An Association of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has been established in Kyrgyzstan, and the head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), Zhumgalbek Shabdanbekov, has been elected its President. According to the Association, the decision was made on April 17 at a meeting with representatives»»»

New York: Air Canada will suspend service to New York's JFK International airport over the summer as the war in Iran creates jet fuel shortages that have sent prices soaring. Canada's flag carrier said Friday that service from Toronto and Montreal to JFK will cease June 1 and resume Oct. 25. Servic»»»

Research identified 1,389 seismic events in southern Santiago, Chile, between 2017 and 2025. Additional records suggest the activity has persisted for more than 30 years. Photo by Alisha Lubben/Pexels SANTIAGO, Chile, April 17 (UPI) -- Researchers in Chile have identified a persistent cluster of mi»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov received CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov on April 17, the presidential press service reported. During the meeting, the parties discussed strengthening collective security, countering modern threats, including extremism and terrorism, and increasing t»»»

Hassan Abu Khalil's family miraculously survived six weeks of war in southern Lebanon, but tragedy struck in the final minutes before a ceasefire came into force. An Israeli strike late on Thursday killed 13 of his relatives, leaving him the sole survivor. Abu Khalil, 36, stepped out to see friends»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday resisted demands he resign over revelations that his scandal-tainted pick for UK ambassador to Washington was appointed despite failing security checks. Starmer says he was not informed that the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation of securit»»»

A bar owner on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Ikaria was arrested Friday for allegedly serving alcohol to two minors who subsequently became so drunk that they required hospital treatment, authorities said. A police statement said the incident occurred Thursday evening. Together with the bar owne»»»

A new political formation, Progressive Bulgaria, was founded in Veliko Tarnovo on Friday, with former president (2017-2026) Rumen Radev unanimously elected as its leader. Radev said the party's creation responds to strong public expectations and expressed confidence that its programme would be tran»»»

Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike on a motorcycle in the south killed one person on Friday, despite the start of a 10-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. The truce, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, went into force at midnight (Thursday 2100 GMT), seeking to end more than s»»»

Tunis, April 17 (TAP) - A tourism jobs fair will be organised, on April 21 in Tunis, the National Agency for Employment and Self-Employment (French: ANETI), in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Tunisian Hotel...»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States and Iran may conclude a deal within the next day or two, US President Donald Trump said on Friday. "The Iranians want to meet. They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend. I think we will get a deal in the next day o»»»

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was offered a meeting with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his government during her visit to Spain but she declined because she did not consider it "opportune", Sanchez said on Friday. Machado's lack of contact with any members of Spain's leftist »»»

The draft of a new Bolivian hydrocarbons law prioritizes the reactivation of mature fields and traditional wells to maximize recovery of remaining reserves. File Photo by Martin Alipaz/EPA April 17 (UPI) -- The government of Rodrigo Paz has finalized the draft of a new hydrocarbons law, marking a k»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, have arrested an Irish national identified as “D.J.K.” over alleged links to an international criminal gang. The arrest was carried out within 48 hours of a Public Prosecution order issued on April 15, authorities said. Get updated»»»

One of Thessaloniki’s last Holocaust survivors, Heinz Kounio, has died aged 98, an association representing Greece’s Jewish communities said Friday. The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, or KIS, described Kounio as an “emblematic figure” who was among the first Greek Jews to write abou»»»

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi said Friday that "war does not build a future, but rather destroys the present and steals tomorrow," calling for "rejecting the logic of violence and adhering to the logic of dialogue." He added, in the southern city of Jezzine, that "the Lebanese are tired of war»»»

WASHINGTON - Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali announced on Friday US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers would visit Belgrade in May to sign a contract on her country's participation in EXPO 2027, and noted that this would turn a new page in Serbia-US »»»

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Iran's announcement that the crucial Strait of Hormuz will reopen to shipping, but said a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a peace deal is signed. "THANK YOU!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, saying that Iran had announced »»»

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has once again attacked the press, accusing journalists of producing an “endless stream of garbage” in their coverage of the Iran conflict and comparing the Pentagon media pool to the Pharisees, a Jewish group in the Bible who often clashed with Jesus. Hegseth, a fo»»»

Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways today announced a significant expansion of its Africa network, adding new routes to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe from Abu Dhabi, as part of its continued global growth strategy. The new services reflect investment in high-growt»»»

Brussels, Belgium: The European Union said Friday that it was updating an age verification app unveiled this week after independent developers pointed to vulnerabilities. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the app, which aims to better protect children from online harm, was "technica»»»

Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike on a motorcycle in the south killed one person on Friday, despite the start of a 10-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war. The truce, announced by US President Donald Trump, went into force at midnight (Thursday 2100 GMT), seeking to end more than six»»»

1 of 2 | A handout picture provided by the Vatican Media shows Pope Leo XIV and Cameroonian President Paul Biya shaking hands during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Wednesday. Pope Leo XIV held a mass Friday in Douala, Cameroon in a stadium with an estimated 120,000 pe»»»

Law enforcement authorities are operating nationwide and will not allow vote-buyers to distort the free choice of citizens, the Interior Ministry's acting Secretary General Georgi Kandev said on Friday on Facebook. “Across the country, large-scale police operations are being carried out. Police off»»»

Manila: A state witness told the an ati-graft court (known as "Sandiganbayan") that for every ₱100 million allocated to flood control projects under the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO), only about ₱35 million was actually used for implementation. Henry Alcantara, former district engin»»»

ANTALYA - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Friday in Antalya, Turkey, where he is attending the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, that Serbia was a part of the solution in the Balkans - rather than a part of the problem - and noted that the goal of Serbia's participation in the forum was to present the regio»»»

Iran said Friday it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but President Donald Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the US, including on its nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragh»»»

Brussels, April 17 (SANA) – The European Union plans to enhance cooperation with Syria by resuming official political contacts and reactivating a 1978 cooperation agreement, according to a document from the EU’s diplomatic service cited by Reuters. The document indicates that the EU will launch a h»»»

These elections will not resolve the political crisis in Bulgaria; they may even deepen it, Blue Bulgaria Coalition co-founder Vili Lilkov said in Sofia as the coalition closed its election campaign on Friday. "This is why we must be prepared to run in the next elections. If not in early parliament»»»

Closing her election campaign in Haskovo on Friday, the leader of the Defiant Bulgaria National Movement party, Korneliya Ninova, called on all citizens to vote rationally rather than emotionally, and to remain defiant to the end, refusing to surrender or “sell out”. “We have proven over the years »»»

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday the United States had "prohibited" Israel from bombing Lebanon following a ceasefire deal, adding that Washington would work with Lebanon to "deal with" Hezbollah. "Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A.»»»

For Pakistan, it's critically important not only to serve as a peacemaker, but also to succeed as a peacemaker, economic policy analyst Syed Ali Ehsan told Sputnik. As the world watches the US-Iran conflict de-escalate, Pakistan finds itself trapped in a paradox. It is both one of the crisis' most »»»

Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc issued on Friday a statement that underlined how the authorities in Lebanon endangered the nation and its integrity by holding direct negotiations with the the Israeli enemy. The Lebanese authority has involved the nation in a stage that endangers its existence as a s»»»

Dubai: Court of Cassation in Dubai has ruled that WhatsApp messages must be carefully examined in divorce disputes when presented as evidence, underscoring their potential legal weight in family law proceedings. Appeal overturned over unexamined digital evidenceIn a significant judgment, the Dubai »»»

The government will partially lift a ban on the sale of cheese from the foot-and-mouth disease-hit island of Lesvos, Rural Development Minister Margaritis Schinas promised Friday following a meeting with local livestock breeders. Schinas also stressed the need for strict adherence to other restrict»»»

SPA Complex Alexander in Zlatograd, Southern Bulgaria, is expanding its spa and tourism services by combining balneotherapy, signature treatments, and cultural-historical tourism, the owner and manager Alexander Mitushev told BTA. The complex is located in the heart of the Zlatograd Ethnographic Co»»»

During the presentation of the company’s annual results, Stefan Hartung, Chairman of the Board of Management of Robert Bosch GmbH, stated: “As a global technology leader, we are committed to shaping trends in the fields of automation, digitalization, electrification, and artificial intelligence, as»»»

Iran has announced that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open to commercial shipping, marking a significant shift after weeks of disruption during the ongoing Middle East conflict. The move comes as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to be holding, raising cautious hop»»»

European Commission officials are due to meet Friday with Peter Magyar, whose Tisza party won a supermajority in Hungary's elections on Sunday. Photo by Tibor Illyes/EPA April 17 (UPI) -- Officials from the European Commission arrived in Budapest for Friday talks with Péter Magyar, who will take of»»»

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slightly lowered its growth forecast for the Bulgarian economy by 0.3 percentage points to 2.8% amid the crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East, which in this regard has no greater impact than in other countries. However, the Fund has expressed conc»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Israel will end its bombardment campaign against Lebanon after being prohibited from doing so by the United States, President Donald Trump said on Friday. "Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!! Thank»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Trump administration is considering unfreezing $20 billion worth of Iranian financial assets in exchange for the Islamic Republic abandoning its stockpile of enriched uranium, Axios reported on Friday, citing four sources. As part of the ongoing negotiations, Washington a»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia has had special relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries for decades. "We have always had, and I am sure will continue to have, a special attitude toward this, if only for historical reasons,»»»

First published in Denik N Former Bulgarian president (2017 to January 2026) Rumen Radev appears to be on his way back — but this time, to the prime minister’s office. The former air force commander with pro-Russian views, who in January stepped down from the presidency in order to run in Sunday’s »»»

MANILA: In Philippine folklore, the agimat or anting-anting is a talisman believed to make its bearer bulletproof, invisible to enemies — or mysteriously protected from harm. In modern Philippine politics, some officials seem to wear a different kind of anting-anting: impunity. Also Read: Flood con»»»

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri stressed Friday that "national unity and civil peace are red lines that will not be crossed under any circumstances." He emphasized that "any attack on these two pillars, from any side, is an attack on Lebanon's very existence and a free gift to the Israeli enemy a»»»

Gaza: A Palestinian has been killed and several others injured following Israeli fire in the north of the Gaza Strip, according to local media reports on Friday, April 17, 2026. The Palestinian news agency WAFA said Israeli forces opened machine-gun fire towards tents sheltering displaced people in»»»

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen can ignore voters’ opinions as she essentially cannot be voted out like recently defeated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Alice Weidel, co-chair of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has said. The AfD is the most popular par»»»

1 of 2 | Analilia Mejia won the vacant U.S. House seat in New Jersey in a special election on Thursday, maintaining control of the seat for the Democratic Party. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- Analilia Mejia won the vacant U.S. House seat in New Jersey in a special »»»

Dubai: The Philippines has formally raised concerns with the Omani embassy in Manila over a requirement for a negative HIV medical certificate imposed on certain Filipino travellers heading to Oman. In a statement, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has noted that it made “strong re»»»