Nikolay Patrushev, assistant to the president of the Russian Federation, has a stark assessment of the Iran war as it begins to ripple far beyond the Middle East. With shipping disrupted in the Strait of Hormuz, energy markets under strain, and maritime security deteriorating, the consequences are »»»

Dubai: Iran’s attempt to strike the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia — a remote island nearly 4,000km away — is raising new doubts over how far Tehran’s missiles can reach, and how widely it may be willing to strike. The move comes amid escalating rhetoric from Tehran. Iran’s top military spokes»»»

The US military declared on Saturday it had taken out an Iranian bunker housing weapons threatening oil and gas shipments in the Strait of Hormuz. The US statement appeared designed to calm the concerns of energy markets and of Washington's skeptical international allies, more than 20 of whom issue»»»

Dubai: In the Dh30 million UAE Lottery’s Lucky Day draw held on Saturday, participants saw multiple winners take home cash prizes, although the top jackpot has remained unclaimed. During Draw No. 260321, the winning numbers from the Days section were 11, 19, 2, 25, 18, and 15, while the winning num»»»

1 of 6 | President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order instructing the Federal Communications Commission and Secretary of Commerce to ensure the Army-Navy football game has an exclusive broadcast window during the Commander in Chief's Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East »»»

New Delhi: India has blocked the release of ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’, a film about the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl by Israeli forces, the movie's distributor told AFP on Saturday. The Oscar-nominated docudrama by French-Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania recounts the real-life de»»»

Sydney: Japan won the AFC Women's Asian Cup for a third time after defeating host Australia 1-0 in the 2026 final Saturday night. Maika Hamano scored the only goal with a long-range strike in the 17th minute as Japan triumphed in front of a crowd of 74,397 at Sydney's Stadium Australia, a record fo»»»

A written response to a parliamentary question by caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev, regarding the Interior Ministry’s actions in the event of potential migration pressure arising from the conflict in the Middle East, says that "the migration situation along Bulgaria’s state borders is curren»»»

EasyCall, a brand of NewConnect-listed tech company SoftBlue, is developing solutions using voice technology from ElevenLabs, a global leader in AI speech generation founded by Polish entrepreneurs. The partnership reflects growing demand for communication automation, especially in healthcare, wher»»»

Share: pSmoke rises over Tehran after airstrikes and explosions were reported across the Iranian capital on March 13, 2026, during escalating conflict involving U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Photo: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images Nearly a month into the Iran war, there are signs the co»»»

ABU DHABI: Joint statement from the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Denmark, Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Romania, Bahrain, Lithuania, and Australia on th»»»

Seoul: South Korean megastars BTS reunited Saturday for their first show in nearly four years, blowing away enormous crowds in Seoul for a K-pop extravaganza livestreamed to millions more worldwide. Widely lauded as the biggest boy band in the world, BTS went on hiatus in 2022 so the seven members »»»

Sydney, Australia: Maika Hamano scored the only goal as a formidable Japan downed Australia to clinch a third Women's Asian Cup title on Saturday in a front of a record-breaking 74,357 fans in Sydney. The Tottenham star hit a stunning long-range strike in the 17th minute at Stadium Australia to bre»»»

A 19-year-old star wrestler and two other young men were hanged in Iran this week, raising alarm among rights groups that a wave of executions may be underway as authorities facing relentless attacks from the US and Israel seek to squelch public dissent. The three men are the first to be executed f»»»

San Francisco: A jury has found Elon Musk liable for defrauding investors by deliberately driving down Twitter's stock price in the tumultuous months leading up to his 2022 acquisition of the social media company for $44 billion. But it absolved him of some fraud allegations, finding that he did no»»»

For decades, American support for Israel was one of the most durable constants in US foreign policy, to such an extent that successive administrations, whether Democratic or Republican, hardly needed to debate it. That truism no longer holds. A Gallup poll conducted between 2-16 February confirmed »»»

From one studio to another, Chuck Norris turned discipline into legend – a martial arts champion who became the iron-jawed face of "Walker, Texas Ranger" and a larger-than-life cultural myth. He died Thursday at 86. Chuck Norris, the martial arts grandmaster and action star whose roles in “Wal»»»

Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Dr Hanna Shelest, Director of Security Studies and Global Outreach Programmes at Ukrainian Prism and editor-in-chief at UA: Ukraine Analytica. According to Dr Shelest, Ukrainian forces demonstrate that with adaptive strategy, technological innovation and ti»»»

Ousted former Kyrgyz security services boss Kamchybek Tashiyev, a former boxer who until last month was President Sadyr Japarov’s right-hand man, is on the ropes.   A little more than a month after Japarov uncere»»»

Poland’s industrial output expanded 1.5% year on year (y/y) in constant prices in February, a changeover from a decline of 1.5% y/y the preceding month, unadjusted data from the statistics office GUS showed on March 19. Th»»»

Airspace disruptions and rising regional tensions are impacting travel and security across the UAE, with flights delayed and routes altered. Authorities confirmed the situation remains stable after intercepting missiles and drones, while travellers face uncertainty over schedules and rights. Meanwh»»»

President Donald Trump said Friday that he was considering "winding down" military operations against Iran, as the United States temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil shipments to stem a global supply crisis. Iran launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and Israel mean»»»

When her seven-year-old daughter was told to learn a poem about Russia's "glorious army" for a school event, Nina from Moscow thought it was too much. She has struggled to shield her daughter from an ever-increasing number of "patriotic" activities and lessons. That ramping up of war propaganda dir»»»

In a political earthquake that has stunned South Asia, 35-year-old former Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah — popularly known as “Balen” — has led the insurgent Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to an overwhelming parliamentary victory in Nepal. The election followed months of political turmoil and youth-»»»

EU officials are confident of sealing a trade pact with Australia early next week as the bloc continues its dash for bilateral trade deals. President von der Leyen is due in Canberra on Monday for a three day visit that EU officials hope will conclude an agreement during a meeting with president An»»»

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously voted in favor of allowing a street preacher to challenge a law in Brandon, Miss., he said violates his free speech rights. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo March 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of allowing a so-called stre»»»

Israel’s recent strike on Iran’s South Pars gas field and Tehran’s retaliation on key energy infrastructure in several Gulf countries is more than just another escalation of the war roiling the Middle East. What began as a campaign of decapitation strikes and base‑to‑base missile exchanges has esca»»»

Dubai: Flight disruptions linked to Middle East airspace closures have left thousands of UAE travellers stranded or scrambling for alternatives. For many, the key question is simple: what can you actually claim when your flight falls apart? Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balan»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday ruled out reaching a ceasefire agreement with Iran, as more Marines headed to the Middle East in a possible sign of a coming ground operation. Trump insisted Washington had the upper hand in the three-week-old war, despite Iran effectively blockading the Strait»»»

The President Donald Trump administration has filed suit against Harvard University, claiming it didn't protect Jewish Students during protests against Israel starving Palestinians. File Photo CJ Gunther/EPA March 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department sued Harvard University on Friday, accusing t»»»

The White House Friday released a legislative framework for artificial intelligence. File Photo by Fazry Ismail/EPA March 20 (UPI) -- The White House released a new legislative framework for artificial intelligence creating a federal policy to prevent states from making their own laws about it. "Th»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is gradually scaling back his sweeping ambition to end the war with Iran by toppling its regime, bringing his rhetoric closer to that of US President Donald Trump. Netanyahu now speaks of “achieving tremendous gains” through three objectives: curbing Iran’s»»»

Tributes have been pouring in from around the world to US martial artist and Hollywood action star Chuck Norris, who died aged 86. "He may have a warrior exterior, but his heart was so full of love," his daughter Danilee Norris said. Swedish actor and martial artist Dolph Lundgren - who starred alo»»»

BELGRADE - Speaking to reporters after a session of an extended National Security Council that addressed the energy situation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday the current natural gas price of 735 euros per thousand cubic metres was an even bigger problem than the crude oil price, »»»

President Donald Trump arrives for the Commander in Chief Trophy presentation in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday. Earlier in the day, he criticized NATO countries for declining to assist the United States in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | L»»»

Iran intends to take part in this summer’s FIFA World Cup but only if the team’s matches are moved from the US to Mexico, the head of the country’s football federation has said. The announcement comes as the US and Israel continue their military campaign against Iran, now in its fourth week. The 20»»»

US President Donald Trump on Friday branded NATO allies "cowards" for not heeding his demand for military assistance against Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz shipping route. Trump has recently veered between saying that Washington needs no help to secure the vital waterway for oil tankers, and »»»

Five Russian Paralympians have been added to the ‘kill list’ run by Ukraine’s state-backed Mirotvorets website, which publishes the personal details of individuals it labels as ‘enemies’ of the state. The athletes, placed on the list on Thursday, include alpine skier Aleksey Bugaev, and cross-count»»»

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has stopped a major part of global fertilizer exports, which could disrupt harvests and cause a food crisis. Persian Gulf countries account for 38% of global nitrate fertilizer exports and 20% of phosphate fertilizer exports. Since the conflict began, nitrate fer»»»

US Senator Jon Ossoff confronted Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard over contradictions between intelligence assessments and White House claims that Iran posed an “imminent nuclear threat,” casting doubt on the justification for military action against the Islamic Republic. During a te»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, March 20: Donald Trump is turning to "online diplomacy" to defend his actions in Iran and lambast his critics on Truth Social. The Times of London looks at how Monica Witt, a US servicewoman-turned-spy for Iran, could play a crucial role in the war. Also: a Belgian court»»»

TORUN - Serbian high jumper Angelina Topic won the silver medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, on Friday with a 1.99 m leap in the final. Twenty-year-old Topic, who made three unsuccessful attempts at 2.01 m, finished tied with Australian Nicola Olyslagers and Ukraini»»»

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorize the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality. Switzerland has already refused US requests for flights over its territory since the war erupted on Febr»»»

BELGRADE - Speaking to reporters after a session of an extended National Security Council that addressed the energy situation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday the current natural gas price of 735 euros per thousand cubic metres was an even bigger problem than the crude oil price, »»»

MIAMI - Serbian tennis player Miomir Kecmanovic has suffered an early exit from the Miami Masters after a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 defeat to Pole Kamil Majchrzak in the opening round on Friday. Kecmanovic, who was the only Serbian competing at the tournament, won the first set but the level of his performance»»»

Severe turbulence injured at least five people aboard a Delta Air Lines flight on its final approach in to Sydney Airport on Friday. File photo by John Dickerson/UPI | License Photo March 20 (UPI) -- At least five people were injured Friday after a Delta Air Lines flight hit severe turbulence on it»»»

OVERVIEW The launch of the election campaign and the rising fuel prices are the dominant topics in the media on Friday. ELECTIONS In an interview for Bulgarian National Radio, Iva Lazarova, from the Institute for Public Environment Development, part of the Public Council of the Central Election Com»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia should and will do what corresponds to its interests and benefits in terms of the energy issue, Peskov said. "Russia must and will do what best suits its interests and its benefits," Peskov told reporters, commenting on a statement by European Commission President Ursula v»»»

After weeks of calculated silence, Rumen Radev finally unveiled his political vehicle on the eve of Bulgaria's April 2025 election campaign. "Progressive Bulgaria" represents Radev's calculated response to a decade of political chaos, positioning itself as the force that will finally break the olig»»»

Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov has clarified that the country’s participation in the Board of Peace, a controversial initiative led by US President Donald Trump, was not a government consensus but the result of “one oligarch’s decision,” in an interview with Euronews. Gyurov empha»»»