RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s conjoined twins separation program began one of the most complex surgeries of its kind in the world on Thursday morning in an operation expected to take 24 hours. The separation of conjoined Filipino twins Klea and Maurice Ann, joined at the head, presents a number of challen»»»

The UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia, are among the most exposed to undersea cable failures. Possible damage would result in a 70 to 90% loss of connectivity for Arab Gulf States, and up to 35% for Saudi Arabia alone, risking slowdowns in e-commerce, banking, and global servi»»»

BELGRADE - A 360-degree observation deck on top of Belgrade Tower, situated in the Belgrade Waterfront complex, was opened on Thursday at a ceremony also attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Eagle Hills founder and CEO Mohamed Alabbar. Accessed via lifts directly from the Galerija mal»»»

Voting in two of India’s most politically significant states — West Bengal and Tamil Nadu — saw exceptionally high turnout on Thursday, signalling strong voter engagement despite a contentious campaign backdrop. According to Election Commission (EC) estimates, West Bengal recorded 89.93 per cent po»»»

1/11Kamal Haasan, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president and actor, along with his daughter, actress Shruti Haasan, shows his inked finger after casting his vote during the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2026 in Chennai district, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday, April 23, 2026.IANS2/11Superstar Rajinikanth arr»»»

The Hague: Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport said Thursday it would offer airlines a 10-percent discount on airport charges due to the high price of jet fuel caused by the current Middle East geopolitical situation. The discount is a temporary measure that applies to daytime flights only from April 27, »»»

Britain's Prince Harry made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Thursday and called on Russia's President Vladimir Putin to end the war - a week after a massive Russian aerial attack on the country - and on US President Donald Trump to show leadership to help resolve the conflict. By convention, the Br»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters shot down at 10:30 on Thursday 23-04-2026 a reconnaissance glider belonging to the “Israeli” enemy army in Majd»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Democrats in the US Coalesce Against “Israel” Amid Deepening Party Shift: WSJ 23-04-2026 17:07 PM WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 19: U.S. Sen. B»»»

JEDDAH: Fashion entrepreneur Vanissa Antonious has welcomed the “incredibly strong” response of Saudi Arabia women to the launch of her brand,” and highlighted the “cultural significance” of the region. NEOUS, a contemporary footwear and handbag brand known for its modernist designs, architectural »»»

DHAHRAN: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, known as Ithra, is off to Europe for Milan Design Week, on until April 26. Ithra is showcasing key features of the newly-rebranded Ithra Design Week, formerly known as Tanween, its annual flagship design event, now in its ninth year. As a part o»»»

DUBAI: The US military on Thursday seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, ratcheting up a standoff with Iran a day after its paramilitary Revolutionary Guards took control of two vessels in the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The Defense Department released video footage of U»»»

DHAKA: Bangladesh has recorded 194 child deaths due to measles in an outbreak that began last month, while the number of suspected child cases has exceeded 28,000, government data showed on Thursday. Between three and five children have died from the disease every day for the past week. Five childr»»»

Wall Street stocks retreated from records early Thursday as markets digested a trove of mixed earnings reports and monitored the latest dynamics between the United States and Iran. Analysts cited profit-taking after both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq shrugged off a jump in oil prices to finish at records »»»

Israeli airstrikes killed at least four Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, while soldiers shot and killed a 15-year-old child during an army raid in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said. One person was killed in a strike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis in which several ot»»»

US President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” Iranian small boats choking the Strait of Hormuz.In a social media post Thursday morning, he said the military is intensifying its mine clearing efforts in the critical waterway. The move intensified the US-Iran standoff in t»»»

Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and Chairman of the Executive Council, on Thursday approved a comprehensive package of incentives aimed at supporting the emirate's tourism sector, including the deferral of fee payments and fine waivers, in a move designed to stimulate activ»»»

Britain and France inked a new $894 million agreement Thursday to tackle small boats carrying asylum seekers attempting to get to England that will see the number of police patrolling French beaches rise from 700 to nearly 1,100. File photo by Mohammed Badra/EPA-EFE April 23 (UPI) -- Britain and Fr»»»

1 of 2 | The Pentagon posted a video on social media Thursday showing what it says is U.S. forces boarding a vessel on the Indian Ocean with ties to Iran. File Photo via U.S. European Command/UPI | License Photo April 23 (UPI) -- The Pentagon posted a video on social media Thursday showing what it »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced the timings and commencement of visitor reception for Single Window services at its new headquarters in Lusail City, effective Sunday, 26 April 2026. In a social media post, the Ministry stated that visitor reception hours are from Sunday»»»

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said Lebanon “has started to gradually reclaim its natural right to determine its own fate independently of others’ calculations,” stressing that the Lebanese state “alone holds the decision to negotiate,” and that Lebanon “is not subordinate to anyone and is»»»

For the first time in decades, Israeli and Lebanese civilian officials sat across a table in Washington and began talking. The discussions—convened in the shadow of a wider war with Iran, mediated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and given a 10-day ceasefire window by Donald Trump—are truly histo»»»

Since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria on 8 December 2024, the country’s border with Lebanon has been subject to an unprecedented mobilisation, with Damascus ramping things up in recent weeks by sending heavy reinforcements to the frontier to confront Hezbollah’s smuggling operations. Under As»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan voiced hope for progress in US-Iran negotiations, stressing the need to sustain diplomatic channels to address the escalating Middle East crisis. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in talks with US Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad Natalie Baker, called for maintaining momentum, inclu»»»

MADRID - Serbian tennis player Miomir Kecmanovic has failed to qualify for the second round of the Madrid Masters after a 6-4, 7-5 defeat to Frenchman Terence Atmane in the opening round on Thursday. Atmane, who won after 75 minutes of play, is now 1-1 head-to-head against the Serbian. The prize mo»»»

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said Lebanon “has started to gradually reclaim its natural right to determine its own fate independently of others’ calculations,” stressing that the Lebanese state “alone holds the decision to negotiate,” and that Lebanon “is not subordinate to anyone and is»»»

Today (23 April), the US hosts the second round of talks between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to Washington. The first meeting of these diplomats on 14 April was significant, not because it was the first direct legal contact between senior officials of these states since 1993, or because th»»»

Dubai: As Eid Al Adha approaches, residents across the UAE are looking forward to celebrating the festival with renewed appreciation for family, faith, and togetherness. For many, this year’s occasion carries deeper meaning, with more focus on reflection, gratitude, and a strong sense of community.»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic says the security situation in Serbia is stable but that certain challenges and risks do exist, above all, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija, and noted that the Serbian Armed Forces are fully capable of executing a»»»

ISLAMABAD (Sputnik) - Iran still considers Pakistan as the preferred mediator in the negotiations with the United States, an Iranian diplomatic source told Sputnik. "Iran continues to consider Islamabad as the preferred and reliable mediator in the negotiations between Iran and the United States," »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Arctic is of strategic importance for Russia's economic development and the protection of its sovereignty, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. "I have repeatedly noted the special strategic importance of this region for our country, for the domestic economy, fo»»»

TRIPOI: Libya’s ‌eastern-based coast guard of the Libyan National Army rescued at least 404 migrants on board 10 boats after they had “faced harsh conditions at sea,” the Tobruk Red Crescent said on Wednesday. Tobruk is a coastal city ‌in eastern ‌Libya near the ‌border with ⁠Egypt. The Red Crescen»»»

BEIRUT: Spread across a hillside of southern Lebanon, the tiny village of Beit Lif had been almost entirely flattened. Once home to a few thousand people, nearly every house had been reduced to piles of concrete by Israeli military demolitions. “They were demolishing it gradually until they reached»»»

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin can only meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the purpose of finalizing agreements on the conflict, Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Wednesday. Peskov’s comments on state television, reported by Russian new»»»

LONDON: Dubai Lynx and Middle East Communications Network, or MCN, are bringing the global “See It Be It” program to the MENA region, in a move aimed at widening the pipeline of women into leadership roles across advertising, media and marketing. The regional version, called “See It Be It: Connects»»»

Doha, Qatar: The General Authority of Customs and Qatar Aviation Services, QAS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two parties in the field of customs clearance for personal imports. The agreement seeks to enhance service standards, simplif»»»

Al Dhaid: More than 13 tonnes of food unfit for human consumption have been seized and destroyed by Al Dhaid Municipality in a major crackdown on unsafe storage practices, authorities said. The operation was carried out by the municipality’s Food Control Section under the Public Health Department, »»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Thursday, losing 135.40 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 11,109.59. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR6.02 billion ($1.6 billion), as 45 of the stocks advanced and 212 retreated. Similarly, the Kingdom’s parallel mar»»»

Located on a 1,200 sq. m. area, the spa centre at Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko offers a wide range of treatments performed by professionals, manager of Kempinski The Spa Kostadinka Vishanina told BTA. Hotel guests and visitors to the spa centre are attracted by the high level of services, in »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted at 10:00 on Thursday 23-04-2026 a gathering of “Israeli” enemy army soldiers in Taybeh town with a loi»»»

London, April 22 (SANA) British companies reported a record rise in production costs this month, according to a new economic survey, highlighting renewed inflationary pressures that could feed into prices amid global energy disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict. Data from S&P Global showed»»»

Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil suggested Thursday that Hezbollah "has lost its internal legitimacy" and "its justification for defending Lebanon." "The great damage to Lebanon is caused by Hezbollah," Bassil, once a key ally of Hezbollah, said in an interview with Al-Arabiya's Al-Hada»»»

Washington, United States: President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed the United States would destroy any vessel laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as he rachets up pressure on Iran to reopen the crucial sea passage. "I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats th»»»

DOHA: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al Thani met with Minister of Defence of the friendly Italian Republic HE Guido Crosetto, and the accompanying delegation, during his visit to the country. During the meeting, at»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted at 06:00 on Thursday 23-04-2026 a gathering of “Israeli” enemy army soldiers in Taybeh town with appro»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is ordering the United States Navy to triple mine clearing activity in the Strait of Hormuz. The US president said that he ordered the Navy to shoot any Iranian boat allegedly putting mines in the strait. "Additionally, our mine '»»»

The European Union has formally approved a €90 billion ($105 billion) emergency loan for Ukraine for 2026–2027 and adopted its 20th package of sanctions against Russia, the bloc’s presidency said on Thursday. European Council President Antonio Costa said in a statement that increasing pressure on R»»»

Dubai: Aldar Properties has acquired an industrial and logistics portfolio from a subsidiary of AD Ports Group for Dh650 million, expanding its presence in Abu Dhabi’s key economic zone. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The transaction involves the»»»

Thermal SPA Hotel Roman Bath in the village of Banya reports a steady average annual occupancy rate of between 75% and 80%, the management of the complex said. The hotel operates year-round, with the only planned interruption scheduled for May, when routine maintenance, servicing, and facility upgr»»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission launched the Ebrahim Al-Kazi Chair of Research at the Saudi Center for Research and Knowledge Intercommunication, supported by the Ministry of Culture. “The Commission announces the launch of the Ebrahim Al-Kazi Research Chair, who serves as »»»