The United States has authorized the sale of Russian crude oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels as of March 12, a general license from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) read. "Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this general license, all transactions prohibited by the abov»»»

The KGB was reputed to favor a characteristic test to take the measure of a man: Place him in a deliberately trying situation and observe how he responds. The premise was deceptively simple: Under acute pressure even a carefully composed façade would collapse, and true nature would stand revealed. »»»

Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan Erlist Akunbekov has taken personal control of measures to ensure veterinary safety. During a working trip to the regions, he visited several farms and met with local livestock breeders, farm managers, and representative»»»

Air India and Air India Express will operate 78 flights to and from the UAE and West Asia on Friday, March 13. The carriers continue their scheduled services to key destinations, including Jeddah and Muscat, while also operating multiple non-scheduled flights across the UAE and Saudi Arabia to acco»»»

AMMAN — The Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) recorded a notable increase in liquidity this week, with the average daily trading value rising by 10.3 per cent to JD9.5 million, indicating a partial return of market activity, while investors remain cautious and selective.The financial sector benefited the »»»

AMMAN — Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq discussed with Bulgarian Ambassador to Jordan Metin Kazak on Thursday ways to strengthen trade and economic relations between the two countries and expand cooperation between their business communities.According to a JCC sta»»»

AMMAN — The Ministry of Investment launches on Thursday two "major" investment opportunities in the Amman Bridge project, and Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction project in the southern and southeastern areas of Amman.The Ministry called on qualified companies and consortiums specialised in the desig»»»

First Sermon (Khutbah One)All praise is due to Allah, the Originator and the Restorer, who spreads His mercy over His servants— “And He is the Protecting Friend, the Praiseworthy.” (Qurʾān 42:28). Glory be to Him, the Breaker of every tyrant and stubborn oppressor— “Indeed, the seizure of your Lord»»»

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said on Thursday that the US Navy may escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz as part of an international coalition. "My belief that as soon as it is militarily possible, the US Navy, perhaps with an international coalition, will be escorting vessels t»»»

US House lawmakers on Wednesday examined Jeffrey Epstein’s financial empire as a committee questioned his former accountant in a closed-door deposition. Richard Kahn, an executor of Epstein’s estate, told lawmakers he had not seen evidence of abuse but described how the financier accumulated hundre»»»

Right wing hardliner Jose Antonio Kast was sworn in as Chile’s president Wednesday, marking the nation’s most stark shift to the right since since the brutal dictatorship of general Augusto Pinochet, whom Kast greatly admires. Kast vowed in his inaugural address to follow through on sweep»»»

Police shot and killed a man on Thursday after he drove a vehicle into a synagogue in West Bloomfield, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, where a large-scale law enforcement operation is now under way. The city's county sheriff confirmed the fatality and reported that a security guard had also been inj»»»

Officers from the State Service on Drug Control of the Main Department of Internal of Bishkek detained a suspect in the sale of narcotics during an investigative operation. On February 5, they received information that an unknown individual named Zh. was selling potent substances. A criminal case h»»»

Several Israeli strikes targeted a building in the heart of Beirut on Thursday, with Israel threatening to "do the job on the ground" if Lebanon did not disarm Hezbollah. Since March 2, the war has killed more than 687 people and displaced more than 800,000, according to the latest official Lebanes»»»

An attack killed a French soldier in Erbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. Macron added that several other soldiers had been wounded in the incident, which the French military earlier said was a drone attack on troops carrying out a training exercise»»»

FRANCE 24’s François Picard is joined by Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Lund University in Sweden. According to Parsi, the current political situation in Iran should be approached with caution, as too much attention is being paid to the potential rise of Mojtaba Khamenei. The Islamic»»»

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, has declared in his first public statement read on state television Thursday, that he would keep the Strait of Hormuz shut to pressure the United States and Israel, as the war in the Middle East showed no signs of winding down. Iran's new supreme leader »»»

A new violent escalation in Lebanon – but in reality, the war that began in 2023 never truly stopped. According to the United Nations, the ceasefire signed in November 2024 between Hezbollah and Israel has been violated more than 14,000 times by Israel. Then, in late February, Iran’s supreme l»»»

FRANCE 24’s François Picard is joined by Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Lund University in Sweden. According to Parsi, the current political situation in Iran should be approached with caution, as too much attention is being paid to the potential rise of Mojtaba Khamenei. The Islamic»»»

Footage from January and February 2026 captures Israeli aircraft spraying herbicides over agricultural land in southern Syria. The FRANCE 24 Observers team spoke to a farmer who described the significant losses resulting from these spraying operations. Videos sent to our team show Israeli planes fl»»»

Jean-Emile Jammine is pleased to welcome Dr H. A. Hellyer, Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) for Defence and International Security Studies in London. The succession process currently unfolding in Iran must be understood within the extraordinary context of wartim»»»

In Beirut, refugees from conflict zones like Sudan and Ethiopia have once again been caught up in war — the very thing they hoped to leave behind in their home countries. FRANCE 24's reporter spoke to families sheltering at a Jesuit church in the Lebanese capital, who »»»

Warfare's always evolving, sometimes slowly: Napoleon’s armies traveled only as those of Julius Caesar. Sometimes, faster than commanders can process: see the futile carnage of World War I. The pace of change on the battlefield today? Fast, very fast. Introducing the first war brought to you by art»»»

The war in Iran is not only being fought on the battlefield, it is also playing out online. Iran’s state media recently took a leaf about of the White House's own social media playbook: mocking Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu with an AI-generated propaganda ideo styled like a LEGO animatio»»»

Iran will reportedly allow Indian-flagged tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for 40% of the South Asian nation's crude imports, an Indian government source told Reuters on Thursday, but an Iranian source outside the country denied any such ​deal was reached. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen sp»»»

Senegal’s parliament on Wednesday passed a law doubling the maximum prison term for same-sex relations to 10 years, intensifying a crackdown on the LGBTQ community. The bill, which also criminalizes promoting or financing such relationships, now awaits President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s signatu»»»

With France preparing to vote in the first round of municipal elections on Sunday, Paris has become a battleground between left- and right-wing forces fighting to shape the capital’s future. And as Parisians increasingly place public safety at the top of their concerns, candidates from across the s»»»

As Iran’s new supreme leader calls for the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed, France’s Minister of Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs, Catherine Vautrin, says Paris has no plans to send naval vessels to the strategic waterway. In an interview with FRANCE 24, she also stressed that France is not parti»»»

China approved a new "ethnic unity" law on Thursday, which formalises policies to promote Mandarin as the "national common language" in education, official business and public places. China's government has been accused for decades of pursuing policies to force assimilation across the vas»»»

A passenger that departed from Dandong in China arrived in North Korea's capital Pyongyang on Thursday evening, state media said, after a six-year hiatus following strict border closures enforced in 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid. China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a »»»

Dubai: Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior has announced a temporary ban on theatre performances, concerts and wedding celebrations during the upcoming Eid Al Fitr holiday, citing precautionary security measures aimed at limiting large gatherings. In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry said the »»»

First Sermon (Khutbah One)All praise is due to Allah, the Originator and the Restorer, who spreads His mercy over His servants— “And He is the Protecting Friend, the Praiseworthy.” (Qurʾān 42:28). Glory be to Him, the Breaker of every tyrant and stubborn oppressor— “Indeed, the seizure of your Lord»»»

Dubai: The Security patrols in Saudi Arabia’s Medina region have arrested a Filipino domestic worker accused of fatally stabbing a child inside his home, authorities said on Friday. In a statement posted on the social media platform X, the Public Security Directorate said the suspect was apprehende»»»

The UAE announced temporary measures to support residents and maintain public safety amid regional tensions. Expats abroad with expired visas can return without a new entry permit until March 31, while Sharjah issued emergency alert guidelines. UAE air defences intercepted missiles and drones, scho»»»

A United Nations watchdog has warned that "racist hate speech" used by President Donald Trump and other US politicians has fuelled human rights violations. A report by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), a UN-backed panel of independent experts, urged the US to respect»»»

The U.S. Department of State is introducing new requirements for registration in the Diversity Visa program (Green Card lottery), which will take effect on April 10. The changes were published on the department’s official website. The key change will be the requirement to submit digital copies of d»»»

As UAE airlines gradually resume operations amid ongoing regional airspace restrictions, passengers are urged to stay informed about flight schedules, booking options, and potential scams. Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, and Air Arabia are all operating limited flights, with updated timetables and safe»»»

Production facilities for reinforced concrete products will be built in Chui and Talas regions, National Electric Network of Kyrgyzstan (NENK) OJSC reported. Energy specialists plan to launch the new sites in August—September 2026 to improve the reliability of electricity supply and modernize infra»»»

ROME: One of the hottest tickets in the Vatican's backyard these days is for a four-lecture series on the Antichrist being given by Silicon Valley tech billionaire Peter Thiel. The invitation-only conference in Rome, from Sunday to Wednesday, has proven so controversial that the Catholic universiti»»»

The US has authorised countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum that is currently loaded on vessels at sea in an attempt to curb the economic impact of the US-Israel war with Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was a temporary measure to "promote stability in global energy»»»

UK Defence Minister John Healey suggested on Thursday that Russia was influencing Iran's use of drone attacks in its war with the United States and Israel. Healey said Russian President Vladimir Putin's "hidden hand" may be behind some of the tactics deployed by Tehran in the Middle East conflict, »»»

Share: People watch a plume of smoke rising following an Israeli missile strike in the neighbourhood of Bashoura in central Beirut on March 12, 2026. © Joseph Eid, AFP Several Israeli strikes targeted a building in the heart of Beirut on Thursday, with Israel threatening to “do the job on the groun»»»

The United States will not impose steep duties on imports of a key battery component from China, after a federal agency ruled Thursday that the competition had not hampered the establishment of a domestic industry. Following the International Trade Commission's 2-1 vote, "Commerce will not issue an»»»

Poland’s largest bank, PKO BP, reported a record PLN 10.7 billion net profit for 2025, the highest in the history of the country’s banking sector and nearly 15% higher year-on-year despite PLN 4.4 billion in provisions related to foreign currency loans. Return on equity reached 19.5%. Fourth-quarte»»»

The Senate has approved an amendment to the Act on the National Labor Inspectorate (PIP), with 57 senators voting in favor, one against and 31 abstaining. The bill now awaits the president’s signature. The reform gives labor inspectors the power to convert sham civil law or B2B contracts into emplo»»»

Share: PHOTO- The strike in Beirut wounded four people © Ibrahim AMRO / AFP When an air strike hit their Beirut neighborhood, people were angry with Israel, but they reserved their deepest rage for Hezbollah, for dragging Lebanon into the Middle East war. Israel and the United States launched huge »»»

Dubai: The UAE is expected to experience partly cloudy to cloudy conditions on Friday, with a probability of rainfall in some coastal and inland areas as a surface low-pressure system combined with an upper-air system continues to influence the country’s weather, according to the National Center of»»»

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday claimed that American negotiators dismissed Iran's proposal aimed at ensuring "no nuclear weapons" because they failed to grasp its technical details. He said that Iran had proposed mechanisms to ensure there would be "no nuclear weapo»»»

Drones, cruise missiles and fighter jets have become a common sight for many sailors stranded on oil tankers and freight ships in the Gulf, after Iran threatened to open fire on any vessels trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz, in response to US-Israeli attacks. In recent days there has been a grow»»»

Sharjah: The Sharjah Government Media Bureau has released a set of safety guidelines outlining how the public should respond when official emergency alerts are issued, stressing the importance of remaining calm and relying only on information from official authorities. The guide highlights precauti»»»