NATO chief Mark Rutte said Wednesday that allies of the military alliance were in discussions on the "best way" to open the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large chunk of the world's oil supply normally passes, AFP reported. "I have been in contact with many allies. We all agree, of course, that »»»

It was late at night when an Iranian cluster bomb flew through the ceiling of an elderly couple's apartment in central Israel and exploded in their tiny living room, killing them both. The path of the bomb was still clearly mapped onto the ash-covered debris left behind. A large hole in the ceiling»»»

Geneva: One person was killed Wednesday morning when a cable car suddenly detached amid strong winds and plunged down a snowy slope at a Swiss Alpine ski resort, police said. The dramatic incident happened at the Engelberg ski resort, high up in the Alps in central Switzerland. Videos from witnesse»»»

Minister Enea Karakaçi said Albania’s fuel supply has not been impacted by tensions in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, despite concerns over global energy disruptions. Karakaçi outlined the government’s long-term strategy to strengthen energy security. He announced that a new law on strat»»»

The Federal Reserve will announce its next move on interest rates, or if it will make a move at all, on Wednesday. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo March 18 (UPI) -- The Federal Reserve will announce its next move on interest rates, or if it will make a move at all, on Wednesday. »»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE announced on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, that the first day of Eid Al Fitr will be observed on March 20, after the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted. Earier this month, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation h»»»

In the mood for some outdoorsy time with the kiddos over the Eid break? That’s perfect – there’s just about that lovely nip in the air that makes the shade perfect for some down time as you kid watch. Dubai Municipality has put out the timings of the parks and other recreational areas within those »»»

Prime Minister, Edi Rama held a meeting with with fuel suppliers on Wednesday, calling for cooperation to reduce the impact of the ongoing global crisis while protecting consumers from rising prices. Rama emphasized that the government will not establish a fuel monitoring board for now, signaling a»»»

By Wade SheridanIranians gather at Enqelab Square in Tehran to commemorate the victims of the warship Dina and to protest the United States and Israel on Tuesday. Israel said Tuesday it had killed a second top Iranian military commander, security chief Ali Larijani, in an airstrike on Tehran hours »»»

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Wednesday that Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib had been killed in the war with the US and Israel, blasting a "cowardly assassination". In a post on X, Pezeshkian did not say who had carried out the attack but earlier Israel's defence minister anno»»»

Tunis, March 18 (TAP) – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tunisia, in partnership with Flat6Labs, has launched the fifth cohort of the Green Growth and Employment Accelerator Project, an initiative aimed at supporting 25...»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Crescent Sighting Committee at the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs has announced that the crescent moon of Shawwal was not sighted this evening and that Friday, March 20, 2025, will be the first day of the blessed Eid Al Fitr in Qatar. This came in an announcemen»»»

Two people who allegedly pulled off successful phone scams on vulnerable people, stealing about €70,000 in five days, have been arrested in northern Greece, police said Wednesday. A police statement said the men were detained Tuesday near the town of Drama on suspicion of having defrauded seven eld»»»

Caretaker Health Minister Michail Okoliyski announced the launch of expanded neonatal screening in Bulgaria, the Health Ministry said on Facebook on Wednesday. Together with Deputy Minister Petar Gribnev, he visited the specialized obstetrics and gynaecology hospital Maichin Dom in Sofia, where one»»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has exchanged congratulations and blessings with His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Sultan of the sisterly Sultanate of Oman, on the occasion of the approaching Eid Al Fitr, in a telephone call received by His High»»»

The Stara Zagora District Court Wednesday imposed a nine-month prison sentence on a 34-year-old woman for the possession of fentanyl. The defendant admitted that on February 11 she had possessed fentanyl and erythritol without a proper permit under the Narcotics and Precursors Control Act. The woma»»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) held a draw on Wednesday to determine the numbers under which the parties and coalitions will appear on the ballot for the early parliamentary elections on April 19. These will be the eighth elections since 2021. The draw was streamed online. Representatives of»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani exchanged congratulations and felicitations with his brother, HM Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Sultan of the Sultanate of Oman, on the occasion of the approaching blessed Eid al-Fitr.»»»

If you are in the UAE and having trouble accessing your X account, do not be alarmed for you are not alone. Downdetector, the website that lets you know when services are down based on real-time reports, has confirmed that there has been a spike in complaints over the microblog this evening (March »»»

President Joseph Aoun will not accept that Hezbollah "seize control of the decision to make peace, dictating its form, conditions, and timing," after it had controlled the decision to wage war, informed official sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper. "Baabda Palace is proceeding with contacts w»»»

A dozen people have been arrested for allegedly illegally connecting their homes to the power network and stealing electricity amid a crackdown all over the country, police said Wednesday. A police statement said eight suspects, aged 19-53, were detained in the Ptolemaida area of northern Greece Tu»»»

Foot-and-mouth disease is closing in on the Bulgarian border, and a national operational crisis taskforce has been established, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) reported on Wednesday. According to the agency, the first outbreak in Greece has been confirmed on the island of Lesbos after 40 ou»»»

Mbabane: The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom ofآ Eswatini HE Pholile Dlamini-Shakantu met with the Acting Charge d'Affaires at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the country, HE Rashid bin Mohammed Isa Al Khulaifi. The meeting discussed bilateral cooperati»»»

Doha, Qatar: The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) remains prohibited in the country until further notice, the Ministry of Interior affirmed in a post on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. In a statement on X, the Ministry reminded the public to comply with directives issued by the competent authori»»»

A 48.9% increase in prices for fresh and dry vegetables was a big factor in the rising index for foods in February, the U.S. Burea of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. File Phot by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | License Photo March 18 (UPI) -- The producer price index for final demand goods had its sharpe»»»

Dubai: It’s official. Saudi Arabia announced today (March 18, 2026) that the first day of Eid al Fitr will fall on March 20, after the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted. The moon-sighting committee convened and verified the sighting of the new moon, marking the end of Ramadan after 30 days of f»»»

Israel's military said Wednesday it had struck gas stations in south Lebanon belonging to a company owned by the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah. "Overnight, the 'Israeli army' struck Al-Amana Fuel Company gas stations in southern Lebanon", the military said. A map shared with the statement sh»»»

A strike near Iraq's western border with Syria killed three fighters from former coalition Hashed al-Shaabi on Wednesday, the alliance said. The fighters from the alliance -- also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), now part of Iraq's regular armed forces -- were hit in an US or Israeli»»»

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...»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani exchanged congratulations and felicitations with his brother, HM Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Sultan of the Sultanate of Oman, on the occasion of the approaching blessed Eid al-Fitr.»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev introduced the new Chairman, Almaz Baketaev, to the National Bank staff. The Cabinet Chairman outlined the bank’s priority areas of work and expressed confidence that under the new chairman’s leadership, the National Bank will fo»»»

Kyrgyzstan will launch a pilot project to develop a meat production cluster in Chui region and Bishkek to increase output and stabilize meat prices. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry Erlist Akunbekov announced. The proj»»»

BRUSSELS - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic met with EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and the European Commission’s Director-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood Gert Jan Koopman in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss Serbia's EU integration. "A very good and open meeting with »»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed on Wednesday the death of Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib. "The cowardly assassination of my dear colleagues Esmaeil Khatib, (Secretary of the Iranian Security Council) Ali Larijani and (Defense Minister) Aziz Nasirzadeh,»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Russia possesses advanced systems, including counterspace weapons, hypersonic missiles and undersea capabilities, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment published on Wednesday. “Russia has advanced systems, including counters»»»

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has wondered whether Hezbollah's ministers "still represent the party in the government after the cabinet declared its military and security wings banned." He emphasized that "the government cannot contradict itself by having illegitimate elements within its stru»»»

Americans increasingly view artificial intelligence as a threat to their livelihoods and believe the government should prioritize protecting workers over maximizing tech industry profits, polling data published by Blue Rose Research has indicated. The survey, conducted earlier this month with 2,716»»»

DOHA: Mwani Qatar announced the activation of an exceptional package of port tariff facilities aimed at supporting the logistics sector and facilitating operational activities across the country, with a focus on strengthening supply chains. In a post on its official X platform, Mwani Qatar said it »»»

Healthcare costs are a very serious burden for about 800,000 people, mainly elderly citizens, said Trend polling agency head Dimitar Ganev on Wednesday. He presented findings from a survey on public attitudes toward the healthcare system in Bulgaria at a forum on health from public attitudes to pol»»»

Doha, Qatar: Weather inshore until 6am on Thursday will be scattered clouds to partly cloudy at times, with a chance of scattered rain, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily report on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Offshore conditions will be partly cloudy to cloudy at times, with a chance of»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for Energy Affairs HE Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi met today with the Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of the United Kingdom. Discussions during the meeting, which was held virtually, dealt with the impact of the ongoing regional »»»

Several officials and companies associated with them have been detained in Kyrgyzstan as part of a criminal investigation into corruption at Kyrgyzneftegaz OJSC. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. The case was previously opened based on materials from the State Tax Se»»»

The Bulgarian Central Election Commission (CEC) has completed the lottery to assign numbers to the political parties and coalitions participating in the country's early parliamentary elections on April 19. In total, 24 formations will appear on the ballots, comprising 14 parties and 10 coalitions. »»»

Pakistan is pausing its military operations against Afghanistan temporarily, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X on Wednesday. Earlier, Afghanistan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Wednesday promised retribution for this week's Pakistani airstrike that killed »»»

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»»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has established the conditions and procedures for setting up polling stations in medical facilities, nursing homes, and other specialized institutions providing social services, in prisons and detention centres, as well as on vessels flying the Bulgarian flag, »»»

Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib (C) attending a session of the Iranian Parliament in August 2024 for the presentation of newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian's cabinet picks. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA March 18 (UPI) -- Israel said Wednesday that it had killed Iranian Intelli»»»

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»»»