Bulgaria and Romania rank at the bottom of the European Union in terms of basic digital skills, according to Eurostat’s Digitalisation in Europe report for 2026 published on April 23. Around 40% of all EU citizen»»»

The Kremlin has announced that it will end a three-year old deal to deliver “Kazakh” oil to Berlin from the start of May, plunging Berlin into a fresh energy shortfall crisis as it scrambles to find an alternative source of crude to keep its fancy cars on the road. »»»

Ukraine could face a budget shortfall of around €19bn in 2027 despite substantial financial support pledged by its Western partners, highlighting the mounting strain of a prolonged war and a fragile economic recovery, reported Ukraine Business News. »»»

Kosovo will head to another snap election after parliament failed to elect a president by the midnight April 28 constitutional deadline, plunging the country deeper into political uncertainty. After Vjosa Osmani's man»»»

Bulgaria and Romania rank at the bottom of the European Union in terms of basic digital skills, according to Eurostat’s Digitalisation in Europe report for 2026 published on April 23. Around 40% of all EU citizen»»»

The Kremlin has announced that it will end a three-year old deal to deliver “Kazakh” oil to Berlin from the start of May, plunging Berlin into a fresh energy shortfall crisis as it scrambles to find an alternative source of crude to keep its fancy cars on the road. »»»

The US naval blockade is having significant impact on oil flows in Iran, which is running out of places to store its own crude and only about 22 days of capacity left to avoid a crippling production shutdown. With shipments falling sharply and fuel reservoirs nearly filled, Iran’s storage capacity »»»

DHAKA: Heavy pre-monsoon rainfall and surging ‌upstream flows from India have swollen rivers in northeastern Bangladesh, threatening vast areas with flooding during the crucial summer rice harvest, officials said on Wednesday. Despite relentless ​rain, strong winds and thunderstorms, farmers have b»»»

Frankfurt: German sportswear giant Adidas on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, reported strong growth in quarterly profits as sales rose in key markets, but warned of a "very volatile" and highly competitive retail environment. The maker of Gazelle and Samba trainers said net profit attributable to shareh»»»

Lebanon’s Labor Ministry has condemned the targeting of Civil Defense personnel as a crime against humanity, saying the attack is a desperate attempt to break the resilience of the Lebanese people. In an immediate response to the strike, which hit emergency teams while they were performing rescue o»»»

Dubai: Dubai International Financial Centre added 775 new companies in the first three months of 2026, marking one of its strongest starts to a year and signalling that global financial firms, family offices and wealth managers are still expanding in Dubai despite wider market uncertainty. Sign up »»»

Stocks mostly advanced in Asia on Wednesday despite losses on Wall Street, while oil prices fell after the United Arab Emirates said it would leave OPEC in a blow to the powerful oil cartel. U.S. futures edged higher. Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday. Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea's Kosp»»»

A brief statement by the Israeli army said a civilian employee of an engineering company, who was working with the military on projects in southern Lebanon, died in a drone attack. Despite a ceasefire in Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have been intermittently attacking each other i»»»

Efforts are underway to unify Lebanon’s position on negotiations with Israel amid disagreements on how to approach the issue, particularly as Hezbollah objects to the process and wages what critics describe as a systematic campaign against President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, even »»»

The pace of tropical forest destruction slowed in 2025 after record losses the year before but remained at worrying levels equivalent to 11 football fields per minute, researchers said Wednesday. The world lost 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of tropical primary rainforest last year -- do»»»

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will make his first testimony before Congress on the Mideast war Wednesday, as efforts to end the conflict stalled with the United States reportedly skeptical of Tehran's latest offer to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has blockaded the waterway -- a vital conduit for»»»

The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed eight people, including civil defense rescuers, and wounded two soldiers in the country's south, despite an ongoing ceasefire. The Israeli military, meanwhile, announced it had found and destroyed a large Hezbollah tunnel network u»»»

BEIJING/SINGAPORE: Oil prices eased on Wednesday from a multi-day rally as ‌investors digested the ramifications of the UAE’s surprise decision to quit OPEC, though supply disruptions from the stalemated Iran war support the market. Brent crude futures for June dipped 1 cent to $111.25 a barrel by »»»

London: Gold is seen as a safe haven asset in times of volatility but investment volumes fell in the first quarter, industry data showed Wednesday, as the Middle East war forced some investors to liquidate holdings to raise cash. Investment volumes fell by five percent during the quarter, according»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd are relishing their Qatar Stars League (QSL) triumph, with their sights now firmly set on Amir Cup glory as the quarter-finals approach. Al Sadd - the most decorated club in Qatar - extended their domestic dominance by securing a record 19th top-flight title after edging Al Sha»»»

Dear readers,We are back with the spring edition of Secrecy Tracker. I’m Pascal Hansens, a reporter at Investigate Europe, and I wrote this newsletter with the help of Alexander Fanta from Follow the Money, and the EUobserver team. Shout-out to my colleague Ella Joyner for the edits. On the menu: e»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar beach handball team booked their place in the final of the Asian Beach Games – Sanya 2026 after a hard-fought 2-0 (13-8, 20-18) win over Bahrain in the semi-final yesterday. Qatar took control early, winning the first half 13-8, before surviving a tense second half that was level»»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai moved higher on Wednesday morning, giving jewellery buyers and investors a small pause after a steep retreat from April’s peak levels. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India.) Sign up for our daily bu»»»

Dozens of countries gathered at the United Nations in New York on Monday to discuss “the safety and protection of waterways in the maritime domain,” demanding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed by Iran since February. During his speech at the Security Council open debate c»»»

Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari has said that Qatar would favour a “comprehensive deal” to end the regional conflict. Dr Al Ansari was responding to a question about reports that Iran wants to delink Ho»»»

As geopolitical turmoil redraws the regional investment map, Saudi Arabia is emerging as a “fortress of stability” and a safe haven for capital. Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat the Kingdom’s real estate sector has been the biggest winner, posting exceptional growth of 20% to 30%. They said the surge i»»»

It begins with a run, but that’s not really why people keep coming back. Last year, we spoke to an enthusiastic Mridul Manoj, who shared his dream of starting a running club. The 24-year-old was already building a name for himself, owing to his then 2,000-day running streak, which is now closing in»»»

CHIANG SAEN: Perched on the bow of his long-tail fishing boat, 75-year-old Sukjai Yana untangled a handful of small fish from his net, disappointed by his catch and fretting over whether he can sell them. Some days Yana earns nothing: demand for fish is falling due to worries over contamination of »»»

It begins with a run, but that’s not really why people keep coming back. Last year, we spoke to an enthusiastic Mridul Manoj, who shared his dream of starting a running club. The 23-year-old was already building a name for himself, owing to his then 2,000-day running streak, which is now closing in»»»

Despite his close ties to Shiite party leaders in Baghdad and his extensive financial investments, premiership nominee Ali Faleh Kazem al-Zaidi remains largely unknown to most Iraqis outside political circles. Informed sources say al-Zaidi has multiple financial partnerships with political and busi»»»

DIB, the largest Islamic bank in the UAE by assets, recorded operating revenues of Dh3.5 billion for the first quarter of 2026, a 13 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth, while total assets reached Dh420 billion. The growth in operating revenues was driven by broad-based momentum across key revenue s»»»

Efforts to revive talks over the Middle East war have stalled as the US weighs Iran’s latest proposal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route. Tensions in Lebanon continue to escalate despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Efforts to end the Middle East war appeared at»»»

Share: In a jab at Hezbollah, which accused the government of treason and surrender”, Aoun rejected criticism of the talks saying that those who drew Lebanon into the conflict were the ones committing “treason”. Beirut- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun pushed back against Hezbollah’s opposition to di»»»

Iran's deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad has warned of the possibility of further US military action against Iran, while arguing that direct confrontation would prove too costly for Washington. Nikzad said the United St»»»

Iran's deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad has warned of the possibility of further US military action against Iran, while arguing that direct confrontation would prove too costly for Washington. Nikzad said the United St»»»

Ukraine summoned Israel's ambassador to Kyiv on April 27 and filed a formal protest after a second shipment of grain allegedly stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories docked at the port of Haifa, in a diplomatic escalation that has thrust Israel's policy of studied neutrality toward the »»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in St Petersburg on April 27, the first visit by a senior Iranian official to Russia since the outbreak of the US-Iran war on February 28, according to details released by the Kremlin.  »»»

Iran's deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad has warned of the possibility of further US military action against Iran, while arguing that direct confrontation would prove too costly for Washington. Nikzad said the United St»»»

The European Union is using Kyrgyzstan as a test case to determine whether anti-circumvention sanctions can succeed in limiting the illicit flow of Western technology to Russia, needed by Moscow to maintain its war effort in Ukraine. »»»

The European Union is using Kyrgyzstan as a test case to determine whether anti-circumvention sanctions can succeed in limiting the illicit flow of Western technology to Russia, needed by Moscow to maintain its war effort in Ukraine. »»»

The disunity in the EU is reaching a boiling point. German conservatives are preparing to deliver a blunt ultimatum to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: dismantle the regulatory machine she has built, they will try to oust her. »»»

The disunity in the EU is reaching a boiling point. German conservatives are preparing to deliver a blunt ultimatum to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: dismantle the regulatory machine she has built, they will try to oust her. »»»

The disunity in the EU is reaching a boiling point. German conservatives are preparing to deliver a blunt ultimatum to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: dismantle the regulatory machine she has built, they will try to oust her. »»»

The disunity in the EU is reaching a boiling point. German conservatives are preparing to deliver a blunt ultimatum to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: dismantle the regulatory machine she has built, they will try to oust her. »»»

A group of 47 civil society organisations has urged Western Balkan governments to abandon plans for new gas infrastructure, warning the region risks becoming locked into costly fossil fuel dependence. In a joint statement »»»

Serbia is likely to revoke controversial judicial reforms criticised by the European Union, President Aleksandar Vucic said, acknowledging the legislation was not aligned with EU rules as the government moved to defuse a dispute that risked jeopardising funding. »»»

A group of 47 civil society organisations has urged Western Balkan governments to abandon plans for new gas infrastructure, warning the region risks becoming locked into costly fossil fuel dependence. In a joint statement »»»

Although far from the events in the Middle East, the tourism sectors of the Balkan countries are not immune to the current crisis. From canceled arrangements to reduced interest in travel, some are already feeling the consequences, while others hope to attract tourists who had previously planned to»»»

Although far from the events in the Middle East, the tourism sectors of the Balkan countries are not immune to the current crisis. From canceled arrangements to reduced interest in travel, some are already feeling the consequences, while others hope to attract tourists who had previously planned to»»»

Although far from the events in the Middle East, the tourism sectors of the Balkan countries are not immune to the current crisis. From canceled arrangements to reduced interest in travel, some are already feeling the consequences, while others hope to attract tourists who had previously planned to»»»