An international center for the study of arid territories and the impacts of climate change is planned to be established in Bishkek. It will bring together scientists from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. A»»»

A missile strike by Russian forces on a rural community in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv province early Tuesday killed at least 10 people and injured eight others, authorities said. File photo by Sergey Kozlov/EPA/ Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A strike by Russian forces on a rural community in Ukraine's north»»»

Three people were killed in an explosion at the Baniyas thermal power station on Syria’s Mediterranean coast on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported. The blast occurred at the power facility in the Baniyas area of Tartus province, state news agency SANA confirmed. Authorities and emergency teams we»»»

A farming family in rural America has rejected a multimillion-dollar offer to sell their land for a data center development, joining opposition to a rapid buildout of such facilities driven by the AI boom in the US. According to the Wall Street Journal, a mother and daughter from Maysville, Kentuck»»»

Meta is heading to court on Tuesday to face accusations that it broke child safety laws and harmed underage users’ mental health. A loss could bankrupt Mark Zuckerberg’s company and force permanent changes to Facebook and Instagram. Read more EU targets Meta over ‘addictive’ Facebook and Instagram »»»

The special-purpose nuclear submarine Khabarovsk, designed to carry the Poseidon nuclear-powered giga-torpedo, is currently undergoing sea trials in the White Sea. Khabarovsk is the first of three submarines of a new class designed to carry Poseidon autonomous, long-range nuclear torpedoes. Its des»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Tuesday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the United States meets Tehran’s demands, including lifting a naval blockade. “I want to state clearly that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the American c»»»

Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Finance has partnered with DIFC Academy to launch two specialised programmes aimed at developing the next generation of financial leaders and advisers across federal entities. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click hereThe Certified»»»

Dubai: Choithrams has launched a new convenience store format at four Dubai Metro stations, with Quickerr by Choithrams set to expand to 28 stations across Dubai in a phased rollout. The first four Quickerr outlets are at Abu Hail, Stadium, Al Nahda and Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZA) Metro station»»»

A ship was hit by a projectile early Tuesday as it was sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British military's UK Maritime Trade Operations center. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the attack highlights the ongoing danger of attempting to transit the waterway as I»»»

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone call to continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Iran. The call between the two presidents came late Monday as the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the United States »»»

Syrian state media said three people were killed on Tuesday in an explosion of unknown origin at a power plant on the country's Mediterranean coast. News agency SANA reported "an explosion in the thermal power plant in Banias", with the cause under investigation. It cited a regional health official»»»

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the United States meets Tehran's demands, including lifting a naval blockade. "I want to state clearly that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the American commitme»»»

Jakarta, Indonesia: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Nias Island in Indonesia's North Sumatra province on Tuesday, according to the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency. No casualties or property damage have been reported so far. The earthquake occurred at 1:02pm local time»»»

Some currency exchange offices in Bishkek have lowered their buying and selling rates for the Russian ruble below 1 som. The ruble buying rate has fallen below 1 som at almost all exchange offices, averaging 0.95–0.98 som. At some exchange offices, the selling rate has also dropped below 1 som, to »»»

Reconstruction and modernization have started at the Kapitan Andreevo crossing at Bulgaria's border with Turkiye, with the project set to increase the capacity of the border pass by 25% by significantly expanding the number of lanes for trucks and passenger vehicles, the head of the checkpoint, Geo»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Meteorology Department has forecast chances of blowing dust on Thursday and Friday, August 20 and 21, which may lead to reduced horizontal visibility in some areas of the country. The department also said marine warnings will be in place during this period. In a social media upda»»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar strongly condemns the targeting of the office of the Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister and the residence of the head of the Security and Intelligence Agency in Erbil, considering the attacks a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq an»»»

Six new truck lanes have been launched at Torugart checkpoint on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border. The State Customs Service of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. Almaz Saliev, head of the agency, inspected the optimization of processes and infrastructure at the checkpoint. Following the working visit, he inst»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Human Resources Development Fund contributed to the employment of 329,000 citizens in the first half of 2026, up 23 percent from the same period a year earlier, through its training, empowerment and career guidance programs. The fund provided about SR4.9 billion ($1.3 billion»»»

DAMASCUS: A Syrian court on Tuesday issued a death sentence to detainee Wassim Assad, a cousin of longtime ruler Bashar Assad who was himself sentenced to death in absentia a week ago. Judge Fakhr Al-Din Al-Aryan said Wassim Assad was convicted of multiple murders and “murder accompanied by torture»»»

Dubai: Dubai-based small and medium-sized businesses looking to sell online can now get a 40 per cent discount on Trendyol’s introductory commission rate for their first three months, under a new partnership between Dubai Chambers and the e-commerce platform. Sign up for our daily business newslett»»»

A Syrian court on Tuesday issued a death sentence to detainee Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad who was himself sentenced to death in absentia a week ago. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Wassim al-Assad was convicted of multiple murders and "murder accompanied by torture »»»

Hamas said Tuesday it remained committed to a Gaza peace deal backed by the United States after envoy Jared Kushner spoke to Israel about pressuring the group on disarmament. "Hamas is committed to this agreed-upon process. It is clear that, so far, the Israeli side has not given the mediators clea»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Diplomacy, Battlefield in Full Coordination: Araghchi 18-08-2026 12:08 PM Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (image from archive). Foreign»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has expanded the list of government bodies and organizations authorized to classify information as state secrets. Under the new resolution, the State Personal Data Protection Agency under the Cabinet of Ministers has been added to the list. The list of informa»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has expanded the list of funds that government agencies and budget-funded institutions may accumulate in special accounts within the Unified Treasury Account system. The amendments were made to Cabinet Resolution No. 302 of May 31, 2025. The SCNS will also receive »»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday that jailed former prime minister Imran Khan be moved to hospital for medical checks, after a petition by his lawyers over claims of poor health. Justice Shahid Waheed said 73-year-old Khan, who has been in jail since 2023 on corruption charges»»»

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: Palestinian comedian Alaa Shehada this week won a Scotsman Fringe First Award for his one-man show “The Bridge,” his second in consecutive years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The award was one of six announced in the first round of this year’s prizes, which have been awarded since 1973. »»»

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»»»

In a Bulgarian National Television interview on Tuesday, General Directorate Fire Safety and Civil Protection Chief Commissioner Aleksandar Dzhartov said there was a decrease in the number of wildfires by 25-30%, compared to 2025. The severity of the fire incidents was not nearly as high as in 2025»»»

Dubai: Annual Dubai Municipality collections made through Al Ansari Exchange have risen by approximately 710% over the past decade, marking 10 years of a partnership that allows individual and corporate customers to pay government service fees through the exchange company’s branch network across th»»»

Syria accused Israel of striking an airfield in its northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday, after a security source told AFP the out-of-service military facility had been hit. "Israeli occupation aircraft early this morning targeted the runway of the Abu Duhur military airport... with eight stri»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi received on Tuesday a copy of the credentials of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the State of Qatar HE Josefin Simonsson Broden. HE the Minister of State wished HE the Ambassador success in carrying out her»»»

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»»»

More than 670,000 French taxpayers are being notified after their personal and tax information was stolen and allegedly offered online. Authorities warn the data could be used for scams and identity fraud, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is holding a meeting on the digital security of govern»»»

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»»»

Surgeons at Moscow’s Savelyeva Hospital have performed Russia’s first hip replacement operation using the CUVIS Hip autonomous robotic system, Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor for Social Development, told reporters. “The robotic surgeon did not replace the doctor, but acted as a high-precision assist»»»

Smoke rises near the town of Domodedovo following a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow Region on July 20, 2026. Russia on Tuesday threatened Britain over supplying Ukraine with drones. File Photo by EPA Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Russia is warning Britain that there will be "consequences" following reports»»»

The Judges Chamber of Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has decided to request documents from the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) concerning the disciplinary proceedings against former Bulgarian European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva and the disciplinary penalty of "reprimand" imp»»»

More than half of Romanian employees (52%) say that a holiday lasting between 7 and 14 days is the minimum period they need to fully recover. Almost one quarter (23%) believe that fewer than seven days are enough, while 15% need more than two weeks. One in ten employees is unable to estimate the ne»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned attacks targeting senior officials in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, as Qatar and the UAE joined a growing regional chorus denouncing the strikes as violations of Iraqi sovereignty. In a statement posted on X, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom»»»

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 number of Bulgarians traveling abroad in February 2026 increased by nearly 9% compared with the same month last year, according to data from Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute (NSI). A total of 585,800 trips by Bulgarian citizens abroad were recorded during the month. At the same time, 7»»»