Egypt and Iran’s foreign ministers discussed efforts to ease regional tensions and return to diplomacy. Egypt also emphasized the security of Gulf countries and safe international shipping.
Syria says it hopes security negotiations with Israel will restart soon. Contact stopped after the August 18 air raids on Abu al-Duhur airbase, while the two sides give different accounts of the reason for the attack.
Maryam Ali Almutwa won bronze in the Youth B women’s 52-kilogram division at the IMMAF Youth World Championships in Abu Dhabi. Her result took the UAE team’s medal total to 18 on August 20.
Syrian powerlifter Mohamed Safwamar won four gold medals in the over-120-kilogram class at the World Junior Powerlifting Championships in South Africa. Teammate Mergan Haji also earned four medals.
Sherif Mounir played drums with his Nostalgia band at Cairo Citadel on August 19, followed by a set of familiar songs from Hisham Abbas. The concert formed part of the thirty-fourth Cairo Citadel music festival.
Switzerland selected the documentary Who Is Still Alive as its Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film. The film gives nine Palestinians who left Gaza space to tell their stories through words, memories, and a simple floor map.
The United States sanctioned ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye on August 18, 2026. The court rejected the measures, describing them as an attack on judicial independence.
Heavy rain in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture killed 13 people and left one person missing. Flooded roads and homes left rescue teams moving thousands of abandoned vehicles.
A newly published study by researchers at Sultan Qaboos University found that floods increased microplastic pollution at most sampled sites in Oman’s Wadi Al Khoud. The sharpest rise was recorded near a flood-retention dam.
An Egyptian archaeological mission discovered three tombs from different historical periods at Sheikh Subi in the Bahariya Oasis. The finds include mummies, coffins, pottery vessels, small bottles, and stone offering tables.
