World

South Africa's Parliament approves gov't spending budget

CAPE TOWN, April 22 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, on Tuesday passed the Division of Revenue Bill and the Special Appropriation Bill, tabled by the finance minister in February as part of the national Budget.

World

EU moves to start drafting Montenegro accession treaty

BRUSSELS, April 22 (Reuters) - ⁠European Union countries decided to start ⁠work on drafting an accession treaty ‌for Montenegro on Wednesday, marking a new phase in the country's path toward joining the bloc. 

Football

Soccer-Floundering Chelsea sack Rosenior amid worst scoring drought in 114 years

April 22 (Reuters) - Chelsea sacked manager Liam ⁠Rosenior on Wednesday following a catastrophic run of form that has left the London club's Champions League hopes hanging ⁠by a thread while they also endured their worst goalscoring drought in over a century.

World

Zimbabwe seeks investment in mineral value addition after raw export ban

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe welcomes more investment in mineral processing and refining as the country shifts from exporting raw minerals to domestic value addition, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said Wednesday.

Football

Soccer-World Cup last-minute ticket sales phase re-opens 50 days from kick-off

April 22 (Reuters) - With 50 days ⁠remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA's last-minute ⁠sales phase re-opens on Wednesday with tickets for all 104 ‌matches available on a first-come, first-served basis.

World

Israeli strike kills 2 Hezbollah members in S. Lebanon

BEIRUT, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Two Hezbollah members were killed and two journalists stranded on Wednesday following Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon despite an ongoing ceasefire, according to Lebanese official, security, and media sources.

World

Greece unveils measures to ease rising living costs

ATHENS, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday announced a 500-million-euro (585 million U.S. dollars) support package aimed at easing the burden of rising living costs, following stronger-than-expected fiscal performance.

Nation

Negri royal crisis: Four Undang advise Negri govt to defer opening of state assembly

SEREMBAN: The four Undang and the Tunku Besar of Tampin have advised the Negri Sembilan government to defer Thursday's (April 23) opening of the state legislative assembly by the Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir until a new state Ruler is proclaimed.

Technology

EU may let startups claim innovation benefits in M&A if Big Tech not involved

BRUSSELS, ⁠April 22 (Reuters) - Startups claiming innovation benefits for their ⁠deals will likely secure speedy EU antitrust approval, ‌but not if Big Tech is involved, a draft revamp of merger rules due to be announced in the coming weeks shows.

World

At far-right event, France's Bardella targets Spain over migrant amnesty

PORTO, Portugal, April 22 (Reuters) - France's far-right National Rally would reintroduce border controls and ⁠seek to limit Europe's free‑movement zone to EU nationals if it came to ‌power, its leader said on Wednesday, accusing Spain of becoming a gateway for migration into Europe.

Indonesia

Indonesia finance minister floats, then backs off on Strait of Malacca levy

JAKARTA: Indonesia's finance minister raised – then quickly downplayed – the idea of imposing a levy on ships using the straits of Malacca and Singapore, stressing that Jakarta would not exploit strategic waterways for revenue.

Athletics

Athletics-London Marathon still in talks to stage 2027 race over two days

April 22 (Reuters) - London Marathon chief ⁠executive Hugh Brasher said discussions are ongoing over a proposal to stage a one-off two-day marathon ⁠in 2027, with elite women racing on the Saturday and men on the Sunday, but stressed ‌no final approval has yet been secured.

Singapore

Child taken to hospital after foot trapped in Singapore's Bugis Junction mall escalator

SINGAPORE: A child was taken to hospital after their foot was caught in an escalator in Bugis Junction mall on Wednesday (April 22) afternoon..

World

Colombian sent from US to Congo says she faces pressure to risk danger back home

DAKAR, April 22 (Reuters) - A Colombian woman deported from ⁠the United States to the Democratic Republic of Congo under a new agreement with the Trump administration said she was under pressure to ⁠return to Colombia despite the dangers she would face there.

Singapore

Singaporean online personality Kurt Tay jailed, fined for sharing woman’s intimate video and threatening her

SINGAPORE: Online personality Kurt Tay was sentenced to 14 months in jail and fined S$3,000 on Wednesday (April 22) for distributing intimate material and sending threatening messages.

Golf

Golf-Europe Ryder Cup organisers defend steep rise in ticket prices for 2027 clash

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - Ryder Cup ⁠organisers have defended daily admission prices for next year's Europe v United States ⁠duel in Ireland after a steep rise from the 2023 edition held ‌in Rome.

Football

Soccer-Rebrov leaves role as Ukraine coach

April 22 (Reuters) - ⁠Serhiy Rebrov has stepped down ⁠as coach of the ‌Ukraine national football team, the Ukrainian Association of Football announced on Wednesday.

Football

Soccer-US women's soccer league joins global project to cut ACL injuries

April 22 (Reuters) - The National ⁠Women's Soccer League and its players' union have joined Project ACL, a global initiative ⁠aimed at reducing the number of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in professional women's football.

World

Spanish prosecutor asks judge to close corruption probe into PM Sanchez's wife

MADRID, April 22 (Reuters) - A Spanish ⁠prosecutor has asked a judge to close a corruption investigation into ⁠the business dealings of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife, in ‌a case brought by far‑right groups seeking a jail sentence of as much as 24 years.

Technology

Ping-pong robot Ace makes history by beating top-level human players

April 22 (Reuters) - An autonomous robot ping-pong player dubbed Ace has ⁠achieved a milestone for AI and robotics in Tokyo by competing against and sometimes defeating top-level human players at table tennis, a feat that could presage an array of ⁠other applications for similarly adept robots.