Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, April 23rd

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced the adoption of decisions aimed at stabilizing wholesale prices on the exchange

Ali Akbar Jowkar added that Iran strongly condemns the military attacks on Caspian Sea ports and «expects other Caspian states to also condemn this unjustified aggression»

Alexey Meshkov noted that «the Non-Proliferation Treaty is actually the only major disarmament agreement that remains in effect at the present moment»

The fighter is being used in the special military operation in Ukraine

The impact assessment (IA) clearly identifies the initiative's central trade-off: the more flexibility manufacturers are granted, the lower their compliance costs – but the higher the running costs for vehicle users and society, because more non-zero-emission vehicles remain in the fleet. The IA assesses many options with different degrees of flexibility for car manufactures. It is based on a relatively rich methodology. It quantifies impacts for manufacturers, consumers, society and the environment based on a solid modelling set-up complemented by a total-cost-of-ownership approach. It captures distributional impacts and sectoral shifts. At the same time, considerable weaknesses remain. The intervention logic is weakened where problems are framed as risks relying significantly on stakeholders' perceptions, particularly on non-compliance, possible premiums and investment gaps. The objectives and monitoring framework remain largely broad, particularly at operational level, and the uncertainty analysis is limited to electricity- and battery-price sensitivities. Although the evaluations of impacts on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and on competitiveness are useful, they rely on limited and partly qualitative input, with no disaggregation by SME size class. More importantly, the final proposal departs from the IA in several respects – notably on 2035 targets, fuel and steel flexibilities, multiannual compliance, and 'made in the EU' conditionalities – without explaining the reasons or likely impacts of these differences. Finally, the IA, which usefully situates the proposal within the wider automotive package, would have benefited from an assessment of the combined effects of that package, providing clearer visibility on how its measures are expected to interact. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

[allAfrica]

Prime Minister Modi playfully responded to opposition criticism about his unscheduled jhalmuri stop in West Bengal, stating the state will celebrate BJP's victory with sweets and the popular snack. He suggested the TMC felt the «heat of chillies» from his brief break, while the TMC accused him of staging a «scripted drama» and humiliating an Adivasi leader.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a case on gender discrimination in temples, cautioned against relying on information from 'WhatsApp University.' A nine-judge bench, led by the Chief Justice, emphasized that while eminent authors' views are respected, personal opinions are not sufficient for judicial decisions. The court acknowledged the difficulty in defining essential religious practices.

Owen had been celebrating his 18th birthday and made staff aware of his allergies, but was not told the chicken was marinated in buttermilk.

The Mail on Sunday columnist cited a Labour 'power couple' who bought a home in an exclusive London neighbourhood in order to be within a specific school's catchment area.

Security footage from the Deli café on Tonge Moor Road, Bolton, captured the bespectacled man in his 50s walking through the front door and approaching a younger man tucking into his food.

The Duke of Sussex, 41, will speak at the Kyiv Security Conference on Thursday to tell Ukrainian delegates: 'The world sees you and respects you'.

The dangerous mishap emerged after the man in his 20s was detained by police after a number of children were approached outside Laleham Church of England Primary School in Surrey.

A 23-year-old Malaysian man was arrested on April 14 for attempting to smuggle drugs into Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint in the boot of his car.In a joint statement on Thursday (April 23), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said the drugs seized — 5,127g of cannabis and 2,072g of methamphetamine, also known as Ice — have an estimated value of $547,000.ICA officers had directed the car for enhanced checks and found two plastic bags believed to contain controlled drugs in the boot.CNB officers were immediately alerted and conducted further checks.Through follow-up investigations, CNB officers launched an operation in the vicinity of Woodlands Industrial Park on the same day.Two Bangladeshi men, aged 42 and 36, were arrested for suspected drug offences.«The drugs seized have an estimated worth of more than $547,000 and could potentially feed the addiction of about 1,900 abusers for a week,» said ICA and CNB.Investigations are ongoing.

Singapore has blocked six websites masquerading as local mainstream news sources, but which are actually operated by foreign actors.The inauthentic sites were identified by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which assessed that they could be used to launch hostile information campaigns.In such campaigns, foreign attackers use sophisticated online tools and tactics in a coordinated manner to advance a country's interests, such as by influencing domestic political discourse.In a joint statement on Thursday (April 23), MHA and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said the websites use spoofing or Singapore-associated terms in their domain name, and carry local news.«They are associated with other websites and networks which had previously been flagged by various international analysts as being inauthentic and carrying out mis- and dis-information activities,» the authorities added.Directions to Internet Access Service Providers (IASPs) to disable access to the six sites for Singapore users were issued by IMDA after it assessed MHA's findings.The blocked sites are:

A secondary school student seen bowing to motorists at a zebra crossing in a viral interaction simply wants to show her thanks, she told Lianhe Zaobao.Earlier in April, a Reddit user shared dashcam footage of a Bartley Secondary School student performing a deep bow as she crossed the road and waving at the car with a wide smile.The act of stopping and bow in front of cars at crossings — inspired from a Japanese greeting rooted in respect — had become an internet trend.Many netizens welcomed the culture and praised the schoolgirl for her courtesy and good manners.@asiaoneOthers wondered if she was doing the «bringing Japanese culture to Singapore» trend from TikTok. #sgnews #singapore #zebracrossing #pedestrians #car

In a rare departure from Jamaica’s parliamentary tradition, backbencher and former Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte on Tuesday cut through one of the most consequential pieces of legislation tabled by the Government in recent times and told members of the executive bluntly – go back and “rework” the bill.

The Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ) is raising concerns over what it describes as a lack of consultation with local contractors in the establishment of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the agency tasked to lead Jamaica’s post-hurricane reconstruction.

Changing Jamaica’s gun law to provide lesser penalties for possession of an imitation firearm is not enough if the “fundamental flaw” of possibly criminalising citizens for an object that cannot discharge a projectile is not addressed, a criminal defence attorney has asserted. Minister of National Security and Peace Dr Horace Chang announced in Parliament on Tuesday that new amendments to the Firearms (Prohibition, Restriction and Regulation) Act, 2022 will be tabled “in short order”.

WESTERN BUREAU: A jubilant church service in Montego Bay, St James, was shattered by gunfire on Wednesday, leaving a choir member dead at the doorway as worshippers screamed “Jesus! Jesus!” and fled in panic. The deceased has been identified as 38-year-old Cora Thompson, a member of the New Testament Church of God on Water Lane in St James, where she worshipped and sang on the choir. Thompson resided at Humber Avenue in Montego Bay with her 12-year-old son.

The Government has signalled a firmer stance against rising violence at entertainment events, with Deputy Prime Minister and National Security and Peace Minister Dr Horace Chang warning that criminals will not be allowed to hijack Jamaica’s party scene. Making his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Chang pointed to what he described as “emerging trends” in violent incidents at parties, while insisting that the authorities are moving decisively to contain the threat.

The crisis is also complicating negotiations on the EU’s common budget for 2028-2034 scheduled for Friday, according to the newspaper

A 15-year-old is among 239 persons being investigated by the police for their alleged involvement in scams following an islandwide operation between April 9 and 22.In a statement on Thursday (April 23), police said the operation, involving officers from their Commercial Affairs Department and the seven Police Land Divisions, resulted in the arrest of 162 men and 77 women, aged between 15 and 85.They are believed to be involved in more than 676 cases of scams, including e-commerce, friend impersonation, job, government official impersonation, investment and rental. Victims reportedly lost over $8.9 million.The alleged offenders are being investigated for cheating, money laundering, and providing payment services without a licence.The offence of cheating carries up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine, while money laundering carries up to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.Since Dec 30 last year, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates face mandatory caning of at least six strokes, up to 24 strokes. 

Supermarket chain FairPrice will expand its price freeze initiative to include more than 300 staples, up from 100, in a move aimed at easing the financial burden on Singaporeans amid supply chain disruptions due to the war in the Middle East.In a statement on Thursday (April 23), FairPrice Group (FPG) said the price freeze will take effect from April 23 to May 31.The original list of 100 daily essentials was first announced on April 8.The expansion comes as more than 30 suppliers have joined FPG in this initiative to help stabilise costs.The expanded list includes items such as Nestlé cereals and coffee mixes, Kang Kang packaged noodles by TSK Foods, Lee Kum Kee sauces and condiments, Colgate toothpaste, Head & Shoulders shampoo, among others.

SINGAPORE — Supermarket and minimart chain Hao Mart has shrunk its network of outlets as it sinks further into the red, according to checks by The Straits Times.Hao Mart’s website on April 22 lists 20 outlets in Singapore, but only seven were operating when ST visited all the listed locations over a two-week period in the second half of March.The latest records filed with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) obtained by ST also show the company’s losses have worsened for three consecutive years.The home-grown chain reported a $49.6 million loss for the financial year ending March 31, 2025 — the latest available figure belatedly provided to ACRA in January. This amount is up from $32.8 million in the preceding year and $23.2 million in the year before.ACRA said in response to ST queries in March that it has taken enforcement action against Hao Mart for failing to submit its annual returns within six months of the end of its financial year.While the regulator did not specify the penalty, its website states that late submissions could incur fines of $300 or $600, depending on the length of delay.

[New Times] The City of Kigali will extend its dedicated bus lanes from short queue sections near junctions to continuous lanes, in a move aimed at speeding up public transport across the capital.

[New Times] The Government is securing designated public parking spaces across Kigali to allow motorists to park their cars and complete their journeys using public transport.