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: Dubai Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department has expanded the emirate’s religious infrastructure in the first quarter of 2026, with the opening of 13 new mosques at a total cost of Dh162 million, in an effortto meet growing demand in newly developed communities. The new mosques»»»

Abu Dhabi: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed the swearing-in of a number of newly appointed UAE ambassadors. During the ceremony, Sheikh Mohamed wished the ambassadors success in carrying out their duties and in strengthening bilateral relations in line with th»»»

ANTALYA:The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to fostering a stable and secure environment and to pursuing constructive policies based on development and prosperity, rather than onwars and conflicts. This commitment aims to strengthen mutual trust with regional and»»»

Kuala lumpur: A fire that broke out Sunday morning, April 19, 2026, destroyed approximately 200 stilt houses in the Kampung Bahagia water village of Sandankan, Malaysia. Sandakan Fire and Rescue Station chief, Jimmy Lagung, said that firefighting operations are still underway and the blaze has not »»»

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»»»

•• Malawi Minister of Health: A new phase of cooperation with EIPICO has now begun, because what we saw in the company exceeds any expectation or perception. •• Dr. Olfat Ghorab: Acdima companies are the strong arm of the state in providing medicine to Africa as well. •• Dr. Ahmed Kilani: An import»»»

Twenty-four years after the arrest of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, now 67, and after long stretches in solitary confinement, he remains a central figure in Palestinian politics. His influence has outpaced that of other officials in decision-making roles, and he has topped Fatah elections in»»»

Casting his vote in Sunday's parliamentary elections, There Is Such a People (TISP) Deputy Chair Stanislav Balabanov said he voted in the name of protecting children and preserving the traditional Bulgarian family. He chose to vote using a paper ballot. Balabanov said he had voted so that society w»»»

Senior Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qamati said that his group was not concerned by Lebanon's planned direct talks with Israel, labelling them a failure. In a press conference in Beirut's southern suburbs, Qmati said his group was "not concerned with the negotiations being conducted by the state," sa»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Ahli and Al Sadd secured their places in the semifinals of the Amir Cup basketball competition for the 2025–2026 season after quarterfinal wins over Al Wakrah and Al Shamal at Al Gharafa Hall yesterday. Al Ahli defeated Al Wakrah 85-72 in a tightly contested game. Al Ahli led 18–10 »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation organised Survival 1, the opening round of the 2026 Qatar Off Road Championship (QORC), in the challenging dunes of Sealine. The event featured a strong entry list of 42 competitors representing Qatar and several other nationalities, delivering»»»

Election day has started normally across the country, Central Election Commission (CEC) Chair Kamelia Neykova told a briefing on Sunday, noting that any issues with absent section election commission members have been resolved. Some voting sections in Sofia and elsewhere opened late, but the proble»»»

Doha, Qatar: In many technical projects, failure is not caused by a lack of talent, but by a lack of structure. Despite the availability of skilled professionals across various disciplines, projects can still face delays, misalignment, or incomplete delivery due to the absence of an organized execu»»»

Hezbollah on Saturday denied it was involved in a deadly attack on United Nations peacekeepers (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, after France accused the group of being behind the incident. "Hezbollah denies any connection to the incident that occurred with UNIFIL forces in the Ghandouriyeh-Bint Jbeil »»»

The strategic Strait of Hormuz was again closed on Sunday in the stand-off between Iran and the United States, with Iran's powerful parliament speaker signalling a final peace deal remained "far" off despite some movement in negotiations. As mediation efforts continued following high-level talks in»»»

An earthquake measuring 4.6 struck Sunday morning in the sea southeast of Crete, south of the Lasithi region. The tremor, which occurred shortly after 10 a.m., was primarily felt across the eastern parts of the island. Authorities reported no disturbances or damages following the event. According t»»»

Doha, Qatar: India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and rapidly transforming into an engine of global growth. During the 2000-2025, which includes the volatile years of the Global Financial Crisis and the Covid-pandemic, the average growth rate for the South-Asian giant was 6.3»»»

Doha, Qatar: The FEI Regional Group VII Finals for Juniors, Cadets, and Young Riders, featuring qualifiers from the 2025-2026 equestrian season, concluded with thrilling action at the Longines Arena in Al Shaqab after four days of competition. The event brought together more than 100 riders represe»»»

Britain's government is set to announce legislation next month to move the country closer to the European Union, as the Iran war sours the UK's so-called special relationship with the United States. President Donald Trump's unpredictability and stream of insults towards America's historic ally is a»»»

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has quipped at Kaja Kallas, who urged Iran to adhere to international law and open the Strait of Hormuz. “Oh, that 'international law'?! The one that the EU dusts off to lecture others while quietly green-lighting a US-Israeli war of aggression—a»»»

Belarusian President ‌Alexander Lukashenko said he would be ready to meet US President Donald Trump once a "big deal" between the two countries has been prepared. "We are ready for a deal, but it needs to be prepared in a way that reflects the interests of both the United States and Belarus," Lukas»»»

Ukraine's military hit a drone manufacturing plant in the city of Taganrog in ‌Russia's Rostov ‌region overnight, ‌the ⁠military said on Sunday. "The ⁠destruction of this facility will reduce the ⁠enemy's capacity to ‌produce ‌drones and ‌weaken the ‌Russian aggressor's ability to carry out strikes»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Pezeshkian: We do not intend to attack any country and are exercising our legitimate and lawful right to self-defense 19-04-2026 10:33 AM L»»»

Vienna: Austrian police have found rat poison in a baby food jar, they said late Saturday, in a probe that has seen the supplier recall the line over suspected tampering. The Germany-based HiPP brand announced the recall at SPAR supermarkets in Austria late Friday over the possibility that "a hazar»»»

Kyiv: Ukraine announced Sunday that its air defenses intercepted a Russian drone attack last night, shooting down 203 drones launched at various locations across the country. Ukrainian news agency reported that its air defenses successfully downed 203 out of 236 drones. According to preliminary dat»»»

An agreement was reached by the Central Bank of Libya and the People’s Bank of China to link Libyan commercial banks to the Chinese Payments and Settlement System (CIPS), to will simplify and streamline financial transfer processes. The agreement came last Friday (17 April) on the margins of the IM»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Pezeshkian: The enemy has failed to achieve its objectives and has violated international law, targeting infrastructure, schools, and hospi»»»

The View Hospital Reinforces Its Standing Through Innovation and Human-Centered Care Doha, Qatar: In light of recent regional developments and the challenges faced across the region, Apex Health, the fastest-growing healthcare groups in the region, continues to reinforce its readiness and ability t»»»

Ministry of youth has held a national dialogue forum, entitled “With the power of its youth, Long Live Egypt”, chaired by Minister Khalid Abdel Aziz and under the auspices of President El-Sisi. Its second phase saw holding 61 forums in universities and institutes across different governorates to gi»»»

Mexico City: At least eight people were killed in an armed attack targeting an entertainment facility in the municipality of Ayala in the central Mexican state of Morelos. The Morelos State Attorney General's Office said that the incident occurred inside an entertainment facility operating illegall»»»

Beirut: Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem asserted on Saturday that the current 10-day truce with Israel cannot be a unilateral arrangement. According to a report by Al Jazeera, Qassem vowed that his fighters are prepared to retaliate against any Israeli strikes targeting Lebanese territory. In his init»»»

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed global energy and food security to the brink. Saudi Arabia responded by positioning itself as a stabilizing force, turning its western coastline into a lifeline that not only protected its domestic market but also helped offset shortages in neighboring»»»

On the banks of Iraq's Tigris River, Haidar Kazem mourned 300 tons of the fish he had carefully raised in ponds wiped out by a flood of polluted water. Water supplies in Iraq, the eastern half of what is known as the region's fertile crescent and which the United Nations ranks among the countries m»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has officially opened the completed Hessa Street Development Project, a major infrastructure upgrade aimed at easing congestion and improving traffic flow across one of the city’s key arterial corridors. The project covers a 4.5-kilometre stretch b»»»

Tehran: The strategic Strait of Hormuz was again closed on Sunday in the stand-off between Iran and the United States, with Iran's powerful parliament speaker signalling a final peace deal remained "far" off despite some movement in negotiations. As mediation efforts continued following high-level »»»

Washington: The US Central Command has said that the dock landing ship USS Rushmore is conducting blockade operations in the Arabian Sea. Earlier Saturday (local time), it was said on social media that a guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney is patrolling regional waters in support of the blockade »»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Rayyan return to action just three days after lifting the QSL Cup, taking on Kuwait’s Al Qadsia in the semi-final of the Gulf Club Champions League (GCCL) with a second title in their sights. Al Rayyan defeated Muaither 2-0 in Wednesday’s final, securing their first trophy since 201»»»

Aesthetic medicine in the United Arab Emirates is one of the most competitive and strictly regulated markets in the world. Becoming a leader in Dubai requires not only impeccable skills but also extensive international experience. This is precisely the path taken by Gulzhan Saipova, a cosmetologist»»»

Madrid: The governments of Brazil, Mexico, and Spain expressed deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis facing the Cuban people, calling for urgent measures to alleviate their suffering. In a joint statement published by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the three countries urged the »»»

A man was discovered unconscious at a house in the greater Patras area of western Greece early Sunday morning, after emergency services responded to reports of a fire at the property. Firefighters arriving at the scene, in the suburb of Aktaio, entered the scorched residence and located the man ins»»»

Doha, Qatar: Birla Public School unveils a spectacular display of academic brilliance at the Secondary School Examination of Grade X 2025-26 in the results declared by the CBSE Board on April 15, 2026. The exceptional students of BPS displayed their extraordinary standards of excellence with 100 pe»»»

The strategic Strait of Hormuz was again closed on Sunday in the stand-off between Iran and the United States, with Iran's powerful parliament speaker signalling a final peace deal remained "far" off despite some movement in negotiations. As mediation efforts continued following high-level talks in»»»

Iranian warships sunk by US and Israeli attacks litter naval harbors along the Gulf coast, but what is sometimes called a “mosquito fleet” lurks in the shadows. It is a flotilla of small, fast, agile boats designed to harass shipping, and it forms the heart of the naval forces deployed by the Irani»»»

All voting sections in Bulgaria have opened for the snap parliamentary elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said during an online meeting on Sunday. There are no reports of members of the sections election commissions who have not turned up, except for isolated cases in which the region»»»

Istanbul: The 152nd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has continued in its second day in Istanbul, with participation from the State of Qatar’s Shura Council. The Qatari delegation, led by Speaker H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, joined parliamentary leaders from around the »»»

Doha: Ambassador of Korea H E Yun Hyunsoo and Ambassador of Japan H E Naoto Hisajima visited the ice rink at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, located at Al Sadd Sports Club, to review the facilities dedicated to ice sports. The visit came in response to an invitation from the Qatar Winter Sports»»»

Jakarta: Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) announced Sunday that it has opened an investigation into reports that 12 civilians, including women and children, were killed during a military operation in the restive Papua region. The commission, abbreviated as Komnas HAM, sa»»»

Israel’s killings of Ali Larijani and Kamal Kharazi were meant to do more than remove two senior figures from the Islamic Republic’s political landscape. Within Tehran’s political and analytical circles, they were interpreted as an attempt to erase something less visible but more consequential: the»»»

In a 2020 survey of Americans, just over one in five could locate Iran on a map. With such a poor result for a Middle Eastern country that is roughly the size of the state of Alaska and twice the size of Texas, it is a safe wager that an even lower percentage of Americans would have ever heard of t»»»