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»»»

Dubai: The US is expanding visa restrictions to cover 50 countries, adding 12 more to its existing list as part of efforts to curb overstays and tighten immigration controls, the State Department said. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.In a post on social media platform »»»

The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs adopted at second reading a draft law on transparency and integrity in governance, the so-called Lobbying Activities Act, submitted by GERB-UDF MP Georgi Georgiev at an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday. A proposal by Velichie MP Yuli»»»

Israel kept up its campaign of targeting Iran’s leaders on Wednesday, killing the country’s intelligence minister, and an Iranian offshore natural gas field was struck in a sign of the war’s mounting pressure – from both sides -- on the region's economic lifeblood: energy. Iran has been taking aim »»»

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»»»

Paris, France: Unusually strong winds and warm ocean water likely drove a rapid plunge in Antarctic sea ice in recent years, scientists said on Wednesday, shedding new light on a puzzling event. While the Arctic sea ice area has been steadily declining, the story has been very different in Antarcti»»»

1 of 5 | Emergency response and command vehicles surround the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 16, 2016. Pulse Nightclub, the site of a mass shooting that killed 49 people in Orlando in 2016, was demolished on Wednesday. File Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo March 18 (UPI) »»»

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»»»

Bulgaria’s Fiscal Council Wednesday issued a statement to the media regarding the amendment proposals submitted by three parliamentary groups between the first and second readings of the 2025 Budget Extension Act. According to the Fiscal Council, the amendments proposed by GERB-UDF, MRF - New Begin»»»

An international media association on Wednesday criticized an "unprovoked assault" by Israeli police on journalists in Jerusalem, which it said left a CNN producer with a fractured wrist. The Foreign Press Association (FPA) said police officers on Tuesday night "unnecessarily and aggressively repel»»»

A biker who allegedly posted on social media incriminating videos of himself performing dangerous stunts in the Greater Athens region has been identified and faces reckless driving charges, police said Wednesday. A dedicated unit that scans social media for similar footage of dangerous driving iden»»»

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»»»

Special operations forces from Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardia) recently conducted military exercises on the Kola Peninsula, using FPV kamikaze drones to neutralise “armed saboteurs” in a simulated combat scenario. The drills, held in the Khibiny Mountains, involved Rosgvardia’s elite units wor»»»

Ervin Salianji has publicly called for the departure of Sali Berisha from the leadership of the Democratic Party of Albania, ahead of the party’s internal election scheduled for May 23. Speaking for the media, Salianji argued that the party has weakened in recent years, attributing its decline to t»»»

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)»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija said on Wednesday a first-instance ruling by a so-called court in Pristina under which Kosovo-Metohija Serbs Zoran Kostic and Dragan Milovic had been convicted to 15 and seven years in prison, respectively, for alleged war crimes represen»»»

Geneva: One person was killed Wednesday morning when a cable car suddenly detached amid strong winds and plunged down a snowy slope at a Swiss Alpine ski resort, police said. The dramatic incident happened at the Engelberg ski resort, high up in the Alps in central Switzerland. Videos from witnesse»»»

The Federal Reserve will announce its next move on interest rates, or if it will make a move at all, on Wednesday. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo March 18 (UPI) -- The Federal Reserve will announce its next move on interest rates, or if it will make a move at all, on Wednesday. »»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE announced on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, that the first day of Eid Al Fitr will be observed on March 20, after the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted. Earier this month, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation h»»»

In the mood for some outdoorsy time with the kiddos over the Eid break? That’s perfect – there’s just about that lovely nip in the air that makes the shade perfect for some down time as you kid watch. Dubai Municipality has put out the timings of the parks and other recreational areas within those »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Crescent Sighting Committee at the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs has announced that the crescent moon of Shawwal was not sighted this evening and that Friday, March 20, 2025, will be the first day of the blessed Eid Al Fitr in Qatar. This came in an announcemen»»»

Caretaker Health Minister Michail Okoliyski announced the launch of expanded neonatal screening in Bulgaria, the Health Ministry said on Facebook on Wednesday. Together with Deputy Minister Petar Gribnev, he visited the specialized obstetrics and gynaecology hospital Maichin Dom in Sofia, where one»»»

If you are in the UAE and having trouble accessing your X account, do not be alarmed for you are not alone. Downdetector, the website that lets you know when services are down based on real-time reports, has confirmed that there has been a spike in complaints over the microblog this evening (March »»»

President Joseph Aoun will not accept that Hezbollah "seize control of the decision to make peace, dictating its form, conditions, and timing," after it had controlled the decision to wage war, informed official sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper. "Baabda Palace is proceeding with contacts w»»»

Foot-and-mouth disease is closing in on the Bulgarian border, and a national operational crisis taskforce has been established, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) reported on Wednesday. According to the agency, the first outbreak in Greece has been confirmed on the island of Lesbos after 40 ou»»»

Dubai: It’s official. Saudi Arabia announced today (March 18, 2026) that the first day of Eid al Fitr will fall on March 20, after the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted. The moon-sighting committee convened and verified the sighting of the new moon, marking the end of Ramadan after 30 days of f»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev introduced the new Chairman, Almaz Baketaev, to the National Bank staff. The Cabinet Chairman outlined the bank’s priority areas of work and expressed confidence that under the new chairman’s leadership, the National Bank will fo»»»

Kyrgyzstan will launch a pilot project to develop a meat production cluster in Chui region and Bishkek to increase output and stabilize meat prices. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry Erlist Akunbekov announced. The proj»»»

Doha, Qatar: Weather inshore until 6am on Thursday will be scattered clouds to partly cloudy at times, with a chance of scattered rain, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily report on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Offshore conditions will be partly cloudy to cloudy at times, with a chance of»»»

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»»»

The Bulgarian Central Election Commission (CEC) has completed the lottery to assign numbers to the political parties and coalitions participating in the country's early parliamentary elections on April 19. In total, 24 formations will appear on the ballots, comprising 14 parties and 10 coalitions. »»»

Pakistan is pausing its military operations against Afghanistan temporarily, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X on Wednesday. Earlier, Afghanistan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Wednesday promised retribution for this week's Pakistani airstrike that killed »»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has established the conditions and procedures for setting up polling stations in medical facilities, nursing homes, and other specialized institutions providing social services, in prisons and detention centres, as well as on vessels flying the Bulgarian flag, »»»

A man looks out a window in Havana during a nationwide power outage Tuesday. Cuba has been facing a severe energy crisis since mid-2024, and the U.S. oil embargo that began in January has brought the economy near a standstill, fueling growing social unrest. Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA March 18»»»

Dubai: Dubai Court of Cassation has issued a landmark ruling clarifying how compensation claims should be handled in divorce cases involving non-Muslim couples, drawing a clear line between personal harm and damages directly arising from divorce. In its latest judgment, the court ruled that claims »»»

Kyrgyzstan’s Trade Representative in China, Zhusubali Toromamatov, met with the leadership of Chengdu International Trade Group to discuss the possibility of supplying domestic eco-friendly products, developing logistics, and expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation, confirming the partie»»»

BELGRADE - Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Belgrade Kamil Khasiyev said on Wednesday Azerbaijan-Serbia bilateral ties had reached the highest level of strategic partnership and that economic cooperation was developing successfully as well, and that Azerbaijan looked forward to a visit by Serbian Preside»»»

The US sent Ukraine $26 billion in aid without adequate oversight of how the funds would be used, a government auditor has told lawmakers. The flaws in a program managed by the now-defunct US Agency for International Development (USAID) were highlighted by the office of the inspector general, which»»»

One person was killed and another injured in a shooting on Tuesday evening at a US Air Force Base in New Mexico, according to military officials cited by AP. The Holloman base near Alamogordo was placed on a temporary lockdown at around 5:30 PM after reports of an active shooter near the facility’s»»»

The caretaker government has approved changes to the composition of the National Council on Prices and Reimbursement of Medicinal Products, replacing Assoc. Prof. Silvia Terezova with Prof. Ilko Getov as Chair, the Government Information Service said Wednesday. Getov is a graduate of the Medical Un»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah City Municipality has announced full readiness to receive Eid Al Fitr, launching intensive inspection and awareness campaigns targeting a wide range of establishments expected to see high public turnout during the holiday. The campaigns will cover food outlets, barbershops, beauty »»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev held a meeting with representatives of the international consulting firm Boston Consulting Group. During the talks, the parties discussed promising areas for further cooperation and new opportunities for joint work to promote sus»»»

Police in Bishkek have dismantled an organized group engaged in online fraud, the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the city reported. According to law enforcement, participants acted in pre-assigned roles. The group included «droppers» — individuals whose bank accounts received stolen funds; »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah’s Islamic Resistance fighters targeted Israeli gatherings in Adaisseh’s Uwaida hill and Khiam border town: Military Media stateme»»»

While a number of countries are getting ready to sight the moon and declare the first day of Eid Al Fitr on Wednesday (Mar 18, 2026), some nations will hold their moon-sighting moments a day later, on Mar 19. In many countries, the 29th of Ramadan will fall tomorrow and so Eid will fall on Friday o»»»

Details have emerged regarding the situation in Kyrgyzstan’s oil industry and the activities of the state-owned enterprise Kyrgyzneftegaz. Daiyrbek Orunbekov, head of the Information Policy Service of the Presidential Administration, reported. According to him, the enterprise was established in the»»»

On March 19, drinking water supply will be temporarily stopped in one district of the city. The press service of the City Hall reported. According to it, the area bounded by the following streets will be left without water: The water outage will last from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Residential buildings, edu»»»

Law enforcement officers in Osh detained individuals involved in pawnshop activities who are suspected of illegally re-registering real estate in their own names, the press service of the Internal Affairs Department of Osh city reported. According to investigators, a criminal case has been opened a»»»