MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Armed Forces took control of the settlement of Kutuzovka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday. "As a result of active offensive actions by units of the Tsentr Battlegroup, the Kutuzovka settlement of the Donetsk Peo»»»

Ajman: Ajman is seeking to attract more visitors from Germany and strengthen cultural ties with Europe after senior officials from the emirate met senior officials ff the German government and business community to explore new avenues of cooperation. Mahmood Khaleel Alhashmi, Director General of th»»»

MANILA: A leadership standoff in the Philippine Senate ended Wednesday with the removal of an ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte as leader of the chamber, which will soon start the impeachment trial of his daughter, incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte. With 13 of 24 senators backing him, Sh»»»

The White House has informed supporters that President Donald Trump has accomplished his goals in the war with Iran despite the details of an initial agreement remaining unclear and negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program still to be held. In a series of talking points sent to Trump supporters and»»»

Tunis, June 17 (TAP)- "Tunisia radiates across the globe. Let it be known that our country is a leading light in all fields and will remain proud and unbowed," President Kais Saïed said as he paid a visit to the governorate of Kairouan on...»»»

SAN FRANCISCO: Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence tool Grok was used in strikes against Iran, the United States government revealed in a legal briefing seen Tuesday by AFP. The June 15 brief defends the gas turbines used by a giant data center belonging to the trillionaire’s company xAI, which are»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.3867 dinars for one euro on Wednesday, which is a slight change relative to Tuesday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.1 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative »»»

BELGRADE - The US Department of the Treasury issued on Tuesday a new specific license to the Serbian oil company NIS that allows it to continue operations until July 1, 2026, the company has announced. "This licence allows for the maintenance of business operations, contracts and other agreements i»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iranian Tankers Punch Through US Naval Blockade with 4.8M Barrels 17-06-2026 12:34 PM Iranian supertankers have successfully broken the nea»»»

Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday hailed a deal on ending the Middle East war announced between Iran and the United States as the result of “encouraging work in dialogue and negotiation.” The United States and Iran agreed this week to a deal to end the conflict and Leo expressed his “gratitud»»»

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s main opposition leader said her tour of the United States aimed at mustering support for her stance on China “exceeded expectations,” without detailing any tangible outcomes. Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman Cheng Li-wun returned to Taipei this week to sharp questions over the island’s »»»

SAN FRANCISCO: Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence tool Grok was used in strikes against Iran, the United States government revealed in a legal briefing seen Tuesday by AFP.The June 15 brief defends the gas turbines used by a giant data center belonging to the trillionaire’s company xAI, which are »»»

BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte on Wednesday hailed the US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war, saying the planned reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, would be a “massive step forward.” “The restoration of free passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be a massive step forward, and I know that man»»»

Dubai: An Indian technology professional who had built a promising career in the United States was among 12 people killed when a skydiving aircraft crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off in Missouri, authorities said. Sai Karthik Varma Datla, 24, from Andhra Pradesh, died along with t»»»

Countries seeking to join the EU could face major limits on their ability to dissent against Brussels’ decisions after accession, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos has warned. The EU is looking to speed up the admission of new states amid concerns that growing economic problems and global politica»»»

Vancouver, Canada: The Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Canada HE Tariq Ali Faraj Al Ansari affirmed that the Qatari diplomatic mission secured all its logistical and service capabilities to provide comprehensive support to the Qatari national football team and the Qatari fans who will travel to»»»

Kinshasa: In 1976, young Congolese doctor Jean-Jacques Muyembe was sent to a remote village to look into a mysterious illness and found himself confronting Ebola, a deadly virus the world did not yet know. Just back in the Democratic Republic of Congo after studying in Belgium, he had been called t»»»

JILJILIYA, Palestinian Territories: Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in a West Bank village on Wednesday, the local mayor said, while AFP journalists at the site saw signs of arson and vandalism. The incident comes amid an increase in attacks against Palestinian communities by settlers in the »»»

ROME: The ‌United Nations World Food Programme said on Wednesday it welcomed an $800 million contribution from the United States, following previous funding cuts from President Donald Trump’s administration. The funds will help scale up assistance and respond rapidly to emerging crises at a time wh»»»

This photo, taken Wednesday, shows the trading room of Hana Bank in Seoul as South Korean stocks extended their winning streak for a fifth straight day on a semiconductor rally. Photo by Yonhap South Korean stocks extended their winning streak for the fifth consecutive session Wednesday on semicond»»»

Leaders at the Group of Seven summit on Wednesday threw their support behind U.S. President Donald Trump's tentative agreement with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz and further extend a shaky ceasefire — even though he's offered scant specificity about how that would be implemented. In a declarati»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Donald Trump last year that he was the "greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House." Now, as Trump tries to finalize a deal to end the war with Iran, he's unloading on Netanyahu with rhetoric that no other American leader has dared to»»»

At the end of March 2026, there were 98,600 employees in the executive branch’s administration under employment or civil service contracts. Of these, 56.7% were employed in the central administration and 43.3% in the regional administration, show data on the National Statistical Institute (NSI) web»»»

Vazrazhdane MP Angel Georgiev said his party is proposing a resolution of Parliament under which Prime Minister Rumen Radev would ask the EU to suspend all financing to the Republic of North Macedonia. Commenting on the June 15 arson attack on Bulgarian Embassy vehicles in Skopje, Georgiev, a membe»»»

The Prosecutors Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council has elected Marian Marinov acting director of the National Investigative Service after Borislav Sarafov resigned from the post. Last week, the Chamber asked investigators from the National Investigative Service whether any of them were willing»»»

On June 15, at Asman Shaary construction site in Issyk-Kul region, a foreign citizen attacked a 27-year-old translator. According to the victim, the man spat at her and then beat her. The woman claimed on social media that the attack was preceded by persistent attempts at communication and advances»»»

In 2026, seven citizens of Kyrgyzstan ended up in Minsk prisons. Member of Parliament Dastan Bekeshev announced at a meeting of the Zhogorku Kenesh. According to him, a number of citizens approached him with complaints. «It turned out that the Kyrgyzstanis saw an advertisement for IT jobs in Belaru»»»

Paris, France: Ever felt like mosquitoes bite you while ignoring everyone else? Scientists are now making progress in deciphering the complex chemical cocktail that makes particular people more enticing to these disease-spreading bloodsuckers. "It's not a misconception -- mosquitoes are attracted t»»»

Dubai: Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that he has prostate cancer. The former Top Gear presenter shared the news on his Prime Video series Clarkson's Farm. He disclosed the diagnosis in the final episodes of the show's fifth season, telling co-stars Kaleb Cooper and land agent Charlie Ireland, "I've »»»

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks to reporters at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday at a hearing for suspicions of making proxy payments for opinion polls. Photo by Yonhap A special counsel team on Wednesday sought an 18-month prison term for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on charges of accepting i»»»

From now on, all ministries, agencies, and local authorities should be aware that the Integrated Citizen Monitoring and Analysis System (SIGMA) will be rapidly expanded and will enable automatic checks for related parties, favoured companies, and inflated prices in public procurement procedures, Pr»»»

Tashkent: The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is participating in the fifth edition of the Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF 2026), being held in Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, over three days under the theme "Investment Resilience: New Horizons »»»

The new European initiatives on labour mobility and job quality could rapidly change the way companies use or move their workforce, control costs, and coordinate internal functions. For businesses, the stake is not only compliance. In practice, it is speed of execution and the ability to reduce fri»»»

In the predominantly Christian towns of Marjayoun and nearby Qlayaa in southern Lebanon, daily life continues in the shadow of a war that devastated many surrounding Shiite villages during months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. While the two towns largely escaped the widespread destructio»»»

For nearly two years, beekeeper Salim Sharaf has been unable to reach about 150 of his 200 beehives near the southern Lebanese border village of Mari. The hives remain in an area where Israeli troops are present, leaving Sharaf uncertain whether the colonies survived, were destroyed during the figh»»»

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said a Russian warship's warning shots fired near a yacht in the English Channel were "reckless" but not "sinister", in the latest at-sea tension between London and Moscow. British defence sources have told AFP that the incident involving a UK-registered »»»

South Korea's Defense Ministry announced plans Wednesday to move the boundaries of the Civilian Control Line closer to the inter-Korean border. In this file photo, a South Korean military guard post is seen near the DMZ in Paju on February 12, 2021. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo »»»

POLITICS Mediapool reports that Bulgaria has signalled opposition to parts of the European Commission’s proposed 21st sanctions package against Russia, according to information published by Politico and cited by diplomats. The package is expected to be adopted by the end of July. According to EU Ob»»»

The routes of 13 buses in Bishkek have been temporarily changed from June 17 to June 18, 2026, due to the closure of the intersection of Aaly Tokombaev and Baytik Baatyr streets, where repair and restoration works are underway. According to the Bishkek City Hall, the changes were introduced to ensu»»»

The Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Adylbek Kasymaliev, will make a working visit to St. Petersburg from June 17 to 19, 2026. As part of his working visit, the Cabinet Chairman will participate in the International Conference on Strengthening Cultural Ties and Developin»»»

Askar Abdiev, a 12th-grade student at AIMS Razzakov International School, won a bronze medal at the 10th European Physics Olympiad (EuPhO 2026), becoming the first representative of the Kyrgyz Republic to receive an award at this prestigious international competition. According to the Ministry of E»»»

Global crude oil markets extended a broad selloff on Wednesday (June 17, 2026), as Iranian oil tankers sail out after a two-month standoff, signaling first test of US-Iran Gulf truce amid signs of "softer" global demand. With benchmark prices hovering near three-month lows, oil traders continued to»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Council of Economic and Development Affairs held a meeting via video conference. During the meeting, the council reviewed several items on its agenda, including the periodic report from the Ministry of Economy and Planning, according to the Saudi Press Agency. This report pro»»»

EVIAN: Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday said a US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war could be a “game changer” in the region and beyond. There is “a likelihood that this memorandum of understanding agreement could be a game changer,” Carney told reporters on the third day of a G7 »»»

Aida Jleilati and her daughter dug through the pile of rubble that was once their home in the city of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon picking up some of their belongings that survived a late May airstrike by Israel. They were among a trickle of residents who returned to the city to check on their hom»»»

Dubai: Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg has spent decades convincing audiences that aliens could phone home, invade Earth, or hide in suburban closets. But according to the legendary filmmaker, the latest inspiration for his sci-fi film 'Disclosure Day', out in UAE cinemas now, didn't come f»»»

RIYADH: The International Islamic Trade Finance Corp., a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group, signed three strategic agreements during its participation in the 2026 Annual Group Meetings in Baku. The agreements focused on enhancing cooperation in trade finance, trade development, private s»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) general index opened higher on Wednesday, gaining 19.39 points, or 0.18%, to reach 10,570 points, compared to the previous session's close, supported by five sectors. Market data showed gains in the Telecoms sector by (+0.49%), Industrials (+0.30%), Trans»»»

The majority of these visas—168—were issued to German citizens, according to Alexei Klimov, Director of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in an interview with Sputnik. Other countries on the list include:France – 140United States – 105Italy – 100Estonia – 63Latvia – 60Canada »»»

Over the past month, inflation rocketed in Egypt to go beyond 20%, while on the other hand, the pound’s value has devalued, causing a havoc of reports contradicting the economic policy set forth by the Government since 2014 for reliance on borrowing to finance mega projects like the Administrative »»»