Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday, April 13, 2026, that the ceasefire between the US and Iran is holding, adding that Islamabad continues its efforts to facilitate dialogue and promote lasting peace in the region. In a speech to the Pakistani cabin»»»

BusinessGermanyLufthansa pilots strike for 2 days, cabin crew will followMark Hallam with AFP, dpaPilots who are members of the Vereinigung Cockpit trade union are striking on Monday and Tuesday. As hundreds of flights were canceled, the UFO cabin crew union said it would also strike on Wednesday a»»»

Washington: The US blockade of Iranian ports took effect Monday evening, April 13, 2026. The US military announced that the blockade includes Iranian ports on the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, east of the Strait of Hormuz, noting that it will apply to all ships regardless of their flags. It cla»»»

The United Kingdom has halted a plan to hand over the Chagos Islands, an Indian Ocean archipelago, to Mauritius. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement last year transferring sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius. However, the deal allowed Washington and London to retain control »»»

Israel summoned Italy's ambassador Monday to protest after Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned Israel's "unacceptable attacks" on civilians in Lebanon during a visit to Beirut, an Italian diplomatic source said. Tajani, a senior member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, visited Be»»»

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday condemned US President Donald Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV as "unacceptable", after the US pontiff spoke out against the Middle East war. "The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to co»»»

BusinessGermanyLufthansa pilots strike for 2 days, cabin crew will followMark Hallam with AFP, dpaPilots who are members of the Vereinigung Cockpit trade union are striking on Monday and Tuesday. As hundreds of flights were canceled, the UFO cabin crew union said it would also strike on Wednesday a»»»

Bulgaria's caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov on Monday congratulated Hungary's Tisza party leader Peter Magyar on their victory in the country's parliamentary elections. "I also congratulated the citizens of Hungary, who expressed their will with record turnout and showed Europe that democracy »»»

Many political allies who had endorsed Viktor Orbán have stayed silent or voiced dismay, but some pledged to work with Hungary’s new, pro-EU leader. The list of noisy, far-right Orbán-endorsers who stayed mute on Monday (13 April) after the outgoing Hungarian prime minister’s election drubbing incl»»»

Beijing: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, have discussed ways to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and advance cooperation across»»»

Washington, United States: US President Donald Trump warned Monday that any Iranian attack boats that approach the naval blockade he has ordered around the country's ports will be destroyed, despite international calls for a ceasefire to be respected and negotiations to resume. The US military said»»»

Pakistan has officially launched a new transit corridor connecting its ports to Central Asian markets through Iranian territory. Pakistan just opened a new trade route to Central Asia through Iran. The first shipment, frozen beef, left Gwadar Port for Tashkent on Monday. Here's what you need to kno»»»

London: A UK teenager's 2024 frenzied stabbing spree in northwest England which killed three young girls and sparked nationwide anti-immigration riots was "foreseeable and avoidable", a public inquiry concluded Monday. The attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, which seriously wo»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for International Cooperation HE Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met on Monday with Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to the State of Qatar HE Florence Tinguely. The meeting discussed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for International Cooperation HE Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met on Monday with Ambassador of the Republic of Lebanon to the State of Qatar HE Bilal Kabalan. The meeting discussed cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to support and enh»»»

Israeli troops launched an attack on Monday to seize a key town in south Lebanon from Hezbollah fighters holed up there, pressing the war on the Iran-backed group on the eve of rare talks between Israeli and Lebanese government envoys. With the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States »»»

Maintaining a ceasefire in the Middle East war is an "immediate priority" for resolving the conflict, China's top diplomat told his Pakistan counterpart in a phone call on Monday. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was »»»

Damascus, April 13 (SANA) – President of the Syrian Exporters Union Abdul Qader Tahan said talks held with the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM) during the Syrian economic delegation’s visit to Istanbul last week resulted in strategic understandings aimed at moving from coordination to practical imp»»»

Péter Magyar promised during the election campaign that he would dismantle Viktor Orbán’s entire political system “brick by brick” — a system with which he had close ties until very recently. Over the past two years, Magyar has travelled almost constantly around the country, saying he would curb co»»»

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over. The Lebanese Red Cross said in a statement that one of its paramedics had been killed in the south.»»»

President Joseph Aoun on Monday told visiting Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani that "Lebanon hopes that the upcoming meeting tomorrow in Washington between the ambassadors of Lebanon, the United States, and Israel will result in an agreement on a ceasefire in Lebanon, paving the way for dire»»»

Kuwait City: Kuwait's Foreign Minister HE Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah has received a phone call from his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to discuss the latest regional developments. The conversation focused on ongoing events in the region and the diplomatic efforts being made to addre»»»

Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar has pulled off a stunning victory in the country’s parliamentary election, with his Tisza party beating Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz by more than 16 points. The result is set to dramatically change Hungary’s relations with the EU, Russia, and Ukraine»»»

What will be the consequences for the United States of refraining from taking extreme measures against Iran? It is too early to say what kind of lasting order, if any, will emerge in the Middle East after the failure of the US and Israel’s campaign against Tehran. Yet the decision to avoid escalati»»»

Tunis, April 13 (TAP) – Interior Minister Khaled Nouri said on Monday that Tunisia is among the countries that have successfully handled the issue of irregular migration of "sub-Saharan Africans," noting that the country receives daily requests from...»»»

An Israeli general linked to a controversy over the use of a teenager in an online influence campaign has been appointed as the next director of the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, currently serving as »»»

Manila: Suspended Filipino Congressman Kiko Barzaga surrendered to authorities on Monday (April 13) hours after a Makati court issued an arrest warrant for eight counts of cyberlibel. This marks a dramatic turn in his legal woes. Barzaga, a neophyte lawmaker representing the 4th District of Cavite,»»»

Washington, United States: President Donald Trump said US forces would destroy any Iranian "fast attack ships" that approach the American naval blockade of Iranian ports that came into effect on Monday. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."Warning: If»»»

Voters in Ontario and Quebec, Canada are voting in byelections Monday that could give Prime Minister Mark Carney a liberal majority. File Photo by Eric Reid/EPA-EFE April 13 (UPI) -- Voters in Ontario and Quebec, Canada, are voting in byelections on Monday that could give Prime Minister Mark Carney»»»

Israel has condemned Spain after a fireworks-filled effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up during an Easter festival in the southern town of El Burgo. The long-strained ties between Madrid and West Jerusalem have deteriorated even further in light of the US-Israeli attack on Iran,»»»

A dispute over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is fast becoming a global economic concern. Iran’s threat to charge vessels for passing through the narrow waterway — combined with ongoing disruptions to traffic — has unsettled energy markets and raised fresh questions about the rules governing inte»»»

The head of the UN maritime agency said Monday no country had a legal right to block shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a trade passage paralysed by the US-Iran war. The International Maritime Organization's Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez addressed a news conference as access to the strait rema»»»

Dubai: “We don’t stand still.” As Basmah El Bittar, director of Alserkal Avenue, says these words, we’re walking through Alserkal Avenue on a windy April afternoon in Dubai's industrial-chic Al Quoz neighbourhood. She’s giving Gulf News a tour of the vibrant cultural district she oversees. It's a s»»»

Protesters gather outside Liverpool Crown Court in Liverpool in January 2025 where then-18 year-old Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to 52 years in prison for the Southport child killings. File photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA-EFE April 13 (UPI) -- The official inquiry into the killings of three young girls »»»

Dubai: Pope Leo XIV has declined to engage directly with criticism from Donald Trump, emphasizing that the Church’s stance on global conflicts is guided by moral responsibility rather than politics. Speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane en route to Algeria for his first visit to Africa as po»»»

Jakarta: Indonesia's economy minister said Monday the Southeast Asian nation can outlast the impacts of Middle East conflict-fuelled oil price hikes for as many as 10 months without cutting fuel subsidies. Minister Airlangga Hartarto told foreign media in Jakarta his government "is ready for five, »»»

Germany's Hapag-Lloyd said on Monday that it is difficult to assess what effect US President Donald Trump's plans to block the Strait of Hormuz would have on shipping. "What's important is that passage through the Strait of Hormuz be restored as soon as possible," said a company spokesperson in an »»»

Bulgarian political parties have expressed positions following the recent elections in Hungary, reflecting over governance, democracy, and Europe’s direction. Hungary's Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, has won the parliamentary elections with a decisive lead over Prime Minister Viktor Orban and hi»»»

Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari met today in Doha, with HE Frédéric Mondoloni, Director-General of Political Affairs and Security for the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. Duri»»»

More than 32 million people worldwide could be plunged into poverty by the economic fallout from the Iran war, with developing countries expected to be hit hardest, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) warned. In a report issued amid doubts over a fragile ceasefire, the UNDP said the world»»»

Dubai: A Florida man’s death after an intense and increasingly delusional relationship with Google’s AI chatbot Gemini is raising urgent questions about the psychological risks of human-like artificial intelligence. At the centre of the case is 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas, described by his family »»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, received a phone call from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran HE Dr Abbas Araghchi. During the call, the latest developments related to the ceasefire were»»»

1 of 2 | Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced the Kids Online Safety Act in 2022. It is endorsed by 62 senators. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 13 (UPI) -- Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are considering more than a dozen bill proposals to »»»

The United States' NATO allies said on Monday they would not get involved in President Donald Trump's plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, further ratcheting up tensions within the increasingly fragile alliance. Trump said the US military would work with other countries to block all maritime traf»»»

Dubai: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in collaboration with Dubai Police, has launched a new road safety campaign aimed at addressing everyday driving behaviours that contribute to congestion and road safety risks across Dubai. Rather than focusing solely on major traffic violations, the »»»

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain during a fraternal visit to the country. The two sides discussed the close ties and cooperation between the UAE and Bahrain, as well as ways to further strengthen relations in a»»»

Dubai: The UAE and China have signed 24 agreements to expand trade, investment and sector collaboration, marking a further step in strengthening economic ties between the two countries. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The agreements were announced during the UAE-China »»»

The Strait of Hormuz has once again returned to the centre of regional and international attention, not only because of the renewed media debate surrounding its legal status, but also due to the broader geopolitical tensions shaping discussions around it. A key point of dispute remains the strait i»»»

Doha, Qatar: The General Tax Authority has recently announced the new law on excise tax, introducing new measures targeting sugary drinks and revising how taxes on sweetened beverages are calculated. The authority stated that the changes aim to curb the consumption of high-sugar products and promot»»»

Dubai: Women’s roles within the home are being re-examined across the region, with schools updating Arabic language teaching to better reflect their influence in shaping both families and wider society. The change comes amid growing conversations in the UAE about recognising women not simply as “ho»»»