International Women’s Day used to come with a certain esthetic. A celebration of past victories and a look ahead to new hopes and challenges. But this year, the vibe is women on social media, claiming Iranian heritage, dancing in celebration of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, even as reports cir»»»

Brussels, March 9 (SANA) – The European Union on Monday signaled its readiness to expand maritime operations in the Middle East to help safeguard international shipping routes amid rising regional tensions. According to AFP, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President»»»

The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority announced on March 9 that the National Early Warning System Sound alerts will be changed. However, the system will remain fully operational to ensure public security. Stay updated: Get the latest faster by downloading the Gulf News app»»»

Berlin–Zagreb, March 9 (SANA) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday voiced concern over rising energy prices amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, warning of potential repercussions for the German economy. Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Merz said Germany is working to strengthen »»»

Doha: The State of Qatar participated today in a joint summit of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Iraq, the Lebanese Republic, the Republic of Turkiye, the Republic of Armen»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held a phone call with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the sisterly United Arab Emirates HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. During the call, His Excellency the Prime Minister a»»»

Damscus, Mar.9 (SANA) Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani discussed with governors and directors of international cooperation in the country’s provinces. During the meeting, participants reviewed the procedural guide governing the work of the International Cooperati»»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar participated in a joint summit of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Republic of Iraq, the Lebanese Republic, theRepublic of Turkiye, the Republic of Armenia»»»

The United Arab Emirates participated in an Extraordinary Meeting of the leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Türkiye, and the European Union (EU), which was held via videoconference on 9 March 2026, to discuss the Iranian aggres»»»

In a speech before the leadership of the Socialist Party, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama called on the Special Prosecution against Corruption (SPAK) to investigate four hydropower plants privatized during the era of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, citing concerns over corruption. Rama critici»»»

The main Israeli goal is to cause as much chaos as possible and draw the US even deeper into the war, security expert Dr Simon Tsipis tells Sputnik. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright accused Israel of bombing Iranian fuel depots, insisting the US targets no energy facilities. Axios reports that the »»»

The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, announced that the party’s next protest will take place on March 12 at 10:00 a.m. in front of Albania’s Parliament. Berisha called on citizens across the country to gather outside the parliamentary building while lawmakers are expected to hold a ses»»»

The Lebanese government proposed direct negotiations with Israel — through the Trump administration — aimed at ending the war and reaching a peace agreement, five sources with knowledge of the matter told U.S. news portal Axios. Both the U.S. and Israeli responses were cool and deeply skeptical, th»»»

1 of 4 | Pope Leo XIV's new Ford Explorer was built at the Chicago Assembly Plant and donated by Ford's CEO. Photo courtesy of Ford March 9 (UPI) -- A Ford plant in Chicago created a custom 2026 Explorer SUV for Pope Francis XIV that was delivered to the pontiff at the Vatican. The car was paid for»»»

Bulgaria's Health Minister, Assoc. Prof. Michail Okoliyski, and Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev discussed policies related to children’s health and access to services, the press offices of Sofia Municipality and the Health Ministry said on Monday. The meeting was also attended by Sofia Deputy Mayor for »»»

The European Union said on Monday it was ready to bolster its maritime operations in the Middle East to protect shipping routes, after holding talks with regional leaders. The EU has been discussing reinforcing its naval mission in the Red Sea after US-Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a broader re»»»

Escalating hostilities have forced nearly 700,000 people to flee their homes in Lebanon, a UN agency said on Monday, as the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah entered a second week. Lebanon has been pulled deep into the war in the Middle East since Hezbollah opened fire»»»

Military confrontations in the Middle East entered their tenth day as Iran continued exchanging strikes with the United States and Israel, while Tehran simultaneously witnessed a major political shift with the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new Supreme Leader following the death o»»»

Egypt will raise the national minimum wage and implement a package of government spending cuts to mitigate the domestic economic impact of regional military escalation, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced on Monday. The decisions were made during a meeting of the Central Crisis Management Com»»»

Egypt’s private sector investments surged by 73% during the previous fiscal year and continued to grow at a rate of 42% in the first quarter of the current year, Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk said on Monday. Speaking at an Alexandria Businessmen’s Association (ABA) event, Kouchouk stated that the»»»

Israel's foreign ministry said Monday that Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was a "tyrant" like his slain father, and would continue what it described as the Iranian "regime's brutality". In a post on X featuring a picture of Mojtaba Khamenei and his father Ali Khamenei, holding guns, the»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday pledged to defend Cyprus and dispatch additional warships to the Eastern Mediterranean to strengthen allies' security in the region unsettled by the Iran war. Macron said he was visiting Cyprus primarily to show solidarity with the country, where a Shahed »»»

Share: At least 1,230 people killed in Iran, Iranian Red Crescent Society says. Mourners carry the coffin of a man who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike, What we know OIL PRICES SOAR: Stocks opened sharply lower and oil prices surged past $100 per barrel as the war intensifies, a spike Trump said»»»

Citizens go to vote in Cali, Colombia, on Sunday as polling stations opened across the country for Senate and House of Representatives elections for the 2026–2030 term. Photo by Ernesto Guzman/EPA March 9 (UPI) -- Colombia's ruling leftist coalition, the Historic Pact, emerged as the largest force »»»

Iran's hardliners staged a show of force on Monday, taking to the streets to proclaim their loyalty to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, whose rise appeared to dash hopes of a swift end to war in the Middle East causing havoc on global markets. The prospect that one of the most severe disruption»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) emphasised the importance of promoting mental health in light of the current situation by following a number of guidelines or seeking psychological support when needed. Through a set of psychological guidelines, the ministry said that feelings of fe»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of working towards the "collapse" of the state, after the pro-Iran group launched an attack on Israel, expressing Beirut's readiness for "direct negotiations" with Israel. Begun after Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel a week ago, Is»»»

President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of working towards the "collapse" of the state, after the pro-Iran group launched an attack on Israel, expressing Beirut's readiness for "direct negotiations" with Israel. Begun after Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel a week ago, Israel's bo»»»

1 of 2 | Iranian players salute during their national anthem before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and Philippines at the Gold Coast Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia, on Sunday. Photo by Dave Hunt/EPA March 9 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump is calling on Australia to grant asy»»»

Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon said on Monday that the new supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, has the same radical ideas as in the past and Israel will target anyone who promotes radical ideas against it. "Changing the man at the top does not change the regime," Danon told reporters at t»»»

Russia would supply oil and gas to European buyers, provided such cooperation was "long-term" and did not put political pressure on Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said Monday. Oil prices have skyrocketed since the United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28, trading above $100 thi»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received on Monday a phone call from the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, HE Friedrich Merz. At the outset of the call, HE the Chancellor inquired about the situation in the State of Qatar and discussed the latest developments »»»

Bulgaria has received assurances from Iran that it faces no danger and is not considered a target, caretaker Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynsky said Monday in an interview on the programme “Face to Face” on bTV. Neynsky said: “At the start of the conflict, the charge d’affaires of the Bulgarian emba»»»

The decision to order remote work and instruction in Lima and another city follows a major failure in the Camisea gas transportation system, the backbone of Peru’s energy supply. File Photo by Paolo Aguilar/EPA March 9 (UPI) -- Peru's government has ordered an immediate return to virtual classes an»»»

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has threatened to assassinate anyone who replaces the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iran’s supreme leader. Khamenei and several other senior Iranian officials were killed in the first wave of US‑Israeli airstrikes launched on February 28. After a week of deliberati»»»

Caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policy Hasan Ademov introduced European Comission Vice-President Roxana Minzatu to Cabinet's efforts of protecting the most vulnerable people, Ademov's Ministry reported here on Monday. Speaking at the EU Council meeting on employment, social policy, health, »»»

Ivan Hristanov said the government would take all possible steps to stabilize key structures in the agricultural sector during a meeting with trade union organizations at the Agriculture and Food Ministry, the ministry said in a press release on Monday. Hristanov said that the ministry’s team was a»»»

Albania’s ruling Socialist Party has decided to reject a request by the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution (SPAK) seeking parliamentary authorization to arrest former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, according to statements made during a meeting of the party’s parliamentary group on Monday. »»»

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama defended former Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku during a meeting of the ruling Socialist Party of Albania parliamentary group, as lawmakers discussed whether to authorize her arrest following a request from the country’s anti-corruption prosecutors. Socialist »»»

Israel announced on Monday that its military had killed the head of Hezbollah's Nasr unit operating in part of southern Lebanon during renewed fighting with the Iran-backed armed group. Defense minister Israel Katz "was briefed on the elimination of the commander of Hezbollah's Nasr Unit", Abu Huss»»»

In the initial phases of the testing series commencing now, the pipeline will not operate at full capacity throughout the entire month, as although Slovnaft’s Bratislava refinery is operating at 100%, the Danube Refinery is currently running with limited production capacity. The test of the daily p»»»

World sugar prices surged on Monday as the US-Israel war with Iran disrupted oil supplies, pushing crude oil prices to $119 a barrel and sparking fears that Brazilian cane mills would ramp up ethanol production at the expense of sugar. Most ethanol in Brazil, the world's largest sugar producer and »»»

Politics can be very rough. Yet, usually, as long as they don’t collapse into war, at least in public a certain minimum pretense of decorum is maintained. Especially by governments vitally dependent on others’ support. Ukraine under the rule of never-reelected Vladimir Zelensky, however, has anythi»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received a phone call from the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh. The call addressed the developments of the military escalation in the region an»»»

A US Tomahawk missile hit a military base near a primary school in southern Iran where Iranian authorities said 168 people, including around 110 children, were killed, expert video analysis shows. A video published yesterday by Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency, which BBC Verify has confirmed a»»»

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani said Monday that security in the strategic Strait of Hormuz cannot be restored as long as the war with the United States and Israel continues, AFP reported. "It is unlikely that any security can be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the fires ignited by the Uni»»»

TradeMiddle EastIran war: How long before Gulf nations stop pumping oil?Nik MartinThe oil price spiked near $120 after strikes on Iran's energy sites and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz. With tankers stuck and Gulf oil facilities hit, producers are running short on storage to maintain producti»»»

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced three by-elections on 13 April - races that could give his party a majority in the government. Two of the by-elections will be held in Toronto, in constituencies that are considered strongholds for Carney's Liberal party, while the third will be a c»»»

Hundreds of teenage Croatians have reported for compulsory military service – for the first time since their country scrapped the requirement in 2008. Training will take place at barracks in three locations around Croatia, with recruits expected to report to the facility nearest to their homes. The»»»

Istanbul's jailed mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, argued with the presiding judge on Monday in a chaotic start to a sweeping corruption trial that could extinguish the ambition of Tayyip Erdogan's main rival to become president at Türkiye's next election. Imamoglu, 55, demanded permission to speak and urged»»»