Nepal’s home minister resigns, second cabinet exit in one month
Sudan Gurung steps down after less than a month in office, citing questions about his investments and other matters. By AFP and Reuters Published On 22 Apr 202622 Apr 2026 Nepal’s minister of home affairs has resigned, saying there have been questions about his investments and other matters. He is the second minister to withdraw from the country’s month-old government. Sudan Gurung announced his departure on Wednesday, stressing that questions should be investigated, without giving further details. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “I have resigned from the position of Home Minister with effect from today,” the 38-year-old posted on his social media accounts. “For me, morality is greater than a position, and there is no greater power than public trust … Public life should be clean, leadership should be accountable,” added Gurung, who took office on March 27. Dipa Dahal, press adviser to Prime Minister Balendra Shah, confirmed the reception of Gurung’s resignation. Shah will take charge of the Ministry of Home Affairs until a new appointment is made, Dahal added. Gurung came into the spotlight after he ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his home minister, Ramesh Lekhak, in connection with an investigation into their roles during a crackdown on youth-led protests last September. Rapper-turned-politician Shah, 35, became prime minister after his three-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which had promised to control corruption, provide good governance and transparency, was swept into power in last month’s parliamentary election. During his three-year stint as mayor of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, Shah gained popularity for his reforms. Earlier this month, the government formed a five-member commission led by a former Supreme Court judge to investigate the assets of politicians and officials. Advertisement The commission was a part of the government’s 100-point reform agenda issued after Shah took office. Shah dismissed his labour minister earlier this month after RSP ruled Dipak Kumar Sah had misused “the dignity of his position” to get his wife appointed as a member of the board of directors of the country’s Health Insurance Board. Nepal currently ranks 109th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Adblock test (Why?)
Fires ignited by Ukrainian drones rage at Russian oil refinery
NewsFeed Hundreds of firefighters are trying to contain fires at Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery, days after it was hit by a Ukrainian drone attack. Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova is at the scene. Published On 22 Apr 202622 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Trump calls Iran’s leadership ‘fractured’. Is it, and who’s in charge?
United States President Donald Trump has described the Iranian leadership as “seriously fractured” as he announced an extension to a ceasefire. Trump said on Tuesday that the ceasefire would be extended to allow more time for negotiations and appeared to be suggesting that Iran’s leadership is in disarray. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list He added that the US naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian ports would remain in place. Three weeks ago, Trump claimed the US military campaign had succeeded in its goal of forcing a change in Iran’s government and the US was now dealing with “a whole new set of people” in charge of the country. On April 11, Iran sent a delegation led by parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, to begin talks with the US. So is Iran’s government “fractured”? We take a look at the key Iranian stakeholders and power centres in Iran and how their approach to US negotiations may differ. Who are the key figures in Iran, and are they ‘fractured’ over talks with the US? Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Khamenei is the second son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli air strikes on Tehran on the first day of the war on February 28. Mojtaba Khamenei was selected as Iran’s new supreme leader on March 8, according to state media reports. The 56-year old has never run for office or been elected but has for decades been a highly influential figure in the inner circle of his father, cultivating deep ties with the the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Advertisement Observers said the younger Khamenei’s ascension is a clear sign that more hardline factions in Iran’s establishment have retained power and could indicate that the government has little desire to agree to a deal or negotiations with the US in the short term. Since his ascension, however, Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public. On March 13, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claimed Iran’s new supreme leader had been wounded in US-Israeli strikes. An April 11, a Reuters news agency report that quoted three people close to the supreme leader’s inner circle said Khamenei was still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries suffered in the air strike that killed his father. The sources were quoted as saying he was taking part in meetings with senior officials through audioconferencing. Al Jazeera could not independently verify these claims. According to state media reports, Khamenei has been active in making decisions on the war. In a message read on Iranian state TV on April 18, Khamenei warned that the Iranian navy was ready to inflict “new bitter defeats” on the US and Israel as tensions escalated in the Strait of Hormuz. Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Ghalibaf, 64, has served as Iran’s parliamentary speaker since 2020. He was commander of the IRGC air force from 1997 to 2000. After that, he served as the country’s police chief. From 2005 to 2017, he was the mayor of Tehran. Ghalibaf stood in elections for president in 2005, 2013, 2017 and 2024. He withdrew his bid for president before the election in 2017 when Hassan Rouhani won a second term. Last month in the early days of the US-Israel war on Iran, it was suggested that Ghalibaf was the Trump administration’s “pick” to lead the country after the war ended. He has also been the main Iranian official leading negotiations with Washington since they began on April 11 in Pakistan. In an overnight post on X on Tuesday, Ghalibaf wrote that Iran is “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield” after Trump threatened Tehran with “problems like they’ve never seen before” if the two-week ceasefire ended this week without a deal. Ghalibaf expressed anger at Trump for “imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire”. “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield,” he said. The ceasefire was supposed to have ended on Wednesday, but shortly before its expiration, Trump extended it until Iran “can come up with a unified proposal”. Advertisement Within Iran, however, Ghalibaf’s willingness to engage in negotiations with the US has been criticised by some people who have accused him of “betrayal”. According to a report on Monday by the Iran International TV channel, some critics of Ghalibaf have said on social media platforms in Iran that the parliamentary speaker’s suggestion that peace talks with the US were progressing was “worrying”. “There is no good in negotiation except harm,” one critic said. But Ghalibaf has defended undertaking negotiations with the US. In a televised interview on Saturday, he said diplomacy does not mean “a withdrawal from Iran’s demands” but is a way to “consolidate military gains and translate them into political outcomes and lasting peace”. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Iran’s military power structure is often described as opaque and complex. The nation operates parallel armies, multiple intelligence services and layered command structures, all of which answer directly to the supreme leader, who serves as the commander in chief of all the armed forces. The parallel armies comprise the Artesh, Iran’s regular army, which is responsible for territorial defence, defence of Iran’s airspace and conventional warfare, and the IRGC, whose role goes beyond defence and includes protecting Iran’s political structure. The IRGC also controls Iran’s airspace and drone arsenal, which has become the backbone of Iran’s deterrence strategy against attacks by Israel and the US. After the US and Israel struck Iran and killed Ali Khamenei, the IRGC promised revenge and launched what it called “the heaviest offensive operations in the history of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic against occupied lands [a reference to Israel] and the bases of American terrorists”. Since then, it has struck US military assets and infrastructure across the Gulf region. Some experts said Iranian officials negotiating with the US are more closely aligned
Argentina’s Milei sings and lights torch for Israeli national day
NewsFeed Argentine President Javier Milei sang and lit a ceremonial torch at Israel’s 78th Independence Day celebrations. Milei has doubled down on relations with Israel at a time when other leaders are distancing themselves. Published On 22 Apr 202622 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Tehran held military parades as ceasefire was set to end
NewsFeed Videos show large crowds attending a military parade in Tehran on Tuesday as the US-Iran ceasefire deadline approached. Donald Trump has since said the US was indefinitely extending it. Published On 22 Apr 202622 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
FIFA unlocks more World Cup tickets and adds new, more expensive categories
Football’s governing body puts more tickets on sale but has introduced new premium-priced tiers that angered some fans. Published On 22 Apr 202622 Apr 2026 The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) is putting more World Cup tickets on sale after angering some fans by adding new, more expensive categories. FIFA announced on Tuesday that it would make more tickets available at 11am EDT (15:00 GMT) on Wednesday for all 104 games in Categories 1, 2 and 3, in addition to the new “front category” pricing it added this month. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The new category led to online complaints from fans, who said they had thought that the better seats in the categories they had bought tickets for were withheld, and they had been assigned less favourable locations. FIFA in December put tickets on sale at prices ranging from $140 for Category 3 in the first round to $8,680 for the final, then raised prices to as much as $10,990 when sales reopened on April 1. FIFA did not respond to an April 9 request for comment about the new ticket categories it added. Also on Tuesday, The Athletic reported that ticket sales are lagging for the US opener against Paraguay on June 12 at Inglewood, California. It said a document distributed to local organisers, dated April 10, said that 40,934 tickets had been bought for the US-Paraguay game, and 50,661 were bought for the Iran-New Zealand contest on April 15. FIFA projects the capacity at the Los Angeles SoFi Stadium, where the US-Paraguay and Iran-New Zealand games will be held, to be about 69,650, noting that it may change. FIFA’s December sale priced US-Paraguay tickets at $1,120, $1,940 and $2,735, and Iran-New Zealand seats at $140, $380 and $450. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Global Sumud Flotilla disrupts cargo ship bound for Israel
NewsFeed Activists with the Global Sumud Flotilla have disrupted the MSC Maya, a cargo ship they believe was carrying materials used for Israeli weapons to the ports of Ashdod and Haifa. The vessel is operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, which Al Jazeera confirms has carried hundreds of shipments to and from illegal Israeli settlements. Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Trump’s Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer latest to leave administration
Chavez-DeRemer is the third high-profile female official to leave the Trump administration after recent departures of Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi. Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026 US Secretary of Labour Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be leaving her post in the administration of President Donald Trump, the White House has said. Chavez-DeRemer is the third woman to leave the Trump administration since March, when the president fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the wake of federal immigration raids in Minnesota that led to the deaths of two protesters. Trump also ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Chavez-DeRemer has done a “phenomenal job” protecting American workers and is set to “take a position in the private sector”, White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung said in a post on X late on Monday, announcing the labour secretary’s departure. “Keith Sonderling will take on the role of Acting Secretary of Labor,” Cheung added, referring to the current deputy labour secretary. While Cheung did not give a reason for Chavez-DeRemer’s departure, the New York Post reported in January that she was under investigation for “pursuing an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with a subordinate” and drinking in her office during the work day. Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the allegations. From the beginning of her tenure, Chavez-DeRemer had some notable differences with other members of Trump’s inner circle. She had voiced support for the pro-union Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), earning support for her nomination from some Democrats. Her appointment was also seen as favoured by Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who notably spoke in support of Trump’s re-election campaign at the Republican National Convention in July 2024. Advertisement However, as the labour secretary, Chavez-DeRemer’s positions have more closely aligned with the Trump administration’s overall anti-regulatory policies, according to US media outlets. During her tenure as secretary, the Labor Department stalled on responding to calls for limits on silica exposure from Appalachian coal miners suffering from the occupational black lung disease. Chavez-DeRemer is not the first top official to leave the Labor Department during Trump’s second term. In August 2025, Trump fired the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Erika McEntarfer, who was appointed by previous President Joe Biden, after a report showed that hiring had slowed in July and was worse in May and June than had previously been reported. Chavez-DeRemer had supported the president’s move at the time. “I support the President’s decision to replace Biden’s Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,” Chavez-DeRemer said in a post on X following McEntarfer’s removal. Adblock test (Why?)
Cuba confirms talks with US officials, wants end to Trump’s energy blockade
A Cuban Foreign Ministry official said the exchange with Washington was ‘respectful and professional’ and devoid of threats. Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026 The Cuban government has confirmed that it held recent talks in Havana with officials from the United States, as tensions remain high between the two countries over Washington’s energy blockade of the Caribbean country. Alejandro Garcia del Toro, deputy director general in charge of US affairs at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday that the US delegation included assistant secretaries of state, and the Cuban delegation included representatives at the level of deputy foreign minister. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Garcia de Toro said that the US delegation did not issue any threats or deadlines as had been reported by some US media outlets. “The entire exchange was conducted with respect and professionalism,” he said. In comments reported by Cuba’s Communist Party newspaper Granma, Garcia del Toro emphasised that ending the three-month-old US oil blockade was “a top priority” for the Cuban government in the talks, and accused Washington of “blackmail” for threatening countries that export oil to Cuba with tariffs. “This act of economic coercion is an unjustified punishment for the entire Cuban population,” he said. “It is also a form of global blackmail against sovereign states, which have every right to export fuel to Cuba, in accordance with the principles of free trade,” he added. US news outlet Axios reported on Friday that officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration held multiple meetings in Havana on April 10, including with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, grandson of former President Raul Castro. The meetings marked the first time that American diplomats had flown into Cuba since 2016 in a new diplomatic push. According to reports, US officials laid out several conditions for negotiations with Cuba to continue, including the release of prominent political prisoners, an end to political repression, and liberalising the island’s ailing economy. Advertisement The Reuters news agency said that US proposals for Cuba also include allowing Elon Musk’s Starlink internet terminals into the country and providing compensation for Americans and US corporations for assets confiscated by Cuba after the 1959 revolution. Washington is also concerned about the influence of foreign powers on the island, a US official told the news agency. Trump has hinted at military intervention in Cuba and warned of tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba. The fuel blockade has aggravated Cuba’s economic and energy crisis, leading to warnings of a humanitarian disaster. Cubans have also braced for a possible attack following Trump’s repeated warnings that the country will be “next” after his war on Iran and the US military’s abduction of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in January. Last week, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that his country was prepared to fight if the US carried through on its threats. The leaders of Mexico, Spain and Brazil on Saturday voiced concern over the “dramatic situation” in Cuba and urged “sincere and respectful dialogue”. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday there was no evident justification for the US to attack Cuba. “The ability to defend oneself does not mean the right to intervene militarily in other states when their political systems do not match what others might have in mind,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Tight security in Islamabad as US-Iran talks set to go ahead
NewsFeed Security is on lockdown in Islamabad where preparations are being made for new US‑Iran talks despite questions over Iran’s participation. Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reports from the Pakistani capital, where an expanded police presence is tightly controlling access around the talks venue. Published On 20 Apr 202620 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)