The latest developments in the Middle East war: - Lebanon unaware of Israel talks - Lebanon is unaware of any planned contact with Israel, an official source told AFP, after US President Donald Trump said the leaders of the two countries would speak on Thursday. "We are not
'It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years,' Trump said, announcing the talks. A Likud minister confirmed Prime Minister Netanyahu will speak to Lebanon's president
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, April 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said leaders of Lebanon and Israel will speak, saying he was "trying to get a little breathing room" between the countries, after more than six weeks of war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
By Jonathan Stempel April 16 (Reuters) - Tehran has sought to tighten its grip over the Strait of Hormuz by charging tolls on vessels to ensure safe passage, in conjunction with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The following explains law governing toll collections and
SYDNEY, April 16 (Reuters) - Australia and Malaysia are committed to working together to strengthen their energy supply chain resilience and promote stable trade flows, the countries said in a joint statement on Thursday. The statement added that Australia and Malaysia shared
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will "for sure" participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war. "Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help," Infantino told an
By Florence Tan SINGAPORE, April 16 (Reuters) - A second U.S.-sanctioned supertanker has entered the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, shipping data showed, despite a U.S. blockade on vessels visiting Iranian ports. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the blockade on Sunday
By Steve Holland and Maayan Lubell WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM, April 16 (Reuters) - Optimism grew on Thursday that the war in the Middle East may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the administration of President Donald Trump talking up hopes for a deal that
In a packed hall in Qamishli's sports stadium in northeast Syria, Firas Ahmad is one of dozens of Kurds waiting to apply for citizenship after many in the minority were barred from doing so for decades. Since last week, "unregistered" Kurds, who have been stateless since a
LIV Golf on Wednesday moved to reassure players and staff that it remains fully funded, as reports circulated that the breakaway tour is on the verge of collapse due to the possible withdrawal of Saudi Arabian financing. The Saudi-backed tour has bitterly divided the world of
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked two resolutions that would have stopped the sale of some $450 million in bombs and bulldozers to Israel, as President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans rallied behind his support for the
YouTube has terminated a channel belonging to a pro-Iran group producing viral Lego-themed AI videos that ridicule US President Donald Trump, the Google-owned platform said Wednesday, sparking online criticism. Explosive Media, a group of pro-Tehran creators that describes
The United States announced Wednesday it is tightening sanctions against Iran's oil industry as Tehran keeps up its closure of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the Mideast war. The new punishment targets oil transport infrastructure by slapping sanctions on more than two dozen
IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva warned Wednesday of difficult times ahead for the global economy if war in the Middle East is unresolved and oil prices stay high, adding that inflation risks could seep into food prices. "We must brace for tough times ahead" if the conflict
Israel has often struck alleged Hezbollah militants or officials in their homes without warning, frequently in parts of Lebanon far from the front line, when they are with their families, in apartment buildings surrounded by uninvolved neighbors
Lebanon's pro-government camp views the talks in Washington as part of a broader effort to curb escalation, while the pro-Hezbollah camp warns of a path detached from the reality on the ground. Beirut is waiting to gauge domestic reactions before forming a stance, a Lebanese
LONDON, April 15 (Reuters) - The World Bank and other top development lenders launched a new global initiative dubbed Water Forward on Wednesday, aimed at improving secure water access for a billion people within the next four years. The programme seeks to boost investment in
By Nolan D. McCaskill and David Morgan WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - White House budget director Russell Vought said on Wednesday he could not estimate the cost of the Iran war, as he defended President Donald Trump's request for a massive $1.5 trillion annual military
April 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday it was targeting Iran's oil transportation infrastructure by imposing sanctions on more than two dozen individuals, companies, and vessels. The sanctions target a network of Iranian oil shipping magnate
Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who had reposted verified CNN footage of U.S. fighter jets being shot down in Kuwait, has been detained since early March on charges that press freedom groups say are being used to intimidate journalists. His arrest was unknown for six weeks
WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - Reports that the White House has requested a ceasefire in the Iran war are wrong, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday but added that discussions about a second round of talks with the Iranians were ongoing and
WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - A majority of the U.S. Senate backed President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran on Wednesday, voting to block a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the war until hostilities are authorized by Congress. As voting continued, the
JERUSALEM, April 15 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday the Israeli military continued to strike at Hezbollah and was about to overcome what he described as the militia's stronghold of Bint Jbeil, as pressure mounted for a ceasefire between Israel
Lebanese media portrayed the meeting in Washington as a coerced concession, while officials downplayed its significance. 'It does not reflect the interests of Lebanon or the Lebanese people,' said one journalist
By Nazih Osseiran and Jihed Abidellaoui BEIRUT April 15 - Brothers Ali and Wael Sabbagh stood facing the remains of the building that contained their family home for more than 50 years. The site was pounded into rubble by Israeli strikes last week in an attack that killed their
By Parisa Hafezi and Jonathan Saul DUBAI, April 15 (Reuters) - Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Oman side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack as part of proposals it has offered in negotiations with the United States if a deal is clinched
Sudanese pilot Mohamad Daafallah grins as he shakes hands with passengers after their landing at Khartoum Airport, exactly three years after it was bombed to shreds during the outbreak of war in Sudan. The airport was one of the last footholds of the rival paramilitary Rapid
April 15 (Reuters) - The Kremlin's spokesman was quoted as saying on Wednesday that the United States had rejected its proposal that Russia take all of Iran's enriched uranium out of the country as a way to help resolve the Middle East conflict. Russia first proposed last
Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed warns of resurgent sectarian tensions as Israeli strikes drive mass displacement into overcrowded Beirut.
Cargo vessels altering their identification signals have created a cat-and-mouse game for the US Navy east of the Strait of Hormuz, while most of Iran’s “ghost fleet” appears to remain in a holding pattern.
The kingdom's stock market climbed to its highest level of the year on Wednesday, with the kingdom’s equities now far outperforming the S&P 500 and other global and regional indices.
April 15 (Reuters) - The war in Sudan entered its fourth year on April 15 overshadowed by other regional and global turmoil, despite having created what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. WHO IS FIGHTING? The war pits the Sudanese army, led by
The Islamic Republic has detained hundreds of people in Khuzestan province, home to Iran’s largest Arab community.
China's President Xi Jinping met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday as a string of leaders of countries affected by the Middle East war flock to Beijing. Lavrov joins Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin
The Emirati vice president and Iran’s parliament speaker talked de-escalation on the phone in the first such contact since the Iran war began.
The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen reported a week-long Lebanon cease-fire may begin overnight Wednesday, citing a senior Iranian official. The Israeli army said it has not been asked to change its deployment and is awaiting the cabinet's decision
April 15 (Reuters) - United Nations experts on Wednesday condemned Israel's bombing in Lebanon earlier this month as "illegal aggression and indiscriminate bombing campaign", the United Nations Human Rights Council said. "This is not self-defence. It is a blatant violation of
By Florence Tan and Mariko Katsumura SINGAPORE, April 15 (Reuters) - The U.S.-sanctioned tanker Rich Starry made its way back to the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after exiting the Gulf the day before, shipping data showed, failing to break through a U.S. blockade on vessels
Iran's speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has emerged as the key negotiator and most high-profile figure of the Islamic republic's leadership as it enters a new phase due to the US-Israeli war. A pillar of the Iranian establishment for some three decades and one of
ANKARA, April 15 (Reuters) - A student shot at least four people dead including fellow pupils and wounded at least 20 others at a middle school in southeastern Turkey on Wednesday, the local governor said, marking the country's second school attack in two days. Three students
By Mireia Merino April 15 (Reuters) - Luxury hotel Burj Al Arab in Dubai will shut during a major 18-month renovation, a staff member confirmed on Wednesday, its first since opening in 1999 and at a time when tourism in the region has slowed due to the U.S.-Israeli war with
A flotilla of some 40 boats set sail for Gaza from Barcelona on Wednesday in a fresh bid to break an Israeli blockade and deliver aid to the devastated territory, organisers said. The Global Sumud Flotilla had initially been set to depart from the Mediterranean port on Sunday
An international media association on Wednesday accused the Israeli military of discrediting a Lebanese journalist it killed last month by circulating an AI‑generated image of him in Hezbollah fatigues. Three Lebanese journalists, including Ali Shoeib -- a prominent
Two school shootings in neighboring Turkish provinces within 24 hours left at least four dead and dozens injured, raising rare concerns over school safety and firearm access.
Two school shootings in neighboring Turkish provinces within 24 hours have left at least nine dead and dozens injured, raising rare concerns over school safety and firearm access.
BEIRUT, April 15 (Reuters) - Hezbollah said on Wednesday the Lebanese government's decision to hold talks with Israel was "a national sin" that would widen divisions in Lebanon, underlining deep polarisation in the country as the Iran-backed group wages war with Israel.
The Washington Post report states that deployment of additional troops allows the Trump administration to continue negotiating with Iran, while also preparing for 'the possibility of additional strikes or ground operations'
Before the two-week cease-fire expires on April 22, mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points that derailed direct talks last weekend – Iran's nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages – one official said
