A humanoid robot has been declared champion at a half-marathon running race held in Beijing, China, on Sunday, far outpacing human participants and beating the world record. The autonomously navigated robot Shandian was presented with the laurels after a remote-controlled robot, Lightning, who technically finished first, was denied the prize under the event's weighted scoring rules.
Skip next section Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Germany for talks April 19, 2026 Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Germany for talks Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to Germany from April 21 to 23 to shore up the defense strategic partnership between the two nations.
Bulgarians are voting in an election on Sunday that many hope will put an end to the political impasse that has long dogged the country. The snap vote follows the resignation of a conservative-led government amid nationwide anti-corruption protests last December.
Skip next section Houthis threaten to close key waterway April 19, 2026 Houthis threaten to close key waterway Yemen's Houthi rebels have threatened to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait off Yemen, amid escalating rhetoric between Tehran and Washington. The Yemeni militia is part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, a network of pro-Iran regional armed groups.
Spain, Brazil and Mexico have pledged to boost aid efforts for Cuba to ease a humanitarian crisis they say is the result of a US blockade against the Caribbean island nation.
A gunman opened fire in Ukraine's capital Kyiv on Saturday, killing six people and wounding more than a dozen others, authorities said. Five people were killed instantly and a young woman died in hospital from wounds sustained in the shooting. The gunman himself was also killed. The assailant also took hostages.
The US Navy's Southern Command has resumed attacks on what US President Donald Trump's administration says are "drug boats," claimed to be smuggler vessels used by cartels to transport narcotics from South America to the US. This brings the total number of ships sunk to over 50 since September 2025, according to various media reports.
Skip next section Iran's sudden Hormuz reversal: What it signals now April 19, 2026 Iran's sudden Hormuz reversal: What it signals now Marianna Evenstein Tehran has reimposed its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying it would reopen the critical waterway.
A French soldier with the multinational United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, was killed on Friday in an ambush. Three others were wounded, two of whom severely, in what UNIFIL and French officials called a "deliberate attack."
Skip next section Opposition MPs hit back at Modi over women quota defeat April 18, 2026 Opposition MPs hit back at Modi over women quota defeat There was sharp criticism and strong reactions from Indian opposition lawmakers after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Saturday, a day after the government’s women’s quota bill
British counter-terrorism police are investigating an arson attack on a shop in an area of London with a large Jewish population, authorities said on Saturday. The incident happened late Friday in Hendon, in the northwest of Britain's capital.
The sun rises behind a tanker anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026.