Dubai: The United States has hosted the first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since 1993 in Washington, DC, in what officials describe as a high-level diplomatic push to contain escalating violence. Both sides agreed to hold direct negotiations after “productive discussions” between the env»»»

Wednesday’s Bulgarian media coverage is dominated by the April 19 parliamentary elections, with outlets focusing on coalition arithmetic, vote-buying and the possibility that the Hemus Motorway tunnel blockage was a political provocation. Energy security also remains high on the agenda after Washin»»»

Dubai: Participants can now enjoy a more hands-on lottery experience with the launch of the first retail outlet by the UAE Lottery in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi. Strategically located in M40, the new shop has made lottery participation more accessible, especially for those who prefer face-to-face interact»»»

Bologna: The United Arab Emirates has been selected to host the 42nd International Congress of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in 2030, marking the first time the prestigious global event will be held in the Arab world. The congress will take place in Sharjah under the them»»»

Dubai: Tucked away in one of Alserkal Avenue’s lanes, Swey Collective doesn’t look like your typical retail space. Housed inside a repurposed container, the store leans into an edgy, stripped-back aesthetic, metallic, clean lines, and a steady flow of creatives filtering in and out. Gulf News talke»»»

South Korean Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul (L) and U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Stephen Koehler (R) hold talks in Seoul on Wednesday. The two were also set to meet with Japan's top naval commander for trilateral talks on strengthening maritime cooperation. Photo courtesy of Sou»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.3740 dinars for one euro on Wednesday, which is a slight change relative to Tuesday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.1 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative »»»

Oslo, April 15 (SANA) Norway plans to lift a ban on investments in Syrian government bonds by its $2.2 trillion sovereign wealth fund, marking a significant step in Syria’s reintegration into the global financial system. The decision, revealed in a government document obtained by Reuters, signals i»»»

Acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Georgi Kandev has reported that police operations against vote buying in Bulgaria have so far led to the seizure of around 1 million euros, alongside thousands of inspections and a sharp rise in citizen alerts ahead of the elections. “We are already at 1 m»»»

In the jagged Hindu Kush in eastern Afghanistan, hundreds of men dug into the rocky bed of the Kunar River searching for a few grams of gold dust as an alternative source of income. At the foot of imposing peaks, some still covered in snow in April, they toiled near the border with Pakistan to find»»»

A super typhoon steadily battered a pair of remote US islands in the Pacific Ocean with ferocious winds and relentless rains, shredding tin roofs and forcing residents to take cover from flying tree limbs. Super Typhoon Sinlaku pounded the Northern Mariana Islands for hours before daybreak Wednesda»»»

South Korean-made K1E1 tanks (background R), K9 howitzers (front) and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers (L) are on standby for an integrated field maneuver at the training field of the Army's 17th Division in Incheon, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, South Korea. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA April 14 (A»»»

North Korea on Wednesday accused Japan of a “grave provocation” after Tokyo expressed concern about Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs in an annual diplomatic report. In this February 2026 photo, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi delivers a speech at the National Diet in Tokyo. File»»»

An "eco-friendly" range of paper tubes and pouches touted by Yonwoo, a South Korean maker of packaging for cosmetics, has reaped unexpected benefit from the Iran war, which has disrupted supplies of the plastic needed to turn out single-use wrapping. While the conflict has sent prices of plastic so»»»

The Abu Dhabi labour court has ordered a company to pay Dh251,461 to a former employee who was dismissed after more than 13 years of continuous service without receiving his full entitlements. The Court of First Instance ruled in favour of the employee, who filed a case after first pursuing a compl»»»

“The CarAudit technical inspection is very detailed and includes up to 270 checkpoints. In about a quarter of cases, we do not recommend that the customer purchase the selected vehicle,” explains Vlad Ion, Country Manager at Carvago Romania. “Common reasons include service history, inconsistencies »»»

Dubai: The UAE is strengthening its presence on the global publishing map with the participation of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) at the 2026 edition of the Bologna Children's Book Fair. The event has been widely regarded as the world’s leading platform dedicated to children and young a»»»

head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that "very detailed" measures to verify Iran's nuclear activities must be included in a potential U.S.-Iran agreement to end their war in the Middle East. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi stressed the need for the t»»»

Dubai: As Dubai’s most recognisable hotel begins its first major restoration in more than 25 years, Jumeirah Burj Al Arab is entering a new chapter. Over the years, the hotel has become inseparable from Dubai itself. In messages sent to guests, Jumeirah confirmed that the refurbishment follows long»»»

The aviation services sector continues to demonstrate strong resilience amid geopolitical tensions disrupting air traffic across the Middle East, said Hassan El-Houry, chairman of Menzies Aviation. While airspace closures, flight cancellations and reroutings have strained operations, El-Houry descr»»»

The Israeli military has said that three Hezbollah militants were brought to Israel for questioning after surrendering during close-quarters combat in southern Lebanon. "Yesterday, IDF soldiers engaged in close-range combat with a Hezbollah terrorist cell in Bint Jbeil," the military said. "At the »»»

In this edition: We focus on Sudan, which is set to mark three years of civil war. The conflict has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced around 12 million people. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV continues his Africa tour. After spending his second day in Algeria, where he celebrated mas»»»

A gold pocket watch owned by an unsung hero of the Titanic disaster could fetch up to £100,000 at auction, those selling it say, according to BBC. The item, which goes under the hammer in Penshurst later this month, was awarded to the engineer of a steamship responsible for saving more than 700 of »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli Aggression Claims Four Martyrs from One Family as Aid Vehicle Targeted in Saadiyat 15-04-2026 11:26 AM Israeli enemy forces carried»»»

Copenhagen, Denmark: Denmark's double Olympic badminton champion Viktor Axelsen announced his retirement at 32 on Wednesday, saying back problems meant he could no longer "compete and train at the highest level". Axelsen, who won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and again in Paris in 2024, had back »»»

Israel's army said Hezbollah militants fired around 30 rockets into northern Israel early on Wednesday, just hours after Washington hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades. The military detected "approximately 30 launches" towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesma»»»

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations. Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon, but has not targeted the Lebanese capital since a»»»

Why did gold suffer its sharpest fall since 2008? Investors saw the Middle East conflict not as a normal geopolitical event, but as the start of a new inflation shock, increasing expectations that central banks would keep interest rates higher for longer. That was negative for gold. As US Treasury »»»

Minister of Housing and Construction, Essam Al-Tamouni, met Monday with representatives of the Stock Market Authority, headed by its Chairman Mahmoud Wafa with a view to developing real estate financing mechanisms. Also present were Mr. Al-Hussein Hammouda, Director General of the Savings and Real »»»

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that “very detailed” measures to verify Iran’s nuclear activities must be included in a potential US-Iran agreement to end their war in the Middle East. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi stressed the need for the t»»»

Sudan is entering a fourth year of war between the military and paramilitary forces. The fighting has pushed many people into famine, caused a huge displacement crisis and left over 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Parties have been accused of committing atrocities like ethnic »»»

US President Donald Trump is once again at odds with the Vatican, this time hurling personal attacks and wild insults at Pope Leo XIV. Conflicts between the White House and the Vatican, however, are nothing new. From John Paul II’s open defiance of George W. Bush over the Iraq war to heated exchang»»»

Dubai: A Dubai court has upheld the acquittal of an Arab institute owner accused of forgery and fraud, ruling that the evidence presented was insufficient to support a conviction and ordering the confiscation of the disputed training certificate. The Court of Appeal accepted the case in form but re»»»

Beirut, Lebanon: Five people were killed in an airstrike carried out by Israeli warplanes on wednesday, April 15, 2026, on the town of Ansariyeh in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the strike targeted the town at Wednesday dawn, resulting in the deaths of five indiv»»»

Raipur: The death toll from a boiler blast at a power plant in central India has risen to 19, a police officer said on Wednesday, noting 17 others were injured. The explosion occurred Tuesday at a facility operated by Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of London-listed Vedanta Resources, in Chhattisgarh»»»

Dubai: The UAE’s trade relationship with Azerbaijan has entered a new phase after the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries officially came into force on Tuesday. This opens the door to lower tariffs, easier market access and fresh investment opportunities fo»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Central Bank is developing a nationwide unified Know Your Customer (eKYC) platform, following the signing of a technical partnership agreement with the global technology company Norbloc AB. The platform will address challenges arising from the duplication of customer due diligenc»»»

Authorities are monitoring environmental conditions at Lake Pamvotis in northwestern Greece where quantities of dead fish have washed up in recent days. The local environmental authority said the fish were found around the lakeside town of Ioannina, and samples have been taken to determine what cau»»»

Oil prices fell for a second day on Wednesday on expectations peace talks between the US and Iran may resume and supply will eventually be released from the key Middle East producing region trapped by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures were down16 cents, or 0.2%, to $94.63 a b»»»

North Korea is showing a "very serious increase" in its ability to produce atomic weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Wednesday on a visit to Seoul. The diplomatically isolated north is believed to operate multiple facilities for enriching uranium, a key step in making nuclear warhead»»»

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations. Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but has not»»»

Political consultations between Kyrgyzstan and the United States were held in Washington on April 14, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan reported. The consultations were co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Meder Abakirov and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s banks are stepping up support for start-ups and small businesses as entrepreneurs face tighter market conditions, with Emirates Islamic unveiling a new Dh1 million campaign aimed at helping SMEs strengthen their financial footing. The Dubai-based Islamic lender said its latest Busine»»»

Since the US and Israel waged war on Iran on 28 February, China has issued a cascade of diplomatic communiqués condemning the strikes, calling for a ceasefire, invoking UN Charter principles, and proposing a joint five-point peace initiative with Pakistan. Not a single weapon has followed. Not a wa»»»

The International Monetary Fund cut its 2026 growth forecasts for Gulf economies, citing uneven exposure to energy markets and trade disruptions, as well as differing access to alternative oil export routes. Saudi Arabia is expected to lead regional growth at about 3.1 percent this year, supported »»»

Russia will continue helping fuel-hungry Cuba with crucial supplies of oil, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, two weeks after Moscow sent a tanker with around 700,000 barrels of crude to the Caribbean island. Washington stopped oil exports to Cuba ‌from its ‌main ally Venezuela afte»»»

Jawad Younes, 11, and his cousins were playing soccer in the lot between their houses, as they often did. His little brother, 4-year-old Mehdi, had joined them but grew tired, so Jawad took him home and handed him off to their mother before returning to the game. Minutes later, an Israeli strike ca»»»

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations. Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon, but has not targeted the Lebanese capital since a»»»

Abu Dhabi Police conducted roadside safety checks targeting heavy truck and fuel tanker drivers across the Al Dhafra region, as part of the force's broader 'Smart Road Security' strategy aimed at reducing risks associated with the transport of petroleum products and protecting lives and property. T»»»

In today’s digital landscape, the value of a technical platform is no longer defined by its features alone, but by its reliability and the strength of the institution behind it. As companies increasingly rely on digital platforms to manage technical projects and operational needs, trust has become »»»