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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

The large-scale multifunctional project Expo-Demilge has been launched in Kyrgyzstan. Shumkarbek Adilbek uulu, Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Director of the National Institute of Strategic Initiatives, announced its launch at a press conference. He noted that the key goal of the initiati»»»

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»»»

Türkiye's central bank held its key interest rate at 37% as expected on Wednesday, deciding not to hike but warning that fallout from the Iran war could yet change the inflation outlook. It was the second straight policy meeting at which the bank held steady despite some expectations that it could »»»

JEDDAH: Saudi authorities have begun early preparations for the Hajj season, launching coordinated initiatives aimed at improving service quality, crowd management and spiritual services for pilgrims. Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has inspected the readiness of camps in Mina during fi»»»

ISTANBUL: 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 collaps»»»

BusinessUnited States of AmericaApple switches CEO: What it means for the tech giantNik MartinApple's top hardware engineer John Ternus will lead the $4 trillion iPhone maker, as Tim Cook steps back. Will Apple chase rivals for the smartest intelligence, or deliver the best personal AI experience? »»»

Lebanon will request a one-month extension of the ceasefire during its meeting with Israel in Washington on Thursday, a Lebanese official told AFP. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the topic, said "Lebanon will request an extension of the truce for one»»»

In the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, a wedding album quietly claimed the room. When it appeared on the side table, roles were set: some turned the pages carefully, others recalled details the photographs could not. You weren’t just visiting — you were stepping into someone’s life, one frame at a time. T»»»

Share: A woman walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel mural, in Tehran on April 21 2026, amid a ceasefire in the region. © Atta Kenare, AFP Lebanon will ask for a one-month ceasefire extension in its talks with Israel in Washington on Thursday, according to an official. Earlier, Iran seized two ship»»»

DHAHRAN: The King Abdulaziz Cultural Center, known as Ithra, announced the qualification of 20 teams at the conclusion of the regional rounds of the fifth Saudi STEM Racing competition. The contest aims to raise awareness of STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) among»»»

PARACIN - The Vaider Serbian Glass Factory opened a new production plant in Paracin, central Serbia, on Wednesday. Addressing the opening ceremony, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the company could count on government assistance and that he would ask the government to find a way to help the»»»

former Guatemalan President Vinicio Cerezo, a signatory of the Esquipulas peace accords, demonstrated how leadership can expand political space by prioritizing dialogue and regional peace over permanent confrontation. File Photo by Juan Pablo Pino/EPA April 22 (UPI) -- Latin America is moving throu»»»

Dubai: Pakistan is set to roll out a sweeping new five-year auto sector policy in consultation with the International Monetary Fund, aimed at slashing import tariffs, restructuring duties and opening up the vehicle market by 2030, The News reported on Wednesday. Under the $7 billion Extended Fund F»»»

Dubai: Anvith Yalamanchili, a 15-year-old student from Dubai, has developed a free ride-sharing platform that connects commuters travelling along similar routes, aiming to reduce traffic congestion and emissions this World Earth Day. In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Anvith said the idea, n»»»

BAGHDAD/DUBAI: The United States has halted a shipment of about $500 million in cash bound for Iraq and suspended parts of its security cooperation with Baghdad, in a move aimed at pressuring the Iraqi government over the actions of Iran-backed militias, Iraqi sources told Reuters. The measures wer»»»

THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court judges Wednesday threw out a challenge against the court’s jurisdiction by Rodrigo Duterte, meaning the former Philippines president could still stand trial over his war on drugs. The 81-year-old faces three counts of crimes against humanity at the internatio»»»

Hanoi: Vietnam's top leader To Lam hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Hanoi on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, announcing a dozen cooperative agreements including on tech innovation and development of nuclear power plants. South Korea is Vietnam's biggest source of foreign investment and one»»»

At a meeting of the Zhogorku Kenesh, deputies reviewed and adopted the draft law «On Amendments to the Law ’On Regulations of the Zhogorku Kenesh’» and the draft constitutional law «On Amendments to the Constitutional Law ’On the Central Commission for Elections and Referendums’» in their third rea»»»

BusinessRussia to block Kazakh oil flows to Germany via key pipelineArthur SullivanGermany has confirmed that Russia will block flows of Kazakh oil to a vital refinery that supplies much of Berlin's energy needs from May 1. https://p.dw.com/p/5Ce5vThe PCK refinery is a vital energy hub for BerlinIm»»»

China intensifies targeted "pinpoint" pressure on Japan as all-front tensions escalate across the Taiwan Strait and East China Sea The People's Liberation Army Navy Type 052C destroyer Haikou, NATO code name Luyang II class, sails into Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, China. Photo by JEROME FAVRE / E»»»

Dubai: For many parents in the UAE, the first signs of developmental delay in a child can bring uncertainty and often, hesitation. This Autism Awareness month, Abu Dhabi-based Filipina expatriate Lilac Schonberg is working to remove that hesitation by offering free applied behaviour analysis assess»»»

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 »»»

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»»»