live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
Kazakhstan ramped up uranium production by 13% in the first half of 2025, according to Kazatomprom, the world’s largest uranium producer, reinforcing its position as a global nuclear fuel supplier despite falling market prices and weak sales.
Despite the production boost, Kazatomprom's sales dropped 2% to 7,625 tonnes during the same period.
"The 24% decline in the spot price during the reporting period had a limited impact on the average realized prices of the Group and Kazatomprom, decreasing by 12% and 8%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2024," the company said in a statement.
Most of the firm’s uranium is sold under long-term contracts indexed to spot prices, with only small volumes traded on the spot market.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, which holds around 15% of the world’s uranium reserves, does not use nuclear fuel domestically.
The company continues to mine uranium both independently and via joint ventures. The company went public on the London Stock Exchange in 2019, and 75% of its shares remain under the control of Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
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