The leaders of five Western countries said in a joint statement Monday that a large-scale Israeli ground operation in Lebanon "must be averted." "A significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict," said the joint statemen»»»

Doha: The State of Qatar has said that Iran must take "a clear decision" to stop attacks on the countries of the region, rejecting suggestions that investigations or joint teams are needed to address the issue. Speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' weekly media briefing, Advisor to the Prime»»»

Canadian officials have charged two people with murder in what they have called a "targeted incident" that led to the death of an Iranian regime critic, generating widespread concern in the Canadian-Iranian community. The remains of Masood Masjoody, 45, a former university math instructor, were fou»»»

1 of 3 | Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (R) and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton walk in the Chicago Pride Parade in 2023. Stratton is running for Senate. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo March 16 (UPI) -- Illinois will have busy primary elections Tuesday as voters select a candidate to replace r»»»

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»»»

In an interview for bTV aired on Monday, caretaker Minister of the Interior Emil Dechev said that the section election commissions that are at risk are known, as the voting results they showed in previous elections were dubious. Dechev reported that the people who buy votes are not seasonal workers»»»

Bassel Rahmy, CEO of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), said the agency has directed 45% of its total financing between July 2014 and December 2025 to projects owned or managed by women, amounting to EGP 18.7bn. According to Rahmy, the financing supported around 934»»»

Top airline CEOs have urged the US Congress to end the government shutdown that has left airport workers without pay, warning travellers could face more delays. American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue are among the airlines that have written to lawmakers to demand funding is restored to the»»»

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»»»

A motorcycle travels down an unlit street during a power outage in Havana in early March. Widespread power outage are continuing throughout the nation as fuel runs out. Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA March 16 (UPI) -- Cuba entered its 10th consecutive day of protests Monday as demonstrations agai»»»

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with breast cancer, President Donald Trump has announced. Trump praised Wiles on Truth Social on Monday, before revealing, "unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, and has decided to take on this challenge, IMME»»»

France’s push to extend its nuclear umbrella to Eastern European states, including Poland and Romania, is raising concern, retired Russian Navy Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin says. French President Emmanuel Macron’s “Napoleonic” swagger reflects “an attempt to seize leadership within the EU and»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Federation of GCC Chambers condemned the recent Iranian attacks on the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), describing them as senseless assaults on the region's remarkable development model, founded on justice, stability, and openness. In an official statement issued a»»»

BusinessGlobal issuesIran war: Why gold prices are not soaring?Dirk KaufmannGold is typically seen as a safe haven, especially in times of war and other crises. Notwithstanding the ongoing war in Iran, the price is steady. What's driving the stability? https://p.dw.com/p/5AULKGold is likely to rema»»»

Share: Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, noted that “Iran was subjected to a deceitful American-Zionist aggression that occurred during negotiations, the objective of which was to dismantle Iran.” He pointed out that “no Islamic state stood by the Iranian people—w»»»

After being forced to flee with his family from Israeli air raids on southern Lebanon, Hussein Fakih searched in vain for an apartment, amid strict measures imposed by hotels and landlords afraid that guests might be targeted by Israel. In two weeks of war, Israel has carried out surprise strikes o»»»

Damascus, March. 16 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa received on Monday the credentials of Nuh Yılmaz, the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to the Syrian Arab Republic. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani attended the ceremony at the People’s Palace. Türkiye re»»»

Progressive Bulgaria, the coalition featuring former President Rumen Radev (2017–2026), announced its top-of-the-list candidates for the snap parliamentary elections on April 19. Rumen Radev tops the lists in the 2nd constituency in Burgas and the 25th constituency in Sofia. Among the top-of-the-li»»»

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri will visit the Baabda Palace this week and the files of negotiations with Israel and the appointment of a Shiite member to the negotiating delegation will be the focus of his meeting with President Joseph Aoun, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Monday. Polit»»»

Most people, although not everybody, want this war to end as quickly as possible. But on what terms? That is where positions diverge. President Donald Trump's war aims have been somewhat opaque, appearing to vacillate between a simple curtailment of Iran's nuclear programme, to capitulation to all »»»

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov and French Ambassador to Bulgaria Marie Dumoulin discussed the development of bilateral relations and current topics on the European and international agenda at a meeting, the Council of Ministers said on Facebook on Monday. During the talks, it was underlined »»»

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 »»»

French municipal elections on March 15 gave political parties an early test of their electoral machines before next year’s presidential race, with a first round of voting for»»»

US President Donald Trump has threatened media organizations with treason charges, accusing them of knowingly colluding with Iran to cast doubt on Washington’s decisive “victory.” In a lengthy Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump alleged that “fake news” outlets had been spreading false information s»»»

British consumers have turned their least confident since the start of last year following the outbreak of war in the Middle East, financial data firm S&P Global said on Monday in an early sign of the potential impact of the conflict on the economy. S&P Global's Consumer Sentiment Index - based on »»»

A French national has been found guilty of spying on the military in Azerbaijan and sentenced to 10 years in a maximum security prison, state media report. Martin Ryan was accused in December 2023 of spying on behalf of Paris and collecting secret information about Baku's military co-operation with»»»

Paris, France: The race for Paris mayor looked uncertain on Monday as a right-wing former minister hoping to wrest control of the French capital from the left claimed she had gained key support for second-round mayoral polls. Rachida Dati, until recently culture minister, hopes to become the capita»»»

Fears of a global energy crisis rose Monday as the war in the Middle East raged on, with more U.S.-Israeli strikes on the Iranian capital and Israel's bombardment of Lebanon. An Iranian drone strike temporarily shut Dubai's airport, a crucial global travel hub, underscoring the threats to the world»»»

Dubai: In sweeping actions announced over the weekend, the UAE's Attorney-General ordered the arrest of 35 people from nine countries for sharing videos and images related to the ongoing Iranian aggression on the UAE on social media. The arrests, announced on Saturday and Sunday, were made for publ»»»

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 »»»

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri on Monday held separate talks in Ain el Tineh with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and French Ambassador Herve Magro. Berri and Magro discussed the latest developments on the ground and the political situation resulting from Israel's continued attacks agains»»»

Rumen Radev, the former president of Bulgaria, will spearhead the electoral lists of “Progressive Bulgaria” in the 2nd MIR (Multi-member constituency) of Burgas and the 25th MIR in Sofia, as confirmed by the party. Alongside him, the coalition has positioned a mix of prominent athletes, former memb»»»

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,»»»

The head of the Federal Communications Commission, which oversees US media outlets, has warned that some broadcasters risk losing their licenses over their news coverage of the Iran war. Brendan Carr – a Trump appointee – wrote in a social media post that broadcasters must operate in the public int»»»

 Paul Thomas Anderson’s 'One Battle After Another' was crowned best picture at the 98th Academy Awards, handing Hollywood’s top honor to a comic, multi-generational American »»»

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 emerging strength of the far left and far right is creating awkward choices for mainstream parties after the first round of French mayoral elections. In many big towns and cities, Socialists and centre-right Republicans are tempted to make electoral pacts on their outside flanks in order to bea»»»

Hollywood, United States: "One Battle After Another" triumphed at the Oscars on Sunday, winning six awards, including the coveted best picture statuette, besting "Sinners" in a thrilling finale to one of the most competitive awards seasons in recent years. Director Paul Thomas Anderson personally w»»»

Beijing: Air China will resume direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang from March 30, according to tour agencies and the state-owned carrier's website, after train services between the two capitals resumed last week. China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomat»»»

HEADLINES Monday’s print media highlight rising living costs, political developments and economic trends. 24 Chasa leads with a report that food prices are expected to increase ahead of Easter, warning of a more expensive traditional holiday salad followed by broader price pressures in food and tra»»»

Dubai: Just a week ago, US President Donald Trump suggested Britain did not need to send ships to the Middle East, saying the United States had already “won” the war with Iran. Now the tone appears to have shifted. Trump is urging allies — including Nato partners, Britain and even China — to help r»»»

New Delhi walks a policy tightrope, with public anger mounting over shortages of cooking gas as the US demands support for its war on Iran. Also in this edition: China's economy turns in stronger than expected figures, and oil prices continue to rise as Washington threatens to strike Iran's oil exp»»»

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will mobilize all its resources, supporters, and members of section election commissions to safeguard every vote that is cast honestly and in accordance with the voter’s will, BSP leader Krum Zarkov said after registering the BSP–United Left candidate list for So»»»

The government’s decision regarding compensation over expensive fuels is inadequate, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov told a a press conference in Varna on Monday. According to him, a solution should not involve taking money from the budget, because that would mean that all Bulgarians would h»»»

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»»»

The EUR 20 fuel aid for the poorest people should be transferred to the accounts of those entitled to it by the end of the month, caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister Hasan Ademov said on bTV's morning show on Monday. Ademov explained that all individuals with an average monthly income of up»»»

At least 10 critically ill patients died after a fire broke out in the trauma care intensive care unit of a government-run hospital in eastern India early Monday, officials said. The blaze erupted on the first floor of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, in Odisha state, where patients»»»