Israel, Colombia announce mutual visa exemption from September
Israel and Colombia will waive advance visa requirements for travellers from 1 September as the two countries move to restore diplomatic and econom...
The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for about 20 people responsible for "undermining democracy in Georgia," including government ministers, parliament members and security officials, the State Department said on Thursday.
The department's statement did not name the people who would be prohibited from receiving U.S. visas.
Hundreds of people have been arrested in Georgia since nightly protests broke out almost two weeks ago against a decision by the ruling Georgian Dream party to delay the former Soviet republic's longstanding goal of joining the European Union.
"The United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party's ongoing, brutal, and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, including protesters, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures," the State Department said.
It added the department was "preparing additional actions, including sanctions, to hold to account those who undermine democracy in Georgia."
The collective-defence agreement between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signals that regional powers no longer want to rely solely on external security guarantees. Whether it becomes a stabilising deterrent or another axis of rivalry remains unresolved.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of August, covering the latest developments.
Russian ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has killed at least sixteen people and injured more than forty others, Ukrainian officials said, with fires reported across the city and Poland activating defensive air operations.
Pakistan is deepening engagement with Syria’s new leadership as Israeli strikes add fresh pressure on the country’s fragile political transition, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani concluding a landmark visit to Islamabad.
Afghanistan and Belarus have agreed to advance joint industrial projects, investment and technical cooperation following talks in Minsk, as Kabul seeks Belarusian machinery and support to develop domestic manufacturing.
Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are drawing up a new programme aimed at boosting bilateral trade to $1 billion by 2030, as the two countries move to deepen economic and industrial ties.
Syria says it assured Israel that Türkiye had no plans to establish a military presence at the Abu al-Duhur airbase before Israeli forces struck the site on Tuesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued his strongest warning yet over Türkiye's growing military role in Syria, saying Israel will not accept Turkish forces expanding their presence further south.
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