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»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

An international hip-hop culture festival, Groove Republic: LDDLM Edition, was held in Bishkek, bringing together dancers from across the globe. The event was supported by the Ministry of Culture, Information and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan and also became part of the official program of Francophoni»»»

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»»»

Israeli media sources said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered two secret meetings of senior officials across several ministries, under US pressure, to discuss the future of Gaza, including a possible commercial port and reconstruction plans. Observers linked the meetings to a military escala»»»

The Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic is testing a comprehensive software-based monitoring system for convicts (as part of the probation system) that integrates modern digital monitoring tools into a single ecosystem. The new platform provides a flexible approach to security and includes t»»»

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»»»

Dubai Police, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Interior, have arrested an Irish fugitive for his alleged role in an organised criminal group involved in international crimes in his home country. The arrest comes as part of ongoing efforts to combat organised crime and pursue internationall»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

US President Donald Trump told AFP on Friday there were "no sticking points" left for a peace deal with Iran, adding that an agreement was "very close." Trump's comments came after a series of social media posts in which he touted progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran's nuclear»»»

Minister of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic, Ruslan Suinaliev, met with representatives of the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development in Washington, D.C. to discuss the provision of budget support and the implementation of priority infrastructure projects, including the reconstruction of Ar»»»

Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bakyt Sydykov, met in Washington, D.C. with Brendan Lynch, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. Expressing gratitu»»»

Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj has filed a formal complaint with the Tirana Prosecution Office, requesting an investigation into alleged document forgery that he claims triggered a criminal proceeding against him. In his filing, Veliaj argues that the case was initiated based on a document titled “Data »»»

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»»»

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 told AFP on Friday there were "no sticking points" left for a peace deal with Iran, adding that an agreement was "very close." Trump's comments came after a series of social media posts in which he touted progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran's nucle»»»

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»»»

Oil prices plunged by about 13% on Friday after Iran's foreign minister said passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz was open for the remaining ceasefire period and US President Donald Trump said Iran has agreed to never close the strait again. Brent crude futures fell $12.8»»»

Kosovo's parliament on Friday passed a law authorizing the potential deployment of a small number of troops to Gaza as part of a peacekeeping force proposed by US President Donald Trump. According to local media, the government intends to send 22 members of the Kosovo Security Force if the plan goe»»»

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»»»

For the first time in its history, Kyrgyzstan has awarded state-issued diplomas conferring the academic degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Innovation reported. According to the ministry, PhD training programs in the country began in 2013 as part of a»»»

The United States is building trade relations with Central Asia as a single, unified region with a population of 80 million people. Altynai Asanova, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce, said, speaking on Birinchi Radio. She noted that the priority for cooperation is the region as»»»

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»»»

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»»»

The Association of Importers of Unregistered Medicinal Products for Rare Diseases Treatment has issued a statement objecting to what it describes as a misinterpretation of data on the supply of unregistered medicines. The statement was sent to the media in response to information presented by Deput»»»

Kuala Lumpur: The illegal transfer of crude oil in the Malacca Strait is increasing, with syndicates refining their tactics of ship-to-ship (STS) transfers to avoid detection, the head of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the country's coastguard, said on Thursday. These syndicates, which »»»

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»»»

Israel has not yet finished dealing with Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday, vowing to press on with the Lebanese militant group's "dismantling" just hours after a 10-day ceasefire came into effect. "Today’s Hezbollah is a shadow of its former self compared to the heyd»»»

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»»»