The UAE has called for firm international action to safeguard sovereignty and protect global trade routes, warning that threats to maritime security and regional stability cannot be addressed through rhetoric alone. Speaking at the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Istanbul, Saqr G»»»

Washington, April 17 (SANA) Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh met with Bert Kroese, Director of the Statistics Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to discuss support for developing Syria’s statistical system on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington.»»»

Israel's defense minister said on Friday that the campaign against the militant group Hezbollah was not yet complete, just hours after a 10-day ceasefire came into force in Lebanon. "The ground maneuver into Lebanon and the strikes on Hezbollah have achieved many gains, but they are still not compl»»»

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah praised Friday Iran as he spoke to reporters in the battered Beirut southern suburb of Haret Hreik. “Yesterday, before the ceasefire, Hezbollah’s leadership was formally informed around 4am from the Iranian ambassador that there will be a ceasefire at nigh»»»

London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he was "furious" after it emerged his sacked US ambassador Peter Mandelson was appointed despite failing security vetting, as the scandal again threatens his hold on power. The beleaguered British leader, who has been dogged for months by the contr»»»

‎Libya’s Airports Authority reported last Wednesday (15 April) ‎that a specialized committee from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) visited Mitiga International Airport to determine the extent of compliance with ICAO’s international standards and recommended practices(SARPs). The»»»

A public prosecutor at an Athens court has called for the conviction of a former parliamentary police officer arrested nearly one-and-a-half years ago in connection with a series of serious offenses against his children, according to reports. The defendant was arrested in November 2024 after allega»»»

Doha, Qatar: The world observes World Heritage Day on April 18 each year, an initiative launched by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 to raise awareness of shared cultural and historical heritage. This year’s theme, "Emergency Response for Living Heritage in Contexts»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a decree introducing a temporary legal regime in the area of permitting documentation. From April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, Kyrgyzstan will implement a so-called «regulatory guillotine» mechanism. Businesses and individuals will be able to carry out ac»»»

Amman, April 17 (SANA) Jordan’s King Abdullah II congratulated President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Syria’s Independence Day anniversary.According to Jordan’s Petra news agency, the King sent a message expressing his warm congratulations and sincere brotherly sentiments, wishing President al-Sharaa good he»»»

Share: The Lebanese army started reconstruction of some of the bridges bombed by Israel during its war with Hezbollah Here is the latest on Middle East war Hezbollah and Iran have indicated backing for the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, but both say they’re poised with their “fingers on the »»»

The leaders of France and the U.K. gathered dozens of countries — but not the United States — on Friday to push forward plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil route choked off by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The Paris meeting is part of attempts by sidelined nations to ease the impact of »»»

U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters regarding Iran on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday before departing on Marine One to travel to Las Vegas for a Republican Party event. Photo by Graeme Sloan/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump an»»»

Abu Dhabi Police has warned the public about fake links appearing in search engine results, saying they are increasingly being used by fraudsters to steal personal and banking information. Authorities urged users to be cautious and avoid clicking on suspicious links, especially those claiming to be»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - There are currently no concrete initiatives for ending the Ukrainian conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. "We have informed our colleagues about the recent developments regarding efforts to address the Ukrainian crisis. No concrete initiatives are on t»»»

Israel's defense minister said on Friday that the campaign against the militant group Hezbollah was not yet complete, just hours after a 10-day ceasefire came into force in Lebanon. "The ground maneuver into Lebanon and the strikes on Hezbollah have achieved many gains, but they are still not compl»»»

Dubai:HONOR a global AI device ecosystem has kicked off its latest campaign, “Dream Big with HONOR 600,” in celebration of the launch of the HONOR 600 Series, inviting people across the GCC to share their dreams and express their creativity. Running for six weeks from April 15, the campaign combine»»»

Jiuquan: China on Friday launched a Long March-4C carrier rocket to send a satellite for high-precision greenhouse gas detection into the preset orbit. The rocket blasted off at 1210 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. It was the 638th flight mission of »»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Global oil prices will fluctuate between $95 and $120 per barrel in the near future due to the Middle East conflict, Kyle Shostak, director of Navigator Principal Investors, told RIA Novosti. "My reading of the situation is that the Trump administration is hopeful that the bl»»»

The United Arab Emirates, as part of “Operation Chivalrous Knight 3,” continues its ongoing humanitarian efforts through the Humaid Air Bridge, delivering 100 tonnes of urgent relief aid to the people of the Gaza Strip, in line with its sustained support and commitment to alleviating humanitarian s»»»

Abu Dhabi: Zayed International Airport has opened its doors to the public, allowing citizens and residents to explore its facilities without the need to travel. The initiative, running for eight weeks, invites visitors to step inside the airport’s usually restricted areas to enjoy its retail outlet»»»

A fragile calm settled over parts of Lebanon on Friday as a 10-day ceasefire brokered by the United States took hold between Israel and Hezbollah, prompting thousands of displaced families to begin the journey home — even as uncertainty, destruction and Israeli warnings against going back to parts »»»

Military personnel and equipment from units of the Bulgarian Land Forces will move along the national road and rail network on April 19 and 20 to participate in planned exercises, the Ministry of Defence said on Friday. On April 19 and 20, troops and equipment will travel from Pleven and Shumen to »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces have liberated the settlement of Zybino in the Kharkov region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Over the week, as a result of decisive actions by units of the Sever battlegroup, the village of Volchanskie Khutora in the Kharkov region was lib»»»

Dubai: UAE banks are rolling out a series of relief measures — from free loan deferrals to zero-interest payment plans — as residents navigate mounting financial pressures amid the ongoing crisis. In return, lenders are widening support across housing, healthcare and everyday expenses. Banks are in»»»

Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, told a diplomacy conference Friday that the “brilliance” of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon was that it ended “senseless killing.” “The brilliance of what happened yesterday is it stopped senseless killing and Presiden»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.3783 dinars for one euro on Friday, which is a slight change relative to Thursday, 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 to»»»

MADRID - Red Star Belgrade lost 103-82 (27-25, 29-21, 21-19, 26-19) to Real Madrid on the road in the last, 38th round of the basketball EuroLeague on Thursday evening. Jordan Nwora led the scoring for Red Star with 15 points, Chima Moneke scored 14 points and Jared Butler, Ebuka Izundu and Ognjen »»»

US President Donald Trump’s true religion is “Israelism” rather than Christianity, conservative journalist and podcaster Tucker Carlson has claimed, criticizing the president’s Middle East policies. Carlson made the remarks in response to controversial statements Trump made over the past week, incl»»»

A senior UK Foreign Office official has resigned over the growing scandal surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Olly Robbins, the Foreign Office’s top civil servant, stepped down after it emerged t»»»

Illegal Migrant preventative operation, which ran from April 13 to 16, 2026, has concluded in Batken region of Kyrgyzstan. The press service of the Department of Internal Affairs of Batken region reported. As part of the operation, law enforcement officers verified the legality of the stay and empl»»»

Seoul, April 17 (SANA) South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said a crude oil tanker successfully crossed the Red Sea in what it described as the first operation of its kind since disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz linked to the Middle East conflict. The ministry said, accordi»»»

Police in western Greece have arrested a man near Pyrgos on charges of exposing a minor to danger after his two-year-old grandson swallowed chlorine while under his supervision on Wednesday. The child was initially taken to a regional clinic in Lechaina before being transferred to Pyrgos Hospital f»»»

Hezbollah said Friday that it was keeping its "finger on the trigger" in case of any Israeli violations of a ceasefire that went into effect overnight. In a statement, the Iran-backed movement said it had carried out "2,184 military operations" against Israel and its troops inside Lebanon, adding: »»»

Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons is to resign at the end of May, the Trump administration announced Thursday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- Todd Lyons is to resign as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine's national guards have been preventing the flight of soldiers from the 113th separate territorial defense brigade, which is suffering heavy losses in battles in the Kharkov region, security sources told Sputnik. "Attempts by combat groups of the territorial defense brigad»»»

Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, in collaboration with Aldar Properties, organised the Community Responder Forum for School Safety aimed at improving emergency readiness among school staff. The forum encouraged educational and supervisory staff to join the “Community Responder” programme, which f»»»

The upcoming April 19 early parliamentary elections and the anticipated results is a major topic for Bulgarian media on Friday. POSSIBLE OUTCOMES – ANALYSIS Capital: “At this stage, we do not have a clear political partner, because all of them, in one way or another, have entered into harmful allia»»»

Dubai: The Philippines has updated its foreign investment framework, maintaining strict ownership limits in various fields while gradually opening others to global investors. Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed executive order (EO) 113, approving the 13th regular foreign investment»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with satellites lifted off in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry were placed into their target orbit on Friday, with the Aerospace Forces' space troops taking over the control, the ministry said. The Russian Aerospace Forces have lifted off a »»»

South Korea's Unification Ministry said Friday that remarks by Minister Chung Dong-young on North Korea's Kusong nuclear enrichment site were based on public information. Chung is seen here testifying at the National Assembly on Wednesday. Photo by Yonhap The unification ministry has explained to t»»»

A total of 2,066 alerts for election crimes and violations, have been received by the authorities by 9 in the morning on Friday, caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev said in Pleven. Similar alerts ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections totaled only 612, he said. The authorities have opened 53»»»

A fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be holding early Friday, raising cautious hopes of a broader de-escalation across the Middle East after weeks of intense fighting. The truce, announced by US President Donald Trump and agreed by Israel and Lebanon, took effect overni»»»

Dubai Police have impounded several vehicles after motorists were found performing dangerous stunts during recent rainfall, turning wet road conditions into incidents of reckless driving and road disorder across the emirate. Brigadier Jumaa Salem bin Suwaidan, Director of the General Department of »»»

Residents of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs began returning to their towns and villages on Friday, as a 10-day ceasefire with the Israeli occupation took effect at midnight. The roads leading to southern Lebanon witnessed heavy traffic congestion, with large numbers of citizens head»»»

A federal judge on Thursday ordered all above-ground construction of the White House ballroom to stop. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- All above-ground construction of the White House ballroom must be stopped amid litigation, a federal judge ordered Thursday, reprima»»»

Türkiye hosts a high-stakes forum Friday bringing together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as Islamabad pushes diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East war. Pakistan's powerful army chief met senior negotiators in Tehran on Thursday as Washington and Iran considered a fr»»»

A driver suspected of fatally hitting a child with an excavator has been detained in Chui region. The Internal Affairs Department of the region reported. The tragedy occurred on April 14 at approximately 7:35 p.m. in the village of Sosnovka. According to law enforcement agencies, the driver of a Hy»»»

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached to end the Iran war and urged the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah group to hold its fire as a 10-day truce went into effect between Lebanon and Israel. Trump said the next meeting between the United States and Iran coul»»»

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) announced on Thursday that it opposes the steps initiated by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu for the sale of "profitable state-owned companies", companies that have an essential role in the country's security architecture. It sa»»»