U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., joined Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in countering President Donald Trump's renewed overtures that he wants to pull the United States out of NATO. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 2 (UPI) -- Two Republican members of the U.S. Senate have broken with Pre»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted at 20:00 on Thursday, 02-04-2026, a gathering of “Israeli” enemy soldiers and vehicles in Shamaa town »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Yemeni Ballistic Missiles Hit Tel Aviv, Armed Forces Consider Updating Strikes 02-04-2026 22:07 PM The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out on T»»»

Kuwait: The Kuwait National Guard announced Thursday that it downed four drones in areas under its responsibility for securing the country during the past 24 hours. Brigadier General Dr. Jadaan Fadhel, the official spokesperson for the Kuwait National Guard, said in a press statement that this acti»»»

Iranian authorities Thursday executed a teenager convicted over January protests after a fast-track trial rights groups labelled as "grossly unfair", as the country ramps up executions during the war with the US and Israel. Amir Hossein Hatami, 18, was sentenced to death in February along with six »»»

Amman: The Jordanian Armed Forces announced Thursday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed an Iranian missile targeting a site within the kingdom, with four incidents over the past 24 hours, involving falling debris and projectiles, with no casualties, according to Jordan's Public Securit»»»

A month into Israel's war against Hezbollah, invading Israeli troops are gradually advancing in south Lebanon, raising fears for the area's fate following the last Israeli occupation that lasted nearly two decades. Since war erupted last month, Israeli officials have said Israel intends to establis»»»

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Thursday warned that Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem would pay an "extraordinarily heavy price" for escalating attacks during the ongoing Jewish holidays. "I have a clear message for Naim Qassem... you and your associates will pay an extraordinarily heavy »»»

Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states Thursday, demonstrating Tehran’s continued ability to strike its neighbors even as US President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated. Iran’s attacks on Gulf states along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hor»»»

The US has removed the sanctions on interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, according to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The move was announced on Wednesday and marks a significant policy shift as Washington builds closer ties with Caracas after kidnapping Venezuel»»»

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has denied claims that he told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that up to 80% of Syrians living in Germany could be convinced to return home within three years. Merz cited the figure and timeline on Monday during a joint press conference with al-Sharaa, a former jihad»»»

The Progressive Bulgaria coalition leader, Rumen Radev, told residents of Krumovgrad and Momchilgrad, Southern Bulgaria, that Progressive Bulgaria will not coalesce with GERB leader Boyko Borissov or with MRF - New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski, the coalition press service reported on Thursday. R»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday it would be unrealistic to launch a military operation to force open the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump challenged US allies to work towards reopening it. Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East since February »»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - The Iranian military has attacked US-linked steel and aluminum industry facilities in the Middle East, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday. Iran has previously said that US and Israel attacked facilities of the Iranian metallurgical companies Khouzest»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Defense has announced that Qatar was subjected to an attack today, April 2, involving a number of drones launched from Iran. The Ministry also confirmed that all incoming drones were successfully intercepted and neutralized by the Qatar Armed Forces.»»»

In our ongoing weekly digest, award-winning journalist Veronika Munk summarises and explains the most important political developments in Hungary. We guide readers on the route to the crunch 12 April 2026 election — a poll without precedent in the region over the past 15 years. This week, we cover:»»»

Hezbollah has, in recent days, activated the use of surface-to-air missiles to target Israeli drones, in addition to firing them at helicopters and fighter jets, according to statements it issued. It reported the downing of several drones in southern Lebanon and damage to a helicopter, while expert»»»

MP Ghayath Yazbek of the Lebanese Forces said Thursday that an "Iranian-made" drone that crashed earlier in the day in the Batroun district had been headed to the nearby Hamat airbase, which is used by U.S. forces, suggesting that Hezbollah and Iran were behind it. "They have lost their political a»»»

London: Shipping companies from Greece, the UAE and China are most affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, according to data from Bloomberg and marine traffic organisations. Around 670 commodity vessels sent signals from west of the Strait of Hormuz over the last day, with companies from t»»»

NEW YORK: The State of Qatar has sent a 10th identical letter to Secretary-General of the United Nations HE Antonio Guterres, and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for April, HE Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, regarding the latest »»»

New York: The State of Qatar has sent a 10th identical letter to HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, and HE Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of April, Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, regardin»»»

Sudan has appointed General Yassir al-Atta, a member of the country's Sovereign Council and assistant to the commander-in-chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chief of staff of the country's Armed Forces, a military spokesman told Reuters on Thursday. The move is the most significant personnel shift since»»»

Iran has accused the US and Israel of genocide over the “deliberate” targeting of schools and education facilities in strikes on the country. In a post on X on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said more than 600 schools and educational facilities across Iran have been targeted i»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for intensifying political and diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East war during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. "Both sides emphasized the need for a rapid cessation of hostilities and the intensification of political»»»

In a step reflecting a strategic shift in regional energy routes, Baghdad has officially begun exporting crude oil via Syria, in an effort to bypass the paralysis that has affected traditional maritime trade corridors. The move, which Damascus described as a return to its role as a “transit compass»»»

The price of oil surged while stock markets fell back after U.S. President Donald Trump's address Wednesday night stoked fears the Iran war could be about to get a lot worse. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo April 2 (UPI) -- The price of oil surged while stocks retreated on Thursday afte»»»

US President Donald Trump addressed the nation in a speech that resembled political theater more than presidential leadership, offering remarks that reflected less a coherent strategy than a projection of self-crafted illusion. Claiming sweeping military triumphs—including the destruction of Iran’s»»»

London: Britain accused Iran on Thursday of holding the world's economy hostage as diplomats from more than 40 countries held talks on ways to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been choked off by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. The U.S. is not attending the virtual mee»»»

BELGRADE - In a statement released after a session of its head committee, the Movement of Socialists proposed an urgent reshuffle of the Serbian government, the passage of a law granting Serbian citizenship to all Serbs in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, as well as a binding referendum on t»»»

Moscow: Russia will send a second ship carrying oil to Cuba as the island grapples with a US fuel blockade, Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said Thursday. Cuba has been suffering from an energy crisis since January, when US forces abducted Venezuela president and Cuban ally Nicolas Maduro. His remo»»»

A month into Israel's war against Hezbollah, invading Israeli troops are gradually advancing in south Lebanon, raising fears for the area's fate following the last Israeli occupation that lasted nearly two decades. Since war erupted last month, Israeli officials have said Israel intends to establis»»»

The UAE Ministry of Defence said on Thursday that air defenses engaged 19 ballistic missiles and 26 drones originating from Iran. Since the start of Iran's brazen attacks, the UAE air defenses have engaged 457 ballistic missiles, 19 cruise missiles, and 2,038 drones. The attacks have resulted in ca»»»

Airborne attacks across large areas of Ukraine by Russian forces with drones and artillery killed at least five people, injured 11 others over the past 24 hours, inflicting widespread damage to infrastructure and in residential areas. File photo by Sergey Kozlov/EPA April 2 (UPI) -- At least five p»»»

Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states Thursday, demonstrating Tehran's continued ability to attack even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated and predicted the war would end soon. Iran's strikes on its neighbors along with its cho»»»

Stockholm, Sweden: Sweden's government announced on April, 2, 2026, that it was investing more than $900 million in air and drone defence capabilities. The investment would cover multiple systems, such as radar and anti-aircraft weapons systems as well as electronic warfare platforms. The 8.7 billi»»»

Acting Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski has stated categorically that Bulgaria will not take part in any military coalition aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, citing the country’s limited capabilities. She emphasized that this position is clear and final, while noting that Sofia may still en»»»

Dubai: US President Donald Trump’s claim that he no longer “cares” about Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile is raising fresh doubts about why the war was launched at all. For weeks, Trump had framed the conflict as an urgent bid to stop Tehran from building a nuclear bomb, warning Iran was ju»»»

President Iliana Iotova has decreed that the Land Forces Deputy Chief of Staff for Resources, Colonel Atanas Georgiev, will be transferred to the position of Commander of 61st Stryamska Mechanized Infantry Brigade. The President promoted Georgiev to the rank of Brigadier-General at a ceremony on Th»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine lost over 375 soldiers in combat against Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr over the past day, in addition to losses in manpower and equipment on other fronts, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to over 375 servicepe»»»

Blue Bulgaria supports limiting the State’s role in the economy, Tsveta Kirilova, the coalition’s top-of-the-list candidate in Haskovo, said at a meeting with voters on Thursday, quoted by her campaign headquarters. "The State should not be a trader or a major investor, but only a regulator and a g»»»

Since October 2023, the Middle East and North Africa have been set ablaze, with war coming to Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, Syria, and Iran, to name but a few. In large part, Iraqis felt that they had been dodging bullets, miraculously emerging mainly unscathed amidst the mayhem. In recent w»»»

Twenty foreigners, including 19 Chinese citizens and a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, were arrested in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, during a raid on a call center. The Khmer Times reported. According to the media outlet, the foreigners were detained during a search of the call center suspected of f»»»

For Iraq, this is a strange moment both politically and militarily. The state of Iraq has proximity to—but no direct connection to—the fierce battle raging between Iran on one side and Israel and the United States on the other, with Gulf states becoming Iranian targets as a result. That is the stat»»»

OVERVIEW No single issue dominates Thursday’s media, but the note sent by Iran to Bulgaria, the security agreement signed between Bulgaria and Ukraine, and the justice minister’s request for the disciplinary dismissal of the acting prosecutor general, are among the main topics. POLITICS Speaking on»»»

Russian forces repelled a drone attack early Thursday on part of the TurkStream gas pipeline connecting Russia and Türkiye, the pipeline's operator Gazprom said in a statement. "The Russkaya compressor station, which ensures the reliable export of gas via the TurkStream pipeline, came under attack »»»

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - India's arms exports reached a new all-time high in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, totaling $4.1 billion, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday. "India's defense exports set a new historical high, reaching a record 384.2 billion rupees [$4.1 billion] in the 2025-2026 fis»»»

DOHA (Sputnik) - The US Embassy in Baghdad called on US citizens in Iraq on Thursday to leave the country immediately due to threats by pro-Iranian groups to attack central Baghdad, where foreign diplomatic missions are located, according to a statement from the diplomatic mission. "Iraqi terrorist»»»

Israel may have begun by waging war on Gaza, but it didn't end there. In the years that followed October 7 2023, Israel has unleashed its war machine on Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran, in a systematic attempt to redraw the region’s map by force. Once hypothetical scenarios have become a fast-m»»»

The BSP - United Left coalition officially presented its list of candidates for MPs for the upcoming parliamentary elections during a campaign event in Ruse on Thursday. The event took place in the Great Hall of the Dohodno Zdanie building and brought together Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) member»»»

North Korea on Thursday condemned a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution criticizing its human rights record, calling the measure a “grave political provocation." In this photo, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during the opening of the 61st session of the Council in Geneva,»»»