Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas named close confidant Hussein al-Sheikh as his deputy and likely successor on Saturday, the Palestine Liberation Organisation said, a step widely seen as needed to assuage international doubts over Palestinian leadership. Abbas, 89, has headed the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) since the death of veteran leader Yasser Arafat in 2004 but he had for years resisted internal reforms including the…

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy had a “very productive” meeting on Saturday in Rome, a White House official said, as both leaders attended the funeral of Pope Francis. A spokesman for Zelenskiy’s office said the two leaders, in an encounter in St. Peter’s Basilica, which lasted about 15 minutes, had agreed to have a second meeting later on Saturday and that their teams were working on…

Canada stands to elect a more business-friendly government than has been the case in recent years but its trade-dependent economy could be in line for an increased level of deficit spending, analysts and investors said before Monday’s vote. Spurred on by a global trade war, Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, who leads the Liberal Party, and his main election opponent, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, have both proposed…

Turkish authorities on Saturday detained 47 more members of the Istanbul municipality over accusations of corruption, broadcaster NTV and other media reported, amid a widening legal crackdown against the opposition and the city’s jailed mayor. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is also President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival and leads him in some polls, was jailed in March pending trial over charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group.…

The Trump administration said on Friday that it is restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the United States whose legal status had recently been abruptly terminated. The decision was announced during a court hearing before a federal judge in Boston who was hearing a challenge by one of the many international students nationally suing over the administration’s actions. Those students’ status had been revoked…

China has granted some exemptions on U.S. imports from its 125% tariffs and is asking businesses to identify goods that could be eligible in the clearest sign yet that Beijing is worried about the economic fallout from its trade war with Washington, according to businesses notified. The dispensation is the latest sign that the world’s two largest economies were prepared to rein in their trade war, assuaging concerns about the…

In a budget watchdog report on Friday which revealed that Britain’s regulators have failed to drive sufficient investment in the water sector, highlighting their role in causing an environmental crisis in the industry. Water companies in England and Wales are at the centre of a public backlash over rising bills after ageing pipes and overwhelmed treatment works resulted in repeated sewage spills in recent years, polluting Britain’s rivers and seas. “The…

Three people, including a child, were killed, and eight more were wounded in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad, the regional governor said on Friday. The governor for the central Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhiy Lysak, said on Telegram that “the aggressor again conducted a mass attack on the region with drones,” adding that 11 drones were destroyed over the region. Lysak said that several fires had broken out…

Britain could gain 400 billion pounds ($533 billion) from AI-driven growth if it trained its workforce, Google said, after a pilot scheme in the UK showed workers could save more than 120 hours a year by using AI in administrative tasks. Simple steps such as giving workers permission to use AI and a few hours of training to get them started could help double the adoption of the new technology,…

Tesla’s sales in Europe are tumbling despite a broader rebound in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) across the Continent as Elon Musk gets a fresh headache as he refocuses his attention on his struggling car company. Just 36,167 Teslas were sold in the EU during the first quarter of 2025, down 37pc compared to a year earlier, according to industry figures. It came as overall EV sales in the bloc…

The Dollar to Naira exchange rate remains a critical focus for businesses, investors and individuals in Nigeria as forex market fluctuations continue. On 25th April 2025, the black-market exchange rate reflects ongoing economic trends, foreign exchange supply challenges, and the latest policies from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).   How Much is Dollar to Naira Today in Black Market? The latest black-market Dollar to Naira exchange rate as of…

A federal judge in New Hampshire on Thursday restricted the ability of Republican President Donald Trump’s administration to cut off funding to public schools that engage in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty in Concord issued a preliminary injunction preventing the U.S. Department of Education from enforcing its policy against members of three groups including the National Education Association, the largest U.S. teacher’s union. Read also:…