Air Arabia announced a strategic expansion of its Southeast Asian operations, increasing flight frequencies between the UAE and Thailand. The airline will introduce a fourth daily non-stop service connecting Sharjah to Bangkok, totaling 28 weekly flights. This expansion aims to meet growing regional travel demand and strengthen air connectivity between the Arabian Gulf and major Southeast Asian centers. The route will be serviced by Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft with onboard amenities including SkyTime entertainment and SkyCafe catering. The operational expansion reflects sustained demand for affordable air travel options in the region.

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    The report says almost 19% of the world’s children now live in conflict zones. That compares with about 10% during the 1990s. By the end of 2024, conflict and violence had displaced 48.8 million children worldwide. The total was nearly triple the roughly 17 million recorded in 2010. It includes refugee and asylum-seeking children, along with millions uprooted within their own countries by conflict and violence.
    Climate hazards are adding another layer of risk for children around the world. Nearly half of all children, or 1.1 billion, face at least three overlapping climate hazards. Almost every child faces at least one such hazard, according to UNICEF’s 2026 climate risk assessment. More than 4 million children face as many as six overlapping threats. The hazards include drought, extreme heat, heatwaves, floods, fires, tropical storms and sand and dust storms.

    Economic cooperation formed a major part of the talks. Bilateral trade reached $1.3 billion in 2025, up 33%, according to the Uzbek government. Both countries set a target of raising annual trade to $5 billion by 2030. The number of joint ventures has increased sevenfold in recent years. India and Uzbekistan also have 14 direct flights each week, while four Indian universities currently operate in Uzbekistan. The leaders called for broader industrial and business links.

    Flooding across Nepal and Tibet has killed at least 919 people, while 4,793 remain missing after the August 26 disaster. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the country’s toll reached 903 dead and 4,247 missing on Monday. Tibetan officials reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Gyirong County. The combined figures rose sharply from weekend counts as search teams reached more flood-hit areas and updated missing-person records.

    Magnitude 5.1 earthquake strikes Longchang City in China Sichuan province as local emergency management agencies initiate preliminary impact assessments across the county level territory. Regional emergency services dispatchers confirmed that no immediate reports of casualties, injuries, or structural property destruction were filed in the hours following the tremor. Local civil defense departments mobilized inspection units to evaluate public infrastructure, including municipal water supplies, power grids, gas pipelines, and transport corridors across Neijiang. State media reporting relayed by Xinhua News Agency verified that rural townships nearest to the epicenter reported minor ground shaking without disruptions to local utilities.

    Business

    Health

    The European Commission has expanded its Ebola response with a €2.1 million purchase of PCR tests for the Bundibugyo virus outbreak. The agreement covers open-platform tests that laboratories can use with existing systems. Shipments are due to start in August as health teams confront a large outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and affecting parts of the wider region.

    Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for 10% to 15% of Australia’s approximately 21,000 annual breast cancer diagnoses but causes a disproportionate number of deaths. This subtype lacks estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors, rendering conventional targeted hormone therapies ineffective. Lead investigators demonstrated that when miR-342 levels fall, a cancer-driving pathway called E2F becomes overactive, allowing dormant cancer cells to spread throughout the body and form dangerous secondary tumors.

    The Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive 70,000 Ervebo Ebola vaccine doses as the Bundibugyo outbreak expands. Congolese authorities reported 5,208 confirmed cases and 2,476 deaths as of Aug. 18. The outbreak now affects 56 health zones across six provinces in the east and northeast. Authorities also listed 1,115 recoveries, while 730 patients remained in isolation or hospital care.

    Travel

    Air Arabia announced a strategic expansion of its Southeast Asian operations, increasing flight frequencies between the UAE and Thailand. The airline will introduce a fourth daily non-stop service connecting Sharjah to Bangkok, totaling 28 weekly flights. This expansion aims to meet growing regional travel demand and strengthen air connectivity between the Arabian Gulf and major Southeast Asian centers. The route will be serviced by Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft with onboard amenities including SkyTime entertainment and SkyCafe catering. The operational expansion reflects sustained demand for affordable air travel options in the region.

    Technology

    Japan is expanding its fight against investment fraud with a new system that uses artificial intelligence to spot warning signs earlier. The Consumer Affairs Agency announced the package on September 1. It will analyze consumer complaints for language and patterns linked to fraudulent schemes and failing businesses. The package says AI will supplement existing keyword searches and support earlier alerts, investigations and enforcement when complaint data indicate serious risks.

    Automotive

    The decision brings total planned job eliminations across the company to approximately 9,000 positions, representing roughly 21 percent of its 42,066 workforce. Company leadership confirmed that Porsche to cut 5,000 more jobs under restructuring plan negotiations following months of talks between management and labor councils. The initiative aims to bolster operational efficiency as the vehicle producer confronts declining market share in Asia, elevated global tariffs, and sluggish demand for electric vehicles.