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)»»»

A large peri-urban forest project in western Thessaloniki is set to open June 6, as work nears completion on a 3,000-stremma green space being developed on former landfill land in Evkarpia in the municipality of Pavlos Melas. So far, 100,000 trees and 220,000 shrubs have been planted at the site, w»»»

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»»»

At a meeting here on Thursday, the Council of Ministers approved an agreement with the International Bank for Economic Co-operation (IBEC) settling the mutual obligations arising from the country’s withdrawal from the agreement on IBEC's organization and activities and from its membership in the IB»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Museums Authority is marking the 30th anniversary of Sharjah Science Museum under the slogan “Thirty Years of Scientific Achievement”, celebrating three decades since the museum first opened its doors on April 17, 1996, and its continued role in promoting hands-on learning and scie»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Tunis, April 16 (TAP) - B2B business meetings covering several sectors will be organised next June 17-18 in Saint Petersburg (Russia) by the Export Promotion Centre (French: CEPEX), on the fringes of the NEVA BUYERS WEEK 2026. Over the two days of...»»»

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»»»

Damascus, April 16 (SANA) Syrian Minister of Transport, Yarub Badr, held a video meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, to explore ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation in land and rail transport. Minister Badr emphasized the importance of developing regional connecti»»»

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»»»

Yuji, a 6-week-old patas monkey in Mexico, wakes up every day clinging to a stuffed dog. More than a toy, this plush companion acts as a surrogate mom after the tiny primate was rejected by his own mother, Kamaria, a first-time parent unable to form a maternal bond. Weighing a mere 673 grams (1.4 p»»»

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»»»

Grand Hotel Bansko offers modern spa services, expanding its complex with the newly opened Pulse Therme Bansko area, which complements the hotel’s existing spa facilities and attracts both hotel guests and outside visitors, manager Tsvetelina Racheva told BTA. The recently opened Pulse Therme Bansk»»»

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»»»

A drone was discovered on the shore near Ahtopol, the Ministry of Defence’s press office said on Thursday. The object did not contain any explosives and posed no danger. It was subsequently transported to the Naval Base in Burgas. This is the latest in a series of drone discoveries in recent days. »»»

Muscat: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani left Muscat on Thursday, after a fraternal visit to the Sultanate of Oman. At the forefront of those bidding farewell to HH the Amir and the accompanying delegation was HM Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of the sisterly Sultanate of Oman. Also, present w»»»

Tunis, April 16 (TAP) - The benchmark index closed Thursday’s session on an optimistic note, rising 0.63% to 15,716.25 points, on a substantial volume of TND 226.3 million, driven by four block trades on SOTUVER shares with a total value of around...»»»

Geneva: Four more current and former officials are now under criminal investigation in the probe into Switzerland's Crans-Montana fire disaster, sources close to the case told AFP on Thursday. "The investigation has been extended to include four new individuals, bringing the total number of defenda»»»

Dubai: Dubai is set to launch its first commercial air taxi service this year following a progress review of the world’s inaugural vertiport near Dubai International Airport. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of th»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah Intensifies Precision Operations Against Israeli Enemy, Directly Hits Four Merakava Tanks at Once 16-04-2026 18:39 PM A screensho»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Transport HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al-Thani discussed in a meeting held virtually on Thursday, with Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of the Italian Republic HE Edoardo Rixi, aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in the »»»

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 »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Organizing Committee of 4th GCC Games – Doha 2026 staged the official draw ceremony for the team sports competitions on Thursday via advanced virtual communication technology. Held at Lusail Hall at the Qatar Olympic Committee headquarters, the event brought together heads of deleg»»»

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»»»

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov Thursday expressed concern over what he described as systemic abuses within Bulgaria’s healthcare financing system, where hospitals exploit legal loopholes in order to maximize their profit and not to improve patient care, and demanded changes in the applicable»»»

Dubai: The future of travel is here. At least, according to Air New Zealand, which said it will begin selling access to its Economy Skynest sleep pods from May 18, 2026. The airline is offering lie-flat sleeping berths to economy and premium economy passengers on some of the world’s longest commerc»»»

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»»»

Kahramanmaras, Turkiye: Eleven-year-old Yusuf trembled and sobbed as he clung to his father. His close friend Bayram, 10, was among eight pupils and a teacher killed on Wednesday when a 14-year-old student opened fire in their classroom, in an attack without precedent in Turkiye. "Our grief is endl»»»

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»»»

Despite energy and food shortages, residents participate in the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution, in Havana on Thursday. Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA April 16 (UPI) -- The Russian tanker Universal, linked to the so-call»»»

A flood of grey concrete-like sludge that spewed for hours from an abandoned building in central Athens is linked with tunnel-boring work for a new Athens metro line, the subway development company confirmed Thursday. A statement by Elliniko Metro said the leak posed no safety or pollution concerns»»»

Helsinki: The Finnish government on Thursday proposed that a test covering knowledge of Finnish society would be required for gaining citizenship, as the country continues to tighten its immigration policy. The proposed citizenship test -- to be completed in either of Finland's two main official la»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan HE Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif departed Doha on Thursday after a working visit to the country. His Excellency and the accompanying delegation were seen off at Doha International Airport by Minister of State for International Cooperation HE»»»

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»»»

The key vulnerability in this plan lies in the gap between the European assembly of the "carcasses" and the Ukrainian installation of the "brains,” suggests military journalist Aleksey Borzenko, deputy chief editor of the Literary Russia newspaper. Speaking to Sputnik, Borzenko argued that the arra»»»

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»»»