Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a message on the occasion of the Persian calendar New Year. In a message on Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei congratulated both the Eid of Nowruz and Eid al-Fitr, which have coincided this year, to the Iranian nation and to the»»»

When discussing water pricing and the structural problems in the water supply sector, there are also social dimensions to consider, caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister Hasan Ademov said during a plenary session of the Economic and Social Council (ESC), the Ministry’s press centre reported. »»»

Warsaw: Poland announced Friday the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on the X platform, "Given the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East region, and after analysing the operationa»»»

Leading Chinese state-backed brain-computer interface (BCI) startup NeuCyber Neurotech said its most cutting-edge product is still three years behind Elon Musk's Neuralink, as Beijing races to expand clinical trials. Last week, China became the first country in the world to approve an invasive BCI »»»

Britain's Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper warned her Iranian counterpart in a phone call "against targeting UK bases, territory or interests directly", a foreign office statement said Friday, AFP reported. The statement was response to one issued by Iran's foreign ministry in which it said Foreign M»»»

US stocks are sinking Friday as hopes wither on Wall Street for a possible cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve this year because of the war with Iran. The S&P 500 fell 0.9% and was on track for a fourth straight losing week, its longest such streak in a year. The Dow Jones Industrial Avera»»»

US President Donald Trump on Friday branded NATO allies "cowards" for not heeding his demand for military assistance against Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz shipping route. Trump has recently veered between saying that Washington needs no help to secure the vital waterway for oil tankers, and »»»

1 of 2 | NASA’s Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft are returning to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida following a wind delay on Friday. NASA plans to launch a crew of four in the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis II Mission to the moon no earlier than 01April. Photo by Joe Mar»»»

Ideally, policy debates should serve to bring together the fullest information, the brightest minds, and the sharpest arguments in order to find solutions. That is, the optimum combination between what is best and what is feasible. In the real world, shaped by ordinary human fallibility and the ext»»»

The EU will provide a controversial loan to Ukraine “one way or another,” despite it remaining blocked by Hungary, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday. Budapest vetoed the EU’s €90 billion ($105 billion) emergency loan for Ukraine after Kiev halted Russian oil flows th»»»

An oil and gas price surge is about to hit Europe, Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has warned, calling the EU’s rejection of Russian energy, “stubborn stupidity.” The escalating conflict in the Middle East, triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran, has driven extreme volatility in global energy mar»»»

The war between Hezbollah and Israel has seen a shift in media handling, particularly regarding announcements of casualties. After initially adopting, at the start of the 2024 war, a policy of near-daily announcements, the group later gradually reduced such statements before halting them altogether»»»

Five Russian Paralympians have been added to the ‘kill list’ run by Ukraine’s state-backed Mirotvorets website, which publishes the personal details of individuals it labels as ‘enemies’ of the state. The athletes, placed on the list on Thursday, include alpine skier Aleksey Bugaev, and cross-count»»»

Share: Ali Mohammad Naini, the spokesperson and deputy head of public relations for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been killed in strikes carried out by the United States and Israel, Iranian state television reported on Friday. The U.S. is accelerating the deployment of thousa»»»

The funds requested by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would last roughly 160 days—or about five months, Sputnik calculates. As of March 20, the expenditures exceeded $25.5 billion, according to the real-time Iran War Cost Tracker.Tracker bases its estimate on a Pentagon briefing: $11.3 billion for t»»»

The war between Hezbollah and Israel has seen a shift in media handling, particularly regarding announcements of casualties. After initially adopting, at the start of the 2024 war, a policy of near-daily announcements, the group later gradually reduced such statements before halting them altogether»»»

A Syrian national has been formally charged and detained following a stabbing incident in Sofia, according to the Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office. The case concerns an attack that took place on March 18, during which the accused allegedly inflicted knife wounds on another man. Based on the evide»»»

Seoul: K-pop megastars BTS released a new album Friday, as buzz built ahead of their open-air comeback concert in Seoul that will go ahead despite leader RM being advised to rest his injured ankle. The Saturday gig, expected to draw around 260,000 people, will be BTS's first after a hiatus of almos»»»

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Friday a sweeping package worth five billion euros ($5.8 billion) aimed at cushioning the economic impact of the Middle East war, including a "drastic reduction" in energy-related taxes. Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting, the Socialist leader»»»

A British man has been detained on suspicion of murder by French police after allegedly shooting his partner with a hunting rifle. George Goodayle, 47, is accused of killing his British partner, 49-year-old Jayne Nicholson, at their home near Brillac in southwest France. Nicholson was discovered wi»»»

A combination of factors triggered the unprecedented blackout that left Spain and Portugal without electricity for several hours last year, a new report has found. On 28 April 2025, shortly after midday, the Iberian peninsula's electricity supply was shut down, causing widespread chaos, cutting int»»»

New York: Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini warned that the agency's continued operation is in doubt. Lazzarini's warning came in a letter published today, as the agency has been facing a severe funding crisis for s»»»

Bulgaria's Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov expressed concern over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, noting to Euronews that the ultimate outcome remains uncertain. He emphasized that Europe should present a united stance and engage at the negotiating table to determine how the situati»»»

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has stopped a major part of global fertilizer exports, which could disrupt harvests and cause a food crisis. Persian Gulf countries account for 38% of global nitrate fertilizer exports and 20% of phosphate fertilizer exports. Since the conflict began, nitrate fer»»»

Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday she had replaced all senior military commanders, expanding sweeping reforms after the US ousted Nicolas Maduro. The move follows the dismissal of a long-serving defence minister and the appointment of a former intelligence chief, as Car»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Education City Mosque has hosted the Eid al-Fitr prayer, bringing together worshippers from across Qatar’s community to mark the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan, reflect, and demonstrate gratitude and unity. The prayer was attended by community members of all ages, with the gather»»»

A damaged Russian LNG tanker that has been drifting unmanned in the Mediterranean for more than two weeks, risking a major ecological disaster, is four to six days from Libya’s shores, an Italian official said on Friday. The Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from the Arctic port of Murmansk, has been un»»»

A school bus driver has appeared before a prosecutor after police arrested him Thursday in an operation that led to the discovery a cannabis grow house in his home in Egaleo, western Athens. Police also discovered that the 48-year-old suspect that used drugs shortly before he was due to begin his m»»»

Bulgaria has received an official positive opinion on its readiness for membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the field of anti-corruption, the Ministry of Justice announced on Friday. The OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transacti»»»

London: Mohamed Salah will miss Liverpool's trip to Brighton on Saturday with a muscle injury, a major blow for manager Arne Slot as he hunts a Champions League place next season. The egypt forward was forced off at Anfield on Wednesday after scoring in Liverpool's 4-0 victory against Galatasary, w»»»

US Senator Jon Ossoff confronted Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard over contradictions between intelligence assessments and White House claims that Iran posed an “imminent nuclear threat,” casting doubt on the justification for military action against the Islamic Republic. During a te»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, March 20: Donald Trump is turning to "online diplomacy" to defend his actions in Iran and lambast his critics on Truth Social. The Times of London looks at how Monica Witt, a US servicewoman-turned-spy for Iran, could play a crucial role in the war. Also: a Belgian court»»»

Meningitis B cases in Kent, England, have risen to 29. Officials are encouraged that there aren't more. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo March 20 (UPI) -- Cases of bacterial meningitis in Kent, England, have risen to 29, up from 27 Thursday. Some health officials believe the outbreak h»»»

1 of 2 | Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, speaks during a press conference after weekly Senate caucus luncheons at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Thune has said the Senate may delay its scheduled recess if it does not pass key legislation in the coming days. Photo by Bonn»»»

The Strait of Hormuz — a narrow but critical artery for global energy supplies — is facing near paralysis as the Middle East conflict intensifies, disrupting shipping, driving up costs and raising fears of prolonged supply shocks. The crisis erupted after the United States and Israel launched strik»»»

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Friday on a visit to Israel that Iran must make major concessions as part of any long-term political solution following the Middle East war. "Whatever the outcome of the ongoing military operations, it must be complemented by a political solution that p»»»

The strong-worded exchange in relation to Bulgaria’s participation in the Gaza Peace Board do not contribute in any way to the country’s international image and authority, President Iliana Iotova said in Pernik on Friday. “I have always been against taking over domestic political disputes to the in»»»

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has hailed the historic striking of an American F-35 stealth fighter by Iranian forces, declaring that the destruction of this symbol of US arrogance marks the collapse of the Western-led world order. In a Friday post on his X account, Qalibaf emph»»»

Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever is engaged in talks with U.S. food company McCormick for an all-stock takeover of Unilever's food business. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo March 20 (UPI) -- Anglo-Dutch multinational consumer goods manufacturer Unilever moved Friday to end»»»

March 19 (UPI) -- A Pakistani athlete broke the same Guinness World Record for a third time by performing 66 thumb pushups with one leg raised in one minute. Muhammad Arshad, who has broken more than 14 Guinness World Records for feats of athleticism, earned the title for the most thumb push-ups wi»»»

London: Seafarers stuck in the Gulf say they are rationing food and water and anxiously hoping supplies will get through Iran’s blockade in the war that has stranded them for three weeks. “We don’t have enough water on board right now. We got food a few days back,” said one Indian seaman stuck in a»»»

TORUN - Serbian high jumper Angelina Topic won the silver medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, on Friday with a 1.99 m leap in the final. Twenty-year-old Topic, who made three unsuccessful attempts at 2.01 m, finished tied with Australian Nicola Olyslagers and Ukraini»»»

Bulgaria is facing a turbulent start to its tourist season as the industry grapples with a severe shortage of staff, raising concerns over service quality. According to Veselin Nalbantov, deputy chairman of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association, the reliance on foreign workers has become u»»»

Switzerland decided Friday it will not authorize the export of war materiel to the United States during the Middle East conflict, in line with its long-standing principle of military neutrality. Switzerland has already refused US requests for flights over its territory since the war erupted on Febr»»»

Bulgaria has received a key approval in its bid to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), after the relevant working group on combating bribery of foreign public officials endorsed the country’s progress. The decision marks another step forward in the accession proc»»»

Iran's foreign minister has warned the UK it views its choice to let the US use British bases as "participation in aggression," in a phone call with Yvette Cooper. In his account of the call with the UK foreign secretary, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said he had also criticised the "negative and biased" a»»»

BusinessIndiaIndia news: Stocks open higher after massive sell-offMahima Kapoor with ANI, AFP, AP, dpa, ReutersIndian investors are on edge as the US-Israel war in Iran disrupts the global energy supply and sends oil prices soaring. Meanwhile, the LPG shortage continues at home. DW has more. https:»»»

Dubai: Dubai Miracle Garden announced on Friday afternoon that it has temporarily closed its gates to new visitors due to a surge in crowd numbers. In a statement shared on its official Instagram page, the attraction said it was not accepting any more visitors “at this time” to ensure the safety an»»»

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has sharply criticized the United Kingdom for granting military bases to the United States, stating that the move amounts to participating in aggression against Iran. During a phone call with his British counterpart, Yvette Cooper, Araqchi said the decision wo»»»

Nasa is rolling out its giant Moon rocket to the launch pad for a second time, ahead of a mission to send astronauts around the Moon – something not attempted in more than 50 years. The 98m tall Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft are making the four mile journey from their assembly buil»»»