Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 17th of August, covering the latest developments.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed sharply over the weekend following attacks on tankers and stalled U.S.-Iran talks. Only five commodity vessels transited the waterway on Saturday, with none recorded on Sunday, compared with 31 during the previous weekend. Iran said shipping could resume if Washington meets its conditions, while the U.S. said it could maintain a naval blockade indefinitely.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to advance his Gaza peace roadmap returned to the diplomatic arena as his envoys held talks with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo. Jared Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov are seeking to turn the proposal into practical steps. However, major disagreements remain between Israel and Hamas over its implementation. Israel has objected to key elements of the plan, while Hamas has demanded guarantees that Israel will honour its commitments under the ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a significant reduction in planned joint military exercises with South Korea, citing their cost and his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump said he had instructed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the drills, arguing they send an inappropriate and hostile signal to Pyongyang. The decision comes ahead of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, scheduled for 17 to 27 August.
The European Union plans to significantly expand sanctions against Russia in the coming months, according to EU officials. The new measures are expected to be the bloc’s most far-reaching sanctions package. Existing EU sanctions have cost Russia more than €1 trillion ($1.16 trillion), according to the EU foreign policy chief. The proposed package would increase the number of sanctioned Russian entities by about a third.
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake in eastern Indonesia has killed at least 53 people and triggered landslides, road blockages and widespread damage. Nearly 1,600 aftershocks have been recorded, including a magnitude-5.6 quake near the initial epicentre on Monday. Thousands of residents have been evacuated to safety, and many are sheltering outdoors because of fears of further tremors and building collapses. More than 3,500 military and police personnel have been deployed.
What would you miss most after six months orbiting Earth, 400 kilometres above the ground? For astronauts, a familiar meal can offer a welcome tast...
U.S. President Donald Trump has called it “a disgrace” that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries. Attacks are continui...
Armenia is looking to turn shared environmental challenges into opportunities for regional cooperation, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlig...
The U.S. has banned government employees working in Saudi Arabia from using airports in the country without special authorisation. It comes after a deadly Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people last week.
The Saudi-led coalition said early Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed a drone over Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called it “a disgrace” that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries. Attacks are continuing from Russia and Ukraine as media reports say Ukraine has almost run out of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Ukraine is set to restart attacks on Russian oil refineries following a two-day pause, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, amid growing tensions with Washington over energy strikes and U.S. military support.
Azerbaijan is hosting the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku on Thursday, 15 October, following agreements that could extend the country's leadership of the Asian security forum until 2028.
What would you miss most after six months orbiting Earth, 400 kilometres above the ground? For astronauts, a familiar meal can offer a welcome taste of home. China is making that possible, bringing everything from dumplings to Kung Pao chicken to its space station.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called it “a disgrace” that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries. Attacks are continuing from Russia and Ukraine as media reports say Ukraine has almost run out of Patriot interceptor missiles.
A Norwegian teenager recruited by a Swedish criminal network to carry out a contract killing in Britain has been sentenced to 20 years’ detention after police uncovered the murder plot.
Romanian rescuers resumed their search for seven missing sailors on Friday (16 October) after a drone strike set a chemical tanker ablaze near the country’s Black Sea coast. The attacks have raised fresh security concerns along a vital regional trade route.
Students, lecturers and university staff marched on Argentina’s Congress in Buenos Aires on Thursday to demand President Javier Milei’s government implement a university funding law which would boost staff salaries and increase financial support to institutions to cover operating costs
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment