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 stepping down to ensure »»»

Lebanese Civil Defense personnel in the southern border town of Rmeish on Wednesday provided first aid to a wounded Hezbollah fighter who had crawled to Ain Ebel from Bint Jbeil, the National News Agency said. "They then contacted the Lebanese Red Cross to transport him to a safe area," NNA added. »»»

Chisinau: A Chisinau court sentenced oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc to 19 years in prison on Wednesday in a case linked to the disappearance of $1.0 billion from the Moldovan banking system. A former businessman, lawmaker and kingpin in the Democratic Party of Moldova, Plahotniuc fled the country in »»»

A US Army nuclear surety official has reportedly described the rampant corruption he witnessed in Ukraine since the administration of US President Barack Obama. The interview was released by the media group run by the controversial journalist James O’Keefe, whose modus operandi is to send reporters»»»

Katmandu: 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 stepping down »»»

Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority has announced the adoption of the “Advanced Agriculture 4.0” system, as part of its efforts to support digital transformation in the agricultural sector. Officials said the system marks a shift from traditional farming methods to a more modern, data-d»»»

The upper age limit for military reservists in Germany should be raised to 70 given that people stay fit longer, Bastian Ernst, the newly elected president of the country’s Reservists’ Association, has said. Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany has pursued a major recru»»»

LG AI Research head Lim Woo-hyung (L) speaks with NVIDIA Vice President Bryan Catanzaro at the company’s head office in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo by LG Group SEOUL, April 22 (UPI) -- South Korea's LG AI Research said that it has agreed to strengthen cooperation with NVIDIA to develop next-generation »»»

Abu Dhabi: Indians in the UAE will need to use a new service provider for passport renewals, visa applications, and other consular services from July 1, after tour and travel firm Alhind Tours and Travels won a three-year contract to replace the long-standing operator BLS International. The Embassy»»»

Dubai: The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) has stepped up efforts to enhance worker welfare, conducting a field visit to the Arab Construction Company site as part of its ongoing drive to improve living and working conditions across the emirate. The visi»»»

“The resignation of Borislav Sarafov should be followed by the election of a new Prosecutor General, but for that to happen, the Supreme Judicial Council must first be replaced. Therefore, I believe this should be the first task of the new National Assembly, which is expected to convene next week,”»»»

Zurich: FIFA has announced the release of a new allocation of tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 50 days ahead of the tournament's kick off in North America. In a statement published on its official website, FIFA said fans will be able to purchase tickets for all 104 matches through FIFA's online»»»

DUBAI: The Liverpool Arab Arts Festival will return from July 17 to 26 across various venues in the British city, organizers announced this week. Now in its 24th year, the UK’s longest-running annual festival dedicated to Arab arts and culture will present a wide-ranging program celebrating creativ»»»

DHAHRAN: The Damiani-published coffee table book “Azzedine Alaia and Christian Dior, Two Masters of Haute Couture” gorgeously weaves together a thread of visual dialogue between these iconic 20th-century couturiers. Through photographs capturing these sculptural garments, it is a visually elegant f»»»

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 »»»

Parliament of Kyrgyzstan approved Ulan Mamatkanov’s candidacy for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers. The decision was made at a meeting of the Zhogorku Kenesh. Members of Parliament did not ask Mamatkanov questions; his candidacy was approved unanimously. The new acting Deputy»»»

Borislav Sarafov should have stepped down from his post long ago and unblocked this entire process, President Iliana Iotova told journalists ahead of the EU Radio and Television Media Summit in Sofia, noting that this was her personal opinion. When there were not enough arguments for him to remain »»»

The Health Ministry sent instructions to the regional health inspectorates on actions to be taken in cases of suspected violence and on the implementation of the Coordination Mechanism for Assistance and Support to Victims, the Ministry said on Facebook on Wednesday. The aim is for the mechanism to»»»

MAKKAH: The National Center for the Prevention and Control of Plant Pests and Animal Diseases in Makkah held a coordination meeting and simulation to implement a hypothetical plan for reducing animal health risks ahead of the Hajj season. Hosted at the headquarters of the Saudi Arabia Project for t»»»

Property owners have until June 15 to clear weeds and dry vegetation from their land or face fines, under new fire prevention rules that simplify requirements established three years ago. The obligation covers plots within city plans, open spaces, land within 100 meters of settlement boundaries, an»»»

A specialized training on river connectivity restoration will take place in Bulgaria from July 14 to 17, the organizers from the Science for Nature Foundation and the Science for Nature Association said on Wednesday. The course, part of the River Life project, will be led by international experts a»»»

DUBAI: The Liverpool Arab Arts Festival will return from July 17 to 26 across various venues in the British city, organizers announced this week. Now in its 24th year, the UK’s longest-running annual festival dedicated to Arab arts and culture will present a wide-ranging program celebrating creativ»»»

London: Israel could lose its observer status at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe over a new death penalty law, the assembly president has warned. The law could see Palestinians face execution for offenses including murder and terrorism if convicted in military courts in occupied»»»

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»»»

Brussels: The European Commission (EU) proposed on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, a series of measures to address the repercussions of West Asia crisis on energy markets in European Union countries. The Commission said these measures include improving the distribution of aircraft fuel among bloc member»»»

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Kyrgyzstan’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ’B’ with a stable outlook, website of the agency says. The ratings reflect Kyrgyzstan’s modest fiscal deficits, low government debt burden, and strong growth prospects, driven by investments in the ene»»»

Kyiv, Ukraine: Ukraine will resume shipping Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia "within a few hours" Wednesday following the completion of repairs to the Druzhba pipeline damaged by a Russian attack, a Kyiv official told AFP. The pipeline has been at the centre of a standoff between Hungary and Slo»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality has unveiled a new list of electronic services for the Urban Planning Affairs sector, marking a further step in the country's ongoing digital transformation efforts. In a statement shared on platform X, the ministry said the services are now available on it»»»

First Deputy Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh, Mederbek Aliev, met with Susanne Raab, Director General of the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), as part of his participation in the 26th Conference of the Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons in Vienna. The press service »»»

A working meeting was held at the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan with Igor Bugorsky, CEO of the largest importer of berry products, the Berry Union of the Russian Federation. During the meeting, berry production and the industry’s export potential we»»»

Israel’s latest land grab is dashing Lebanon’s hope of tapping offshore gas to solve its persistent energy shortage. Maritime energy prospects were the focus of a 2022 deal on a disputed border between the two nations. On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a map of a “forward defense»»»

At least two cargo ships reported being fired on near the key Strait of Hormuz shipping lane where Tehran is once again jockying with the United States for control in a long-simmering dispute illustrated by this view of Iranian navy speed boats conducting military exercises off southern Iran back i»»»

Dubai: The European Commission has launched a sweeping energy emergency package after the conflict in the Middle East pushed the bloc's fuel import costs up by €24 billion — without delivering a single additional unit of energy. The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled a broad package of emerg»»»

RIYADH: The UAE’s real estate sector remained resilient in the first quarter of 2026 despite conflict in the Middle East, while office markets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi remained tight due to limited new supply, according to CBRE. In its latest report, the real estate consultancy said that average offi»»»

A new Dubai Metro line spanning 42km and connecting 15 key areas in Dubai was announced on Wednesday. In a post on X, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said the Dh34 billion Golden Line project will benefit 1.5 milli»»»

London: Workers streamed into the British capital by foot, bike and bus Wednesday, April 22, 2026, as strike action on the London Underground train network disrupted services. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out from 12:00pm (1100GMT) on Tuesday for 24 hours over plan»»»

GUANGZHOU - Serbian Deputy PM and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic, who is on a visit to Guangzhou, China, met with the city's mayor Sun Zhiyang on Wednesday to discuss opportunities for investments in Serbia by Guangzhou-based companies. "This city is famous for research and development cent»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has become an anchor investor in a newly launched exchange-traded fund by State Street Investment Management, one of the world’s largest asset managers. The newly launched ETF, State Street Saudi Arabia Enhanced Active Equity UCITS ETF, or SAQL, activel»»»

OSLO: Norway will take over planning ​for the Fen rare earth deposit — Europe’s largest — to speed up development after a resource upgrade nearly doubled its estimated size, the government said on Wednesday. Fen was estimated last month to hold 15.9 million metric tons of rare earth oxide in indica»»»

JAKARTA: Indonesia started its Hajj flights on Wednesday with expanded access to the Makkah Route, as Saudi authorities added a new major Indonesian airport to the flagship initiative that streamlines immigration procedures for pilgrims. Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, will »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior, MOI, announced the addition of a new feature on Metrash App that allows users to pay for family and friends’ traffic violations. The ministry in a social media post stated that to access this feature, users should log into the Metrash app, navigate to “Traffic»»»

A Russian national team has appeared at a major team sport event under the national flag and anthem for the first time since 2022. The women’s water polo team became the first Russian squad to participate in a competition in a full-fledged status after the World Aquatics lifted all the restrictions»»»

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard attacked a third ship Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported. Nour News, Fars and Mehr all reported the attack by the Guard on a vessel called the Euphoria. They said the vessel had become “stranded” on the Iranian coas»»»

In 2024, 156,703 square kilometers of the European Union’s territory were affected by drought, according to data from Eurostat, published on Wednesday. Over the period 2014–2024, there were significant increases in areas affected by drought, particularly in 2018 (520,817 sq km) and 2022 (558,313 sq»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in his greeting to participants and guests of the second Russian-African international conference on combating infectious diseases that Russian agencies are providing full assistance to their African counterparts in biological security. "Ru»»»

In an era marked by ecological challenges, development dilemmas and geopolitical dynamics are increasingly intertwined. Through a series of innovative practices, Chinese modernization offers a "green solution" to some of humanity's pressing questions of survival and development. Rooted in the wisdo»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran's military has detained two unauthorized vessels that tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the naval forces of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday. "The IRGC naval forces detained and escorted to the coast of Iran two violating vesse»»»

Dubai A woman tourist from the United States has alleged that she was sexually assaulted at a homestay in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, with police arresting two men, including the property owner and a staff member, following a complaint, according to multiple media reports. The incident took place »»»