MANILA: Philippine and US forces will carry out maritime strike drills on a remote Philippine island near Taiwan during annual exercises that started on Monday, which Manila’s military chief said would test their readiness under “real‑world conditions.” The April 20 to May 8 exercises known as “Bal»»»

BAGHDAD: Aboard an oil tanker plying the tense waters between the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, Iraqi Captain Rahman Al-Jubouri continues to work in one of the world’s most volatile maritime corridors, where the US-Israel war with Iran has disrupted global trade and left some crews strande»»»

Oil and European natural gas prices surged after Tehran re-closed the Strait of Hormuz and fired on vessels following the US Navy’s seizure of an Iranian ship, halting all shipping traffic through the vital energy corridor. The turbulent weekend escalation saw Tehran re-impose restrictions on the w»»»

Diplomatic efforts to stabilise the ceasefire between the United States and Iran entered a delicate phase on Monday, as both sides sent mixed signals over the prospects of a new round of talks in Pakistan. Iranian officials stressed that deep-rooted mistrust of Washington remains a key obstacle to »»»

Dubai: The global financial system’s reliance on the US dollar for oil trade is being tested in real time as the Iran war approaches the two-month mark, with a fragile two-week ceasefire window now in focus. What began as a geopolitical shock has evolved into a deeper market shift, forcing investor»»»

LONDON: The death toll from the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip since Oct.7, 2023 has risen to 72,553, according to the Palestine news agency, Wafa. A total of 172,296 people have been injured in the conflict. Palestinian medical sources said on Monday that two people had been killed and 22 in»»»

April 20 (UPI) -- Two people were killed Monday in a shooting near a North Carolina middle school where two children agreed to meet for a fight, police said. Law enforcement officials were alerted to a fight at Leinbach Park on Robinhood Road near Jefferson Middle School in Winston-Salem, N.C., at »»»

Iran has denounced a US attack on one of its vessels as “armed maritime piracy,” warning of retaliation. On Sunday, a US warship fired at and subsequently seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman. The military said the ship, identified as the Touska, was attempting to breach a nav»»»

After Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top leaders and commanders were killed on February 28, “it took Iran 10 minutes to retaliate” and start targeting US bases across the Gulf and in Israel, says veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier. “Therefore, the IRGC is the one running the show,” Mag»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Monday he believed a nuclear ​deal the US is currently negotiating with Iran will be better than a 2015 international agreement to curb Tehran’s nuclear program. “The DEAL that we are making with Iran will be FAR BETTER than the JCPOA, commonly referred to»»»

LONDON: King Abdullah of Jordan and the president of Finland, Alexander Stubb, attended a military tactical exercise in Amman on Monday. It took place at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center, which trains special operations units at the regional and international levels. King Abd»»»

1 of 3 | Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to collect election materials, including ballot information. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo April 20 (UPI) -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has rejected the Trump administration's atte»»»

Iraq revives key Syria trade route, boosts regional links Dubai: Iraq reopened a strategic border crossing with Syria on Monday, restoring a key trade and transit route that had been closed for more than a decade following the rise of ISIS. The Rabia crossing, located in Iraq’s north-western Nineve»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received Monday a telephone call from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait HE Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Discussion during the call dealt with the two countri»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received Monday a telephone call from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait HE Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Discussion during the call dealt with the two countri»»»

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States, as Washington's delegation prepared to depart for Pakistan on Monday. The uncertainty over the talks on ending the war that engulfed the region and rattled global markets came as U.S. Presiden»»»

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a case over whether a public school district violated parents’ rights by using preferred pronouns and a preferred name for their child. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo April 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined»»»

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today received Edi Rama, Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, who is on a working visit to the UAE. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to further develop UAE–Albania relations across priority sectors, notably the econ»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani received a telephone call from Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman HE Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi. The two sides discussed aspects of bilateral coopera»»»

Share: The Israeli military said it viewed the soldier’s actions with “great severity” There has been widespread condemnation after an image of an Israeli soldier apparently hitting a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon went viral. Israel’s prime minister said he was “stunned an»»»

Moscow on Monday called for the US-Iran ceasefire to be maintained and for diplomatic efforts to continue, after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke with his Iranian counterpart, a close Russian ally. "The Russian side again emphasized the need to preserve the truce, which must be observed within »»»

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on March 18. On Monday he sued The Atlantic for $250 million in damages. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo April 20 (UPI) -- FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic on Monday, seeking $250 million in da»»»

Fujairah: The UAE is fending off around 800,000 cyberattacks each day, even during periods of relative calm, underscoring the persistent and evolving nature of digital threats, a senior official has said. Dr Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, revealed the scale of the acti»»»

Iraq has reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade to accelerate overland fuel oil exports and revive cross-border trade amid disruption to Gulf shipping following the Iran war, Iraqi border officials said on Monday. The crossing, located in Iraq’s northern Nineveh prov»»»

Luanda: And in Africa, the lion roared. There is a case to be made that Pope Leo XIV, the careful, reserved, Midwestern Augustinian, found his voice on his epic trip through Africa, blasting the “handful of tyrants” and “chains of corruption” that have held the continent hostage for centuries. But »»»

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for the United States and Iran to de-escalate amid increased tensions over the weekend over the Strait of Hormuz. "Our position remains the same. We need ‌to settle ‌things through diplomacy. ‌Everyone must ⁠calm down," Macron ⁠said during a joint p»»»

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stressed that honoring commitments is essential for dialogue, while condemning U.S. demands for Iran’s surrender. "Honoring commitments is the basis of meaningful dialogue. Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward US gov conduct remains, while unconstructive & con»»»

Originally published at Napunk The soon-to-be-formed Tisza government in Budapest will differ from Viktor Orbán’s governments not only in personnel but also in structure. Over the four terms since 2010, Viktor Orbán has repeatedly reshaped his governments, abolishing traditional ministries and fold»»»

TASHKENT (Sputnik) - Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to resume construction of new units at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran as quickly as possible once peace is restored, the company's CEO Alexey Likhachev said on Monday. "Our most important task, once peace is restored in t»»»

Share: File photo- Ambassador Simon Karam, was named by president Joseph Aoun to lead the negotiations with Israel Lebanese President Joseph Aoun named former Lebanese ambassador to Washington Karam to head the negotiations, and said the talks will be “separate from any other negotiations”, in refe»»»

Pristina: The trial in Pristina over an alleged secession attempt in northern Kosovo entered its final phase Monday, April 20, 2026, with the defence rejecting charges against three Serbs accused of "terrorist acts". In September 2023, a group of dozens of heavily armed men led by Serb Milan Radoic»»»

In the leadup and throughout the seven-week war, U.S. President Donald Trump has faced criticism from the left and from some of his own supporters that he followed Israel’s lead into launching the conflict. But Trump on social media is blaming the media for pushing what he claims is a false narrati»»»

The United Arab Emirates has warned the US Treasury that it could be “forced to use Chinese yuan” in oil trade, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. UAE Central Bank Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama delivered what the newspaper described as an “implicit threat” against the dollar’s dominant po»»»

Israel says it has established a "Yellow Line" in south Lebanon near the border, where its forces are operating despite a 10-day ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah. What is the so-called "Yellow Line", how does it resemble an Israeli military demarcation in the Gaza Strip and where does it leave »»»

After a month-long closure triggered by the Iran–Israel–US conflict, Global Village has reopened with renewed energy, and a sharpened focus on safety. As we are told by security, the priority is clear: Keep calm, stay alert, and protect every visitor who walks through the gates. We have to be calm.»»»

Iran was poised and ready to retaliate against a recent US attack on the Iranian Touska container vessel in the Gulf of Oman, the Iranian Armed Forces’ Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters stated. "But due to the presence of some family members of the ship’s crew on board, an operational response w»»»

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said on Monday that it was in President Joseph Aoun's interest to withdraw from direct talks with Israel, while adding that his group wanted the current ceasefire to last. "It is in the interest of the state, the interest of Lebanon, the president of the republic»»»

Iran said it had yet to decide whether to attend a new round of peace negotiations with the United States on Monday, casting uncertainty on a push to stop the Middle East war from resuming. US President Donald Trump said he was sending negotiators to Pakistan for talks on ending the war that engulf»»»

Global Village has officially reopened its door today continuing its milestone 30th season, and it's bringing more than just nostalgia. Since first welcoming visitors in 1997, the beloved shopper's attraction has grown into one of the UAE's most beloved destinations, drawing a record-breaking 10.5 »»»

LONDON: Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met with Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah in Doha on Monday to discuss efforts to deescalate hostilities and restore stability in the Middle East. The meeting focused on regional developments and the need to intensify Arab efforts to ac»»»

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced on Monday new partnerships in energy supply chains and critical technologies to address global trade fallout from the US–Israeli war on Iran. Lee arrived in India as the war, which started on Feb. 28, »»»

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»»»

Abu Dhabi: UAE State Security authorities announced they have dismantled a terrorist cell and arrested its members over alleged involvement in covert activities aimed at undermining national unity and destabilising the country. According to the statement carried by Emirates News Agency (WAM), inves»»»

Beirut, April 20 (SANA) Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned attempts to destabilize Syria and undermine public order, referring to a plot announced by the Syrian Interior Ministry on April 19. In a statement, the ministry expressed solidarity with Syria and rejected any involvement by Le»»»

DUBAI: A “terrorist organisation” has been dismantled and its members arrested over alleged plans to carry out coordinated attacks aimed at undermining national security, authorities in Abu Dhabi said on Monday. The State Security Service said investigations found the group had links to Iran’s “Wil»»»

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, »»»