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»»»

International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol proposed building a new oil pipeline linking Iraq’s Basra oil fields and Türkiye’s Mediterranean oil terminal in Ceyhan to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, according to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet. “I believe a Basra-Ceyhan pipeline could be ext»»»

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»»»

North Korea tested cluster bomb and fragmentation mine warheads on tactical ballistic missiles, state-run media reported Monday. Photo by KCNA/EPA SEOUL, April 20 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a test-launch of tactical ballistic missiles carrying cluster bomb and fragmentation mi»»»

London, April 20 (SANA) Oil prices rose by more than 7% on Monday and the U.S. dollar strengthened as tensions escalated in the Strait of Hormuz following renewed U.S.-Iran disputes. The price surge came after the strategic waterway closed again, with Washington and Tehran accusing each other of vi»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received a phone call from HE Elina Valtonen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland. During the call, they reviewed the relations of cooperation between the two countr»»»

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»»»

Tel Aviv has confirmed a major fracture in the Iranian leadership, which implies a partial collapse of the regime in Tehran in wake of the US-Israeli war on Iran, revealed a report by the Military Intelligence Directorate of the Israeli Army (Aman). According to Aman, the absence of Supreme Leader »»»

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»»»

Revolut customers in Romania completed more than 324,000 donation transactions over the past year, ranking third globally by total amounts donated, behind only Irish and British users.According to the company's internal data published on Tuesday, Romanians donated more than EUR 464,000 over the pas»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Romania does not need a political crisis, because it has complicated problems to solve, related to the deficits accumulated in past years, but also to the absorption of funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan by the end of August, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan warned on Friday.The statem»»»

Doha, Qatar: Lecturers from the Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center addressed the topics of bullying and crisis management during school lectures held in three schools, with a total attendance of 280 male and female students. The school lecture programme is considered one of »»»

A man shot dead eight children -- seven of them his own -- early Sunday in the southern US state of Louisiana in an incident of domestic violence that spanned three locations, police said. The early morning massacre at a gray house in the city of Shreveport was the deadliest mass shooting in the Un»»»

Tehran and Islamabad: Iran is not currently planning to attend talks with the United States, state media said, after President Donald Trump ordered US negotiators to travel to Pakistan on Monday, just days before a ceasefire in the Middle East expires. The ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports has b»»»

Thousands of American and Philippine troops, joined for the first time by a significant contingent of Japanese forces, began annual military exercises Monday set against the backdrop of the Middle East war. The war games will feature live-fire exercises in the north of the country facing the Taiwan»»»

Iran executed two men on Monday convicted of having links to Israel's spy agency, the judiciary said, the latest in a string of executions since the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States. "The death sentences of Mohammad Masoom-shahi and Hamed Validi were carried out at dawn today," the»»»

PoliticsVenezuelaVenezuela's transition: privatizing the oil industryTobias KäuferAfter the US ousted Maduro and effectively seized control of Venezuela's oil industry, the country's economy has been transitioning rapidly. The interim government is wooing investors but lacks democratic backing. htt»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar is drawing growing interest from global investors as its real estate market matures and its broader economy continues to diversify, combining long-standing strengths in energy with expanding opportunities in infrastructure and technology. Speaking to The Peninsula, industry leade»»»

Washington: US President Donald Trump announced Sunday that an American delegation will head Monday to Islamabad, Pakistan, to begin a new round of negotiations with representatives of Iran, with the aim of reaching a peace agreement. Trump said via his Truth Social account: “My Representatives are»»»

European allies fear an inexperienced US negotiating team is pushing for a swift, headline-grabbing framework deal with Iran that could entrench rather than resolve deeper problems, diplomats with past experience dealing with Tehran said. They worry Washington, eager to claim a diplomatic win for P»»»

Concerns grew on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran might not hold after the US said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Iran vowed to retaliate. Efforts to build a more lasting peace in the region likewise appeared to be on shaky ground,»»»

Oil prices climbed more than 5% while Asian shares also advanced Monday as a standoff between Iran and the US prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf waterway was closed again after Iran reversed a decision to reopen the strait and President Donald Trump said a US Navy blockade »»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai edged lower on Monday morning, tracking a global pullback that reflects how interest rate expectations are shaping investor behaviour more than geopolitical tension at this stage. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain,»»»

A spokesman for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Military Command said that Iran would respond swiftly to the seizure of an Iranian vessel by the US military in the Gulf of Oman. Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the seizure of the Iranian merchant vessel Touska, which was attempting to break »»»

The President of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kanatbek Abdrakhmatov, stated that the water level of Issyk-Kul has fluctuated significantly in the past and may have receded by more than a kilometer. According to him, data from Google Earth indicate that an ancient shoreli»»»

The U.S. military under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth killed three people Sunday in a strike targeting a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean. A group of Democrats last week filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth, one of which accuses him of violating the law of these strikes. Photo by B»»»

TradeIndiaSouth Korea's Lee visits India for trade talks with ModiShakeel Sobhan AFP, ReutersPrime Minister Narendra Modi hosts South Korean President Lee Jae Myung this week as both countries target $50 billion in trade by 2030. https://p.dw.com/p/5CSkNPresident Lee Jae Myung's trip is South Korea»»»

Gold and silver prices have swung sharply over the past month since the start of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, underlining the intense volatility gripping the precious metals markets. Gold has ranged from $4,100 to $5,400 over the past six weeks with prices settling in the middle of thi»»»

Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defence has urged the public to exercise caution as thunderstorms are forecast to continue across the Kingdom until Friday, bringing risks of flash floods, hail and dust storms. The authority called on residents to remain in safe locations, avoid valleys »»»

Fair to partly cloudy conditions will give way to a spell of unsettled weather across the UAE this week, with dust, stronger winds and a chance of light rain affecting coastal and island areas, according to the forecast. The National Centre of Metrology (NCM) predicts today will be fair to partly c»»»

A recent 60 Minutes report says Iran may have enough highly-enriched uranium to make about 10 nuclear bombs, reviving debate over whether the US could physically seize or neutralise the stockpile. The answer, according to arms-control experts and US policy analysts, is that a “Project Sapphire”-sty»»»

SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea said Monday it test-launched ballistic missiles with cluster bomb warheads in the second such test this month, likely underscoring its push to expand its capabilities to penetrate U.S. and South Korean defenses. The report by the North’s official Korean Central News »»»

US naval forces enforcing a blockade in the Arabian Sea intercepted and disabled an Iranian-flagged cargo ship April 19 after its crew ignored repeated warnings to change course, US officials said. The guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) stopped the motor vessel Touska as it travelled a»»»

Oil prices jumped during early Monday (April 20, 2026) trading in Asia, with WTI crude at $90.22/barrel, up $6.37 or 7.60%, and Brent crude at $96.30/barrel, $5.92 or 6.55% higher, as of 8:36 am Tokyo time [or 11:36 pm GMT Sunday]. The gains came as markets tracked renewed geopolitical risk, while »»»

Shamim Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, Calif., was charged with acting as a broker for the sale of banned Iranian arms to Sudan, federal prosecutors said Sunday. Photo courtesy Department of Justice/X April 19 (UPI) -- A 44-year-old Los Angeles area woman is in custody on charges of trafficking arms o»»»

Iran is not currently planning to attend the next round of talks with the US, which has announced that it would send a team of negotiators to Pakistan on Monday, Iranian state television reported on Sunday. Iran is not planning to participate in new peace talks with the ​United States, its sta»»»

Argentine President Javier Milei declared on Sunday that the joint US-Israel war against Iran was the "right thing to do", as he signed on to the so-called Isaac Accords aimed at deepening bilateral ties between Israel and Latin American countries. Making his third visit to Israel as president, Mil»»»

President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that the U.S. Navy had intercepted and boarded an Iranian-flagged ship attempted to bypass the U.S. blockade of the Gulf of Oman to prevent Iranian ships from transiting out of the region. Photo by Graeme Sloan/UPI | License Photo April 19 (UPI) -- The U.S»»»

FUJAIRAH: Fujairah’s hospitality sector achieved record occupancy levels at the start of 2026, with rates reaching between 95% and 100%. The emirate saw a substantial influx of visitors attracted by its distinct mountainous terrain and leisure attractions. According to the Fujairah Department of To»»»

The Iran-US talks hosted in Pakistan hit a snag as Tehran refused to attend a second round in Islamabad, protesting Washington's ongoing naval blockade of its ports and the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has recently declared the waterway "completely open". Late on Sunday (April 19) Iran rejected the secon»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday he was "appalled" by several arson attacks on Jewish sites in northwest London in recent weeks following an attack overnight from Saturday to Sunday targeting a synagogue. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Sunday to bring perpetrators of recen»»»

President Donald Trump's approval rating has dropped to a new low amid voter discontent over the economy and the US war in Iran, posing challenges for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. An NBC News Decision Desk poll released April 19 found 63% of adults disapprove of Trump’s performance —»»»

US President Donald Trump said US negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran, raising hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday even as Washington and Tehran remain in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. There ⁠is ​currently ​no decisi»»»