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 »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

SocietyAustriaAustria: Police find rat poison in recalled baby food jarRana Taha with AFP, ReutersThe Germany-based HiPP had recalled the jars, suggesting they were tampered with. The contaminated jars were also found in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. https://p.dw.com/p/5CRMhPolice examined a sam»»»

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»»»

Having cast his ballot in Sofia, Progressive Bulgaria leader Rumen Radev said: "Today Bulgaria has a historic chance to break once and for all with the Peevski-Borissov oligarchic model, and this is an opportunity we must not miss." He was referring to Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Delyan»»»

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»»»

Yemen’s Ansarllah revolutionary group has warned that Sana’a could move to shut down the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, declaring that such a move would be impossible for any force to reverse and urging an immediate end to US President Donald Trump’s policies undermining peace. In a post on X, Senior Ansaru»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

Pope Leo sought to downplay his feud with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour "has not been accurate in all its aspects". Speaking to reporters in English aboard his flight to Angola for the third leg of his ambitious 10-d»»»

Ivelin Mihaylov, leader of the Velichie party, which has the smallest of nine groups in Parliament, said: "Let's return the State to the Bulgarian people." He cast his ballot in the village of Neofit Rilski near Varna (on the Black Sea), Bulgarian National Television reported. "I am heading to Kard»»»

Tehran: Iran had been "victorious in the field" during weeks of war and had only agreed to a temporary truce with the United States because its demands had been met, the Iranian parliamentary speaker said on Saturday. The two-week ceasefire is set to end Wednesday unless it is renewed, with a perma»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iran's armed forces are on full combat readiness despite ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran to resolve the conflict in the Middle East, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said. “If they don’t lift the blockade, traffic through the strait will defi»»»

Washington renewed on Friday a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government ‌of going easy on Moscow as its war on Ukraine grinds on. The Treasury Department's waiver lets countries purchase Russian oil and petroleum prod»»»

The crucial Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the United States lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports, Tehran said Saturday, as a top official warned that a final peace deal remained "far" off. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address that th»»»

Share: A French contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrols the area as displaced residents waving Hezbollah flags make their way back to their homes on a makeshift road on April 18, 2026.(photo credit: Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP via Getty Images). French president Macron b»»»

In many respects, despite three years of “orthodox” treatment, Turkey’s economy remains a basket case. But worse than that, from the point of view of the international investor, is that after 23 years of the Erdogan regime, no one trusts the Turkish courts. Make a major investment in Turkey and you»»»

In many respects, despite three years of “orthodox” treatment, Turkey’s economy remains a basket case. But worse than that, from the point of view of the international investor, is that after 23 years of the Erdogan regime, no one trusts the Turkish courts. Make a major investment in Turkey and you»»»

In many respects, despite three years of “orthodox” treatment, Turkey’s economy remains a basket case. But worse than that, from the point of view of the international investor, is that after 23 years of the Erdogan regime, no one trusts the Turkish courts. Make a major investment in Turkey and you»»»

In many respects, despite three years of “orthodox” treatment, Turkey’s economy remains a basket case. But worse than that, from the point of view of the international investor, is that after 23 years of the Erdogan regime, no one trusts the Turkish courts. Make a major investment in Turkey and you»»»

In many respects, despite three years of “orthodox” treatment, Turkey’s economy remains a basket case. But worse than that, from the point of view of the international investor, is that after 23 years of the Erdogan regime, no one trusts the Turkish courts. Make a major investment in Turkey and you»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the death of a French UN peacekeeping soldier Saturday following an attack that also left three people wounded in southern Lebanon, saying that "everything suggests" Hezbollah being responsible for the attack. The Iran-backed group denied involve»»»

Bulgaria’s former president Rumen Radev is on course to win a snap parliamentary election on April 19, according to a new opinion poll, in what could mark a political breakthrough after years of instability. A survey by Ma»»»

European nations have around four years to build up their defenses enough to deter a Russian attack without US backing, Frederic Vansina, Belgium’s Chief of the General Staff, has said. Moscow has dismissed speculation that it plans to attack NATO as nonsense. In an interview with Le Soir published»»»

Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed that the Resistance Party will never tolerate the Israeli violations in South Lebanon, adding that the battlefield has proven to have the final say, The field has proven that it has the final word, and successful policy is that which benefits »»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz from Saturday evening until the United States completely lifts its naval blockade, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Command said on Saturday. "As a result of the violation of the ceasefire regime, the Strait of Hormuz »»»

Israeli violations of the US-brokered ceasefire on the Lebanon front continue, as military operations and airstrikes persist against targets Israel claims are affiliated with Hezbollah. This has forced residents who had returned to some southern villages to leave again immediately, fearing a rapid »»»

French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday that a French ​soldier who ​was part of international forces stationed in southern Lebanon ​was killed, adding that evidence suggests ⁠Hezbollah was responsible. Earlier, Iranian patrol boats fired at an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, accordi»»»

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz triggered by the war in the Middle East hasn't just affected oil prices. Despite a provisional reopening during the current 10-day ceasefire, global supplies of jet fuel, fertilisers, industrial CO2 and naphtha have already been affected, potentially leading to s»»»

US-Iran negotiations show limited progress but remain tense, with disputes over enriched uranium and the Strait of Hormuz still unresolved. Donald Trump warns the conflict could resume if no deal is reached, while mediators say compromises may still be possible on nuclear restrictions.»»»

After weeks of US and Israeli strikes, Iranians are watching to see if ceasefire talks could lead to negotiations, while uncertainty over the future of the conflict persists. Despite foreign calls for regime change, analysts say Iran’s leadership remains entrenched, as economic pressure, repression»»»

Egypt's Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG) will build a new 1.4 trillion Egyptian pound ($27 billion) mixed-use city east of Cairo, CEO and Managing Director Hisham Talaat Moustafa said at a press conference on Saturday. The project, called The Spine, is to be developed in partnership with ⁠the National B»»»

Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Italy's former head of state offers an in-depth, insightful and thought-provoking reading of contemporary geopolitics, European cohesion, and leadership ethics. Speaking from the vantage point of a former leader of a major »»»

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are set to co-chair a gathering of left-wing leaders in Barcelona on Saturday aimed at countering the rise of the far right and strengthening democratic institutions. The meeting brings together figures from acro»»»

Dubai: Filipino workers in parts of the UAE whose livelihoods have been disrupted by the ongoing situation in the Middle East are set to receive temporary financial relief, following a new advisory issued by the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Under the programme, q»»»

1 of 3 | President Donald Trump signs an executive order on researching the effects of psychedelic drugs in mental health treatment on Saturday, in the Oval Office. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., podcast host Joe Rogan, Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, and retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell were»»»

Energy giant Canada has emerged as the leading driver of efforts to build a formal middle-power coalition among like-minded Commonwealth nations, with Prime Minister Mark Carney using his first year in office to push the long-dormant CANZUK concept and a broader variable-geometr»»»

Exactly 24 hours before the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Middle East Eye (MEE) posted an article on its homepage titled: “China has sent attack drones to Iran, as it discusses ballistic missile sales” highlighting Beijing’s increasing support of the regime in Tehran in the i»»»

Exactly 24 hours before the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Middle East Eye (MEE) posted an article on its homepage titled: “China has sent attack drones to Iran, as it discusses ballistic missile sales” highlighting Beijing’s increasing support of the regime in Tehran in the i»»»

Rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are feeding through into global macroeconomic expectations, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warning of a broad-based slowdown and renewed inflation pressures that are already shaping Panama’s near-term outlook. »»»