RIYADH: The Kingdom’s General Directorate of Civil Defense has urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid flood-prone areas as thunderstorms are forecast to continue affecting much of the country through Friday, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Citing projections from the National Center for»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief has implemented its Noor program to combat blindness and eye diseases in Yaounde, Cameroon. During the week-long campaign, its volunteer medical team examined 4,679 beneficiaries, distributed 926 eyeglasses, and performed 448 surgeries, the Saudi Press Age»»»

Dubai: Airlines are no longer just flying passengers — they’re now dressing them too. Sports apparel giant Adidas and Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia have launched a new travel-focused clothing line across the Middle East and North Africa, starting April 20. The aim, according to the airline»»»

A distant second place was taken by the retail sector, with 8% of the total, followed by hotels (2%) and the industrial segment, with just 1%. The investment volume in the first three months of 2026 is approximately 7% above the quarterly average of 2025 but remains 2.5% below the level recorded in»»»

Tehran: Iran reopened its main Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports in capital Tehran on Monday, April 20, 2026, the country's aviation authority said, after closures caused by the weeks-long war with the United States and Israel. "Authorization for passenger flights at Imam Khomeini International A»»»

BPI Real Estate Poland has acquired a site of nearly 13,000 sq m on Wągrowska Street in Poznań's Rataje district to deliver the next two phases of its Panoramiqa residential scheme. Panoramiqa 2 and Panoramiqa 3 together will add more than 600 flats and over 32,000 sq m of net saleable area, with c»»»

LONDON: For much of the Global South, the US-Israel-Iran war is no longer a distant geopolitical crisis. It is showing up in farm budgets, fuel queues and food markets, as disruption in the Strait of Hormuz drives up costs and strains already fragile economies. Iran’s blockade of Hormuz has rattled»»»

BEIRUT: Wael Mousawi, a 35-year-old Civil Defense responder in Tyre, says he has spent weeks moving “between death and death,” pulling bodies from the rubble of flattened homes in southern Lebanon as rescue teams struggled to keep pace with the scale of destruction. Paramedics and rescue workers ac»»»

TEHRAN/WASHINGTON: Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam ​al-Anbiya, accused the US of violating a ceasefire by firing at one of ‌Iran’s commercial ‌ships ​in ‌the ⁠Gulf ​of Oman, vowing ⁠to retaliate. State media quoted a Khatam Al-Anbiya spokesperson as saying early ⁠on Monday ‌that ‌the vess»»»

LONDON: Reverberations of the conflict in the Middle East are being felt across the region both physically and metaphorically. The booms and jolts of missile interceptions over Gulf cities and industrial sites may have halted since President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on April 8, b»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan moved ahead Monday with preparations for a new round of talks between the United States and Iran days before a tenuous ceasefire is set to expire, even as renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz raised questions about whether the meeting would take place. Over the weekend, »»»

BEIRUT: The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon on Monday led a solemn tribute to a French soldier killed in a shooting incident in the country’s south, praising his “service and sacrifice” and urging an investigation into the attack. Major General Diodato Abagnara, commander of the Unit»»»

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “harsh action” Monday against a soldier caught on camera vandalizing a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon, as the image spread online. The photo, which the military determined was authentic, shows an Israeli soldier using a sledgeha»»»

DUBAI: British Moroccan model Nora Attal stars in a new campaign for Italian label Dolce&Gabbana Beauty, showcasing a new lip product by the Italian luxury label. In the advert, which Attal shared on social media, the model can be seen posing with a red, glossy lip courtesy of the new Rose Dew Lip »»»

ALULA: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Mohammed Aurangzeb described Saudi Arabia as a “longstanding partner” and emphasized the importance of sustainable, mutually beneficial cooperation, particularly in key economic sectors. Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging M»»»

ALULA: Global trade is not retreating into deglobalization despite geopolitical shocks, but is instead undergoing a structural reshuffling led by US-China tensions, according to Harvard University economist Pol Antras. Presenting research at the AlUla Emerging Market Economies Conference, Antras sa»»»

JEDDAH: Oman’s private sector recorded steady growth in the fourth quarter of 2025, with the number of active private enterprises rising by 0.2 percent to 268,286, compared to 267,734 in the same period of 2024, according to official data. Medium-sized enterprises posted the strongest growth in the»»»

RIYADH: Investing in the restoration of arid and degraded lands is a highly profitable economic investment. Every dollar spent yields direct and indirect economic benefits ranging from $7 to $30. This highlights the significance of Saudi Arabia’s success in rehabilitating the first million hectares»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasury securities rose 19 percent in February to $160.4 billion, the highest level in recent years, as the Kingdom increased purchases of short-term debt, official data showed. The total was up from $134.8 billion in January and 26.9 percent higher than $126.»»»

RIYADH: Startups operating in the Middle East and North Africa witnessed multiple funding rounds across various sectors last week, even as the conflict in Iran continued to rattle the market. This momentum builds on the record $7.5 billion funding received by startups in 2025, representing a 225 pe»»»

RIYADH: Startups in the Middle East and North Africa region secured multiple funding rounds across different sectors across the beginning of April, despite ongoing market uncertainty caused by the conflict in Iran. This positive momentum continues from the record $7.5 billion raised by MENA startup»»»

RIYADH: Global and regional startups continued to attract capital across fintech, healthtech, e-commerce, and proptech, as investors backed platforms focused on financial infrastructure, consumer services, and data-driven solutions. Saudi Arabia-based fintech Lean Technologies has received a major »»»

RIYADH: Algeria has launched a global bidding round for oil and gas exploration across seven fields, in a move that underscores the OPEC member’s efforts to boost production capacity and attract foreign investment amid a volatile global energy market shaped by the Iran war. Samir Bekhti, president »»»

RIYADH: Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s newly launched national carrier backed by the Public Investment Fund, is set to add three new destinations — Jeddah, Madrid and Manchester — as it expands its network. The move signals the airline’s continued efforts to establish a global footprint ahead of its pl»»»

RIYADH: Business activity across Saudi Arabia in February helped lift the Kingdom’s Operating Revenue Index by 5.9 percent year on year, with manufacturing, mining and transportation all posting gains. In its latest report, the General Authority for Statistics noted that the biggest annual rise cam»»»

Magnesium supplements are among the most popular dietary supplements in America. Experts say that’s because magnesium plays an important role in our health. It helps regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels. It supports your immune system and muscle health. And it can help you get a good nigh»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "harsh action" Monday against a soldier caught on camera vandalizing a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon, as the image spread online. The photo, which the military determined was authentic, shows an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to str»»»

Vienna: One person died and seven were injured Monday after a trolleybus veered off the road and crashed into a supermarket in Salzburg, Austria's Red Cross said. “One person died despite attempts to resuscitate,” a Red Cross telling AFP. The injured were taken to hospital, two in serious condition»»»

Luanda: Pope Leo XIV heads to Angola’s remote and diamond-rich northeast on Monday in the latest stop on an Africa tour during which he has spoken out against the country’s glaring poverty. On the eighth day of a trip to four African nations, Leo will fly to the town of Saurimo, 800 kilometres east»»»

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warns of “a chain-reaction response” in more critical shipping lanes — and he mentioned Malacca specifically. Here's why:The Strait of Malacca is an narrow bottleneck (2.8 km at the narrowest point) that connects the Indian Ocean to the South Chi»»»

Damascus, April 20 (SANA) The Ministry of Local Administration and Environment, in cooperation with Damascus Governorate, organized an environmental forum on Monday in Damascus to mark World Earth Day, focusing on water security and climate-related challenges. The event, titled “Water in Our Lives,»»»

London: Embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will face lawmakers in parliament on Monday as he bids to quell anger over an unrelenting scandal involving long-time Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson. Starmer, already widely unpopular with the public and many Labour MPs, is struggling to e»»»

Klass Wagen continues its expansion strategy in the Romanian market by opening a new office in Târgu Mureș, near Transylvania International Airport, the investment being part of the company’s broader regional development plan. The decision comes at a favourable time for the local market, marked by »»»

More than 60 nations sent representatives to Brussels Monday to discuss with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa stability, security and long-term peace in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, as global attention largely remains focused in the Middle East on the ongoing crises in Iran and Lebanon»»»

The ceasefire in the Iran war hangs in the balance as Pakistan's capital stands prepared for possible new talks between Tehran and Washington. As of right now, the two-week ceasefire will expire at 0000 GMT Wednesday (8 p.m. ET Tuesday.) But the truce between Iran, Israel and the United States star»»»

Oil prices climbed more than 5% and Wall Street veered toward losses before the opening bell Monday as a standoff between Iran and the U.S. prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz. Futures for the S&P 500 also fell 0.5% while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 0.6%. Nasdaq »»»

Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has taken to the skies again, jumping out of an aircraft over Dubai in a moment that signals the emirate's return»»»

Sharjah :Sharjah Traffic Prosecution has urged motorists and pedestrians to strictly follow traffic laws and road protocol, describing compliance as the first line of defence in protecting lives and property, particularly as students return to school. Focus on school rush hoursDr Saeed Abdullah Al »»»

The 965-foot-long Iranian container ship Touska, seen here in 2017 after it ran aground off Hong Kong's main island, remained in the custody of the U.S. Navy on Monday after it was boarded and seized by U.S. Marines. File photo by Jerome Favre/EPA April 20 (UPI) -- Iran said that it carried out dro»»»

Analysts at the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD) have revised upward their macroeconomic outlook for Kyrgyzstan. The country’s GDP is now expected to grow by 8.3 percent in 2026, reaching approximately 2,334.8 trillion soms. Economic growth and fiscal stimulus The main driver »»»

Edi Rama is already in his 13th year as prime minister, but some of the open questions in the relations between the two countries remain the same and unchanged. A few days before his arrival in Greece for the 11th Delphi Economic Forum (April 22-25), Rama spoke to "K" about Greek-Albanian relations»»»

Stagflation is considered to be a growing risk for the Romanian economy this year, as the country has already entered a technical recession while facing additional challenges on the energy front, as prices could soar over the ongoing Middle East conflict. By Ovidiu Poșircă Iulian Lolea, chief econo»»»

The world’s leading financial centres are not built on capital alone. They are built on the constant exchange of ideas—on people from different systems learning how to think, decide, and operate together. That is where the GCC’s real edge is emerging. Not just in its wealth or infrastructure, but i»»»

On April 18, 2026, the event «Volunteering for Earth» was held in Bishkek, dedicated to Earth Day, observed on April 22. It brought together approximately 70 participants from international cooperation programs. The event was jointly organized by World Friends Korea volunteers, Japan International »»»

TradeIndiaSouth Korea, India agree to boost trade and defense tiesRoshni Majumdar | Shakeel Sobhan AFP, ReutersPrime Minister Narendra Modi hosts South Korean President Lee Jae Myung this week as both countries target $50 billion in trade by 2030. https://p.dw.com/p/5CSkNSouth Korea and India seek »»»

The confrontation between the United States and Iran is no longer a conventional political dispute; it has evolved into a multidimensional crisis with military, economic, security, and environmental ramifications that threaten not only the stability of the Arabian Gulf but also the broader internat»»»

Abu Dhabi/ Dubai: The Ministry of Education and the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council have outlined a comprehensive safety framework, detailing the roles of schools, teachers and parents, as students across public and private schools in the UAE returned to in-person cla»»»

In a world increasingly defined by uncertainty, sustainability is no longer a theoretical construct or a distant set of development goals. It has become a practical framework for national resilience. And although I have spent years teaching the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in universities and s»»»

Brasilia, Brazil: A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil has revealed a possible explanation for the recurrence of colds in children. The study suggests that the rhinovirus, the primary cause of the common cold, may hide within the tonsils and adenoids with»»»

Dubai: A wave of hotel refurbishments is sweeping across Dubai this summer, with several high-profile properties either scaling back access or pausing key venues as operators move to upgrade assets during the quieter season. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The current »»»