Central Asia was once known for its vast steppes and fertile oases, but it has now become one of the world’s major hotspots of land degradation. This is stated in a new report by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. More than 80 million hectares of land have already been degraded — about a »»»

Ukrainian basketball player Kate Koval has left Louisiana State University’s women’s basketball team less than two weeks after the team signed Russian center Anna Minaeva. Head coach Kim Mulkey announced Koval’s departure on Monday, saying the Ukrainian had decided to leave the program “for persona»»»

Dubai: Flight operations across the UAE have largely normalised, but passengers flying today should still check their individual flight status before leaving for the airport, as delays and cancellations continue on some services. Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia and flydubai are operating most services»»»

The biggest corruption scandal yet to hit the Tisza movement erupted after Ákos Hadházy published a Facebook post yesterday morning containing a series of emails. The correspondence suggests that certain interests had secured the organisation of the state celebrations on 20 August in advance. The b»»»

Dubai: Flight operations across the UAE have largely normalised, but passengers flying today should still check their individual flight status before leaving for the airport, as delays and cancellations continue on some services. Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia and flydubai are operating most services»»»

Poland recorded one of Europe’s strongest increases in real-estate investment during the first half of 2026. Preliminary Savills data show that Polish transaction volume rose approximately 95% year on year, almost matching Finland’s 94% increase and comfortably exceeding the growth recorded in Swed»»»

Polish industrial production is expanding at a surprisingly strong pace, but manufacturing companies remain among the country’s most pessimistic businesses. July output increased 5.1% year on year and 0.5% month on month after seasonal adjustment, with investment goods, electronics and machinery am»»»

Parliament will debate on Thursday amendments to the Gender Equality Act introducing a target of at least 33% representation of the underrepresented sex among directors of listed companies. The government-sponsored bill is the first item on the agenda for Thursday's sitting. The amendments are inte»»»

Members of the U.S. kok-boru team, led by captain Ladd Howell, visited the home of their first coach, Mirlan Srazhdinov, and paid tribute to his memory. The captain of the U.S. team presented commemorative gifts to the late coach’s family. The athletes warmly remembered their mentor, who helped bui»»»

The state enterprise Kyrgyzfarmatsiya and Turkish company Mikron Medical have signed a memorandum of understanding. The parties agreed to cooperate on the supply of orthopedic and spinal implants to medical institutions in Kyrgyzstan. According to Kyrgyzfarmatsiya, direct cooperation with manufactu»»»

Non-tax revenues in Kyrgyzstan are growing. In 2025, they increased by 88 billion soms to 189.5 billion soms. The figures are contained in the Ministry of Finance’s report on fiscal and investment policy for 2027–2031. Over the year, non-tax revenues as a share of GDP increased from 6.4 percent to »»»

Dubai: Motorists heading between Sharjah and Dubai are facing the heaviest going this Thursday morning, with congestion stretching across Al Qusais, Al Nahda and the approaches to University City. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (E311) is heavily backed up in both directions through the Industrial A»»»

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei mocked Washington’s latest sanctions push, saying the US is trying to manufacture proof that its pressure campaign against Iran is working. “Washington’s Iran policy has reached pure parody,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei wrote o»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump has signed an order to declare the national emergency to protect the power system from foreign threats, including attempted sabotage and cyberattacks, the White House said in a statement. "The Order declares a national emergency under the Internation»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s state budget revenues are expected to reach 791.1 billion soms in 2027. By 2031, the government plans to increase them to 1,148.6 trillion soms. The figures are contained in the Ministry of Finance’s report on fiscal and investment policy for 2027–2031. According to the ministry’s fore»»»

The US Justice Department is preparing to revive long-dormant maritime “prize courts” to speed up the military capture of Iranian oil tankers and cargo as US property, Bloomberg reported. The plan would allow the US to seize oil and other cargo from enemy or even neutral vessels, sell it, and trans»»»

Hungary considers Russia a “threat to Hungary, Europe and the global order,” according to a foreign policy directive published by the country’s new pro-EU government. The statement marks a dramatic shift from the pragmatic relations pursued by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Signed by Prime Min»»»

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged Thursday with failing to declare his assets, making him the nation’s third leader to face criminal charges after leaving office. Ismail, 66, pleaded not guilty to a charge under the anti-graft law that alleged he failed t»»»

Israel is considering expelling ​British, and possibly other European officials, from the US-led coordination center for ‌post-war Gaza, ‌the ​Financial ‌Times reported ⁠on ​Thursday. The Israeli ⁠government in recent weeks has discussed removing the UK ⁠from the ‌International ‌Gaza ​Support ‌Cent»»»

In a potentially significant development, Yemeni government forces from several formations are now deploying unmanned aerial systems against Iran-allied Houthi militias across multiple fronts, and this new air capability has begun to make substantial gains on the ground. In parallel, ground operati»»»

A military judge on Wednesday set the trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and one of the last remaining detainees at the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. File Photo by Ezra Kaplan for UPI Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A military judge has scheduled t»»»

An international aitysh of Kyrgyz and Kazakh akyns — improvisers will be held from September 2 to 4, 2026, as part of the 6th World Nomad Games. The event will take place at Kyrchyn pasture in Issyk-Kul region. According to the Ministry of Culture, Information and Youth Policy, the event aims to st»»»

Member of Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament Ulukbek Karybek uulu met with Kyrgyz Consul General in Almaty Zhenishbek Asankulov to discuss Kazakhstan’s new migration rules and the protection of the rights of Kyrgyz citizens, the Parliament’s press service reported. The meeting was prompted by Kazakhstan’s int»»»

TAIPEI: China deployed a record number of coast guard, scientific research and other ships in Taiwan’s waters last month, the island’s coast guard told AFP, as Beijing dials up pressure on Taipei. Taiwan’s coast guard warned of an increasingly severe situation, as analysts say the increased activit»»»

BEIJING/UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal/SYDNEY: The number of people missing after a devastating mudslide and flash flood disaster in Tibet’s Gyirong county has risen to 558, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday, as the death toll on the Nepal side of the border reached at least 157. CCTV said 260 f»»»

From 8 p.m. on August 27 until noon on August 29, a section of Chui Avenue between Manas Avenue and Zhusup Abdrakhmanov Street will be temporarily closed to traffic. The traffic restrictions are related to security measures during preparations for and the holding of the 6th World Nomad Games and th»»»

Kyrgyz ultra cyclists Vlad Podofedov and Sergey Cherepanov have won the 2026 Silk Road Mountain Race. According to the organizers’ social media account, the winners completed this year’s route in 10 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes. «Both athletes know this race very well. Vlad has finished all five e»»»

Share: Photo illustration – When General Security overrules the Foreign Ministry, it does not merely extend one man’s residency—it fractures the authority of the Lebanese state. If Major General Hassan Choucair independently granted residency to an Iranian envoy declared persona non grata, he shoul»»»

According to Márk Radnai, he played no part whatsoever in the public procurement or organisation of the events held for the 20 August state holiday. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Deputy President of Tisza Párt and Government Commissioner responsible for a functioning and humane Hungary stres»»»

The cause of the deadly landslide and flood along the Nepal-Tibet border isn't yet certain, but experts say the dangers associated with such events are compounded by the region's extreme topography, with risks rising due to climate change. These hazards include glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) -»»»

MANAMA: Bahrain's non-oil GDP at constant prices grew by 2.2% in Q1 2026, according to Bahrain Economic Quarterly Report for Q1 2026 released by the Ministry of Finance and National Economy. The report, carried by Bahrain News Agency (BNA), noted that the national economy recorded strong performanc»»»

Nvidia's latest quarterly results once again blew past Wall Street's expectations as revenue for the computer chip company's high-end artificial intelligence chips soared, the latest sign that AI infrastructure spending remains strong. The company reported on Wednesday net income of $59.69 billion,»»»

Kinshasa: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared an end to Uganda's latest Ebola outbreak after the country went 42 consecutive days without reporting a new confirmed case. Marie Roseline Belizaire, a WHO expert, made the remarks at an online briefing by the WHO Regional Office f»»»

Cats “massacred” in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta? Three weeks after thousands of migrants crossed the border into Ceuta, Spanish websites and social media users are claiming that the migrants who have stayed are killing cats. But all of the dead cat photos that have been shared so far are eith»»»

Dubai’s well-known “Clock Tower” on Sheikh Zayed Road is beginning to lose the distinctive feature that gave the building its popular name, as its old crown is removed ahead of a major architectural transformation into a modern office destination called AHS Tower. AHS Properties said that despite b»»»

Two health announcements landed 48 hours apart last week, and hardly anyone connected them. On Monday, the Emirates Drug Establishment approved a once-daily pill for non-segmental vitiligo, the condition that causes patches of skin to lose their colour. No regulator anywhere had licensed an oral tr»»»

The federal government of Somalia was on August 21 forced into rapid damage limitation after a high-ranking parliamentary official publicly acknowledged the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC, or TRNC), threatening to embroil Mogadishu in a delicate geopolitical balancing act. »»»

Dubai: At just 14, Rain Isabella Astaño is already learning what it means to carry two places in her heart. Born and raised in the UAE, the Dubai-based Filipina has spent years developing her game on local pickleball courts. Now, she has been preparing to carry the Philippine flag onto the internat»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday it was “time to teach Canada you can’t do this anymore,” escalating a trade dispute that has prompted Ottawa to impose retaliatory tariffs and renew calls for Canadians to boycott American products. “I had a deal, that was a pretty good deal, you»»»

PARIS: More than half of the world’s soils are in poor condition, threatening global food supplies and biodiversity, while proven measures to improve soil health are not being implemented, said a UN report released on Thursday. “Globally, we must shift from a mindset of soil exploitation to one of »»»

A highly unusual trip by the CIA director to Moscow this week was to warn Russia against any attack on NATO member states, US media reported Wednesday, after President Donald Trump sought to downplay the visit. The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported CIA Director John Ratcliffe aimed to dissu»»»

Dubai: Rain is forecast over parts of the UAE on Thursday as temperatures rise to 49°C and strong winds around clouds stir up dust, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The weather will be fair to partly cloudy, with convective clouds expected to develop over eastern and southern »»»

In tonight's programme, a three-day testimony of an alleged underworld kingpin exposed how deep the link between alleged criminals and high profile police officers is in South Africa. Also, in Tunisia grieving families lay their lost youth, all victims of a boat that went down in the Medi»»»

A landslide unleashed a torrent of mud and water across Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least 157 people and leaving more than 400 tourists missing near the border with China. The disaster swept away homes, roads and bridges, while officials warned the death toll could rise as rescue teams searched »»»

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has publicly welcomed China’s firm opposition to the Trump administration’s latest sanctions campaign against Tehran, describing Beijing’s stance as a “principled statement” against what he called illegal measures. In a post on X, Ghalibaf wrote: »»»

Aerial footage has captured the scale of devastation along Nepal’s Trishuli River after a massive flood and landslide disaster near the Nepal-Tibet border killed at least 160 people and left hundreds missing. The images show damaged buildings, roads and other infrastructure along the river in Nuwak»»»

For Emirati women today, identity can mean many things at once. It can be about staying connected to family, culture and traditions while also pursuing education, building careers, exploring new fields and creating opportunities for themselves. As the UAE continues to grow and change, Emirati women»»»

RIYADH: Would that be cash or card, Mr. President? With a simple tap on a payment machine in Damascus, President Ahmed Al-Sharaa marked Syria’s removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and the Arab country’s return to the global financial system. In a video release early Thursday, Al-Sh»»»

CAEN, France: A man drove a car into a crowd in the northwestern French city of Caen on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring 10 others, firefighters and police said. A police source said the man rammed the car into the crowd near the city’s train station after a fight in the area, and one sus»»»

WASHINGTON: The US said on Wednesday it had disrupted a Chinese hacking operation responsible for break-ins and attempts on the Justice Department, NASA, the Federal Reserve, the Senate, and other sensitive government agencies. In a statement, the Justice Department said it had seized domains used »»»