Hamas to return remains of two Israeli hostages under ceasefire deal
Hamas has confirmed it will hand over the bodies of two Israeli captives tonight as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement....
The first-ever summit between the European Union (EU) and the five Central Asian nations—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan - began today in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The summit brings together the Presidents of the European Council, António Costa, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, along with the leadership of Central Asia, including Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The summit is seen as a key moment to intensify relations between the two regions, particularly in areas such as trade, energy, security, and environmental cooperation. The leaders are set to discuss how to enhance connectivity, boost trade ties, address regional security challenges, and cooperate on green transition efforts.
EU Special Representative Eduards Stiprais highlighted the importance of the summit, emphasizing that Central Asia, with its strategic position at the heart of Eurasia, plays a vital role in promoting East-West and North-South connectivity. He also pointed out that the EU has been a major trading partner for the region, contributing about 40% of all foreign direct investment in Central Asia.
The EU has committed €550 million through its Global Gateway initiative to improve infrastructure and facilitate smoother trade routes. Stiprais noted the focus on critical raw materials and renewable energy, which are central to the green transition. "Critical raw materials are the new critical area," he remarked, underscoring the EU’s interest in securing resources for its green economy.
Energy cooperation is another area of focus at the summit, with the EU and Central Asia exploring ways to collaborate on energy security, including nuclear energy. While nuclear power remains a debated issue within the EU, Stiprais emphasized the importance of safety and the careful handling of nuclear technology.
The summit also aligns with the broader goals set out in the EU’s 2019 strategy on Central Asia and the joint roadmap for deepening ties adopted in 2023. As relations between the EU and Central Asia continue to evolve, the summit serves as a vital opportunity to further advance multilateral cooperation and strengthen political and economic partnerships.
In addition to bilateral talks, Presidents Costa and von der Leyen are also participating in the Samarkand International Climate Forum, which aims to tackle global and regional threats posed by climate change, with an emphasis on sustainable development.
The leaders are expected to issue a joint statement at the conclusion of the summit, highlighting the key areas of cooperation and outlining the next steps for furthering EU-Central Asia relations.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
On Friday, a delegation from the Turkish National Defence Ministry paid an official visit to Damascus, the capital of Syria.
Africa’s trade corridors are opening up major opportunities for investors, serving as strategic routes that unite investment, human resources, expertise, and digital transformation across the continent.
A new multimodal transport corridor linking China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has officially opened, marking the completion of the long-planned China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway project, which began construction on 27 December 2024.
AnewZ has joined ENEX, an international alliance of television broadcasters and media companies that connects newsrooms across more than fifty countries.
Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party has passed a sweeping legislative package that restricts political rights and sharply increases penalties for public protests, in a move drawing widespread concern from opposition parties, civil society, and international observers.
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