Oil prices extended gains on Thursday in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump threatening further heavy strikes on Iran, dampening hopes of de-escalation. The main U.S. oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, jumped 10.3 percent to $110.47 per barrel. International benchmark Brent North Sea crude»»»

The dollar rose sharply on Thursday after US President Donald Trump's address on Iran shattered hopes for a swift end to the conflict, sending investors towards safe-haven assets as oil prices jumped and stocks tumbled. In a televised speech, Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran in the next »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah fighters targeted gatherings of Israeli occupation soldiers and vehicles in the towns of Rshaf and Beit Lif with rocket barrages:»»»

A specialized police operation is underway in the Shumen region, targeting election-related crimes and aiming to ensure the integrity of the upcoming vote, the press office of the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry reported on Thursday. Six individuals have been detained, and witnesses h»»»

BELGRADE - In a statement released after a session of its head committee, the Movement of Socialists proposed an urgent reshuffle of the Serbian government, the passage of a law granting Serbian citizenship to all Serbs in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, as well as a binding referendum on t»»»

Moscow: Russia will send a second ship carrying oil to Cuba as the island grapples with a US fuel blockade, Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said Thursday. Cuba has been suffering from an energy crisis since January, when US forces abducted Venezuela president and Cuban ally Nicolas Maduro. His remo»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah fighters targeted gatherings of Israeli occupation army soldiers and vehicles at the Kfar Giladi and Marj Israeli sites with rock»»»

Tunis, Apr. 2, 2026 (TAP) – A working session on the challenges facing trade between Tunisia and Libya was held between Mohamed Al-Hangari, President of the Libyan Export Development Authority (LEDA), and Samir Majoul, President of the Arab Chambers...»»»

Seoul, South Korea: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that a military operation to liberate the Strait of Hormuz is "unrealistic", expressing frustration at US President Donald Trump's alternating statements on the Iran war. "There are those who advocate for the liberation of the St»»»

Dubai: Japan has introduced a major reform to its family law, allowing divorced couples to share custody of their children for the first time. The amendment to its Civil Code, which took effect starting this April, has marked a step away from the system that granted custody to only one parent after»»»

Uchkun OJSC will gradually increase the production of Kyrgyzstan’s own banknotes: starting with 20 soms, followed by 50, 100, and 200 soms denominations. The full transition to domestic production of all denominations will allow the country to stop ordering banknotes from abroad and reduce costs. T»»»

Airborne attacks across large areas of Ukraine by Russian forces with drones and artillery killed at least five people, injured 11 others over the past 24 hours, inflicting widespread damage to infrastructure and in residential areas. File photo by Sergey Kozlov/EPA April 2 (UPI) -- At least five p»»»

Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal has nearly doubled aviation fuel prices as global energy costs surge during the Middle East war, officials said Thursday, raising fears of a fresh blow to its tourism-dependent economy. The landlocked Himalayan nation of 30 million relies almost entirely on India for its fos»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah reports 26 precise strikes so far on Monday, targeting Israeli occupation army gatherings of vehicles and soldiers and key sites,»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, received a phone call from Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, HE Masrour Barzani. During the call, they reviewed the developments of the military escalation»»»

Dubai: A 19th-century masterpiece by Raja Ravi Varma has sold for a record $17.9 million at an auction in Mumbai, setting a new benchmark for Indian art and underscoring its growing global value. The oil-on-canvas painting, Yashoda and Krishna, was auctioned by Saffronart on Wednesday, far exceedin»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has invited officials of political parties to consultations scheduled to begin on Friday. At the General Secretariat of the President of the Republic, Vucic will be holding consultations with the Movement of Socialists from 9 am, the Alliance of Vojvodi»»»

President Iliana Yotova has called for Bulgaria to be actively promoted as a safe and competitively priced destination in order to secure a strong tourist season, during a meeting with caretaker Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva. The discussion was part of a broader series of consultations initiated»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran will not provide a durable solution to the issue of Tehran's nuclear program and that Trump cannot keep "contradicting" himself every day on Iran. "A targeted military action, even for a few weeks, will not allo»»»

Baku, Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan's Supreme Court on April, 2, 2026, upheld a nine-year prison sentence slapped on leading opposition figure Tofig Yagublut for fraud and forgery that he and rights groups say is politically motivated. Yagublu, the deputy chairman of the anti-government Musavat party, was»»»

Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal's newly elected lawmakers met Thursday for the first parliamentary session since an anti-corruption protests toppled the government in September 2025 and left the old parliament building in flames. Lawmakers, elected in March, met within the new parliament building, with man»»»

President Donald Trump used his national address to project confidence in the US campaign against Iran — but left some of the most critical questions unanswered. While he spoke of military progress and suggested that objectives are “nearing completion,” the speech offered little clarity on what com»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani received a phone call from Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq HE Masrour Barzani. During the call, they reviewed the developments of the military escalation in the re»»»

European leaders are mulling how to deal with US threats to pull out of NATO, US media reports. "It's pretty clear" that NATO is already disintegrating and its European members "can't wait for the alliance to be completely dead." European nations should urgently bolster their own defenses, one of t»»»

In rugged terrain along the Syrian-Lebanese border, yellow bulldozers raised earthen berms in front of armored vehicles while soldiers combed through tunnels they said were used by Hezbollah, as Syria reinforces its side of the border. Syria is seeking to stay out of the regional war, whose flames »»»

Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states Thursday, demonstrating Tehran's continued ability to attack even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and predicted the war would end soon. Iran's strikes on its neighbors along with its cho»»»

Stockholm, Sweden: Sweden's government announced on April, 2, 2026, that it was investing more than $900 million in air and drone defence capabilities. The investment would cover multiple systems, such as radar and anti-aircraft weapons systems as well as electronic warfare platforms. The 8.7 billi»»»

Dubai: The northern Iranian coastline of the Arabian Gulf, once a hub of coexistence and shared prosperity among diverse communities, has been transformed by the Iranian regime into a platform for regional aggression, said Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President. He said»»»

Acting Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski has stated categorically that Bulgaria will not take part in any military coalition aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, citing the country’s limited capabilities. She emphasized that this position is clear and final, while noting that Sofia may still en»»»

With sound policies and good organization, Bulgaria can achieve a successful tourism season by presenting itself as a safe destination offering quality services at competitive prices, President Iliana Iotova said at a meeting with caretaker Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva and her team, President's»»»

Dubai: US President Donald Trump’s claim that he no longer “cares” about Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile is raising fresh doubts about why the war was launched at all. For weeks, Trump had framed the conflict as an urgent bid to stop Tehran from building a nuclear bomb, warning Iran was ju»»»

President Iliana Iotova has decreed that the Land Forces Deputy Chief of Staff for Resources, Colonel Atanas Georgiev, will be transferred to the position of Commander of 61st Stryamska Mechanized Infantry Brigade. The President promoted Georgiev to the rank of Brigadier-General at a ceremony on Th»»»

Talks with the tourism sector show readiness to maintain the prices of already agreed tourist packages for the summer season, provided there is no sharp increase in fuel and electricity prices, caretaker Tourism Minister Irena Georgieva told journalists on Thursday after a meeting with President Il»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Thursday that, as always, President Aleksandar Vucic would call all political factors to social dialogue and that the leadership of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) would speak with Vucic to ask him to be its candidate for PM. In a»»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with President of the Democratic Republic of Congo HE Félix Tshisekedi at Lusail Palace to discuss regional and international developments. The president expressed his country's solidarity with Qatar following the»»»

The Education Union of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour supports the introduction of the subject of Virtues and Religion because "Bulgarian schools need to teach not only knowledge, they also need to impart a value system, upbringing, and character," as stated in a position statement from the u»»»

Adylbek Kasymaliev, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic, met with Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The meeting took place as part of the second meeting of the Heads of Government and Vice Presidents of the»»»

Since October 2023, the Middle East and North Africa have been set ablaze, with war coming to Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, and Iran, to name but a few. In large part, Iraqis felt that they had been dodging bullets, miraculously emerging mainly unscathed amidst the mayhem. In recent w»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani reviewed with His Excellency Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the developments in regional and international situations, during a meeting held at Lusail Palace today, April 2, 2026. President Tshiseke»»»

Citizens' trust in the work of the new leadership of the Ministry of Interior has increased, said caretaker Minister of Interior Emil Dechev in Balchik, where he attended the opening of the renovated building of the Regional Fire Safety and Civil Protection Service on Thursday. Dechev stated that r»»»

Washington’s main goal is to stabilize the markets and stop the oil price surge, Turkish expert Faik Bulut told Sputnik. US President Donald Trump claimed in a speech on Wednesday night that the US was "nearing completion" of its "core strategic objectives" in the war on Iran.Bulut called the state»»»

For Iraq, this is a strange moment both politically and militarily. The state of Iraq has proximity to—but no direct connection to—the fierce battle raging between Iran on one side and Israel and the United States on the other, with Gulf states becoming Iranian targets as a result. That is the stat»»»

April 2 (UPI) -- A vice mayor of a southeastern Florida city was fatally shot in what police are calling a domestic incident, according to officials and authorities who said the community is grieving. "We are heartbroken to share that Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen has died," the police department »»»

Dubai: The Philippine government has encouraged overseas Filipinos to rethink traditional remittance habits and explore investment opportunities as a way to protect their income against global economic volatility. In its “Peso Sense” financial literacy campaign, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas»»»

OVERVIEW No single issue dominates Thursday’s media, but the note sent by Iran to Bulgaria, the security agreement signed between Bulgaria and Ukraine, and the justice minister’s request for the disciplinary dismissal of the acting prosecutor general, are among the main topics. POLITICS Speaking on»»»

A general view of the Port of Kharg Island Oil Terminal, 25 kilometers from the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf and 483 kilometers northwest of the Strait of Hormuz, in Iran on March 12, 2017. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Oil flows through Egypt’s “SUMED” pipeline have surged by 15»»»

Interior Minister Emil Dechev has reported a sharp rise in signals related to alleged election crimes compared to the parliamentary vote held in October 2024. Speaking to journalists, he said the number of reports is several hundred percent higher, describing it as an indicator of increased public »»»

Albania’s opposition has raised alarm in Parliament following a statement by the U.S. Embassy warning of potential attacks by groups allegedly linked to Iran. Democratic Party lawmaker Tritan Shehu called on President Bajram Begaj to convene the National Security Council, describing the embassy’s n»»»

Delegates stand and applaud after the adoption of the text of the High Seas Treaty at the United Nations headquarters in New York on June 19, 2023. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA April 2 (UPI) -- Delegates were gathered in the busy corridors at United Nations headquarters in New York this week for a»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded a Kyrgyzstani for her contribution to holding the Immortal Regiment march. Zulfira Khaibullina, the permanent coordinator of the Immortal Regiment — ​​Kyrgyzstan movement, was awarded the commemorative medal «80 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of»»»