Category: Middle East

With war raging in the Middle East, many, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, warned the conflict could hand Vladimir Putin a window of opportunity to accelerate his aggression against Ukraine.
Now, it appears those fears have come true with Russia launching its most brutal attack on the country since the war began on Tuesday, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
A barrage of nearly 1,000 drones were launched over a 24-hour period, killing at least six people. Russia launched 23 cruise missiles, seven ballistic missiles, hitting at least 10 locations, including a Unesco World Heritage site, according to Ukraine’s air force.
The onslaught affected 11 regions and seven cities were hit, marking it out as the largest aerial attack in a single day so far.
open image in gallerySmoke rises after a Russian drone hits an apartment building during a rare daylight attack in Lviv, Ukraine. Moscow has ramped up its airstrikes on the country in recent days (Reuters)While Russia’s..

Iran imposed a “de facto toll booth regime” in the Strait of Hormuz even before its parliament unveiled plans to formally charge ships transiting the critical maritime route, Lloyd's List said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) already required ships to submit full documentation, obtain clearance codes, and accept escorted passage through a controlled corridor of the strait, it said.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints as a fifth of the global oil supply typically passes through it.
Iran’s parliament is pursuing legislation to “formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees”, lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi said, according to Fars and Tasnim news agencies. The arrangement was “entirely natural”, he said.
“We provide its security and it is natural that ships and oil tankers should pay such fees,” Mr Kouchi added.
S..

A woman charged with trying to murder Rihanna and more than a dozen other felonies is set to appear in court to enter a plea Wednesday.
The singing superstar, her hip-hop star partner A$AP Rocky, their three young children and many others were at their home in the Beverly Hills area when Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, of Orlando, Florida, opened fire on the property on March 8, prosecutors said.
Ortiz is charged with 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle or dwelling.
At her first appearance in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 11, Ortiz's lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf, but then withdrew it in favor of postponing the arraignment.
Rihanna's Los Angeles home in Beverly Hills, California (AP)Public records show Ortiz has been a licensed speech pathologist for more than a decade. Now jailed on $1.8 million bail, she could get life in prison if convicted on all charges.
The Public Defender's Of..

Today show host Savannah Guthrie broke down in tears over the “agony” her family is experiencing in her first sit-down interview since her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, was kidnapped from her Arizona home nearly two months ago.
In a preview of the interview, the 54-year-old NBC anchor became emotional as she spoke with her former morning-show co-host, Hoda Kotb.
“Someone needs to do the right thing,” she said through tears. “We are in agony. It is unbearable. And to think of what she went through.”
“I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night,” she continued. “And in the darkness, I imagine her terror. And it is unthinkable, but those thoughts demand to be thought. And I will not hide my face.”
“But she needs to come home now,” she added.
open image in galleryAn emotional Savannah Guthrie gave her first interview since her mother disappeared with her former co-anchor, Hoda Kotb (NBC News)open image in galleryNancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in the Catalina Foo..

Norway's huge $2.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, plans to eventually allow artificial intelligence to make some investment decisions, but only under human supervision. Officials confirmed this remains a future step, citing the technology's current error rate.
Around half of the 700 employees at Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) already code their own AI tools, primarily using Anthropic's Claude large language model. These systems gather information, assisting staff in decision-making, according to Stian Kirkeberg, the fund's head of machine learning and AI.
Applications range from monitoring 7,000 companies for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and financial risk, to simulating contract negotiations or preparing for meetings. Mr Kirkeberg stated that, in time, some AI agents will be permitted to make limited autonomous decisions.
“The principle is that we make better human decisions by getting AI to analyse it for us,” he..

President Donald Trump appeared to try to pin the blame for the Iran conflict on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Monday.
Speaking at a roundtable event for national military and law enforcement leaders in Memphis, Tennessee, the president said of the circumstances leading up to the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28: “I called Pete, I called General [Dan] Caine, I called a lot of our great people – we have a lot of great people – and I said, ‘Let’s talk.’
“‘We’ve got a problem in the Middle East. We have a country, known as Iran, that has for 47 years been just a purveyor of terror and they’re very close to having a nuclear weapon.
“‘We can keep going and get that 50,000 up to 55 and 60 with no end, or we can take a stop and make a little journey into the Middle East and eliminate a big problem.’
open image in galleryPresident Donald Trump delivers remarks on the Iran conflict at Memphis Air National Guard Base in Memphis, Tennessee, Monday March 23, 2026 (Reuters)“And Pete, ..

Pilot pays tribute to US service members killed in Iran with flight path artworkIran’s foreign ministry has rubbished Donald Trump’s claim of “productive” talks to end the war in Iran, suggesting the president is only trying to reassure inflamed energy markets and buy time for his military plans.
Donald Trump said on Monday morning that Washington and Tehran had had “VERY GOOD AND PRODUCTIVE” conversations over the past two days about a “COMPLETE AND TOTAL RESOLUTION OF HOSTILITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST”.
He wrote on social media that he had instructed the US defence department to postpone strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, just hours before the expiry of his ultimatum to Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or be “obliterated”.
Iran’s foreign ministry promptly denied that there are any direct talks with the US. The ministry said that while there are initiatives from regional countries to de-escalate, all requests should be directed towards the US “as we did not initiate the war”…

France is mourning the loss of Lionel Jospin, the former prime minister credited with introducing the nation's 35-hour working week, who has died at the age of 88. Mr Jospin, who famously stepped away from politics after his tenure, passed away on Sunday, his family confirmed to Agence France-Presse.
Sebastien Lecornu, the current prime minister, paid tribute on X, stating that Mr Jospin “served France with constancy, rigour and a sense of responsibility”. Mr Lecornu added that “his actions, guided by a certain vision of social progress and republican values, leave a lasting mark and a model of commitment”.
Before his unexpected ascent to lead the Socialist Party in 1981, appointed by then-newly elected President Francois Mitterrand, Mr Jospin was an economics professor. His distinctive appearance, marked by a tousle of white curls and thick-rimmed glasses, often reflected his academic background.
Untarnished by allegations of corruption, Mr Jospin re-established credibility for t..

Zelensky: Repair works 'ongoing' as latest Russian drone attacks leave thousands without powerUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of a missile shortage and says Putin will benefit from a “long war” in Iran.
Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said the US produces around 60 to 65 Patriot missiles a month, which equates to roughly 600 to 700 a year. On the first day of the Middle East war, 103 missiles were used, he warned.
He said there will “definitely” be a deficit, and the question is now “when will all the stockpiles in the Middle East be exhausted”.
“For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus,” as resources deplete, added.
“So it is beneficial for Putin that the resources do not go to Ukraine, against whom he has directed his army, and he's fighting with he needs to weaken us. And this is a long process. The Middle East is one of the ways to do that.”
His comments come after at least four people were killed in Russian drone attacks on ..

Netanyahu: 'Iran have the capacity to reach deep into Europe – they're putting everyone in their sights'The Strait of Hormuz remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to “Iran's enemies”, a top Iranian official said Sunday, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to “obliterate” the Islamic Republic’s power grid if the waterway was not “fully open” within 48 hours.
“If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Saturday evening.
Tanker traffic through the waterway — a vital artery of global commerce — has ground to a halt amid Iran’s de facto blockade. As a result, oil prices have surged beyond the $100-a-barrel threshold and the average cost for a gallon of diesel has risen above $5.
Iran's representative to the International..