Washington: Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari held bilateral meetings with Secretary of the Treasury of the United State of America HE Scott Bessent; President of the World Bank Group HE Ajay Banga; and President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Zou Jiayi. Held on th»»»

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 »»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office for failing to disclose that former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson failed his security check. Pool Photo by Betty Laura Zapata/EPA April 17 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer fir»»»

Washington: Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari held a series of bilateral meetings with Minister of Economy and Finance of Italy HE Giancarlo Giorgetti; Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK HE Rachel Reeves; and First Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister of Economy, T»»»

US President Donald Trump’s war of words with Pope Leo XIV appears to have split his own MAGA movement. While a number of prominent Republicans have distanced themselves from the exchange, others have stepped in to reassure him of their continued support. Read more Trump casts himself as Jesus afte»»»

Washington, April 17 (SANA) Syrian Finance Minister Mohamed Yisr Barnieh met the President of the OPEC Fund for International Development, Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, to explore the resumption of the Fund’s activities in Syria, on the sidelines of Syria’s participation in the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetin»»»

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 »»»

Heavy traffic develops before the Qasmiyeh Bridge as displaced residents return to their homes near Tyre, southern Lebanon, on Friday. Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day cease-fire, Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 17 (UPI) -- The Israel-Hezbollah war, temporarily halted by a»»»

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»»»

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) said that people are the party’s top priority and stressed the need for a stable government to ensure a good living environment, quality education, and cultural development. The statement was made on Friday, the final day of the election campaign, by the p»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Lebanese Ministry of Health: One martyr and two wounded as a result of an Israeli enemy raid on a bicycle and a motorcycle in the town of K»»»

Doha: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani expressed hope that the Antalya Diplomacy Forum would play a meaningful role in strengthening dialogue and fostering mutual human understanding. In a post published on his account on X, HH the Amir said that he had participated in the Antalya Diplom»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that Lebanon is on the verge of a "new phase" of "permanent agreements," after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war went into force. "Now, we all stand before a new phase," Aoun said in his first speech to the nation since the truce, adding that "it is the »»»

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»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that any future deal reached by the government would not cede any ‌territory or ‌undermine Lebanon's national ‌rights, ⁠without saying whether ⁠he was referring to prospective talks with Israel. The televised address was ⁠his first speech ‌since ‌the US»»»

In an address to the nation regarding the April 19 early parliamentary elections, President Iliana Iotova said: "Let us vote, but let us also think about the day after the elections, when we will live and work together." She added that once the political intrigue has died down, the urgent problems »»»

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 »»»

New York: Air Canada will suspend service to New York's JFK International airport over the summer as the war in Iran creates jet fuel shortages that have sent prices soaring. Canada's flag carrier said Friday that service from Toronto and Montreal to JFK will cease June 1 and resume Oct. 25. Servic»»»

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»»»

Hassan Abu Khalil's family miraculously survived six weeks of war in southern Lebanon, but tragedy struck in the final minutes before a ceasefire came into force. An Israeli strike late on Thursday killed 13 of his relatives, leaving him the sole survivor. Abu Khalil, 36, stepped out to see friends»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday resisted demands he resign over revelations that his scandal-tainted pick for UK ambassador to Washington was appointed despite failing security checks. Starmer says he was not informed that the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation of securit»»»

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»»»

A bar owner on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Ikaria was arrested Friday for allegedly serving alcohol to two minors who subsequently became so drunk that they required hospital treatment, authorities said. A police statement said the incident occurred Thursday evening. Together with the bar owne»»»

A new political formation, Progressive Bulgaria, was founded in Veliko Tarnovo on Friday, with former president (2017-2026) Rumen Radev unanimously elected as its leader. Radev said the party's creation responds to strong public expectations and expressed confidence that its programme would be tran»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Brussels, Belgium: The European Union said Friday that it was updating an age verification app unveiled this week after independent developers pointed to vulnerabilities. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the app, which aims to better protect children from online harm, was "technica»»»

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»»»

Law enforcement authorities are operating nationwide and will not allow vote-buyers to distort the free choice of citizens, the Interior Ministry's acting Secretary General Georgi Kandev said on Friday on Facebook. “Across the country, large-scale police operations are being carried out. Police off»»»