PoliticsPrime Minister Lawrence Wong said in his Mandarin-language National Day Rally speech on Sunday evening that Singapore must preserve its Mandarin-speaking environment, cultural roots and bilingual advantage. He encouraged families to make Mandarin learning enjoyable for children and said dialect policies for pay television and films would be eased, while gains from the Speak Mandarin Movement must be protected.
HealthMedical workers are struggling to contain Ebola in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where informal gold mining supports communities. In Iga-Barriere, miners say displacement and poverty leave them little choice despite the difficulty of preventing transmission through close contact.
TechThe second World Humanoid Games opened in China on Saturday and will run for five days. Robots in Beijing have competed in football, boxing, high jump and table tennis, with one copying Cristiano Ronaldo’s “Siuuu” celebration and others synchronised marching at the opening ceremony. A robot has also run faster than Usain Bolt’s 100m world record.
BBC News
CultureSingapore will relax restrictions on dialects in pay television and films, including scrapping limits on screenings of dialect-language movies, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at the National Day Rally on Aug 23. A Mandarin-dubbed version must be available. Wong said dialects are cultural heritage worth preserving.
PoliticsRep. Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican running for governor, discusses Democrats in the state, Cape Canaveral, insurance and what he calls radical policies. His wife, Erika, also joins the program.
Fox News
PoliticsVoters in Germany’s eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt will cast ballots in early September, with surveys placing the far-right Alternative for Germany about 20 points ahead and above 40 percent. Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund is seeking an absolute majority, while the CDU under incumbent Sven Schulze is near 24 percent.
HealthMore than 2,000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have died from Ebola since the epidemic’s first recorded case in May, making it the deadliest outbreak in the country’s history. Health teams are struggling on the ground while measures are being put in place to contain the spread.
WorldA fire broke out Sunday at a warehouse in Saint Petersburg, covering an area of 82,000 square meters. Russia’s Emergency Ministry said the site stored paper and polymer materials, warning that heat, sparks and burning fragments could cause the blaze to spread.
The Associated Press
EconomyGerman carmakers are losing ground in China while weak demand, overcapacity and high costs pressure them at home. Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes are expanding in the US, but the podcast asks whether America can replace the market that drove their growth, and whether German brands can adapt without losing their identity.
PoliticsOfficials say Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema has won re-election with 60% of the vote. The contest was widely viewed as a referendum on his first term, during which Zambia’s economy returned to growth after years of fiscal distress.
TechThe five-day World Humanoid Robot Games are taking place in Beijing with 51 events, including 30 sports competitions and more than 2,000 humanoid robots. The machines have shown they can outrun and out-jump humans, play table tennis and soccer, and perform tasks such as connecting cables and handling packages. China is using the Games to showcase its competitiveness in the global technology race.
SocietyFrance’s summer holiday season is continuing, but as August draws to a close, northern destinations are becoming more popular after the country experienced a series of heatwaves this year.
SportsSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due in France on Sunday for a two-day visit. President Emmanuel Macron will host him at the closing ceremony of the so-called Esports World Cup in Paris, an event organised and funded by Saudi Arabia.
OtherEuronews’ midday bulletin for 23 August 2026 rounds up important stories from Europe and beyond, covering news, business, entertainment, politics, culture and travel.
Society2:25Thousands of children in Gaza are learning to swim again after losing limbs in Israeli strikes. The Tanteesh Foundation and Heal Palestine run classes led by amputee coaches, giving young people—many displaced and living in tents—confidence and a respite from their circumstances.
WorldCrown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko visited La Colmena during a tour marking 90 years of Japanese immigration to Paraguay. They met members of the Nikkei community and paid tribute to Japanese immigrants who had died. The visit was Fumihito’s first return to Paraguay since his 2006 trip.
The Associated Press
SportsFormer NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom discusses on “My View with Lara Trump” how he is holding the WNBA accountable over its transgender policy.
Fox News
PoliticsBrazilian President Lula and his political rival Flavio Bolsonaro continued their presidential campaigns over the weekend with competing rallies in Rio de Janeiro. Crime topped both candidates’ agendas, although they offered distinctly different approaches to the issue.
SocietyThe war has disrupted the lives of an entire generation of children in Gaza. To help them deal with the conflict’s trauma, an NGO launched a huge swimming lesson in Khan Younis, where hundreds gathered on the beach to learn to swim in an event that could even set a world record.
WorldTwo months after two earthquakes struck Venezuela, more than 12,500 survivors remain in temporary camps in La Guaira. Many are still coping with the loss of relatives and homes while enduring precarious conditions, exposure to the elements and limited access to medical care and humanitarian aid.
EconomySaudi Arabia is making a major bet on the global gaming industry, having acquired Electronic Arts in a $55 billion deal. Its flagship Esports World Cup is being held outside the country for the first time, in Paris, as part of efforts to diversify beyond an oil- and gas-driven economy.
WorldSudan’s war has driven more than 1.4 million refugees and returnees into South Sudan, where over 650,000 refugees are running out of food, the World Food Programme warns. With 10 million South Sudanese already food insecure, available resources can support only about three million people, forcing rations down to 50 percent.
EconomySix EU countries, including Germany and Italy, want finance ministers to discuss a windfall levy at next month’s meeting in Dublin, citing soaring oil-company profits during the Middle East war.
TechA humanoid robot called Tiangong Ultra ran 100 metres in 9.39 seconds at China’s World Humanoid Robot Games, beating Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second human record. Developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, it defeated two other robots, including one developed by smartphone maker Honor. The games also feature boxing, football and household tasks such as folding clothes.
BBC Chinese