Oil and Gas Prices Rapidly Rise as Iran War Shows No Signs of Letting Up
The price of oil surged higher and showed no signs of halting its rapid climb a week after the US and Israel launched major attacks on Iran that escalated into a war in the Middle East. The conflict, in which nearly every country in the Middle East has sustained damage from missiles or drone strike»»»
LIVE UPDATES: Middle East Tensions Mount After Strikes on Iran – Day 8
The United States and Israel carried out a coordinated series of strikes on February 28 targeting multiple sites in Iran, including locations in Tehran. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israeli territory and US military bases across the Middle East. The operation against Iran »»»
Bulgarian Public Sector Workers Plan March Demonstrations Over Delayed Pay Raises
The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) has announced plans for a series of mass protests over budget-sector salaries, more than two months after the adoption of the extension budget, which included a 5% indexation. The union is calling for a 5% increase in basic monthly s»»»
Russia Rains Missiles and Drones on Ukraine, Killing Six
Russia pummeled Ukraine with drone and missile attacks overnight, killing six people and triggering air alerts across the country, officials said Saturday. The bodies of five people were found in the rubble of an apartment block in the eastern Kharkiv region, hit by a ballistic missile, while one p»»»
Experience Transylvania: where Europe slows down
In a Europe shaped by overtourism and algorithm-driven itineraries, Transylvania is emerging as an outlier: a living rural landscape where heritage, biodiversity, and community-based tourism intersect with measurable economic impact. Mihai Eminescu Trust (MET), a heritage conservation foundation th»»»
Iranian Ambassador: Bulgaria Is Not a Legitimate Target for Iran!
Iran does not view Bulgaria as a potential target and has no hostile intentions toward the country, according to the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Sofia, H.E. Ali Reza Irvash. In a special interview for Bulgarian National Radio’s program “RadioTochka,” the diplomat stressed that Teh»»»
Greece: Joint Actions with Bulgaria Aim to Strengthen Regional Security
Greece has announced that it will assist Bulgaria with air defense capabilities in response to the escalating tensions related to Iran. The decision was confirmed by Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, who said the move follows a formal request from Sofia. According to Dendias, the Greek governme»»»
Syrians on Alert to Prevent Accommodation of Displaced Hezbollah Supporters from Lebanon
Syrians in Damascus, its countryside, and western Homs countryside are on alert to prevent displaced Lebanese supporters of Hezbollah from entering Syrian territory or being hosted by locals. The stance marks a sharp departure from previous Israeli wars on Lebanon, when Syrian cities received tens »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
IntelliNews Lambda: Europe’s gas storage drawdown slows as heating season ends, but EU will struggle to refill tanks this summer
Europe’s gas market is emerging from a difficult winter in its weakest position for years after a sharp acceleration in withdrawals from January, triggered by the “big freeze”, left storage levels well below their long-term norm (chart), »»»
Houthi Leader Signals Readiness to Enter the War in Support of Iran
In a notable shift in rhetoric, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi on Thursday signaled the group could join the war between Iran on one side and the US and Israel on the other, saying his fighters had their “hands on the trigger” and would move “at any moment if developments require it.” »»»
UAE air defences respond to missile and drone threats
The UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed that air defence systems are actively intercepting incoming missiles and drones originating from Iran, amid ongoing regional hostilities. Officials clarified that loud sounds reported by residents are due to interception operations, not direct impacts on popula»»»
Trump demands 'unconditional surrender' from Iran as Putin speaks with Iran's president
US President Donald Trump has demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender" as the American and Israeli military continued to launch strikes. Trump said the US and allies would make Iran "economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before" after it picked "acceptable" new leadership. With the w»»»
Death of Iraqi ‘Oil King’ Exposes ‘Jurf al-Sakhar Empire’
A mysterious assassination of a faction leader in Iraq has exposed details of a lucrative oil trade run by what officials and local sources describe as the “Jurf al-Sakhar empire” south of Baghdad, according to information gathered from officials and local residents. Sources said a “major incident”»»»
Hamas Foils Armed Gang Attack in Gaza City
Security sources in Gaza said a plot by an armed gang was foiled in western Gaza City, describing the attempt as bold, given it took place in zones where the Hamas movement maintains full security control. Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat the incident occurred Thursday evening in the Al-Nasr neighborho»»»
Lulu flies in fresh food to UAE on cargo flights to keep supermarket shelves stocked
Dubai: Fresh food supplies are being flown into the UAE on chartered cargo flights organised by retail major Lulu Group, with the company stepping up logistics operations to keep its supermarket shelves stocked across the country. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.One of»»»
We've been speaking to Iranians during one week of war. Here's what they said
When Hamid heard news of the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a week ago today, he felt a wave of euphoria and took his wife and daughter into the street outside his home in Tehran to celebrate. For the next few days, as US and Israeli bombs slammed into buildings across the ca»»»
Qatar arrests man over insulting social media posts against state institutions
The Criminal Investigation Department at Qatar’s General Directorate of Criminal Investigations has arrested a person of Arab nationality after he published a series of social media posts containing direct insults aimed at the State of Qatar and its institutions. The posts were circulated within su»»»
'Plenty of oil' in market despite Mideast turmoil: IEA chief
BRUSSELS, Belgium — International Energy Agency [IEA] chief Fatih Birol sought Friday to tamp down fears of a global oil crisis as conflict rages in the Middle East, saying there was "plenty of oil in the market."The US-Israel war on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region hav»»»
Press Review - 'Operation Epstein Distraction': Sexual assault allegations against Trump emerge
PRESS REVIEW – Friday, March 6: International papers discuss US President Donald Trump's "warrior transformation" and speculate about how the new war in the Middle East could benefit Russia. Also: the US Department of Justice publishes an interview that outlines sexual assault allegations agai»»»
Trump fires controversial Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem
President Trump has fired his homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem. In a post on social media, Trump said he was replacing Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. Noem is the first cabinet member to be ousted in Trump’s second term. She was a key figure in carrying out Trump’s mass depo»»»
Israelis on border with Lebanon stay put despite Hezbollah strike threat
On March 6, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a wave of strikes targeting Israeli forces, in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Lebanon the day before. It also warned Israel residents to evacuate from area within 5km of the border. Just south of it, most Israelis are »»»
Ukraine to provide expertise on countering Shahed drones to Gulf countries
Various countries, including the United States have asked Ukraine for its expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones. Russia has fired tens of thousands of these drones at its neighbour since the war began just over four years ago. Ukraine's President Zelensky said they will provide assistance as»»»
Surge in GPS interference around Strait of Hormuz increases shipping risks
More than 1,100 vessels have been hit by GPS interference across the Middle East Gulf since the start of the conflict, according to maritime firm Windward. Experts warn these attacks pose severe risks to navigation and are contributing to the de facto blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Shi»»»
Iran's Azeris fear ethnic strife, sucking Turkey and Azerbaijan into the war
With ethnic brethren in northern Iran and a US outreach to Iran’s Kurds following the launch of Operation Epic Fury, Turkey and Azerbaijan are at risk of being drawn into the war. For Iran’s Azeris, the largest minority group in a multi-ethnic country, it could mean trouble as ethnic fault lines th»»»
Spotlight - Iran, Europe & Churchill: The View from a Former British Ambassador to Iran
In this edition of the Spotlight, we speak to Richard Dalton, the former British ambassador to Iran and Libya and a former consul general in Jerusalem, to unpack the first week of war and what may come next. With President Donald Trump demanding Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and Tehran showing n»»»
Winter Paralympics opening ceremony clouded by boycott over Russia’s return
Controversy is overshadowing the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics, which kick off Friday with an opening ceremony boycotted by several countries protesting the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags for the first time since 2014. The Milan-Cort»»»
Ukraine to provide drone protection support in Middle East at US request
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said that Ukraine would provide assistance to the US and other allies in response to requests for support in dealing with Iran's Shahed drones currently being used in the Middle East conflict. The United States and its Middle Eastern allies are turning»»»
Talking Europe - 'We want a new form of government that better serves the Iranian people': EU Commissioner McGrath
Talking Europe sits down at the EU Commission with a man whose work goes to the very heart of what the EU sees as its core values. Michael McGrath is the Commissioner responsible for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection. His work concerns not just breaches of the rule of law »»»
China signals limited stimulus and only modest rebalancing
China’s leadership has indicated that policy settings will remain largely unchanged this year, with modest monetary easing but little additional fiscal support a note from Capital Economics says. Despite declaring an intent to rebalance the economy toward consumption, concrete policy measures remai»»»
Hormuz crisis: oil markets move from disruption to chaos
The global oil market perception of Operation Epic Fury is sliding rapidly from seeing the conflict as a “disruption” into what could become a full-scale “crisis.” Given the limited oi storage capacity in the Gulf and inadequate alternative pipeline network to the Red Sea, the region will hit a pro»»»
China signals limited stimulus and only modest rebalancing
China’s leadership has indicated that policy settings will remain largely unchanged this year, with modest monetary easing but little additional fiscal support a note from Capital Economics says. Despite declaring an intent to rebalance the economy toward consumption, concrete policy measures remai»»»
Trump says Cuba regime will fall “very soon” as Havana seeks deal
President Donald Trump said that Cuba's government will collapse "very soon" and claimed Havana is "very eager" to negotiate with Washington, as the island's economic crisis deepens under a de facto US fuel embargo. "Cuba »»»
Trump says Cuba regime will fall “very soon” as Havana seeks deal
President Donald Trump said that Cuba's government will collapse "very soon" and claimed Havana is "very eager" to negotiate with Washington, as the island's economic crisis deepens under a de facto US fuel embargo. "Cuba »»»
Trump says Cuba regime will fall “very soon” as Havana seeks deal
President Donald Trump said that Cuba's government will collapse "very soon" and claimed Havana is "very eager" to negotiate with Washington, as the island's economic crisis deepens under a de facto US fuel embargo. "Cuba »»»
MARINS: Iran's low cost-to-kill missile capacity gives it the upper hand in a long war
Speculation is swirling over who will run out of missiles first: the US or Iran? The US has fired off five years’ worth of Tomahawk missiles in the first week of the war with Iran and announced a wind-down of the intensity of the attacks on March 5 to allow for a longer fight. »»»
Prices don’t peak of fall in a crisis until about two months after the event
The world has just been struck by one of the worst energy crises since the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago. The outbreak of war in the Middle East is almost certainly going to be far more significant. Yet the price of oil only ticked up $10 in the first few days and as the first week com»»»
BONNER: The strategic vacuum at the heart of Operation Epic Fury
No plan survives first contact with the enemy. That popular quotation is really a paraphrase of a somewhat more verbose statement by Prussian Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder in 1871. It’s obviously true: events, like individuals and groups, are unpredictable and even well-executed plans »»»
MARINS: Iran's low cost-to-kill missile capacity gives it the upper hand in a long war
Speculation is swirling over who will run out of missiles first: the US or Iran? The US has fired off five years’ worth of Tomahawk missiles in the first week of the war with Iran and announced a wind-down of the intensity of the attacks on March 5 to allow for a longer fight. »»»
Prices don’t peak of fall in a crisis until about two months after the event
The world has just been struck by one of the worst energy crises since the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago. The outbreak of war in the Middle East is almost certainly going to be far more significant. Yet the price of oil only ticked up $10 in the first few days and as the first week com»»»
MARINS: Iran's low cost-to-kill missile capacity gives it the upper hand in a long war
Speculation is swirling over who will run out of missiles first: the US or Iran? The US has fired off five years’ worth of Tomahawk missiles in the first week of the war with Iran and announced a wind-down of the intensity of the attacks on March 5 to allow for a longer fight. »»»
Prices don’t peak of fall in a crisis until about two months after the event
The world has just been struck by one of the worst energy crises since the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago. The outbreak of war in the Middle East is almost certainly going to be far more significant. Yet the price of oil only ticked up $10 in the first few days and as the first week com»»»