Moscow on Monday called for the US-Iran ceasefire to be maintained and for diplomatic efforts to continue, after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with his Iranian counterpart, a close Russian ally. "The Russian side again emphasized the need to preserve the truce, which must be observed within »»»

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on March 18. On Monday he sued The Atlantic for $250 million in damages. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo April 20 (UPI) -- FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic on Monday, seeking $250 million in da»»»

Doha: The Shura Council held on Monday its weekly session at the Tamim bin Hamad Hall, under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim. At the outset of the meeting, the Shura Council highlighted HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's meeting with HM S»»»

Iraq has reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade to accelerate overland fuel oil exports and revive cross-border trade amid disruption to Gulf shipping following the Iran war, Iraqi border officials said on Monday. The crossing, located in Iraq’s northern Nineveh prov»»»

Lebanese and Israeli representatives will hold talks in Washington on Thursday, a US State Department spokesperson and an Israeli source speaking on the condition of anonymity told Reuters ‌on Monday. The ‌US will host ‌the ⁠second round of ⁠ambassador-level talks between the two countries at the D»»»

A high-profile paramilitary commander in Sudan has changed sides and joined the country’s army in a move welcomed by army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan shortly after the war entered its fourth year. Burhan on Sunday welcomed Maj. Gen. al-Nour Ahmed Adam, who defected earlier this month from the Ra»»»

Luanda: And in Africa, the lion roared. There is a case to be made that Pope Leo XIV, the careful, reserved, Midwestern Augustinian, found his voice on his epic trip through Africa, blasting the “handful of tyrants” and “chains of corruption” that have held the continent hostage for centuries. But »»»

Hungary's incoming prime minister Peter Magyar said Monday the country will execute International Criminal Court warrants against anyone, after he invited Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu -- wanted under just such a warrant -- to Budapest later this year. In 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant »»»

The EU's top diplomat said Monday the bloc will gauge the willingness of member states to take measures against Israel, after Spain re-upped demands to suspend a cooperation deal. Foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc are expected to discuss the matter at a meeting in Luxembourg Tuesday after a»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for the United States and Iran to de-escalate amid increased tensions over the weekend over the Strait of Hormuz. "Our position remains the same. We need ‌to settle ‌things through diplomacy. ‌Everyone must ⁠calm down," Macron ⁠said during a joint p»»»

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that honoring commitments is essential for dialogue, while condemning U.S. demands for Iran’s surrender. "Honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue. Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward US gov conduct remains, while unconstructive & con»»»

WASHINGTON: The World Bank has backed the Syrian Arab Republic’s ongoing recovery efforts following talks with Syrian officials on the sidelines of the IMF (International Monetary Fund)-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington. The discussions, led by Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh and Syri»»»

Originally published at Napunk The soon-to-be-formed Tisza government in Budapest will differ from Viktor Orbán’s governments not only in personnel but also in structure. Over the four terms since 2010, Viktor Orbán has repeatedly reshaped his governments, abolishing traditional ministries and fold»»»

Brussels: The Arab League today called for intensified international efforts to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip, ensuring it meets the needs of all residents, and for the immediate launch of early recovery and reconstruction programs. This came in a speech delivered by A»»»

Tunis, April 20 (TAP) - Tunindex closed Monday's session up 0.47% to 15,798.89 points with a high traded volume of TND 15.3 million, said broker Tunisie Valeurs. TUNISIE LEASING & FACTORING shares were the best performers after rising by 6% to TND...»»»

TASHKENT (Sputnik) - Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to resume construction of new units at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran as quickly as possible once peace is restored, the company's CEO Alexey Likhachev said on Monday. "Our most important task, once peace is restored in t»»»

Madrid: Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa mounted a strong defence of French superstar Kylian Mbappe, who was criticised for what some perceived as ignoring his defensive responsibilities in last week's Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich. Arbeloa, who himself is under fire with Real all but ce»»»

Share: File photo- Ambassador Simon Karam, was named by president Joseph Aoun to lead the negotiations with Israel Lebanese President Joseph Aoun named former Lebanese ambassador to Washington Karam to head the negotiations, and said the talks will be “separate from any other negotiations”, in refe»»»

LONDON: Syria and Iraq reopened the crucial Al-Yarubiyah-Rabia crossing on Monday after nearly 13 years of closure due to the Syrian civil war, which spanned from 2011 to 2024. The reopening came after the General Customs Authority of Iraq completed rehabilitation work on its side of the Rabia cros»»»

Pristina: The trial in Pristina over an alleged secession attempt in northern Kosovo entered its final phase Monday, April 20, 2026, with the defence rejecting charges against three Serbs accused of "terrorist acts". In September 2023, a group of dozens of heavily armed men led by Serb Milan Radoic»»»

In the leadup and throughout the seven-week war, U.S. President Donald Trump has faced criticism from the left and from some of his own supporters that he followed Israel’s lead into launching the conflict. But Trump on social media is blaming the media for pushing what he claims is a false narrati»»»

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has released a video showing a US warship firing at an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that was later seized by US Marines. According to CENTCOM, the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance intercepted the M/V Touska in the Gulf of Oman as it attempted to breach the US naval»»»

France is weaponizing criminal prosecution in an attempt to suppress free speech, Telegram founder Pavel Durov has said, as he backed X owner Elon Musk in the social media platform’s legal case in the country. Durov made the remarks on Sunday after the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Depar»»»

The United Arab Emirates has warned the US Treasury that it could be “forced to use Chinese yuan” in oil trade, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. UAE Central Bank Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama delivered what the newspaper described as an “implicit threat” against the dollar’s dominant po»»»

Bulgaria's early parliamentary elections held on April 19 were conducted in a transparent and efficient manner, with high voter turnout, said Monday international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council o»»»

A court on the Dodecanese island of Kos has jailed a 56-year-old man from Rhodes to ten years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of multiple counts raping his daughter and committing incest. As a result of the rape and incest, the daughter, now aged 31, gave birth to a child three-and-a-half ye»»»

Israel says it has established a "Yellow Line" in south Lebanon near the border, where its forces are operating despite a 10-day ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah. What is the so-called "Yellow Line", how does it resemble an Israeli military demarcation in the Gaza Strip and where does it leave »»»

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, on Monday expressed “profound indignation and unreserved condemnation” of the defacing of a statue of Jesus Christ by an Israeli soldier in Lebanon, saying the act “constitutes a grave affront to the Christian faith.” The Israeli m»»»

After a month-long closure triggered by the Iran–Israel–US conflict, Global Village has reopened with renewed energy, and a sharpened focus on safety. As we are told by security, the priority is clear: Keep calm, stay alert, and protect every visitor who walks through the gates. We have to be calm.»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe MP Fadlallah: Israeli Enemy Will Fail to Create Buffer Zone in South Lebanon, None Can Disarm Hezbollah 20-04-2026 17:37 PM MP Hasan Fadlal»»»

Iran was poised and ready to retaliate against a recent US attack on the Iranian Touska container vessel in the Gulf of Oman, the Iranian Armed Forces’ Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters stated. "But due to the presence of some family members of the ship’s crew on board, an operational response w»»»

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said on Monday that it was in President Joseph Aoun's interest to withdraw from direct talks with Israel, while adding that his group wanted the current ceasefire to last. "It is in the interest of the state, the interest of Lebanon, the president of the republic»»»

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri confirmed Monday to the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that "Washington is making an effort to extend the ceasefire in Lebanon." Moreover, Berri refused to disclose his position on the direct negotiations with Israel planned by President Joseph Aoun.»»»

LONDON: IMI has appointed Nakhle Elhage as chief transformation officer as the UAE-based media group pushes ahead with efforts to sharpen its news brands and deepen its digital reach. Elhage, who helped build some of the Arab world’s best-known news operations, will oversee the transformation of IM»»»

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States on Monday, casting uncertainty on a push to stop the Middle East war from resuming. US President Donald Trump said he was sending negotiators to Pakistan for talks on ending the war that engulf»»»

Dubai: The National Bank of Ras Al Khaimah (RAKBANK) reported a record quarterly profit after tax of Dh1 billion for the first quarter of 2026, marking a 43% increase year-on-year, driven by strong balance sheet growth and a one-off gain from a business divestment. Get updated faster and for FREE: »»»

Peru’s Fuerza Popular party's Keiko Fujimori reacts after casting her vote in Lima on April 12. She now awaits finding out who her opponent will be in the June 7 presidential runoff. Photo by Renato Pajuelo/EPA April 20 (UPI) -- Peru's National Jury of Elections, known as Jurado Nacional de Eleccio»»»

Bulgarian Prime Minister-elect, Rumen Radev (C), leader of the Progressive Bulgaria coalition, addresses the media on Sunday night after the first exit polls indicated he was on track to win. Photo by Borislav Troshev/EPA April 20 (UPI) -- Former president Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria Party h»»»

Greater Athens traffic police have stopped more than 44,000 motorists in the past five days under an unprecedentedly long and effective road safety campaign, fining roughly one in eleven for breaching the beefed-up new driving code. A police statement said 4,132 fines were issued between Thursday a»»»

Hong Kong: Hong Kong residents who lost their homes in a massive fire at an apartment complex last year began returning on Monday for the first time to collect what is left of their belongings. The city's deadliest fire in decades killed 168 people when it ripped through seven of the eight apartmen»»»

RIYADH: An ancient pond that served as a source of water for travelers along the Hijaz-Iraq trade route has been filled with water following the recent rainfall in northern Saudi Arabia. The Al-Jumaimiyah pond, which is a historic feature of the Northern Borders Province, has been filled to a level»»»

Brussels on Monday proposed EU states fully restart the bloc's cooperation agreement with Syria, in the latest step to help bolster the country after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. The deal -- which abolishes customs duties on imports of most industrial products from Syria -- was partially suspende»»»

Brussels, Belgium: Brussels on Monday, April 20, 2026, proposed EU states fully restart the bloc's cooperation agreement with Syria, in the latest step to help bolster the country after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. The deal -- which abolishes customs duties on imports of most industrial products »»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh Al-Jasser visited the dedicated terminal for the Makkah Route initiative at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, where he welcomed a flight of beneficiaries arriving from Bangladesh. The minister was briefed on proc»»»

ISTANBUL: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has participated in the ministerial meeting of the Group of Eight at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye. The meeting was also attended by foreign ministers and representatives of Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Turkiye, and the UAE, the Saudi Pres»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief has implemented its Noor program to combat blindness and eye diseases in Yaounde, Cameroon. During the week-long campaign, its volunteer medical team examined 4,679 beneficiaries, distributed 926 eyeglasses, and performed 448 surgeries, the Saudi Press Age»»»

LONDON: Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met with Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah in Doha on Monday to discuss efforts to deescalate hostilities and restore stability in the Middle East. The meeting focused on regional developments and the need to intensify Arab efforts to ac»»»

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced on Monday new partnerships in energy supply chains and critical technologies to address global trade fallout from the US–Israeli war on Iran. Lee arrived in India as the war, which started on Feb. 28, »»»

Tehran: Iran reopened its main Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports in capital Tehran on Monday, April 20, 2026, the country's aviation authority said, after closures caused by the weeks-long war with the United States and Israel. "Authorization for passenger flights at Imam Khomeini International A»»»

The American Library Association's list of the "Top 11 Most Challenged Books List of 2025" includes titles by John Green, Sarah J. Maas and Anthony Burgess. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo April 20 (UPI) -- The American Library Association released its list of the "Top 11 Most Challeng»»»