Lebanon’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ali Karanouh, said a phone call on Tuesday between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, along with a statement by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, marked the culmination of Saudi efforts that drew on the kingd»»»

Rabat: The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening food security and tackling climate change across the Islamic world. The agreement, signe»»»

Russia's online giant Yandex (YNDX), often referred to as "the Russian Google," has moved to add mobile phone service provision to many of its other areas of operation. The launch is scheduled for this summer, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported, quoting a source in the local telecoms in»»»

Fertility rates — which measure the average number of children per woman — have been falling worldwide. Since 1950, global fertility rates have halved, from almost 5 children per woman to 2.2, Our World in Data  (OWID)  reports. »»»

Russia has stripped a 44-year-old woman born in Ukraine's Sumy region of her Russian citizenship over online anti-Russian posts and statements, state news agency RIA Novosti reported on April 24, citing a law enforcement source. »»»

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Russia could attack a NATO member within months and openly questioned whether the United States would honour its mutual defence commitment in the event of such an attack, Financial Times reported on April 24. »»»

Moscow's Simonovsky District Court has closed the second trial of former Russian deputy defence minister Timur Ivanov on bribery charges totalling RUB1.3bn ($15.69mn) to the public and media, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported on April 24, citing RIA Novosti. »»»

Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defence has called on residents to remain cautious as thunderstorms are expected to continue across several regions of the Kingdom until Tuesday. The authority urged people to stay in safe places and avoid valleys and areas prone to flash floods. It also »»»

Vladimir Putin's approval rating has fallen for a seventh consecutive week to its lowest level since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to data from VTsIOM, the state-owned polling agency whose numbers the Kremlin monitors closely and whose methodology has every inc»»»

Jakarta: Indonesia has renewed its call for the United Nations to conduct an immediate, thorough, and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack that killed one of its soldiers serving with the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon , stressing the need to ens»»»

Tunis, April 24 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti met on Friday in Tunis with Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Tunisia, with residence in Algiers, Tural Rzayev.The minister praised the friendly nature...»»»

Tunis, April 24 (TAP) - Exports of packaged olive oil posted a 69% increase to TND 340 million in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, compared with the same period last, data published Friday by the Industry, Mines and Energy Ministry show. The volume...»»»

Damascus, April 24 (SANA) Syria’s Transport Ministry said reports circulating about the allocation of $200 million from the World Bank to finance railway development projects in Syria are inaccurate, stressing that the matter remains under discussion and no final agreement has been reached. In a st»»»

Tunis, April 24 (TAP) - After fluctuating up and down, the stock market closed the week of April 20-24, 2026 on a positive note. The benchmark index recorded a gain of 0.5% to 15,804.26 points, bringing its year-to-date performance to +17.5%,...»»»

NEW YORK CITY: A UN human rights report published on Friday documented widespread deaths, displacements and damage to civilian infrastructure in Lebanon during the first three weeks of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. The UN’s high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, called on all »»»

President Donald Trump is sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan, the White House said Friday, just hours after Iran’s top diplomat headed to the South Asian nation where officials have been trying to get the United States and Iran to convene for a second round of ceasefire »»»

For many residents of Damascus’ Tadamon district, Friday felt like a holiday. Celebratory chants rang through the streets and women handed out sweets after authorities officially announced the arrest of “Amjad Youssef,” 40, a criminal who was a former member of military intelligence under Bashar al»»»

NICOSIA: EU leaders vowed to boost security and economic ties with Middle East partners and push for a diplomatic end to the Iran war, after talks in Cyprus focusing on the fallout from the conflict.Leaders from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan as well as the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperati»»»

GENEVA: Porto holding off Benfica in the Portuguese title race is a rivalry between André Villas-Boas and his one-time mentor José Mourinho. Porto have been revived in two years with Villas-Boas as president of his boyhood club that he coached to a league, cup and Europa League treble at age 33 in »»»

Tunis, April 24 (TAP) - The Tunis Court of First Instance has ordered the detention of journalist Zied El Heni, following his hearing on Friday, on charges of offending others on social media, a judicial source told TAP. The Public Prosecutor had...»»»

Tunis, April 24 (TAP) - Head of Operations Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Division at the European Investment Bank (EIB) Ulrich H. Brunnhuber voiced satisfaction with the current level of cooperation and the progress made in implementing...»»»

EU leaders vowed to boost security and economic ties with Middle East partners and push for a diplomatic end to the Iran war, after talks in Cyprus focusing on the fallout from the conflict. Leaders from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan as well as the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Counc»»»

Tunis, April 24 (TAP) - The weather Friday night will be characterised by storm cells and rain over the central-western and southern regions, with hail in some places and temporary cloudy elsewhere, according to forecasts from the National Institute...»»»

April 24 (UPI) -- A tornado touched down in Enid, Okla., injuring at least 10 people and causing extensive damage to homes in the area, local authorities said. About 40 homes were damaged in the Enid area Thursday evening. The city is in north-central Oklahoma. Local news said the tornado passed th»»»

Led by Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, a multidisciplinary team aims to strengthen Mexico’s position on key issues, including automotive rules of origin and steel tariffs. File Photo by Jeff Kowalsky/EPA April 24 (UPI) -- Mexico's government has assembled a high-level economic team with a»»»

Dubai: “Life never stops. We don’t believe in that. Here in the UAE, life goes on, and every challenge is just one more step towards more strength, right?” That unflinching belief from Emirati filmmaker Nawaf Al Janahi defines the mood at the on-going DIFC Art Nights, where crowds and creativity co»»»

Rome, April 24 (SANA) A Syrian delegation headed by Agriculture Minister Amjad Badr visited the municipality of Perugia in Italy, where officials discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the fields of agriculture, veterinary services and animal health. The delegation was »»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran will not allow anyone to export oil from the Middle East if the country is not able to do it itself, Iranian Vice President for Optimization and Strategic Management of Energy Affairs Esmaeil Saqqab Esfahani said on Friday. On Wednesday, member of the Iranian parliament's Co»»»

Gaza: Two Palestinians were killed and others wounded Friday in an Israeli airstrike north of Gaza City. The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported that Israeli drones targeted a group of civilians near the Bahloul intersection in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, killing two and woundi»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States and the European Union signed on Friday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on partnership in critical minerals. "We are the largest customers and users of the world [of critical minerals], [we make] sure that these supplies and minerals are available for ou»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed by the phone the situation in the Persian Gulf, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. "On April 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Fore»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is moving forward to strengthen federal death penalty, including through streamlining internal processes to expedite executions and introducing additional methods such as as the firing squad. "Today, the Department of Justice acted to restore its solemn duty»»»

KYIV/MOSCOW: Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner of war swap on Friday, sending back 193 captured personnel each in an exchange both sides said was facilitated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates. “It is important that ‌there are ‌exchanges and that our people ‌are ⁠returning home»»»

1 of 3 | Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell speaks during a press conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., on March 18. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said she would restart the criminal investigation into Powell if need be. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April »»»

Sharjah: A key interchange near the Sharjah Grand Mosque has been temporarily closed to traffic as part of ongoing Etihad Rail infrastructure works, the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority announced. The closure, which began at midnight on Friday, affects the exit ramp from Emirates Road (E611) t»»»

Police have arrested two teenagers in connection with a series of suspected thefts and robberies at kiosks and petrol stations in the southern suburbs of Athens, authorities said. The incidents are believed to have taken place mainly during overnight hours. The suspects, aged 16 and 17, were brough»»»

Police arrested seven people Thursday morning on the western outskirts of Athens, in Megara and Nea Peramos, in connection with illegal activities including traffic violations, illegal firearm possession, and electricity theft. The arrests followed a coordinated police operation in the area. Author»»»

Tunis, April 24 (TAP)- The national electricity production grew 8% by late February to 3,016 GWh (including renewable self-production) from 2,798 GWh at the end of February 2025, the National Observatory of Energy and Mines said in its report on...»»»

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggested on Friday that the European Union could ease sanctions on Tehran as part of a comprehensive deal that would end the Iran war, but other EU leaders struck a more cautious note. The 27-nation EU has imposed sanctions on Iran for years, including travel bans »»»

A German court on Friday sentenced a supporter of Lebanon's Hezbollah party to more than three years in jail Friday over for "illegal access to weapons" and social media posts supporting the group. Earlier in the same trial the 30-year-old was acquitted on charges of actually fighting for Hezbollah»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah on Friday of trying to "sabotage" efforts to reach a peace agreement with Lebanon. "We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it's clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this," he said in»»»

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah on Friday of trying to “sabotage” efforts to reach a peace agreement with Lebanon. “We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it’s clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this,”»»»

The Israeli military said its forces killed six Hezbollah fighters in the flashpoint southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil on Friday during a clash that included a firefight. According to the Israeli military, troops identified six Hezbollah fighters operating Bint Jbeil, an area that saw heavy figh»»»

The Chair of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva, met on Friday with Algeria’s Ambassador to Bulgaria, Asma Babouche, the Academy’s press service reported. During the meeting, held at the Academy, the two discussed ways to strengthen scientific cooperation betw»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov in Belgrade on Friday. "The meeting confirmed the friendly relations between Serbia and the Russian Federation and further steps to improve bilateral cooperation were discussed. Topics in the field»»»

Tunis, April 24 (TAP) - A training session for members of the six regional committees tasked with selecting recipients of the "Agri-Accelerator 360°" programme was organised on April 20-24 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United...»»»

A zoo in Florida has two reasons to celebrate — the first birth of a koala and a newly renovated habitat for the cuddly creatures is opening to the public on Saturday. “For the zoo and for us here, it’s the very big deal,” said Amarylis Celestina, who oversees carnivores and koalas at the Palm Beac»»»

With just one year left in his second five-year term, French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will quit politics in 2027 -- leaving observers and supporters guessing about his next moves. "I wasn't in politics before and I'm not going to be after," Macron said Thursday during a visit to a high»»»

A lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has said that he was detained by police for wearing a kippah with the Israeli and Palestinian flags on it. Alex Sinclair said in a post on Facebook on Thursday that he had been sporting the kippah for 20 years due to “a messy ambivalence of my Jewish»»»

French television channel M6 has aired a report comparing two unlawfully installed Christian crosses to an act of neo-Nazi vandalism, drawing sharp criticism, according to Tribune Chretienne. The controversy followed a Wednesday broadcast in which sociologist Erwan Lecoeur drew parallels between th»»»