China is strengthening its presence in Central Asia by increasing gas imports from Turkmenistan and expanding trade and infrastructure cooperation with Kyrgyzstan.
Russia has once again signalled its willingness to restore relations with Georgia, with a senior official claiming that support for renewed ties is growing within the country.
China’s military is preparing to hold talks with European Union and NATO officials in Brussels, as the ongoing conflict involving Iran begins to reshape the global security landscape and draw wider international attention.
Iran has executed three men convicted of killing two police officers during anti-government protests in January, according to state media. The men were executed in Qom, central Iran, on Thursday (19 March) after their sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court.
At least 18 people have died after floodwaters swept through the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi following heavy rainfall.
The war in the Middle East is exposing deeper tensions between the United States and China, particularly over control of global energy routes. As the Strait of Hormuz becomes a focal point, both powers are revealing sharply contrasting strategic priorities.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has called on the European Union and neighbouring states to blame Israel and the U.S. over how the hostilities are impacting global markets and American assets in the region.
Thousands of supporters of the suspended Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoğlu, gathered at the city's Sarachane Square on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of his detention. They were protesting against his arrest and detention over charges including espionage and corruption in March 2025.
Tehran’s Cultural Heritage Minister, Reza Salehi Amiri, has emphasised Iran’s and Azerbaijan’s shared cultural and civilisational heritage in an exclusive interview with AnewZ ahead of Novruz. The chat is being published with some delay, after an internet blackout in Iran delayed its transmission.
Iranian Foreign Affairs Spokesman Esmail Baghaei has warned neighbours to take care not to be drawn into the Middle East conflict in an interview with AnewZ's Touraj Shiralilou. The exclusive chat was carried out ahead of a multiday internet blackout in Iran, which delayed its publication.
Qatar said Thursday that civil defence teams have fully extinguished all fires at the Ras Laffan Industrial City, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Doha, following Iranian missile strikes on the facility, with no injuries reported.
Three Palestinian women were killed in an Iranian missile attack in the West Bank late on Wednesday (18 March), the Palestinian Red Crescent said, in the first Iranian strike there, and the first to kill Palestinians, since the start of the U.S.- Israel war with Iran.
Iranian President Pezeshkian has confirmed the killing of intelligence minister Esmail Khatib calling it a "cowardly assassination", following reports that Israel carried out an overnight strike.
Festive events across Azerbaijan are bringing the spirit of Novruz to life, with the Gala State Historical and Ethnographic Reserve hosting its annual “Spring Fortress” celebration. Visitors are immersed in a historic setting, surrounded by colourful decorations and live performances.
Pakistani authorities have denied claims by the Afghan government that a hospital was targeted, insisting that its airstrikes were aimed solely at military and terrorist sites in and around Kabul.
Iran’s intelligence chief, Esmail Khatib, has been killed in an Israeli missile strike carried out overnight, according to Iranian state media. He was a longstanding figure within Iran’s tightly controlled leadership.
Georgia is in national mourning following the death of Ilia II, the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, who has died at the age of 93. His passing marks the end of a nearly 50-year era during which he became one of the most influential spiritual and public figures in the country’s modern history.
As the U.S.–Israel war with Iran enters its third week, disruption is spreading well beyond the battlefield. Analysts say the conflict is already constraining fertiliser supplies, driving up prices and increasing the risk of food shortages, particularly in developing economies.
Uzbekistan is tightening regulation of the digital space by introducing penalties for online insults and establishing ethical rules for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI).
Israel’s assassination of Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, is unlikely to pose a significant challenge to Tehran, Iranian foreign policy analyst Mohammad Khatibi told AnewZ’s Context on Tuesday (17 March).
