Iran was "unsuccessful" in targeting the joint UK-US Indian Ocean military base at Diego Garcia, a UK official source confirmed to AFP on Saturday, after the Wall Street Journal reported Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at it. Diego Garcia, which is around 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from Ira»»»

Britain will not be using its bases in Cyprus for any offensive action in the Iran crisis, the Cypriot government spokesperson said on Saturday, citing a phone call between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Cypriot President Nikos ‌Christodoulides. "The British ‌Prime Minister reiterated ... »»»

Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Defence has confirmed that its air defence systems are responding to new missiles and drones launched from Iran amid the ongoing regional conflict. The alert does not specify exact locations, but all residents are urged to remain vigilant and follow official safety instru»»»

Iran has launched missiles at Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean island that is home to a strategic UK-US military base. Britain condemned “Iran’s reckless attacks” after the unsuccessful attempt to hit the base. It’s unclear how close the missiles came to the island, which is about 2,500 miles (4,000 k»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has expressed its solidarity with the brotherly Republic of Korea following the fire that broke out at an automotive parts factory in the city of Daejeon, which resulted in a number of fatalities and injuries. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) conveyed its si»»»

A federal judge has blocked the Department of Defense's policy on how journalists access the Pentagon, finding that it violates the First and Fifth Amendments of the US Constitution. District Judge Paul L Friedman ruled in favour of The New York Times, which had sued the department after it enacted»»»

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»»»

A federal judge ruled against the Pentagon's press policy in a suit filed by the New York Times. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo March 21 (UPI) -- A federal judge struck down the Department of Defense's policy that led to the ouster of most journalists from the Pentagon last fall a»»»

Taipei: Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said Saturday two nuclear power plants "meet the conditions for reactivation", as the energy import-dependent island moves to strengthen its domestic power generation capacity. Taiwan relies almost entirely on imported fossil fuels to meet its energy needs, i»»»

Seoul: Fourteen people were killed in a fire in a car parts factory in South Korea that also injured 59 others, authorities told AFP Saturday, updating a previous toll of 11 fatalities. Fire crews were initially unable to enter the factory in the central city of Daejeon to look for survivors due to»»»

Lebanon has been mired in conflicts and crises for decades, the worst of which was the 15 year civil war that erupted in 1975 and which divided the country int»»»

Syrian President Ahmed al- Sharaa said Friday he is working to keep his country away from conflict, against the backdrop of the Middle East war, stressing that his »»»

Hungary has again vetoed a €90 billion ($105 billion) EU loan package to Ukraine, while Slovakia has accused Kiev of “playing cat and mouse” with the bloc over its reluctance to resume the flow of Russian oil to Budapest and Bratislava via the Druzhba pipeline. During a summit in Brussels on March »»»

Fourteen people were killed in a fire in a car parts factory in South Korea that also injured 59 others, authorities told AFP Saturday, updating a previous toll of 11 fatalities. Fire crews were initially unable to enter the factory in the central city of Daejeon to look for survivors due to the ri»»»

A festive celebration of Nooruz was held on the country’s main Ala-Too Square in Bishkek. The Cabinet of Ministers’ press service reported. On behalf of the President, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev congratulated the people of Kyrgyzstan and visitors to the capital on the s»»»

Poland has ranked among the top 15% happiest countries globally, according to the latest World Happiness Report, surpassing nations such as France, the UK, Canada, and the United States. The country has steadily climbed the ranking, moving from 53rd place in 2011 to 24th in 2025. Rising life satisf»»»

In March 2026, business sentiment in Poland worsened or remained stable across most sectors, according to data from Statistics Poland (GUS). The sharpest decline was seen in accommodation and food services, while manufacturing, transport, and retail also reported negative sentiment. The financial s»»»

Maputo: More than one million people have been affected by extreme weather events in Mozambique since the start of the 2025-2026 rainy and cyclonic season, according to an official disaster monitoring report published on Friday. The cumulative report, covering the period from October 1, 2025 to Mar»»»

Dubai: Emirates is set to resume Airbus A380 services to eight major international destinations between 29 March and 30 April 2026, as the carrier moves to rebalance its global network and respond to rising travel demand following recent regional disruptions. The A380, which can carry about 615 pas»»»

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»»»

Iran launched an unsuccessful attack on Diego Garcia, the joint US-UK military base in the Chagos Islands, the BBC understands. Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Wall Street Journal and CNN reported overnight into Saturday, citing unnamed US officials, but»»»

India’s major airlines have pushed back against the government’s new rule requiring at least 60% of seats on flights to be available for free selection, warning it could lead to a sharp rise in airfares, according to a PTI report. The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), representing IndiGo, Air In»»»

Some 650 delegates from 33 countries and 120 organizations began arriving in Cuba on Friday as part of a solidarity caravan transporting some 20 tons of humanitarian&nbs»»»

Korneliya Ninova, leader of the Defiant Bulgaria National Movement party, during a visit to Kyustendil on Saturday, said, “We stand firmly, consistently, and unwaveringly against the existing model of governance represented by GERB and MRF.” “I have fought this model for ten years and I will not gi»»»

Israel’s defense minister threatened a surge in attacks against Iran on Saturday and Britain condemned Iran for targeting a joint UK-US base in the Indian Ocean as the war in the Middle East entered its fourth week. The Iranian attack on the Diego Garcia air base — located about 2,500 miles (4,000 »»»

With Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah's military command reeling from Israel's brutal 2024 offensive that killed the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah, senior commanders and thousands of its militants, Iran's Revolutionary Guards stepped in to help get its ally back on its feet ahead of its latest cla»»»

The French navy has boarded and seized an oil tanker sailing in the Western ‌Mediterranean from the Russian port of Murmansk accused of belonging to what has been dubbed Moscow's "shadow fleet", vessels of opaque ownership suspected of dodging Western sanctions on the country's crude oil exports. T»»»

A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Pentagon's press access overhaul, which saw accreditations from a host of prominent media outlets withdrawn, violated the constitution. Elements of the policy are "unlawful because they violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution»»»

The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute announced that US President Donald Trump will participate as a guest of honor and speaker at the fourth edition of the “Priority Future Investment Initiative” summit in Miami, scheduled to be held from March 25 to 27. Trump is scheduled to deliver a »»»

Talking Europe travels to Warsaw to meet the mayor of the city and former presidential candidate Rafal Trzaskowski, just as the political temperature rises ahead of high-stakes parliamentary elections scheduled for next year. Trzaskowski argues that a long-standing consensus in Polish politics »»»

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 »»»

Britain has condemned “Iran’s reckless attacks” after its military fired missiles at the UK-US air base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. UK officials have not given details of the attempted strike, which was unsuccessful. It’s unclear how close the missiles came to the base, which»»»

Doha, Qatar: QNB said Saturday that it expects the US Federal Reserve to continue gradually easing its monetary policy and to implement two additional interest rate cuts this year, bringing the rate down to 3.25%. In its weekly note, QNB said that the impact of geopolitical tensions and commodity p»»»

Hezbollah denied that it has a presence inside the United Arab Emirates, after Emirati authorities announced they had arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Hezbollah and its backer, Iran. Earlier this week Hezbollah issued similar denials that it maintained a presence in»»»

BSP will take part in the next parliament as a significant and constructive political force, BSP leader Krum Zarkov told reporters on Saturday. He was in the city for its official holiday, the Kyustendil Spring Festival. “These are not expectations, these are convictions, and everything is in our h»»»

Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility was hit in an airstrike on Saturday, the official Iranian news agency Mizan reported. There was no radiation leakage, it said, as the war in the Middle East entered its fourth week. Natanz, Iran’s main enrichment site, was hit in the first week of the war a»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will next week convene an emergency meeting of senior ministers and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey to discuss plans to help households with ‌the soaring ‌cost of living ‌caused by ⁠the war in ⁠Iran, the Times reported on Saturday. A spokesperson for Starm»»»

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has affirmed that Tehran will not accept any ceasefire formula that merely replicates the scenarios of the past year, insisting that his country will continue to exercise its legitimate right to self-defense “for as long as it takes and as long as necessary.”»»»

Damascus, March 21 (SANA) Economic policies under the deposed regime were used as a primary tool of oppression against opponents, including traders and business owners, through a combination of sieges, supply disruptions and financial pressure. These measures extended beyond standard economic regul»»»

Baghdad, March 21 (SANA) Iraq has declared a state of “force majeure” on oil fields operated by foreign companies, citing disruptions linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict. Military operations in the region have blocked navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, halting most Iraqi crude exp»»»

Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) rebuilt Hezbollah's military command after it was mauled by Israel in 2024, plugging gaps with Iranian officers before restructuring the Lebanese group and laying plans for the war it is now waging in support of Tehran, two people familiar with these IRGC activiti»»»

The International Monetary Fund said that the economic impact of the ongoing conflict on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states will depend on its duration, scope and intensity, with strong financial buffers and export flexibility expected to limit the fallout. IMF spokeswoman Julie Kozack noted tha»»»

Dubai's Road and Transportation Authority (RTA) and Dubai Police General Headquarters have extended the truck movement permit, allowing trucks to operate across Dubai roads around the clock until further notice, to support the logistics sector and ensure smooth supply chain operations. Airport Tunn»»»

Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov reaffirmed the Bulgarian prosecution service's commitment to active cooperation with its European partners at a forum in The Hague, the prosecution said on Saturday. He did so during bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the 20th Consultative Forum of pro»»»

A drone attack blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck the town of Al-Dabba in northern Sudan, targeting a power station and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Dongola, officials said Friday. The strike cut electricity to the town and left at least three people inj»»»

Capitals, March 21 (SANA) Disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East are expected to deepen a global fertilizer crisis, raising the risk of further increases in food prices, particularly in developing economies. Economists and international institutions have warned that disruptions to fe»»»

Tech multi-billionaire Elon Musk could be forced to pay billions of dollars in damages after a federal jury found that the world's richest man had misled Twitter shareholders while purchasing the social media platform by posting false statements to drive down the company's share price. The tycoon's»»»

The first months following Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone suggest a stable start and rising investor confidence, even though it is too early to draw long-term conclusions. In the opening week of 2026, trading on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange surged by 50% year-on-year, while the SOFIX index incr»»»

A sweeping overhaul of Venezuela's top brass is designed to remake the armed forces and draw them closer to Washington, multiple military and political sources told AFP. Delcy Rodriguez has been in power for less than three months, but has already taken major steps to overhaul Venezuela's economy a»»»

Israel and Iran attacked each other on Saturday as the US was sending thousands more Marines to the Middle East and President Donald Trump accused NATO allies of cowardice over their reluctance to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Israel also attacked Beirut, saying it was targeting Hezbollah as it s»»»