The Cuban government attempted to open a direct back-channel with US President Donald Trump last week, tapping a private businessman to hand-deliver a sealed letter to the White House, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing sources. The reported message, which was ultimately intercept»»»

Washington, April 17 (SANA) Syrian Finance Minister Mohamed Yisr Barnieh signed on Friday a project with the Qatar Fund for Development and consulting firm Oliver Wyman to assess Syria’s financial and banking sector. The signing ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, Ab»»»

A former parliamentary police officer has been sentenced to multiple life terms by a court in Athens after being convicted of serious sexual offences against his children. The first-instance Athens Mixed Jury Court imposed four life sentences on the defendant, along with an additional 80 years and »»»

Share: Here is the latest about Lebanon and the war in Iran today: Iran’s foreign minister says in light of the ceasefire that has halted fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, “passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open,” via a desi»»»

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) said that people are the party’s top priority and stressed the need for a stable government to ensure a good living environment, quality education, and cultural development. The statement was made on Friday, the final day of the election campaign, by the p»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Lebanese Ministry of Health: One martyr and two wounded as a result of an Israeli enemy raid on a bicycle and a motorcycle in the town of K»»»

April 17 (UPI) -- A Chinese car company successfully filed to patent a voice-activated "in-vehicle toilet" that slides out from under a passenger seat. Chongqing-based automaker Seres filed an application under patent number CN224104011U in April 2025, and the patent was officially authorized earli»»»

Doha: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani expressed hope that the Antalya Diplomacy Forum would play a meaningful role in strengthening dialogue and fostering mutual human understanding. In a post published on his account on X, HH the Amir said that he had participated in the Antalya Diplom»»»

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy says a new order is now in effect in the Strait of Hormuz following the Lebanon ceasefire and the current battlefield pause Under the new rules:Civilian vessels may transit only through routes designated by IranAll military ships remain banned from passing through th»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said, “Negotiations will never come at the expense of Lebanon’s rights, principles or sovereignty”, adding, “They reflect strength rather than weakness”. In an address to the nation, Aoun noted the ongoing negotiations are “not a sign of weakness, retreat or concessio»»»

The statei had said it planned to sue fossil fuel companies over climate change impacts. A judge on Friday blocked a lawsuit filed last year by former Attorney General Pam Bondi that attempted to prevent the state of Hawaii from filing suit against oil companies for their effects on climate change.»»»

An 85-year-old woman from France whose late husband was a U.S. veteran returned to France Friday after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for 16 days. File Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- An 85-year-old woman from France whose late husband was a U.S. v»»»

People from the industry pose with a copy of the new mining law at Venezuela's National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 9. The law allows foreign investment and was introduced under acting President Delcy Rodriguez after a visit by U.S .Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in early March. Photo »»»

The US has expanded its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, telling its military to pursue Iran-linked vessels everywhere around the globe, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, has said. Washington announced it would stop ships from accessing Iranian ports on Monday after talks with »»»

The U.S. State Department said Friday that President Donald Trump’s announced prohibition on Israeli strikes inside Lebanon applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defense, and referred to the third point of Wednesday’s agreement by Israel and Lebanon. That point says “Is»»»

Doha: Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Qatar HE Yun Hyunsoo and Ambassador of Japan to the State of Qatar HE Naoto Hisajima visited the ice rink at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, located at Al Sadd Sports Club, to review the facilities dedicated to ice sports. The visit came»»»

Armed police patrol near the Israeli embassy as counter terrorism police investigate discarded items found in Kensington Gardens in London, Britain, on Friday. Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA April 17 (UPI) -- London police closed down Kensington Gardens Friday after a video was shared online by a group m»»»

A man has been arrested in the Athens district of Tavros for illegally dumping construction waste amid a police crackdown on the practice, authorities said Friday. Police said the 33-year-old suspect was detained Thursday by a specialized team of officers patrolling for illegal waste disposal, afte»»»

President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that Lebanon is on the verge of a "new phase" of "permanent agreements," after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war went into force. "Now, we all stand before a new phase," Aoun said in his first speech to the nation since the truce, adding that "it is the »»»

Dario Amodei, the CEO of AI company Anthropic, is meeting with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Friday as his company remains in a legal battle with the Trump administration. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- Dario Amodei, the CEO of AI company Anthropic, is meet»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that any future deal reached by the government would not cede any ‌territory or ‌undermine Lebanon's national ‌rights, ⁠without saying whether ⁠he was referring to prospective talks with Israel. The televised address was ⁠his first speech ‌since ‌the US»»»

In an address to the nation regarding the April 19 early parliamentary elections, President Iliana Iotova said: "Let us vote, but let us also think about the day after the elections, when we will live and work together." She added that once the political intrigue has died down, the urgent problems »»»

Raisa Atambayeva, the wife of former Kyrgyzstan’s president Almazbek Atambayev, has been summoned for questioning by the Interior Ministry, her daughter Aliya Atambayeva reported. Aliya Atambayeva said in an Instagram post that her mother had been served with a summons requiring her to appear at a »»»

Hezbollah said its fighters would “keep their fingers on the trigger” hours after a ceasefire took effect between Lebanon and Israel, warning it would not stay silent over any Israeli violations and would not repeat its past restraint under the October 2024 ceasefire, when Israel continued attacks »»»

Antalya (Turkiye): The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani; HE President of the Republic of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and HE Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif held Friday a joint meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026. Discuss»»»

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»»»