LONDON: The 60-day memorandum of understanding agreed by Washington and Tehran officially expired on Monday, taking with it the fragile hope of a breakthrough in the Gulf and across the wider region. The 14-point Islamabad Agreement, brokered by Pakistan and Qatar and signed by US President Donald »»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Gold Refinery Co. has applied for exploration licenses in areas offered by the Egyptian government in the Eastern Desert, according to the company’s chairman, Suliman Al-Othaim, in statements to Asharq Bloomberg. Al-Othaim added that his company is looking to obtain a mining licen»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s Al-Haboob Camel Racing Team, the sport’s first professional race outfit, have announced a landmark partnership with Independent Insurance Brokers as it ramps up its mission to haul the traditional Gulf sport into the modern sports era. Al-Haboob Camel Racing Team, with the hel»»»

Washington, United States: Sophie Adenot is set to become the first French female astronaut to venture outside the International Space Station for a spacewalk on Tuesday, accompanied by American astronaut Anil Menon. The spacewalk is scheduled to start at 1235 GMT and last six and a half hours, wit»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has amended the procedure for allocating tariff benefits for vehicles powered by electric motors. The relevant resolution was signed by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev. The amendments were made to Resolution No. 21 of January 22, 2026, which»»»

In Kyrgyzstan, 50 percent of the remaining funds generated from fines under the Safe City system will be allocated to purchase ambulances and equip them with medical equipment. The relevant amendments have been made to a Cabinet of Ministers resolution on the further development of the Safe City co»»»

Dubai: Parties from the UAE and 22 overseas jurisdictions across five continents opted to use the DIFC Courts during the first half of 2026, with 243 opt-in cases accounting for 30% of the 810 cases filed across all divisions. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli occupation forces carry out demolition operation near Birkat Al-Naqqar in the outskirts of Shebaa: Al-Manar reporter in southern Le»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visits Iraq on Wednesday to to discuss strategic ties: Iranian media 18-08-2026 10:41 A»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has expanded the list of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their analogues subject to state control. The amendments were made to Resolution No. 152 of March 26, 2025, with the aim of improving the system of state control over the circulation of such subst»»»

The United Arab Emirates Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) participated in the 3rd meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and ASEAN, which was held in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. The meeting brought together representatives of the GCC and ASEAN member state»»»

Dubai: At least 30 people suffered burns after a massive fire tore through a fuel depot and bitumen factory in Iraq’s Sulaimaniyah province early on Tuesday, local officials and media reported. Civil defence teams brought the blaze at the facility in the Tangro industrial area under control after b»»»

A US State Department spokesperson told Asharq on Monday that Washington is prepared to work with its partners to support a “genuine and inclusive civilian-led” Sudanese dialogue, to be held at a location agreed upon by the parties and involving a broad range of Sudanese voices, including those dis»»»

The Ukrainian defector who handed over to Russia Ukraine's only submarine in 2014 has been blown up by a prostitute in the naval town of Sevastopol using a bomb she hid in a rubbish bin. The device went off on Stoletovsky Prospekt on August 13 as he climbed a flight of steps with a friend, pla»»»

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has launched its first Visitor Experience Awards, recognising organisations and frontline professionals who help deliver high-quality experiences to visitors across the emirate. More than 400 tourism and cultural organisations invite»»»

In 2026, the Romanian capital market is going through one of its strongest periods in terms of equity returns. Since the beginning of the year, the BET index has posted a nominal gain of 47.1%, and after adjusting for inflation accumulated over the same period, the real return remains at 41.8%. In »»»

RIYADH: Saudi-listed Arabian Drilling Co. has secured a contract with a new Gulf client, marking its entry into another regional market as the drilling contractor expands its offshore operations beyond the Kingdom. The company did not disclose the value of the contract or who it is with, but said o»»»

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei condemned a drone attack that targeted the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister's office, state media reported. Baqaei denounced the attack, "describing it as a highly suspicious development that requires vigilance and careful attention", according to a s»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli drone activity reported over Beirut’s Dahiyeh: Al-Manar correspondent 18-08-2026 10:39 AM Latest News Urgent News Israeli drone act»»»

Manila: A student livestreamed himself shooting another schoolmate dead before taking his own life at a high school in the Philippines on Tuesday, authorities said. The school shooting, the country's second in as many months, took place at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a Catholic private institut»»»

A Russian citizen who collected and passed information on Russian Defense Ministry facilities and the region’s defense-industrial and fuel-and-energy complexes to Ukrainian military intelligence has been detained in the Ryazan Region, the Russian Federal Security Service’s Public Relations Center s»»»

Heavy rainfall driven by the enhanced southwest monsoon (known as "habagat") and the successive tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay (international name: Kujira) triggered widespread flooding and landslides across the Philippines, particularly in Luzon and parts of the Visayas. The systems brought pro»»»

Two students were killed in a shooting at a private school in the southern Philippines on Tuesday morning, with one of the dead identified as the suspected gunman, police said. The shooting took place at the Junior High School campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City on August 18.»»»

The Government has ordered a comprehensive review of 4iG’s contracts with the state, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said in a Facebook post on Monday. Unusual in Hungary for combining telecommunications, IT, digital infrastructure, space and defence under a single corporate umbrella, 4iG has expanded »»»

RIYADH: Sudanese Foreign Minister and Minister of International Cooperation, Mohi El-Din Salem, told Asharq on Monday that the priorities of the Saudi-Sudanese Coordination Council are in the areas of security, defense and the economy, following the signing of the council’s founding document on Mon»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - European gas prices during preparations for the heating season in 2026 were 52% higher than the average over the past three years, Sputnik found on Tuesday after analyzing trading data. Calculations show that from April 1 to August 14, the average settlement price of gas futures »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The fleet of gas tankers for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) sailing under the Russian flag by August 2026 increased by 90% year-on-year to 19 vessels, the Vedomosti newspaper reported. According to the publication, at the beginning of 2025, only one LNG carrier was list»»»

Heavy rainfall driven by the enhanced southwest monsoon (known as "habagat") and the successive tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay (Maymay’s international name: Kujira) triggered widespread flooding and landslides across the Philippines, particularly in Luzon and parts of the Visayas. The systems br»»»

French newspaper Le Monde has sharply criticized US President Donald Trump’s Middle East record, describing it as a succession of failures marked by incompetence and recklessness. In an analysis published Monday night, the newspaper said: “In less than two years, the White House occupant has amasse»»»

Tupac Shakur was shot dead in an act of "revenge", Las Vegas jury heard on Monday, as the legendary West Coast rapper's assassination trial got underway more than three decades after his death.  Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead in an act of gang revenge ordered by a mobster who later boasted »»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy Jared Kushner agreed Monday that an American general would oversee the disarmament of Hamas, an Israeli official said, as Netanyahu insisted Israel would not withdraw from Gaza until the group gives up its weapons.The understanding comes a»»»

The Chinese government announced new border regulations in late July in a move seen as expanding state control over its citizens. The new rules, which come into effect on September 15, tighten checks on travellers and provide new grounds for restricting Chinese citizens from leaving the c»»»

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has launched its first Visitor Experience Awards, recognising organisations and frontline professionals who help deliver high-quality experiences to visitors across the emirate. More than 400 tourism and cultural organisations have b»»»

Russia’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld the exclusion of liberal opposition party Yabloko from September’s legislative elections, eliminating the country’s only explicitly anti-war party from the ballot, as dozens of the party's supporters were detained outside the court. The decision comes amid a »»»

GAZA/CAIRO: As children walked into the zoo near Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp, they found a lion barely looking back at ​them through the bars of its cage and chimpanzees sitting listlessly in their enclosure.Many of the animals were malnourished, weakened by shortages of food, medicine and vaccine»»»

Ras Al Khaimah: Ras Al Khaimah is turning its residents and citizens into tourism promoters under a new initiative that encourages them to invite friends and relatives from abroad to discover the emirate. The Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday launched the ‘RAK Ambassador’ i»»»

The Ministry of Finance (MF) on Monday borrowed RON 800 million off banks in one issue of benchmark bonds of a residual maturity of 47 months, at an average yield of 6.65% per annum, according to data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR).The nominal value of the issue was RON 800 million»»»

Romania's Constitutional Court (CCR) has ruled that an amendment introduced into the Integrity Law at the request of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians - providing for the automatic loss of office for elected officials found incompatible or in conflict of intere»»»

The spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), US Colonel Martin O’Donnell, said that the drone shot down in Romanian airspace during the night between Saturday and Sunday appears to be Russian, according to Reuters. 'Further details regarding Sunday’s incident are s»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Araghchi: Iran’s diplomacy is backed by tremendous military strength and is advancing by relying on it 18-08-2026 09:36 AM Latest News Urge»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes off Indonesia’s Sumatra island 18-08-2026 09:44 AM Latest News Urgent News Magnitude 6.1 earthquake strike»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree approving new regulations governing the Presidential Affairs Department and setting the maximum staffing levels for its central office and subordinate organizations. Under the decree, the maximum staff of the central office of the Presidenti»»»

On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was ratified by Tennessee, giving it the two-thirds majority of state ratification necessary to make it the law of the land. The law took effect eight days later. 1 of 3 | A member of the League of »»»

A high school student carrying two pistols shot to death a fellow student before killing himself on Tuesday in an attack in a southern Philippine high school campus that he livestreamed using a body-worn camera, police and other officials said. It was the second fatal school shooting in the country»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Ahmad Abu Rasen, 22, has joined Belgian club Sint-Truiden from Al-Hilal on a free transfer. Last season Sint Truiden finished third in the Belgian topflight, and Abu Rasen joins as back-up to Japanese goalkeeper Leo Kokubo who has enjoyed a fine campaign for the club.»»»

WESTFIELD: LIV Golf has confirmed that the league’s 2026 season finale will celebrate an Indianapolis Champion, Season Individual Champion and top-three finishers, and the Team Champion at the LIV Golf Indianapolis Championships. The four-day stroke-play event will take place from Aug. 20 to 23 at »»»

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Two students, including the suspected shooter, are dead following a shooting Tuesday at a junior high school in the southern Philippines, officials said, marking the second school shooting in the Southeast Asian country in as many months. The shooting occurred at the private Ateneo»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran FM Araghchi: Military power has the upper hand in this brutal world, our missiles formed the core of our strength during the war 18-08»»»

Pobeda Peak in Kyrgyzstan, where Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsina died last year, is littered with the remains of climbers. Alexander Yakovenko, chairman of the Russian Mountaineering Federation’s commission on classical mountaineering, told journalists. According to him, about 900 people have r»»»

Doha, Qatar: Medical education should go beyond technical skills by giving students greater opportunities to hear honest accounts of uncertainty, setbacks and challenges from experienced clinicians, according to a new paper published in the latest issue of the Qatar Medical Journal (QMJ). The paper»»»