China's role as an unofficial mediator in the latest war in the Middle East is drawing attention across the world as it seeks to project the image of being a responsible global power while U.S. actions are straining its long-standing alliances. China's profile in international diplomacy has risen i»»»

Dubai: Getting a taxi in Dubai could become easier from this summer after Dubai Taxi Company announced plans to add 600 new vehicles to its fleet, following the latest licence auction by Dubai Roads and Transport Authority. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The expansion»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s planned Gold Line will add 42km to the emirate’s metro network, taking the total length from 120km to 162km, according to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The expansion will also increase the number of stations from 67 to 85, marking a 35% increase in network size. Get update»»»

A previously unknown group calling itself the “Kyriakos Xymitiris Commandos” has claimed responsibility for an arson attack on the car of a professor at the National Technical University of Athens earlier this week. The attack occurred on Monday at the university campus in Zografou, targeting Profe»»»

Dubai: Kingsley Coman bagged a hat-trick as Al Nassr Club defeated Al Ahli SC 5-1 in an enthralling AFC Champions League Two semi-final at Zabeel Stadium yesterday. The win means Jorge Jesus’ side will face Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the final on May 16 and the Saudi Pro League side will be confident o»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Pakistani Interior Minister: Trump’s decision to extend ceasefire with Iran an important step to ease tensions, we expect progress from Teh»»»

New York, April 23 (SANA) The U.N. Security Council held a special session on Syria’s 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, with members emphasizing the need to scale up international support, ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance and respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integr»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed his sorrow over the martyrdom of journalist Amal Khalil, who was martyred in an Israeli bombing that targeted the town of Al-Tiri, which also injured journalist Zeinab Faraj. In remarks cited by National News Agency on Thursday, President Aoun stated that th»»»

QOZ NAFISA: It’s always been challenging for Abbas Awad to find medicines in his village outside Sudan ‘s capital. But since the war in Iran, it’s become harder. Prices have spiked and many pharmacies in the area are out of stock. The latest war in the Middle East has far-reaching effects, includin»»»

Lebanon will not enter negotiations with Israel until a ceasefire is firmly in place, President Joseph Aoun said, calling for a unified national stance. He also stressed the need to prioritize the return of displaced residents to their villages, alongside a crackdown on weapons stockpiles and any a»»»

The “Yas Park Place” project has recorded a notable milestone in Abu Dhabi’s real estate market, as Aldar Properties announced today that 80% of the units released within the new residential development—featuring mid-rise buildings in the heart of Yas Island—have been sold, generating more than Dh8»»»

Israel and Lebanon hold a new round of talks in Washington on Thursday, during which Beirut plans to request a one-month extension of a ceasefire due to expire within days. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates. (FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters and AP)»»»

Singer D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has been charged with killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. On Wednesday, an autopsy report released stating her manner of death was homicide and she died of multiple penetrating injuries. File Photo by Cyril Zingaro/EPA April 23 (UPI) -- »»»

Benghazi Chamber of Commerce received last Monday (20 April) a high-level Japanese delegation, headed by Ambassador Shimura Izuru, to discuss ways to enhance economic cooperation and expand partnership prospects between the two sides, as well as opportunities for Japanese companies to enter the Lib»»»

United Nations: Contenders for next UN secretary-general made their case this week for a United Nations more invested in peace, but avoided taking positions that could antagonize the member states who will choose the world body's next chief. Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, Cos»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Rayyan coach Vicente Moreno expects a tough challenge from Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab in the Gulf Club Champions League (GCCL) final today as his side targets a second trophy in as many weeks. The Lions, who lifted the QSL Cup last week, have produced an impressive campaign in the com»»»

One United Properties (BVB: ONE), the leading Romanian green developer of residential, mixed-use, and office properties, recorded total residential transactions of EUR 60.4 million in Q1 2026, including sales, pre-sales and reservations, corresponding to 144 residential and commercial units, as wel»»»

In areas of southern Lebanon it has occupied since agreeing last week to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, the Israeli army has been destroying homes it says were used as outposts by the Iran-backed militant group. But the demolitions are happening on such a wide scale that residents, Lebanese officials »»»

SINGAPORE: Oil prices extended their gains on Thursday, rising more than $1 ‌in the wake of stalled peace talks between Iran and the US and as both nations maintained restrictions on the flow of trade through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures rose $1.26, or 1.2 percent, to $103.17 a barrel »»»

ABU DHABI: The UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Co., is preparing to compete from April 24 to 26 at the 2026 Paris Open Grand Prix, one of the world’s leading international competitions. Official weigh-ins are scheduled for April 24, followed by preliminary and semifina»»»

COPENHAGEN: Two trains collided Thursday north of the Danish capital Copenhagen leaving many injured, police and media reports said. The accident happened between the towns of Hillerod and Kagerup, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Copenhagen. A police statement called it “a serious accident.” Me»»»

DUBAI: Francesco Torcasio was barely a teenager when he first stepped into a professional kitchen. Aged 15, he took a job in his hometown of Calabria, in southern Italy, at a pastry shop, where he got his first taste of the precision and technique professional cooking demands. Cut to 2017, when he »»»

US: Contenders for next UN secretary-general made their case this week for a United Nations more invested in peace, but avoided taking positions that could antagonize the member states who will choose the world body’s next chief. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Re»»»

Sanya: The 6th Asian Beach Games - Sanya 2026 officially opened yesterday in a festive atmosphere reflecting the cultural diversity of Asia. The opening ceremony, held at the Arena Theatre in Yasha Park, featured a spectacular performance entitled A Date with the Sea and Sky. The vibrant artistic s»»»

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has renewed the marketing authorisation for Philip Morris International (PMI) to sell specific IQOS and HEETS products as Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP). PMI remains the only company to have secured and maintained such authorisations for heated tobac»»»

Amid public and media attention to rising education costs, Kyrgyzstan’s Antimonopoly Regulation Service has conducted a review of tuition fees in private schools in Bishkek. According to the agency, 45 out of 104 private schools in the capital were inspected in April. The findings show that annual »»»

A meeting of the G7 nations on the environment begins in Paris on Thursday, but climate change has been left off the agenda to avoid a dispute with the United States, France’s ecology minister Monique Barbut said, citing efforts to preserve unity and focus on less»»»

The employment rate of the working-age population (15-64 years) stood at 63% in 2025, down by 0.8 percentage points compared with the previous year, according to data the National Institute of Statistics (INS) published on Wednesday.In 2025, the employment rate for the population aged 20-64 was 69%»»»

Investor confidence in Romania recorded a cautious improvement, but the business environment remains concerned about legislative predictability and rising cost pressures, according to the latest edition of the Business Sentiment Index (BSI), a survey conducted in March 2026 by the Foreign Investors»»»

Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said on Wednesday that Eurostat-confirmed data showing Romania's budget deficit falling from 9.3% of GDP in 2024 to 7.9% in 2025 indicates that the country "has entered a real stage of fiscal-budgetary correction and maturation".According to the Finance Ministry, t»»»

The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) closed higher Wednesday's session and the value of transactions amounted to 1.99 billion lei (over 390 million euros), most of which was in bonds of the Ministry of Finance.The main index of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, BET, which includes the 20 most traded comp»»»

The non-reimbursable component of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) increased in the first quarter by 3 billion RON, from 2.8 billion RON to 5.8 billion RON, but the absorption of funds must be accelerated, given the August deadline for meeting milestones and obtaining tranches from »»»

Romania's annual inflation rate will rise and during March - June 2026 it will remain above the levels projected in the February 2026 medium-term forecast, according to the minutes of the National Bank of Romania's Board meeting of April 7, 2026.The Board noted that the February forecast had antici»»»

The European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, Maria Luis Albuquerque, is paying an official visit to Romania, April 23 - 24, informs the European Commission Representation in Romania.The European Commissioner will meet with the Governor of the National Bank»»»

A potential political crisis would send a negative signal to investors and rating agencies, push up the state's financing costs and jeopardise Romania's 6.2% of GDP budget deficit target for this year, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said on Wednesday, noting that the deficit for the first quarte»»»

The PNL (National Liberal Party) chair, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, told President Nicusor Dan on Wednesday that he will continue his term as Prime Minister.'I presented the PNL's position. This position reflects the decisions taken yesterday by the Political Bureau, namely that I will continue to»»»

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) ministers are expected to resign from the government today, before a meeting of the executive, scheduled for 11:00hrs at the Government House.The Social Democrats took the decision on withdrawing from the government on Wednesday, in a meeting of the party's Nationa»»»

President Nicusor Dan said he had asked the parties that participated in the discussions at Cotroceni Palace on Wednesday to "de-escalate" their public rhetoric."We are clearly in a political crisis. This crisis did not start today. For months, misunderstandings have been escalating. What I asked t»»»

Liberal (PNL) leader, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, announced on Wednesday that he had conveyed to the president of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber, that he continues to assume the responsibility of leading the Executive, to ensure responsible governance, the continuation of reforms and t»»»

Unfortunately, we see that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) of Romania has stepped away from its pro-European commitments and is now opposing the very measures agreed upon within the governing coalition, European People's Party (EPP) President Manfred Weber said on Wednesday in a social media post»»»

On April 23, 2015, the Senate confirmed Loretta Lynch as attorney general more than five months after President Barack Obama nominated her. 1 of 3 | Loretta Lynch delivers remarks alongside Vice President Joe Biden after she was sworn in as the 83rd U.S. attorney general at the Justice Department i»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s (MCIT) integrated innovation ecosystem advances sustainability across every stage by empowering founders to build impactful, sustainabilty-driven solutions, while inspiring the next generation to develop environmentally consci»»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Esports Federation, representing the SEF Academy, and the Saudi Entertainment and Event Management Academy, have signed a pact to develop domestic talent in gaming and event management. The agreement was signed recently by Rawan AlButairi, CEO of the SEF, and Dr. Eihab Abourokbah,»»»

Ultimately, everything is judged by the election result, and that result is clear and must be respected, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a live interview broadcast Wednesday evening on the Telex YouTube channel. “I will always be a supporter of Hungary, regardless of w»»»

Doha, Qatar: United Development Company (UDC), the master developer of The Pearl and Gewan Islands, has successfully concluded the fourth edition of The Pearl Island Ramadan Football Tournament 2026, following a competitive and engaging journey that resumed after an unexpected pause lasting several»»»

Copenhagen: Two trains collided Thursday north of the Danish capital Copenhagen leaving many injured, police and media reports said. The accident happened between the towns of Hillerod and Kagerup, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Copenhagen. A police statement called it "a serious accident". Me»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatari Hotels Association (QHA) received H E Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, Chairman of Qatar Tourism, along with Omar Abdulrahman Al Jaber, Chief of Tourism Development Sector; Eng. Abdulaziz Ali Al Mawlawi, Chief Executive Officer of Visit Qatar; and Abdullah Mohammed Al Falasi, Directo»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), a member of Qatar Foundation, hosted founders, operators, and community members at its Doha campus as part of SYNC Spring 2026. The initiative connects Syrian technologists, founders, and ecosystem partners across the diaspora through distributed»»»

J.P. Morgan said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia and the Philippines will be added to its local currency emerging market debt index from January 29 next year. The inclusion will cover Saudi riyal-denominated sovereign sukuk and Philippine peso-denominated government bonds, both entering the widely t»»»