Birth rates declined across Central Asia in the first half of 2026, Anhor reports. In Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the number of registered births has decreased significantly, while Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have shown a slight increase. A total of 711,300 children were born in four countries in the »»»

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: Lusail Sports Club has announced a series of strategic partnership agreements with leading companies and institutions for the 2026-27 sports season, at a ceremony held at The Torch Doha, yesterday. The partnerships involve Qatari Diar, Aspire Zone Foundation, Doha International School,»»»

A traffic accident involving a passenger car and a private ambulance service vehicle occurred in Bishkek. According to eyewitnesses, the crash happened at the intersection of Akhunbaev and Tynaliev streets. As a result of the collision, an ambulance operated by Vedanta Clinic overturned onto its si»»»

President Donald Trump's approval rating has fallen to 33%, its lowest point of his presidency, as growing numbers of Americans fear his war with Iran could become a prolonged conflict and rising energy costs deepen pressure on the White House. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, completed Monday (August 17), »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Diamond Exchange (QDE) has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Diamond Exchange of Singapore, the Shanghai Diamond Exchange and the Tokyo Diamond Exchange during the 41st World Diamond Congress in Singapore. The agreements reflect QDE’s strategic focus on develo»»»

Doha, Qatar: The volume of real estate trading in sale contracts registered with the Real Estate Registration Department at the Ministry of Justice in July 2026 amounted to QR1,859,383,090. Data from the real estate analytical bulletin issued by the Ministry of Justice revealed that 1,485 real esta»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) Doha held a Flag-Raising Ceremony to commemorate the 81st Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia yesterday at the multipurpose Hall (MPH) of the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST). The ceremony was »»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Emadi Model Educational Centre continues to hold its weekly “Educational Thursday” programme, offering a range of Quranic, educational and cultural activities aimed at strengthening Islamic values and helping young people make constructive use of their time. The programme has been h»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Pakistani community in Qatar, in coordination with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Ministry of Culture of the State of Qatar, patriotically presented ‘The Trinity of Culture, Poetry and Melody’. Held on August 14, 2026 at the historic Bayt Al Sulaiti cultura»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is carrying out works to prepare connections to the stormwater drainage network on Street 284, along with kerbstone works on Waab Al Naba’a Street, as part of the remaining road and infrastructure works project in Mebaireek (Package 2) in Rayan area»»»

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»»»

Ukrainian armed formations, ignoring the norms and principles of international humanitarian law, carried out deliberate strikes against medical facilities and medical transport in Russia on August 10-16, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said. Ukrainian forces are using »»»

Dubai: Indian expats in the UAE and Gulf countries have welcomed the Indian Supreme Court’s move to regulate airfares, expressing hope that the initiative will finally ease the financial strain that comes with high-priced tickets to and from India. The Supreme Court heard the matter on Monday, Augu»»»

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI will lease a massive new data centre in the United States for 20 years, backed by a $105 billion financing commitment from Nvidia, according to a regulatory filing published Monday. The project will be built on the site of a former Cold War-era uranium enrichment plant in Ohio »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatari parachuting team are competing in the CISM World Military Parachuting Championship. The event got underway in Slovakia and runs through August 23, with squads from 33 countries taking part. The Qatari team are competing alongside the Al-Hadaf team, comprising Mohammed Al Mar»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (DI) held an orientation session on Monday, August 17, 2026, to welcome students admitted to its PhD and master’s programmes for the 2026–2027 academic year. The session brought together around 249 newly admitted students enrolled in the Institut»»»

Doha, Qatar: With the support of Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have concluded the Supporting Health Access and Referral Pathways (SHARP) project for Syrian refugees in Jordan, with the»»»

Doha, Qatar: As a new class of students begins university life at Education City, two students at different stages of their academic journeys are offering advice on navigating the transition – from knowing when to ask for help to embracing uncertainty and making the most of opportunities beyond the»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Duhail are stepping up preparations for the 2026-27 Doha Bank Stars League as they look to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish and make a stronger challenge for honours. The team, coached by Algerian Djamel Belmadi, began their preparations in Doha before travelling to the N»»»

President Donald Trump on Monday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had responded to his request for talks. Trump, seen here during a press availability in the Oval Office Monday, made the comments one day after ordering a reduction in U.S.-South Korea military drills. Photo by Samuel Corum/»»»

Somali pirates have seized another cargo ship off the country's coast, maritime security agencies reported, in the latest sign that piracy is resurging in the waters off the Horn of Africa after years of relative calm. The Cameroon-flagged general cargo vessel Lutuf was boarded by eight armed men a»»»

DUBAI: Yemen executed 133 military operations on Houthi military targets over the past 24 hours Yemen’s Armed Forces spokesperson Colonel Majed Al-Nazili said on Tuesday via a post on X. The armed forces used rocket artillery, field artillery, and drone aviation to destroy sources of threat. The op»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums (QM), in collaboration with the Unesco Regional Office for the Gulf States and Yemen, will host a public conference titled ‘Coastal and Maritime Cultural Heritage in Qatar’ on Thursday, August 20, 2026, from 9:30am to 12pm at the Auditorium of the National Museum of Qatar»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Transport has reminded residents, citizens and visitors to use only licensed companies when booking passenger transport services through digital applications, as part of efforts to protect riders and ensure safe, regulated transport services. “You can access the list of»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Committee for the Development and Promotion of Quranic and Arabic Language Education at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) has launched the “Riwaq Al-Diyaa” Summer Educational Camp, with the participation of 62 students aged between 14 and 18. The camp is being »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Culture has announced that registration for the sixth round of the “Mthayel” Nabati poetry competition will close on August 25, 2026. The round is open exclusively to Qatari nationals and residents living in Qatar. Organised under the slogan “For morals are guides,” the»»»

Kyrgyz akyn (poet) Askat Zhetigen will be released tomorrow, August 19, 2026, after serving a three-year prison sentence, human rights activist Gulshaiyr Abdirasulova said on social media. Askat Zhetigen was detained in March 2024 and charged under two articles: Article 278 (calls for mass disorder»»»

Doha, Qatar: The General Authority of Customs (GAC), in strategic coordination with the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CGB), officially launched a comprehensive public opinion survey to measure community satisfaction with customs services nationwide. CGB noted yesterday on its soc»»»

Doha, Qatar: Fresh date sales at major shopping malls have surpassed 11,700 kilograms in the period from July 30 to August 15, 2026, the Ministry of Municipality (MoM) announced yesterday, underscoring continued strong demand for Qatar’s locally grown produce beyond the main festival at Souq Waqif.»»»

QUSRA, West Bank: He watched from thousands of miles away on a security camera feed as militant Israeli settlers encircled his West Bank house, fearing he could lose his home forever amid increasing Israeli seizures of Palestinian property in the occupied territory. Loui Ridi, a Palestinian America»»»

Palangkaraya, Indonesia: Indonesia's Borneo, home to pristine rainforest and protected species, is burning. Meteorologist Safillah Anggie Wahyuni hopes a solution lies in the clouds. Indonesia believes cloud seeding can help it tackle a wildfire season that experts say is on track to be among the w»»»

St. Petersburg-based documentary filmmaker Andrey Efimov has released an episode about the life of Afghan Kyrgyz, filmed during an expedition to Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor. The film explores the daily life, traditions and customs of Kyrgyz people living in one of the world’s most remote regions,»»»

Idlib: Four airstrikes hit the Abu al-Zuhour military airport in the eastern countryside of Idlib on Tuesday, marking the first reported attack on the strategic facility since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024. The aircraft involved have not been officially identified. The i»»»

The Pentagon under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed 30 U.S. academic institutions to review their collaborations with foreign entities of concern. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The Pentagon has directed 30 U.S. academic institutions to immediately and comp»»»

You wake up in your Budapest hotel feeling much worse than you did yesterday. Perhaps you’ve developed a high fever overnight, food poisoning has ruined your sightseeing plans, or you’ve injured yourself exploring the city. As you reach for your phone to find a doctor, you realize something that ma»»»

The Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. Washington and Tehran are still communicating, but without a clear agreement. Iran is reinforcing its hard-line security leadership, while attacks elsewhere in the region show how easily the conflict can spill across borders. On Tuesday (Aug. 18, 2026) the US»»»

Dubai: The total value of rental contracts registered in Ajman reached approximately Dh2.91 billion during the first half of 2026, with 73,472 contracts recorded over the six-month period, according to the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheque»»»

US President Donald Trump's special envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has stated that Iran is showing no interest in a nuclear deal that would meet Washington's demands, even as he described the talks as "more robust than ever". In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Kushner said that while th»»»

Dubai: Flying from the UAE today, August 18? Most flights continue to operate, but travellers should be prepared for cancellations, delays and last-minute schedule changes as airlines continue to review operations amid the ongoing Middle East war. Emirates has resumed one daily Bahrain service, whi»»»

MASON: Serena and Venus Williams played their first doubles match together since the 2022 U.S. Open and lost a thriller, 2-6, 6-1 (10-8) to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns on Monday night at the Cincinnati Open. The sisters nearly recovered from a 6-0 deficit in the match tiebreaker before a doubl»»»

The Zhogorku Kenesh will hold its first session after the summer recess on September 2, a source in the upper echelons of government told 24.kg news agency. According to the source, a preliminary schedule for the parliament’s work during the first weeks of September has already been drawn up. «The »»»

Cash-strapped depositors, a collapsing currency and lenders shut out of the global financial system – Myanmar's banks are being ground down by more than five years of military rule. The economy shrank 2% in the fiscal year to March and consumer prices rose 24.6% year on year in April, the World Ban»»»

Dubai: L'IMAD, a sovereign investor of the Government of Abu Dhabi, has launched a voluntary tender offer through its wholly owned subsidiary Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company PJSC, or ADQ, to acquire up to 100% of the remaining shares in AD Ports. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download th»»»

Osh City Council deputy Ch.Z.A. was detained. Sources told 24.kg news agency. It is currently unknown what criminal case or investigation the arrest was part of. There is currently no official comment from law enforcement agencies.»»»

In 2026, a total of 65 agricultural cooperatives have been established across Kyrgyzstan and put into agricultural production, covering a combined area of 683 hectares, the Ministry of Agriculture reported. Four cooperatives were established in Batken region, six in Naryn region, 10 in Chui region,»»»

MANILA: A grade 10 student was shot dead at a high school in the southern Philippines on Tuesday before the alleged killer took his own life, police said. The school shooting, the country’s second in as many months, took place at Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a Catholic private institution in wes»»»

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology has issued a yellow code warning for strong winds on Tuesday in six regions across Bulgaria, the Institute said on its website. The warning is in effect for the regions of Pazardzhik, Pleven, Vratsa, Montana, Vidin and Veliko Tarnovo. According to»»»

An earthquake with an intensity of magnitude 3 occurred near Karakol overnight, the Institute of Seismology of the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan reported. According to the institute, the seismic activity was recorded at 2:21 a.m. on August 18. The earthquake’s epicenter was located in »»»

JERUSALEM: US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner said Monday that progress toward disarming Hamas and moving forward with a Gaza peace plan could begin within a month, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We could be seeing progress … in as little as 30 days, hop»»»