GAZA: Palestinians in one of the only Gaza cities not overrun by Israeli ground forces during the war will vote this weekend in municipal elections that will feature some pro-Hamas candidates, offering a rare barometer of the militant group’s popularity. The vote in Deir Al-Balah is part of Palesti»»»

Lebanese town official Sharif Badreddine begged his youngest son not to leave to fight for Hezbollah against Israel in the country's south, but as the tearful father buried his child he could not hide a sense of pride. In the face of a government push to disarm the group, its supporters call on a l»»»

Doha: Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index closed lower on Wednesday shedding 7.12 points, or 0.07 percent, to settle at 10,677.64 points. A total of 203,741,453 shares were traded in 27,528 transactions across all sectors, valued at QR 489,915,860.157. Shares of 24 companies advanced, while 26 decline»»»

Damascus: President of the Syrian Arab Republic HE Ahmed Al Sharaa has reiterated his country's solidarity with the State of Qatar regarding threats to its security and sovereignty. In a post on the social media platform X, the Syrian president said he held a "fraternal meeting" with HH the Amir Sh»»»

Kyrgyzstan, together with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, is implementing a new energy project. Energy Minister Taalaibek Ibraev announced on Birinchi Radio. According to him, the World Bank will allocate $40 million for the project over 40 years. As part of the initiative, the construction of power lin»»»

1 of 4 | Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s term is nearing its end and President Donald Trump is pushing for his replacement but an investigation into Powell may hold up the appointment of a new chair. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 22 (UPI) -- Federal Reserve Chairman J»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s flagship automotive aftermarket trade show, Automechanika Riyadh, has been rescheduled to Jan. 11–13, 2027, after its original May 2026 dates were postponed due to the Iran war. The event, which was initially set to take place from May 4 to 6 at the Riyadh International Conve»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has announced that it will officially relocate to its new headquarters in Lusail City, with the move taking effect on Sunday, April 26. The ministry confirmed that all services will be provided from the new premises, including Single Window service»»»

BEIRUT: An Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon, bombings in Beirut, massive displacement and rising sectarian friction. The year is 2026, but for those who lived through Lebanon’s civil war five decades ago, it may as well be the 1970s. Lebanese who fought in the 1975-1990 war or documented it as »»»

Israeli strikes killed three people in Lebanon on Wednesday, Lebanese state media said, despite an ongoing 10-day ceasefire, which an official said Beirut will request an extension for in the upcoming talks with Israel in Washington. Ahead of the talks on Thursday, Israel called on the Lebanese gov»»»

Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal's home minister stepped down Wednesday over growing criticism of his finances after less than a month in office he won on an anti-corruption platform. Sudan Gurung, a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal's previous government, said he was steppi»»»

The Federal National Council (FNC) strongly condemned the terrorist plot that sought to undermine national unity and destabilise the country. The plot was uncovered and the terrorist cell responsible for planning it was apprehended. The council affirmed that the group harbored ill intentions toward»»»

Seoul: A South Korean fighter pilot has been ordered to pay 88 million won ($59,200) in damages over a 2021 mid-air collision he caused by trying to get photos and videos of himself flying, an official report said on Wednesday. The pilot, whose identity was withheld, wanted to capture footage of hi»»»

Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a new congressional map that could boost Democrats’ representation in the US House by as many as four seats, reshaping the political landscape ahead of November’s midterm elections. The move, seen as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s push for mid-deca»»»

Florida has opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI following a deadly shooting in 2025 at Florida State University, Attorney General James ​Uthmeier said Tuesday. Authorities are looking into claims that the company's ChatGPT chatbot provided information to the suspect prior to the attack»»»

NASA on Tuesday unveiled the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope, a powerful new observatory designed to map the universe and search for distant planets. Aiming to shed light on dark matter and dark energy, the new telescope will be able to observe light emitted by celestial bodies billions of years »»»

PARIS: A second French soldier died Wednesday "of the consequences of his wounds" suffered in a weekend ambush against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon blamed on Hezbollah, President Emmanuel Macron said. A first soldier was shot dead in the Saturday ambush, for which Hezbollah has denied responsibility,»»»

A second French soldier died on Wednesday from wounds suffered in a weekend ambush against U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon blamed on Hezbollah, President Emmanuel Macron said. A first soldier, staff sergeant Florian Montorio, was shot dead in the Saturday ambush, for which Hezbollah has denied respons»»»

Training for obtaining the Code 95 certificate, required for international freight transportation in the European Union, will be launched in Kyrgyzstan. The program is being implemented by a European company, which will also handle employment for drivers abroad. As Kanybek Tumanbaev, head of the Pr»»»

The dollar edged up against the euro on Wednesday on lingering concerns about the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran, even after President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire to give Tehran more time to present a unified proposal for ending the conflict. Iran seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz »»»

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on X Wednesday the death of a second French peacekeeper who was killed in an ambush in Lebanon on Sunday. Earlier, Beirut said it will ask for a one-month ceasefire extension in its talks with Israel in Washington on Thursday. It comes as US President »»»

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, April 22: An extremist rabbi accused of war crimes has been selected to participate in Israeli Independence Day celebrations. Next: papers look at LGBTQ laws in Hungary and Russia. Also: did someone manipulate France's official meteorological station for insider betting on»»»

A risk management analyst has spoken to FRANCE 24 about what it means, amid the ceasefire, if the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. Paymon Azmoudeh is a senior consultant with the risk and compliance practice at Forward Global. He says he thinks the calculation on all sides is that going»»»

The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been completely closed for six months, a direct consequence of the conflict between Kabul and Islamabad. Despite several mediation attempts, negotiations have failed, and the two countries remain at a diplomatic impasse in a war that has already displ»»»

European Union ambassadors unanimously backed a long-delayed $106 billion loan to help Ukraine keep defending itself when they met in Brussels on Wednesday, along with a 20th package of sanction on Russia. File photo by Patrick Seeger/EPA-EFE April 22 (UPI) -- European Union ambassadors meeting in »»»

By Wade SheridanIranians gather and rally at Enghelab Square in Tehran with a missile on display on Tuesday. The rally came in support of Iran's negotiating team as President Donald Trump extended the cease-fire agreement. A missile identified as "Khorramshahr-4" was on display during a public rall»»»

Best Buy announced on Wednesday that Jason Bonfig will take over as the company's CEO. File Photo John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo April 22 (UPI) -- Best Buy announced its new CEO will be Jason Bonfig, who has worked as the company's chief customer, product and fulfillment officer, to replace Cor»»»

The caretaker Government authorized the ministers of Economy and Industry and Innovation and Growth to negotiate and sign a framework agreement between the Bulgarian Economy Ministry and Lockheed Martin concerning the F-16 Block 70 Industrial Cooperation Programme, the Council of Ministers said on »»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has extended the navigation warning it issued in March. The navigation warning, published on March 18and warning ships and maritime vessels to refrain from approaching the areas where hydrographic surveys are being conducted, has been extended and will remain i»»»

Israeli attacks on Lebanon during its latest war with Hezbollah damaged or destroyed more than 62,000 housing units in the country, a government estimate found on Wednesday. "Within about 45 days (of the war), we had 21,700 destroyed housing units and 40,500 damaged housing units," Chadi Abdallah, »»»

Doha, Qatar: The General Tax Authority (GTA) has announced an extension of the deadline for submitting the tax return for the 2025 tax year until June 30, 2026. This step aims to support taxpayers and enhance tax compliance by providing additional time to fulfill their obligations, according to the»»»

The illegal possession of weapons and ammunition has been discovered in Naryn region, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. According to the agency, information was received on January 15 that a resident of the region may be in possession of weapons allegedly linked to members of organized cri»»»

LONDON: Hundreds of Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday. The Jerusalem governorate said that 508 settlers entered the site, accompanied by Israeli forces, and performed Jewish rituals, including “epic prostration,” near Bab»»»

Doha: The State of Qatar has participated in the fifth meeting of the GCC Committee of Investment Undersecretaries, held virtually on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. The State of Qatar was represented at the meeting by HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Mohammed bin Hassan Al Mal»»»

The EU's top court ruled Tuesday that anti-LGBTQ legislation in Hungary breached the bloc's rules, in a move hailed as a "landmark" victory by Brussels. The European Commission, 16 of 27 member states and the European Parliament took Hungary to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over the law, in w»»»

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday told parliament he was unaware that Peter Mandelson was flagged by security checks prior to his appointment as envoy to the US. The remarks came after Olly Robbins, a senior foreign ministry official who was fired last week, said that Starmer had a "dismi»»»

Rome has called in Moscow's ambassador after a Russian TV presenter attacked Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on air, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Tuesday. The remarks, condemned across the political spectrum, risk deepening already strained ties between Rome and Moscow amid tensi»»»

Iran seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, tightening its grip on the strategic waterway, after US President Donald Trump called off attacks indefinitely with no sign of peace talks restarting. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency said the Revolutionary Guards had seized two ves»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul All Share Index fell 99.97 points, or 0.88 percent, to close at 11,244.99 on Wednesday. The MT30 index declined 12.41 points, or 0.82 percent, to 1,510.16, while the parallel market Nomu rose 1.18 points, or 0.01 percent, to 22,861.47. Trading turnover on th»»»

Sharjah : Families in Kalba facing court rulings over rental disputes are set to receive targeted financial support under a new agreement between Sharjah Charity International and Kalba Municipality. The initiative centres on fast-tracking assistance to residents in financial distress, using a coor»»»

His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on Wednesday morning launched Al Qawasim application and digital platform, dedicated to documenting the history of Al Qawasim family. The launch took place at Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre in the presenc»»»

Hungary and Slovakia have lifted their Russia vetoes, marking the end of an era, with the next round of EU sanctions on Moscow to snap into place almost immediately. The move, which legally comes into effect at 1PM on Thursday (23 April), marks the final collapse of outgoing Hungarian prime ministe»»»

SANYA: Senior officials from the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) have visited the national delegation's headquarters in Sanya, China, to review preparations for the 2026 Asian Beach Games in Hainan Province. QOC Second Vice President Thani bin Abdulrahman Al Kuwari and Secretary-General Jassim bin Ra»»»

DOHA: President of the Syrian Arab Republic HE Ahmed Al Sharaa departed Doha on Wednesday following a working visit to the country. The president and the accompanying delegation were seen off at Doha International Airport by Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Mohammed bin Ab»»»

PARACIN - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday he believed in the pragmatism of Hungary's future PM Peter Magyar and noted that he was very pleased with their telephone conversation on Tuesday about key topics for further advancement of overall Serbia-Hungary relations. Vucic said t»»»

Central and Eastern Europe is rapidly becoming the focal point of Europe’s defence industrial expansion, driven by rising military spending, supply chain restructuring and the war in Ukraine, according to a new KPMG report. »»»

ROME: Extreme heat is pushing global agrifood systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods and health of more than a billion people, according to a new report by the UN’s food and weather agencies. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organiza»»»