From August 1 to December 31, 2026, certain categories of entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan will be exempt from paying the single tax and filing reports on it, the State Tax Service reported. The exemption will apply to entities engaged in clothing and textile production, as well as sellers selling goods»»»

White House Domestic Policy Council Deputy Director Heidi Overton speaks during an executive order that reevaluates childhood vaccines on Aug. 10. Trump is expected to nominate Overton as FDA commissioner. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump is expected »»»

A cancer vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna treating patients with melanoma showed positive and promising late-stage testing results, the drugmakers announced on Wednesday. File Photo by Javier Aparicio/EPA Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A cancer vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna treating patients with »»»

Slovenian MP from the ruling Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) Žan Mahnič has called on the government to stop providing intelligence and security reports to President Nataša Pirc Musar, citing suspicions that she could be connected to a Russian spy network. The president's office strongly rejected »»»

House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Wednesday received a delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), headed by Ambassador Edward Gabriel, at the second presidency headquarters in Ain El-Tineh. Discussions focused on the general situation and the latest political and field developments in»»»

Slovenian MP from the ruling Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) Žan Mahnič has called on the government to stop providing intelligence and security reports to President Nataša Pirc Musar, citing suspicions that she could be connected to a Russian spy network. The president's office strongly rejected »»»

Ukrainians trade more cryptocurrency per head than anyone else on earth. What they mostly do not do is trade it under Ukrainian law. Ukraine ranks eighth in the world for the spread of crypto-assets and first once the ranking is adjusted for population, Oleksiy Semenyuk, head of the National Securi»»»

Ukraine's ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for elections while the war is still being fought, arguing Russia should not decide when Ukrainians choose a government. The intervention came in a video address on August 18, hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy formally nominated »»»

LONDON: Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has visited a construction site where he said gallows will be built to execute Palestinian prisoners sentenced to death under a controversial law approved earlier this year. In a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Ben-Gvir s»»»

Tunis, August 19 (TAP) – Tunisia’s food trade balance posted a surplus of 1,006.6 million dinars (MD) during the first seven months of 2026, compared with a surplus of 823.8 MD over the same period in 2025, representing an increase of 22.2%,...»»»

London: Stock markets mostly eked out gains while oil prices climbed further Wednesday as higher global bond yields, fuelled by inflation and debt concerns, rattled confidence and took a heavy toll on technology stocks. Global bond yields have surged to multiyear highs in recent days, reigniting wa»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received on Wednesday the Chairman of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Dr Khalil Al-Hayya, and a number of the movement's leaders. During the meeting, th»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs said it approved 1,295 humanitarian cases in the first half of 2026, under a system designed to balance immigration procedures with consideration for exceptional personal circumstances. GDRFA Dubai added that its Humanitarian Cas»»»

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories: More than 100 US organizations have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to act “urgently” to secure the release of Palestinian-American student Sama Safi, who has been detained in Israel for over two months. Israeli forces arrested Safi, a 20-year-old psychol»»»

The GERB party said on Wednesday that information reported by the Financial Times that Iran had assessed striking US military facilities in Bulgaria was a serious warning that required an immediate and clear response from the government. The party stressed that the report did not indicate that an a»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani received Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine 'Hamas' Dr Khalil Al Hayya, along with a number of the movement's leaders. During the meeting, they revie»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police is seeking the public's assistance in identifying the individual shown in the published photograph. The deceased was found within the jurisdiction of the Ports Police Station with no identification documents, and his body has been transferred to the Forensic Medicine Department »»»

Tunis, August 19, 2026 (TAP) – Minister of Equipment and Housing and Acting Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Salah Zouari met with Indian Ambassador to Tunisia Devyani Khobragade, accompanied by a delegation of business leaders from the...»»»

RIYADH: Japan is a key economic partner for Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom aspires to capitalize on economic opportunities available in both nations, foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday. “We see promising opportunities to expand cooperation in investment, energy, resources, su»»»

RAMALLAH: Forty-seven Palestinian families in Jordan Valley, northern West Bank, are at risk of being forced from their homes after Israeli forces and settlers cut their remaining water supplies, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has warned. More than 300 Palestinians, about half of them children»»»

LONDON: A father who died along with his partner and teenage daughter in a coastal tragedy in the UK was a Palestinian refugee. The three family members died after encountering difficulties off the Sussex coast on Tuesday afternoon. Hossam Al-Khawas’ other daughter is fighting for her life in hospi»»»

JAKARTA: Indonesia wants to join hands with countries in the Middle East to advance the global halal ecosystem, eyeing a partnership that combines its production capabilities with the region’s market and investment potential, the Ministry of Trade told Arab News recently. Southeast Asia’s biggest e»»»

The Council of Ministers Wednesday approved a draft protocol with the government of Azerbaijan on implementing the EU agreement on the readmission of persons residing without authorization as a basis for negotiations. The Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Azerbaijan on the re»»»

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution establishing the Interministerial Coordination Council on matters related to the National Children’s Hospital. The Interministerial Coordination Council is an advisory body to the Council of Ministers tasked with coo»»»

Tunis, August 19 (TAP) – Tunisia’s electric vehicle market is expanding rapidly, driven by a range of tax and legislative incentives, a broader selection of vehicles and ongoing efforts to establish a regulatory framework for electric vehicle...»»»

RIYADH: The Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for an official visit. Sheikh Mohammed was received upon his arrival at King Khalid International Airport by the Kingdom’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed bin Abdulkarim »»»

London: Carlos Sainz signed a "multi-year" contract extension with Formula One team Williams on Wednesday to quash speculation about his future. Sainz agreed to stay at Williams just 24 hours after the British team confirmed his team-mate Alex Albon will be retained for the 2027 campaign. The forme»»»

Bouar, Central African Republic: A landslide at an illegal gold mine has killed at least 100 people in the Central African Republic on the border with Cameroon, local sources told AFP on Wednesday. Search operations are still under way after the collapse on Tuesday afternoon at the Zamboye mining s»»»

Damascus, Aug. 19 (SANA) Syria and Türkiye signed a five-year memorandum of understanding on geology and mining cooperation Wednesday at Tishreen Palace in Damascus, aimed at launching joint programs and strengthening scientific and technical cooperation. The agreement, signed under the auspices of»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian economy ranks fourth in the world by purchasing power parity, with a shift toward the domestic market over the past five years, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday. "Today, Russia is the fourth largest economy in the world by purchasing pow»»»

A Budapest pro-Palestinian protest planned for Friday has triggered growing opposition after Hungarian police said they found no legal grounds to prohibit the gathering. The demonstration is intended to express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and with Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the »»»

AL-MUKALLA: The bodies of four sailors — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — killed in a recent Houthi missile attack on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea were transferred from Yemen to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday ahead of repatriation, a local Yemeni official told Arab News. The four bodies, alon»»»

ALKHOBAR: From the iconic rock formations of AlUla to wildlife conservation efforts in the northwest, Saudi Arabia marked World Photography Day on Wednesday by highlighting how local lensmen are documenting the Kingdom’s natural and cultural landscape. The annual event, which is observed globally o»»»

UAE nationals working in the private and banking sectors will see three key changes to Nafis support programmes starting in September 2026. The Emirates Competitiveness Council (Nafis) said the updates cover salary support, the Eshtirak pension contribution programme and child allowances. Get updat»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Ministry of Education has set out a revised study framework for Grade 11 and 12 pupils in the general and advanced streams, grouping subjects into three categories, compulsory, scientific and elective, in an effort to balance core academic requirements with greater choice ahead o»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has provided humanitarian assistance to Gaza worth about $3.9 billion, accounting for 46 per cent of total global aid, according to Hammoud Al Afari, Relief Operations Coordinator for Operation Gallant Knight 3. Al Afari said the scale of the assistance reflected the UAE’s approa»»»

Dubai: Kuwait’s Ministry of Health has introduced a sweeping regulatory framework for psychotherapy in the public and private sectors, tightening licensing requirements and banning a range of practices it says are not supported by established scientific evidence. Ministerial Decision No. 225 of 202»»»

Dubai: Nato says it is ready to defend allied territory against any Iranian threat as reports that Tehran has considered striking US military facilities in Europe raise fears that the Middle East war could spread beyond the region. The warning follows a Financial Times report that Iranian forces ha»»»

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has extended invitations for international observation of the presidential and vice-presidential elections scheduled for October 25, 2026, in order to ensure the conduct of fair, free and democratic elections and in fulfillment of its commitments under the Election C»»»

The government approved an additional budget transfer to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works for 2026 to the amount of EUR 150 million. The funds will be used to finance the implementation of projects under the Investment Programme for Municipal Projects, included in the 2025 Stat»»»

RIYADH: A delegation from Qatar’s Ministry of Transport, headed by Assistant Undersecretary for Maritime Transport Affairs Eng Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Sulaiti, participated in the 39th meeting of the Committee of GCC Port Authorities and Maritime Administrations Officials, held at the GCC headquarter»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Wednesday, gaining 14.11 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 10,925.69. The total trading turnover on the benchmark index was SR3.7 billion ($989 million), as 123 stocks advanced and 130 retreated. The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 10.37»»»

At its meeting on Wednesday, the government decided that the prices of goods and services provided by holiday facilities, hotels, bungalows, campsites, training facilities, educational centres, sports facilities, medical spa centres, wellness centres, thalassotherapy centres, eateries and other fac»»»

Up to EUR 180 million will be invested in Bulgarian innovative companies and small and medium-sized enterprises through the European JEREMIE initiative. This will be made possible following Parliament's ratification of amended agreements between Bulgaria and the European Investment Fund (EIF) for t»»»

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, the Council of Ministers approved a decision endorsing the Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and the Principality of Andorra and the Republic of San Marino, respectively, on the other. The Agreement provides»»»

Doha, Qatar: The development of Qatar Aeronautical Academy in Ras Abu Abboud is taking shape, as the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) continues to implement the project as part of its efforts to advance educational and training infrastructure based on the highest international standards. The projec»»»

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said Wednesday that the continent could not afford to miss out on the artificial intelligence revolution as the continent's growth model comes under increasing pressure. The United States and China are seen leading the AI race, with their companies prod»»»

Harvard University settled a class-action lawsuit for $53 million after a former employee of the medical school sold body parts from donated cadavers. File Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Harvard University settled a class-action lawsuit for $53 million to families of those whose donated b»»»

Pedestrians wear protective face masks in Madison Square Park in New York City on Dec. 2, 2021. File Photo by Peter Foley/UPI | License Photo Aug. 19 (UPI) -- David Morens, a former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases employee, pleaded guilty to taking part in a scheme to hide fed»»»

Tensions between the US and Iran remain high nearly six months into the conflict, with Iran warning Gulf states against assisting US forces, fresh concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, continued disruption to Gulf flights and the UAE pushing back on false claims about visa cancellations. Here are the»»»