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 »»»

A homeless man who had fallen asleep inside a dumpster during a rainstorm in Thessaloniki narrowly escaped severe injury early Thursday when garbage collectors noticed him just as he was tipped into a rubbish truck, local reports said. The 46-year-old Romanian national, who is believed to have been»»»

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»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah “condemns in the strongest terms the treacherous and brutal crime” committed against Lebanese journalists: Media Relations statem»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems have downed 10 guided aerial bombs and 418 UAVs of the Ukrainian armed forces, Russian troops attacked Ukrainian energy and transport infrastructure facilities, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "The Russian Armed Forces' operational-tacti»»»

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»»»

President Joseph Aoun met Thursday with Saudi Foreign Ministry Advisor Prince Yazid bin Farhan in Baabda. Their discussions focused on the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to assist Lebanon in overcoming its prevailing hardships and regional challenges. Bin Farhan had arrived earlier in Beirut and met wit»»»

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»»»

On April 23, the Chui Regional Court sentenced Talas Begaliev, former president of the Kok-Boru Federation of Kyrgyzstan. The court’s press service reported. He was found guilty under several serious articles of the Criminal Code, including extortion, participation in a criminal organization, finan»»»

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»»»

Kostenets Municipality will host part of the third stage of Giro D'Italia in Bulgaria, the municipal press centre said on Thursday. To ensure safety, the route from Belovo through Pazara to the exit for Dolna Banya will be fully closed to traffic three hours before the cyclists pass. Local business»»»

SANYA: President of the Olympic Council of Asia HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani met separately in Sanya City, People's Republic of China, with HE Feng Fei, Secretary-General of the Central Commitee of the Communist Party of China in Hainan Province; HE Liu Xiaoming, Governor of Hainan Province; »»»

Hillerød, Denmark: 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»»»

Doha, Qatar: The volume of real estate trading in sales contracts at the Department of Real Estate Registration at the Ministry of Justice during the period from April 12 to April 16, 2026 reached QR 465,782,068. Meanwhile, the total sales contracts for residential units in the Real Estate Bulletin»»»

In January—February 2026, foreign trade in live animals in the Kyrgyz Republic showed a sharp decline in cattle imports while maintaining an export focus on neighboring markets. Data from the National Statistical Committee say. Imports: falling demand In the first two months of the year, cattle imp»»»

Demonstrators calling for heavy punishment against a woman on trial for murdering her four-month-old son block an inmate bus carrying the woman near Gwangju District Court in Suncheon on Thursday. Photo by Yonhap A woman who brutally beat her four-month-old son and left him to die in a bathtub was »»»

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»»»

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) Chairman, Masoud Suleiman, revealed yesterday that he had met with representatives of Nigerian company Aiteo, one of the companies that won the public bidding round for exploration, securing Block M1 in the Murzuq Basin. During the meeting, they discussed the »»»

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»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.4158 dinars for one euro on Thursday, which is a slight change relative to Wednesday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.1 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative»»»

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»»»

Japan on Tuesday scrapped a ban on lethal weapons exports, a major change in its postwar pacifist policy as the country seeks to build up its arms industry amid worries over Chinese and North Korean aggression. FRANCE 24's Luke Shrago reports.»»»

Doha: The Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA) and the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) participated in the second International Week of Action, a global campaign initiated by the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority. Millions of consumers increasingly rely on social »»»

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»»»

Manira ChaudharyIndia’s quick-commerce boom promises 10-minute deliveries. But for riders, it means long hours, low pay and constant risk. A ground report from Delhi on the people powering this multibillion-dollar industry. https://p.dw.com/p/5BvdCAdvertisementIndia’s quick-commerce boom is transfo»»»

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»»»

A senior Iranian parliament official said on Thursday that Tehran has received the first revenue from tolls it imposed on the strategic Strait of Hormuz in its war with the United States and Israel. "The first revenue received from the Strait of Hormuz tolls was deposited into the Central Bank acco»»»

Business activity in the eurozone contracted for the first time in 16 months in April, as the war in the Middle East drove energy prices higher and disrupted global supply chains, a closely watched survey showed Thursday. The Flash Eurozone purchasing managers' index (PMI) published by S&P Global, »»»

DOHA: Qatar Airways has announced the resumption of flight operations between Doha and several key destinations across the Middle East, marking another step in the phased restoration of its global network. Beginning 23 April 2026, the national carrier will restart daily flights to Dubai (DXB) and S»»»

Damascus, April 23 (SANA) The Central Bank of Syria announced on Thursday plans to launch the Damascus Market for Foreign Exchange and Gold in a move aimed at strengthening monetary policy and enhancing financial stability. Central bank governor Abdulkader Husrieh said the initiative is part of a b»»»

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»»»

Turkish lawmakers passed a bill late Wednesday that includes restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15, state media reported. The legislation is the latest in a global trend to protect young people from dangerous online activity. Its passage comes a week after a 14-year-old»»»

A conflict involving taxi drivers, reportedly from Tokmok, has been recorded in Bishkek. The incident was registered with the Internal Affairs Department of Sverdlovsky district of the capital. According to police, one of the participants — a man, 60 — has been identified. A protocol has been drawn»»»

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»»»

Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a fifth Democrat bid to curb President Donald Trump's ability to wage war with Iran. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo April 23 (UPI) -- Senate Republicans have again blocked the Democrats from curbing President Donald Trump's ability to wage war»»»

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»»»

DOHA: The total value of real estate transactions registered with the Real Estate Registration Department at the Ministry of Justice from April 12 to 16 reached QR465,782,068, while the total value of residential unit sales contracts during the same period reached QR404,182,279. The weekly bulletin»»»

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 »»»

A senior Iranian parliament official said on Thursday that Tehran has received the first revenue from tolls it imposed on the strategic Strait of Hormuz in its war with the United States and Israel. "The first revenue received from the Strait of Hormuz tolls was deposited into the Central Bank acco»»»

Britain's budget deficit for the last financial year narrowed to a six-year low as a percentage of economic output although borrowing for March alone exceeded forecasts, official data showed on Thursday. The Office for National Statistics reported 132.0 billion pounds ($178.1 billion) of public sec»»»

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»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Al-Manar correspondent in south Lebanon: Israeli occupation forces torch a number of houses in the border village of Mais Al-Jabal 23-04-20»»»