Hong Kong: Oil prices surged Monday on a re-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East war after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz at the weekend, just a day after reopening it, citing the United States' blockade of its ports. However, lingering hopes for a deal to end the seven-week crisis contin»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - As a full member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Iran should be entitled to the right to peaceful nuclear energy, and the country's authorities "are planning for the future within the framework" of that treaty, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said. "As fu»»»

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has begun enforcing new decisions to raise Saudisation rates in marketing and sales professions to 60 per cent, following the end of a grace period for private sector firms. The measures, effective from Sunday, April 19, form part of»»»

At Doha College, education goes far beyond academic success. As a not-for-profit British international school, every decision we make is driven by what is best for our pupils—investing in exceptional teaching, inspiring environments, and a breadth of experiences that shape confident, capable young »»»

Iran's foreign ministry said Monday that the United States was not serious about pursuing diplomacy, citing what it called "violations" of their two-week ceasefire. "While claiming diplomacy and readiness for negotiations, the U.S. is carrying out behaviors that do not in any way indicate seriousne»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Araghchi: US Diplomacy Driven by Bad Faith 20-04-2026 11:33 AM Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the United States pursues malic»»»

Iran’s joint military command pledged that Tehran would respond soon and called the US attack against an Iranian-flagged container ship near the Strait of Hormuz an act of piracy that violated the ceasefire that has been in place since April 8. By continually violating the ceasefire, the United Sta»»»

Italy’s defense minister said discussions are underway to expand the European Union’s Red Sea naval mission, Aspides, to include the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Iran’s missile and nuclear ambitions pose a global threat. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said t»»»

Sources within Hamas said the group’s delegation in Cairo has delivered a “positive response” to a revised proposal from mediators, particularly Egypt, potentially paving the way for an agreement on Gaza soon. Negotiations on the deal remain stalled. Hamas and other factions insist Israel must firs»»»

Dubai: UAE travel agents report a surge in inbound travel demand over the next two weeks as schools reopen, with thousands of residents returning after weeks of disruption caused by regional tensions and flight cancellations. The rebound comes after a volatile period for the aviation sector, during»»»

Tunis, April 20 (TAP) – The weather will be slightly cloudy on Monday morning across all regions of the country. In the afternoon, the sky will become partly cloudy in the central and southern areas, according to forecasts from the National...»»»

Seoul: Eight runners were taken to hospital with heat-related illnesses after a marathon near South Korea's demilitarised zone with North Korea took place amid record temperatures, local authorities told AFP on Monday. The DMZ Peace Marathon in the city of Paju allows participants to test their met»»»

Iran will not yield to US pressure, parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said. He stressed that progress has been made in the negotiations, though fundamental issues are still unresolved. The first round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad took place last weekend in the Paki»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) has announced that it will conduct a public auction of seized valuable items through the Courts Auctions application. In a social media post, it stated that the auction of gold jewellery will be held in coordination with the Public Prosecution and wil»»»

Bulgaria’s ex-president Rumen Radev is on course to win a parliamentary election, according to exit polls,  but may fall short of a governing majority. His Progressive Bulgaria coalition leads with, in a vote marked by low turnout and deep political instability, the country’s eighth elect»»»

As UN Chinese Language Day is marked around the globe, it is worth reflecting on a broader reality: We have long since moved beyond the strange unipolar moment that followed the Cold War. By Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya SegodnyaPower is no longer c»»»

Dubai: There’s something deeply exhausting about how predictable the outrage cycle around women’s bodies in Bollywood has become. A woman gains weight, shows up in public after giving birth to a tiny human, or simply exists outside the narrow bandwidth of “acceptable beauty" and suddenly, her body »»»

Washington, USA: Apple plans to redesign its Siri voice assistant in iOS 27, according to technical reports linked to the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC26) scheduled for next June. Bloomberg said that the new design for Siri includes a visual interface based on glow effects inspired by the c»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The security of non-nuclear European countries will ultimately be weakened by France's plans to deploy nuclear weapons on their territory, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with Sputnik. "As a result, instead of the French declaring a strength»»»

Israel's army said Monday it had determined that an image circulating on social media showing one of its soldiers in south Lebanon hitting a statue of Jesus Christ is authentic. The image appears to show an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head on a statue of a crucified Jesus tha»»»

The spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters warned that the latest act of “piracy” by US military forces against an Iranian trade vessel will soon be met with retaliation. “The aggressive United States, by violating the ceasefire and engaging in maritime banditry, attacked one of »»»

Manila: Fiery attacks or protests against the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) and the idea of “Pax Silica” Initiative (PSI) tap into a familiar reflex in Philippine politics. Last week (April 2026), Manila signed up as the 13th member of PSI, resulting in the planned establishment of a "giant" 16 km²»»»

The Israeli military launched an investigation after a photograph circulated on social media showing an IDF soldier smashing the head of a statue of Jesus. The soldier appeared to hit the statue with a mallet in southern Lebanon. »»»

The Israeli military launched an investigation after a photograph circulated on social media showing an IDF soldier smashing the head of a statue of Jesus. The soldier appeared to hit the statue with a mallet in southern Lebanon. »»»

Authorities in Iowa City are asking the public for help identifying five people of interest related to the early Sunday shooting that left five people wounded. Photo courtesy Iowa City Police Department/Release April 20 (UPI) -- Five people were wounded in a shooting near the campus of the Universi»»»

The Libyan Business Council (LBC) informed that it is co-convening a Libyan-Moroccan Business Forum on 8 June in Casablanca. The LBC said the holding of the forum comes based on the decision of the Chairman of the LBC to establish the Libyan-Moroccan Business Council, and following discussions with»»»

Dubai: Nakheel has awarded a Dh527 million contract for infrastructure works on Island B at Dubai Islands, marking further progress on one of Dubai’s largest coastal developments. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The contract has been awarded to Al Nasr Contracting Comp»»»

Doha, Qatar: Ahlibank (ABQK) announced a net profit of QR236m for the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, compared to QR229m for the same period in 2025, representing a growth of 2.8%. This performance reflects the bank’s continued disciplined approach to managing its core business, strong financial founda»»»

North Korea fired cluster munitions, which are banned under an international convention, in its latest weapons test, state media reported on Monday.The launch of Sunday followed other tests in recent weeks of weaponry including ballistic missiles and anti-warship cruise missiles. North Korea f»»»

Insurance companies paid out RON 209 million (EUR approx. 42 million) in 2025 to repair insured homes, up 14% year-on-year, according to data from the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF), cited in a press release by the National Union of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies of Romania.According to»»»

Fintech companies Finqware and Ebury have entered a strategic partnership to automate financial operations for their shared clients by integrating payment services and multi-currency accounts into a unified real-time liquidity management platform. The companies say the collaboration will significan»»»

Insurance payouts under voluntary CASCO insurance policies exceeded RON 2.56 billion in 2025, up 8% year-on-year, according to the National Union of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies of Romania.The organisation said that, on average, around RON 7 million was paid out daily to cover damage to CASC»»»

Individuals in Romania will be included on a shame list for outstanding tax debts of at least RON 1,200, while legal entities will get the same treatment for such debts at least RON 5,000.The size was established by a decision on Thursday passed by the government, spokesperson for the government Io»»»

Skopje, 18 April 2026 (MIA) - The government at its session on Saturday, after reviewing the current economic situation and the impact of global price shocks on the domestic market, decided to extend the measure to reduce excise taxes on oil derivatives, effective until May 4. According to the calc»»»

The judicial system should not spend more months with an [acting] Prosecutor General at the head of the prosecution service who is there contrary to the law and morality, said caretaker Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov in a Facebook post on Monday. Yesterday’s [Sunday’s] elections have both their c»»»

Doha, Qatar: The third edition of Electronic Qatar Stars League (E-QSL) begins today. The tournament will run until April 22, 2026, at Mall of Qatar, with 12 teams (2025-2026 season Qatar Stars League clubs) competing divided into two groups. Group A consists of Al Rayyan, Al Duhail, Al Arabi, Qata»»»

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will face questions from members of parliament on Monday in the wake of revelations that former US ambassador Peter Mandelson failed the vetting process for his position. Starmer's govenment has been embriloed in controversy since new details emerged about the depth o»»»

The chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Sorin Grindeanu, declared on Friday that the Social Democrats will initiate a bill that would prohibit the sale of shares from high-performing state-owned companies.He declared, in a press conference held in Sighetu Marma?iei, that the ban will be »»»

Romania's Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Sunday evening that the National Liberal Party (PNL) will not work with the Social Democratic Party (PSD) if the latter generates a political crisis."I trust my colleagues, and the National Liberal Party has a resolution that states as clearly as possib»»»

The Presidential Administration will organize, between May 5 and 9, at the initiative of President Nicu?or Dan, a series of events within the "European Week at Cotroceni Palace" project.According to a press release sent on Saturday by the Presidential Administration, the main objective of this init»»»

Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that Europe must seek to develop its own ballistic missile defense system. In a statement, Zelenskyy added that Ukraine is already in talks with several countries regarding the establishment of such a system, noting that his country needs to bu»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Rayyan and Al Arabi secured their places in the Amir Cup basketball semi-finals after dominant quarterfinal wins at Al Gharafa Arena yesterday. Al Rayyan overpowered Al Gharafa 104–82 in a high-tempo contest marked by sharp offensive execution and quick transitions. They established»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Rayyan SC defeated Al Qadsia SC 2-0 in the Gulf Club Champions League (GCCL) semi-final at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, moving within one step of securing a second title in as many weeks. Roger Guedes and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who were also on target in the 2-0 win over Muaither in the QSL»»»

A job fair, Career Day, and Open Day will be held at K. Karasayev State University in Bishkek on April 23. The press service of the Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration reported. Approximately 100 state, municipal, and private organizations are expected to participate in the event. Emp»»»

Dubai: Grocery shopping in the UAE is set to become more transparent and data-driven following the launch of a new digital platform that tracks essential goods prices across major retailers, giving residents a clearer view of where and how to spend. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheque»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will try on Monday to get a grip on a crisis that has left power slipping from his grasp. Starmer will face a tough barrage of questions in Parliament when he stands up to explain why Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished politician and friend of Jeffrey Epstein, »»»

North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles that tested the power of its cluster munitions, its government news agency said on Monday, confirming the latest in a flurry of launches by the nuclear-armed state. The Sunday launches, which were supervised by leader Kim Jong Un, aimed to "»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Royal Thai Embassy in partnership with 12 Thai restaurants across Qatar is delighted to present ‘Together at the Table: Thailand & Qatar’, an exclusive culinary initiative that brings the warmth of Thailand’s kitchens directly to the people of Qatar. From April 22 to May 9 2026, a »»»

  While president Volodymyr Zelenskiy maintains a show of defiance, Ukraine is being steered towards a difficult postwar period by the new presidential office chief who might also rule the country one day. »»»

While President Volodymyr Zelenskiy maintains a show of defiance, Ukraine is being steered towards a difficult postwar period by the new presidential office chief who might also rule the country one day.  These days, »»»