MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Battlegroup Sever took control of the settlement of Sopych in the Sumy region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. "As a result of active operations, units of the Sever battlegroup have established control over the settlement of Sopych in the Sumy region," the »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia’s MiG-31 fighters armed with Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles have performed a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. "MiG-31 aircraft with Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missiles performed a s»»»

Paris will choose a new mayor on Sunday, with one unlikely issue dominating campaigns alongside all the partisan acrimony - dogs. Candidates from socialists to conservatives have set out policies to deal with an issue which voters have regularly ranked among their top concerns, a lack of space for »»»

One Lebanese soldier was killed and four were wounded in an Israeli air strike in the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said on Tuesday, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. The soldiers were ‌struck while ‌travelling by car and mot»»»

Albania on Tuesday designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards a "terrorist organization" and Iran as a state "supporting terrorism" as the Middle East war raged on. The Balkan nation's ruling Socialist party used its parliamentary majority to adopt a resolution to designate the ideological arm of the I»»»

Dubai: Airlines across the UAE and wider Gulf are steadily rebuilding operations, with flights resuming almost immediately after recent disruptions, signalling early resilience in one of the world’s most connected aviation hubs. An extraordinary 1.4 million passengers have been served through the U»»»

Dubai: Even as geopolitical tensions and global crises create uncertainty in many parts of the world, the UAE continues to provide a secure and safe environment for residents and visitors. Gulf News has spoken to mental health specialists and they have noted that the country’s strong institutions, »»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic has approved a new regulation governing the issuance and circulation of bonds. The resolution was adopted to streamline the securities market and strengthen investor protection. According to the document, the new rules regulate the procedures for issu»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov has signed a decree establishing a commission to coordinate international and humanitarian assistance provided by Kyrgyzstan to other countries. According to the document, the regulation governing the commission’s activities has been approved, and its compositi»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Tuesday the plight Kosovo-Metohija Serbs had experienced in 2004 should not and must not happen to any nation or social group. In an official statement, Petkovic said that 22 years ago - on March 17, 200»»»

The U.N. human rights chief's office expressed concerns about possible "ethnic cleansing" in a new report on Tuesday, saying that Israel has accelerated the expansion of settlements in large parts of the occupied West Bank and the forced displacement of more than 36,000 Palestinians. The report fro»»»

With the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz, gas and oil volumes flowing to Europe could drop below 10% amid forecasts of oil prices jumping to about $300 per barrel, Lebanese expert Munir Alaeddin tells Sputnik. "Europeans are in a difficult situation and facing a serious energy crisis, as »»»

The EU providing Ukraine with military and financial assistance undermines the fundamental principles on which the bloc was founded, Russian political analyst Yegor Sergeyev tells Sputnik. "In all their speeches, documents, declarations, and textbooks, they argue that the European Union was created»»»

“An aluminum shortage on the global market this year could lead to an increase in costs in the manufacturing sector, even though it’s too early to talk about production suspensions,” Russian expert Nikanor Khalin tells Sputnik. “Apparent aluminum stockpiles on the market are almost 1.5 times higher»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kiev continues its futile resistance instead of making a responsible decision and opening the way to the peace process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. "The Kiev regime continues its absolutely futile resistance instead of making the necessary, responsible decisi»»»

Dubai: When Israeli and US strikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the outset of the Middle East war, one man quickly stepped into the vacuum: Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani — more powerful, and more visible, than at any point in his decades-long career. Now, even that figure may be gone.»»»

An outdoor museum has reopened almost a year after a fire destroyed several buildings at the heritage attraction in County Donegal. Doagh Famine Village tells the story of an Irish family living through the famine era to the present day. Gardaí (Irish police) and fire services attended the blaze at»»»

Caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister Hasan Ademov said in Vratsa on Tuesday that the Ministry will stand behind its local employees if they face pressure from local authorities or politicians, but will be uncompromizing if they yield to such influence. He was in the city to conclude a series»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met with his brother, His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan at the Amiri Diwan Tuesday afternoon, March 17, 2026, to discuss developments in the region. This comes in light of the current esc»»»

Dubai: Labour violations in the UAE dropped by 13 per cent in 2025, even as authorities significantly expanded inspection drives and enforcement, underscoring the growing impact of AI-powered governance systems on market compliance. Fresh data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation »»»

The UAE reaffirmed its categorical rejection of any justifications put forward by the Iranian government regarding the hostile escalation against countries in the region, stressing that such claims are merely attempts to mislead the international community in an effort to justify its unprovoked and»»»

NATO has raised its missile defense alert to the highest level, and the readiness of air defense and missile defense systems across the Eastern Flank has been significantly strengthened, Acting Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov announced during the 75th anniversary celebration of the Third Air Base»»»

Former Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Shishkov, who leads the Progressive Bulgaria list in Vratsa, announced on Nova TV that his team plans to design all highways across Bulgaria within two years. He emphasized that the effort will not be limited to major projects like Hemus»»»

A group of European nations as well as Canada have called on Israel to stop a ground incursion into Lebanon, saying the attack could lead to “devastating humanitarian consequences” in a country where hundreds of people have already been killed in the ongoing Middle East escalation. The Israeli mili»»»

Cuba suffered a nationwide power outage on Monday, the Cuban Energy Ministry says, amid a US oil blockade. The blackout left nearly 11 million people without electricity as the blockade strains the country’s aging power stations. Officials said emergency protocols were activated and that power has »»»

Tunis, March 17 (TAP) - As part of its commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Tunisia has finalised its 7th National Biodiversity Report, a strategic initiative aimed at speeding-up national action to protect nature by 2030,...»»»

Libya’s Tripoli based Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced yesterday that, within the framework of coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the State Litigation Department, the Tripoli government recorded a legal victory a»»»

Markus BöhnischColombia is becoming a rising economic force in South America, yet new US tariffs have strained its traditionally close ties with Washington. The Valle del Cauca region is showing how businesses are adapting. https://p.dw.com/p/5ASV8AdvertisementColombia's top export, coffee, is gene»»»

Dubai: NKEY Architects, the international full-cycle architecture and design company, is building on its Dubai-headquartered growth trajectory with more than 250 active projects across the UAE and over 60 completed to date. As regional attention turns to resilience, continuity, and long-term confid»»»

A Three-Member Misdemeanor Court of Thessaloniki imposed on Tuesday a two-year suspended prison sentence on a 23-year-old woman who was the passenger in a fatal hit-and-run incident in Thessaloniki, ​​in November 2022. The Court found her guilty of harboring a criminal after she failed to report th»»»

Bulgaria’s National Building Renovation Plan, submitted to the European Commission at the end of 2025, sets out a long-term strategy to modernize the country’s building stock by 2050, combining energy efficiency, social support, and climate goals through coordinated action across institutions and s»»»

NATO’s missile defence has been placed on the highest level of alert, and the readiness of air and missile defence systems across the Eastern Flank has been increased, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov told reporters on Tuesday. He was speaking during a ceremony marking the 75th anniversa»»»

The Crescent Sighting Committee at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) has urged Muslims in Qatar to sight the crescent moon marking the start of Shawwal on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Also Read: Eid Al Fitr 2026: Saudi Arabia urges Muslims to sight Shawwal crescent moon on Wednes»»»

Manas Airport reconstruction will be completed in May. Altynbek Mambetov, Director of Infrastructure and Regional Airports at Airports of Kyrgyzstan OJSC reported. He stated that the work is divided into two phases. The first has already been completed on schedule, encompassing runway renovation, i»»»

The Israeli aggression on Lebanon has entered its 16th consecutive day, marked by intense overnight airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, the town of Aramoun, and multiple villages in the south, alongside a cross-border abduction operation in the border town of Kfarshouba. In a significant escal»»»

AKCEL Holding, a Dubai-based diversified conglomerate, has signed a strategic development agreement with XRange Golf Entertainment to develop a network of next-generation golf entertainment venues across the UAE, in a project valued at more than Dh1 billion. The initiative will introduce technology»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Meteorology Department, QMD, has warned the public to be careful as strong northwesterly winds has been observed in some areas across the country. In an advisory published on social media, the department had previously warned of high waves and thunderstorm as wave heights ran»»»

Cairo, March 17 (SANA) Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday condemned Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, calling them violations of sovereignty. In a statement, presidential spokesperson Mohamed El-Shennawy said El-Sisi spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Moh»»»

When Israeli and US strikes killed Ali Khamenei at the start of the Middle East war, Iran's security chief Ali Larijani became even more powerful than he had been for decades. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Larijani had been killed, though Iran's authorities have not con»»»

The social system has undergone very significant development in recent years, State Agency for Child Protection Deputy Chair Ivaila Kasarova said here on Tuesday during the IV World Social Work Day Forum. Over the past 25 years, Bulgaria has gone through a process of deinstitutionalization and the »»»

Bulgaria’s National Building Renovation Plan, submitted to the European Commission at the end of 2025, sets out a long-term strategy to modernize the country’s building stock by 2050, combining energy efficiency, social support, and climate goals through coordinated action across institutions and s»»»

The Main Committee for Moon Sighting in Oman will meet on Thursday evening to observe the crescent moon marking the start of Shawwal for the year 1447 AH. Authorities have called on citizens and residents across the country to look out for the crescent and report any confirmed sightings to the rele»»»

Civilians are paying a heavy price as the war in Lebanon continues to expand, driving death, injuries and displacement the United Nations said on Tuesday. "Displacement is increasing incredibly quickly. Right ‌now, hundreds of ‌thousands of people ‌left ⁠their homes. Many ⁠leaving with very little,»»»

The Environment and Water Ministry said on Tuesday it wants expert dialogue on the introduction of a deposit system for packaging in Bulgaria to resume with representatives of industry, trade and the recycling sector. The position is related to the implementation of the EU Regulation on packaging a»»»

POLITICS Capital: The Progressive Bulgaria coalition, associated with former president Rumen Radev, announced the leaders of its parliamentary candidate lists one day before the registration deadline for the upcoming elections, confirming expectations that many nominees would come from his former c»»»

Jakarta: Tens of millions of Indonesians are travelling by motorcycle, car, plane or boat to their hometowns in an annual exodus for the Eid holiday that begins in the world's largest Muslim-majority country on Wednesday. Like China's Lunar New Year holiday or Christmas elsewhere, the mass movement»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.4264 dinars for one euro on Tuesday, which is a slight change relative to Monday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.2 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative to »»»

BELGRADE - The Serbia men's national football team will play Spain away on March 27 and Saudi Arabia at home on March 31 in friendly matches. In a statement released on Monday, the Football Association of Serbia said the game against Spain would take place at the Estadio de la Ceramica in Villareal»»»

As geopolitical tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has floated a proposal to link the passage of energy shipments to payments in currencies other than the US dollar. The move appears designed to pressure global power centers. While it stops short of a declared currency war, it high»»»

Israel carried out new strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and again ordered residents of vast parts of southern Lebanon to evacuate, as more than a million people have been displaced across the country. Early Tuesday morning Israeli aircraft bombed two neighborhoods of Beirut's southern suburbs, »»»