FRANCE 24’s guest Mehran Kamrave, Director of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, analyses Iran’s strategy towards the United States, highlighting three key levers the regime can rely on: sanctions, the nuclear programme, and control over the Strait of Hormu»»»

With the French presidential election just a year away, most parties are conducting internal polls to decide on their candidate. Les Républicains, led by Bruno Retailleau, are meeting this weekend to decide whether to hold a primary, amid criticism, particularly from Laurent Wauquiez, over reluctan»»»

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 »»»

With an estimated population of 1.4 billion, India—the world’s most populous nation—is launching the first phase of what is set to be the largest census ever conducted. More than three million officials are involved in updating figures from the last count in 2011, when the population stood at 1.21 »»»

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»»»

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»»»

Hungary is preparing for a new era, after the centre-right Tisza party of Peter Magyar won a landslide victory over longtime nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Magyar says he'll seek to repair Hungary's confrontational relationship with the European Union, something that could unlock much-nee»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Police General Command has launched a specialised vehicle licence plate printing facility at the Al Ehsan Vehicle Inspection Centre in Al Suyoh (Al Mawrada 2), in a move aimed at enhancing service efficiency and accessibility for motorists. The facility was inaugurated in the prese»»»

Dubai: UAE economic growth accelerated in the early months of 2026, driven by expanding banking activity, rising foreign trade flows, and sustained investment momentum, according to official data and international reports. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply cli»»»

Washington, April 19 (SANA) Syria’s finance minister and central bank governor held talks with international financial institutions on steps to support reforms and develop the country’s financial and banking sectors. Finance Minister Mohammed Yasser Barnieh and Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husr»»»

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»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine lost over 315 soldiers in combat against Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr over the past day, in addition to losses in manpower and equipment on other fronts, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. "The Ukrainian armed forces suffered losses of over 315 service members, s»»»

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»»»

Voter turnout across the country stood at 12.12% as of 11 am on Sunday, Central Election Commission Deputy Chair and spokesperson Rositsa Mateva told a briefing. Turnout was highest in Vratsa at 17.13% and lowest in Kardzhali at 7.80%, Mateva added. /DD/»»»

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," »»»

Nuremberg, Germany: Veteran endurance driver Juha Miettinen was killed in a seven-car pile-up during a race at Germany's Nuerburgring on Saturday. The race, which also featured four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen, was halted after the accident with organisers suspending the event. I»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

Dubai: Dubai Police have successfully rescued two tourists who became stranded while hiking in the rugged terrain of Hatta, after suffering from severe exhaustion and fatigue. The incident occurred at approximately 11.30am last Tuesday, when the two women contacted the Command-and-Control Centre at»»»

After casting his vote in Varna, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said he was glad to see a much higher voter turnout. He added that, for the first time, he had seen a queue of people waiting to vote. "There really may be more voters than in the past 15-20 years, so that is a positive develop»»»

Dubai: Two Indian men were shot dead in northern Italy in what authorities suspect may have been a “coldly planned execution,” shortly after they attended a Vaisakhi gathering at a place of worship, according to reports. The incident took place late Friday night in the town of Covo, in Bergamo prov»»»

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»»»

In an astonishing occasion, Egypt came among the 10 finest places for startup businesses around the world, an info-graphic study – conducted by Brighton School of Business- concluded Cairo’s market has been emerging for the past 10 years, where entrepreneurial opportunities are best served to flour»»»

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»»»

Skopje, 18 April 2026 (MIA) - The Skopje and Ohrid airports are leaders in the region, as confirmed by international media. Skopje International Airport remains the regional leader with a 32 percent increase compared to the same period last year, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Alek»»»

Kuala Lumpur: A huge fire destroyed about 1,000 makeshift homes, many of them built on stilts over water, and displaced thousands of people in a coastal village in Malaysia's Sabah state on Sunday, authorities said. The blaze broke out early on Sunday morning in a "water village" in Sandakan distri»»»

After the ceasefire in Lebanon took hold, Samah Hajoul headed back to her apartment in Beirut's southern suburbs -- but only long enough to grab fresh clothes, feeling safer in her tent as she wonders whether the truce will last. "I am afraid to return to my home because the situation is not stable»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Dubai: The Strait of Hormuz is no longer a shipping lane — it is now a gunboat-enforced negotiating table. What unfolded over the past 36 hours has stripped away any lingering illusion that the waterway is returning to normal. A brief window of optimism — sparked by Iran’s signal that the strait wa»»»

Jumhouria Bank, Libya’s biggest bank, has announced its Palm-scan Payment service. The launch was announced during the bank’s participation at the 52 Tripoli International Fair, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Jumhouria bank said the launch comes as part of its wider policy and the Cent»»»

•• 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»»»

Routine maintenance work at Islam’s holiest site has been completed to the highest international standards, Saudi authorities said, as the Kingdom simultaneously began welcoming the first wave of pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj season. The General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the P»»»

Lebanon's president and prime minister have discussed preparations for the first direct negotiations with Israel in decades. In a statement, the office of President Joseph Aoun said he and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam conducted "an assessment of the post-ceasefire phase and the ongoing efforts to con»»»