India in talks with Russia, Belarus, Morocco to boost fertiliser imports, sources say

India, a leading importer ​of fertilisers, is in talks to increase purchases from Russia, Belarus and Morocco as Middle East tensions and ‌China’s export curbs risk tightening supplies ahead of the summer planting season, government and industry sources said.

IRGC spokesman killed in strike, Iran says

The spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ali Mohammad Naini, has been killed in strikes launched by the US and Israel, Iranian state media reports.

Trump 24-karat gold coin approved by hand-picked federal panel

A commemorative gold coin bearing the image of US President Donald Trump has been approved by a federal arts commission.

China steps up push for marriage and childbirth amid shifting social attitudes

The past year has been both challenging and fulfilling for music teachers Huang Zhen Hui and Liang Ren Jia.

Teenager among first to be executed over Iran’s anti-government protests

Iran has executed three men accused of killing police officers during anti-government protests in January, state media say, the first hangings to be carried out in relation to the demonstrations.

Blasts heard over Jerusalem as Israel confirms strike on Iran gas field

Explosions were heard over Jerusalem as fresh strikes were reported in Iran’s capital, Tehran, amid rapidly escalating tensions in the region. Iranian state television said at least four waves of missiles were launched in quick succession, signaling a sharp intensification of hostilities.

China, Pak developing nuclear missiles that put US within range: Intel Chief

US Intelligence Chief Tulsi Gabbard, presenting the intelligence community’s 2026 Annual Threat Assessment, said that Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Pakistan are the most significant nuclear threats to the United States.

Iran floats Hormuz transit tolls as Persian Gulf states warn of military response

Iran is considering charging transit fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a lawmaker said on Thursday, as officials in Tehran stepped up rhetoric over the strategic waterway after this week’s attacks on energy sites in the Persian Gulf.

US objectives in Iran have not changed, Hegseth says

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday that ​the United States’ objectives in the ‌war against Iran have not changed since strikes started on February 28.

Japan PM to hold ’difficult’ talks with Trump as Iran conflict looms large

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is on her way to what she expects will be a ’’very difficult’’ meeting with US leader Donald Trump, days after his calls for allies to help secure the war-stricken Strait of Hormuz went largely unanswered.

Tehran intensifies strikes on gulf energy facilities after Israel hits Iranian gas field

Iran intensified its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors’ energy infrastructure Thursday, setting Qatari liquified natural gas facilities ablaze as it hit back following an Israeli attack on its main natural gas field, a major escalation in the Mideast war that has sent global fuel prices soaring.

India approves US$3.6 billion to develop industrial parks to boost manufacturing

India’s Cabinet approved spending US$3.63 billion to develop 100 industrial parks, information minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday (Mar 18), in a move aimed at boosting the country’s domestic manufacturing capabilities.

Pentagon wants $200 billion for Iran war. It’s nearly 50% of Tehran’s GDP

The Pentagon is reportedly seeking over $200 billion from the US Congress to fund President Donald Trump’s war of choice in Iran. If approved, the war funds will boost the US military campaign that began on February 28 and ramp up the production of weapons used during the conflict, according to a report by The Washington Post.

US intelligence chief says Iran’s regime ’intact’ but ’degraded’

The top intelligence official in the US said on Wednesday that the Iranian regime was ’’intact’’ but ’’largely degraded’’.

Labubu movie in the works as viral toys attempt film crossover

The hugely popular Labubu dolls will soon star in their own feature film, Chinese toy company Pop Mart and Sony Pictures have announced.

Iranian footballers return home after dropping Australian asylum bids

Five members of Iran’s national women’s football team who dropped their bids for Australian asylum have returned to the country with the rest of the squad.

Russia says ready to mediate in Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict if both sides request

Russia said that it is ready to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan amid border tensions if both sides make such a request to Moscow.

Ukraine faces missile shortage due to Middle East war, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine will face a deficit of missiles it is using to fight Russia due to the war in the Middle East.

Israeli media claim Iran’s intelligence minister targeted in attack on Tehran

Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting Israeli air strikes have targeted Iran’s Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Iran strikes Tel Aviv with cluster warheads in retaliation for killing of security chief

A defiant Iran said Israel’s killing of security chief Ali Larijani and other key officials would not hinder its operations with replacements swiftly appointed, as Israel launched a swathe of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Philippines rejects Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over entire South China Sea

The Philippines said on Monday it rejected Beijing’s assertion of sovereignty over the entire South China Sea, ​disputing a claim by China’s embassy that a Filipino diplomat had once conceded the ‌disputed Scarborough Shoal was not part of Philippine territory.

Pakistan strikes hit drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, Taliban says

A Pakistani airstrike hit a drug ​rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, killing or ‌wounding an unspecified number of people, an Afghan Taliban spokesperson said on Monday, an action that Pakistan ​rejected, saying it had targeted ’’military installations’’.

Iran allowing more ships through Strait of Hormuz, data suggest

Iran is allowing a small but growing number of commercial ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to ship tracking data.

The Pakistan-China drone nexus and the cost of strategic dependency

In October 2018, the Pakistan Air Force’s aerobatic display team, the Sherdils, announced via a social media post that Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group, a unit of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, had agreed to jointly produce 48 Wing Loong II unmanned aerial vehicles.

Israel says it has killed Ali Larijani, Iran’s top security official

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has been according to Israel’s Defence Minister Katz. Iran has not commented on the claim.

Iran renews attacks on US Gulf allies, Trump says that was not expected

Iran launched fresh attacks ​on the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, the kind of strikes on U.S. Gulf allies that President Donald Trump said had not been expected, but which sources said he had been warned about before the ‌conflict.

How India’s waking up to coffees that can beat climate change

In the traditional coffee belts of Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan in Karnataka, planters say the farming calendar no longer follows memory. Jacob Mammen, managing director of Badra Estates, says climate change is already affecting the cultivation of traditional coffee varieties such as Arabica and Robusta.

Trump seeks to delay meeting with Xi in China

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is planning to delay a high stakes visit to China later in March by about a month because of the Iran war.

Teens sue Musk’s xAI over Grok’s pornographic images of them

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company is facing a lawsuit from teenagers who say the company facilitated child pornography by allowing the creation of sexually explicit images of them.

Iran Navy Chief warns of “deadly retaliation” after sailors killed off Sri Lanka

The commander of the Iranian Navy has issued a stern warning following a fatal incident in the Indian Ocean, stating that the nation’s adversaries will encounter ’’deadly retaliation’’ after several sailors were killed off the coast of Sri Lanka, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV.