Latest news with #Centraland
DW
02-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Russia and Ukraine agree new prisoner exchange after talks – DW – 06/02/2025
Skip next section Zelenskyy says Ukraine, Russia preparing new POW exchange after Istanbul talks 06/02/2025 June 2, 2025 Zelenskyy says Ukraine, Russia preparing new POW exchange after Istanbul talks The second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul ended after lasting just over an hour. "It didn't end negatively," said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keseli. Following the conclusion of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine and Russia are working on a new prisoner exchange. The delegations "exchanged documents through the Turkish side, and we are preparing a new release of prisoners of the war," Zelenskyy said while attending a meeting of Central and Northern European states in Vilnius, Lithuania. Meanwhile, Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, said that Ukrainian delegates at the Istanbul peace talks handed a list of children that Kyiv wants Moscow to return to Russian negotiators. According to Ukrainian officials, hundreds of children were forcibly removed from Ukrainian territory by Russian forces, and Ukraine wants them returned as part of a peace deal. Moscow claims the children were relocated for their safety. Expectations were low before the talks began, as both parties submitted written proposals laying out their demands, showing them far apart from any agreement on ending the war. Ukraine, which has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years, wants an internationally monitored 30-day ceasefire as a starting point for peace talks. The solution is based on a US proposal. Moscow, for its part, has set out preconditions that include halting mobilization and renouncing Western arms deliveries, aiming to stop Ukraine from using any ceasefire to regroup militarily.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Central Asian countries push for regional development at Termez Dialogue
Representatives of Central Asian countries have come together to maximise the region's economic opportunities and make an effort to support Afghanistan, which is now signalling a business-oriented international outreach after years of isolation. The Termez Dialogue on Connectivity Between Central and South Asia, which included leaders from Central Asian countries along with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was held in the southern Uzbek city of Termez. The meeting was initiated by Uzbekistan, a strong supporter of the economic integration of its neighbour Afghanistan, which is now in the fifth year of the Taliban government. The Central Asian countries have for years been pushing for what they call "acceptance of reality" in the region and engagement with Afghanistan. In 2022 Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, proposed a platform for Central and South Asian countries to collaborate, which was later reflected in a UN General Assembly resolution. The meeting in Termez is an effort to turn the ideas presented in the resolution into a reality. "The main goal of this dialogue is to create a permanent, functional platform within which the representatives of Central and South Asian countries can discuss a wide range of cooperation issues, from interconnectivity, trade and economic cooperation to humanitarian exchange," Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, said. Most of the region's countries have already started their first infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. There are now high-voltage power lines to Afghanistan running from both from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Through them Afghanistan receives regular aid in the form of electricity. Turkmenistan's deputy foreign minister Temirbek Erkinov pointed out a new road and a railway from his country to Afghanistan projects are in the planning for the route to be extended as far as the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The participants in the Termez talks repeatedly pointed out the cultural and historic ties between the countries in the region and were all clear about one thing. Since they became independent from the Soviet Union, the landlocked countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, were cut off both from the nearest deep sea ports in Pakistan and from the vast markets of Pakistan and India due to ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. No pipeline, road or railway line was viable through the vast swathes of Afghanistan that were deemed unsafe. That situation has changed and Afghanistan now has a government which seems to be able to provide security for major projects. An opportunity not to be missed, in the opinion of Central Asian leaders. "We want active engagement on a number of concrete infrastructure projects, first of all Afghan Trans Railway Corridor. You know that all the countries of the region are land-locked, Uzbekistan is double-land locked as we have to cross two borders to reach the nearest sea," explained Aripov. "This is why the question of transport communication is the most important topic for all the central and south Asian countries. We are committed to the Trans Afghan corridor above all because it will connect Pakistani ports to the countries of Central Asia." "Right now, trade between Central and South Asia is worth five billion dollars. That is nothing. It does not remotely reflect the potential that's there. Europe is much further away and our trade exchange with them is ten times higher," he added. Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister Mohammad Naeem Wardak joined the summit to announce Kabul's intentions to get involved in trade, transit and stronger regional economic cooperation, to act what he called "a regional connector and a transit route." "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is making efforts to make Afghanistan the connectivity point in this region. Afghanistan's position is to the benefit of all the countries around us in the region," he said. He insisted that Afghanistan is already providing security in the region by tackling drug trafficking, eradicating poppy fields and fighting organised crime and terrorism. But his government is eager to engage more, economically, he said. "Afghanistan is centrally located and is the bridge between Central and South Asia. As such, it represents a bridge. Unfortunately, we had 40 years of fighting and the opportunity did not exist. Now, thanks to Allah, with the return of the Islamic Emirate, the opportunities for development are in place," he told Euronews. The city of Termez, situated on the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the bank of the Amu Darya river, has been a logistics hub for the caravans travelling between east and west along the ancient Silk Road. During Soviet times it was reduced to a distant outpost and served as the Red Army's entry point to Afghanistan in 1979. A project which envisions the city regaining some of its former glory and bringing the prosperity of a trade hub is under way. On a patch of land on the border, Uzbekistan built a free trade zone in 2024 for Afghan companies and a logistics centre. Afghan nationals can enter the zone as part of a 15-day visa-free regime. Almost half a million Afghans have already made use of the opportunity, opening businesses thanks to a simplified registration procedure and enjoying duty free trade. Around 100 shops are currently active there and a further 500 have been announced. A cargo centre within the zone is used to load more than 70 lorries, and a daily train transports goods to both sides of the border. A modern hospital, opened last year, with 380 doctors working in 15 different areas has treated around 48,000 Afghan patients, paid for by the Uzbek government. Related The race for Central Asia's transport routes: Who will dominate the new Silk Roads? Samarkand's celestial legacy: Tracing Ulugh Beg's astronomical achievements on the Silk Road The New Silk Road: What is it and why has Italy abandoned the project with China? Around 300 complicated surgeries were performed that patients were unable to have in Afghanistan. A business school for medium and small enterprises was also opened and teaches some 500 shop owners how to run and develop their business. "We have seen the surge of trade contracts in the last year. Last year the increase was 160%, and they are now worth $560 million (€494 million)," said the governor of the Surkhandarya region, Ulugbek Kosimov. He also hopes that the development of trade routes from Russia in the north to India in the south and from Iran in the west and China in the east, with all the countries along the road, will see his province prosper in what he called a "new renaissance."
Euronews
21-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Dutch citizens advised to keep cash on hand in case of emergency
The Netherlands' Central Bank (DNB) has advised citizens to keep enough cash on hand to last them three days in case of disaster or emergency, citing rising geopolitical tensions and cyber threats that could jeopardise the country's payment system. Citizens should keep €70 per adult and €30 per child in cash as a precautionary measure, the bank warned this week. The money should be enough to cover necessary expenses for 72 hours "such as for water, food, medicine, and transportation", it said. "Think of a power failure, a technical disruption at your bank or the Wi-Fi going down. Then you might not be able to pay the way you are used to. But paying with cash is almost always possible," the DNB's advisory said. The recommendation "was prompted by increased geopolitical tensions and cyber threats that could challenge our payment system", it added. In addition to holding hard cash, the DNB said people should consider having a debit card and using contactless with their phone or smartwatch. The bank's warning follows a massive power outage that hit Spain and Portugal on 28 April. The causes of the blackout are still being investigated. Card payment systems went offline and ATMs were out of order, meaning that many people in the two countries had to rely on cash to buy water, food, torches and battery-powered radios to stay up-to-date with the news. The European Commission released a preparedness plan in March that encouraged the public to maintain sufficient supplies for at least 72 hours in case of emergencies such as natural disasters or conflict. The plan listed items including cash, medication, a power bank and a radio. Representatives of Central Asian countries have come together to maximise the region's economic opportunities and make an effort to support Afghanistan, which is now signalling a business-oriented international outreach after years of isolation. The Termez Dialogue on Connectivity Between Central and South Asia, which included leaders from Central Asian countries along with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was held in the southern Uzbek city of Termez. The meeting was initiated by Uzbekistan, a strong supporter of the economic integration of its neighbour Afghanistan, which is now in the fifth year of the Taliban government. The Central Asian countries have for years been pushing for what they call "acceptance of reality" in the region and engagement with Afghanistan. In 2022 Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, proposed a platform for Central and South Asian countries to collaborate, which was later reflected in a UN General Assembly resolution. The meeting in Termez is an effort to turn the ideas presented in the resolution into a reality. "The main goal of this dialogue is to create a permanent, functional platform within which the representatives of Central and South Asian countries can discuss a wide range of cooperation issues, from interconnectivity, trade and economic cooperation to humanitarian exchange," Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, said. Most of the region's countries have already started their first infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. There are now high-voltage power lines to Afghanistan running from both from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Through them Afghanistan receives regular aid in the form of electricity. Turkmenistan's deputy foreign minister Temirbek Erkinov pointed out a new road and a railway from his country to Afghanistan projects are in the planning for the route to be extended as far as the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The participants in the Termez talks repeatedly pointed out the cultural and historic ties between the countries in the region and were all clear about one thing. Since they became independent from the Soviet Union, the landlocked countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, were cut off both from the nearest deep sea ports in Pakistan and from the vast markets of Pakistan and India due to ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. No pipeline, road or railway line was viable through the vast swathes of Afghanistan that were deemed unsafe. That situation has changed and Afghanistan now has a government which seems to be able to provide security for major projects. An opportunity not to be missed, in the opinion of Central Asian leaders. "We want active engagement on a number of concrete infrastructure projects, first of all Afghan Trans Railway Corridor. You know that all the countries of the region are land-locked, Uzbekistan is double-land locked as we have to cross two borders to reach the nearest sea," explained Aripov. "This is why the question of transport communication is the most important topic for all the central and south Asian countries. We are committed to the Trans Afghan corridor above all because it will connect Pakistani ports to the countries of Central Asia." "Right now, trade between Central and South Asia is worth five billion dollars. That is nothing. It does not remotely reflect the potential that's there. Europe is much further away and our trade exchange with them is ten times higher," he added. Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister Mohammad Naeem Wardak joined the summit to announce Kabul's intentions to get involved in trade, transit and stronger regional economic cooperation, to act what he called "a regional connector and a transit route." "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is making efforts to make Afghanistan the connectivity point in this region. Afghanistan's position is to the benefit of all the countries around us in the region," he said. He insisted that Afghanistan is already providing security in the region by tackling drug trafficking, eradicating poppy fields and fighting organised crime and terrorism. But his government is eager to engage more, economically, he said. "Afghanistan is centrally located and is the bridge between Central and South Asia. As such, it represents a bridge. Unfortunately, we had 40 years of fighting and the opportunity did not exist. Now, thanks to Allah, with the return of the Islamic Emirate, the opportunities for development are in place," he told Euronews. The city of Termez, situated on the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the bank of the Amu Darya river, has been a logistics hub for the caravans travelling between east and west along the ancient Silk Road. During Soviet times it was reduced to a distant outpost and served as the Red Army's entry point to Afghanistan in 1979. A project which envisions the city regaining some of its former glory and bringing the prosperity of a trade hub is under way. On a patch of land on the border, Uzbekistan built a free trade zone in 2024 for Afghan companies and a logistics centre. Afghan nationals can enter the zone as part of a 15-day visa-free regime. Almost half a million Afghans have already made use of the opportunity, opening businesses thanks to a simplified registration procedure and enjoying duty free trade. Around 100 shops are currently active there and a further 500 have been announced. A cargo centre within the zone is used to load more than 70 lorries, and a daily train transports goods to both sides of the border. A modern hospital, opened last year, with 380 doctors working in 15 different areas has treated around 48,000 Afghan patients, paid for by the Uzbek government. Around 300 complicated surgeries were performed that patients were unable to have in Afghanistan. A business school for medium and small enterprises was also opened and teaches some 500 shop owners how to run and develop their business. "We have seen the surge of trade contracts in the last year. Last year the increase was 160%, and they are now worth $560 million (€494 million)," said the governor of the Surkhandarya region, Ulugbek Kosimov. He also hopes that the development of trade routes from Russia in the north to India in the south and from Iran in the west and China in the east, with all the countries along the road, will see his province prosper in what he called a "new renaissance."
Euronews
21-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Central Asian nations push for regional development at Termez Dialogue
Representatives of Central Asian countries have come together to maximise the region's economic opportunities and make an effort to support Afghanistan, which is now signalling a business-oriented international outreach after years of isolation. The Termez Dialogue on Connectivity Between Central and South Asia, which included leaders from Central Asian countries along with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was held in the southern Uzbek city of Termez. The meeting was initiated by Uzbekistan, a strong supporter of the economic integration of its neighbour Afghanistan, which is now in the fifth year of the Taliban government. The Central Asian countries have for years been pushing for what they call "acceptance of reality" in the region and engagement with Afghanistan. In 2022 Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, proposed a platform for Central and South Asian countries to collaborate, which was later reflected in a UN General Assembly resolution. The meeting in Termez is an effort to turn the ideas presented in the resolution into a reality. "The main goal of this dialogue is to create a permanent, functional platform within which the representatives of Central and South Asian countries can discuss a wide range of cooperation issues, from interconnectivity, trade and economic cooperation to humanitarian exchange," Eldor Aripov, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, said. Most of the region's countries have already started their first infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. There are now high-voltage power lines to Afghanistan running from both from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Through them Afghanistan receives regular aid in the form of electricity. Turkmenistan's deputy foreign minister Temirbek Erkinov pointed out a new road and a railway from his country to Afghanistan projects are in the planning for the route to be extended as far as the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The participants in the Termez talks repeatedly pointed out the cultural and historic ties between the countries in the region and were all clear about one thing. Since they became independent from the Soviet Union, the landlocked countries of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, were cut off both from the nearest deep sea ports in Pakistan and from the vast markets of Pakistan and India due to ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. No pipeline, road or railway line was viable through the vast swathes of Afghanistan that were deemed unsafe. That situation has changed and Afghanistan now has a government which seems to be able to provide security for major projects. An opportunity not to be missed, in the opinion of Central Asian leaders. "We want active engagement on a number of concrete infrastructure projects, first of all Afghan Trans Railway Corridor. You know that all the countries of the region are land-locked, Uzbekistan is double-land locked as we have to cross two borders to reach the nearest sea," explained Aripov. "This is why the question of transport communication is the most important topic for all the central and south Asian countries. We are committed to the Trans Afghan corridor above all because it will connect Pakistani ports to the countries of Central Asia." "Right now, trade between Central and South Asia is worth five billion dollars. That is nothing. It does not remotely reflect the potential that's there. Europe is much further away and our trade exchange with them is ten times higher," he added. Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister Mohammad Naeem Wardak joined the summit to announce Kabul's intentions to get involved in trade, transit and stronger regional economic cooperation, to act what he called "a regional connector and a transit route." "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is making efforts to make Afghanistan the connectivity point in this region. Afghanistan's position is to the benefit of all the countries around us in the region," he said. He insisted that Afghanistan is already providing security in the region by tackling drug trafficking, eradicating poppy fields and fighting organised crime and terrorism. But his government is eager to engage more, economically, he said. "Afghanistan is centrally located and is the bridge between Central and South Asia. As such, it represents a bridge. Unfortunately, we had 40 years of fighting and the opportunity did not exist. Now, thanks to Allah, with the return of the Islamic Emirate, the opportunities for development are in place," he told Euronews. The city of Termez, situated on the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the bank of the Amu Darya river, has been a logistics hub for the caravans travelling between east and west along the ancient Silk Road. During Soviet times it was reduced to a distant outpost and served as the Red Army's entry point to Afghanistan in 1979. A project which envisions the city regaining some of its former glory and bringing the prosperity of a trade hub is under way. On a patch of land on the border, Uzbekistan built a free trade zone in 2024 for Afghan companies and a logistics centre. Afghan nationals can enter the zone as part of a 15-day visa-free regime. Almost half a million Afghans have already made use of the opportunity, opening businesses thanks to a simplified registration procedure and enjoying duty free trade. Around 100 shops are currently active there and a further 500 have been announced. A cargo centre within the zone is used to load more than 70 lorries, and a daily train transports goods to both sides of the border. A modern hospital, opened last year, with 380 doctors working in 15 different areas has treated around 48,000 Afghan patients, paid for by the Uzbek government. Around 300 complicated surgeries were performed that patients were unable to have in Afghanistan. A business school for medium and small enterprises was also opened and teaches some 500 shop owners how to run and develop their business. "We have seen the surge of trade contracts in the last year. Last year the increase was 160%, and they are now worth $560 million (€494 million)," said the governor of the Surkhandarya region, Ulugbek Kosimov. He also hopes that the development of trade routes from Russia in the north to India in the south and from Iran in the west and China in the east, with all the countries along the road, will see his province prosper in what he called a "new renaissance." The Polish military intervened in the Baltic Sea after a Russian ship carried out "suspicious manoeuvres" near a power cable connecting Poland and Sweden, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday. "A Russian ship from the 'shadow fleet' covered by sanctions performed suspicious maneuvers near the power cable connecting Poland with Sweden," Tusk wrote on X. "After the effective intervention of our military, the ship sailed to one of the Russian ports." The term "shadow fleet" is used to describe ships Russia operates under concealed means to evade sanctions. Western countries say that Moscow is using hundreds of tankers under opaque ownership to ferry Russian oil around the world despite Western sanctions against them. Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters later on Wednesday that a patrol flight scared the Russian ship away, and that the Polish navy's ORP Heweliusz sailed to the scene to investigate further, according to local media. An emergency meeting will be held on Thursday with Tusk in attendance, reports said. "This shows how dangerous the times we live in are, how serious the situation in the Baltic Sea is," Kosiniak-Kamysz told a news conference. Moscow has publicly not commented on the incident. The 600-megawatt undersea cable targeted links Poland and Sweden and allows electricity grids in both countries to benefit from cheap cross-border power supplies. Some of the vessels Russia's "shadow fleet" have been implicated in previous damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. In December 2024, Finnish police seized the Eagle S, a tanker thought to be part of the fleet, on suspicion it used its anchor to damage an undersea power cable supplying electricity from Finland to Estonia. Russia has denied any role in the damage. Nevertheless, NATO has stepped up its security in the region following a string of incidents in which power cables and gas pipelines have been damaged in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Estonia warned last week that Russia was willing to protect its shadow fleet of ageing tankers with military force. That came after Estonia recently intercepted a suspicious vessel in its waters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said that Russia would defend its ships in the Baltic Sea using "all means" at its disposal.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
APM Terminals buys Panama Canal Railway from CPKC, Lanco Group/Mi-Jack
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City (NYSE: CP) and the Lanco Group/Mi-Jack have sold the Panama Canal Railway to APM Terminals, a global terminal operator and an independent division of A.P. Moller-Maersk (XCSE: MAERSKa). The 47.6-mile railway provides ocean-to-ocean freight and passenger services along the Panama Canal and has been a 50/50 joint venture between CPKC subsidiary Kansas City Southern and Lanco Group/Mi-Jack since its formation in 1998. 'We are pleased to have completed this transaction with APM Terminals, a part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, a key strategic partner of CPKC's and major customer of the Panama Canal Railway Co.,' CPKC CEO Keith Creel said in a statement Wednesday. 'The sale of this non-core asset creates value for our shareholders and reflects our commitment to optimize our assets as we focus on growing our core North American rail business through our unrivaled three-nation network connecting Canada, the United States and Mexico.' Last year the railway posted $36 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization on revenue of $77 million. In a typical year, the railway handles 300,000 late 2023 and early 2024, the railway picked up 20% more business due to low water levels in the canal. Panama imposed drought-related draft limitations on ships passing through the canal. To lighten their loads, shipping lines diverted some containers to the railway. Most of this traffic was from shipping lines that did not regularly use the railway. The Panama Canal Railway's regular customers rely on Panama's ports, the canal and the railway as a distribution and logistics hub. The railway handles regional trans-shipments to cover Central and South American and Caribbean markets. Lanco/Mi-Jack CEO Mike Lanigan said he's confident that the Panama Canal Railway's container business will continue to grow under APM ownership. 'PCRC represents an attractive infrastructure investment in the region aligned to our core services of intermodal container movement,' APM Terminals CEO Keith Svendsen said. 'The company is highly regarded for its operational excellence and will provide a significant opportunity for us to offer a broader range of services to the global shipping customers we serve.'The purchase price was not disclosed. The Panama Railroad opened on Jan. 28, 1855, when the first train ran from the Atlantic Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean. The construction of the Panama Canal prompted relocation of much of the railroad in 1912. The railroad lost its transcontinental traffic to the canal when it opened in 1914. The completion of a highway across the isthmus in 1943 took away the railway's remaining local traffic. The Panamanian government acquired the railway as part of the 1977 treaty that would eventually see the canal turned over to Panama. The railway further declined under government ownership. After winning the concession, KCS and Mi-Jack invested $80 million to revitalize the railroad. Its locomotives and passenger equipment wear the historic KCS Southern Belle livery. The post APM Terminals buys Panama Canal Railway from CPKC, Lanco Group/Mi-Jack appeared first on FreightWaves. Sign in to access your portfolio
