Iran fired on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, damaging the vessel and complicating efforts to bring the United States and Iran together in Pakistan for talks to end the war. The morning attack by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came after U.S. President Donald Trump s»»»

US President Donald Trump said he would indefinitely extend the ceasefire with Iran to allow for further peace talks, although it was not clear on Wednesday if Iran or Israel would agree. Trump said in a statement on social media the US had agreed to a request by Pakistani mediators "to hold our At»»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai dropped sharply on Wednesday morning as markets reacted to easing geopolitical tensions following a US move to extend a ceasefire with Iran. Spot gold rose 1.48 per cent to $4,770.01 per ounce, as of 11:07 am UAE time, after falling to its lowest level since ​April 13 on»»»

Doha, Qatar: Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), a Qatar Foundation partner university and branch campus of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia (US), will showcase Aghrab Idrāk: Thresholds of Perception, a Collateral Ev»»»

MALABO: Pope Leo XIV is visiting one of Equatorial Guinea’s notorious prisons Wednesday, drawing attention to human rights abuses that campaigners have denounced for years and especially after the US began deporting third-country migrants here. Leo’s visit to the prison in Bata, the central African»»»

MALABO: Pope Leo XIV is visiting one of Equatorial Guinea’s notorious prisons Wednesday, drawing attention to human rights abuses that campaigners have denounced for years and especially after the US began deporting third-country migrants here. Leo’s visit to the prison in Bata, the central African»»»

KYIV: The killing of seven people by a gunman in Kyiv has ignited debate in Ukraine over who should be allowed to carry weapons --with many pushing for a loosening of the country’s strict gun laws.The motive of the shooter who was born in Moscow, lived in eastern Ukraine, and opened fire with a reg»»»

President Donald Trump extended the U.S. ceasefire with Iran to allow more time for peace talks, with Tehran silent on the decision early Wednesday. Trump indefinitely pushed back the end of the two week truce, crediting a request from mediator Pakistan and stressing the need to give Iran's "fractu»»»

An agent of Israel’s Mossad, identified as “M”, was killed abroad during operations against Iran, Mossad Director David Barnea said on Tuesday during an Israeli Remembrance Day ceremony for the organization's fallen. The agent played a major role in collecting intelligence related to Israel’s wars »»»

An Iranian gunboat fired at a container ship off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, causing damage but no casualties, a British maritime security agency said. "The master of a container ship reported that the vessel was approached by one IRGC gunboat... that then fired upon the vessel, which has cause»»»

On April 22, 2005, Zacarias Moussaoui, the only man charged in the United States in connection with the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. 1 of 8 | Courtroom artist Andrea Shepard leaves the courtroom after Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty to co»»»

The Libyan Business Council (LBC) signed a cooperation agreement last Monday (20 April) with the Indonesian Business Council today, under the auspices of the Indonesian Embassy in Libya and in cooperation with the Jakarta Chamber of Commerce. The signing took place during an official event held on »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s 2026 Year of Culture (YoC) with Canada and Mexico is emerging as a dynamic platform for international cultural diplomacy, fostering long-term partnerships and people-to-people connections, according to Years of Culture Advisor on Latin American Affairs, Mohammed Al Kuwari. Spea»»»

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has warned that fines of up to SR100,000 ($27,000) will be imposed on those who transport visit-visa holders to Makkah to perform Hajj. Vehicles used to transport these people will be confiscated, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently. The ministry has urged t»»»

An Israeli strike on Lebanon's Bekaa region killed one person and wounded two others on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, despite an ongoing truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. "One person was killed and two others were wounded as a result of an attack carried out by an enemy dr»»»

Doha, Qatar: Jumbo Electronics, a leading technology and enterprise solutions provider in the region, has announced a strategic partnership with NSquare Xperts, a global digital transformation and enterprise modernisation specialist. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in Jumbo»»»

Doha, Qatar: In partnership with the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is implementing a livelihood project to help improve the economic conditions of the people of Gaza. Dr. Akram Nassar, head of QRCS’s representation office in Gaza, expla»»»

State Secretary of Kyrgyzstan, Arslan Koichiev, proposed preserving the historic building of the former pretrial detention center in Osh and converting it into a museum. He announced this on Facebook. According to him, the building is located in the city center and has historical value. As Arslan K»»»

Skopje, 20 April 2026 (MIA) - Macedonia and Kazakhstan signed Monday an agreement on setting up a bilateral business council and a memorandum for promotion of trade and economic cooperation, aimed at strengthening economic ties and increasing trade exchange. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and F»»»

TOKYO: Oil prices were largely flat on ​Wednesday after rising about $1 at the start of Asian trading, with investors assessing the outlook for ‌US-Iran peace talks following the US extension of a ceasefire. Brent crude futures were up 3 cents, or 0.02 percent, at $98.51 a barrel at 07:38 a.m. Saud»»»

Ukrainian drones attacked two residential buildings in Syzran, causing the entrance sections of one of them to collapse, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations reports. The injured people, including two children, are receiving medical assistance, the report states.Earlier in the morning, the bui»»»

Washington: OpenAI, a leading AI research company, announced a new update to its image generation mechanism in ChatGPT, adding what the company describes as "thinking capabilities," enabling online search and the creation of a set of related images based on just one command. The update is based on »»»

Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah met yesterday with Ambassador of the Republic of Guinea to the State of Qatar H E Thierno Abdoulaye Sow. During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest.»»»

Doha, Qatar: United Development Company (UDC), a leading Qatari public shareholding company and the master developer of The Pearl and Gewan Islands, announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2026, reporting net profit of QR71m on revenues of QR459m. The net profit attributable to the»»»

Doha, Qatar: Gulf Warehousing Company (GWC Group), one of the region’s leading logistics groups providing cross-border and integrated logistics solutions, released its financial performance data for the first quarter of 2026 following a Board of Directors meeting held yesterday and chaired by GWC G»»»

The Employers' Organisation of Renewable Energy Producers in Romania (PATRES) and Creative Communications are organising the 5th edition of the Solar Energy Bucharest Summit, at the Palace of Parliament, on April 22-23.According to the organisers, the B2B event dedicated to solar energy in Romania »»»

Around 80% of employers believe that the development of artificial intelligence will not affect hiring volumes over the next two years, although they expect to seek candidates with different skills than those currently in demand, according to a survey conducted by an online recruitment platform.Fou»»»

The National Company Maritime Ports Administration Constanta has taken over the company ICS Danube Logistics, the operator of the Giurgiulesti Port, a strategic investment for Romania, with regional and European stakes, announced on Tuesday the Minister of Transport, Ciprian Serban."I am glad that »»»

The Minister of Labor, Petre-Florin Manole, had a meeting with the US Ambassador to Romania, Darryl Nirenberg, during which they discussed the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the field of labor and social protection and common directions of action in the context of current challenges on t»»»

The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) continued its decline in Tuesday's trading session, which closed with a total turnover of approximately 121.7 million lei (23.9 million euros), up from 88 million lei (17.26 million euros) in the previous session.The main index of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, BET»»»

Romania's borrowing costs will increase as a result of the political crisis and its effects are already being felt in the economy, President of the Fiscal Council Daniel Daianu said on Tuesday."Good faith in political action, represented by Parliament, must lead to a resolution as quickly as possib»»»

National Liberal Party (PNL) leader and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced that the party he heads will begin talks with the political groups supporting the current government - Save Romania Union (USR), the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and the group of national minorities»»»

National Liberal Party (PNL) chairman and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Tuesday that the party will attend the consultations convened by President Nicusor Dan at the Cotroceni Palace with the mandate set out in the resolution adopted by the Liberal leadership.Asked what mandate PNL will take »»»

President Nicusor Dan will hold consultations on Wednesday at the Cotroceni Palace with the leaders of the governing coalition."Under his constitutional prerogatives, the President of Romania, Nicusor Dan, has invited on Wednesday, to the Cotroceni Palace, the leaders of the following parliamentary»»»

Police in Crete intensified their search Wednesday for a 43-year-old mother of three as the investigation into her disappearance took a grim turn following the discovery of her former partner’s body. Eleftheria Giakoumaki has been missing since Sunday morning after leaving her home in the village o»»»

Education will become a strategically important sector under a Tisza government, the party’s president wrote on Facebook on Tuesday after holding consultations with the principals of 15 secondary schools run by different maintaining bodies. Péter Magyar said that in reshaping the education system t»»»

The European Court of Justice has officially declared Hungary’s child protection law unlawful due to discrimination and stigmatization. In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) annulled the law on protection against paedophiles and the protection of childr»»»

A Tisza government is committed to improving the business environment for enterprises and will increase economic productivity and the efficiency of the domestic SME sector through a comprehensive series of measures, István Kapitány, the Tisza Party’s nominee for minister of economy and energy, wrot»»»

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Tournament debutants Machida Zelvia secured a place in a first Asian Champions League (Elite) final following a controversial 1-0 victory against UAE side Shabab Al Ahli in Jeddah yesterday. The Japanese team, who until this season had never appeared in the continent’s premier»»»

Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority announced on Tuesday a significant environmental milestone with the rehabilitation of more than 614,000 hectares of reserve land. The figure represents over 60% of the total national environmental accomplishment of rehabilitating the»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Ahli coach Younes Ali yesterday acknowledged a tough challenge against Al Nassr but said his team is ready and eager to put in a strong performance in the AFC Champions League Two semi-final at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai today. Al Ahli, who defeated Jordan’s Al Hussein 3-1 in the quart»»»

President Tamás Sulyok has convened the inaugural session of the new National Assembly for 10 a.m. on May 9, the Sándor Palace announced. Under Hungary’s Fundamental Law, the inaugural session must be convened by the president for a date within thirty days following the general election of members »»»

DUBAI: Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard opened fire Wednesday on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship and further raising the stakes as planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan failed to materialize. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center sai»»»

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on Lebanon’s Bekaa region killed one person and wounded two others on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, despite an ongoing truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.“One person was killed and two others were wounded as a result of an attack carried out by an e»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) has launched Government Scholarship Plan for the 2026–2027 academic year, introducing a range of qualitative programs and benefits aimed at enhancing human capital and aligning higher education outcomes with the strategic needs of »»»

The capital’s police continue to actively identify and prevent cases of illegal trafficking of narcotics, psychotropic substances, and precursors, the press service of the Main Internal Affairts Department of Bishkek reported. According to the press service, operative officers from the Drug Control»»»

1 of 3 | Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel hold a press conference at the Department of Justice Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 22 (UPI) -- Federal prosecutors Tuesday even»»»

Dubai: An Iranian gunboat fired at a container ship off the coast of Oman on Wednesday, causing damage but no casualties, the UKMTO British maritime security agency said. "The master of a container ship reported that the vessel was approached by one IRGC gunboat... that then fired upon the vessel, »»»

DUBAI: Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard opened fire Wednesday on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship and further raising the stakes as planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan failed to materialize. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center sai»»»

Thailand plans to reduce the visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days for citizens of 93 countries and territories, Bangkok Post reported. According to the Kingdom’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, this is being done to combat crime, particularly fraudsters who abuse visa-free stays by»»»