The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has reinforced a strict ban on manufacturing or storing food products without proper licensing during the 2026 Hajj season, warning that violators could face up to 10 years in prison and fines of SR10 million. In a statement, the authority said all food fact»»»

Candidates for the top job at the United Nations pledged on Wednesday to pursue reforms to revive the body, while reaffirming its core role in peacemaking and development. Four contenders aim to succeed Antonio Guterres next year, following hearings with member states and civil »»»

Sadri Haghshenas spends her days selling borek — a layered, savory pastry — at a shop in Istanbul, but her mind is on her daughter in Tehran. The family had to send her home to Iran after they ran into difficulties renewing her visa, despite fears that a shaky ceasefire could soon collapse. For yea»»»

A judge in Virginia on Wednesday blocked the results of the state's Tuesday referendum that approved lawmakers to redraw its congressional map. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 22 (UPI) -- A judge in rural Virginia on Wednesday blocked the results of Tuesday's state referendum, b»»»

BARCELONA: Barcelona moved closer to retaining their ‌LaLiga title with a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo on Wednesday, but the win was overshadowed by an injury to Lamine Yamal, who scored the first-half spot kick that ​settled the match. With six games remaining, Barcelona lead the standings on 82 po»»»

WASHINGTON: Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his job, the Pentagon abruptly announced Wednesday, the first head of a military service to depart during President Donald Trump’s second term but just the latest top defense leader to step down or be ousted. No reason was given for the unexpected d»»»

Candidates to become the next head of the United Nations vowed ​on Wednesday to revitalize the troubled organization by pursuing reforms, while championing its core principles of peacemaking and support for development. Four candidates are vying to succeed Antonio Guterres as UN secretary-general f»»»

Ukraine could face ‌increased risks in securing US anti-missile defenses if the war in Iran goes on for an extended period of ​time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday. Zelensky, interviewed by CNN, said Ukraine received limited numbers of such weaponry because US production w»»»

SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACAN, Mexico: Officers with bomb-sniffing dogs circled cars and searched bags of tourists filing into historic pyramids outside of Mexico City on Wednesday just days after a man opened fire on tourists. The heightened surveillance was part of a promise by Mexican authorities followi»»»

LOGAN, Utah: President Donald Trump’s administration took the unusual step this week of sending a government plane to Cuba to return a 10-year-old from Utah who is at the center of a complicated and contentious custody fight involving the child’s gender identity. The child's parent, Rose Inessa-Eth»»»

INSTITUTE, West Virginia: A chemical leak at a West Virginia silver recovery business on Wednesday killed two people and sent about 30 others to hospitals, including one in serious condition, authorities said. The leak occurred at the Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute as workers were preparing t»»»

Ukraine has resumed pumping Russian crude through the 5,500 km Druzhba oil pipeline into Hungary and Slovakia after months of halted transit caused by war-related damage. The move immediately broke a political deadlock over a €90 billion (≈ $106 billion) European Union (EU) loan seen as vital finan»»»

A former Beast Industries employee is suing MrBeast's media production company after she was allegedly fired from her social media manager job upon returning from maternity leave and following years of what she described as sexual harassment and workplace gender bias. The lawsuit, filed by Lorrayne»»»

NEW YORK: The New York Times says the FBI investigated whether one of its reporters, Elizabeth Williamson, violated laws against stalking after she wrote a story nearly two months ago about how federal agents had been assigned to protect and give rides to FBI Director Kash Patel's girlfriend. The F»»»

Share: The late Amal Khalil, a Lebanese journalist working for the pro-Hezbollah daily Al Akhbar newspaper, reports near a destroyed bridge in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, on March 22, 2026 [Mohammed Zaatari/AP Photo] Senior Iranian officials have blamed Washington for stalled peace negotiations due to the U»»»

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has refused to release former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, ruling that it has jurisdiction over his case despite his country’s withdrawal from the tribunal. The 81‑year‑old will remain in custody in The Hague. Duterte was arrested at Manila airport i»»»

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez has formally asked the International Monetary Fund to release nearly $5bn in frozen assets, testing the limits of a diplomatic rapprochement that has forced the country's ruling Chavista movement to abandon decades of ideological hostility towards the Wa»»»

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services' proposed fiscal year 2027 budget in the Dirksen Senate Office Building near the U.S. Capitol in Washing»»»

1 of 2 | Xavier Beccera, right, then U.S. Secretary of health and human services, greets Rep. Cori Bush D-Mo. in 2023 as he arrives at a school for a roundtable discussion. Beccera is one of the candidates for California governor who will take part in a televised debate Wednesday. File Photo by Bil»»»

On 15 and 16 April, the US evacuated its last remaining base in Syria, bringing to a close more than a decade of American military presence in the country. The withdrawal from the Qasrak base in Hasakah province amounts to a declaration by Washington and Damascus that relations between the two coun»»»

Brazil revoked the credentials of an American police attache on Wednesday after a Brazilian official was forced to leave the United States -- the latest twist in troubled bilateral ties. The Trump administration on Monday asked Marcelo Ivo, a liaison officer in Miami for Brazil's federal police, to»»»

Former U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan, far right, listens to Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, second from right, in South Korea. Phelan is out as Navy Secretary effective immediately, the Pentagon said Wednesday. File Photo courtesy of Hanwha Ocean April 22 (UPI) -- John Phelan is out as »»»

Florida has launched a criminal probe into OpenAI and ChatGPT over a shooting spree at Florida State University, which the perpetrator planned with the help of the AI chatbot. The incident occurred in April 2025, when the suspect allegedly killed two and injured six people. He was subsequently inju»»»

1 of 2 | A layer of smog covers downtown and the nearby areas in 2019 in Los Angeles. California has some of the worst rankings in air pollution in the United States, the 2026 State of the Air report from the American Lung Association said Wednesday. File photo by Etienne Laurent April 22 (UPI) -- »»»

EU member states on Wednesday gave a preliminary approval to unlock a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The decision comes after delays linked to an oil dispute with Hungary over the Druzhba pipeline.  EU countries on Wednesday gave a preliminary green light to unblocking a €90 billion loan for Uk»»»

The US Navy has fiercely denied claims that its warships in the Middle East are running low on food and leaving its sailors “hungry all the time,” as Washington’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continues. Photos showing dismal, mostly-empty trays of food circulated online, with the claims that sh»»»

Tribune News Network Doha The Qatar Winter Sports Committee (QWSC), in collaboration with Years of Culture (YoC), is set to launch a year-round programme of winter sports development initiatives as part of the Qatar Canada and Mexico 2026 Year of Culture partnership. This marks a major step in expa»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, a global foundation for education and development, Assalam Schools marked the Foundation’s recognition at the inaugural Rawda Award for Excellence in Social Work in the Non-profit Organisations category for the Together Project through»»»

US President Donald Trump has said Iran’s leadership is “seriously fractured”. Trump made this declaration in announcing another extension of the ceasefire and signaled that US pressure on Tehran will continue. He said the truce would be kept in place to give negotiations "more time", while the US »»»

QNA Doha The Cabinet has commended the efforts of His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in working to de-escalate tensions, promote peace, and prioritize diplomacy and dialogue as the primary means of resolving disputes. During its weekly meeting, chaired by Pr»»»

The Cabinet reviewed a draft law amending provisions of Law No 11 of 2016 concerning the State Audit Bureau and took the appropriate decision. It also approved Qatar’s accession to the International Transport Forum, reflecting the country’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation in t»»»

Tribune News Network Doha The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) has announced the launch of the pilot test for the TIMSS 2027 international study, starting on April 26, 2026, with the participation of a sample of 40 public and private schools, targeting Grade 4 and 8 students, as p»»»

Iranians are confronting mass layoffs and soaring inflation amid destroyed infrastructure and internet blackouts. We take a closer look. But first: US senators grill Donald Trump's nominee for Federal Reserve chair, and the global condom industry takes a blow from supply chain issues tied to the cl»»»

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s government said it was beefing up security at tourist sites after a man opened fire on tourists at pyramids outside of Mexico City less than two months before the FIFA World Cup. The Monday shooting, carried out by a lone gunman on top of one of the Teotihuacan pyramids — a UN»»»

BAGHDAD: The United States blocked a plane carrying nearly $500 million in banknotes from delivering the cash to Iraq, US media reported on Tuesday, piling pressure on Baghdad to fight Iran-backed militant groups. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has suspended cash shipments to Iraq»»»

GAZA STRIP: Though Gazans normally use molokhia, or jute leaves, for soup, Abu Yahya Helles coats the crumbled, dried leaves in liquid nicotine and rolls them into cigarettes as a tobacco alternative. In war-ravaged Gaza, where shortages are still acute, some are now smoking Helles’ home-made roll-»»»

I will be honest, when I heard we were heading to a place called Loft, I pictured exposed brick, high ceilings, maybe a view. What I did not expect was a ground-floor restaurant with not a single step in sight. It was my first hint that Loft at U Walk in Riyadh was going to keep me guessing all nig»»»

NEW YORK: It might be hard to imagine the Iran war weighing on stuffed toys with names like Snuggle Glove, Bizzikins and Wobblies, but even plush playthings are not immune when oil shipments from the Middle East are constrained. Like many soft toys, the creatures developed by a manufacturer in Fort»»»

PARIS: Iran hanged a man on Wednesday convicted of links to Israel’s Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said, with two NGOs based outside the country saying he worked for the Iranian atomic energy organization. The execution of Mehdi Farid was the latest in a number of hangings of high-profile convic»»»

1 of 2 | Pope Leo XIV waves during a welcome ceremony upon his arrival Saturday at 4 de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda, Angola. On Wednesday, the pope spoke to officials in Equatorial Guinea, the last stop on his trip. File photo Jose Sena Goulao/EPA April 22 (UPI) -- On the final stop o»»»

Washington: The United States blocked a plane carrying nearly $500 million in banknotes from delivering the cash to Iraq, US media reported on Tuesday, piling pressure on Baghdad to fight Iran-backed militant groups. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has suspended cash shipments to I»»»

Dubai: Kuwait’s Ministry of Education has confirmed that the learning process will continue remotely until further notice, stressing that no changes or new decisions have been issued so far. In a statement, the ministry said the measure is aimed at safeguarding students as well as teaching and admi»»»

With their towering, cinnamon-colored trunks and dusky green canopies, ponderosa pine has long been a charismatic icon of the American West. Yet a quiet unraveling has begun: in the past decade, in a vast area from Santa Fe to the Sierras, more than 200,000 ponderosa have died. While some trees wil»»»

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez has formally asked the International Monetary Fund to release nearly $5bn in frozen assets, testing the limits of a diplomatic rapprochement that has forced the country's ruling Chavista movement to abandon decades of ideological hostility towards the Wa»»»

Businessman and former political power broker Vladimir Plahotniuc received on April 22 a 19-year sentence for five counts including the appropriation of $39mn and €3.5mn as part of a criminal organised group responsible for the 2014-2015 bank fraud known as the $1bn bank fraud. »»»

Leaders from Central Asia and neighbouring countries issued a stark warning on Wednesday that the global shift to a low-carbon economy risks deepening inequality unless it is managed fairly, with stronger support for developing countries that have contributed least to climate change but face some o»»»

AMSTERDAM: Appeals judges ruled on Wednesday that the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction over former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, dismissing a bid to throw out his trial over his alleged pivotal role in the murder of thousands of people. Families of the victims who were watching»»»

MARYLAND: NASA unveiled a new telescope on Tuesday to scan vast swathes of the universe for planets outside our solar system and probe the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. The Roman space telescope is expected to discover tens of thousands of planets, possibly offering clarity about how ma»»»

LONDON: Europe’s commercial aviation sector is moving closer to a jet fuel crunch as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to choke off supplies from the Gulf, threatening summer travel plans for millions and forcing airlines and governments to weigh rationing, cancellations and emergency fu»»»

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's judicial branch has taken on hundreds of alleged MS-13 members in a mass trial. File Photo by Rodrigo Sura/EPA April 22 (UPI) -- The Attorney General's Office of El Salvador presented new witnesses in the trial against 486 alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha»»»