The coral island of “Kharg” stands with its small area of no more than 24 square kilometers as a living testament to the struggle of wills in the heart of the Gulf; it is not just an oil export terminal, but represents a geopolitical knot that encapsulates a long history of international rivalry an»»»

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his country and Venezuela plan to submit formal applications to join Mercosur after a meeting in Caracas between delegations from the two governments. File Photo by Ricardo Maldonado Rozo/EPA March 16 (UPI) -- Colombia and Venezuela said they will seek full me»»»

Agencies Japan began to release oil from its reserves Monday to alleviate supply concerns that have grown amid the US-Israel war with Iran and stabilize the distribution of petroleum products, taking the step ahead of a planned International Energy Agency-led move. In its first oil release since 20»»»

Tribune News network DOHA Indian Ambassador HE Vipul has issued a statement, thanking His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Government of Qatar for the exceptional handling of the situation arising from the current conflict. The statement reads as follo»»»

When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had to come up with a speech for EU ambassadors, she tried on a punk rock routine similar to the one that scored former central banker and current Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney a standing ovation at Davos. But one key difference made it »»»

Tunis, March 16 (TAP) - Tunisia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Nabil Ammar, considered that “the rise of Islamophobia constitutes an increasing and direct threat to international peace and stability worldwide. It is also a...»»»

Hungary is set to sign a deal with neighboring Slovakia on building a new bilateral oil pipeline, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has announced. Budapest and Bratislava have been caught in an escalating feud with Ukraine and the EU over Russian oil deliveries being blocked by Kiev. The row centers»»»

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today received His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The meeting was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh »»»

Geneva: The Swiss government on Monday rejected a hard-right proposal to limit immigration to stop the population from hitting 10 million before 2050, arguing it would harm relations with the European Union. Swiss voters will have their say on June 14 on a proposal entitled "No to a Switzerland of »»»

Poland’s government plans to contract the construction and renovation of 18,000 apartments in 2026, Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański announced. Combined with funding from 2024 and 2025, the government expects to support 35,000 housing units over three years. The 2026 budget allocates P»»»

LUCANI - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday Serbia had serious multi-layered airspace defence, and announced that, with the aim of strengthening the Serbian Armed Forces further, he would have important meetings about new arms acquisitions as early as on Tuesday. "It is very difficul»»»

European countries on Monday sought more details about US President Donald Trump's plans for the war on Iran and warned that NATO must not become involved it, as they weighed whether to agree to his call to send warships to help shore up security in the Gulf. The cool response to Trump’s demand ref»»»

Angelina Eichhorst, Ambassador of the European Union to Egypt, said the European Union is working closely with Egypt to help preserve regional stability and support efforts to de-escalate tensions. Her remarks came in press statements on the sidelines of the World Water Day 2026 event. Eichhorst th»»»

The war in the Middle East raged on multiple fronts on Monday, as the US and Israel pummeled military targets in Iran’s capital, Israel stepped up its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran retaliated with a drone strike that temporarily forced the closure of Dubai’s airport, a »»»

London: Chelsea were fined £10.75 million ($14.27 million) and received a suspended one-year transfer ban on Monday in relation to historical breaches of Premier League rules. The Blues avoided a points deduction after self-reporting the undisclosed payments of more than £47 million under former ow»»»

Manchester, United Kingdom: Pep Guardiola has insisted "many things can happen" as his Manchester City side try to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Real Madrid in the Champions League. City face a huge task to rescue their last-16 tie at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday after following a heavy defeat by»»»

King Felipe VI on Monday acknowledged "much abuse" during Spain's conquest of the Americas, the latest attempt by a top Spanish official to address Mexico's longstanding historical grievances. Laws imposed by the Spanish crown in the 16th century to govern its colonies had a "desire to protect" Ind»»»

Throughout his two terms in office, Donald Trump hasn't been shy to criticise – even to attack – Washington's Nato allies. But his latest suggestion – that failing to secure the Strait of Hormuz would be "very bad for the future of Nato" – implies an understanding of the alliance's purpose that has»»»

GENEVA: The State of Qatar reiterated its strongest condemnation of the Iranian attacks targeting Qatari territory and several other brotherly countries with missiles and drones, in a flagrant violation of national sovereignty, a direct threat to the safety and security of civilians, a clear breach»»»

Members of the Chilean Army guard the border crossing at the northern border between Chile and Bolivia, in the commune of Colchane, Tarapaca region, Chile, last March. File Photo by Javier Martin/EPA March 16 (UPI) -- Chile formally began building trenches and walls Monday at the Chacalluta border »»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Mobility (AD Mobility) has announced a partial road closure on Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed International Road (E11) near Al Mirfa in the Al Dhafra region as part of ongoing traffic and infrastructure management works. According to the authority, three left lanes heading towards Al»»»

There is “a real threat” that Poland could leave the EU, Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said, after the country’s president vetoed a bill that would have allowed Warsaw to tap billions in defense loans from the bloc. President Karol Nawrocki last week vetoed legislation that would have let Warsaw d»»»

Kraków is close to approving a master plan for about 1,050 hectares in the Płaszów and Rybitwy areas, one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in Poland. The city plans to transform the largely industrial zone into a green district for about 55,000 residents, with parks, public services, new»»»

Geneva: The State of Qatar reiterated its strongest condemnation of the Iranian attacks targeting Qatari territory and several other brotherly countries with missiles and drones, in a flagrant violation of national sovereignty, a direct threat to the safety and security of civilians, a clear breach»»»

Authorities in Bulgaria have carried out a series of large-scale operations against the illegal use of snowmobiles and motorcycles in the country’s three national parks - Rila, Pirin and Central Balkan Range, in the past week. Several offenders were caught, the Environment and Water Ministry said M»»»

China warned Monday that US President Donald Trump's latest tariff moves could harm the countries' trade relationship, at the end of high-level talks in Paris. Li Chenggang, China’s international trade representative, said the Chinese side had expressed serious concern about trade investigations in»»»

London: British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer said on Monday that the United Kingdom is working with its allies to develop a practical plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that any such operation must command broad international consensus and will not take place under the framework of NATO»»»

Yettel is the first local telecom to introduce a fully online purchase of a prepaid eSIM for mobile internet in Bulgaria The service launches with two plans – Yettel 25 GB and Yettel 100 GB, both including days with unlimited data No ID document or registration is required Mobile internet has long »»»

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky will never restore oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline, which serves as the key artery for delivering Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said. He has rebuked the EU for its reluctance to exert sufficient pressure on Kiev to unlo»»»

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that its troops launched a ground offensive against Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon on Monday. The operations are said to be aimed at increasing security for residents of northern Israel. In a statement on X, the IDF explained that the “limited »»»

European countries on Monday demanded to know more about U.S. President Donald Trump's plans for the war on Iran and when the conflict might end as they weighed whether to agree to his call to send warships to help shore up security in the Persian Gulf. Trump has asked allies — including France, Ch»»»

The US-Israeli war on Iran has shut fertilizer plants throughout the Gulf and choked off shipping routes. The longer it drags on, the greater the risk of a global food crisis. For farmers in the northern hemisphere, the war has come at the worst possible time. The spring planting season has begun, »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic met with KFOR Commander Maj Gen Ozkan Ulutas in Belgrade on Saturday to discuss the security situation in the autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohija and activities being undertaken by the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR to mo»»»

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK is working with allies on a "viable, collective plan" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It comes after President Trump urged Britain and other countries to send warships to the Gulf to help protect the shipping channel, which is vital for global oil sup»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic said on Sunday evening Serbia was definitely committed to peace and that new missiles in the Serbian Armed Forces arsenal, which he noted had caused hysteria in the region, had not been purchased because of Zagreb, Sarajevo»»»

The Project Masam for clearing landmines in Yemen, implemented by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), removed 908 mines from various areas of Yemen during the second week of March 2026, including three anti-personnel mines, nine anti-tank mines, 890 unexploded ordnance, a»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump warned he may postpone an upcoming trip to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping if China doesn't agree to help defend the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo March 16 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to postpone an upcoming »»»

Russia launched a rare daytime attack on Kyiv Monday, with AFP journalists reporting air defence batteries shooting down a barrage of projectiles. Authorities said that the attack has so far caused no casualties. Explosions rang out over the Ukrainian capital on Monday and AFP journalists witnessed»»»

Russia sees no signs of improvement in the US-Israeli military conflict with Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday."We shared our assessments of the situation in the Middle East, including in relation to the US and Israeli armed aggression against Iran, and the deep crisis in »»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that ongoing work to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would not be a NATO mission but would involve a broad alliance ‌including Gulf ‌partners as well ‌as ⁠European countries and the ⁠United States. "We are working with others to come up with a credible»»»

A recent survey by the Sova Harris Agency, conducted between March 7 and 12, 2026 and commissioned by Bulgarian media Trud, indicates a potential surge in voter turnout for Bulgaria’s upcoming parliamentary elections, reversing the downward trend seen in previous years. If the vote were held today,»»»

President Donald Trump urged NATO partners and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz as it remains closed due to the ongoing war in the Middle East triggered by the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. FRANCE 24's Olive»»»

The Kremlin on Monday dismissed a report by the Financial Times which suggested that the Ukraine peace process was fizzling out because US President Donald Trump's attention was now on Iran and he was losing interest in Ukraine as a result. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had noted such»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: The Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (QCC) and the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom welcomed the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026), which condemned in the strongest term»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump's calls for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a deal confirm that it is the Ukrainian side that is mainly stalling the conflict settlement process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday. On Sunday, Financial Times reported, citing officials, that the peace»»»

France's government is bolstering the country's military presence in the Middle East, dispatching its aircraft carrier and other warships, while President Emmanuel Macron engages with key players in the conflict, including Iran, in a bid to position Paris for future diplomatic talks. Macron said th»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Brussels of dragging the EU into a direct war with Russia through potential troop deployments to Ukraine. Speaking at the ‘Peace March’ in Budapest on Sunday, which drew tens of thousands of supporters, Orban said Brussels had taken “the war upon it»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Shura Council, during its regular weekly session, held at its headquarters in the Tamim Bin Hamad Hall today, under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, commended the steadfastness and cohesion of Qatari society in facing the "blatant Iranian»»»

DOHA: The Shura Council, during its regular weekly session, held at its headquarters in the Tamim Bin Hamad Hall, under the chairmanship of Speaker HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, commended the steadfastness and cohesion of Qatari society in facing the "blatant Iranian aggression" to which the St»»»