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»»»

AMMAN — As Jordan joins the global celebration of the first International Day of Women in Industry, marked on April 21, the spotlight this year falls on a steady, transformative shift rather than a single defining breakthrough.Women are increasingly shaping the direction of industrial growth, both »»»

RIYADH: When Saud Abdulhamid made the move to Europe in 2024, signing for AS Roma from Al-Hilal, it signaled an exciting moment for the growth of Saudi footballers on the global stage. Just 380 minutes of playing time across eight appearances last season quickly caused that excitement to fade, howe»»»

JEDDAH/RIYADH: International Mother Earth Day, which is observed annually on April 22, was established by a 2009 UN General Assembly resolution to recognize the planet as humanity’s shared home and to promote action on climate change, livelihoods, and biodiversity loss. This year’s theme, “Our powe»»»

LONDON: Lebanese authorities have accused Israeli forces of trapping two journalists in the southern town of Al-Tiri and blocking rescue teams from reaching the area after a drone strike nearby killed two people. Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israeli forces had prevented the Red Cross and the»»»

BERLIN: Bayern Munich became women's Bundesliga champions for the eighth time, and fourth in a row, after a 3-2 win at Union Berlin on Wednesday. The victory took Bayern an unassailable 15 points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg, who could only manage a 0-0 draw Werder Bremen. With the scores level»»»

Syria has moved since early this year from internal unrest in the northeast, the coast, and the south to relative calm and attempts to impose a new security and political order, most clearly seen in the security file and in an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces. But the shift has set up an»»»

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wants an explanation about the unauthorized participation of U.S. agents in field operations on Mexican territory. Photo by Alberto Estevez/EPA April 22 (UPI) -- President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that Mexico sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. Embassy req»»»

Rising oil prices are no longer just an energy market story; they are feeding directly into the cost of clothing. From petrochemical plants to fabric mills and retail racks, a complex supply chain is passing on higher costs, pushing up the final price consumers pay. According to the “Materials Mark»»»

April 22 (UPI) -- A Montana moose went for a self-guided tour of Bozeman and even took a nap in front of a radio station called The Moose. Alivia Ballenger, a student at Montana State University, glanced outside her apartment Monday morning and saw a moose running across the neighboring vacant lot.»»»

President Joseph Aoun’s comments on Wednesday came a day before a second meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors. Aoun said in comments released by his office that preparations are ongoing for negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. He said the»»»

Dubai: In the Dh30 million UAE Lottery Lucky Day draw on Wednesday, a number of participants have walked away with cash prizes, while the top jackpot once again went unclaimed. In Draw No. 260422, the winning numbers in the Days section were 18, 9, 7, 29, 13, and 15, while the Months section winnin»»»

BEIRUT: Israeli attacks on Lebanon during its latest war with Hezbollah damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 housing units in the country, a government estimate found on Wednesday. “Within about 45 days (of the war), we had 17,756 destroyed housing units and 32,668 damaged housing units,” Chadi Ab»»»

Deir al-Balah in central Gaza will hold the enclave’s first local elections in nearly two decades, with voting set to begin on Saturday alongside municipal polls in the occupied West Bank. A decree by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas designated Deir al-Balah as the only voting site in Gaza, citi»»»

Peru's general election, held on April 12, has produced what its fragmented political system reliably delivers: no first-round winner, a disputed count and a paralysed electoral authority. With no candidate near an outright majority, a runoff on June 7 is now certain. But who will face conservative»»»

As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its second month, one of the most consequential geopolitical actors has been conspicuous by its silence. China has not intervened, has not condemned, and has not chosen sides in any meaningful public way. But Beijing is not simply watching. It is calculating — and a»»»

Peru's general election, held on April 12, has produced what its fragmented political system reliably delivers: no first-round winner, a disputed count and a paralysed electoral authority. With no candidate near an outright majority, a runoff on June 7 is now certain. But who will face conservative»»»

The conflict that has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of global crude and a significant share of gas supplies, has done more than spike oil prices. It has laid bare how dangerously concentrated energy supply had become around a single chokepoint, sending importers s»»»

The conflict that has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of global crude and a significant share of gas supplies, has done more than spike oil prices. It has laid bare how dangerously concentrated energy supply had become around a single chokepoint, sending importers s»»»

An article by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti takes a critical tone on the Paks nuclear project and cautions Hungary’s incoming leadership against revisiting the agreement, 444.hu writes on April 21. RIA ran the »»»

Russia's coal industry is heading toward a systemic crisis from which the Kremlin's patronage network can no longer shield it, according to a paper published this week by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The»»»

Migrants from their their plane at the Guatemalan Air Force base after arriving on the last deportation flight of the year from the United States, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on December 30, 2025. File Photo by Alex Cruz/EPA ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, April 22 (UPI) -- Paraguay has rejected nine of the »»»

After nearly 3 years in office, Borislav Sarafov resigned as Bulgaria's acting prosecutor general on Wednesday morning. His tenure was overshadowed by a lingering controversy over his legitimacy. A number of Bulgarian courts argue that, under Judicial System Act amendments effective January 21, 202»»»

H.E. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, will pay an official visit to the United Kingdom on 23-24 April 2026.»»»

The United Nations is pushing its proposal for a humanitarian corridor to get fertiliser and other essential goods through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked since the start of the Iran war. This plan, which FRANCE 24 has seen, has yet to be approved by several countries.»»»

American surveillance tech contractor Palantir released a 22-point manifesto over the weekend, calling for a “new era” of AI-enabled US military supremacy. The internet went wild, with the text being labeled a blueprint for “technofascism.” Posted on X on Saturday, the document goes far beyond the »»»

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, said that the UAE’s education system, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President»»»

Damascus, Apr. 22 (SANA) Director of Research and Studies at the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Obeida Ghadban, affirmed Wednesday that President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s participation in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026) marks a pivotal shift in Syrian foreign»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held a phone conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, and noted that the discussion, which addressed key issues of the Serbia-EU relationship, had been good and open and that he had highlighted Serbia's commitme»»»

FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. A federal judge in Houston tossed Patel's lawsuit against a former FBI counterintelligence official accusing him of defamation. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Phot»»»

The Israeli enemy continued its violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon, targeting again the vehicle that had been struck in an airstrike in the town of Al-Tiri, leaving two martyrs and preventing ambulance crews from reaching the scene. The Zionist enemy targeted the same spot again, besie»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow hopes that the visits of US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to Russia on the Ukrainian settlement will continue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. "We hope that these visits [of Kushner and Witkoff's to »»»

KHARTOUM: For nearly two years, Al-Shubbak watched through ancient grey eyes as Tuti, the crescent-shaped island in the heart of the Sudanese capital she calls home, emptied of its inhabitants under a punishing paramilitary siege. She refused to leave. “I didn’t even move for the English when they »»»

New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed lawsuits against cryptocurrency companies Coinbase and Gemini for violating state gambling laws. FilePhoto by Derek French/UPI | License Photo April 22 (UPI) -- New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed lawsuits against cryptocurrency compan»»»

Proposed electoral reform revives one of Argentine President Javier Milei's campaign promises. File Photo by Demian Alday Estevez/EPA BUENOS AIRES, April 22 (UPI) -- President Javier Milei said he will send Congress a bill Wednesday to overhaul Argentina's electoral system, including eliminating pr»»»

SANYA: President of the Olympic Council of Asia and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani has graced the opening ceremony of the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China. In a post on his X account, Sheikh Joaan said the opening of the Games marks an important mil»»»

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it apprehended and returned dozens of Israeli civilians who had briefly crossed into Syria on Wednesday, with Israeli media reporting that the group were activists from a settler organization.The military said around 40 people gathered near Israel’s northern bor»»»

RIYADH: The first W Hotel has opened in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, marking the entry of the chain into Saudi Arabia. KAFD said in a statement that the opening represents a significant step in strengthening the district’s hospitality offerings and cementing its status as a premier bu»»»

Japan Petroleum Exploration (JAPEX) has issued a press release warning of the impact on its business from escalating tensions in the Middle East, indicating that higher LNG procurement costs and suspended oil production are expected to weigh on earnings. »»»

As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its second month, one of the most consequential geopolitical actors has been conspicuous by its silence. China has not intervened, has not condemned, and has not chosen sides in any meaningful public way. But Beijing is not simply watching. It is calculating — and a»»»