The US-Iran talks being mediated by Pakistan to end the latest Middle East conflict are nearing a breakthrough, Al Jazeera has reported. The likelihood of a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program has improved significantly, the news outlet reported, citing Pakistani sources. Iran’s nuclear program has be»»»

US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting on Thursday. Trump said the truce followed "excellent" conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, taking place two days after Israel and Leban»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US measures to impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz are unilateral, illegal and a liberal interpretation of the rules of international law by US, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "The illegal nature of the US actions does not mean »»»

Our weekly series on Hungarian politics continues so we can report on developments after these historic elections and on events around the formation of the Tisza government. This week we cover the following topics: We may know the final election result on Saturday (18 April). Tisza’s victory has re»»»

1 of 2 | Gen. Dan Caine told the press Thursday that 13 ships have turned away from the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz since in began on Monday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 16 (UPI) -- Gen. Dan Caine told the press Thursday that 13 ships have turned away from the U.S. bloc»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US Navy is enforcing a blockade of Iran's coastline and ports rather than of the Strait of Hormuz, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said on Thursday. "Let me be clear. This blockade applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian por»»»

The US Navy said on Thursday the military had expanded a maritime blockade on Iran to include “contraband” shipments, adding that any vessel suspected of heading to Iranian territory would be subject to verification and inspection. “These vessels, regardless of their location, are subject to boardi»»»

Europe has “maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left,” the head of the International Energy Agency said Thursday in a wide-ranging Associated Press interview, warning of possible flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol painted a»»»

US President Donald Trump is making “a big move towards controlling the marginal barrel of oil,” attempting to shift the world’s energy focus from the Persian Gulf region to the Gulf of Mexico, “where oil tankers are now lining up,” geopolitical analyst Tom Luongo told RT in an interview on Wednesd»»»

A US lawmaker has introduced six articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over actions tied to the war on Iran. The resolution, submitted earlier this week by Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari and backed by eight Democratic co-sponsors and several anti-war groups, outli»»»

Dubai: The CBSE Class 10 board examination results for 2026 (Phase 1) have delivered a historic moment for Indian schools across the UAE, with multiple students scoring a perfect 100% and almost all institutions recording a 100% pass rate. What makes the results even more extraordinary is the backd»»»

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has made no secret of his "displeasure and resentment" at President Joseph Aoun and PM Nawaf Salam's decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday. "He reiterates to his visitors his categorical rejection of any fo»»»

Israel's defense minister warned Iran on Thursday against rejecting a US proposal focused on renouncing "nuclear armament" and vowed to stage "even more painful" strikes on new targets if it did so. "Iran is standing at a historic crossroads: one path is renouncing the ways of terror and nuclear ar»»»

Israel's defense minister warned Iran on Thursday against rejecting a U.S. proposal focused on renouncing "nuclear armament" and vowed to stage "even more painful" strikes on new targets if it did so. "Iran is standing at a historic crossroads: one path is renouncing the ways of terror and nuclear »»»

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized US President Donald Trump, saying the US leader has "no right" to threaten other nations, in an interview published in Spain on Thursday. Lula's comments come after Trump this month warned that a "whole civilization will die" in Iran if the c»»»

1 of 3 | The rise in prediction markets and an email to White House staff have lawmakers weighing how to regulate prediction markets and prevent government officials from trading using nonpublic information. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 16 (UPI) -- The rise in prediction mark»»»

The influential chief of Pakistan's armed forces visited Iran to meet the head of Tehran's negotiators on Thursday, as Washington considers agreeing to another round of peace talks in Islamabad. Iranian state television showed Field Marshal Asim Munir meeting Iran's speaker of parliament, Mohammad »»»

More than three dozen Democrats supported an effort by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday to block arms sales to Israel, signaling a growing discontent in the party with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the wars in Gaza and Iran. The two resolutions to block U.S. sales of bulldozers and »»»

Pakistan stressed on Thursday that Lebanon remains part of the ceasefire agreement in place between the United States and Iran, stressing that stability in Lebanon is essential for the success of peace talks in the region. “Lebanon, in our interpretation, is part of the broader ceasefire,” Foreign »»»

Bamenda: Pope Leo XIV blasted the “handful of tyrants” who are ravaging Earth with war and exploitation, as he preached a message of peace Thursday in the epicentre of a separatist conflict considered one of the world’s most neglected crises. Leo travelled to the western Cameroon city of Bamenda, w»»»

Dubai: A series of Israeli airstrikes struck multiple مناطق in southern Lebanon, hitting areas around Nabatieh and nearby villages. Explosions were reported in Kfar Roummane, where strikes targeted the outskirts of an industrial zone and areas near a local supermarket. Additional airstrikes hit Arn»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Watch: Hezbollah Fighters Fly Drones to Strike Kiryat Shmona Israeli Settlement 16-04-2026 16:01 PM Screen capture of a video showing Hezbo»»»

President Joseph Aoun on Thursday stressed the importance of a ceasefire before any direct negotiations with Israel, ahead of possible talks with Israel's leader that Beirut has not confirmed will take place. "The ceasefire requested by Lebanon with Israel is the natural starting point for direct n»»»

Visiting British Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer on Thursday called for a ceasefire in Lebanon where Israel and Hezbollah are at war, and welcomed direct talks between Israel and Lebanon. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Isr»»»

Dubai/ Sharjah: As UAE schools prepare for the gradual return to in-person learning from Monday, April 20, some schools have informed parents they will not be reopening their campuses on that date — while certain schools have made physical attendance compulsory for students who travel by private tr»»»

Dubai: Pakistan on Thursday said no date has been set for the second round of talks between the United States and Iran, urging the media to avoid speculation as diplomatic consultations continue under a highly confidential process. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi, during »»»

A ceasefire in Lebanon is “just as important” as one in Iran, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri. In a phone call the Iranian speaker told his Lebanese counterpart that Tehran’s efforts are ongoing to force ‘Israel’ into a comprehensive and permane»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Confirmed direct hits were scored as Islamic Resistance fighters struck two Merkava tanks positioned on the Al-Sal’a height in the town of »»»

Dubai: Pakistan has intensified its diplomatic and military outreach across the Middle East this week in a coordinated effort aimed at easing regional tensions, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif toured key Gulf capitals while the country’s army chief held high-level talks in Iran. The parallel engag»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Treasury is launching Operation "Economic Fury" against Iran to maximize economic pressure on the country, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Thursday. "At the same time, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and our friends over at Treasury are launching Operation 'Econ»»»

Washington, April 16 (SANA) The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday it was strengthening sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, targeting 20 individuals and entities linked to the network of oil trader Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, amid restrictions by Tehran on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.»»»

Gold prices rose on Thursday as growing optimism about a possible end to conflicts in the Middle East calmed inflation worries and improved prospects for lower interest rates. Spot gold rose 0.5% to $4,815.15 per ounce by 0926 GMT, after rising to a one-month high in the previous session. US gold f»»»

The US is in discussions on staging a second round of peace talks with Iran, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said. The first direct meeting between the sides since the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28 took place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, at the weekend, but deliv»»»

More than a dozen people, including at least one child, have been killed in Russian missile and drone attacks on infrastructure and residential buildings in Kyiv and in other Ukrainian cities like Odesa and Dnipro overnight to Thursday. Several dozens of civilians were also injured in the assaults.»»»

A Ukrainian firefighter battles a massive blaze early Thursday at the scene of a Russian missile strike in the capital, Kyiv, where four people were among 16 killed in large scale aerial attacks on several Ukrainian cities overnight. Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA April 16 (UPI) -- An airborne Russi»»»

Iran's prominent speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told his Lebanese counterpart on Thursday that a ceasefire in Lebanon was "as important" as in Iran, according to a statement posted on Telegram. In talks to end the war between Iran and the United States, Ghalibaf said Tehran has "bee»»»

The climate-denialist Trump administration is pushing the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to stop focusing on clean energy development projects. We take a closer look. But first: Russia vows to make up for any shortfall in Chinese oil supplies due to the US-Israeli war on Iran, and crude»»»

Share: Israeli soldiers next to artillery vehicles near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Florion Goga Optimism grew on Thursday that the Iran war may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator having made a breakthrough on “sticky issues”, a source said, alt»»»

Share: Photo- Israel claims killing a key member of Quds force in Lebanon. Iran’s IRGC is reportedly commanding Hezbollah war with Israel according to Lebanese government sources Lebanon earlier cast doubt on Donald Trump’s claim that the leaders were due to hold talks On Wednesday night in the US,»»»

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post that he thanked Pakistan for its “gracious hosting” of the US-Iran dialogue as he received the country’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Tehran on Wednesday. Araghchi received Munir, who is heading a high-level political-security »»»

"We have already learned to act in a way that minimizes the consequences of such measures for our interests. We will continue to do so," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US would not extend licenses that temporarily allowed purchases of Russ»»»

Britain's economy put on a burst of growth in February, suggesting it was in slightly better shape before the start of the Iran war than many economists had feared, official figures showed on Thursday. Gross domestic product expanded 0.5% month-on-month in February, the biggest increase since Janua»»»

Mariam Zein cradled her 11-week-old son on a mattress on the floor where she and her family have sheltered near Beirut since the Israel-Hezbollah war upended her young family's life. "I was really excited when I was in my ninth month of pregnancy... I never thought he'd be born and there'd be war,"»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has presented its Tenth National Report at the Review Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS), held at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UAE delegation presented the report as part of the review process under the Convention, h»»»

Lebanon is "not aware" of any upcoming contact with Israel, an official source told AFP, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of leaders of Lebanon and Israel would speak on Thursday. "We are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any »»»

China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that Beijing supported maintaining the ceasefire and negotiation momentum between Tehran and Washington during a phone call on April 15, China's foreign ministry said in a readout. »»»

China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that Beijing supported maintaining the ceasefire and negotiation momentum between Tehran and Washington during a phone call on April 15, China's foreign ministry said in a readout. »»»

China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that Beijing supported maintaining the ceasefire and negotiation momentum between Tehran and Washington during a phone call on April 15, China's foreign ministry said in a readout. »»»

Iran may be forced to ramp up imports of petrochemical products to supply feedstock for downstream industries after US-Israeli air strikes hit its main production hubs earlier this month, a government spokesperson said, in remarks carried by state news on April 16. »»»

China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi that Beijing supported maintaining the ceasefire and negotiation momentum between Tehran and Washington during a phone call on April 15, China's foreign ministry said in a readout. »»»