The European Union has unveiled plans to shield households and businesses from the energy crisis triggered by the war with Iran. The bloc says it has spent an additional €24 billion on energy imports because of higher prices since the war began, and it urged more investment in r»»»

Air defense systems were activated in parts of Tehran on Thursday evening amid reports of hostile aerial activity, Iranian state media said in the first such reports since a ceasefire began. The IRNA state news agency said the "sound of air defense firing" was heard in western Tehran, while the Meh»»»

A French soldier who was gravely wounded in an attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon last week has succumbed to his wounds, President Emmanuel Macron has said. Another French peacekeeper was killed in the incident and two more were injured; their patrol came under small-arms fire in the village of G»»»

FIFA, Saudi Arabia: The highlands of Jazan region are a major tourist attraction as they offer a stunning natural landscape of towering terrain and diverse vegetation, drawing visitors seeking distinctive experiences among peaks and valleys. Located 100 km east of Jizan, at over 2,000 meters above »»»

PARIS: Italy has played down suggestions that its national team could replace Iran at the World Cup, following reports that an envoy to US President Donald Trump had asked FIFA to consider the move. US special envoy Paolo Zampolli told the Financial Times it would be a “dream” to see four-time Worl»»»

1 of 2 | Two trains collided between Hilleroed and Kagerup at Isteroedvejen, Denmark, Thursday morning. At least 19 are injured. Photo by Steven Knap/EPA April 23 (UPI) -- Two passenger trains crashed head-on in Denmark on Thursday leaving 18 injured, five of them critically, law enforcement offici»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on a Cambodian senator, alongside people and entities in his network, charging that they have been “defrauding Americans” at scam compounds across the Southeast Asian country. Senator Kok An and his affiliates were said to have operated “out »»»

As US-brokered direct talks between Lebanon and Israel unfold in Washington, Congress is stepping up pressure of a different kind, pushing the Lebanese army to act on pledges to disarm Hezbollah or face a freeze in annual US military aid. Senior congressional sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Repub»»»

Los Angeles, United States: More than four million tickets were sold worldwide for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics during this month's first window for purchases, organizers announced on Thursday. Ticket buyers were from 85 nations, with top global sales beyond the United States coming from the Unite»»»

JERUSALEM: Defense minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel was “prepared to resume the war against Iran,” adding that his country was awaiting a green light from the United States to return Iran to “the Stone Age.” “The IDF is ready both defensively and offensively, and the targets have b»»»

Doha: The General Authority of Customs and Qatar Aviation Services signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two parties in the field of customs clearance for personal imports, contributing to the enhancement of service standards, simplification of pr»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Lebanese government will not sign any agreement with Israel as part of negotiations unless it includes a "full withdrawal" of the Israeli troops from its territory, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. "We cannot live with a so»»»

OSLO: The Iran war is having a devastating humanitarian impact globally with ​higher energy prices making everything from filling the tank of an aid lorry to paying employees and buying food for displaced people costlier, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council said on Thursday.The NRC is one of »»»

HOUSTON: Kash Shaikh, the former chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Dubai-based Baseball United, has been appointed chief marketing officer and head of international at Perfect Game, the world’s largest platform for elite youth baseball and softball. Having built the region’s first professional baseb»»»

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel was "prepared to resume the war against Iran", adding that his country was awaiting a green light from the United States to return Iran to "the Stone Age". "The IDF is ready both defensively and offensively, and the targets have been marked,»»»

Brussels, Apr.23 ( SANA) The eurozone’s private sector slipped back into contraction in April, marking its weakest performance in nearly a year and a half since November 2024, as the war in Iran hit services and fuelled inflation. The war in the Middle East, involving Iran, has now done what no tra»»»

Tonight's second round of preparatory direct talks between Lebanon and Israel will be held at the White House instead of the State Department, Lebanese TV networks said. The meeting is scheduled for 11:00 pm Beirut time (8:00 pm GMT). MTV and Al-Arabiya later reported that U.S. President Donald Tru»»»

An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed three people on Thursday, the Lebanese health ministry said, the latest attack despite a 10-day truce in the Israel-Hezbollah war. In a statement, the ministry said that "an Israeli airstrike on the Shoukine road in the Nabatieh district," more than 30 k»»»

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed three people on Thursday, the Lebanese health ministry said, the latest attack despite a 10-day truce in the Israel-Hezbollah war. In a statement, the ministry said that “an Israeli airstrike on the Shoukine road in the Nabatieh district,” more t»»»

Accra, Ghana: Newly-appointed Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said Thursday that leading the Black Stars at the 2026 World Cup will be "the biggest challenge" of his career. The arrival of the veteran Portuguese coach, who oversaw Iran at the 2022 World Cup and also spent a season at Real Madrid, has sp»»»

Dubai: Iran’s decision-making core has undergone a quiet but profound transformation, with real power shifting away from clerics to a hardened network of military commanders, according to a detailed report by The New York Times. At the centre of this shift is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamen»»»

Iran has the justification for its Hormuz tolls, as it can cite “severe constraint” from US sanctions and war, Professor Azmi Hassan, senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy of Strategic Research in Malaysia, tells Sputnik. It also has unique leverage in that it effectively controls the waterway, he»»»

WASHINGTON: Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was seriously wounded in the US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei but is mentally sharp, the New York Times reported on Thursday. Citing several Iranian officials which it did not name, the Times said Mojtaba»»»

The US is not setting any deadlines for concluding the war against Iran, President Donald Trump has said. The remarks contrast with Trump’s earlier claim, made shortly after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, that the fighting would last “four to five weeks.” He also repeate»»»

GENEVA: An Iranian government spokesperson says the men’s national team are preparing for “proud and successful participation” in their World Cup games in the United States. Iran’s ability and willingness to go to the World Cup across north America starting June 11 has been unclear since the US and»»»

Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approved the merger with Paramount Skydance Thursday morning. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo April 23 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted to give their preliminary blessing to the long-debated merger with Paramount Skydance Wednesday »»»

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed efforts being made to achieve a complete cessation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon with the speaker of its parliament Nabih Berri on Thursday. In a phone call with Berri, Prince Faisal also discussed developments in Lebanon and reitera»»»

LONDON: Syrian authorities announced on Thursday the resumption of flights to Damascus International Airport from Doha and Jeddah, beginning May 1, following weeks of stoppage amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The Syrian General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport said that Qatar Ai»»»

Crunchy, gooey, sweet and easy to make, crispy rice treats are a dessert that delivers joy and invites creativity. The recipe as we know it first appeared on a box of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal in 1940 and is a simple combination of the cereal, marshmallows, butter and vanilla. It has not only »»»

Italian officials have rebuked a US proposal for their national football team to replace Iran at the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Italy lost the chance to participate at the World Cup for a third successive time after a humiliating penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a playoff last mon»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will continue seeking recognition of Nazi crimes against Soviet people as genocide, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. "Our diplomacy will consistently strive to ensure that the crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators against Soviet citizens of al»»»

The abrupt departure of US Navy Secretary John Phelan has come at a particularly sensitive moment — with American naval forces deeply engaged in operations linked to the Iran conflict and a fragile ceasefire still holding. The Pentagon announced that Phelan was leaving “effective immediately,” offe»»»

Lebanon's leaders accused Israel on Thursday of committing a war crime, after an airstrike killed a Lebanese journalist in the country's south, with the Israeli army saying it was reviewing the incident. Rescuers and the reporter's employer on Wednesday confirmed the death of Amal Khalil, a 42-year»»»

ANKARA: Turkiye is making efforts to revive negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and bring together the leaders of the warring sides, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a meeting in Ankara, the Turkish presidency said on Wednesday. Earlier on Wednesday, Ky»»»

Dubai: Dubai's flagship Emirates is confident it will rebound quickly from disruptions caused by the Iran conflict, with President Tim Clark saying strong demand will help the airline recover lost ground and fend off competition. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Speakin»»»

The United Nations said Thursday it was "working on" maintaining a presence in Lebanon once the mandate for its UNIFIL peacekeeping force expires at the end of the year. "In terms of the post-UNIFIL, we're currently in the process of working on these options," said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the U.N. Und»»»

BERLIN: The son of the ‌former Shah appealed to Western countries to join the war against Iran and criticised the decision of the German government not to meet him during his visit to Berlin on Thursday. Reza Pahlavi, whose father was deposed in the revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomei»»»

Tripoli — Sulzer has launched a joint venture with Jawaby Services & Investments Ltd, a subsidiary of the National Oil Corporation, marking a significant step toward rebuilding and localizing Libya’s industrial and energy services sector. The new entity, Jawaby Sulzer Services, will operate from th»»»

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea: Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his African odyssey on Thursday with a final Mass in Equatorial Guinea, bringing to an end one of the newsiest papal trips in the history of popes on the road, thanks to his extraordinary back-and-forth with President Donald Trump. A powerful rains»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon will formally urge Israel to immediately halt attacks on journalists and paramedics during US-sponsored talks in Washington, a day after an Israeli strike killed a Lebanese reporter and wounded another in southern Lebanon. An official source told Arab News that the demand was added »»»

The Pentagon blasted as cherry picking and false on Thursday a news report saying that the department assessed it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon shared the six-month estimate during a »»»

The 9th meeting of the Transport Ministers of the Organization of Turkic States was held in Bishkek. The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Transport of Kyrgyzstan, Talantbek Soltobaev. During the meeting, the parties noted the active development of cooperation in the transport sector and ident»»»

Sharjah: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has issued an Emiri Decree on the establishment of “Wadi Al Qarha” Nature Reserve in the Emirate of Sharjah. The decree stipulates that a natural reserve named “Wadi Al Qarha Nature Reserve”»»»

SPA Hotel Devin aims to turn the Rhodope area into a leader in health tourism by continuing its balneotherapy traditions, the hotel manager Dzheylyan Kokalova told BTA. Even before the mass development of tourism, the area was known as a natural sanatorium for respiratory problems, bone diseases, a»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is set to host another major international wrestling event this summer, with WWE confirming the return of its “Night of Champions” showcase to Riyadh. The event will take place at Kingdom Arena on June 27, as part of the Kingdom’s expanding entertainment calendar under Riyadh S»»»

Paris, France: The Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) unanimously adopted the International Action Plan to Protect Education from Attacks during its 224th session, in what was described as a first-of-its-kind step within international fr»»»

Britain and France Thursday voiced hope that a military plan to protect the Strait of Hormuz was coming together and would succeed in restoring trade flows through the vital passage. At a two-day meeting in London, a dedicated operational planning group on Wednesday presented a decision brief to mi»»»

Lebanon has accused Israel of war crimes after a reporter for a Lebanese newspaper was killed on Wednesday in a strike on a house in the southern village of al-Tiri, where she had taken cover after an earlier attack targeted the vehicle she was traveling in. Amal Khalil, a reporter for Al-Akhbar, w»»»

Interim Peruvian President José María Balcázar sought to suspend the roughly $3.5 billion acquisition of 12 F-16s from Lockheed Martin, arguing that the decision should be left to the next administration that takes office in July. File Photo by Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA April 23 (UPI) -- Peru's planned »»»

By April 22, a total of 166 election-related case files have been opened by the Sofia City Prosecution Office, the prosecution said, reacting to allegations regarding its work on cases involving individuals with immunity. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov said tha»»»