Dubai: Partly cloudy to cloudy conditions are expected across the UAE today, with a chance of light rainfall over some western, coastal and inland areas, according to the latest forecast by the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). Temperatures are set to range between 30°C and 34°C in coastal area»»»

How could Donald Trump and a man selling samosas on a street corner in India possibly be connected? In today’s world of geopolitics, the link is surprisingly direct. The ongoing conflict involving Israel, the United States and Iran has sent shockwaves far beyond the Middle East. With missiles and d»»»

Sir Sadiq Khan has called for Labour to go into the next general election promising to rejoin the EU. The mayor of London has also said the government should rejoin the customs union and single market before the next general election, expected in 2029. Downing Street has repeatedly said the governm»»»

Alberta has proposed a bill that would limit the use of medically assisted dying - also known as voluntary euthanasia - in the Canadian province solely to end-of-life circumstances. In 2021, Canada expanded access to medically assisted dying, known domestically by the acronym Maid, to people with s»»»

Iran targeted oil and gas facilities across the Gulf on Wednesday after Israel killed the Islamic republic's intelligence chief, marking another blow to its leadership. The death of Esmail Khatib followed that of security chief Ali Larijani, which Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei -- unsee»»»

Energy commodities are surging early on Thursday, with Brent-WTI spread widening and Middle East grades like Murban outperforming due to regional risk premiums. Global oil and gas prices have shown strong upward momentum amid continuing geopolitical tensions, recent market data shows. OilPrice.com »»»

Share: Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam near Lebanon Israeli border (AFP) Israel has more than doubled the number of troops along its border with Lebanon since March 1 and they are searching homes in southern Lebanese villages that the military has ordered evacuated, a senior Israeli command»»»

His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and HM King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan discussed, at the Amiri Diwan on Tuesday afternoon, the developments in the region in light of the current escalation and the continued blatant Irani»»»

The AccuWeather forecast for Tropical Cyclone Narelle, as of Thursday morning local time. Tropical Cyclone Narelle is on a direct path toward northeastern Australia, where it will make a rare landfall as a powerful storm. "Tropical Cyclone Narelle is forecast to rapidly intensify and could reach th»»»

A St Patrick's Day float depicting the fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein files has been labelled as "completely unacceptable" by a rape crisis charity. Social media footage appeared to show people dressed in wigs on the float, which contained a mattress and a makeshift cage, attached to the back of a »»»

Postal workers load up their trucks for delivery at the Sunset Post Office in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles on August 22, 2020. Postmaster General David Steiner said USPS revenue has decreased along as fewer people send mail through its service. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo M»»»

Dubai: Internet users in the United Arab Emirates are unlikely to face major disruptions despite rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, though speeds could slow if conflict damages subsea cables that carry global data traffic. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The wate»»»

Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Yamahi, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, condemned the continued Iranian attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates, stressing that these aggressive practices constitute a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, and reflect a dangerous approach that disregards t»»»

El Salvador's security minister, Gustavo Villatoro, said the pending new penalties for major crimes aim to strengthen public safety. File Photo by Miguel Lemus/EPA March 18 (UPI) -- El Salvador's Legislative Assembly has approved a constitutional reform that allows life imprisonment for people conv»»»

The killing of Iran's most influential powerbroker, Ali Larijani, has pushed the country into a more uncertain phase, complicating decision-making in Tehran and narrowing its options as the war grinds on. The US-Israeli war on Iran began with the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei alongside a g»»»

Hungary’s veto on money for Ukraine is to hijack the spotlight at Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels (19 March), alongside disagreements over Europe’s carbon market, overshadowing what was meant to be a key debate on turning Europe into a truly economic powerhouse. In draft conclusions, seen by EUobs»»»

The parents of a group of teenagers believed to have vandalized two state schools in northern Greece have covered the cost of repairs to avoid legal action, municipal officials said. The municipality of Thermi near Thessaloniki said police used security camera footage to identify nine local high sc»»»

Canterbury, United Kingdom: Hundreds of masked-up students queued Wednesday to get vaccinated at the UK university campus at the heart of a deadly meningitis outbreak, as the number of cases rose to 20. "It's quite a concerning thing. It all happened so fast," said Jack Jordan, a 19-year-old studen»»»

The National Assembly unanimously voted, 145-0 with no abstentions, to mandate the caretaker government to state Bulgaria's position at the March 19-20 European Council on the need to temporarily suspend the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) until its ongoing review at EU level is co»»»

Iran's intelligence minister Esmail Khatib has been killed, the country's president has confirmed. Masoud Pezeshkian said the "cowardly assassination" had left Iran "in deep mourning", after Israel said on Wednesday it had killed Khatib in an air strike. It comes a day after Israel announced it had»»»

Dubai: The UAE has launched the first phase of its Research and Development (R&D) Tax Incentives Programme, offering businesses tax credits to encourage investment in innovation and technology. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Under Phase 1, companies can claim a non-re»»»

Ten European Union member states, including Greece, have called on the bloc to keep handing out free carbon permits to industry to ‌help curb costs as the US-Israeli war on Iran sends energy prices soaring. European Union leaders, who meet for a summit in Brussels on Thursday, are debating proposal»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has warned that targeting energy facilities linked to the South Pars gas field constitutes a serious escalation and poses a direct threat to global energy security. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said attacks on energy infrastructure associate»»»

A judge in Poland has ruled that Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin can be extradited to Ukraine, although his defence says he will appeal. Butyagin is being held in a Warsaw prison for allegedly conducting illegal excavations and plundering artefacts from the ancient city of Myrmekion in Cri»»»

Several countries have confirmed Friday, March 20, 2026, as the first day of Eid Al Fitr, following the completion of 30 days of Ramadan and the unsuccessful sighting of the Shawwal crescent. Countries confirming Eid on Friday include Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey, and Australia»»»

Doha: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index closed lower on Wednesday, shedding 101.13 points, or 0.97%, to settle at 10,292.16 points. During the session, a total of 274,928,869 shares were traded in 32,707 transactions across all sectors, with a value of QR 1,270,254,674.465. Shares of 35 companie»»»

Gas prices were up in Walnut Creek, Calif., on March 10. To help ease the surge of gas prices in the United States, President Donald Trump temporarily waived the Jones Act, allowing more foreign shipments of oil to travel between U.S. ports. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo March 18 (UPI)»»»

A 48.9% increase in prices for fresh and dry vegetables was a big factor in the rising index for foods in February, the U.S. Burea of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. File Phot by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | License Photo March 18 (UPI) -- The producer price index for final demand goods had its sharpe»»»

Americans increasingly view artificial intelligence as a threat to their livelihoods and believe the government should prioritize protecting workers over maximizing tech industry profits, polling data published by Blue Rose Research has indicated. The survey, conducted earlier this month with 2,716»»»

Several officials and companies associated with them have been detained in Kyrgyzstan as part of a criminal investigation into corruption at Kyrgyzneftegaz OJSC. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. The case was previously opened based on materials from the State Tax Se»»»

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov and caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for European Funding Maria Nedina will not be heard by the National Assembly regarding the national position at the European Council meeting on March 19–20, as previously scheduled. The item had been listed as the third point»»»

Caretaker Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov is establishing a working group within the ministry to review and conduct a legal analysis of documents, submitted by the BOEC Association, the ministry said. Until now, no state institution had been willing to receive these documents, which could help cla»»»

Nairobi: A Chinese national and a Kenyan man were charged Tuesday with unlawfully dealing in wildlife species after they were found in possession of hundreds of live ants stored in specialised tubes. The case was the latest focused on the alleged smuggling of ants in the East African country, where»»»

The line of cars stretched as far as the eye could see along the coast of southern Lebanon, as residents of areas bombarded in the Israel-Hezbollah war poured into the ancient city of Sidon in search of safety. At war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, Israel has called on everyone living south of the Zah»»»

Damascus, March 17 (SANA) – The “blue economy” is gaining increasing importance as a strategic pathway for sustainable growth in Syria, leveraging the country’s Mediterranean coastline and maritime resources to support economic recovery and long-term development. The concept refers to the sustainab»»»

Germany and France on Wednesday called for de-escalation of the Middle East war with Germany's top diplomat warning of a "crisis of the gravest order" if global supply chains continue to be disrupted. "We must try to find a point where the military objectives (the United States and Israel) have set»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump angrily suggested Wednesday that he could leave U.S. allies to secure the Hormuz strait on their own since they have refused to fight alongside U.S. forces against Iran in the crucial shipping lane. Saying the United States doesn't need the strait -- a major global oil s»»»

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier and a central pillar of US naval operations in the war against Iran, is expected to head for repairs after a major fire onboard. The nuclear-powered carrier, deployed for nearly nine months and involved in more than two weeks of strikes l»»»

Sayyed Ragheb was already struggling to keep his family afloat, earning less than $100 a month. Now he fears it will get even worse after Egypt hiked fuel prices because of the Iran war. The father of four school-age children works day-to-day in cafes and sometimes in construction. With prices of m»»»

Britain’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell attended the final US-Iran talks and assessed that Tehran’s offer on its nuclear program was significant enough to avert an immediate rush to war, the Guardian reported on Tuesday. Sources said Powell saw progress in Geneva in late February and de»»»

GERB Chair Boyko Borissov leaves for Brussels to participate in the official ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the European People's Party (EPP), the GERB press centre reported on Wednesday. The party noted that Borissov's participation in the ceremony is a strong recognition of GERB's autho»»»

A new group of 39 migrants who risked the popular but lengthy sea crossing from northern Africa in a small boat has been located on the southern coast of Crete, authorities said Wednesday. One of the men, a 20-year-old from South Sudan, was allegedly identified as the person who had piloted the boa»»»

Sharjah: Police have announced strict measures against vehicles and motorcycles causing noise and disturbance in residential areas and on public roads, as part of ongoing efforts to maintain public safety and community peace. The General Command of Sharjah Police said it has received multiple compl»»»

Skopje, 18 March 2026 (MIA) — Local farmers have warned of a hike in food prices as conflict in the Middle East drives up the cost of fuel and fertilizer. National Federation of Farmers president Stevanche Jordanoski urged the government Wednesday to activate a "crisis fund" to help producers offse»»»

President Iliana Yotova expressed expectations that the upcoming election campaign in Bulgaria will shift away from its traditionally confrontational tone and instead focus on competing ideas and policy proposals. Speaking to journalists during a healthcare forum organized by the Bulgarian Medical »»»

A cyberattack by Iran-linked hackers on the medical technology company Stryker last week highlighted the modern threats facing the United States. File Photo by Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA March 18 (UPI) -- A cyberattack by Iran-linked hackers on the medical technology company Stryker last week highlighted»»»

The leadership of the EU and NATO is the worst either bloc has had in decades, marked by incompetence, a policy of appeasing the US, and failing to protect European interests, according to a scathing critique by journalist Claudi Perez in Spain’s leading newspaper, El Pais. The opinion piece, publi»»»

When the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on 28 February, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and crippling Tehran’s military infrastructure, the world witnessed a dramatic reshaping of the Middle East’s power structure. Beijing’s public response—measured moral condemnations, an e»»»

Share: PHOTO- A person walks past debris at the site of an Israeli strike, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Zuqaq al-Blat district in central Beirut, Lebanon, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi Beirut- It is unreasonable to ‌expect th»»»

BusinessMiddle EastIran war triggers helium shortage, hits semiconductor supplyTimothy RooksRising tensions in the Middle East are rattling high-end chipmakers. Among all the latest geopolitical uncertainties for the industry is a shortage of helium that could slow global production. https://p.dw.c»»»