The Central Election Commission of Kosovo said turnout for elections on April 21 in four mostly Serbian municipalities in the north of the country fell far short of the 50 percent required to validate the results and therefore the election failed.
Voters in four mostly Serb municipalities of northern Kosovo went to the polls on April 21 to decide the fate of ethnic Albanian mayors whose installation sparked violence a year ago. The turnout appeared to be low amid a boycott by the leading Serb political group aimed at undermining the election's legitimacy.
A simple asterisk on most diplomatic documents and reports on Kosovo has made it easier for Pristina to interact with international organizations and countries. But it also highlights that Kosovo's final status remains unclear, thanks, in part, to ongoing talks on normalizing ties with Serbia.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has publicly expressed gratitude to Iran's armed forces one week after they targeted Israel with more than 300 missiles and drones in response to Israel's suspected bombing of Iran's embassy compound in Damascus.
The commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) troops in the Iranian capital on April 21 announced the creation of a new enforcement body to uphold the country's strict dress code for women.
Facing raids by Russian nationalists and indifference from police, small businesses owned by Central Asians have been targeted in the aftermath of the Crocus concert venue attack. Xenophobic incidents have surged across Russia following the March 22 terrorist attack that killed 144 people.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will make an official visit to Pakistan on April 22-24 accompanied by his wife, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other senior Iranian officials, and a business delegation, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced on April 21.
Iranian officials have denied media reports about the imminent delivery of new Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets to Iran.
Moldova's pro-European government faces a new challenge from its restive pro-Moscow Gagauzia region after its leaders denounced proposed judicial reforms and demanded enhanced status for the Russian language.
Police in the western Pakistani city of Dera Ismail Khan say unidentified men opened fire on a vehicle carrying customs officials on April 21, killing a customs inspector and two security personnel and injuring another in the second deadly attack on customs officials in the span of four days.
Polling is officially under way in four mostly Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo over the fates of ethnic Albanian mayors whose installment sparked violence a year ago, but a boycott by the leading ethnic Serb political grouping could cast doubt on the votes' legitimacy.
The exiled widow of the late Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has said "nobody knows" what to expect from Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned that the revanchist Kremlin leader could use nuclear weapons if he felt the need.
