The Lebanese state has no option left but to seek a humanitarian truce for Eid al-Fitr, after the failure of efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel is insistsling on Hezbollah's complete "surrender" before halting its operations in Lebanon, while the »»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar expressed its welcome for the announcement of the temporary truce between Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on the occasion of the upcoming blessed Eid al-Fitr, and considers this step a positive initiative that contributes to de-escalation and streng»»»

Tunis, March 18 (TAP) - The Export Promotion Centre (French: CEPEX) is organising a visit by a delegation of Moroccan buyers next March 25 to the Maison de l’Exportateur, in collaboration with the Casablanca Chamber of Commerce, Industry and...»»»

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov and caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for European Funding Maria Nedina will not be heard by the National Assembly regarding the national position at the European Council meeting on March 19–20, as previously scheduled. The item had been listed as the third point»»»

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»»»

DOHA: Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari has said that “the Israeli targeting of facilities linked to Iran’s South Pars field, an extension of Qatar’s North Field, is a dangerous and irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region”. “Targeting energy infrast»»»

Germany and France on Wednesday called for de-escalation of the Middle East war with Germany's top diplomat warning of a "crisis of the gravest order" if global supply chains continue to be disrupted. "We must try to find a point where the military objectives (the United States and Israel) have set»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States is unlikely to end its military operation against Iran in the near future due to the instability surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing officials. The US and Israel are currently working very closely in terms of Iran campaign, »»»

Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari said the Israeli targeting of facilities linked to Iran’s South Pars field, an extension of Qatar’s North Field, constitutes a dangerous and irresponsible step a»»»

The leadership of the EU and NATO is the worst either bloc has had in decades, marked by incompetence, a policy of appeasing the US, and failing to protect European interests, according to a scathing critique by journalist Claudi Perez in Spain’s leading newspaper, El Pais. The opinion piece, publi»»»

Share: PHOTO – Flames engulf a building following an Israeli air strike in Beirut, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Lebanon, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer Israeli warplanes hit central Beirut in the early hours of Wednesday, destro»»»

When the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup kicks off in North America on June 11, 2026, it will be the largest sporting event ever staged. Matches will take place across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, involving millions of spectators and a global television audience expected to exceed five bi»»»

On the evening of 17 March 2026, Israel announced it had killed Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), in an air strike on Tehran, along with Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani. Tehran later confirmed both assassinations. It is a development that has dire impl»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Finland and the European Union as a whole might have to recognize Ukraine's de facto territorial concessions to Russia, Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said. "Finland or any European country will never ever accept a de jure land swap. De facto might be a reality, but de jur»»»

Ali Larijani, the influential head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has been killed in US-Israeli strikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced. Larijani’s office said he was killed alongside his son, Mortaza, and his deputy for security, Alireza Bayat. His deat»»»

War in Lebanon has wounded or killed the equivalent of one classroom of children daily and robbed the remainder of their sense of normalcy since it began two weeks ago, a top official of the UN children's agency said. According to Lebanese health ministry figures, at least 111 children have been ki»»»

Cuba's leader on Tuesday said the US would face "unbreakable resistance" if it tries to take over the impoverished island nation, as communist authorities scrambled to fix a nationwide electricity blackout. Cuba's government is under increasingly crushing pressure, with Washington enforcing an oil »»»

“No oil. No money.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to take a hard line on dropping his veto on the disbursement of the €90bn EU loan agreed in December, as Brussels comes up with a face saving solution to end the impasse. »»»

Chinese scientists claim to have created the long theorized hexagonal diamond, stronger than the real thing, and only found until now at sites of meteorite impacts. The commonly found cubic diamond is the hardest mineral on Earth and is used widely as jewellery, precision cutting tools, and high-pe»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, March 17: Donald Trump has called on US allies to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz as the energy crisis intensifies. But after those allies refused to help, Trump promptly threatened NATO. In the midst of the EU's energy crisis, Belgium's prime minister has sugge»»»

Dubai: The first teaser trailer for Dune: Part Three has finally landed, and if you are a fan of the franchise, it is very much worth a watch. Director Denis Villeneuve's concluding chapter in the trilogy is shaping up to be everything fans have been waiting for, and the opening shots alone are eno»»»

Doha, Qatar: Aaneef Zakhir returned to winning form with an impressive victory in the Dibal Cup, taking out the 1900m Local Purebred Arabian Handicap as racing resumed at Al Rayyan Racecourse on Monday night following a brief interruption. The six-year-old bay, owned and trained by Osama Omer Al-Da»»»

Oil price benchmarks pulled back sharply on profit-taking and short-term supply optimism, yet prices remain structurally elevated — Brent above $100, Murban holding a premium near $111, and WTI still in the low $90s. As of Wednesday (5.28am GMT, March 18, 2026): WTI crude surged to $93.09 (down $3.»»»

A former Belgian diplomat has been ordered to stand trial over the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, who became the first prime minister of Congo after the country’s independence from Belgium. The 93-year-old suspect is the first person to be prosecuted in the case. All other suspects have passed awa»»»

Bulgaria’s former president Rumen Radev and his newly formed coalition are leading opinion polls ahead of the country’s April 19 snap parliamentary election, according to a survey published on March 16. The poll by Sova Ha»»»

ABU DHABI: Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the UAE, received a telephone call from HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During the call, they reviewed th»»»

Dubai: A surface low-pressure system, accompanied by an extension of a weak upper-air low-pressure system, is set to bring unsettled weather conditions across the UAE, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). Today will be partly cloudy to cloudy at times, with a continued probability»»»

Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan HE Muhammad Aamer has commended the wise leadership of the State of Qatar during times of challenge, praising its steadfast guidance and remarkable resilience. In an interview with Qatar Tribune, the ambassador noted that Qatar’s steadfast commitment t»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Appeal Board said that it decided on Wednesday that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) that the Senegal National Team was declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergie»»»

Damascus, March 17 (SANA) – International calls are mounting to contain the escalating military tensions in the Gulf, as confrontations continue between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, amid growing warnings of a wider regional conflict. The United Nations urged immed»»»

The pace of military escalation in the Middle East is accelerating as the confrontation between Iran and Israel enters its third week, with intensified missile and drone exchanges and rising tensions spilling across the Gulf, amid faltering diplomatic efforts. In a major development, Israel claimed»»»

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met with Chinese special envoy Zhai Jun on Tuesday to coordinate on regional stability, warning that current military escalations and “unjustified” Iranian attacks could slide the Middle East into “totalchaos.” During the talks in Cairo, Abdelatty expressed »»»

Israel said on Tuesday it had killed Iran's security chief, the most senior figure targeted since the war's first day, while a senior Iranian official said the new supreme leader had rejected de-escalation offers conveyed by intermediary countries. Iran did not immediately comment on Israel's annou»»»

Dubai: If confirmed, the killing of Ali Larijani would mark one of the most consequential blows to Iran’s ruling system since the start of the war — and arguably even more destabilising than the loss of its supreme leader. Unlike Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose authority was ultimately rooted in his »»»

Drivers buy gas at a Shell station in Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday. California has the highest average gas and diesel prices in the United States as oil prices surge amid the war in Iran. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo March 17 (UPI) -- U.S. gasoline prices have surged by 27% and diesel»»»

On 12 February in the French city of Lyon, a young man was killed in a political street brawl that escalated very badly. While terrible every time it happens, his death was, unfortunately, not unprecedented. Usually, it would result in grief among the victim’s family and friends as well as a crimin»»»

Muscat: Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi met today with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, during his visit to Muscat. Al Busaidi and Mirzoyan discussed bilateral friendship and cooperation between the two countries, as well as avenues for advancing them in a variety of doma»»»

Women chat in Havana on Monday. Cuba's national electrical grid has suffered a total collapse after a three-month halt in foreign oil shipments. Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA March 17 (UPI) -- A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck eastern Cuba early Tuesday, hours after the island's national power g»»»

BusinessGlobal issuesWho holds the biggest strategic oil reserves?Nik MartinIran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed dozens of countries to tap their emergency oil stockpiles. But what exactly are strategic reserves, and who holds the world's biggest crisis-ready supplies? https»»»

Israel says Iran's top security official, Ali Larijani, and the head of the paramilitary Basij force, Gholamreza Soleimani, have been killed in Israeli air strikes. "Larijani and the Basij commander were eliminated last night and have joined Khamenei, the head of the annihilation programme, along w»»»

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he requested intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump to prevent an escalation of the conflict with Ecuador. File Photo by Carlos Ortega/EPA March 17 (UPI) -- Colombian President Gustavo Petro said authorities found an active explosive device near the borde»»»

The Ministry of Justice of Kyrgyzstan, together with the Republican Community of Mediators and with support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), held a founding congress of the Chamber of Mediators, officially establis»»»

The Graf Ignatievo Third Air Base marked on Tuesday the 75th anniversary of its predecessor, the 19th Fighter Aviation Regiment, with a ceremonial formation, a flight programme featuring MiG-29, F-16 and L-39, and a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument to pilots killed in the line of duty. Careta»»»

The Afghan government said on Tuesday that about 400 people were killed in a Pakistani air strike on a drug rehabilitation centre in the capital, Kabul, in the deadliest attack in the recent violence between the two neighbours. Hundreds more were said to have been wounded at the facility, which was»»»

JAKARTA (Sputnik) - Indonesia is discussing oil purchases with Russia, Indonesian Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia told Sputnik on Tuesday. "At the moment, we are discussing this with our partners in Russia, we still need to study the proposal and the situation... We do not rule out working with an»»»

Paris will choose a new mayor on Sunday, with one unlikely issue dominating campaigns alongside all the partisan acrimony - dogs. Candidates from socialists to conservatives have set out policies to deal with an issue which voters have regularly ranked among their top concerns, a lack of space for »»»

A group of European nations as well as Canada have called on Israel to stop a ground incursion into Lebanon, saying the attack could lead to “devastating humanitarian consequences” in a country where hundreds of people have already been killed in the ongoing Middle East escalation. The Israeli mili»»»

Cairo, March 17 (SANA) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday condemned Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, calling them violations of sovereignty. In a statement, presidential spokesperson Mohamed El-Shennawy said El-Sisi spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Moh»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbia men's national football team will play Spain away on March 27 and Saudi Arabia at home on March 31 in friendly matches. In a statement released on Monday, the Football Association of Serbia said the game against Spain would take place at the Estadio de la Ceramica in Villareal»»»

As geopolitical tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has floated a proposal to link the passage of energy shipments to payments in currencies other than the US dollar. The move appears designed to pressure global power centers. While it stops short of a declared currency war, it high»»»