News
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Their discussion centered on the relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, with a specific focus on the Kurdistan Region. The leaders explored avenues to enhance cooperation and promote development and prosperity for their populations. The talks were also attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.
Business
Korea’s August exports jumped 68.7% to $98.25 billion as Asia’s fourth-largest economy continues its trade expansion streak for a 15th consecutive month. Semiconductor exports, which are the main factor behind the country’s trade performance, soared 209% year-on-year to an all-time high of $46.65 billion. The growth in chip shipments was driven by sustained capital expenditure programs among major global technology firms expanding data center networks and enterprise AI hardware deployments. This marks the third straight month that semiconductor export volumes have exceeded the $40 billion mark.
Travel
South Korea welcomed over 2 million international visitors in July 2026, with inbound travel remaining above pre-pandemic figures. The Korea Tourism Organization reported a total of 2,093,223 foreign arrivals for the month, reflecting a 20.8% increase from 1,733,199 in July 2025. This number also represents 144.6% of the July 2019 figure, before the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global travel. Foreign visitor arrivals in South Korea rose 20.8% year on year in July. Compared to July 2024, the total grew by 48.6% from 1,408,499 foreign visitors, with notable gains across South Korea’s main inbound markets. China continued to be the largest source, with approximately 777,000 travelers, followed by visitors from Japan, Taiwan, the United States, and Hong Kong. Japan contributed around 330,000 visitors, and Taiwan accounted for about 261,000. The United States sent roughly 150,000 travelers, while Hong Kong’s arrivals totaled approximately 76,000. Each of these five markets surpassed its July 2019 numbers, with Chinese arrivals increasing by 49.6%, Japanese by 20.2%, and Taiwan recording the largest percentage growth at 129.4% from its 2019 level.
Sports
Spain sent Portugal out of the FIFA World Cup with a late 1-0 win, ending Ronaldo’s sixth tournament and long pursuit of the title.
Norway reached the FIFA World Cup last eight after a 2-1 win over Brazil, with Haaland scoring twice and Neymar netting late.
Australia exited the FIFA World Cup 2026 after Egypt won 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 Round of 32 draw in Arlington at Dallas Stadium.
Spain kept a clean sheet and advanced from the World Cup Round of 32 after goals by Oyarzabal and Porro ended Austria’s run in Los Angeles.
Mexico reached the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over Ecuador, keeping its unbeaten run and clean-sheet record intact.
Brazil booked a Round of 16 place at World Cup 2026 after Casemiro and Martinelli erased Japan’s first-half lead in Houston from the Round of 32.
Portugal moved to four points in Group K after a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan, whose first World Cup campaign remained difficult.
Norway’s 3-2 victory over Senegal put Haaland on four World Cup 2026 goals and sent the team into the Round of 32 from Group I after two wins.
Health
DR Congo launches Ebola vaccination campaign using Ervebo doses across six eastern provinces. Official epidemiological data indicates that the ongoing outbreak has spread across six eastern provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uele, and Bas-Uele. Public health figures published by the Ministry of Public Health and Prevention show that the country has recorded 5,713 confirmed cases and 2,744 deaths. The current overall case fatality rate among confirmed patients stands at approximately 48%. International health agencies, including the World Health Organization, are supporting local medical teams with logistics, laboratory testing, and vaccine distribution due to the public health emergency. Authorities are administering the Ervebo vaccine under a compassionate-use framework while observational data on its effectiveness against the circulating viral strain are being collected by medical researchers. DR Congo has launched an Ebola vaccination drive as health workers intensify ring-vaccination strategies around identified infection clusters to contain viral transmission chains. DR Congo Initiates Vaccination Drive in Infected Eastern Regions Operational challenges, including complex regional infrastructure, ongoing security issues, and high population mobility across border districts, are impacting logistical efforts. Cold-chain supply networks have been established in Kisangani to maintain the ultra-low temperatures needed for vaccine storage prior to distribution to outlying health zones. DR Congo launches Ebola vaccination campaign while civil defense and community health workers conduct educational outreach to improve disease surveillance and reporting. Epidemiologists from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are working
Technology
China’s Digital Revenue Hits 20.71T Yuan BEIJING, CHINA / RankWire.AI / – In the first half of 2026, China’s digital sector achieved a revenue of 20.71 trillion yuan, marking a 13.6% increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, total profits grew by 19.3% to reach 1.79 trillion yuan. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology noted that the industry’s revenue growth rate accelerated by 4.1 percentage points from the same period last year, with profit margins rising to 8.6%, an increase of 0.7 percentage point. China’s digital industry posted strong revenue and profit growth in the first half of 2026. (AI-generated image) Major digital industry hubs in China contributed significantly to the national total, with the top 10 provincial markets generating a combined 17.21 trillion yuan—up 13.2%. These regions accounted for 83.1% of the country’s digital revenue and drove 87% of overall growth. Leading markets included Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang, while Central China saw digital industry revenue of 2.86 trillion yuan, a 28.3% rise from the previous year. Digital infrastructure also saw notable expansion during this period. As of June, China had 5.102 million 5G base stations, along with 32.86 million 10