Pakistan cast itself as an unlikely diplomatic broker on Wednesday, saying it had helped secure a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said he would host talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Middle East war beginning on April 10. Pak»»»

Iran proposed a 10-point plan for ending the war with the US and Israel early Wednesday after the establishment of a two-week ceasefire just before a US-imposed deadline and threats to destroy Iranian "civilisation". US President Donald Trump said the plan was "workable", despite several points whi»»»

The US and Iran on Wednesday agreed to a two-week ceasefire, reaching a deal just hours before President Donald Trump's deadline and threatened destruction of Iranian "civilisation" if Tehran failed to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Details of the Pakistan-brokered agreement are set to be negotiated»»»

Reporting from Doha for FRANCE 24, Hoda Abdel-Hamid explains that Iran's demands regarding the control over the Strait of Hormuz and the departure of US combat troops from the region are unlikely to be acceptable to Gulf countries.»»»

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Jennie Shin, Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, says that "the Trump administration is desperately seeking a way to end the war and declare victory. The US can stop its attacks for a while but its claims of victory are really quite hollow".»»»

François Picard is pleased to welcome Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Ambassador of Pakistan to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. According to Ambassador Zahra Baloch, this is less about victory in the conventional sense and more about the survival and recalibration of power. What we are witnessing is »»»

No apocalypse. Instead an eleventh hour ceasefire between Iran and the United States, one that is still being tested, two sides that are both claiming victory, and five and-a-half weeks of a war that may change the way the rest of the world looks at both Iran and the United States.  Meanwhile,»»»

François Picard is pleased to welcome Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Ambassador of Pakistan to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. According to Ambassador Zahra Baloch, this is less about victory in the conventional sense and more about the survival and recalibration of power. What we are witnessing is »»»

Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Ali Vaez, Director of Iran Project & Senior Advisor at the International Crisis Group. While the US sees the outcome as a decisive military victory, Vaez argues that the more consequential story lies in the reconfiguration of power within Iran. From Tehran’s p»»»

A fragile two-week truce between Iran and the United States hung in the balance on Wednesday as Tehran threatened renewed hostilities and Israel launched heavy strikes on Lebanon. Both sides claimed victory, but at least 182 people were killed and nearly 900 wounded, Lebanese authorities said. The »»»

More than a month after being hit by an explosion, the Arctic Metagaz, a liquid natural gas (LNG) carrier belonging to Russia’s "shadow fleet", is adrift in the Mediterranean following a failed Libyan towing operation. The incident underscores the risks and crisis management challenges posed by the»»»

Fuel shortages are affecting nearly one in five petrol stations across France as surging global oil prices stoke pressure at the pump. The government blames logistical strains and heavy demand at discounted outlets but frustration is mounting, with road blockades hinting at wider unease while house»»»

Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan has declared two days of local holidays in the capital at short notice from Thursday, authorities said, ahead of talks between the United States and Iran due to take place in Islamabad. No reason was given in the notification issued by the Islamabad district administra»»»

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged EU prosecutors to swiftly decide whether to indict lawmakers from his centre-right New Democracy party over a farm fraud probe. European prosecutors have already charged dozens of Greek stockbreeders with faking ownership of pastureland to claim»»»

Two French nationals released after nearly four years in Iranian detention returned home on Wednesday, vowing to speak out about the “daily horror” of their imprisonment, as President Emmanuel Macron hailed the end of their ordeal. Two French nationals who returned home Wednesday after being held f»»»

French nationals Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris returned home on Wednesday after more than three and a half years in Tehran's most notorious jail and a perilous journey through a country at war. Their release, which Iran views as a “prisoner swap”, comes as France has»»»

France will sharply increase its stockpiles of explosive drones – by as much as 400 percent by 2030 – under sweeping new defence plans unveiled Wednesday. Paris is accelerating rearmament in response to what it sees as a growing threat from Russia. France is to ramp up explosive drone sto»»»

Peter Magyar’s centre-right Tisza Party might be comfortably ahead in Hungary’s parliamentary election polls but he is far from guaranteed victory in Sunday’s vote. The country’s electoral system has been designed to support ruling Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party – and any institutions t»»»

France plans to double jail terms for owners and operators of ships that fail to fly the correct flag or refuse to comply with orders to stop, according to a draft update to the country's military planning law, in a move aimed at vessels suspected of transporting Russian oil in violation of Western»»»

France plans to ⁠add a further 36 ​billion euros to its defence spending between now and 2030 under an updated military planning law that expands its nuclear ​arsenal and boosts missile and drone stocks. The increase reflects mounting security pressures from wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and »»»

Consumer prices were 1.8% higher on average in March 2026 than a year earlier. Over one month, consumer prices rose by 0.4% on average. In 12 months, compared to March 2025: Food prices stagnated (and decreased by 3.2% excluding food and beverage serving services), within which the price of other b»»»

Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have topped the list of the most affordable destinations for Russians during the May holidays. Prime media outlet reported, citing a study by Yandex Travel service. The average cost of a hotel stay in Kazakhstan has decreased by 15 percent compared to 2025. In Kyrgyzstan, »»»

ARIZONA: Two people were killed in a plane crash after an aircraft caught fire at a small airport in the US state of Arizona. John Post, Mayor of the town of Marana, said the aircraft veered off the runway before catching fire. Marana Police Department stated in a press release that the National Tr»»»

Bill Gates will testify before a US congressional committee about his interactions with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to media reports. The Microsoft co-founder is set to sit for a transcribed interview on June 10, multiple outlets said on Wednesday, citing anonymous so»»»

SEOUL: North Korea on Thursday said its testing spree this week involved various new weapons systems, including ballistic missiles armed with cluster-bomb warheads, as it pushes to expand nuclear-capable forces aimed at rival South Korea. The report by North Korean state media came a day after Sout»»»

April 8 (UPI) -- Authorities in the Bahamas detained a 59-year-old American man in connection with last weekend's disappearance of an American woman while out at sea. The woman has been identified by Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue as 55-year-old Lynette Hooker. According to the Royal Bahamas P»»»

Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, on Wednesday promised a hike in wages, which have been eroded by years of inflation and economic collapse. The minimum hourly wage in Venezuela is currently equivalent to 27 US cents, with annual inflation exceeding 600 percent. For ordinary Venezuela»»»

Israel has stepped up air strikes across Lebanon, pounding central Beirut, just hours after the US and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire, according to RT correspondent Steve Sweeney, who was caught up in the attack with his cameraman Ali Rida Sbeity. The escalation comes in an apparent violation »»»

Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said Thursday it had fired rockets towards Israel in response to its "violation" of the US-Iran truce. It came a day after the Lebanese group said it has a "right" to respond to a deadly wave of Israeli strikes across Lebanon. "In response to the enemy's violati»»»

DOHA: His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, received a phone call from Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic. The Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that during the call, they discussed the latest regional and international developments, particularly th»»»

Share: Smoke rises from the sites of Israeli air strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs [AFP]. Hundreds were killed and over a thousand were wounded within 10 minutes of Israel strikes a day after a ceasefire was reached between US and Iran. This was the largest ever attack by Israel in one day»»»

Share: Photo- A fireball rises from a high-rise building hit by an Israeli airstrike in the area of Abbasiyeh, on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, on April 8, 2026. Lebanon’s army warned people against returning to the country’s south on April 8, where the Israeli military is st»»»

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates is closely following the announcement by US President Donald Trump regarding the two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran. The UAE is also is seeking further clarification on the agreement’s provisions to ensure Iran’s full commitment to an immediate»»»

ABU DHABI: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussed regional developments during phone calls with a number of foreign ministers from fraternal and friendly countries, following the unprovoked and terrorist Iranian missile attacks that tar»»»

Share: Rescuers work at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, April 8, 2026. A ceasefire deal to pause the war in Iran appeared to hang by a thread Wednesday after the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House demanded »»»

QNA Doha The Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs honoured 48 students who memorised the Holy Quran during the first quarter of 2026. The students were enrolled in Quranic learning centres under the Department of Da’wah and Religious Guidance. The ceremony, part of the “Quran Memorisa»»»

Matthew Perry is shown in 2017 at a screening of Reelz's "The Kennedy's After Camelot" at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Calif.. Perry died of an accidental ketamine overdose in 2023, and Jasveen Sangha of Los Angeles was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday in connection with hi»»»

QNA Doha The State of Qatar has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, considering it an initial step leading to de-escalation, and stressing the need to build on it urgently to prevent the spread of tension in the region. In a statement on Wednesday, the Minist»»»

The fragile two-week truce between Iran and the United States was hanging in the balance on Wednesday, with Tehran threatening to resume hostilities as Israel launched a major bombardment of Lebanon. Washington and Tehran both claimed victory after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and negotiations »»»

Paris, France: Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored the goals to give a dominant Paris Saint-Germain a 2-0 win over Liverpool in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, as the holders seized a clear advantage to take to Anfield for next week's return. Doue's shot in the»»»

Oil and gas prices plunged, stock markets soared and the dollar retreated Wednesday after the United States and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire that could lead to the Strait of Hormuz reopening. "A wave of relief has hit financial markets after threats of a devastating escalation of the war we»»»

Share: Rescuers work at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, April 8, 2026. Marwan Naamani, In Lebanon hundreds were killed and over a thousand were injured by Israel strikes a day after a ceasefire was agreed On Wednesday morning, Israel unleashed a massive bombing campaign on Lebanon»»»

Dubai: The Middle East’s oil and gas recovery is set to stretch over months — and in some cases years — even as a ceasefire opens a limited path to resume flows. Around 11 million barrels per day of oil production remain shut in across the region, with recovery dependent first on restoring shipping»»»

People attend the Blossom Kite Festival, an event held as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on March 28. During the peak of the heat wave on March 18 and 22, NOAA says that 4,447 daily record high temperatures were set. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI »»»

Tanner Horner pled guilty Tuesday in the kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand of Texas. File Photo courtesy of Wise County Sheriff's Office April 8 (UPI) -- Not long after former delivery driver Tanner Horner was arrested and charged with the kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena »»»

Eman does not remember the last time she manually booked a flight. Her personal AI assistant, linked to her credit cards and loyalty programmes, quietly scans fares, checks her calendar, considers her seat and airline preferences, and then books the optimal option while she sleeps. By the time she »»»

U.S. President Donald Trump will continue to discuss with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the idea of including Lebanon in an Iran war ceasefire deal, his spokeswoman said Wednesday. "This will continue to be discussed, I am sure, between the president and Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netany»»»

As regional tensions continue to unfold, businesses in the UAE are turning to digital legal tools to navigate the complexities of rapidly changing environments. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.According to UAE-based LegalTech platform Legaline, co»»»

Whenever conflict erupts somewhere in the world, energy markets react with remarkable speed. Oil prices move within hours. Shipping routes suddenly dominate strategic discussions. Governments quietly review reserves, supply chains and vulnerabilities. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the G»»»