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Oman’s year-on-year inflation rate reached 3.4% in August 2026, with transport costs experiencing an 8.5% rise and food and non-alcoholic beverages increasing by 7%. Regional variations in inflation rates were observed, with Al Dhahirah at 4.8% and Dhofar at 2.1%. Food items saw significant yearly increases, particularly vegetables by 19% and fruits by 16.3%. Meat prices also rose by 9.8%, while non-alcoholic beverages increased by 3.5%.
During his official state visit to Germany, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan convened with prominent German business executives and corporate leaders in Berlin. This high-level gathering involved a roundtable discussion where the UAE President was provided with detailed briefings on company operations, industrial activities, and technological breakthroughs in key European manufacturing sectors. As part of ongoing efforts to boost economic cooperation, the UAE and Germany are working to deepen cross-border commercial partnerships, increase joint venture investments, and expand bilateral trade across critical growth markets.
India and Russia are accelerating efforts to expand non-energy trade and reciprocal investments as both nations target $100 billion in annual bilateral commerce by 2030. Speaking at the INNOPROM India 2026 industrial trade fair, officials outlined strategies to narrow India’s pronounced trade deficit by boosting exports of pharmaceuticals, auto components, textiles, and agricultural products to Russian markets. The trade framework, backed by 40 live priority investment projects and reinforced local-currency payment settlement mechanisms, aims to drive industrial integration and cross-border supply chain resilience across Eurasia.
During President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s official visit to Germany, the United Arab Emirates revealed plans to invest €40 billion across various sectors including industry, technology, energy, and digital infrastructure. This significant funding package was unveiled alongside the broader set of economic agreements discussed by both nations, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz participating in the announcement. Notably, €10 billion of this investment is earmarked for projects in Bavaria, positioning the southern German region as a key beneficiary of the overall commitment. UAE investment in Germany targets industry, AI, digital infrastructure and energy. A substantial portion of the UAE’s investment aims to enhance digital infrastructure, with plans to develop advanced data centres in Germany boasting a combined capacity of approximately 1 gigawatt. The joint declaration also addressed advancements in artificial intelligence, industrial growth, and energy initiatives. Germany committed to supporting the necessary conditions for the execution of these data-centre projects. These initiatives serve to strengthen an already growing economic partnership between the UAE and Germany that spans technology, manufacturing, energy, and other commercial industries. Throughout the visit, companies from both countries formalized 29 agreements and memoranda of understanding, with a total combined value surpassing €9.356 billion. An additional outcome was the establishment of the German-UAE Investment Council, designed to link government agencies with private sector firms and foster increased investment activities between the two nations. Both governments also launched a Strategic Dialogue that will explore cooperation areas including trade, technology, investment, energy, transport
Travel
Dubai-based flag carrier Emirates has begun its northern winter travel period with resilient booking levels across its international network, surpassing initial corporate expectations. This positive trend follows a high-capacity summer operating cycle, during which the airline carried over 8.6 million passengers to 140 global destinations between July and August. Robust demand from both leisure travelers and premium segments continues to fuel passenger numbers as the airline scales capacity to meet seasonal volume projections.
Health
Yankee Stadium is included in New York City’s South Bronx cooling tower investigation. The affected zone encompasses sections of the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods, where officials conducted testing on cooling towers while tracing potential environmental sources of the infections. PCR testing detects genetic material from Legionella bacteria but does not confirm whether the bacteria are alive, whereas culture testing, which can determine if viable bacteria are present, may take up to two weeks for results, according to authorities.
Significant shortages of personnel and financial resources are impeding urgent efforts to contain the expanding Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s crisis. Triggered by the Bundibugyo virus strain, the epidemic has affected six provinces, with over 6,000 confirmed cases and 3,175 deaths recorded thus far. The World Health Organization is urging international donors to provide immediate financial aid to support deployment of frontline health teams and to increase isolation facilities across the remote eastern regions.
Authorities implement new measures as Ebola cases in Congo reach 6,250 across six provinces. The epidemic has impacted 60 health zones within six provinces, with Ituri province serving as the epicenter of the outbreak. Health teams continue Ebola testing, contact tracing, and treatment efforts. WHO has scaled up laboratory testing, treatment facilities, and field operations, dispatching emergency supplies and deploying experts. Efforts remain focused on contact tracing, testing, clinical care, infection prevention, and safe burials. Transmission persists despite a decline in new cases, with 51 health zones still reporting active transmission.
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began administering Ebola vaccinations in Kisangani on Thursday, launching a targeted campaign in the capital of Tshopo Province to protect frontline responders. The initiative prioritizes healthcare workers, emergency response teams, and individuals with direct contact with confirmed patients as the country confronts its deadliest recorded Ebola outbreak. Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba confirmed that the government deployed an initial supply of the Ervebo vaccine under a compassionate-use framework across impacted eastern provinces to safeguard essential personnel and help disrupt viral transmission chains.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / RankWire.AI / – The European Commission has broadened its Ebola containment efforts by securing €2.1 million to purchase PCR tests for the Bundibugyo virus outbreak. This agreement covers open-platform testing kits that laboratories can utilize with their existing equipment, with the procurement process backed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Dispatches are scheduled to begin in August, as health teams face a significant outbreak centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and extending to neighboring regions.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has acquired an allocation of 70,000 Ebola vaccine doses as the Bundibugyo outbreak expands. Health officials reported 5,208 confirmed cases and 2,476 deaths as of Aug. 18. The epidemic now affects 56 health zones across six provinces, with officials also noting 1,115 recoveries. Additionally, 730 patients remain in isolation or hospitalized as response teams continue their efforts in affected communities throughout eastern and northeastern DR Congo.