Author: By AFP

Audio By Vocalize An Iranian firefighter walks on the rubble of a destroyed residential building as a search is carried out, in northern Tehran on March 23, 2026.[AFP] Iran launched a new wave of missiles against Israel on Tuesday, hours after US President Donald Trump hailed “very good” talks to end the war despite Tehran denying any dialogue had taken place. Trump’s surprise disclosure — which prompted a positive response from jittery markets and pushed oil prices down — came ahead of a deadline he imposed for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane or see the US…

Audio By Vocalize Air Force Hercules emitting thick smoke after the aircraft crashed during takeoff in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, near the southern border with Ecuador, on March 23, 2026.[AFP] A Colombian military plane carrying 125 soldiers and crew members crashed on takeoff early Monday, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens of others, officials said. The C-130 Hercules aircraft went down shortly after departure from Puerto Leguizamo, near the southern border with Ecuador and Peru, strewing burning wreckage on the jungle floor. A military source told AFP that 58 soldiers had died, along with six air force personnel and two…

Audio By Vocalize Canada’s Sikh activist Moninder Singh poses during an interview with AFP in Geneva, on March 19, 2026. [AFP] When Moninder Singh learned recently of assassination threats against his family in Canada, where a fellow Sikh activist was killed in 2023, he says he remained defiant. “We won’t be silenced,” the chairman of the Sikh Federation of Canada told AFP. Singh was speaking at the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva, where he has been appealing for international action against India’s alleged targeting of Sikh activists abroad, and against so-called transnational repression more broadly. Sikh activists accuse India…

Audio By Vocalize Costa Rica’s President Rodrigo Chaves (2nd L) and the special envoy of the United States Shield of the Americas Program, Kristi Noem (2nd R) signing an agreement as, as Costa Rica’s president-elect Laura Fernandez (L) and the US ambassador to Costa Rica Melinda Hildebrand look on, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship in San Jose, Costa Rica, on March 23, 2026. [AFP] A new agreement signed by US and Costa Rican officials on Monday will allow Washington to deport up to 25 people to the Central American country as part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing…

Audio By Vocalize Clergy and worshippers pay their last respects as they stand alongside the coffin of the late Patriarch Filaret prior to his funeral at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv on March 22, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [AFP] Russian missile and drone strikes triggered air raid alerts across Ukraine on Tuesday, with attacks killing two people in Poltava and another person in Zaporizhzhia, regional military administrations said. Air raid alerts were issued in the small hours in all of Ukraine except for Odesa region, according to regional authorities. “As a result of the enemy attack…

Audio By Vocalize Israeli security forces gather at the site of a Hezbollah missile strike that targeted a bus in the northern Israeli border town of Kiryat Shmona on March 23, 2026. [AFP] Iran launched a new wave of missiles against Israel Tuesday, hours after US President Donald Trump hailed “very good” talks to end the war despite Tehran denying any dialogue had taken place. Trump’s surprise disclosure — which prompted a positive response from jittery markets and pushed oil prices down — came ahead of a deadline he imposed for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane…

Audio By Vocalize US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 23, 2026. [AFP] President Donald Trump said Monday that “regime change” was underway in Iran as the United States holds peace talks with an unidentified alternative leader. Trump’s surprise announcement to reporters in Florida was short on detail about whom the US side had contacted, but he said it was “not the supreme leader,” Mojtaba Khamenei. He described the unidentified negotiator as “a top person” and “the most respected and the leader.” “We’re…

Audio By Vocalize A tugboat escorts the world’s largest aircraft carrier as it arrives at Souda Bay naval base.[Costas Metaxakis, AFP] President Donald Trump said Monday the United States and Iran had held “very good” talks towards ending the three-week Middle East war, putting threatened US attacks on Iran’s power plants on hold in a stunning about-turn. In a social media post that immediately sent oil prices tumbling, Trump said Washington and Tehran had held “productive conversations” over the last two days towards “a complete and total resolution” of hostilities in the Middle East. Based on the talks, Trump said…

Mikel Arteta defended his decision to select Kepa Arrizabalaga in the League Cup final after the Arsenal goalkeeper’s costly mistake sparked a 2-0 defeat against Man City. Published Date: 2026-03-23 12:25:51 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

As Guardiola wiped away the sting of the Champagne sprayed by his jubilant players the League Cup final triumph against Arsenal, the Man City boss was confronted with a burning question. Published Date: 2026-03-23 12:16:39 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

A momentary lapse in concentration by former Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech led to Moroccan club giants Wydad Casablanca making a stunning exit from the CAF Confederation Cup. Published Date: 2026-03-23 12:02:09 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Vinicius Junior struck twice as Real Madrid shaded Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling derby clash on Sunday to stay on leaders Barcelona’s tail at the top of La Liga. Published Date: 2026-03-23 11:58:16 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Slovenia’s Prime Minister Robert Golob addresses the supporters of Gibanje Svoboda after the General Elections results are released in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on March 22, 2026.[AFP] Slovenia’s incumbent liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob claimed victory in parliamentary elections on Sunday, as results put his party just slightly ahead of the conservatives. Golob took over from Donald Trump admirer Janez Jansa as a political newcomer in 2022, leading a three-party centre-left coalition in the country of two million people. The race was expected to be tight, and foreign interference claims shook the campaign, with authorities probing whether an Israeli…

Audio By Vocalize A bartender prepares a drink at a pub in Old Damascus’ Bab Sharqi neighbourhood on March 28, 2025. [AFP] Hundreds of Syrians protested in central Damascus on Sunday against new restrictions on alcohol sales, reflecting wider fears that the Islamist authorities may tighten curbs on personal freedoms. The Syrian capital last week banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars, only allowing stores in three Christian neighbourhoods to sell bottles. In one of them, Bab Tuma, demonstrators gathered in a silent protest following calls by civil society groups to condemn what they say deepens sectarian…

Audio By Vocalize Israeli army soldiers are seen working near the border with Lebanon in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on March 20, 2026. [AFP] The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Beirut claiming to target the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah early Saturday, while Lebanese state media reported strikes in the country’s south. Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel has since launched strikes across Lebanon and sent ground troops into the…

Audio By Vocalize Clergymen and worshippers pay their last respects for the late Patriarch Filaret in St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv on March 20, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [AFP] Ukraine launched more than 280 drones at Russia overnight, one of Kyiv’s largest barrages since the start of the war, Russia’s state news agency reported, citing the defence ministry. Around 90 drones were shot down in the southern Rostov region, its governor Yuri Slyusar posted on Telegram. Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin in a series of posts reported that 27 drones headed to the capital had been intercepted.…

Audio By Vocalize Cranes, a storage tank of an oil refinery and wind turbines at the deep-water commercial and industrial port of Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille, southern France, on March 20, 2026. [AFP] Iran’s military warned the United Arab Emirates on Saturday against allowing attacks from its territory on two disputed islands in the Gulf, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. “We warn the United Arab Emirates if any further aggression originates from its territory against the Iranian islands of Abu Musa and Greater Tunb in the Persian Gulf, Iran’s powerful armed forces will subject Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE…

Audio By Vocalize The United States is deploying additional Marines to the Middle East, US media reported on Friday, possibly signaling a coming ground operation three weeks into the US-Israeli campaign against Iran. The reports came as Axios said President Donald Trump’s administration is mulling seizing Iran’s strategic Kharg Island to pressure the Islamic Republic to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a mission that could fall to US Marines. The Wall Street Journal said Washington is deploying between 2,200 and 2,500 Marines from the California-based USS Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. CNN, meanwhile, said thousands…

Audio By Vocalize American action star Chuck Norris. [AFP] Chuck Norris, the US martial artist and Hollywood action star most famous for his role in “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died, his family said Friday. He was 86. “It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” the family said in a statement on Instagram. “To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.” US…

Audio By Vocalize An attendant waits for customers at a petrol station in Hong Kong on March 17, 2026. [AFP] Crude prices dipped Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran was being “decimated” and that the war would end earlier than many feared. Traders also welcomed US President Donald Trump’s remarks that Israeli forces would not target any more of Tehran’s energy infrastructure, after strikes on a key gas field Wednesday sparked warnings of retaliation against installations across the Gulf. But with the conflict heading into a fourth week, equities mostly fell as investors fret over energy markets,…

Audio By Vocalize Immigrations, Customs, and Enforcement officers question a man’s status on Lake Street in Minnesota, United States on December 10, 2025. [AFP] Mexico denounced the death of a national held in custody by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as “unacceptable” on Thursday and demanded a “thorough investigation.” Royer Perez-Jimenez, 19, died March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida after being found “unconscious and unresponsive,” according to ICE. “He died of a presumed suicide, however, the official cause of his death remains under investigation,” ICE said in a Wednesday statement. ICE has…

Audio By Vocalize An employee refuels a vehicle at a petrol station amid rising prices in Mandalay on March 20, 2026. [AFP] Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran on Friday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran was being “decimated”, and as Gulf nations faced a fresh set of attacks. The Iranian capital, under near daily bombardment since a joint US-Israeli attack started the war on February 28, was hit by strikes the Israeli military said were “targeting infrastructure of the Iranian terror regime”. The bombardment came shortly after Netanyahu said the Middle East war had eradicated…

Audio By Vocalize Venezuela’s President Delcy Rodriguez speaking during the presentation of the 2026 fiscal year budget at the National Congress in Caracas on December 4, 2025. [AFP] Venezuela’s interim president said Thursday that she had replaced all her senior military commanders, the latest in a flurry of reforms since the United States ousted Nicolas Maduro. Delcy Rodriguez announced the changes in a social media post a day after firing the long-serving defense minister, who had been close to Maduro, and replacing him with a former intelligence chief. “I announce the designation of the renewed Military High Command,” said Rodriguez,…

Audio By Vocalize A man holds a gas pump pistol to refuel a scooter at a gas station in Rome on March 19, 2026. [AFP] Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war: Gulf attacks Emirati and Kuwaiti air defences were responding to missile attacks on Friday, authorities in the Gulf states said. Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed 10 drones in the country’s east and another in the north. Bahrain’s interior ministry said that shrapnel from an “Iranian aggression” caused a fire at a warehouse, which was brought under control and resulted in…

Audio By Vocalize Firefighters put out a fire in a residential building following Russian strike in Odesa, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine on March 19, 2026. [AFP] Russian strikes in southern Ukraine killed one woman and wounded two people, including a child, the regional military administration said on Friday. “At night, the Russians attacked Zaporizhzhia district. They carried out two strikes, destroying private houses,” Ivan Fedorov, the head of the regional military administration, posted on Telegram, adding a 30-year-old woman was killed. A 10-year-old boy and a 48-year-old man were wounded in the attack, he said. Ukrainian and US…

Audio By Vocalize Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern coastal city of Tyre’s Al Hosh. [Kawnat Haju, AFP] Just a trickle of cargo ships and tankers – most of them Iranian – have made it through the Strait of Hormuz since Iranian forces blocked the crucial trade route in the Middle East war. Here are facts and figures about vessels that have passed through the 167-kilometre long strait since the war broke out with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. From March 1 to 19, commodities carriers made just 114 crossings, according…

Audio By Vocalize Ukrainian artilleryman firing from 155mm self-propelled М-109 howitzer on the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region on March 18, 2026. [AFP] As Russia’s war rages on in Ukraine, the Red Cross said Thursday it was facilitating the exchange of around 1,000 bodies each month between the sides, while “thousands and thousands” of dead remain unidentified. Just back from a visit to Ukraine, International Committee of the Red Cross Director-General Pierre Krahenbuhl said he was struck by “the scale and the scope of the consequences when these military means are deployed between states”. Speaking to reporters in Geneva,…

Michael Carrick has told his Man United side to ready themselves for an awkward encounter away to Bournemouth as they look to maintain their challenge for a Champions League place. Published Date: 2026-03-19 15:43:53 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Iran will “boycott the United States” but “not the World Cup”, Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj said in a video released by the Iranian press agency Fars. Published Date: 2026-03-19 14:02:24 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen broke his right arm in the Champions League defeat to Liverpool with Dutch international Noa Lang set to undergo surgery on his thumb Published Date: 2026-03-19 13:59:12 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi bagged the 900th goal of his glittering career last night but could not prevent Inter Miami from crashing out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup Published Date: 2026-03-19 13:54:50 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Students wearing face masks queue up to get vaccinated at the University of Kent in Canterbury, south-east England on March 18, 2026, following an outbreak of meningitis. [AFP] The number of meningitis cases being probed by UK authorities has risen to 27, health officials said Thursday, following an unprecedented deadly outbreak centred on a university. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said in a statement: “15 laboratory cases are confirmed and 12 notifications remain under investigation, bringing the total to 27”. Two people have died since the epidemic came to light at the weekend, centred on the…

Audio By Vocalize Joseph Kent, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), testifying during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on December 11, 2025. [AFP] The FBI has opened an investigation into a senior US counterterrorism official who quit in protest of the Iran war for allegedly leaking classified information, US media reported Wednesday. Joseph Kent served as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) until his resignation on Tuesday, writing to President Donald Trump that he could not “in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran.” “Iran posed no imminent threat…

Audio By Vocalize US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth exit Air Force One upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base to attend a dignified transfer solemn event in Dover, Delaware, on March 18, 2026. [AFP] China does not currently plan to invade Taiwan in 2027 but seeks to take control of the self-ruled island without force, said an annual US intelligence report, which drew ire from Beijing on Thursday. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize the island, stepping up military pressure and drills in recent years.…

Audio By Vocalize Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Moscow. [AFP] Russia will refer women who do not want to have children to psychologists under new health guidelines designed to address a systemic demographic crisis. Russia’s dwindling birth rate has been one of President Vladimir Putin’s main worries during his 25-year rule and with Moscow having sent hundreds of thousands of young men to the front in Ukraine over the last four years, the problem has only worsened. Under new guidelines from the health ministry for reproductive health checks, doctors will ask women how many children they want…

Audio By Vocalize A mourner holds a picture of Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani during his funeral alongside Gholamreza Soleimani, a senior officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who commands Basij forces, in Tehran on March 18, 2026. [AFP] China condemned on Thursday the killing of Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani by an Israeli air strike, calling it “unacceptable”. Beijing is a partner of Iran but has also criticised Tehran’s strikes against Gulf states housing US military bases. Larijani was the highest-profile Iranian killed since supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other senior figures died during a wave of…

Audio By Vocalize Thailand’s caretaker Prime Minister and Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul (C) reacts as he poses for photo with fellow party members after a vote at Parliament in Bangkok on March 19, 2026. [AFP] Thailand’s new parliament on Thursday elected Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister, keeping the conservative in the top office after his party routed its election rivals. “This parliament has voted for Anutin Chanvirakul to become prime minister,” House Speaker Sophon Zaram said on the floor of the legislature, noting the incumbent had garnered more than half of the ballots cast. Anutin received 293 votes from…

Audio By Vocalize A man rushes with a child who was reportedly injured by an Israeli strike, at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2026. [AFP] Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt reopened on Thursday for a limited number of people, Egyptian state media and a Red Crescent official said, for the first time since Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran. An Egyptian Red Crescent official, speaking anonymously to AFP, said the Rafah crossing had reopened in both directions and would allow Palestinian patients to cross into Egypt and stranded…

Audio By Vocalize Pakistani people wade through floodwater after heavy monsoon rains in Karachi, Pakistan on September 10, 2025. [AFP] Heavy rain and strong winds left at least 18 people dead in Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi, city authorities and rescue services said on Thursday. Thirteen people died when a wall collapsed on Wednesday, while five people, including two women, were killed elsewhere in the city. “According to initial reports, the deceased were drug addicts who had taken shelter in the building due to the rain,” the Rescue 1122 emergency service said of the 13 victims. Light to moderate rain fell…

Audio By Vocalize The oil products tanker Chang Hang Feng Cai at Shen’ao Port in New Taipei City on March 18, 2026. [AFP] Oil surged more than five percent Thursday and stocks sank as Iran attacked several Gulf energy facilities and warned of more in retaliation for a strike on one of its key gas fields. Brent crude soared past $113 per barrel as Tehran threatened to target regional installations after an Israeli hit on a site serving its massive South Pars field, which it shares with Qatar. Iranian missiles struck Qatar’s Ras Laffan, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas…

Senegal football fans slammed AFCON’S decision to strip the country of its Africa Cup of Nations title and give it to Morocco, calling the move a “disgrace for Africa”. Published Date: 2026-03-18 14:36:58 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize US President Donald Trump speaks as Irish Prime Minster Micheal Martin’s wife Mary O’Shea looks on, on the occasion of St Patrick’s Day, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2026. [AFP] Having failed to clearly define an objective or exit strategy — and sell the American public on a new war in Iran — President Donald Trump finds himself at an impasse, mere weeks into the conflict. Add to that the high-profile protest resignation of a senior US counterterrorism official on Tuesday, who said publicly that the Islamic Republic…

Senegal’s football authorities say they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the country was stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title Published Date: 2026-03-18 11:32:24 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize  Motorists queue up at a Star Oil petrol station in Luang Prabang on March 16, 2026, following import disruptions caused by the Middle East war. [AFP] UN maritime body holds emergency shipping talks The International Maritime Organization will begin an “extraordinary session” on Wednesday to discuss shipping amid the Middle East war. The IMO’s 40-member council could vote Thursday on several proposed resolutions, including one to “establish a safe maritime corridor to allow the safe evacuation of seafarers and ships stranded in the Persian Gulf”. Oil prices dip Oil prices fell on Wednesday, reversing a surge the…

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have stripped Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title they won in January and declared Morocco champions. Published Date: 2026-03-18 01:18:07 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, arrives in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 27, 2025, to attend a memorial service for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. [AFP] Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Iran’s powerful national security chief Ali Larijani was “eliminated last night”, along with the commander of Tehran’s Basij paramilitary force. The killing of Larijani, if confirmed by Tehran, would represent the highest-profile assassination since the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other leaders during the wave of US-Israeli strikes that started the war on February 28. Katz said…

Audio By Vocalize Firefighters extinguish a fire that swept through the site of an Israeli airstrike targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs, in the al-Kafaat neighborhood, on March 17, 2026. Israel launched a wave of strikes on Tehran and Beirut on March 17. [AFP] China said on Tuesday it will provide humanitarian assistance to Middle Eastern countries, including Iran and Lebanon, targeted in US and Israeli strikes in the conflict now in its third week. Beijing is a close partner of Iran and has urged the United States and Israel to cease their attacks on the country, while also criticising Tehran’s strikes…

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday Neymar is “not 100 percent” fit so will miss two friendlies later this month as youngster Endrick returns to the squad. Published Date: 2026-03-17 09:44:54 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Chelsea were fined £10.75 million ($14.27 million) and received a suspended one-year transfer ban on Monday in relation to historical breaches of Premier League rules. Published Date: 2026-03-17 09:39:36 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Kylian Mbappe is ready to return from injury as Real Madrid aim to eliminate Manchester City in the Champions League last-16 second leg on Tuesday. Published Date: 2026-03-17 09:31:25 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize A view from the exhibition as Iran exhibits its missiles, satellite-carrying rockets and air defence systems, including the missiles and drones used in the Israeli attack, at the Aviation and Space Park Permanent Exhibition Centre of the Revolutionary Guards Army in capital Tehran, Iran on November 12, 2025. [AFP] Cheap and deadly, Iranian-designed Shahed drones have inflicted major damage in the Middle East war, and have anti-jamming and other capabilities that make them difficult to stop. Offline navigation Designed to explode on impact, Shahed drones connect to GPS to register their location shortly before or after takeoff,…

Audio By Vocalize Pope Leo XIV addresses the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square during the Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican on March 15, 2026. [AFP] Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal Sunday for peace in the Middle East and criticised those who invoke religion to wage war, saying that “God cannot be enlisted by darkness”. “Currently, many of our brothers and sisters in the world are suffering from violent conflicts, caused by the absurd claim that problems and differences can be resolved through war,” he said on a pastoral visit to a Rome suburb. He added: “Some claim…

Audio By Vocalize Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Jerusalem on February 26, 2026. [AFP] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a short video on Sunday making light of rumours on social media that he was dead. “I’m dead for coffee,” he said sarcastically on his official X account as he received a steaming cup at a cafe outside Jerusalem, employing a colloquial Hebrew expression meaning to love something to death. He then raised his hands to the camera, asking, “Do you want to count the number of…

Audio By Vocalize Commercial ships anchor off the coast of the United Arab Emirates due to navigation disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Dubai on March 2, 2026. [AFP] Iran on Sunday warned countries against getting involved in its war with the United States and Israel, after President Donald Trump urged world powers to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint in the Gulf. Tehran also sent a stern message to its Arab neighbours, telling them that the Islamic republic has what its foreign minister called “ample evidence” that US bases on their territories were being used to…

Audio By Vocalize Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez holds a meeting with the Colombian government delegation at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on March 13, 2026. [AFP] Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, asked US President Donald Trump on Friday to totally lift the sanctions imposed on her country, as the countries begin to restore diplomatic ties. American officials are seeking greater access to Venezuela’s oil and mineral wealth since a US military operation ousted leftist leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3. The US Treasury began imposing sanctions in 2014 that have crippled Venezuela’s economy, which saw inflation soar to…

Audio By Vocalize Smoke and flames rise from an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026. [AFP] Israel said the war against Iran was entering its “decisive phase” on Saturday, as explosions rocked cities across the Middle East, with strikes on the US embassy in Baghdad and a major Emirati energy facility. Black smoke rose above Washington’s embassy in Iraq, AFP journalists saw, the second time it has been targeted since February 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran and plunged the Gulf into a conflict that has sent shockwaves through the global…

Audio By Vocalize The site of an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the southern Lebanese town of Haret Saida, on the outskirts of Sidon, on March 14, 2026. [AFP] Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Saturday called on Iran to refrain from targeting neighbouring countries, while affirming Tehran’s right to defend itself against Israel and the United States. In a rare appeal, Hamas also urged the international community to take steps to end the war that has gripped the Middle East since it began on February 28. “While affirming the right of the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond…

Audio By Vocalize The site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs, on March 14, 2026. [AFP] Explosions rocked cities across the Middle East on Saturday as the US embassy in Baghdad was hit by a drone strike and Tehran warned Emiratis to stay away from ports as it targets the world’s energy supply lines. Washington’s embassy in Iraq was hit for the second time since February 28, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran and plunged the Gulf into a conflict that has sent shockwaves through the global economy. Waves…

Audio By Vocalize Afghan residents stand amidst damaged houses at the site of an overnight Pakistan airstrike, at a residential area in Pol-e-Charkhi on the outskirts of Kabul on March 13, 2026. [AFP] Afghan authorities said on Friday that Pakistan attacks on Kabul and border provinces killed four people in the capital and two in the east, the latest deadly clashes in the long-running conflict. Pakistani security sources said four “terrorist camps and support infrastructure” were “targeted and destroyed” in Kabul and frontier provinces, as well as an oil storage facility at Kandahar airport. Islamabad last month launched a military…

Audio By Vocalize FBI Director Kash Patel arrives at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. [AFP] A former US National Guard member who shot dead a man at a university in the state of Virginia was previously jailed for attempting to aid the Islamic State group, authorities said Thursday. The assailant died in the incident on Thursday, which wounded two others, on the campus of Old Dominion University south of the US capital Washington. The FBI said it was investigating the shooting as “an act of terrorism.” Authorities identified the suspect as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former…

Audio By Vocalize A man fills up a truck at a petrol station of an Inland Container Depot (ICD) terminal in Uiwang on March 13, 2026. [AFP] Moscow said on Friday that the global energy market “cannot remain stable” without its oil, piling pressure on Washington to lift more sanctions as the Middle East war strangles supplies. The United States has eased some oil sanctions on Russia imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, prompting backlash from Western allies who urged Washington to keep up restrictions as the Ukraine conflict drags into its fifth year. The US-Israel strikes on Iran and…

Audio By Vocalize Cuba’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 27, 2025. [AFP] Cuba said Thursday that it would soon release 51 prisoners as a sign of “goodwill” toward the Vatican after talks between Cuban officials and the Holy See. The announcement by the foreign ministry came after the United States ramped up economic pressure on the communist Caribbean island and threatened regime change. The Vatican has often attempted to act as a mediator between the two countries. “In a spirit of goodwill,…

Audio By Vocalize Iranians collect belongings from a damaged residential building in Tehran on March 12, 2026. [AFP] Iranian authorities have arrested nearly 200 people nationwide on charges related to the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic, a US-based rights group said on Thursday. The charges relate to accusations including over activity on social media, sending content to foreign media outlets, espionage and disturbing public order, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said, adding its count was based on official reports. It said at least 195 people had been arrested nationwide including in the capital Tehran and the…

Audio By Vocalize Iranian women collect their belongings from a damaged residential building in Tehran on March 12, 2026. [AFP] The US military is currently “not ready” to escort tankers through the critical Strait of Hormuz because all its assets are focused on striking Iran, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday. Wright’s comments came as an attack on two oil tankers off Iraq killed at least one person, and oil prices briefly soared past $100. Since launching the war on Iran, US President Donald Trump has sought to calm the markets by offering US Navy escorts for oil tankers and…

Audio By Vocalize Major economies have agreed to release a record amount of strategic oil reserves, but the move did little to calm investors Thursday, with prices at one point surging above $100 a barrel. Fresh Iranian strikes on energy infrastructure and fears of a prolonged conflict have overshadowed the historic drawdown. AFP explains why the release has not eased oil markets. Not enough oil International Energy Agency member countries agreed on Wednesday to release 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves — the largest amount ever. The IEA move was aimed at easing the immediate impact of the…

Audio By Vocalize An employee fills the tank of a motorcycle at a gas station in the Donkoi district of Vientiane on March 10, 2026, amid rising petrol prices. [AFP] Oil prices rallied and equities largely dropped Wednesday as traders assessed the latest impact for global markets from  the Middle East war. Crude futures fluctuated between gains of between two and six percent as the release of oil reserves by some countries helped offset news of attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf. “Oil prices remain volatile and risk sentiment fragile and trading is on the headlines and rapidly evolving…

Audio By Vocalize Soldiers of an Israeli artillery unit are deployed at a position in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the Lebanon border on March 11, 2026. [AFP] Drones fell near Dubai airport, injuring four people, while attacks hit three ships in or near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday as Iran kept up its campaign disrupting oil markets and air and maritime traffic. The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran’s attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran targeting US assets but also civilian infrastructure. Iran has also targeted…

Audio By Vocalize The Bizkaia Bay Gas (BBG) regasification plant in the Spanish Basque city of Zierbena on March 9, 2026. [AFP] Iran unleashed a wave of attacks against Israel and Gulf nations on Wednesday, including targeting a Saudi oilfield, as reports of a proposed record release of oil reserves helped calm markets and prices. The war sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran has spread across the region and beyond, causing spiking energy costs, fuel rationing, and even school closures. G7 leaders will meet by video conference later Wednesday to discuss the war’s economic consequences, particularly the “energy situation,” the…

Iranian women footballers claiming asylum in Australia evacuated from their safe house on Wednesday after one team member changed her mind and revealed their location to the Iranian embassy. Published Date: 2026-03-11 09:31:49 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Bayer Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand questioned whether Champions League opponent Arsenal’s set-piece tactics are legal ahead of Wednesday’s last-16 first-leg tie in Germany. Published Date: 2026-03-10 17:26:29 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize People walk past a heavily damaged children’s clinic following recent shelling in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on March 9, 2026. [AFP] Moscow’s deportation and forcible transfer of children from Ukraine to Russia amounts to a crime against humanity, a United Nations team of investigators said Tuesday. The UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said it had collected evidence leading it to conclude that “Russian authorities have committed the crimes against humanity of deportation and forcible transfer, as well as of enforced disappearance of children”. The probe was established by the UN Human Rights Council shortly after…

Audio By Vocalize A petrol pump attendant refuels a vehicle at a Bharat Petroleum (BP) gas station in New Delhi on March 10, 2026. [AFP] Egypt raised domestic fuel prices by up to 30 percent on Tuesday, blaming “exceptional” global energy pressures caused by the Middle East war, which has disrupted oil supplies and shipping routes. The increases, announced by the petroleum ministry, apply to gasoline, diesel and natural gas used in vehicles. In a statement, the ministry said the adjustments were driven by “disruptions in supply chains, rising risk levels and higher maritime shipping and insurance costs”, which have…

Audio By Vocalize A staff member fills a car at a gas station of a highway service area in Ebina city of Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo on March 10, 2026. [AFP] The oil price spike caused by the war in the Middle East has sparked unrest in Bangladesh and exasperation at petrol pumps around Asia, where many economies are heavily dependent on fossil fuel imports. Even as governments move to limit the impact on fuel prices, lines have formed at petrol stations in countries including Vietnam, Pakistan and the Philippines, although the situation remains stable elsewhere. In Bangladesh — which…

Iraq coach Graham Arnold has pleaded with FIFA to postpone his team’s intercontinental playoff for the World Cup because many of his players and backroom staff are stranded Published Date: 2026-03-10 12:00:09 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Paul Scholes claims he did not mean to offend former Manchester United team-mate Michael Carrick after taking a swipe at the Old Trafford interim boss on social media. Published Date: 2026-03-10 11:44:38 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Manchester City will face Liverpool in a blockbuster FA Cup quarter-final, while quadruple-chasing Arsenal travel to Southampton. Published Date: 2026-03-10 11:37:35 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Cargo containers are seen in Nanjing port, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province on March 10, 2026. [AFP] China’s trade surged by a fifth in the first two months of the year, official data showed Tuesday, significantly outpacing forecasts as a plunge in shipments to the United States was offset by sales to other major markets. The boost is a lifeline for the world’s second-largest economy as domestic consumer activity has slumped, and adds to the record surplus achieved last year. Official figures for the first two months of the year usually combined to account for distortions arising…

Audio By Vocalize A delivery staff unloads liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders from a truck at a distribution point in Mumbai on March 10, 2026.[AFP] Iranian forces will not allow the export of oil from the region to allies of the United States and Israel as long as the war continues, a Revolutionary Guards spokesman said Tuesday. “The Iranian armed forces will not allow the export of a single litre of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice,” said Ali Mohammad Naini, according to a report from Iran’s Tasnim news agency. He said…

Audio By Vocalize Mojtaba Khamenei attends a demonstration to mark Jerusalem day in Tehran on May 31, 2019. [AFP] Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei who has been appointed as the new head of the Islamic republic, is a discreet figure who offers continuity of his father’s hardline leadership. The 56-year-old had no official post during his father’s rule, but was speculated to be acting behind the scenes to pull strings at the heart of power in Iran. He is regarded as close to conservatives, notably because of his ties with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary…

Audio By Vocalize Protesters in the Jordanian capital Amman raise the national flag as well as flags of the Muslim Brotherhood, as they rally in support of Palestinians on January 27, 2023, a day after a deadly Israeli raid on the Jenin camp in the occupied West Bank. [AFP] The United States said Monday it will label the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan as a terrorist organization and accused the Islamist group of receiving support from Iran. The designation, which will be effective in a week, comes after the United States in January declared several other Muslim Brotherhood branches to be…

Former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said the club’s president Joan Laporta scuppered the return of all-time great Lionel Messi in 2023 to avoid a power struggle. Published Date: 2026-03-09 12:48:33 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Tottenham will endure a chastening reminder of their painful decline when the relegation-haunted club face Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium Published Date: 2026-03-09 12:41:16 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Eddie Howe has challenged Newcastle to produce the performance of a lifetime as they aim to win the “biggest game” in the club’s history against Barcelona tonight. Published Date: 2026-03-09 12:35:29 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

We look at tonight’s UEFA Champions League last-16, first-leg clashes, as Liverpool go to Istanbul for the second time this season and Newcastle prepare to host Barcelona again Published Date: 2026-03-09 12:25:10 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivers a speech during a session of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, on the sidelines of a second round of US-Iranian talks with Washington pushing Tehran to make a deal to limit its nuclear programme, in Geneva, on February 17, 2026. [AFP] Iran’s foreign minister said Sunday that the Iranian people, not Donald Trump, will elect their new leader and demanded that the US president apologize for starting the war with Iran. “We allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs. This is up to the Iranian people to elect their…

Audio By Vocalize  Firefighters extinguish a blaze and clear rubble at a five-story residential building in Kharkiv on March 7, 2026, after it was partially destroyed by a Russian strike on Ukraine. [AFP] Russia pummelled 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 person was killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region. “Following the enemy attack, part of a five‑storey residential building in the…

AC Milan face Serie A leaders Inter this weekend knowing the derby could offer a last chance to apply pressure. Published Date: 2026-03-06 17:45:58 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

UEFA have fined Real Madrid 15,000 euros ($17,000) after one of their fans performed a Nazi salute before a Champions League match last week. Published Date: 2026-03-06 17:39:57 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Minas Gerais’ firefighters work at a collapsed nursing home in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil on March 5, 2026.[AFP] Twelve people died when a nursing home in southeastern Brazil collapsed, according to a tally released Friday by firefighters after they concluded search and rescue operations. Emergency responders rescued eight people alive, including a two-year-old boy, while nine others escaped on their own or with the help of neighbors. Twenty-nine people were in the four-storey building in the southern city of Belo Horizonte when it collapsed in the early hours of Thursday morning. As well as the…

Morocco parted company with coach Walid Regragui yesterday, three months before the World Cup, with the country’s football federation naming Mohamed Ouahbi as his replacement. Published Date: 2026-03-06 14:19:26 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Igor Tudor claims that Tottenham’s dismal 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace on Thursday has convinced him they will avoid relegation from the Premier League. Published Date: 2026-03-06 14:14:42 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

President Donald Trump feted Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates at the White House in honour of their 2025 MLS Cup championship. Published Date: 2026-03-06 14:10:45 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Arsenal head to Mansfield and Chelsea face Wrexham in the FA Cup fifth round, with the Premier League clubs aiming to avoid embarrassing giant-killings Published Date: 2026-03-06 14:04:33 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

LeBron James broke the record for most field goals made in NBA history, though the latest milestone in his glittering career did not to stop the Los Angeles Lakers from crashing Published Date: 2026-03-06 13:57:55 Author: By AFP Source: The Standard

Audio By Vocalize Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis delivers his speech in the Czech Parliament on March 5, 2026. [AFP] The Czech parliament on Thursday declined to strip the prime minister and parliament speaker of their immunity as lawmakers, protecting them from standing trial in criminal cases. Prime Minister Andrej Babis is facing EU subsidy fraud charges, while Speaker Tomio Okamura is charged with inciting hatred. A total of 104 lawmakers in the 200-seat parliament of the Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member of 10.9 million people, voted against lifting their immunity. Babis leads a nationalist coalition government with…

Audio By Vocalize Ugandan students evacuated from Iran wait with their belongings to pass security checks after arriving from Turkey at Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe on March 5, 2026. [AFP] Britain is sending additional fighter jets to Qatar amid the widening war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday as his defence minister visited Cyprus. The four Typhoon planes will join an existing UK squadron in the Gulf state “to strengthen our defensive operations in Qatar and across the region”, Starmer told reporters. The announcement came after Defence Secretary John Healey arrived in Cyprus following a…

Audio By Vocalize US asked Ukraine for support in drone protection in Middle East: Zelensky The United States asked Ukraine for help to fend off Iranian drone attacks in the Middle East, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, adding that he had ordered expert support to be given. During Russia’s four-year invasion, Kyiv has developed a range of cheap and effective drone interceptors — aerial craft designed to hit incoming attack drones mid-air — that it says are world-leading. Zelensky on Tuesday offered US allies in the Middle East a swap of some of their air defence missiles in exchange…

Audio By Vocalize South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech at the Philippines-Korea Business Forum in Pasay, Metro Manila on March 4, 2026. [AFP] South Korea’s president ordered the activation of a Sh9 trillion market stabilisation fund Thursday, citing the need to smooth out volatility caused by war in the Middle East. “The escalating crisis in the Middle East is significantly worsening the global economic and security environment,” President Lee Jae Myung said. “First, we must respond proactively to heightened volatility in financial markets, including equities and foreign exchange.” Lee said the Sh9 trillion programme would “pre-empt instability”…

Audio By Vocalize U.S. President Donald Trump holds up the Ratepayer Protection Pledge after signing it during a roundtable meeting in the Indian Treaty Room at the White House on March 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. [AFP] Taiwan’s main opposition party said Thursday it will back Sh1.4 trillion in special funding for US weapons purchases and left the door open to more acquisitions, but insisted it will not write a “blank cheque” for the government. Taiwan has spent billions upgrading its defences as China increases military pressure on the island, which Beijing claims is part of its territory and has…

Audio By Vocalize Military band members rehearse before the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2026. [AFP] China announced a seven percent boost to its defence budget for 2026 on Thursday as it steadily increases spending to counter the United States and enforce its claims over Taiwan and the South China Sea. The latest rise keeps China’s spending at a third of that of the United States, but the Asian power is working to close the gap. Beijing plans to spend 1.9096 trillion yuan ($276.8 billion)…