World - oman observer

Thursday, February 19, 2026 | Ramadan 1, 1447 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI
A woman walks past heaps of trash discarded near a destroyed building in the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees north of Deir Al Balah
Trump says Hamas set to disarm in Gaza deal

US President Donald Trump said that Hamas would give up weapons, a step the fighters have not confirmed, in what would be a major step forward in a fragile ceasefire with Israel."A lot of people said they'll never disarm. It looks like they're going to disarm", Trump told a cabinet meeting.Trump hailed cooperation with Hamas, considered a fighter group by...
A mosque, destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, is surrounded by tents for displaced Palestinians

Ramadan begins in Gaza amid ruins of shattered mosques
A woman arranges flowers left at makeshift memorial to fallen soldiers

Ukraine war talks in Geneva end without agreement
A mock-up of the European New Generation Fighter (NGF) for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) under development displayed during the International Paris Air Show

Germany's Merz casts doubt on European fighter jet plan
Police officers of the dog handling team stand outside French leftist party La France Insoumise (LFI) national headquarters, in Paris

French party reports 'bomb threat' after activist killing
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Philippines VP announces presidential run
A resident walks near damaged cars at the site of a Russian drone strike, in Odesa, Ukraine. — Reuters

Moscow, Kyiv meet for US-brokered peace talks
Trending Stories
The projects are aimed at enhancing tourism and investment readiness

RO 31 million projects in Jabal Shams to boost tourism

The project comprises 10 integrated housing units

Housing units distributed in Jabal Shams

The month of Ramadhan is based on a set of principles that make a person strong and compassionate.

'Follow the true essence of Ramadhan as per religion'

This year’s initiatives include the 'Iftar Saem' programme

Ramadhan package initiatives to boost giving

The announcement was made during a media briefing that highlighted the forum’s key themes

Forum to promote culture of entrepreneurship

INTERNATIONAL VIDEOS
Region
A mosque, destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, is surrounded by tents for displaced Palestinians

Ramadan begins in Gaza amid ruins of shattered mosques

GAZA: ​As the Muslim fasting month ​of Ramadan began in Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinians headed to the shattered ruins of mosques or to makeshift prayer spaces made of tarpaulins and wood, mourning their dead and their lost places of worship. In...

Bilateral meeting between Switzerland and Oman in Geneva
Iran, United States talks conclude in Geneva
Iranian FM Araqchi meets with IAEA Director General Grossi in Geneva. — Reuters
Iran FM meets IAEA chief ahead of nuclear talks
Members of the Kurdish internal security forces stand guard at a checkpoint, while Kurdish forces head towards the front lines at the outskirts of the town of Tel Hamis, following the agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Damascus government, which stipulates the withdrawal of the Syrian army and the SDF from the front lines, in Qamishli, Syria, February 13, 2026.

Syrian Kurdish authorities release 34 Australians
Royal Armed Forces and civil authorities work together to address flooding risks amid rising waters in the Loukkos River, in Ksar El Kebir, Morocco February 2, 2026.

Moroccans return home as waters recede
TOPSHOTS-TOPSHOT-SUDAN-CONFLICT-DISPLACED-FIRE

Drone attack on Sudan market kills 28
Opinion
Rumaitha Al Busaidi
Rumaitha Al Busaidi Ramadhan returns to winter
Thomas L Friedman
Thomas L Friedman Netanyahu plays Trump for fools, again
Ahmed al Mukhaini
Ahmed al Mukhaini Why 11th Plan must marry speed with social balance
Americas

Jesse Jackson

US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson dies at 84

Anderson Cooper to leave ‘60 Minutes’ on CBS

Jet2 flight diverted following midair brawl

Stricter US entry rules for tourists unlikely before mid-2026

Four crew-12 astronauts blast off for ISS on Friday the 13th

Africa

A family moves with their belongings after Cyclone Gezani tore through the port city of Toamasina, on the island of Madagascar, leaving a trail of destruction, February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Cyclone Gezani leaves 59 dead in Madagascar

Death toll in Madagascar cyclone rises to 38, 12,000 displaced

Powerful cyclone kills 20 in Madagascar

Drone strikes WFP warehouse in Sudan

Heavy gunfire in Guinea's capital

Europe

A woman arranges flowers left at makeshift memorial to fallen soldiers

Ukraine war talks in Geneva end without agreement

Germany's Merz casts doubt on European fighter jet plan

French party reports 'bomb threat' after activist killing

Moscow, Kyiv meet for US-brokered peace talks

Rubio hails relations with Orban ahead of Hungary polls

Asia
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Philippines VP announces presidential run

Manila - Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte announced Wednesday she will run for president of the Southeast Asian nation of 116 million in 2028.Duterte, who is embroiled in a bitter feud with...
Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin (L) administers oath-taking ceremony of Tarique Rahman (R) as the country’s Prime Minister, in Dhaka. — Reuters

Bangladesh's new PM Tarique Rahman takes power

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands, in Mumbai. — AFP

France's Macron hails growing India ties, eyes fighter jet deal

A Delhi police personnel stands guard at the Bharat Mandapam prior 'India AI Impact Summit 2026'. — AFP

India hosts AI summit as global safety concerns grow

Senators named 'co-perpetrators' in Duterte ICC case

GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT
Losing international students could devastate many US colleges

Xiaofeng Wan, a former admissions officer at Amherst College, now works as a private consultant to international students who want to come to the United States. This week, as he held meetings in China with prospective...

The campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., Oct. 12, 2018. (Cody O'Loughlin/The New York Times)

Sanitation crisis in Gaza spreads disease

Gazans flee homes as Israeli strikes resume

10 years after typhoon, Philippine city rises from the ruins
Australia
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Man jailed for mailing reptiles in popcorn bags

A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons, and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said Tuesday.The...
Australia's national flag flutters at half mast at Bondi Beach during Australia's National Day of Mourning for the victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting in Sydney. - Reuters

Australia mourns in candlelight for Beach shooting victims

Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of a shooting in Lake Cargelligo, 450 kilometres west of Sydney.

Gunman at large after 3 killed in eastern Australia

A marine life ranger stands near the closed signage of the North Steyne Beach in Sydney. — AFP

shark attacks: Australia shuts dozens of beaches

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Nearly 5 million accounts removed under Australia’s new social media ban

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