U.S. Fed keeps interest rate unchanged amid high energy prices

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday decided to maintain its target range for the federal funds rate at 3.5-3.75 percent as high energy prices added inflation pressures.

"Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace. Job gains have remained low, on average, and the unemployment rate has been little changed in recent months. Inflation is elevated, in part reflecting the recent increase in global energy prices," said the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) in a statement.

"Developments in the Middle East are contributing to a high level of uncertainty about the economic outlook. The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate," the FOMC went on in the statement.

"In support of its goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 percent," the statement said.

Putin, Trump hold phone call on issues of Iran, Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call on Wednesday, discussing the recent shooting at the White House press dinner, the situation in Iran and the Ukraine crisis, the Kremlin said.

Putin strongly condemned the assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, stressing in particular the unacceptability of any form of politically motivated violence, said Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov after the phone conversation that lasted over an hour and a half.

Among the issues on the international agenda, the two leaders focused primarily on the situation in Iran and the Persian Gulf, according to the Kremlin.

Trump says Iran blockade to stay until nuclear deal reached

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will keep Iran under the U.S. naval blockade until Tehran agrees to a deal with Washington on its nuclear program.

"The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing," Trump told U.S. online media Axios in a phone interview, stressing that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

The president claimed that Iran wants to reach a deal in order to lift the blockade.

"They want to settle. They don't want me to keep the blockade. I don't want to (lift the blockade), because I don't want them to have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

Iran warns of "unprecedented military action" if U.S. seizure of Iran-linked vessels continues

The continued U.S. maritime "piracy and banditry" in the form of naval blockade against Iran will soon be met with "practical and unprecedented military action," state-run Press TV reported on Wednesday.

Iran's armed forces maintain that "patience has limits," and a "punishing response" will be necessary if the United States continues its "illegal" naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, it said, citing a high-ranking security source.

According to the source, if the U.S. "obstinacy and delusions" continue, and Iran's conditions are rejected, the "enemy" should soon expect a different kind of response to the naval blockade, "which is akin to maritime banditry."

U.S. Senate rejects motion limiting Trump's war powers regarding Cuba

In a procedural vote, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday rejected a motion proposed by Democrats to limit President Donald Trump's war powers, which aims to prevent the president from launching military action against Cuba without congressional authorization.

The Republican-held Senate voted 51-47 to uphold an objection raised by Senator Rick Scott against the Democrats' motion to discharge the resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Susan Collins and Rand Paul were the only two Republicans who voted in support of the Democrats-led war powers resolution. Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote for the objection against the resolution.

Sentence for former S. Korean president Yoon increased to 7 years on appeal for obstruction of arrest

The sentence for former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was increased to seven years on Wednesday on appeal for obstruction of arrest, according to the rule of the Seoul High Court.

The court overturned the lower court's ruling, lengthening Yoon's prison term from five to seven years.

The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, had sought a 10-year prison sentence on appeal after demanding the same sentence in the first instance.

Following the second-instance ruling, Yoon's legal team said that it will appeal to the Supreme Court, according to reports.

Former Thai PM Thaksin to be released on parole on May 11

The Parole Committee under the Ministry of Justice of Thailand decided on Wednesday to allow former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to be released on parole on May 11.

According to Thai media reports, the committee held a meeting to review whether nationwide inmates meet the parole criteria, including Thaksin.

The meeting decided that Thaksin would be released on parole on May 11 on the condition that an electronic monitoring device must be worn until the end of the sentence. After being released on parole, he will be under parole supervision for four months.

Man arrested in NW London after "attempting to stab Jewish members of the public"

A man has been arrested after two people were stabbed in Golders Green, a north-west London neighborhood, a Jewish community watch group said on Wednesday.

According to Shomrim, the suspect was seen running along Golders Green Road armed with a knife and attempting to stab members of the Jewish community.

The group said it detained the suspect before local police arrived, used a Taser, and made an arrest.

The victims are receiving treatment from Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service, the group added.

Pentagon official says Iran war has cost 25 bln USD so far

A senior Pentagon official said Wednesday that the cost of the ongoing U.S. war against Iran is estimated to be 25 billion U.S. dollars so far, as the conflict has dragged on for two months.

"Approximately, of this day, we're spending about 25 billion dollars on Operation Epic Fury," acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst III told the House Armed Services Committee, as he testified alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine.

Hurst added that most of those costs were from munitions and included operations, maintenance and equipment replacements.

Israel says head of Hamas Military Intelligence Operations Department killed in Gaza

Israel said on Wednesday it had killed the head of the Operations Department in Hamas' Military Intelligence Headquarters in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's Shin Bet security agency and military said in a joint statement that Iyad Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Shambari was killed in a strike on Tuesday in the north of the enclave.

They described Shambari as a "key figure" in the gathering of intelligence on Israeli troops in Gaza, where they are still deployed in large areas despite a ceasefire. He was "responsible for compiling the operational situational assessment of the entire Gaza Strip ... in order to direct and execute attack plans against troops," according to the statement.■