Maine Gov. Janet Mills could sign a law that would put a moratorium on new, large data centers in the state for 1.5 years. File Photo by CJ Gunther April 15 (UPI) -- Maine became the first state to pass a ban on new, large data centers on Tuesday. The bill passed both state houses and now must be s»»»

Diplomatic efforts to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah reached a fever pitch on Wednesday, with reports suggesting a potential ceasefire could be announced as early as tonight. Information Minister Paul Morcos told Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath channel that the collaborative efforts of Presid»»»

1 of 4 | Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito attend a private ceremony for retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor before public repose in the Great Hall at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2023. File Pool pho»»»

Since its opening in 2010, the Sevtopolis Medical & SPA Hotel in Pavel Banya has welcomed guests from 75 countries and performed over one million treatments have been performed, the hotel management told BTA. Pavel Banya is a balneological centre with a long-standing tradition in mineral water trea»»»

Two senior Lebanese officials told Reuters on Wednesday they had been briefed that efforts were underway for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but did not have details on when it would begin or how long it would last. The officials both said it was likely the ceasefire's duration would be linked to how long »»»

Economic cooperation is an integral part of the discussions that President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi is holding with his counterparts during his visit to Germany this week. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will meet his German counterpart Joachim Gauck in Berlin today, Wednesday, during his visit »»»

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated peace talks with Tehran could resume this week, as the United States turned the screws Wednesday with a naval blockade it said had cut off maritime trade with Iran. Trump's hint came as Israel and Lebanon agreed to open direct negotiations after a rare face»»»

Hezbollah is responding to direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, under US sponsorship, on two tracks: political and military. Politically, it is disavowing the talks and calling on the state to “reconsider its decision to negotiate with Israel,” describing the move as one that “will deepe»»»

Hundreds of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants and refugees were missing, feared dead, after their boat sank in the Andaman Sea as they attempted to reach Malaysia. Photo courtesy of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/EPA-EFE April 15 (UPI) -- As many as 250 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants and »»»

An average of about 500 guests per month stay at the Danube Hotel & Spa complex in Silistra. The guests are mainly Bulgarians, but there are also tourists from Romania, Moldova, Turkiye, Greece, and other European countries, the complex’s owner, Krum Krumov, told BTA. The spa and wellness centre at»»»

Paris, France: French police arrested a man on suspicion of selling more than 44,000 fake doctor's notes online, and he could face up to 10 years in prison and a one-million-euro fine ($1.18 million), prosecutors said Wednesday. The man, who according to the daily Le Parisien is 25 years old, was a»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that China has agreed not to send weapons to its close partner Iran and that he has received personal assurances from leader Xi Jinping. "They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few week»»»

What began as a disagreement over the Iran war has escalated into a rare and highly public clash between the White House and the Vatican. US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have repeatedly criticised Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of being “weak on crime” and overstepping into politi»»»

Istanbul: A student aged about 13 opened fire at random in a Turkish school Wednesday killing four people and wounding 20, just one day after a shooter wounded 16 people and then killed himself in another school, officials said. Kahramanmaras province governor Mukerrem Unluer said a teacher and thr»»»

Skopje, 15 April 2026 (MIA) — An attempted arson attack on the Jewish Community building and the Bet Yaakov synagogue was a direct strike against the centuries-old peace and coexistence of Macedonian society, the nation's top five religious leaders said in joint statement issued together with the C»»»

A student aged about 13 opened fire at random in a Turkish school Wednesday killing four people and wounding 20, just one day after a shooter wounded 16 people and then killed himself in another school, officials said. Kahramanmaras province governor Mukerrem Unluer said a teacher and three student»»»

Dubai: Ships linked to Iran are increasingly adopting “ghost” tactics — going dark, spoofing identities and masking movements — in a bid to evade the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, signalling a shift toward more cautious and covert operations at sea. Maritime intelligence experts say a »»»

The conflict between the US and Iran is close to being settled, President Donald Trump has claimed, adding that the second round of peace talks between the two sides could take place in the next few days. The US president gave interviews to several outlets on Tuesday, where he detailed Washington’s»»»

President Joseph Aoun is satisfied with the Israeli-Lebanese meeting that was held Tuesday in Washington, sources said. "He is following on the details of the negotiations and continuing his contacts to achieve the primary objective: a ceasefire," the sources told Al-Arabiya's Al-Hadath channel. Th»»»

Charles Smith was named the world's oldest first-time grandfather by Guinness World Records. His granddaughter, Isla, was born when he was 91 years and 209 days old. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records April 14 (UPI) -- An Australian man was certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest fi»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - A Pakistani delegation may visit Iran to further discuss the negotiation process with the United States, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Wednesday. "As for the negotiations, the exchange of messages continues, various messages have been exchanged through»»»

The modern spa centre at the Sunrise Hotel in Golden Sands offers a variety of facilities for rest and relaxation. Combined with the natural surroundings, this is a key factor in visitors’ choice, hotel owner and general manager Yulia Dikova told BTA. The hotel offers a harmonious blend of a seasid»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that talks to end a seven week-long war with Iran "could be happening in the next two days," most likely in Pakistan. Photo by Salwan Georges/UPI | License Photo April 15 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said peace talks with Iran "could be happening in »»»

Deputy Interior Minister Ivan Anchev told Wednesday's briefing of the Coordination Council for the preparation of the April 19 snap parliamentary elections that EUR 5,000 and GBP 6,000 intended for vote buying had been seized. Over the past month, every single regional directorate of the Interior M»»»

Jawad Younes, 11, and his cousins were playing soccer in the lot between their houses, as they often did. His little brother, 4-year-old Mehdi, had joined them but grew tired, so Jawad took him home and handed him off to their mother before returning to the game. Minutes later, an Israeli strike ca»»»

First published in Respekt. Defending the status quo cannot be exciting for anyone. Europe must be able to imagine a society that is better than ours and see opportunities even where there are objectively many risks. Where do you think the world is heading? In 1643, an English Protestant priest tol»»»

High voter turnout is stronger than all criminal schemes, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov told a briefing of the Elections Coordination Council on Wednesday updating the media on the preparations for the early parliamentary elections this Sunday. Gurov said that acting Interior Ministry Secre»»»

Israel's army said Hezbollah militants fired around 30 rockets into northern Israel early on Wednesday, just hours after Washington hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades. The military detected "approximately 30 launches" towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesma»»»

Secretary of State Marco Rubio participated in trilateral talks with Israel and Lebanon in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo April 15 (UPI) -- Delegations from Lebanon and Israel have concluded negotiations in Washington, the first diplomatic talks between »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China is currently being organized, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. "President Putin's visit to China is indeed being prepared. China is our privileged strategic partner. The visit, high-level contacts are being »»»

Dubai: The United States has hosted the first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since 1993 in Washington, DC, in what officials describe as a high-level diplomatic push to contain escalating violence. Both sides agreed to hold direct negotiations after “productive discussions” between the env»»»

Vote buyers will remain the target of the Interior Ministry's attention even after the snap elections this coming Sunday, acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Georgi Kandev told Prime Minister Andrey Gurov on Wednesday. In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister repeated an announcement made by K»»»

In the jagged Hindu Kush in eastern Afghanistan, hundreds of men dug into the rocky bed of the Kunar River searching for a few grams of gold dust as an alternative source of income. At the foot of imposing peaks, some still covered in snow in April, they toiled near the border with Pakistan to find»»»

Kurstanbek Matiev, the former deputy head of the Osh Municipal Property Department, announced that he was criminally prosecuted for demolishing the old building of the Valentina Tereshkova boarding school. He made this statement during a meeting of the president with residents of Kara-Kuldzha distr»»»

An "eco-friendly" range of paper tubes and pouches touted by Yonwoo, a South Korean maker of packaging for cosmetics, has reaped unexpected benefit from the Iran war, which has disrupted supplies of the plastic needed to turn out single-use wrapping. While the conflict has sent prices of plastic so»»»

The Abu Dhabi labour court has ordered a company to pay Dh251,461 to a former employee who was dismissed after more than 13 years of continuous service without receiving his full entitlements. The Court of First Instance ruled in favour of the employee, who filed a case after first pursuing a compl»»»

head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that "very detailed" measures to verify Iran's nuclear activities must be included in a potential U.S.-Iran agreement to end their war in the Middle East. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi stressed the need for the t»»»

Israel's army said Hezbollah militants fired around 30 rockets into northern Israel early on Wednesday, just hours after Washington hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades. The military detected "approximately 30 launches" towards Israel since the early hours, a spokesma»»»

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations. Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon, but has not targeted the Lebanese capital since a»»»

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that “very detailed” measures to verify Iran’s nuclear activities must be included in a potential US-Iran agreement to end their war in the Middle East. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi stressed the need for the t»»»

US President Donald Trump is once again at odds with the Vatican, this time hurling personal attacks and wild insults at Pope Leo XIV. Conflicts between the White House and the Vatican, however, are nothing new. From John Paul II’s open defiance of George W. Bush over the Iraq war to heated exchang»»»

Dubai: A Dubai court has upheld the acquittal of an Arab institute owner accused of forgery and fraud, ruling that the evidence presented was insufficient to support a conviction and ordering the confiscation of the disputed training certificate. The Court of Appeal accepted the case in form but re»»»

Raipur: The death toll from a boiler blast at a power plant in central India has risen to 19, a police officer said on Wednesday, noting 17 others were injured. The explosion occurred Tuesday at a facility operated by Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of London-listed Vedanta Resources, in Chhattisgarh»»»

Oil prices fell for a second day on Wednesday on expectations peace talks between the US and Iran may resume and supply will eventually be released from the key Middle East producing region trapped by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures were down16 cents, or 0.2%, to $94.63 a b»»»

North Korea is showing a "very serious increase" in its ability to produce atomic weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Wednesday on a visit to Seoul. The diplomatically isolated north is believed to operate multiple facilities for enriching uranium, a key step in making nuclear warhead»»»

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations. Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon in its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but has not»»»

Russia will continue helping fuel-hungry Cuba with crucial supplies of oil, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, two weeks after Moscow sent a tanker with around 700,000 barrels of crude to the Caribbean island. Washington stopped oil exports to Cuba ‌from its ‌main ally Venezuela afte»»»

Jawad Younes, 11, and his cousins were playing soccer in the lot between their houses, as they often did. His little brother, 4-year-old Mehdi, had joined them but grew tired, so Jawad took him home and handed him off to their mother before returning to the game. Minutes later, an Israeli strike ca»»»

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, hours after Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold direct negotiations. Israel is continuing its strikes on southern Lebanon, but has not targeted the Lebanese capital since a»»»

Germany has unveiled a sweeping €4bn military support package for Ukraine and Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called for the rapid disbursement of a long-delayed €90bn EU loan to Kyiv, as European powers scramble to shore up Ukraine's defences as the Trump administration loses interest in the conflic»»»