Afghanistan, Belarus agree to deepen industrial cooperation
Afghanistan and Belarus have agreed to advance joint industrial projects, investment and technical cooperation following talks in Minsk, as Kabul s...
A massive blackout struck Puerto Rico on New Year's Eve, leaving much of the island without power. While essential services were restored, residents face uncertainty as efforts to bring electricity back to all affected areas continue.
Puerto Rico faced a massive power outage on December 31, leaving most of the island without electricity. The blackout, which began early Tuesday morning, impacted nearly all of Puerto Rico, with only critical facilities like hospitals restored by 9 p.m. "We've been without electric power since 5:30 this morning, so we're stocking up here to turn on the generator and sort things out for tonight," said local resident Daisy Negron Gonzalez, who was preparing for potential extended outages.
LUMA Energy, the private company overseeing power distribution, stated that it could take up to 48 hours to fully restore service. "It's going to take a while to get all the power back up, so we're preparing to not be caught off guard for 2-3 days," said local man Elvin Lopez Garcia, as he fueled up his generator. The outage was reportedly caused by a failure in an underground line operated by LUMA, which knocked out both public and private power sources. LUMA spokesperson Ivan Baez confirmed that the failed line disrupted power plants and private generators.
In response to the crisis, Governor Pedro Pierluisi urged both LUMA and Genera to expedite the restoration process, calling for swift action in a social media post. The incident underscores ongoing concerns about Puerto Rico's aging electrical grid, which has faced chronic outages and challenges, especially after Hurricane Maria's devastating impact in 2017.
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 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.
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.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
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.
North Korea has fired more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles after U.S. President Donald Trump reduced American participation in joint military exercises with South Korea in an effort to revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Georgia’s foreign trade data for January-July 2026 shows Kyrgyzstan, China and Russia as its top three export markets, highlighting its Middle Corridor ambitions and complex economic ties with Moscow.
Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
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