ROME: Italian sports officials say four-time champion Italy is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming World Cup following a suggestion to that effect by a Trump administration official. Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and the team is preparing to play in the US despite the war »»»

This Wednesday Donald Trump claimed that out of respect for him, Iran had agreed to spare the lives of 8 young Iranian women facing execution. But he was quickly struck with accusations that the women were AI-generated. Iran gave conflicting information, both mocking the AI claims but also dec»»»

WASHINGTON: Iran’s footballers will be welcome at this year’s World Cup, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, distancing the US government from a proposal that Italy could take their place in the tournament. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Rubio denied that Washington had asked t»»»

Share: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio standing behind him, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 23, 2026. SUMMARY Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend their ceasefire by three weeks following a mee»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House on Thursday. Trump said the meeting between the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon to the United States went "very well." The meeting was t»»»

Washington: President Donald Trump says Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House on Thursday. Trump says the meeting between Israel’s and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the United States went “very well.” The meeting w»»»

A Palantir post citing CEO Alex Karp's book called for mandatory military service and closer ties between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon while criticizing "hollow pluralism" and warning of a new AI arms race. But Palantir is just one of the tech companies blurring the lines between Silicon Valley »»»

SIOUX FALLS: Millions more Americans might qualify for dual Canadian citizenship under a recent change to Canada’s requirements that has led to a surge in applications from its southern neighbor. For people like Zack Loud of Farmington, Minnesota, it was a surprise to learn that under a new law, Ca»»»

WASHINGTON: Lebanon and Israel were set to begin a second session of direct talks at the White House on Thursday to discuss the possibility of extending a truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and plans for future negotiations between the two neighbors with a long history of hostile»»»

The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway megaproject poses a threat to the habitat of the snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan, according to an in-depth report that is causing disquiet in European capitals. The concer»»»

RIYADH: The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and several other Muslim countries on Thursday condemned repeated violations of the legal status quo of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem by Israeli authorities. The continued storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli settlers and e»»»

Iraq’s Coordination Framework is set to meet on Friday, the final day of the constitutional deadline to name a prime minister-designate, as disputes persist among Shiite factions over both the selection mechanism and the final nominee, threatening to push the country into a new constitutional crisi»»»

Born out of the need for safety, Israel today finds itself navigating a reality defined by recurring conflict and persistent insecurity. As another Independence Day has passed, for West Jerusalem the sense of permanence it was meant to symbolize remains elusive. Military strength has grown, yet las»»»

Holding the first session of Syria’s parliament, the People’s Assembly, on the timeline set by Ahmed al-Sharaa in Antalya will require faster efforts to select representatives from Hasaka, as the Supreme Elections Committee moves to resolve key issues delaying the launch. Al-Sharaa said at the Anta»»»

Kuwait has reopened its airspace at Kuwait International Airport starting this evening after a nearly two-month closure, with flights set to resume gradually, the state-run news agency Kuna said on Thursday. The move marks the start of a phased restart of operations following a temporary precaution»»»

The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway megaproject poses a threat to the habitat of the snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan, according to an in-depth report that is causing disquiet in European capitals. The concer»»»

Israel's military occupation of southern Lebanon is threatening to upend a landmark 2022 US-brokered maritime border agreement and derail Lebanon's best remaining hope of tapping its offshore gas wealth. On April 19, the I»»»

Israel's military occupation of southern Lebanon is threatening to upend a landmark 2022 US-brokered maritime border agreement and derail Lebanon's best remaining hope of tapping its offshore gas wealth. On April 19, the I»»»

The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway megaproject poses a threat to the habitat of the snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan, according to an in-depth report that is causing disquiet in European capitals. The concer»»»

The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway megaproject poses a threat to the habitat of the snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan, according to an in-depth report that is causing disquiet in European capitals. The concer»»»

The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway megaproject poses a threat to the habitat of the snow leopard in Kyrgyzstan, according to an in-depth report that is causing disquiet in European capitals. The concer»»»

The first crude oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline following its restart have arrived in Ukraine, oil and gas company MOL announced on the BSE website on April 22. According to the statement, JSC Ukrtransnafta informed»»»

LONDON: The Palestinian Authority warned on Thursday that Israeli officials had approved a plan to build an ultra-Orthodox religious school in the predominantly Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. Jerusalem Governorate said that the Israeli municipality this week gave»»»

The first crude oil shipments via the Druzhba pipeline following its restart have arrived in Ukraine, oil and gas company MOL announced on the BSE website on April 22. According to the statement, JSC Ukrtransnafta informed»»»

Western big tech has the ability to track the movement of resources and finances on virtually every level, thanks to their unrestricted access to big data, Brazilian Institute of Data Science co-founder Caio Almendra tells Sputnik. Seeking to evade the watchful eye of this high-tech Big Brother, co»»»

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in southern Lebanon are running up against a gradual escalation on the ground, as fighting expands beyond the border area following four days of Israeli violations, with Hezbollah beginning limited attacks on Israeli forces deeper inside Lebanon and along th»»»

Kuwait: Director of the Public Authority of Civil Aviation of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Humoud Mubarak Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, announced Thursday, April 23, 2026, the reopening of airspace at Kuwait International Airport starting this evening. He told KUNA that in coordination with relevant inte»»»

The Trump administration has blocked a shipment of nearly $500 million in cash to Iraq, pressing Baghdad to dismantle powerful Iranian-backed armed groups. Analysts say the blockage risks destabilising an already fragile economy. The US government blocked a cargo plane delivery of nearly »»»

As Lebanon prepares to resume direct discussions with Israel, the ghost of the May 17 Agreement of 1983 – a deal that was signed but never implemented – is haunting the new round of negotiations. President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are facing a smear c»»»

Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan met again Thursday evening with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, without media coverage, to discuss the details of implementing the Taif Agreement in its entirety, without any procrastination, LBCI television reported. Berri meanwhioe affirmed to Bin Farhan in their f»»»

The Foreign Ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt condemned the repeated violations of the historic »»»

DOHA: The Foreign Ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Republic of Egypt condemned the repeated violations of the hi»»»

François Picard is pleased to welcome Hannah Neumann, German MEP, Greens/EFA and Chair of the EU Parliament's Delegation for Iran. She offers analysis on the growing geopolitical instability surrounding Iran, energy security, and the EU’s strategic position in an increasingly fragmented global orde»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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,»»»

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel speaks at an event commemorating the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, in Havana on April 16. Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA April 23 (UPI) -- President Miguel Díaz-Canel said any negotiations with the United»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

LODNON: Israeli forces fatally shot a 15-year-old Palestinian boy on Thursday during a raid in the Rafidia neighborhood of Nablus, north of the West Bank. The teenager died in hospital from critical injuries after he was shot in the shoulder, according to the Wafa news agency. Israeli forces carry »»»

Senate Republican Leader John Thune, R-S.D., helped the Senate pass a bill to begin the budget reconciliation process early Thursday Morning. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 23 (UPI) -- Senate Republicans were up all night voting, eventually adopting a budget reconciliation pack»»»

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 »»»