GENEVA: A record number of humanitarian workers were attacked last year, driven partly by increased use of armed drones, the United Nations said on Wednesday, calling the trend “appalling.” Some 907 aid workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2025 versus 833 the year before, according to the A»»»

Dubai: Dubai gold prices moved lower on Wednesday morning, extending their retreat from the start of the week and bringing local rates down from some of the highest levels recorded so far this month. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & BalancesThe 24-karat variety was priced at Dh5»»»

Minister of Education of Kyrgyzstan Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva inspected the preparatory work for the opening of a branch of the Akylman Presidential Lyceum in Talas. According to the ministry’s press service, teachers will be selected through a competitive process, with particular attention to the qual»»»

South Korea and the United States have decided to shorten the duration of the ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) joint military exercises from 11 to five days at the suggestion of the US side, and to halve the number of field training sessions, the KBS broadcaster reported citing South Korea's Join»»»

US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would not impose 50 percent import tariffs on Canada for now, and that a trade deal was expected in the coming days. "I have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, base»»»

The Japanese Defense Ministry plans to begin developing submarine-launched hypersonic missiles, low-cost attack drones, and explore the possibility of equipping submarines with long-range missile launchers, the Kyodo News Agency reported. The agency disclosed the Japanese Defense Ministry's plans i»»»

Dubai: Flying from the UAE today? Airlines including Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia and flydubai are continuing to operate selected regional services, but cancellations and delays remain on some routes as the latest escalation in the US-Iran conflict keeps pressure on Gulf aviation. Emirates has canc»»»

Dubai: Six Abu Dhabi districts will drive 77% of projected incremental residential supply through 2030, concentrating the emirate’s next wave of development in Al Saadiyat Island, Al Reem Island, Yas Island, Zayed City, Khalifa City and Al Hudayriyat Island, according to the latest market data from»»»

Construction of a two-kilometer tunnel for Ak-Terek canal is nearing completion in Aksy district, Jalal-Abad region. Workers have about 60 meters left to excavate, the Cabinet of Ministers’ press service reported. According to the statement, the facility was inspected by Presidential Special Repres»»»

President Donald Trump meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the White House in October. The two countries are negotiating tariffs on a deadline. File Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo Aug. 18 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump late Tuesday announced a three-day pause on imposing 50%»»»

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday (Aug. 19, 2026) said it detected missiles launched from Iran and has suspended trade and financial transactions with Tehran as tensions escalate in the Strait of Hormuz. UAE authorities reported that the missiles appeared aimed at maritime navigation rout»»»

SINGAPORE: Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed, data showed on Wednesday, as most shipowners avoided the key waterway because of a lack of clear signaling on its reopening from a blockade during the Iran war.Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, Kpler data showed by 0258 GMT»»»

The active phase of the search for the three missing mountaineers has ended, the search headquarters reported. According to the headquarters, flights have also been suspended, the camp has been dismantled, and equipment has been brought down. The headquarters is now working out the next stage and p»»»

The Council of Ministers will discuss a draft decision on preparations for and the holding of the presidential and vice-presidential elections scheduled for October 25. The agenda also includes a report on the cash execution of the state budget and the main indicators of the consolidated fiscal pro»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has amended the procedure for calculating compulsory motor third-party liability insurance (CMTPLI) payments for harm caused to the life and health of victims. The relevant Resolution No. 554 was adopted on August 17, 2026, the Financial Market Regulation and »»»

A number of shopping centers and markets in Bishkek will be closed on August 31 and September 1. The Bishkek City Hall made this decision at a meeting of the Coordination Commission on August 18. It is noted that this is due to issues of ensuring public safety and the city’s preparation for hosting»»»

Dubai: People who acquire Kuwaiti citizenship through naturalisation would not be entitled to vote, stand for parliamentary election or be appointed to any parliamentary body under amendments to the country’s Nationality Law approved by the Cabinet. The Cabinet approved a draft decree-law amending »»»

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is moving faster than any previous epidemic of the disease and risks spreading to more countries, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned Tuesday. "We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control," WHO Director-Gen»»»

Dubai: A young Egyptian aerobics and and gymnastics champion who won a national gold medal in the under-10 category was killed along with her mother and grandmother when their car overturned on the Matrouh coastal road, local media reported. Natalie Raymond, regarded as a promising young athlete, d»»»

Delegates from around the world have gathered in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to address the scourge of desertification. The 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) is taking place from August 17 to 28. Up to 40% of the world’s land is curre»»»

The Miskolc District Court has ordered the arrest of the driver of the Polish bus that was involved in an accident on the M3 motorway, the press office of the Miskolc Regional Court informed MTI on Tuesday. They stated that the man’s conduct, if proven, is suitable for establishing the misdemeanour»»»

The Hungarian state must regain people's trust in the lawful functioning of the state, and the Ministry of Interior must bear the lion's share of that responsibility — the interior minister declared on Tuesday in Budapest, when he announced promotions and presented decorations to police, disaster m»»»

An agreement has been reached between the Ministry of Transport and Investment and the contractor Duna Aszfalt, under which the contractor will reimburse the portion of the 98 percent advance payment — approved by János Lázár before the elections — that has not yet been covered by technical perform»»»

Special Presidential Representative for Special Assignments Bakyt Torobaev reviewed the progress of Mamai international border crossing point project in Jalal-Abad region. He noted that negotiations are underway to open the checkpoint and build Kerben — Mamai road. According to him, this initiative»»»

Dubai: Motorists travelling from Sharjah towards Dubai are facing pockets of heavy congestion during the Wednesday morning commute, with the supplied Google Maps traffic data showing significant slowdowns on E11 and E311 as vehicles head towards Dubai. One of the clearest trouble spots is E11/Al It»»»

Frail and malnourished children and women lay on rows of hospital beds, their bodies bearing the scars of six months of captivity deep in the Nigerian bush. The patients were among 163 kidnapping victims rescued this month in the Kainji Lake National Park forest, after their village, Woro, was atta»»»

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday no talks with Iran were planned and insisted the Strait of Hormuz remained open despite reduced shipping traffic. Oman and Iran neared a deal on the waterway as a projectile struck a vessel, while the UAE said two Iranian ballistic missiles landed in or near i»»»

In South Africa, the Madlanga Commission set up last year to unpick allegations of unlawful kickbacks, cliques and corruption in the criminal justice system continues its investigations.»»»

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a news conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Israel, on February 16, 2025. Pool File Photo by Ohad Zwigenberg/UPI | License Photo Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The United States on Tuesd»»»

Dubai: Temperatures could reach 50°C in parts of the UAE on Wednesday, with more rain forecast over eastern and southern areas after summer showers swept parts of the country a day earlier. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) forecast fair to partly cloudy conditions, with convective clouds de»»»

RIYADH: The first 180 minutes of Al-Nassr’s season have brought nothing but joy for their fans. Despite concerns over the summer that the team was not doing enough to upgrade the squad, the appointment of head coach Ange Postecoglou looks like it might prove to be a masterstroke. Al-Nassr were tech»»»

Hungary has made "huge progress" in emergency works to raise the Danube’s critically low water level at the Paks nuclear power plant with the projected sinking of two barges, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on August 18, according to state news agency MTI. The next two days will be critical a»»»

Mark Perlmutter has treated patients hit by natural disaster and conflicts across 30 countries, including in his native United States. Yet, nothing prepared him for the horrors he would witness under Israeli bombardment. "Just our first week in Gaza was worse than all of my experiences combined," t»»»

We didn’t use AI, in our days. We were just wrong, confident and proud. Why not? Without AI, our own imagination could convince us that Enid Blyton wrote Great Expectations, until the teacher would give us a verbal rap on our knuckles and we were humbled into rewrites. (Charles Dickens wrote Great »»»

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane of Japan and another senior official as part of its campaign against the body that it accuses of being "politicised." Washington also slapped sanctions on ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoula»»»

Shanghai: Shares of Chinese humanoid-robot maker Unitree Robotics surged more than 500% in their Shanghai debut on Wednesday, underscoring the extraordinary investor enthusiasm surrounding China's push into artificial intelligence, robotics and so-called “physical AI.” Unitree, formally known as Ha»»»

KABUL, Afghanistan: An explosion near a school complex in the Afghan capital of Kabul wounded at least 42 children, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The UN political mission in Afghanistan confirmed the injuries near the education centre and said the children are between 9 and 14 years old, acco»»»

As opening statements kicked off Tuesday in a trial for Meta Platforms, advocates and parents of social media victims gathered outside the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, with a banner that stretched several feet across. Written on it in black ink were the names of children and young adu»»»

Dubai/Abu Dhabi: Onam celebrations are under way across the UAE, with Indian expats from the south Indian state of Kerala gearing up for a festival that runs an extra day this year. Homes, community groups, shops and public venues are all preparing for the annual celebrations of the state festival.»»»

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — A NASA spacecraft circling the moon is providing the sharpest views yet of the crater carved by a crashing SpaceX rocket. The space agency released before-and-after photos of the impact area on Tuesday. The Falcon rocket’s upper stage plowed into the moon at 5,400 mph»»»

WASHINGTON: A US Navy destroyer with about 300 sailors aboard suffered a major breakdown in the Pacific Ocean last month that left it without power for four days, the Navy confirmed in a statement. The USS Benfold “reported an engineering casualty involving its generators, causing a loss of power” »»»

SEOUL: South Korea and the United States are expected to conclude the current phase of their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise on Friday, Aug. 21, several days earlier than the previously announced Aug. 27 end date, as Seoul and Washington adjust the scale of the drills following US Presid»»»

Millions more people may be able to get smaller, lightweight Amazon packages delivered by drones by the end of the year under a plan the company announced Thursday to expand the airborne shipping to suburban areas in nearly 500 U.S. cities. Customers could receive the drone deliveries in as fast as»»»

At first glance, this title may seem unusual coming from a humanitarian foundation. Yet the greatest success any humanitarian organisation can achieve is not to expand its programmes, increase its budgets, or extend its reach to more countries. It is to reach a day when its mission has been fulfill»»»

Dubai: UAE airfares could remain elevated throughout 2026, with a new report warning that the disruption affecting Gulf airspace, airline capacity and fuel markets could take months to unwind. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & BalancesUnder a relatively positive resolution, globa»»»

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday announced two Iranian diplomats would be expelled from France. The move comes in retaliation for incident last month in Tehran in which two French diplomats were arrested. File Photo by Radek Pietruszka/EPA Aug. 18 (UPI) -- France will expel two I»»»

Climate change is the main driver of Europe's rising marine temperatures, directly adding around 2C of warming in the Mediterranean this summer and severely impacting ecosystems, a study said Wednesday. "From the Atlantic waters off Ireland to the Mediterranean Sea, Europe's seas are experiencing a»»»

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney held urgent talks with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, hours before fresh US tariffs on Canadian goods were set to come into force. Trump signed orders for the steep 50-percent duties last month, with the White House alleging "discriminatory treatment" by C»»»

UN nuclear watchdog head Rafael Mariano Grossi said Tuesday that his agency had found several "tons of nuclear materials" at a previously undeclared site dating from the rule of Syria's previous authorities. Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said the material was not dangerous and that Dam»»»

A shallow earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck in China's central Qinghai province early Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake was situated in a mountainous rural area, 269 kilometers southeast of the city of Dunhuang and had a depth of 10 kilometers. The China Earthquake Networks Cente»»»