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Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/2507 of 8 December 2025 amending Decision 2010/788/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/2469 of 4 December 2025 amending Decision (CFSP) 2020/1999 concerning restrictive measures against serious human rights violations and abuses.

Jahrelang waren Brille und Kappe das Markenzeichen von Mark Forster. Jetzt überlegt der deutsche Popsänger, die Accessoires beiseite zu legen. Bei einem Musikvideo-Dreh gibts erste Bilder von ihm «oben ohne».

Ski Aggu gehört zu den beliebtesten Rappern Deutschlands. Jetzt legt der Berliner sein Mikrofon für eine Weile beiseite, wie er auf Instagram verkündet. Aggu müsse auf seinen Körper hören.

US-Popstar Nicki Minaj sorgt beim konservativen Event «America Fest» in Phoenix für Aufsehen. Die 43-Jährige lobte US-Präsident Donald Trump und bezeichnete Vizepräsident Vance versehentlich als «Attentäter», was für Unbehagen sorgte.

Im Juli war SVP-Grossrat René Schindler nach dem Kinderfest in Zofingen AG von drei jungen Männern angegangen und übelst verprügelt worden. Nun hat die Polizei die drei Tatverdächtigen festgenommen.

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Hosée Houngnibo, coordonnateur national du mouvement OB26, a été relaxé ce lundi par la Cour de Répression des Infractions Economiques et du Terrorisme (CRIET), qui a estimé que les éléments de preuve étaient insuffisants.

L'activiste Hosée Houngnibo était poursuivi pour « dénonciation calomnieuse » contre le régisseur de la maison d'arrêt de Ouidah, où il avait été incarcéré à la suite d'une condamnation pour harcèlement à l'encontre du chef de l'État.

Lors de l'audience, Hosée Houngnibo avait nié toute intention de nuire, affirmant qu'il avait seulement partagé avec un ami des informations sur ses conditions de détention, sans lui demander de les rendre publiques. Son avocat avait réclamé une relaxe totale, soulignant l'absence de preuves permettant de retenir une culpabilité.

Le juge a écarté les réquisitions du ministère public, qui demandait 24 mois de prison, dont 12 mois fermes. Hosée Houngnibo, considéré comme un proche soutien d'Olivier Boko, ancien bras droit du président Patrice Talon, recouvre ainsi sa liberté.
M. M.

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L’article Sonelgaz l’a décidé : pas de coupure d’électricité pendant la CAN est apparu en premier sur .

Italy is the second biggest contributing country in the UN-backed peacekeeping force

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Olyan római kúriára van szükségünk, amely egyre inkább misszióját végzi, amelyben az intézmények, hivatalok és feladatok a mai kor nagy egyházi, pasztorális és társadalmi kihívásait tartják szem előtt, és nem csak a megszokott adminisztrációt teljesítik - hangoztatta XIV. Leó pápa a római kúria tagjait fogadva hétfőn.

A new WHO strategy aims to ensure innovations align with policy priorities and reach vulnerable groups, Belgium's 'unmet patient needs' expertise will be 'foundational'

“Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue” (CA+JAD). Credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan

By Katsuhiro Asagiri
TOKYO, Japan, Dec 22 2025 (IPS)

Leaders of Japan and the five Central Asian states met in Tokyo on Dec. 20 and adopted the “Tokyo Declaration,” launching a new leaders-level format under the “Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue” (CA+JAD). The declaration places at the core of cooperation two priorities: strengthening supply-chain resilience for critical minerals, and supporting the Trans-Caspian Corridor (the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route), which links Central Asia with Europe without transiting Russia.

Chaired by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the meeting reflected Central Asia’s strategic importance as a Eurasian crossroads and as a region with mineral resources essential to decarbonization and advanced industries. As major powers step up engagement across the region, Central Asia’s weight as a stage for diplomacy and trade has been growing.

“Central Asia plus Japan Dialogue” (CA+JAD). Credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan

The Japanese government emphasized a practical, implementation-oriented approach—translating cooperation into deliverable projects. For Central Asian countries, the Trans-Caspian Corridor is also a means to expand transport options and reduce dependence on any single transit route. It can help attract investment for modernizing ports, railways and customs systems, while increasing opportunities to capture transit and logistics revenues.

For Japan, corridor development and cooperation on minerals serve as a form of risk diversification in economic security. By diversifying both procurement sources and transport routes for critical minerals—such as rare earths and lithium—needed for batteries, renewable energy technologies and electronic devices, Japan aims to prepare for heightened geopolitical risk. There is also a clear intent to expand opportunities for Japanese companies to participate in infrastructure, logistics and digital sectors.

Japan–Kazakhstan Joint Statement as the Anchor

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev(left) and Prime Minister Sane Takaichi (right) signing a joint statement. Credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan

Ahead of the leaders’ summit, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev paid an official visit to Japan, with a series of diplomatic engagements scheduled around the trip.

On Dec. 18, Prime Minister Takaichi and President Tokayev held a summit meeting and issued a joint statement on a “future-oriented expanded strategic partnership.” The statement reaffirmed a rules-based international order grounded in the principles of the U.N. Charter, and the two leaders agreed to advance cooperation through concrete initiatives in areas including critical minerals, the energy transition, and transport and logistics connectivity.

On the Trans-Caspian Corridor, the joint statement specified practical measures aimed at easing customs and port bottlenecks—such as training for customs officials in cooperation with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and support for improving cargo inspection scanners (cargo inspection equipment) at Aktau Port in western Kazakhstan. The two leaders also welcomed plans to launch regular direct flights in 2026 and agreed to begin intergovernmental negotiations toward the conclusion of a bilateral air services agreement. In addition, the joint statement expressed an intent to exchange information and explore potential avenues of cooperation with the “UN Regional Centre for the SDGs for Central Asia and Afghanistan”, which was established in Almaty.

Middle Corridor. Photo credit: TITR

Tokayev Warns of Nuclear Risks in Tokyo

On the following day, Dec. 19, President Tokayev delivered a lecture at the United Nations University in Tokyo, warning that “nuclear risks are rising again.”

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a lecture at the United Nations University

He referred not only to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also to Kazakhstan’s Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, where the former Soviet Union conducted more than 450 nuclear tests, arguing that both Japan and Kazakhstan are countries that know the devastating consequences wrought by nuclear weapons. He said practical steps must be steadily accumulated to advance nuclear disarmament and reduce nuclear risks.

Semipalatinsk Former Nuclear Weapon Test site/ Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri

Tokayev also cited Kazakhstan’s decision to relinquish the nuclear weapons left on its territory after the Soviet collapse, suggesting that security should not depend solely on nuclear deterrence.

Kazakhstan has, around Aug. 29—the date the Semipalatinsk test site was closed and also the U.N.-designated International Day against Nuclear Tests—hosted meetings in Astana that foreground the inhumane impacts of nuclear weapons and call for strengthening norms underpinning the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. These gatherings have included participation by civil society groups such as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and Soka Gakkai International (SGI).

A Group photo of participants of the regional conference on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and nuclear-free-zone in Central Asia held on August 29, 2023. Credit: Jibek Joly TV Channel

Three Priority Areas: Resilience, Connectivity, Human Development

At the Dec. 20 summit, President Tokayev attended alongside the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Prime Minister Takaichi noted that Central Asia’s growing population and rapid economic expansion have raised the region’s international profile, and stressed the importance of regional cooperation and engagement with external partners.

Japan announced the “CA+JAD Tokyo Initiative,” setting out three priority areas for cooperation: (1) green and resilience (including the energy transition, disaster risk reduction and supply-chain resilience for critical minerals); (2) connectivity (including the Trans-Caspian Corridor and A.I. cooperation); and (3) human development (including scholarship programs and cooperation in health and medical fields).

The Tokyo Declaration also explicitly set out the launch of the “Japan–Central Asia Partnership for AI Cooperation,” with a view to applying A.I. to resource development and related areas. More than 150 documents were signed and announced by public and private stakeholders on the margins of the meeting, and a goal was presented to develop business projects totaling 3 trillion yen over the next five years.

Multipolar Engagement and Kazakhstan’s “Multi-Vector” Diplomacy

The Tokyo gathering also underscored the reality of accelerating summit diplomacy around Central Asia. China convened a leaders’ meeting with the five Central Asian states in Kazakhstan earlier this year, and the United States invited the same five leaders to Washington in November.

Credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Japan

Kazakhstan, in particular, has long pursued a “multi-vector” foreign policy—cultivating relations in parallel with competing major powers to preserve sovereignty and strategic options. The Tokyo agreements—combining diversification of transport corridors, expanded cooperation on minerals and technology, and the use of development cooperation through international institutions—align with this balancing strategy.

For Japan, the new leaders-level format provides a means to deepen engagement with Central Asia by connecting resources, logistics and technology. For President Tokayev, the visit also served as a platform to argue that, as nuclear risks re-emerge at the forefront, Eurasia’s economic future cannot be separated from the security challenges that shape it.

INPS Japan

Related articles:

Kazakhstan Takes Lead in Global Push for Nuclear Disarmament Amid Heightened Tensions

Kazakhstan Committed to a Nuclear-Weapons-Free World

Kazakhstan’s leadership in multilateralism: A Beacon for global peace and stability

IPS UN Bureau

 

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