Iran’s leverage over Hormuz Strait and the ~20% of global energy that flows through it was made possible “not by drawing red lines,” but “immediately hitting the heads and wallets of the global elite, hitting where it hurts most,” Institute of Middle East Studies expert Sergei Balmasov says. Washin»»»

With Egypt hosting an important match for the World Cup Qualifiers 2022 with its counterpart Senegal on March 25th, MEO, is glad to review with its readers the history of Egypt in hosting football tournaments like AFCON. MEO also had the pleasure to chit chat with Mr. Adel Koraiem CAF media officer»»»

Dubai: Iran may not have a nuclear weapon — but it has shown it can disrupt the world’s most critical energy chokepoint, even as international bodies insist such waterways must remain open to global navigation. That tension — between capability and legitimacy — is now at the heart of how deterrence»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron will on Tuesday meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris, the Elysee said, as a fragile 10-day truce holds between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. The visit highlights Macron's commitment to seeing "full and complete respect for the ceasefire in Lebanon" as w»»»

Speaking at the end of his Mass in Kilamba, Angola, Pope Leo said the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was a “sign of relief for the Lebanese people.” He said: “I encourage those who have been committed to the search for a diplomatic solution to continue peace talks so that the end of hostili»»»

Syria's interior ministry said Sunday that security forces thwarted an alleged cross-border attack from the country's territory planned by remnants of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad and cells linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah. From March 2 until a 10-day ceasefire went into force on April 17, Hezbolla»»»

Hungary ended 16 years of Viktor Orban’s rule, Pope Leo XIV began his first African tour with a historic first papal visit to Algeria and US President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus. Here is a look back at some of the week’s most striking images.  »»»

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon was reached following a first round of talks in Washington. Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, analyses Israel’s strategy in Lebanon, which he describes as oscillating between negotiations and cont»»»

US President Donald Trump made seven claims in one hour after Tehran announced the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and all of them are untrue, Iranian parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said. On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declar»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Donald Trump has again threatened to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants if Tehran refuses a deal with Washington on unresolved disputes. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his representatives are heading to Islamabad to participate in negotiations on Iran. "My Repr»»»

Casting his vote in Sunday's parliamentary elections, Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Krum Zarkov said he voted for a fairer Bulgaria, for a Bulgaria in which no one is above the law, but also for a Bulgaria that fairly distributes the wealth. "I am confident of a good result and I am sure that bet»»»

Dubai: Saudi security authorities arrested 14,487 illegal residents during a week-long nationwide crackdown, the Ministry of Interior has said. The arrests were carried out during joint inspection campaigns conducted by security forces in coordination with relevant government agencies between April»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s rental market remained steady in the first quarter of 2026, with fresh data pointing to stable demand, fewer contract cancellations and continued investor confidence. Figures from the Dubai Land Department show that rental contracts worth Dh32.2 billion were signed between January an»»»

Washington, 18 April 2026 (dpa/MIA) - The United States issued another temporary sanctions waiver for Russian oil amid higher energy prices linked to the Iran war, the US Treasury Department said on Friday. The waiver authorizes the delivery and sale of Russian-origin crude oil and petroleum produc»»»

Doha, Qatar: HE Attorney-General Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, inaugurated Sunday a refresher training course on practical criminal investigation, organized by the Public Prosecution in cooperation with the Public Prosecution of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The four-day course, attended by »»»

Iran’s parliamentary speaker said Saturday night that talks with the United States to end the war had made progress but remained far from an agreement, as Tehran said the crucial Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until Washington lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports. Follow our liveblog for»»»

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has patrolled southern Lebanon along the border with Israel since 1978, acting as a buffer force following Israel’s invasion of the region. Expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the mission now monitors the ceasefire and suppo»»»

South Korea’s military said Sunday that North Korea launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles, marking the latest in a string of weapons tests in violation of UN sanctions. North Korea test-fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Sunday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a »»»

Armenians are set to head to the polls in June for their parliamentary elections, which the EU and Russia are closely watching. With support for joining the bloc at an all-time high, this could be a sign that the former Soviet country is moving away from Moscow, one of its closest allies. But forei»»»

US Vice President J.D. Vance faces a classic bind: Loyalty to President Donald Trump ties him to a presidency that is bound to fail, yet distancing himself invites charges of disloyalty. Either course imperils his prospects of becoming the next president. His latest assignment as chief negotiator w»»»

Doha, Qatar: CEO of Qatar Media Corporation (QMC) HE Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulaziz bin Jassim Al-Thani, met on Sunday, April 19, 2026, with the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan His Excellency Zaid Mufleh Al-Lawzi. The two sides discussed media cooperation between the two countries and ex»»»

Voters in Bulgaria headed to the polls Sunday for an eighth general election in five years, with ex-president Rumen Radev tipped to win on anti-corruption pledges. The election comes after unrest toppled Boyko Borissov’s rule and left the pro-European GERB party trailing. Bulgarians began head»»»

Dubai: The Ministry of Economy and Tourism has referred a cartel involved in anti-competitive practices in the poultry market to the federal public prosecution to initiate investigations and take the necessary legal measures, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM). The ministry said evidence h»»»

Abu Dhabi: People of different faiths including Emirati officials joined hands at the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to showcase their deep gratitude, unity, and solidarity with the leadership and people of the UAE in a special UAE flag-raising ceremony. The BAPS Hindu Mandir officially r»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a written message from HE Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, concerning the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them. The message was received by Minister of Interior and Comma»»»

Cologne, Germany: Wearing a gas mask, a young man performs a rapid series of push-ups, jumps and squats at the German military's recruiting booth at FIBO, the world's largest fitness expo, held in Cologne. Germany hopes to grow its armed forces, winning tens of thousands of new volunteers -- a toug»»»

DOHA: Attorney General HE Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi inaugurated a refresher training course entitled 'Practical Criminal Investigation', which is organised by the Public Prosecution in cooperation with the Public Prosecution of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The course, which is held over f»»»

Türkiye said it remained "optimistic" that a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States set to expire on Wednesday would be extended. "No one wants to see a new war break out when the ceasefire expires next week. We hope ... the parties will extend the ceasefire," Foreign Minister Hakan »»»

Syrian state media said Sunday that security forces thwarted a missile-launching operation by Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah from its territory. From March 2 until a 10-day ceasefire went into force on April 17, Hezbollah was battling Israel after drawing Lebanon into the Middle East war with»»»

Four individuals, including two foreign nationals, were arrested in Iran's northwest, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on ‌Sunday, ‌for being part ‌of ⁠a "US-Israel-linked espionage network." The ⁠foreigners, whose nationality was not disclosed, are accused of importing ⁠satellite internet»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said Israel had proven itself to be a great US ally that knew how to win. "Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America," Trump said on TruthSocial. He said Israel knows how to win, "unlike some" »»»

BRATISLAVA (Sputnik) - Slovakia may block Ukraine's accession to the European Union if the energy conflict between Kiev and Bratislava escalates, Tibor Gaspar, the Slovak parliament's deputy speaker, told Sputnik. "Ukraine does not risk 'automatically losing EU support,' but it may face specific pr»»»

Dubai: Pakistan has begun its Hajj flight operation, with the first pilgrims departing for Saudi Arabia as authorities roll out enhanced facilities for the annual pilgrimage, Dawn reported. Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf said the government was providing pilgrims with the “best p»»»

Planning and Economic Development Minister Ahmed Rostom confirmed that economic reform has enhanced the state’s ability to manage the repercussions of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and stressed that the government is continuing reforms to achieve macroeconomic stability and development f»»»

Casting his vote, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said he voted for a strong Bulgaria in a strong Europe. "This is what I want us to leave to our children," he added. Terziev said he opted for machine voting and showed a screwdriver he had brought with him, joking that he took it to make sure the voting»»»

Washington: US based company Blue Origin announced on Sunday, April 19, 2026, a mission to launch its New Glenn rocket, its third flight since becoming operational, as part of testing technologies for reusing orbital rockets. The rocket is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station»»»

Washington, United States: Police were investigating reports of gunshots at the University of Iowa early Sunday, April 19, 2026, the midwestern US school said in an alert, adding that there were "confirmed victims." "First responders on scene. Confirmed victims. Please continue to avoid the area," »»»

Skopje, 18 April 2026 (MIA) - Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska during the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) met with WB Vice President of the Europe and Central Asia region, Antonella Bassani, WB Group Executive Director repres»»»

Lebanon's military said Sunday it had reopened a road and bridge damaged by Israeli strikes in the country's south, as a 10-day truce holds between Hezbollah and Israel. In a statement, the military said it "fully reopened" a road linking the city of Nabatieh with the Khardali area, and had "partia»»»

The Israeli army says it carried out a series of strikes that killed more than 150 Hezbollah fighters just before the ceasefire. Among those killed was Ali Rida Abbas, which it said was Hezbollah’s commander in Bint Jbeil. The southern Lebanese town and its surroundings were the site of intense cla»»»

Cairo — Egypt is advancing its strategy to localize electronics manufacturing following high-level discussions between Raafat Hindi and executives from HONOR on expanding smartphone production in the country. According to an official statement by the Ministry of Communications and Information Techn»»»

Casting his vote in his hometown of Haskovo, Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev said he hopes Bulgarians will opt for a truly European Bulgaria. He said he was encouraged by the high turnout, noting that he had to wait for about 15 minutes to cast his vote. He urged citizens to be active, st»»»

Dubai: Pakistan has placed its twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on high security alert, deploying tens of thousands of personnel and suspending transport services ahead of a possible second round of high-stakes talks between the United States and Iran, according to reports. More than 10,000 »»»

Israeli forces on Saturday carried out demolitions in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, the scene of intense fighting with Hezbollah prior to the recently agreed 10-day truce, Lebanese state media reported. "The Israeli enemy is repeating its house detonating operations in the town of Bint »»»

Israel's military said on Sunday that a soldier died during combat in southern Lebanon, where a temporary ceasefire had come into effect this week. "Lidor Porat, aged 31, from Ashdod, a soldier in the 7106th Battalion, 769th Regional Brigade, fell during combat in southern Lebanon," the Israeli mil»»»

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said overnight that the ongoing 10-day truce with Israel cannot be one-sided, vowing that his fighters would respond to Israeli attacks on Lebanon. "A ceasefire means a complete cessation of all hostilities. Because we do not trust this enemy, the resistance fighters wi»»»

Sofia: Bulgaria on Sunday, April 19, 2026, held its eighth legislative election in five years, with ex-president Rumen Radev's grouping tipped to win on a pledge to fight corruption, after an anti-graft movement triggered a long political crisis. The European Union's poorest member has been through»»»

Global finance leaders, whipsawed by Middle East war news, came to grips this past week with their inability to mitigate the economic damage from increasingly frequent geopolitical shocks, and a realization that counting on US leadership to resolve crises is no longer the guarantee it had long been»»»

An Australian former soldier charged with committing war crimes in Afghanistan vowed on Sunday to clear his name, saying he had never "run from a fight" in his first public comments since his arrest. "For the past 10 years, my family and I have been subject to a campaign to convince Australians tha»»»

Dubai: Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has issued a royal decree granting Omani citizenship to 226 individuals. The decree, No. 46/2026, was published in the Official Gazette on April 19, listing the names of those approved for citizenship. The decision comes within the framework of Oman’s national»»»