Forecasts suggest that tonight's Aurora Borealis may be visible in as many as 18 states across the country. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- Nearly one-third of the United States -- the northern-most third of the country -- could be among areas the National Oceanic and »»»

Ankara , April 17 (SANA) Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed the latest regional and international developments. The Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that the trilateral meeting, held on the side»»»

DOHA: Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Qatar HE Yun Hyunsoo and Ambassador of Japan to the State of Qatar HE Naoto Hisajima visited the ice rink at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, located at Al Sadd Sports Club, to review the facilities dedicated to ice sports. The visit came»»»

Carnival Cruise Line must pay a California woman $300,000 in a lawsuit over serving her 14 shots of tequila before she fell down a stairwell and was injured. File Photo courtesy of Carnival April 17 (UPI) -- Carnival Cruise Line must pay a California woman $300,000 in a lawsuit over serving her 14 »»»

The Cuban government attempted to open a direct back-channel with US President Donald Trump last week, tapping a private businessman to hand-deliver a sealed letter to the White House, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing sources. The reported message, which was ultimately intercept»»»

Washington, April 17 (SANA) Syrian Finance Minister Mohamed Yisr Barnieh signed on Friday a project with the Qatar Fund for Development and consulting firm Oliver Wyman to assess Syria’s financial and banking sector. The signing ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, Ab»»»

Share: Here is the latest about Lebanon and the war in Iran today: Iran’s foreign minister says in light of the ceasefire that has halted fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, “passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open,” via a desi»»»

April 17 (UPI) -- A Chinese car company successfully filed to patent a voice-activated "in-vehicle toilet" that slides out from under a passenger seat. Chongqing-based automaker Seres filed an application under patent number CN224104011U in April 2025, and the patent was officially authorized earli»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said, “Negotiations will never come at the expense of Lebanon’s rights, principles or sovereignty”, adding, “They reflect strength rather than weakness”. In an address to the nation, Aoun noted the ongoing negotiations are “not a sign of weakness, retreat or concessio»»»

The statei had said it planned to sue fossil fuel companies over climate change impacts. A judge on Friday blocked a lawsuit filed last year by former Attorney General Pam Bondi that attempted to prevent the state of Hawaii from filing suit against oil companies for their effects on climate change.»»»

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»»»

Doha: Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Qatar HE Yun Hyunsoo and Ambassador of Japan to the State of Qatar HE Naoto Hisajima visited the ice rink at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, located at Al Sadd Sports Club, to review the facilities dedicated to ice sports. The visit came»»»

Armed police patrol near the Israeli embassy as counter terrorism police investigate discarded items found in Kensington Gardens in London, Britain, on Friday. Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA April 17 (UPI) -- London police closed down Kensington Gardens Friday after a video was shared online by a group m»»»

Dario Amodei, the CEO of AI company Anthropic, is meeting with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Friday as his company remains in a legal battle with the Trump administration. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- Dario Amodei, the CEO of AI company Anthropic, is meet»»»

Tunis, April 17 (TAP) - The 18th Eco-Construction and Innovation Days will take place on April 21 and 22 at the International Congress Centre of Tunis (CICT-UTICA), bringing together professionals and decision-makers around the ecological transition...»»»

Raisa Atambayeva, the wife of former Kyrgyzstan’s president Almazbek Atambayev, has been summoned for questioning by the Interior Ministry, her daughter Aliya Atambayeva reported. Aliya Atambayeva said in an Instagram post that her mother had been served with a summons requiring her to appear at a »»»

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»»»

An Association of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has been established in Kyrgyzstan, and the head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS), Zhumgalbek Shabdanbekov, has been elected its President. According to the Association, the decision was made on April 17 at a meeting with representatives»»»

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»»»

Research identified 1,389 seismic events in southern Santiago, Chile, between 2017 and 2025. Additional records suggest the activity has persisted for more than 30 years. Photo by Alisha Lubben/Pexels SANTIAGO, Chile, April 17 (UPI) -- Researchers in Chile have identified a persistent cluster of mi»»»

Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov called for a change in politics at the party's campaign closing event at the National Palace of Culture on Friday. "We must change politics. People need to see the change," Mihaylov said, adding that a new generation committed to working responsibly for the public is»»»

The Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic is testing a comprehensive software-based monitoring system for convicts (as part of the probation system) that integrates modern digital monitoring tools into a single ecosystem. The new platform provides a flexible approach to security and includes t»»»

Dubai Police, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Interior, have arrested an Irish fugitive for his alleged role in an organised criminal group involved in international crimes in his home country. The arrest comes as part of ongoing efforts to combat organised crime and pursue internationall»»»

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»»»

A New York City police officer on horseback nabbed a suspected purse snatcher after chasing her through the streets of Manhattan at full gallop — a wild scene evoking the clip-clopping past of a city where lights, sirens and squad cars are the norm. The late Wednesday morning pursuit began when the»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, have arrested an Irish national identified as “D.J.K.” over alleged links to an international criminal gang. The arrest was carried out within 48 hours of a Public Prosecution order issued on April 15, authorities said. Get updated»»»

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»»»

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov and top-of-the-list candidate in Sliven Kliment Shopov called for support for Vazrazhdane during a meeting with citizens in Sliven, the party said in a press release on Friday. Speaking at the event, Shopov said the current situation requires decisive leadersh»»»

Continue the Change (CC) is the only party offering concrete measures to support families with children and young people in its election programme, Assen Vassilev, CC chair and top-of-the-list candidate of the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition for Haskovo’s 29th and Plovdiv City’s»»»

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»»»

Fujairah: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today met with His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah. During the meeting, Their Highnesses discussed a number of national issues in light of the UAE’s continued developme»»»

Antalya: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended today the opening of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum 2026, at the invitation of his brother President of the Republic of Turkiye HE Recep Tayyip Erdoğan . The opening ceremony was also attended by a number of Their Excellencies and Highnesse»»»

The United States is building trade relations with Central Asia as a single, unified region with a population of 80 million people. Altynai Asanova, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce, said, speaking on Birinchi Radio. She noted that the priority for cooperation is the region as»»»

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»»»

An average of at least 47 women and girls were killed each day during the war in Gaza, according to figures published by UN Women on Friday, and the agency warned that deaths have continued six months into a fragile ceasefire. More than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza between October 202»»»

1 of 2 | A handout picture provided by the Vatican Media shows Pope Leo XIV and Cameroonian President Paul Biya shaking hands during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Yaounde, Cameroon, on Wednesday. Pope Leo XIV held a mass Friday in Douala, Cameroon in a stadium with an estimated 120,000 pe»»»