UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - The ongoing blockade by the US Navy of Iranian waters is a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Iranian Permanent Representative to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani said on Thursday. "The imposition of a maritime blockade announced by the United States constit»»»

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - The date for the second round of negotiations aimed at resolving the Middle East conflict, hosted by Pakistan as a mediator, has not yet been determined, Tahir Andrabi, the official spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday. "The dates for the next round o»»»

At a sitting on Thursday, the Council of Ministers adopted a report approving Draft Amendment and Supplement No. 1 to the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) BU-B-UCR Procurement of Ammunition for Stryker Vehicles. Proposing amendments and supplements to existing contracts under the Foreign Milita»»»

Dimitar Karbov, the top-of-the-list candidate of Nation for Varna, is quoted by the party’s press office as saying that "Children are our greatest treasure and hope for Bulgaria’s future, which is why addressing the country’s demographic crisis is a top priority for Nation." Karbov added that solvi»»»

Tunis, April 16 (TAP) - Any potential funding raised to address the repercussions of the war must be additional to that previously allocated, so as not to jeopardise the financing of the portfolio of ongoing projects, affirmed Minister of Economy...»»»

In a speech in Riyadh in May 2025, US President Donald Trump appeared to criticise his White House predecessors, including fellow Republican President George W. Bush, for invading Iraq in 2003, bringing down Saddam Hussein’s regime, and trying to rebuild the Iraqi state. Trump’s barb was at “so-cal»»»

Cairo is seeing renewed diplomatic momentum on Gaza, with mediators working to narrow gaps between Hamas and Israel, alongside the United States and Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza at the Board of Peace. A meeting in Cairo on Tuesday brought together Hamas chief negotiator Khali»»»

1 of 2 | Pope Leo XIV waves to supporters as he leaves after his visit to the Ngul Zamba orphanage in Yaounde, Cameroon, Wednesday. Pool photo by Alberto Pizzoli April 16 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV spent his second day in Cameroon in the city of Bamenda, the center of separatist fighting, calling for pe»»»

Share: President Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, to begin on Thursday at 5pm ET. Why it matters: The U.S. has been pressing for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon for several days, while working in parallel on a potential peace deal with Iran. “I just had e»»»

The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, speaks at a pro-government event in Caracas on Monday to commemorate National Dignity Day, which marks the return of the late former president Hugo Chavez to the presidency after being ousted in a coup. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA April 16 (UPI)»»»

Tsvetan Predov, the top-of-the-list-candidate of There Is Such a People in Sliven, concluded the political party’s election campaign in the region with an address to the residents of the area, the campaign headquarters announced. In his message, Predov highlighted his years of experience in the soc»»»

Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim al-Moussawi told AFP on Thursday that the Lebanese group would respect a ceasefire with Israel announced earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump if Israeli attacks on the militants stopped. "We in Hezbollah will cautiously adhere to the ceasefire on the condition that it i»»»

The French government on Thursday said it was pushing for the release of an 86-year-old French citizen who has been detained by ICE since early April. Marie-Thérèse Ross, who is now widowed, moved to the US last year to marry her sweetheart from the 1950s.  French officials have said they»»»

More than three dozen Democrats backed a bid by Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday to block US arms sales to Israel, reflecting growing unease over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and conflicts in Gaza and Iran. The measures failed, opposed by Republicans, but underscored rising dissent within t»»»

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire that would come into effect at 5pm EST. Trump said he had earlier spoken with both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Follow our liveblog for the latest upd»»»

A woman who came to the world's attention at the age of just 16 has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how helping women has been an honour for her. Now 22, as a teenager Bohlale Mphahlele invented what she calls the Alerting Earpiece, designed to help protect women against sexual predators. She spoke »»»

François Picard welcomes Dallia Abdelmoniem, Political / Media Analyst and Commentator on African and Middle Eastern affairs. Sudan is a war-torn nation unraveling in real time, warns Abdelmoniem. She says that we are not just witnessing a conflict between rival armed factions; it is a systematic w»»»

This week in French Connections we take a step away from the news and focus on France's love for a specific type of musical ensemble, known as a fanfare. Somewhere between a marching band and a brass band, "la fanfare" is an institution in France and it says a lot about the country because its hist»»»

More than 100 authors said they would leave France's Grasset publishing house on Thursday after the surprise departure of its long-time CEO, thought to be sparked by a disagreement with billionaire owner Vincent Bolloré. Critics accuse Bolloré of championing far-right views in his media e»»»

Istanbul: Speaker of the Shura Council HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim affirmed that the State of Qatar, under the leadership of The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, will continue its steadfast approach based on dialogue, mediation, and preventing escalation, which contributes to supportin»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, April 16: We take a look at the latest coverage from the Russian independent papers. Next: a story about how new technologies are helping the elderly to combat loneliness. Also: a baby elephant has a similar story to that of Punch the monkey. Finally, why did a British»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have agreed to begin a 10-day ceasefire on Thursday evening in order to achieve peace, US President Donald Trump said. "I just had excellent conversations with the Highly Respected President Joseph A»»»

The US Senate has voted against two resolutions blocking American arms sales to Israel put forward by independent lawmaker Bernie Sanders. The resolutions received support from some 75% of Democrats during the votes on Wednesday, but still failed to pass as the Republicans almost unanimously reject»»»

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes remarks at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 8, 2025. On Wednesday, he delayed plans for the state legislature to hold a special session to redraw the state's congressional districts. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo April 16 (UPI) -- Florida»»»

British state broadcaster the BBC is set to cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs – about 10% of its 21,500 workforce. Interim Director General Rhodri Talfan Davies informed employees of the planned downsizing on Wednesday, citing “significant financial pressures... production inflation remains very hig»»»

A total of EUR 466 million under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) is at risk due to the failure to implement reforms related to anti-corruption legislation and the mechanism for investigating the prosecutor general, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for European Funding Maria Nedina s»»»

WASHINGTON - Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali, who is on a visit to Washington, said on Thursday he expected the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to extend an operating licence for the Serbian oil company NIS by the end of the day and announced that representatives»»»

The US-Iran talks being mediated by Pakistan to end the latest Middle East conflict are nearing a breakthrough, Al Jazeera has reported. The likelihood of a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program has improved significantly, the news outlet reported, citing Pakistani sources. Iran’s nuclear program has be»»»

Barcelona: Lionel Messi has bought Catalan club Cornella and become the team's new owner, the Spanish fifth-tier side announced on Thursday. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner is still playing in the United States for Inter Miami and is expected to play a key role in Argentina's World Cup title defe»»»

US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting on Thursday. Trump said the truce followed "excellent" conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, taking place two days after Israel and Leban»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Member of Loyalty to Resistance Bloc: Iran’s ambassador informed us that the truce starts tonight 16-04-2026 19:11 PM Latest News Urgent Ne»»»

South Korea recorded a first-quarter record of 4.76 million foreign tourist arrivals, up 23 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday. The figure represents the highest first-quarter total on record, achieved despite geopolitical tensions in the Mid»»»

US President Donald Trump has announced that a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been agreed upon following talks in Washington. DETAILS TO FOLLOW»»»

A voting machine was demonstrated to journalists here on Thursday at the warehouse where the devices are kept. On Friday evening, the voting machines will be transported to municipalities countrywide and are expected to reach the voting sections on Saturday, Central Election Commission (CEC) Deputy»»»

PRAGUE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric wrapped up an official visit to Czechia, during which he met with Czech counterpart Petr Macinka and Chamber of Deputies President Tomio Okamura. At a working lunch hosted for him by Okamura, Djuric also held a discussion with other top-ranking officials of the Czec»»»

The owners of the only spa hotel in Vratsa Region - Ariel in Mezdra - will expand their operations with a renovated facility at their Wine & SPA complex ChaTony in the village of Darmantsi, where a spa centre and new accommodations will be built in the family-owned winery this July. The owner of bo»»»

President Joseph Aoun held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday during which he thanked the U.S. leader for his "efforts" to secure a ceasefire with Israel, the Lebanese Presidency said. "President Aoun reiterated his thanks for the efforts Trump is making to achieve a ceasefir»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US measures to impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz are unilateral, illegal and a liberal interpretation of the rules of international law by US, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "The illegal nature of the US actions does not mean »»»

Our weekly series on Hungarian politics continues so we can report on developments after these historic elections and on events around the formation of the Tisza government. This week we cover the following topics: We may know the final election result on Saturday (18 April). Tisza’s victory has re»»»

Dubai: The UAE has held a series of high-level meetings with global finance leaders in Washington, focusing on strengthening financial partnerships, expanding tax frameworks and reinforcing its role in supporting international financial stability. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques »»»

Matt Rossi spent about $1,700 on StubHub for access to the first weekend of Coachella, which wrapped up Sunday, traveling from Manhattan to the California desert for the popular annual music festival. He received a wristband (the festival’s form of ticket) in the mail with a handwritten note from h»»»

PRAGUE - Czech FM Petr Macinka said on Thursday the issue of Serbia's autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohija should be resolved through compromise and added that it was, above all, a Serbian and regional issue, rather than an international one, noting that Czechia should have acted more cautiously »»»

1 of 3 | Virginia Lieutenant Gov.-elect Justin Fairfax arrives to speak at the official Democratic watch party at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., in 2017. Fairfax and his wife, Cerina, died by murder-suicide Thursday. File Photo by Pete Marovich/UPI | License Photo April 16 (UPI) -- Former»»»

1 of 2 | Gen. Dan Caine told the press Thursday that 13 ships have turned away from the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz since in began on Monday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 16 (UPI) -- Gen. Dan Caine told the press Thursday that 13 ships have turned away from the U.S. bloc»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US Navy is enforcing a blockade of Iran's coastline and ports rather than of the Strait of Hormuz, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said on Thursday. "Let me be clear. This blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian por»»»

Dubai: Barings has opened a new office in Abu Dhabi, expanding its presence in the Gulf as it looks to strengthen ties with institutional investors and capture growing demand for alternative investments in the region. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The move follows th»»»

Syria on Thursday said it had taken control of all military bases previously hosting US forces, who had long been in the country leading an international coalition against the ISIS group. The foreign ministry in a statement said it "welcomes the completed handover of military sites where United Sta»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected a US request for a direct phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, an official source told AFP. "The Lebanese president refused a direct call with Netanyahu and informed (US Secretary of State) Marco Rubio of this," adding that "»»»

Munich, Germany: Bayern Munich supporters have apologised after several photographers were injured when fans stormed over barriers at the end of Wednesday's home Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. With scores level in the tie, Bayern's Luis Diaz and Michael Olise both scored late i»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke by phone with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Thursday to discuss strengthening of energy security and stability of supplies, as well as challenges in the energy sector, including NIS operations, with a view to preserving market»»»