A sandstorm swept across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, worsening conditions for displaced civilians already living in fragile shelters amid the ongoing conflict, according to local reports.
A media briefing in Baku has outlined preparations for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), scheduled to take place in Baku from 17 to 22 May 2026.
A widening conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel has triggered escalating military strikes across the Middle East, disrupted shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz and raised concerns over global energy supplies. This live report tracks the latest developments.
All six U.S. service members aboard a plane that crashed in western on Iraq on Thursday have died, the U.S. military confirmed on Friday (13 March). Meanwhile, one French soldier was killed in a drone attack in the Erbil region of northern Iraq, President Emmanuel Macron announced.
The treatment of some detainees in Georgia “has arguably reached the threshold of torture”, a probe into the country’s human rights situation backed by 23 OSCE members has found.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued veiled threats to Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and Hezbollah on Thursday (12 March), during his first press conference since the conflict with Iran began.
Uzbekistan is considering new measures that would make banks and payment organisations legally responsible for financial losses caused by cybercrime if those losses stem from weak cybersecurity.
Iran reacted to the UN Security Council resolution condemning attacks on U.S. bases in regional countries, saying it neglected Tehran’s right to self-defence and demonstrated that the world body is being misused as an instrument to serve Washington’s interests.
NATO air-defence systems in the Eastern Mediterranean “neutralised” a third ballistic missile fired towards Türkiye, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Friday.
Kazakhstan is preparing a new phase of efforts to restore the Northern Aral Sea together with the World Bank, focusing on raising water levels, improving irrigation management and strengthening regional co-operation over shared water resources.
Israel and Iran continued to exchange strikes on Friday (13 March), as the U.S. and French militaries reported deaths in Iraq, and the U.N. launched a $325 million appeal to help Lebanon, where a seventh of the population have left their homes since fighting began.
Prices are rising sharply in Turkmenistan after the war disrupted imports from neighbouring Iran, a major supplier of fruit, vegetables, construction materials and cigarettes. Retailers and consumers warn the shortages are already driving up costs.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has accepted a peace prize awarded to him in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented the Atatürk International Peace Prize to the UN chief in the country’s capital.
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U.S. should “shut” its Middle East military bases, new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday in his first speech since being elected. He is still yet to appear in public, and a broadcaster read out his words.
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (12 March). His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has set recognition of Tehran’s inalienable rights, payment of war compensation, and international guarantees against any future invasion as conditions for ending the U.S.–Israel war with the Islamic Republic.
International security and climate change are top of the agenda as leaders and policymakers from around the world meet at the 13th Global Baku Forum in the Azerbaijani capital this week.
New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said Iran should continue ‘blocking the Strait of Hormuz’ in his first statement since his election, read out on Iranian State television on Thursday (12 March).
Fifteen Turkish-owned vessels remain stranded in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday.
The new constitution of Armenia must not contain any reference to the Declaration of Independence, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday (12 March), according to Armenian media reports.
