Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan target $1 billion in trade by 2030
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 deep...
Thousands of civilians fled their homes as Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces push through Darfur and Kordofan. Airstrikes and attacks on markets, schools, and camps have left many at risk.
The RSF captured Darfur’s city of al-Fashir in late October 2025, marking one of its biggest gains in the 2½-year war with Sudan’s army. Since then, they have advanced east into the Kordofan region and taken control of Sudan’s largest oil field, Heglig.
Most of the roughly 40,000 people displaced so far have stayed within Sudan, but the UN warns the violence could force even more to leave.
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said if a city like El Obeid, near Khartoum, “were to be… engulfed by the war, I am pretty sure we would see more exodus,” noting that big urban centers produce most of the displaced.
Conditions at camps remain dire, with many facing violence and loss.
Grandi described one smaller camp hosting people from Al-Fashir, Kordofan, and other areas, saying, “their stories are unfortunately all the same: rape, murder, forced recruitment of children, separation of families, and sheer robbery.”
The Sudanese air force has also struck residential neighborhoods, markets, schools, and camps for displaced people.
Research by Sudan Witness shows at least 1,700 civilians have been killed in airstrikes since April 2023, with repeated attacks on neighborhoods and essential facilities.
Humanitarian groups are struggling to respond as violence spreads, leaving millions at risk and raising fears of a worsening crisis across Sudan and neighboring countries.
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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