24-04-2026 WASHINGTON/ DUBAI: The United States has three aircraft carriers in the Middle East for the first time in 23 years with the arrival of the USS George HW Bush, the US military has said, amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran. The Middle East-based Central Command (CENTCOM) of the US …

24-04-2026 BERLIN: German airline Lufthansa will cut 20,000 short-haul flights over the summer, saying soaring fuel prices have made many journeys “unprofitable” for the firm. Jet fuel has doubled in price since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran as the conflict has slowed its production and transportation across …

24-04-2026 DUBAI: A warning by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has crystallized fears among Gulf States that reopening the Strait of Hormuz may be the most Iran-US talks can achieve, falling short of the broader de-escalation they regard as vital. Officials and analysts expect the next round of negotiations, due …

24-04-2026 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI/ MOSCOW/ LONDON: Russian oil sales to India are set to remain ‌near record highs in April and May following a new US sanctions waiver, and refiners have already secured much of their supply needs via non-sanctioned entities and vessels, traders said and data …

24-04-2026 BEIRUT: The Israeli soldier who hit a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in Lebanon and the soldier who photographed the incident will receive 30 days of military detention, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said. The IDF also said the two soldiers who have not been named would …

24-04-2026 TEHRAN: Iran has been hit by a massive wave of redundancies, both directly and indirectly as a result of the conflict with the US and Israel. It’s Deputy Work and Social Security Minister, Gholamhossein Mohammadi, said two days ago that two million people had lost their jobs because of …

23-04-2026 GENEVA/ COX’S BAZAR: Nearly 8,000 people died or disappeared on migration routes last year, with sea routes to Europe the most deadly and many victims lost ‌in “invisible shipwrecks”, a UN agency said on Tuesday. “These figures bear witness to our collective failure to prevent these tragedies,” Maria Moita, …

23-04-2026 LONDON/ DUBAI: Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained broadly halted on Tuesday with only three ships passing the waterway in the past 24 hours, shipping data showed. A US blockade ‌of Iranian ports has infuriated Tehran, prompting it to maintain its own restrictions on the strait, which …

23-04-2026 BRUSSELS: NATO criticized Russian and Chinese nuclear arms policies on Tuesday and urged both countries to work with the United States to establish greater ‌stability and transparency at an upcoming international conference. In a statement, NATO’s 32 members underlined their “strong commitment to the full implementation” of the Treaty …

23-04-2026 TOKYO: Japan has relaxed decades-old restrictions on its arms exports, clearing the way for it to sell weapons to more than a dozen countries. The announcement on Tuesday marks a milestone in Tokyo’s shift away from the pacifism that has characterized its post-war defence policy. It also comes at …