President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., are trying to gather support from Republican hardliners to renew the FISA bill for another 18 months. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 15 (UPI) -- House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., delayed a vote Wednesday to r»»»

US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran on ending the conflict could resume soon and may lead to an agreement, urging the world to watch for “two amazing days,” as regional officials indicated progress in efforts to extend a fragile ceasefire for at least two weeks to allow space for renewed»»»

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has called for accelerating the localisation of defence industries and expanding domestic manufacturing, while strengthening partnerships with global firms to facilitate the transfer of advanced technologies to Egypt, according to a presidential statement. Al-»»»

Ivan Sotirov, the top-of-the-list candidate of the Blue Bulgaria coalition in the Sofia Region multi-member constituency, visited the municipality of Mirkovo and met with Mayor Tsvetanka Yotina on Wednesday, according to the coalition’s campaign headquarters. Yotina expressed her support for Blue B»»»

The Islamic Resistance fighters continued valiantly repelling all the attempts of the Israeli occupation forces to take control of Bint Jbeil town in South Lebanon, clashing with the Zionist enemy in various other villages in the border area. Hezbollah rocketry force also issued intensive missile s»»»

European capitals have finally cast off their 'peacemaker' masks, military expert Boris Rozhin says, commenting on Russia's Ministry of Defense statement exposing European plans to ramp up drone production for Ukraine to target Russia. Western drones are used not only on the battlefield, but for st»»»

US author Anne-Marie Slaughter argues in The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World that the world no longer operates or interacts according to the logic of a traditional chessboard. The old model was linear and two-dimensional, centered on a single objective: topplin»»»

"The situation on Russia’s and Belarus’s western borders can be described as tense," Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said. Other key statements:EU countries oppose a peace settlement in Ukraine because they have invested heavily in the war The Baltic state»»»

The integrity of elections in Bulgaria is a problem, and the solution is mass voting, Progressive Bulgaria leader Rumen Radev said in Kyustendil ahead of a meeting with supporters on Wednesday. He called for mass turnout “to drown all this bought, manipulated vote in a sea of free votes”. Addressin»»»

Beirut lawmakers and political parties in Lebanon’s parliament will hold a conference on Thursday backing a declaration of the capital as “safe and free of weapons,” after a government decision that followed deadly Israeli attacks on the city last week. Organizers invited all Beirut MPs except thos»»»

Syrian authorities said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of military-grade detonators from the Nabk area in the Qalamoun region of rural Damascus into Lebanon. They also uncovered a cross-border tunnel and seized weapons depots prepared for smuggling, state media reported on»»»

Frankfurt, Germany: Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday praised "the strategic importance" of Lufthansa as the German airline giant marked its centenary, but the celebrations were marred by a wave of recent strikes. "Lufthansa provides technical and logistical support for the German government f»»»

Pakistan’s army chief arrived Wednesday for talks in Tehran in the latest diplomatic move to ease tensions in the Middle East and arrange a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war. The Pakistani military said the delegation also included the c»»»

Sharjah: His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Judicial Council, on Wednesday inaugurated a digital rental disputes platform that enables virtual hearings, enforceable judgments and secure digital archiving of rulings. The platform is»»»

Israel's security cabinet will convene on Wednesday to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official said, more than five weeks into a war with Hezbollah that spiraled out of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet will meet »»»

Hajar and Rashid Hathaleen have always walked to school from their neighborhood on the outskirts of Umm al-Khair. But when classes resumed this week for the first time since the Iran war began, coiled barbed wire blocked the Palestinian siblings' path to the village center. Israeli settlers had ins»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters confronted at 15:30 on Wednesday 15-04-2026 an “Israeli” enemy drone of type “Hermes 450 – Zik” in the airspace»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters confronted at 16:35 on Wednesday 15-04-2026 an “Israeli” enemy helicopter of type “Apache” in the airspace of A»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted at 16:40 on Wednesday 15-04-2026 “Israeli” enemy artillery bunkers in Khirbet Ma’ar with a swarm of lo»»»

Dubai: Amid an uncertain geopolitical climate, expats from Kerala in the UAE on Wednesday marked Vishu, the traditional Hindu New Year of the south Indian state, with rituals, ethnic wear and the elaborate vegetarian feast known as sadhya, expressing gratitude for the safety and stability they cont»»»

On March 26, 2026, amid growing losses and an increasingly acute manpower shortage within the Ukrainian armed forces, the leadership of several European countries decided to ramp up the production and supply of drones to Ukraine for strikes against Russian territory, the Russian Ministry of Defense»»»

Dubai: Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has emerged as the most visible power broker in Tehran, stepping into a central role in both the war effort and high-stakes diplomacy as the Islamic republic navigates a new phase following the US-Israel conflict. A pillar of the Iranian est»»»

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»»»

Egypt’s national security, improving citizen’s standards of living, economic development, developing and building the Egyptian citizen, and developing Egypt’s foreign policy. The government statement by the Prime Minister and Minister of Housing, Mustafa Madbouli, was presented to the House of Repr»»»

TYRE, Lebanon: Israeli strikes rocked southern Lebanon overnight and into Wednesday, a day after a first round of historic talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington. Smoke rose over the coastal city of Tyre, underscoring the fragility of diplomatic efforts. Though Israeli strikes i»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah’s Fadlallah: Who’s the Outlaw, Resistance Defending the Homeland or an Authority Offering Concessions? 15-04-2026 16:18 PM Lebane»»»

A scheduled rotation of personnel and military equipment of the Polish Armed Forces participating in the NATO stabilization forces in Kosovo (KFOR) will take place from April 16 to April 22, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday. The military equipment and personnel will pass through Bul»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli gatherings in the southern Lebanese town of Al-Bayyada were targeted for the second time on Wednesday by Islamic Resistance fighter»»»

Amid growing fears that Ukraine’s long-range drones could strike deep into northern Russia, military authorities have decided to cancel one of the country’s most symbolic displays of military power: the 9 May Victory Day parade. There will be no traditional 9 May parade in Mirny, a closed military »»»

Around three million Bulgarians are expected to vote in the snap parliamentary elections on April 19, with five political formations set to cross the 4% electoral threshold and one hovering on it. Compared with the last election in October 2024, between 200,000 and 300,000 more people are likely to»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters engaged an Israeli military drone, identified as a Hermes 450 “Zik,” over the airspace of Qabrikha southern Leb»»»

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 »»»

Former Defense Minister Prof. Todor Tagarev has commented on Bulgaria’s military aviation situation, noting concerns about the condition of the country’s current fighter fleet and the pace at which new aircraft are being integrated. In an interview with News.bg, Tagarev said it would be “very stran»»»

Commander of Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Air Defense Base Major General Ali Abdollahi warned on Tuesday that the continued US naval blockade and threats against Iranian vessels would amount to a prelude to breaching the ceasefire, raising the risk of renewed escalation. In remarks carried by Iranian me»»»

Iran’s top military commander, Major General Ali Abdollahi, has issued a stern warning to the United States, stating that any attempt to block maritime trade in the Persian Gulf or Sea of Oman would be met with decisive action. In remarks made on Wednesday, Abdollahi, the commander of Khatam al-Anb»»»

Dozens of boats carrying activists and aid for Palestinians in Gaza set sail from the northeastern Spanish city of Barcelona on Wednesday. Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla say that more than 70 boats and 1,000 people from around the world will participate, with campaigners saying it's the bi»»»

Brussels: The European Union is set to roll out a new age-verification app for online platforms, as governments worldwide step up efforts to shield children from harmful content and curb access to social media. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the app is “technically ready” a»»»

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»»»

There are few precedents for the direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials that began in Washington on Tuesday. - 1949, Fragile armistice - The first Arab-Israeli war began on May 15, 1948, the day after the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel. Five countries -- Egypt,»»»

Iran's military warned on Wednesday it would block trade through the Red Sea, along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman, if the U.S. naval blockade continues. In a statement carried by Iranian state television, the head of Iran's military central command center said if the U.S. continues with its blockad»»»

Gaza: The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) murdered at least 72,344 Palestinian civilians and injured at least 172,242 others since the beginning of the genocide that the Israeli occupation has been committing against the Gaza Strip in October 2023. Sources said that hospitals across the Gaza Strip »»»

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»»»

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»»»

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah called Wednesday for a referendum, claiming that more than half of the Lebanese people are against the direct Lebanese-Israeli talks that took place Tuesday in Washington. Fadlallah lashed out at Lebanese authorities who "are giving free concessions" to Israel, saying »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Armed Forces have taken control of the settlement of Volchanskiye Khutora in the Kharkov region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. "As a result of decisive actions, units of the Sever [North] Battlegroup established control over the settlement of Volchan»»»

Berlin and Kiev will coordinate efforts to return military-age Ukrainian men residing in Germany to their home country, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced following a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky. As Ukrainian forces suffer mounting losses in the conflict with Russia and the pool of w»»»

BELGRADE - Speaking to reporters after a meeting with top-ranking Ministry of Defence and army officials, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday he had proposed the preparation and adoption of a robotisation strategy for the Serbian Armed Forces and the establishment of a unit equippe»»»

“The current situation calls for the utmost vigilance,” Governor Andrei Chibis emphasised as he summoned representatives of the FSB, the Northern Fleet and other law enforcement agencies. Authorities in the strategically important region in northern Russia are expressing growing concern about poten»»»

Israel's military on Wednesday issued a fresh evacuation order for residents of south Lebanon despite talks held Tuesday in Washington. "The airstrikes are ongoing as the Israel Defense Forces operate with significant force in the area. Therefore... we reiterate our urgent appeal for you to evacuat»»»