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»»»

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 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»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

One of Thessaloniki’s last Holocaust survivors, Heinz Kounio, has died aged 98, an association representing Greece’s Jewish communities said Friday. The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, or KIS, described Kounio as an “emblematic figure” who was among the first Greek Jews to write abou»»»

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»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Iran's announcement that the crucial Strait of Hormuz will reopen to shipping, but said a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a peace deal is signed. "THANK YOU!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, saying that Iran had announced »»»

Sharjah: Air Arabia said it is operating a limited number of flights to and from the United Arab Emirates, subject to regulatory and operational approvals, as services gradually resume following recent disruptions. The airline said passengers can book available flights through its website, mobile a»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Manila: A state witness told the an ati-graft court (known as "Sandiganbayan") that for every ₱100 million allocated to flood control projects under the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office (DEO), only about ₱35 million was actually used for implementation. Henry Alcantara, former district engin»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar participated on Friday in a meeting on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, hosted by President of the French Republic HE Emmanuel Macron and the United Kingdom's Prime Minister HE Keir Starmer via video conference. The State of Qatar was represented by Min»»»

Iran has announced that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open to commercial shipping, marking a significant shift after weeks of disruption during the ongoing Middle East conflict. The move comes as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to be holding, raising cautious hop»»»

BEIRUT (Sputnik) - Residents of Beirut's heavily populated southern suburb were returning to their homes on Friday following the entry into force of a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a Sputnik correspondent said. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun a»»»

TUNIS, April 17 (TAP) – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti attended, on Thursday, a ceremony held at the Residence of the Swiss Ambassador in Tunis, Josef Renggli, on the occasion of the presentation of the...»»»

European Commission officials are due to meet Friday with Peter Magyar, whose Tisza party won a supermajority in Hungary's elections on Sunday. Photo by Tibor Illyes/EPA April 17 (UPI) -- Officials from the European Commission arrived in Budapest for Friday talks with Péter Magyar, who will take of»»»

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi welcoming Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir upon his arrival at the airport in Tehran, on Wednesday. Araghchi announced Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is open. Photo by Iranian Foreign Ministry/UPI. | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- Iranian Foreign Mini»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Israel will end its bombardment campaign against Lebanon after being prohibited from doing so by the United States, President Donald Trump said on Friday. "Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!! Thank»»»

First published in Denik N Former Bulgarian president (2017 to January 2026) Rumen Radev appears to be on his way back — but this time, to the prime minister’s office. The former air force commander with pro-Russian views, who in January stepped down from the presidency in order to run in Sunday’s »»»

MANILA: In Philippine folklore, the agimat or anting-anting is a talisman believed to make its bearer bulletproof, invisible to enemies — or mysteriously protected from harm. In modern Philippine politics, some officials seem to wear a different kind of anting-anting: impunity. Also Read: Flood con»»»

The prosecution service has opened a probe against the Prime Minister, government ministers and the Interior Ministry Secretary General. That was announced by caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov in a Facebook post. He said the prosecutors "have acted on tipoffs from the bludgeons" without providi»»»

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen can ignore voters’ opinions as she essentially cannot be voted out like recently defeated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Alice Weidel, co-chair of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has said. The AfD is the most popular par»»»

1 of 2 | Analilia Mejia won the vacant U.S. House seat in New Jersey in a special election on Thursday, maintaining control of the seat for the Democratic Party. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- Analilia Mejia won the vacant U.S. House seat in New Jersey in a special »»»

Oil futures tanked on Friday following a statement by Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, reflecting trader relief that the immediate risk of a supply shock had receded. The move marks a notable de-escalation by Tehran. Brent crude fell (down 11.26% to $84.03 as of 9.50 Beijing time); US West Tex»»»