PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, March 4: The war in the Middle East has transformed the lives of influencers and expats living in Dubai. But first: papers discuss why US President Donald Trump chose to strike Iran. Also: junior doctors in England use ADHD as an excuse to skip working overnight. Fina»»»

The Israeli military ordered the ​evacuation of ‌a swathe of southern Lebanon on March 4th, asking residents to move north. This evacuation is the broadest evacuation order yet in this new conflict. Meanwhile, Syria has closed its border with Lebanon after a warning it would be targeted by Israe. F»»»

On the fourth day of US-Israeli bombardment of Iran, US officials gave more reasons for their offensive in the country, though their plan for after the war remains unclear. Stated US motivations have also shifted over time, from intervening on the behalf anti-regime protesters in January to "preemp»»»

Iran announced that a state funeral for supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was postponed after it was meant to be held on March 4th. This comes as the late supreme leader's successor is set to be appointed, with his son expected to take on the role. But "everything about this nomination is specu»»»

A US submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, killing at least 87 sailors and leaving dozens missing, officials said. The authorities said they had managed to rescue 32 people on board the IRIS Dena. At least 87 people are dead and dozens more still missing after a»»»

President Trump has launched into a war while he’s facing some of the lowest approval ratings of his political career. A recent poll showed that just one in four Americans approved of his attack on Iran. But it’s not just the general American public: The war is also beginning to show some cracks in»»»

The French foreign minister said several repatriation flights for French ⁠nationals, around 400,000 of whom are in the region, were planned for March 4th. It has deployed consular teams at Israel's borders with Egypt and Jordan to facilitate land exits so people can fly onward, and has put in place»»»

A container ship was struck off the coast of Oman on March 3rd while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claim to have full control of the key waterway for global oil transit, but traffic has currently come to a halt following drone attacks on ships.»»»

One of the officials leading efforts to provide humanitarian aid for people who have been forced to flee their homes in Lebanon has told FRANCE 24 that the needs are immense. Many of those displaced are from the capital Beirut, amid the Israeli bombings there. Others are from the south of the count»»»

Spain's Prime Minister doubled down on his criticism of Washington on March 3rd, a day after Donald Trump threatened to cut off all trade with the country. That itself came in response to Spain's refusal to allow the use of military bases shared with the US in its territory for Washington's continu»»»

As the funeral procession of the late Ali Khamenei has been postponed amid continued US-Israeli strikes, the council of clerics charged with choosing his successor are yet to make an announcement, despite whispers that a decision may already have been taken. This after Israel said early on March 3r»»»

As joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran began last week, the United States deployed LUCAS – a cheaper kamikaze drone modelled on Iran’s Shahed – for the very first time. The US military has learned lessons from the war in Ukraine, where similar single-use drones have been used to overwhelm enemy air de»»»

The rapidly expanding war in Iran is creating ripple effects beyond the Middle East, rattling global energy markets and reshaping the economics of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Iran's retaliatory strikes across the Gulf have driven oil prices up, potentially boosting Moscow’s revenues just as sanctions »»»

Spain hardened its stance towards Washington on Wednesday over the use of Spanish bases in operations against Iran, defying US President Donald Trump’s threats of trade reprisals and deepening the friction between the NATO allies. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez repeated his call of “no to the war,” i»»»

A US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday, touting the strike as evidence of America's global reach in its war on Iran. "An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was su»»»

"The US is under immense pressure to continue producing as many interceptors as it can, but the fear for the Gulf countries is that the first client of the US would be Israel, rather than the GCC". Hoda Abdel-Hamid reports for FRANCE 24 from Doha in Qatar.»»»

What does succession look like in Iran? The wait continues after last Saturday’s assassination of the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader of nearly 41 years. Well ask about calculations and delays in the nomination as Israeli and US bombs continue to rain down and Tehran continues to put up a fi»»»

In tonight's edition: The Global South widely condemns the war in Iran, with many countries accusing the US and Israel of violating international law and acting unilaterally. Also, the United States imposes sanctions on the Rwandan army and several top military officials over their role in the figh»»»

The US Senate on Wednesday rejected a resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's authority to continue military strikes on Iran, in a narrow congressional show of support for a conflict launched without explicit approval from lawmakers. The bipartisan measure, introduced by Democrat Tim K»»»

French investigators have uncovered an alleged sex‑trafficking network operating behind the luxury associated with Mohamed Al‑Fayed’s Ritz hotel and Riviera yachts, with several victims reporting severe abuse and a tightly organised system of exploitation, according to officials familiar with the c»»»

⁠French President ​Emmanuel Macron has ​ordered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, its air assets, ​and ‌its frigate ⁠escort to set ‌sail for the Mediterranean following the ⁠situation in the Middle East, he ​said on ‌Tuesday in an address to the nation.»»»

French citizen Louis Arnaud was detained in Iran in 2022 and spent nearly two years in the country’s notorious Evin prison. He tells FRANCE 24 why Israeli-US strikes on Iran have brought new dangers for Iran's prisoners, tens of thousands of whom have been locked up for opposing the regime.&nb»»»

Japan is one of the few countries that still use the death penalty. The most recent execution took place in June 2025, when a man was hanged for killing nine people back in 2017. Japan and the United States are the only G7 countries to use capital punishment – a measure supported by the vast majori»»»

China on Wednesday kicked off its annual "Two Sessions" political meetings during which the country's leadership will announce its annual growth target, defence budget and new five-year plan. The National People's Congress will ratify new laws decided by China's Communist Party leadership. China be»»»

Iran postponed the state funeral rites for late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that were originally set to begin Wednesday evening, state TV said. The 86‑year‑old former leader was killed on Saturday in US-Israeli air strikes. A senior Iranian official said Wednesday that Tehran would hold a»»»

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez doubled down Wednesday, criticising US and Israeli military actions in Iran and refusing to bow to trade pressure from Washington. In a defiant televised address, Sanchez warned that the escalating conflict in the Middle East was akin to “playing Russian roulett»»»

Britain will stop issuing education visas to nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, and work visas for Afghans, the government said on Tuesday, as it moves to curb asylum claims via legal routes. The Home Office said asylum applications from students of those countries rose more t»»»

Iran has taken the risky gambit of closing the Strait of Hormuz, which could backfire and hurt its own economy. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer speaks with Iranian-Austrian economist Mahdi Ghodsi from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies about Iran's unsustainable economic path and whethe»»»

South Korea's main stock index, the KOSPI, lost 12 percent on Wednesday, sending retail investors into a panic as fears of energy shortages due to the war in Iran battered shares in chipmakers and industrial giants. Meanwhile, Donald Trump says the US will insure oil tankers transiting the Persian »»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar affirmed that peacebuilding and its preservation represent a top priority for the country and an integral part of its foreign policy, which aims to prevent conflicts and resolve them through peaceful means, by hosting negotiations and facilitating constructive dialog»»»

Billionaire Elon Musk told a jury in California on Wednesday that stock market investors read too much into his social media posts. Musk was defending himself against claims from investors, who have accused him of trying to manipulate markets with a series of misleading messages in the run-up to hi»»»

France's President Emmanuel Macron said he urged Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to "refrain from a ground offensive" in Lebanon in their first phone call since last summer. "I called on the Israeli prime minister to preserve Lebanon's territorial integrity and to refrain fr»»»

Hezbollah will confront "Israeli-American aggression" and will not surrender despite the "imbalance in capabilities", the head of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Sheikh Naim Qassem said Wednesday night in a televised speech. "We are facing aggression... our choice is to confront it until the ultimat»»»

Brazil's Senate on Wednesday ratified a deal between the Mercosur bloc and the European Union that creates one of the world's largest free trade areas. The deal involves the four founding members of the South American trade bloc, and has already been ratified by Argentina and Uruguay. Paraguay's pa»»»

In an era when nuclear deterrence is no longer an abstract theory and the relationship between the US and Russia increasingly resembles a game without rules, it is important to hear the opinion of people who know the political systems of both countries inside out. Dimitri Simes is one of the few po»»»

Say what you will about Germany’s current ‘elites’, but they are consistent: Once they don’t give a damn about international law, elementary fairness, rudimentary human decency, and, last but not least, basic logic, they really won’t quit before their country’s reputation is ruined as it has not be»»»

Historians are calling for a time-out on a law seeking to declare a small Canadian town in Nova Scotia as the "birthplace" of modern ice hockey, with critics saying the puck was first dropped elsewhere decades prior. Melissa Sheehy-Richard, a lawmaker in Nova Scotia's legislature, put forward the b»»»

1 of 2 | The House Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to subpoena U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify on the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo March 4 (UPI) -- The House Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to subpoena U.S. A»»»

The Supreme Court was asked to rule on a case that could redefine liability standards for freight brokers and impact the broader transportation industry and interstate commerce landscape. Photo by Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States/UPI | License Photo WASHINGTON, M»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah fighters engaged an Israeli occupation force attempting to advance toward Al-Dhahirah, inflicting confirmed casualties, with clas»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) reports 3 martyred and 6 wounded in two Israeli strikes on Beirut’s Airport Road 04-03-20»»»

QNA & Agencies Dubai DP World confirmed on Wednesday that all terminals at Jebel Ali Port are operating as normal, following a temporary disruption earlier this week. In a statement, the global ports and logistics operator said it is closely monitoring ongoing developments and maintaining continuou»»»

QNA Doha The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received a phone call from President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Wednesday. During the call, the president discussed the situation in Qatar and affirmed his country’s full solidarity and support for all efforts aimed at enhancin»»»

QNA Doha Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani rejected Iranian claims that recent missile attacks were not aimed at Qatar, saying the evidence on the ground showed otherwise. The PM affirmed that the State of Qatar has consistently pu»»»

QNA Doha The National Committee for International Humanitarian Law (NCIHL) expressed its deep concern and strong condemnation of the missile and drone attacks targeting the territory of the State of Qatar, launched from the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Committee stressed that the attacks occurred »»»

QNA Doha To prevent cybercrime, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has urged the public not to respond to suspicious calls or messages that exploit the current circumstances by falsely claiming affiliation with official institutions or entities in the State. In a post on its official X account, the min»»»

Ashraf Siddiqui The Holy Month of Ramadan is observed by more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide as a sacred period of renewal, reflection, and compassion. For many, it represents far more than abstaining from food and drink; it is a time to reconnect with faith, strengthen character, and renew a s»»»

QNA New York Qatar has dispatched a third identical communication to Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Antonio Guterres and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the UN and President of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the month of March Michael Waltz, on Iranian »»»

QNA Doha The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) on Wednesday urged the public to refrain from parking vehicles in front of or near electricity transmission and distribution stations, citing their sensitivity and strategic importance as vital state facilities. In a statement,»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has confirmed that its health centres continue to operate as normal, providing a full range of primary healthcare services. All scheduled appointments and specialist clinics are running as usual. Patients may book, cancel or reschedul»»»