Greece has finally signed into effect legislation securing the status as a marine protected area of the uninhabited but richly biodiverse islet of Gyaros in the Cyclades island group, the Greek branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature said Monday. WWF Greece hailed Thursday’s signing of a president»»»

Damascus, April 20 (SANA) A series of recent diplomatic and economic developments is refocusing attention on Syria’s strategic location, as regional and international actors increasingly view the country not only through the lens of politics and reconstruction, but also as a potential hub for trans»»»

Iraq revives key Syria trade route, boosts regional links Dubai: Iraq reopened a strategic border crossing with Syria on Monday, restoring a key trade and transit route that had been closed for more than a decade following the rise of ISIS. The Rabia crossing, located in Iraq’s north-western Nineve»»»

Our performance in 2025 was marked by sustained growth in our loan and deposit portfolio. The gross loan portfolio grew by 12%, bringing our market share to 11%, while deposits reached 72.4 billion lei, up 4% from the previous year, securing a market share of 10.7%. Operating expenses increased by »»»

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that his government would introduce sweeping measures, including restrictions on gun ownership, after two school shootings last week that shocked Türkiye. Eight students aged 10 and 11 and a teacher were killed Wednesday when a 14-year-old student opene»»»

Poland’s total stock of modern retail space exceeded 13.9 million m² by the end of March 2026, with 733 operating properties, according to Colliers. Market saturation rose to 371 m² per 1,000 residents. In the first quarter, nearly 70,000 m² of new space was delivered through five new projects and »»»

Greece’s maritime affairs minister pledged Monday to “defend” the southern island of Crete against a wave of immigration in small boats that risk the long and dangerous passage from north Africa to reach European soil. Speaking during a visit to the island, Vassilis Kikilias said that Crete was his»»»

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States, as Washington's delegation prepared to depart for Pakistan on Monday. The uncertainty over the talks on ending the war that engulfed the region and rattled global markets came as U.S. Presiden»»»

Avilio Troconiz (C), regional president of the Primero Justicia party in Zulia, speaks at a press conference in front of the Las Tarabas electrical substation in Maracaibo, Zulia state, Venezuela, on March 26. The party denounced the the electricity crisis, which has worsened in recent months. Phot»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has unveiled a new digital platform designed to catalogue and safeguard the country’s diverse date palm varieties, harnessing technology to serve a sector long shaped by tradition. The “UAE Digital Platform for Date Palm Varieties”, announced on Monday, brings together a nationwi»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Monday everything Pristina's PM Albin Kurti was doing ran contrary to stabilisation in Kosovo-Metohija as he was setting conditions for dialogue, destroying Brussels agreements, denying the Serbs their r»»»

Fujairah: The UAE is fending off around 800,000 cyberattacks each day, even during periods of relative calm, underscoring the persistent and evolving nature of digital threats, a senior official has said. Dr Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, revealed the scale of the acti»»»

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»»»

THE HAGUE - Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic on Monday visited former Republika Srpska Army General Ratko Mladic and former Republika Srpska Minister Mico Stanisic, who are serving prison sentences in The Hague, and subsequently met with International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Venture Capital has announced an investment in the Growth Catalyst Fund, marking a continued push to expand private equity activity in Saudi Arabia’s mid-market segment. The fund, managed by Growth Catalyst Investment Co., will target growth-stage businesses across the Kingdom and the»»»

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»»»

Paraguay's new Minister of Industry and Trade, Marco Riquelme, said the change in residence requirements responds to demands from foreign investors who questioned the previous requirement to generate employment. File Photo by Juan Pablo Pino/EPA ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, April 20 (UPI) -- Paraguay has la»»»

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»»»

Cairo — Egypt is moving forward with its state asset offering programme, with plans to initiate listings of stakes in Banque du Caire and Misr Life Insurance between May and June, according to Investment Minister Mohamed Farid. Speaking at an investor roundtable hosted by HSBC, the minister stated »»»

By Rania Imam Combating high pricing, infrastructure, decreasing budget deficit, electricity, transport, social security Controls on customs and avoiding evasion represent the key elements of the government’s programme Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said that his cabinet’s programme aims at improving»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Doha: Qatar's stock market ended Monday's session in negative territory, with the main index slipping by 0.43%, according to official figures. The benchmark index of the Qatar Stock Exchange fell by 46.03 points to close at 10,672.20 points, reflecting modest selling pressure across sectors. During»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Doha, Qatar: Officials in Qatar have outlined plans to transform the country's real estate brokerage sector, focusing on stronger regulation, digital innovation and improved professional standards. The proposals were discussed during the second Real Estate Brokers' Forum in Doha, organized by the R»»»

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»»»

1 of 2 | President Donald Trump announced global tariffs more than a year ago, saying they would drive revenue and reset global trade more favorably for the United States. The revenue generated by those tariffs will be refunded with interest. File Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo April 20»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul All Share Index held steady on Monday, seeing a neglible fall off 97.75 points, or 0.85 percent, to close at 11,366.79. The parallel market Nomu declined 205.04 points, or 0.89 percent, to 22,863.75, while the MT30 index dropped 13.28 points, or 0.86 percent»»»

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»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, met with India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval in Riyadh on Sunday, where the two sides discussed cooperation and regional developments. The meeting took place at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in the Saudi capi»»»

RIYADH: The head of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars inaugurated a new body, the Global Council for Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah, on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur. MWL Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa took part in the even»»»

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Olympic Council of Malaysia President Dr. Norza Zakaria warmly welcomed HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani, President of OCA and President of NOC Qatar, on a one-day working visit to Malaysia on Monday, April 20. Dr. Norza, Vice President of the OCA for the Southeast Asia Zo»»»

Dubai: Airlines are no longer just flying passengers — they’re now dressing them too. Sports apparel giant Adidas and Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia have launched a new travel-focused clothing line across the Middle East and North Africa, starting April 20. The aim, according to the airline»»»

Sharjah :The Sharjah Judicial Department has launched the first centre under its “Itmam” judicial services initiative, marking a key step in enhancing service delivery and improving access to judicial processes in the emirate. Announcing the launch, Judge Dr Mohammed Obaid Al Kaabi, Chairman of the»»»

DOHA: Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi honoured a cohort of ministry staff who successfully completed a leadership development program, in a move aimed at strengthening skills and enhancing government performance. Organised by the ministr»»»

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»»»

Dubai: The UAE is aiming to turn 1,000 Emirati families into entrepreneurs over the next five years, as part of a wider push to reduce reliance on state support and build a more self-sufficient economy. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Announced under the national campa»»»

BPI Real Estate Poland has acquired a site of nearly 13,000 sq m on Wągrowska Street in Poznań's Rataje district to deliver the next two phases of its Panoramiqa residential scheme. Panoramiqa 2 and Panoramiqa 3 together will add more than 600 flats and over 32,000 sq m of net saleable area, with c»»»

BEIRUT: Wael Mousawi, a 35-year-old Civil Defense responder in Tyre, says he has spent weeks moving “between death and death,” pulling bodies from the rubble of flattened homes in southern Lebanon as rescue teams struggled to keep pace with the scale of destruction. Paramedics and rescue workers ac»»»

TEHRAN/WASHINGTON: Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam ​al-Anbiya, accused the US of violating a ceasefire by firing at one of ‌Iran’s commercial ‌ships ​in ‌the ⁠Gulf ​of Oman, vowing ⁠to retaliate. State media quoted a Khatam Al-Anbiya spokesperson as saying early ⁠on Monday ‌that ‌the vess»»»

LONDON: Reverberations of the conflict in the Middle East are being felt across the region both physically and metaphorically. The booms and jolts of missile interceptions over Gulf cities and industrial sites may have halted since President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on April 8, b»»»

LONDON: The Syrian Arab Republic’s Anti-Narcotics Department, in collaboration with Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances, thwarted an attempt to smuggle 500,000 captagon pills on Sunday. Authorities arrested two suspects while they were transporting the shipment in D»»»

TOKYO/LONDON: British foreign minister ‌Yvette Cooper will cut short an intensive diplomatic tour designed to build consensus around making a ceasefire ​in the Iran war permanent and on the next steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Cooper's department is at the centre of a new crisis over Peter Ma»»»

TOKYO: A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on Monday, prompting authorities to urge residents to stay away from coastal areas where tsunami waves of up to 3 meters (10 ft) were expected. Two hours after the tremor, which struck at 4:53 p.m. (0753 GMT), tsunami wave»»»

Moscow: Russia said Monday it had arrested a German woman with a bomb in her backpack who planned to blow up up a services facility in a Ukrainian plot. Moscow has arrested dozens of people throughout the four-year war, mostly its own citizens, over allegations of planning sabotage attacks for Kyiv»»»