Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has defended the drone scare which gripped the country last year and cost some €50 million ($58.5 million) in emergency spending, offering a lackluster apology for personally disseminating images purporting to show the UAVs, which turned out to be false. The d»»»

Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun will pay an official visit to Kyrgyzstan on April 23-28. He will also participate in a meeting of the heads of Defense Ministries of the SCO, the Chinese Ministry of Defense reported. «From April 23 to 28, at the invitation of the host countries, Chinese Defense Mi»»»

Ulan Mamatkanov has been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers. The President of the Kyrgyz Republic signed a corresponding decree. The new Deputy Cabinet Chairman will oversee the social sector. Ulan Mamatkanov is 44 years old. He was born in the village of Mady in Kara-Suu distric»»»

When uncertainty hits, leadership stops being a title and starts showing its true shape. At the the Tristar presents Limitless: The UAE Power Women’s Forum in association with Gulf News, held at Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, five women leaders cut through the noise on what it really takes to »»»

Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli occupation forces launched an arrest campaign Thursday, April 23, 2026, targeting at least 15 Palestinians from various areas across the West Bank, following raids on and searches of their homes. Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported that Israeli occupation forces arre»»»

Doha, Qatar: Governor of the Qatar Central Bank,HE Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al Thani, met today, April 23, 2026, with HE Varun Chandra, UK Prime Minister’s Chief Business, Investment and Trade Advisor. During the meeting, they reviewed the key facets of bilateral cooperation between the»»»

Silicon Valley giants have been quietly advancing digital colonialism in the Global South as data has become the new oil, Pavan Duggal, founder and chairman of the International Commission on Cyber Security Law, tells Sputnik. “Digital colonialism is being implemented through big tech companies, [t»»»

A ​top envoy to US President Donald Trump has asked FIFA to replace Iran with Italy in the upcoming World Cup, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. The plan is an effort to repair ties between Trump and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after the two fell out amid the American president’s»»»

RIYADH: Jordan’s capital expenditure jumped 60.4 percent year on year in the first two months of 2026, reaching 1.98 billion Jordanian dinars ($2.79 billion) by the end of February, a move aimed at accelerating economic activity and improving public infrastructure. According to a Ministry of Financ»»»

This photo, released by Iran's foreign ministry on Thursday, shows South Korea's special envoy, Chung Byung-ha (L), meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran. Photo Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran South Korea's special envoy to Iran has m»»»

Damascus, April 23 (SANA) Economy and Industry Minister Nidal al-Shaar met on Wednesday with Lebanese Ambassador to Syria Henry Quston in Damascus, where the two sides reviewed mechanisms to strengthen economic and investment cooperation between Syria and Lebanon. The discussions focused on enhanci»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Western countries are rehearsing scenarios for a naval blockade and the seizure of the Kaliningrad region during the Joint Expeditionary Force exercises, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik. "NATO is purposefully pursuing a path of mounting confrontatio»»»

Dubai: The war in the Middle East has boosted demand to move vital cargo through the Panama Canal to such an extent that one vessel carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) paid $4 million to skip the line and avoid a wait that can take up to five days, according to an official report. The change follo»»»

Tokyo: Haruki Murakami's first novel in three years will hit shelves in Japan in July, starring a woman as the main character for the first time, his publisher said Thursday. Titled "The Tale of KAHO", the internationally renowned author's latest release will see the titular character as the first »»»

Two commuter trains collided head-on near the Danish capital on Thursday injuring 17, of whom five were in critical condition, emergency services said. "We can't provide any details for now about the cause of the accident," police official Morten Kaare Pedersen told reporters. He said police were a»»»

The flow of Russian oil to Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline that crosses Ukraine has resumed, Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková said Thursday. Hungary and Slovakia have been locked in an escalating feud with Ukraine since Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia were halted in Januar»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon and Israel were set to begin a second session of direct talks in Washington 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 relation»»»

Amid clear signs of uncertainty and the continued “arm-wrestling”-style negotiations between the United States and Iran, the sudden decline in what only a few days ago was described as an imminent agreement or settlement to end the war between the two sides, mediated by Pakistan, raises many fundam»»»

Residents gathered in front of the Pleven Court demanding justice in the case of 12-year-old Siyana, who died in a high-profile car accident on March 31, 2025. The protest began half an hour before the starting time of the court session, when it also became known that experts who did a forensic tec»»»

BRATISLAVA: Slovakia said it was receiving Russian oil on Thursday after Ukraine repaired the Druzhba pipeline which was damaged in a Russian attack in January. The pipeline has been at the center of a standoff between Ukraine, the European Union as well as Hungary and Slovakia, which still import »»»

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat (Awqaf UAE) has announced that this week’s Friday sermon across all mosques in the UAE will be delivered under the title: “Whoever betrays our nation is not one of us”. In guidance issued to imams, the authority stressed that betrayal o»»»

RIYADH: PepsiCo regards Saudi Arabia as a “strategic” market with growing opportunities for investment and innovation, as the Kingdom continues to be a key target for the company. The company says it has aligned closely with the Kingdom’s long-term goals, building on a presence that spans nearly se»»»

Libya’s Minister of Oil and Gas, Khalifa Abdel Sadig, received today at the Ministry’s Tripoli headquarters a high-level delegation from the French company Beicip-Franlab, which specializes in technical consulting and technological solutions for the energy sector. The French delegation included Thi»»»

The European Union voted on April 22 to simultaneously unlock its long-delayed €90bn EU loan for Ukraine and adopt the stalled twentieth sanctions package against Russia, in a diplomatic double act that had been blocked for months by Hungary and Slovakia — both of which finally »»»

The European Union voted on April 22 to simultaneously unlock its long-delayed €90bn EU loan for Ukraine and adopt the stalled twentieth sanctions package against Russia, in a diplomatic double act that had been blocked for months by Hungary and Slovakia — both of which finally »»»

Rivalries within Iraq’s Shiite Coordination Framework have led to a political deadlock over naming a new prime minister, as internal disagreements persist over both the selection mechanism and the division of ministerial posts among the bloc’s factions. According to sources, a meeting of Coordinati»»»

TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have agreed to help establish security in the region, including safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US and Israel’s war on Iran. According to the Foreign Ministry, the two officials spoke t»»»

The economic fallout from the Iran war has cast a shadow over Egypt’s new state budget, Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk told parliament on Wednesday, as he presented the draft before it was referred to specialized committees for discussion, with the government pledging swift amendments “to enhance »»»

Abu Dhabi: President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Italian Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, who is visiting Abu Dhabi, discussed ways to strengthen relations and cooperation between the two countries, particularly in defense and security matters. Dur»»»

Kyiv: Britain’s Prince Harry arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for a surprise trip, the Ukrainian government reported, his latest visit to show support amid the Russian attack. “Prince Harry arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit,” Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, a government agency, sa»»»

President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with EU leaders Thursday in Cyprus as the bloc prepares to approve a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, ending a prolonged deadlock. Hungary premier Viktor Orban had vetoed the funds until Kyiv repaired a pipeline hit by a Russian strike – work»»»

A delegation from the Mouvement des Entreprises de France (Medef) is set to visit Algeria on Thursday, with its president Patrick Martin leading around 40 senior company executives, in an economic push aimed at repairing trade relations strained by political tensions over the past two years. Accord»»»

New York, April 23 (SANA) Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, said Wednesday during a UN Security Council session that Syria is advancing efforts to restore stability and development while urging an end to the repeated Israeli violations. Speaking at a special ses»»»

Dubai: The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed that it retains jurisdiction in the case against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, despite the country’s withdrawal from the court’s founding treaty. In its ruling on April 22, the chamber has rejected in »»»

North Korea and Russia aim to open a road bridge connecting the countries across the Tumen River as soon as possible, North Korean state media KCNA said on Thursday, as the neighboring countries forge closer ties. The project, which began about a year ago, is "an important business" to boost bilate»»»

BEIRUT (Sputnik) -The Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon that resulted in the death of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, along with the obstruction of rescue teams' access to the scene, constitute war crimes, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated on Thursday. “Targeting journalists and obstruc»»»

China's role as an unofficial mediator in the latest war in the Middle East is drawing attention across the world as it seeks to project the image of being a responsible global power while U.S. actions are straining its long-standing alliances. China's profile in international diplomacy has risen i»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Pakistani Interior Minister: Trump’s decision to extend ceasefire with Iran an important step to ease tensions, we expect progress from Teh»»»

Lebanon will not enter negotiations with Israel until a ceasefire is firmly in place, President Joseph Aoun said, calling for a unified national stance. He also stressed the need to prioritize the return of displaced residents to their villages, alongside a crackdown on weapons stockpiles and any a»»»

Singer D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, has been charged with killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. On Wednesday, an autopsy report released stating her manner of death was homicide and she died of multiple penetrating injuries. File Photo by Cyril Zingaro/EPA April 23 (UPI) -- »»»

United Nations: Contenders for next UN secretary-general made their case this week for a United Nations more invested in peace, but avoided taking positions that could antagonize the member states who will choose the world body's next chief. Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, Cos»»»

One United Properties (BVB: ONE), the leading Romanian green developer of residential, mixed-use, and office properties, recorded total residential transactions of EUR 60.4 million in Q1 2026, including sales, pre-sales and reservations, corresponding to 144 residential and commercial units, as wel»»»

In areas of southern Lebanon it has occupied since agreeing last week to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, the Israeli army has been destroying homes it says were used as outposts by the Iran-backed militant group. But the demolitions are happening on such a wide scale that residents, Lebanese officials »»»

US: Contenders for next UN secretary-general made their case this week for a United Nations more invested in peace, but avoided taking positions that could antagonize the member states who will choose the world body’s next chief. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Re»»»

DUBAI: Francesco Torcasio was barely a teenager when he first stepped into a professional kitchen. Aged 15, he took a job in his hometown of Calabria, in southern Italy, at a pastry shop, where he got his first taste of the precision and technique professional cooking demands. Cut to 2017, when he »»»

A meeting of the G7 nations on the environment begins in Paris on Thursday, but climate change has been left off the agenda to avoid a dispute with the United States, France’s ecology minister Monique Barbut said, citing efforts to preserve unity and focus on less»»»

Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said on Wednesday that Eurostat-confirmed data showing Romania's budget deficit falling from 9.3% of GDP in 2024 to 7.9% in 2025 indicates that the country "has entered a real stage of fiscal-budgetary correction and maturation".According to the Finance Ministry, t»»»

The non-reimbursable component of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) increased in the first quarter by 3 billion RON, from 2.8 billion RON to 5.8 billion RON, but the absorption of funds must be accelerated, given the August deadline for meeting milestones and obtaining tranches from »»»

The European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, Maria Luis Albuquerque, is paying an official visit to Romania, April 23 - 24, informs the European Commission Representation in Romania.The European Commissioner will meet with the Governor of the National Bank»»»

A potential political crisis would send a negative signal to investors and rating agencies, push up the state's financing costs and jeopardise Romania's 6.2% of GDP budget deficit target for this year, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said on Wednesday, noting that the deficit for the first quarte»»»