Dubai: Dubai is planning its next metro expansion valued at Dh34 billion, the Gold Line, which will run from Al Ghubaiba to Jumeirah Golf Estates. The route passes through Mina Rashid, City Walk, Business Bay, Mohammed Bin Rashid City, Nad Al Sheba, Meydan, Al Barsha South, and Jumeirah Village Cir»»»

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran had halted alleged plans to execute eight women arrested over anti-government protests, after he urged Tehran to release them to help peace negotiations.Iran's judiciary, however, described the US president's claims as "false news," saying they had ne»»»

With their towering, cinnamon-colored trunks and dusky green canopies, ponderosa pine has long been a charismatic icon of the American West. Yet a quiet unraveling has begun: in the past decade, in a vast area from Santa Fe to the Sierras, more than 200,000 ponderosa have died. While some trees wil»»»

Dubai: Oil prices are likely to remain elevated, and could rise further in the near term, as ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty surrounding the conflict involving Iran continue to tighten global supply conditions. Brent crude rose 1.7% to $100.16 per barrel on Wednesday, ref»»»

President Donald Trump and his son Eric Trump, walk to Marine One on April 10. The two are owners of World Liberty Financial, which is being sued by billionaire Justin Sun. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo April 22 (UPI) -- A billionaire backer of the Trump family's World Liberty Financial cry»»»

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez has formally asked the International Monetary Fund to release nearly $5bn in frozen assets, testing the limits of a diplomatic rapprochement that has forced the country's ruling Chavista movement to abandon decades of ideological hostility towards the Wa»»»

Businessman and former political power broker Vladimir Plahotniuc received on April 22 a 19-year sentence for five counts including the appropriation of $39mn and €3.5mn as part of a criminal organised group responsible for the 2014-2015 bank fraud known as the $1bn bank fraud. »»»

Leaders from Central Asia and neighbouring countries issued a stark warning on Wednesday that the global shift to a low-carbon economy risks deepening inequality unless it is managed fairly, with stronger support for developing countries that have contributed least to climate change but face some o»»»

AMSTERDAM: Appeals judges ruled on Wednesday that the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction over former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, dismissing a bid to throw out his trial over his alleged pivotal role in the murder of thousands of people. Families of the victims who were watching»»»

MARYLAND: NASA unveiled a new telescope on Tuesday to scan vast swathes of the universe for planets outside our solar system and probe the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy. The Roman space telescope is expected to discover tens of thousands of planets, possibly offering clarity about how ma»»»

LONDON: Europe’s commercial aviation sector is moving closer to a jet fuel crunch as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to choke off supplies from the Gulf, threatening summer travel plans for millions and forcing airlines and governments to weigh rationing, cancellations and emergency fu»»»

AMMAN — The Electricity Distribution Company (EDCO) achieved a net profit of JD14.2 million for the fiscal year 2025, compared with JD15.4 million in 2024, the company announced on Wednesday.The reported earnings include revenues from EDCO's 55.5 per cent stake in the Irbid District Electricity Com»»»

RIYADH: When Saud Abdulhamid made the move to Europe in 2024, signing for AS Roma from Al-Hilal, it signaled an exciting moment for the growth of Saudi footballers on the global stage. Just 380 minutes of playing time across eight appearances last season quickly caused that excitement to fade, howe»»»

Oil refineries set ablaze, missiles hitting pesticide factories, an oil slick in the Strait of Hormuz... In under two months, the US and Israel’s war on Iran has inflicted a heavy toll on the environment, fuelling concerns over the public health impact on local populations. It’s too soon to evaluat»»»

Iranian forces targeted three container ships on Wednesday, seizing two, the latest incidents to threaten a crucial trade route in the Middle East war. Iran's parliament speaker said on Wednesday that the Islamic republic would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US naval blockade remain»»»

A second French soldier died on Wednesday from wounds suffered in a weekend ambush against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon blamed on Hezbollah, President Emmanuel Macron said. A first soldier, staff sergeant Florian Montorio, was shot dead in the Saturday ambush, for which Hezbollah has denied responsib»»»

JEDDAH/RIYADH: International Mother Earth Day, which is observed annually on April 22, was established by a 2009 UN General Assembly resolution to recognize the planet as humanity’s shared home and to promote action on climate change, livelihoods, and biodiversity loss. This year’s theme, “Our powe»»»

LONDON: Lebanese authorities have accused Israeli forces of trapping two journalists in the southern town of Al-Tiri and blocking rescue teams from reaching the area after a drone strike nearby killed two people. Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israeli forces had prevented the Red Cross and the»»»

BERLIN: Germany’s parliamentary speaker has become the latest victim in a wave of phishing attacks targeting users of the Signal messaging app, which intelligence services have blamed on Russia, a report said Wednesday. Julia Kloeckner, a senior politician from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU party»»»

Syria has moved since early this year from internal unrest in the northeast, the coast, and the south to relative calm and attempts to impose a new security and political order, most clearly seen in the security file and in an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces. But the shift has set up an»»»

Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., has died. Photo courtesy of Scott's website. April 22 (UPI) -- Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., has died at 80, according to Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who announced the death of the longtime congressman at a committee hearing Wednesday. Scott was a 12-term lawmaker who was first »»»

Dahlia Cuartero, mother of a victim of an alleged extrajudicial killing during the war on drugs campaign of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, holds a picture of her son prior to watching a broadcast of an International Criminal Court proceeding from Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines»»»

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wants an explanation about the unauthorized participation of U.S. agents in field operations on Mexican territory. Photo by Alberto Estevez/EPA April 22 (UPI) -- President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that Mexico sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. Embassy req»»»

Rising oil prices are no longer just an energy market story; they are feeding directly into the cost of clothing. From petrochemical plants to fabric mills and retail racks, a complex supply chain is passing on higher costs, pushing up the final price consumers pay. According to the “Materials Mark»»»

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in Blanche vs. Lau, which would determine when immigration officers can demote a permanent resident's status to parole, a temporary status that can be revoked and result in deportation. File Photo by Eric Lee/UPI | License Photo WASHINGTON, April»»»

The UAE Embassy in Beirut has urged the public to exercise caution over suspicious messages and calls requesting financial transfers, falsely claiming to be from the embassy or its staff. In a post on its official account on X, the embassy said all its services are provided exclusively through appr»»»

LONDON: Jordan’s Anti-Narcotics Department arrested multiple drug dealers in a nationwide crackdown this week, amid intensified efforts to protect national security. In the capital, Amman, police arrested two crystal meth dealers and seized 1,000 narcotic pills. In the Madaba Governorate, another d»»»

Ukraine has restarted the flow of Russian oil to the EU via the Druzhba pipeline after a pause of almost three months, Hungarian energy giant MOL has said. The company said in a statement that Ukrainian operator JSC Ukrtransnafta has informed it that Ukraine began receiving crude from Belarus via t»»»

President Joseph Aoun’s comments on Wednesday came a day before a second meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors. Aoun said in comments released by his office that preparations are ongoing for negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. He said the»»»

BERLIN: Bayern Munich ‌and Germany attacking midfielder Serge Gnabry will miss the World Cup starting in June due to an adductor muscle tear sustained during training, he said on social media on Wednesday. Germany international Gnabry, who was in the starting lineup for both the recent friendly int»»»

Sanya: President of the Olympic Council of Asia and President of the Qatar Olympic Committee H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani attended the opening ceremony of the Asian Beach Games – Sanya 2026, which was held this evening at Yasha Park, in a vibrant celebratory atmosphere reflecting the rich cu»»»

DOHA: Qatar University's (QU) Admissions Department has announced that applying for readmission to undergraduate programs for the 2026 Fall semester is open, from April 19-29. Fall 2026 applications are available for all but the College of Sport Sciences, the University has said. Those eligible for»»»

One of the more surprising turns of the US-Israeli war on Iran has been the sophistication of Tehran’s multi-pronged PR response. From memes to sleek AI-generated cartoons to official messaging, pro-Iranian online content looks like anything but the product of a stiff-necked self-centered bureaucra»»»

Repression in Venezuela has continued under interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Amnesty International says. File Photo by Henry Chirinos/EPA April 22 (UPI) -- Amnesty International said Venezuela has not dismantled its "repressive apparatus" nearly four months after former President Nicolás Maduro w»»»

Former Republican Rep. Devin Nunes resigned from his post as CEO of Trump Media and Technology Group Wednesday as the company’s losses topped $1 billion. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo April 22 (UPI) -- Former Republican Rep. Devin Nunes resigned from his post as CEO of Trump Media an»»»

Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, called on the international community on Wednesday to immediately pressure the Israeli army into allowing the rescue of journalist Amal Khalil, who works for the daily Al-Akhbar. RSF added that Khalil is currently trapped near the southern Lebanese village of al-T»»»

BEIRUT: Israeli attacks on Lebanon during its latest war with Hezbollah damaged or destroyed more than 50,000 housing units in the country, a government estimate found on Wednesday. “Within about 45 days (of the war), we had 17,756 destroyed housing units and 32,668 damaged housing units,” Chadi Ab»»»

Deir al-Balah in central Gaza will hold the enclave’s first local elections in nearly two decades, with voting set to begin on Saturday alongside municipal polls in the occupied West Bank. A decree by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas designated Deir al-Balah as the only voting site in Gaza, citi»»»

After Israel imposed a new reality on the ground following a ceasefire, a new deterrence equation has emerged, confining hostilities to the area south of the Litani River. Israeli forces continue operations in zones under their control, while Hezbollah has limited its attacks to that area, with res»»»

Two planes flew too close together at JFK International Airport on Monday. They were Air Canada and American Airlines flights. File Photo by Graham Hughes/EPA April 22 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it is investigating a near miss between two planes landing in New York »»»

Peru's general election, held on April 12, has produced what its fragmented political system reliably delivers: no first-round winner, a disputed count and a paralysed electoral authority. With no candidate near an outright majority, a runoff on June 7 is now certain. But who will face conservative»»»

As the US-Israel-Iran war enters its second month, one of the most consequential geopolitical actors has been conspicuous by its silence. China has not intervened, has not condemned, and has not chosen sides in any meaningful public way. But Beijing is not simply watching. It is calculating — and a»»»

Peru's general election, held on April 12, has produced what its fragmented political system reliably delivers: no first-round winner, a disputed count and a paralysed electoral authority. With no candidate near an outright majority, a runoff on June 7 is now certain. But who will face conservative»»»

The conflict that has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of global crude and a significant share of gas supplies, has done more than spike oil prices. It has laid bare how dangerously concentrated energy supply had become around a single chokepoint, sending importers s»»»

Nigeria’s Dangote Petroleum Refinery is advancing plans to build a Linear Alkylbenzene (LAB) production facility with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year, marking a major expansion of its downstream petrochemicals portfolio. »»»

The conflict that has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of global crude and a significant share of gas supplies, has done more than spike oil prices. It has laid bare how dangerously concentrated energy supply had become around a single chokepoint, sending importers s»»»

An article by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti takes a critical tone on the Paks nuclear project and cautions Hungary’s incoming leadership against revisiting the agreement, 444.hu writes on April 21. RIA ran the »»»

Russia's coal industry is heading toward a systemic crisis from which the Kremlin's patronage network can no longer shield it, according to a paper published this week by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The»»»

Migrants from their their plane at the Guatemalan Air Force base after arriving on the last deportation flight of the year from the United States, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on December 30, 2025. File Photo by Alex Cruz/EPA ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, April 22 (UPI) -- Paraguay has rejected nine of the »»»

After nearly 3 years in office, Borislav Sarafov resigned as Bulgaria's acting prosecutor general on Wednesday morning. His tenure was overshadowed by a lingering controversy over his legitimacy. A number of Bulgarian courts argue that, under Judicial System Act amendments effective January 21, 202»»»