emomali Rakhmonov won them. Before this, the country lived according to the Constitution of the Tajik SSR, which was adopted back in the seventies of the 20th century.
The authors of the country’s basic law were such famous jurists as Ashurboy Imomov, Zarif Alizoda, Khalifabobo Khomidov, Shavkat Ismailov, Abdulmajid Dostiev.

Witnesses of those years say that the people were literally forced to vote for the new Constitution – the streets were filled with armed people, no one guaranteed safety.

“The Constitution was turned into a kind of “draft”
Over the course of 22 years, additions and changes were made to the Constitution of the country three times. The first amendments were made in 1999, the next referendum on amending the basic law of the country was held in 2003, and the third in May 2016.

Rakhmatillo Zoirov, chairman of the country’s Legal Consortium and former presidential adviser, says that due to inexperience, our officials have turned the Constitution into a kind of “draft.” In his opinion, the Constitution adopted in 1994, compared to the Constitutions of 1999, 2003 and 2016, was more stable.

“Then in 1994, the Constitution was not adopted in a hurry; people without political ambitions and interests worked on it, objectively,” he says. – It became unstable when additions and amendments began to be made to it later. The people who developed the amendments practically did not give the people a choice (at the 2016 referendum – ed.), giving them only the opportunity to answer “yes” or “no” regarding all 50 changes at once. Changes were made, as a result of which the shortcomings were not only not eliminated, they were increased, both quantitatively and qualitatively, Zoirov believed.

Major changes
The next Constitutional referendum in Tajikistan took place in September 1999. He, perhaps, had the greatest significance for the country.

A little less than four years later, in 2003, Tajikistan again decided to “amend” the Constitution. This time it was proposed to make 56 changes and amendments, the main of which again concerned the fourth chapter – and the new amendment made it possible to be elected president for two terms of seven years.

Legal experts then complained that the practice of introducing 56 additions and changes at once in one referendum was only in Tajikistan. Many were dissatisfied with the fact that Tajikistan made changes to the basic law twice over the course of nine years, which indicated the instability of the country’s Constitution.

The referendum on May 22, 2016 lifted the remaining restrictions on the “Leader of the Nation” – President Emomali Rahmon. In addition, the minimum age for presidential candidates has been reduced from 35 to 30 years. Many experts said that this measure, if desired, would allow the son of the head of state, 29-year-old Rustam Emomali, to nominate his candidacy for the presidency in 2020.

One of the most important amendments adopted at the last referendum was the ban on parties of a religious and atheistic nature.

Almost unanimously in favor
According to AP information from government circles, a total of over 40 million somoni was spent from the state budget of Tajikistan to conduct four Constitutional referendums.

In the 1994 referendum, of the total number of participating electorates, which amounted to 2 million 535 thousand 777 people, 90 percent voted “For”, 10% voted “Against”, there were no invalid ballots.

In the referendum on June 22, 2003, out of 2 million 436 thousand 496 people in the electorate, 92.8% voted “For”, 7.2% “Against”.

And at the last referendum – May 22, 2016, according to official data, the constitutional changes were approved by 96.6% of voters. The turnout, according to official data, was 92 percent.

Source: Asia Plus TJ

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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has expressed serious apprehension over reports suggesting that the government of Uzbekistan is regressing from the positive strides Muslim-majority Central Asian nation.

An independent and bipartisan nine-member federal body that monitors and reports on freedom of religion or belief overseas and makes policy recommendations to the U.S. president, secretary of state and Congress, the USCIRF said in a September 22 statement that in the previous week there have been reports of Uzbek authorities carrying out raids targeting individuals based on religious affiliation.

Allegedly, these individuals have been fined and some are subjected to administrative detention. Additionally, the report noted, it has been reported that authorities have compelled Muslim men to shave their beards, while school administrators have exerted pressure on schoolgirls to either remove their hijabs or adjust the way they wear them.

Initially, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev achieved significant progress in his presidency in promoting freedom of religion or belief by reversing many of the problematic policies of the previous administration, stated USCIRF Commissioner and former chair Nury Turkel.

“As Uzbekistan continues to reverse course on its reforms and further crack down on religious freedom,” Turkel said.

In its 2023 annual report, the USCIRF advised the State Department to include Uzbekistan on its Special Watch List due to the country’s widespread violations of religious freedom. In June, the monitor organized a conversation featuring the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and a representative from Human Rights Watch to assess the state of religious freedom in the country.

Religious practice in Uzbekistan is greatly restricted and is influenced by official policies through legislation and unofficial methods enforced by security services and law enforcement agencies, the USCIRF statement said.

In early September, the Legislative Chamber of Uzbekistan’s parliament, known as the Oliy Majlis, advanced amendments to the nation’s criminal and administrative codes, the statement noted, explaining that the amendments were apparently aimed at safeguarding the state’s secular character but were expected to have potential implications for the religious freedom of individuals.

The statement pointed out that so far this year, Muslims have experienced arrests and incarceration due to their religious practices and in some cases, Muslim citizens chose to practice self-censorship out of concerns for their safety.

The USCIRF is especially troubled by reports indicating that a senior Uzbek government official has stated that civil servants must make a choice between their personal beliefs and their professional careers, said Commissioner David Curry.

“Everyone in Uzbekistan should be able to live and practice their religion in accordance with their conscience. The U.S. government must not overlook Uzbekistan’s declining religious freedom situation and should urge its counterparts there to protect this crucial right in line with Uzbekistan’s international commitments.”

Source: World Religion News

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Freedom Holding, a Nasdaq-traded Kazakh financial firm that’s been the target of prominent short sellers, is being investigated by federal prosecutors and Securities and Exchange Commission counsel over compliance issues, insider stock moves, and an offshore affiliate tied to sanctioned individuals, CNBC has learned.

The SEC’s Boston regional office has been probing Freedom for months, according to documents seen by CNBC and people familiar with the matter. The company, headquartered in Almaty, Kazakhstan, has a $5 billion market cap and is controlled and majority-owned by 35-year-old billionaire CEO Timur Turlov, a former Russian citizen.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts is also making preliminary inquiries into Freedom, documents seen by CNBC show. Such inquiries often occur after a civil probe unearths evidence of possible crimes.

Freedom shares fell as much as 9.3% Friday morning after CNBC’s report but closed up 1.52%. Nearly 364,000 Freedom shares changed hands by the closing of trading Friday, 4.5 times the stock’s 10-day average.

The overlapping SEC and DOJ probes are scrutinizing the firm’s internal controls and offshore operations, as well as Turlov’s claims that Freedom can get its largely Russian client base access to hot U.S. IPOs, according to the documents and sources.

Turlov and Freedom are aware of the SEC probe, which has been going on for months, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. The Justice Department’s involvement with these issues is more recent, documents show. Probes of this kind can take years and may not lead to criminal or civil charges. So far, there have been no formal charges or allegations of wrongdoing. 

Turlov didn’t respond to CNBC’s interview request, but in an interview that was published by a Kazakh outlet Thursday, he acknowledged that “almost all global regulators came to us this summer.”

Freedom declined to comment.

An SEC spokesperson told CNBC that it doesn’t comment on the existence or nonexistence of an investigation.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. 

The SEC has been aware of potential securities violations at Freedom since at least 2022. Some of the issues that caught investigators’ attention — including allegations related to sanctions violations, IPO access and stock trading — were also raised in an August report from short seller Hindenburg Research, which claimed that Freedom “still does business in the Russian market, and that the company has openly flouted sanctions along with anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) rules.”

The SEC intensified its scrutiny after the Hindenburg report and an analysis published in April by short seller Citron Research, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC.

Freedom’s website describes the company as a provider of investment banking and brokerage services to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Its website lists two addresses in the U.S., one in New York and the other at a Las Vegas co-working and virtual office space. 

The company leases a 15,250-square-foot office in the Trump Building in New York’s Financial District, according to filings. The two floors house Freedom’s existing U.S. operations, including a brokerage firm registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Freedom says in filings it has nearly 3,700 employees and 370,000 brokerage customers.

The Trump Building at 40 Wall St. in New York.

Turlov founded Freedom in 2010, and by 2013 he had expanded the business from Moscow to the EU. The company said it divested its Russian business in February, almost a year after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. Turlov, a former citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean as well as Russia, owns 71% of Freedom shares, worth roughly $3.6 billion.

Turlov has been a citizen of Kazakhstan since 2022. He was required to renounce both his Saint Kitts and his Russian citizenship, as Kazakhstan doesn’t recognize dual citizenship.

‘Signs of illegal activity’

The Hindenburg report, in part, alleged that Freedom helped sanctioned individuals gain access to the U.S. financial system through a Belizean holding company, also owned by Turlov, that helped funnel and obfuscate transactions. In SEC filings, Freedom acknowledged it does business with sanctioned individuals through the Belize affiliate, but denies those individuals have access to U.S., U.K. or EU financial systems through Freedom.

The Belizean entity, incorporated in 2014, is now named Freedom Securities Trading Belize, or FST Belize.

“FST Belize, we have the same sanctions compliance as in the entire holding,” Turlov said in an August interview with a publication in Kazakhstan. “There is no reason for sanctions, if there is no involvement of U.S. representatives in the operation.”

FST Belize holds Kazakh licenses that let it operate a securities trading platform and process international payments and money transfers, according to the company. In 2021, the Kazakh government added the subsidiary to a list of companies “with signs of illegal activity.”

In response, Freedom said it “fully complies” with local laws and regulations wherever it operates.

Another point of inquiry by U.S. authorities is the trading activity of Freedom stock, which was uplisted to the Nasdaq in 2019 under the ticker FRHC after previously trading over the counter.

Historically, negative reports from established short sellers will hurt a company’s stock. Freedom shares dipped about 8% the two trading days that followed Hindenburg’s report. They quickly rebounded, including a 25% jump on Aug. 18, with no apparent explanation.

Hindenburg alleged that Freedom and Turlov protected the company’s stock from wild swings by ensuring that clients held the shares in their brokerage accounts, reducing the risk of volatility.

At least five law firms have said they’re investigating claims on behalf of investors for potential violations of securities law since the Hindenburg report.

Citron compared Freedom to Sam Bankman-Fried’s failed and allegedly fraudulent trading firm, Alameda Research. The investment firm said Turlov’s ties to Russia and its continued brokerage operations in the country made the company a prime candidate for an SEC investigation.

Freedom Holding’s main offices are in Esentai Tower, the tallest building in Kazakhstan’s financial hub, the city of Almaty. Other tenants in the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed building include the Ritz-Carlton Almaty and Ernst & Young’s Kazakhstan operations.

Freedom has faced prior regulatory challenges.

In July, the company’s European subsidiary paid a 50,000 euro fine to the Cypriot securities regulator over failures in its money laundering and anti-terrorist financing controls.

And last year, Freedom’s former U.S. auditor, WSRP, was replaced by Deloitte Kazakhstan, after the U.S. audit regulator found that three of Freedom’s auditors at WSRP failed to follow proper standards of review. Freedom’s auditors were sanctioned and barred for what the regulator said was a failure to assess the true nature of the company’s relationship with its Belize entity.

Those auditors are eligible to reapply for reinstatement. But WSRP stepped down as Freedom’s auditor. Deloitte Kazakhstan helped Freedom restate the prior auditor’s erroneous filings to the SEC and regain compliance with exchange rules, filings show.

Deloitte’s Kazakh office is just a few blocks away from Freedom’s headquarters, on the outskirts of Kazakhstan’s largest city and financial hub. Freedom is the only SEC-registered U.S. company that Deloitte Kazakhstan audits, according to Public Company Accounting Oversight Board records.

A view from Almaty’s Esentai Tower, where Freedom’s head offices are. The offices of Deloitte Kazakhstan, Freedom’s latest auditor, can be seen in the distance, near the building with a green illuminated sign.

“First thing to consider is that the company has been audited by the largest big-4 auditor, Deloitte,” Turlov said, in his response to Hindenburg’s report.

Deloitte and Roman Sattarov, the Deloitte partner overseeing Freedom’s audit, didn’t respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Freedom is still trying to expand in the U.S. In February, the company agreed to pay $400 million, primarily in stock, for middle-market investment bank Maxim Group. Maxim has worked on IPOs for many smaller companies and has been part of bigger deals, such as PIMCO Access Income Fund’s $866 million offering in 2022.

Turlov isn’t letting the U.S. probes keep him away. He traveled to New York last month. 

“This week talking to our US office, partners and regulators,” he wrote in a Sept. 25 post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. 

A spokesperson for Turlov said he was “definitely not meeting with regulators.”

In Turlov’s interview published Thursday in Kazakhstan, he didn’t say which U.S. regulators approached the company, but said it all stemmed from Hindenburg’s report, which he called “misinformation.”

Source: Consumer News Business Channel

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