Vietnam flood death toll rises to 13, with 11 others missing
The death toll from the heavy floods in central Vietnam has risen to 13, with 11 others still missing, the government said on Friday....
Leaders of CIS member states signed an agreement establishing the new ‘CIS Plus’ format at a summit in Dushanbe, expanding the organisation’s framework for cooperation with other states and regional bodies.
Eurasian leaders have signed a landmark agreement creating the “CIS Plus” format, a new platform designed to deepen cooperation between Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) members and external partners, during the CIS Heads of State Summit in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe.
According to a statement released by the Kremlin, a total of 19 documents were signed following the meeting, including decisions on the establishment of the “CIS Plus” format and the granting of observer status to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) within the CIS.
The summit, chaired by Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon, brought together the heads of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also took part in the discussions.
During the meeting, the leaders reviewed key areas of cooperation and adopted several strategic documents, including programmes to counter terrorism and extremism (2026–2028), strengthen border security (2026–2030), and the Concept of Military Cooperation until 2030. A declaration on regional energy security was also approved.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended the restricted-format session, voiced Moscow’s strong support for the “CIS Plus” initiative, calling it an important mechanism to engage a broader circle of states and organisations.
“This will allow us to more actively engage other states and international organisations in the Commonwealth,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript, also highlighting Russia’s backing for closer cooperation between the CIS and the SCO.
Putin also congratulated Turkmenistan on assuming the CIS chairmanship for 2026, inviting leaders to an informal CIS meeting in St. Petersburg later this year.
He noted that he had discussed with several counterparts the outcome of his August summit in Alaska with U.S. President Donald Trump, describing the talks as “positive” and noting that Moscow’s subsequent approach to resolving the conflict in Ukraine would be guided by the principles agreed there.
The CIS, founded in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as full members, with Turkmenistan holding associate status. Moldova suspended its participation in 2022.
The Dushanbe summit marked a new phase in the organisation’s evolution, with the “CIS Plus” framework expected to strengthen engagement with external partners and enhance the region’s collective role in Eurasian affairs.
Reliable sources have confirmed to AnewZ that the United States has asked Azerbaijan to join a Stabilisation Force in Gaza, as part of a proposed international mission to secure the territory.
Centrist liberal party D66, led by 38-year-old Rob Jetten, has made sweeping gains in the Dutch election, emerging neck and neck with Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in early results — a stunning reversal just two years after D66 ranked sixth.
U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with President Xi Jinping to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade, Trump said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the most difficult situation on the front line remains the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where fighting continues to be most intense due to a strong concentration of Russian forces.
Police in Dar es Salaam fired gunshots and tear gas on Thursday to break up renewed protests following a disputed general election, a Reuters witness said.
Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Peru's late former President Alberto Fujimori, said on Thursday she will run for president in the April election, days after Peru's constitutional court dismissed a money-laundering case against her.
Britain's King Charles has stripped his younger brother Andrew of his title of prince and forced him out of his Windsor home, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday, seeking to distance the royals from him over his links to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Hurricane Melissa's confirmed death toll climbed to 49 on Thursday, according to official reports, after wreaking destruction across much of the northern Caribbean and picking up speed as it headed past Bermuda in the North Atlantic.
China's Xi Jinping will take centre stage at an annual gathering of Pacific Rim leaders in South Korea on Friday, holding talks with Canadian and Japanese counterparts after securing a fragile trade truce with U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday warned that a prolonged government shutdown could cause severe disruptions to air travel during the busy Thanksgiving holiday period, urging Democrats to help pass legislation to reopen the government.
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