Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 21 March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The United States said it was getting very close to meeting its goals in the war with Iran and was considering winding down its military efforts. President Donald Trump also urged countries that rely on the Strait of Hormuz to guard and police the waterway themselves, if needed. "The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other nations who use it - The United States does not!," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The UK has approved an expansion of U.S. access to British bases for operations targeting Iranian missile capabilities threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Downing Street. A statement said in a meeting, Cabinet ministers “confirmed that the agreement for the U.S. to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes U.S. defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz."
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators will hold talks in Miami on Saturday (21 March) that a source familiar with the matter said could lay the groundwork for another meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy told reporters on Friday that the U.S. and Ukrainian working groups would focus on bilateral documents and discuss a wide-ranging drone deal during the weekend meeting.
Iceland's Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir told Reuters on Wednesday (18 March) she is optimistic her country could join the European Union as early as 2028. The Icelandic government has proposed holding a referendum on 29 August on resuming EU membership negotiations, a process Reykjavik froze in 2013 when a more Eurosceptic government took power. "We have seen that it's beneficial to have a voice at the table," Gunnarsdóttir said in an interview in Brussels.
Merz faces key second state election test in Germany
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives face their second electoral test this month on Sunday (22 March) when they hope to unseat the centre-left Social Democrats, their coalition partner at the national level, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. For Merz, however, battling to shore up Western support for Ukraine and facing the looming threat of an energy shock caused by the Iran war, an election he once counted on to boost his domestic support has become uncomfortably tight.
The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threaten...
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to join a U.S.-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, distancing Britain from military escalation after f...
Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States will meet later in Washington to discuss a ceasefire, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubi...
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate again...
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately elimi...
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports and a U.S. official said there was continued engagement with Iran, and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Tensions in the Gulf have sharpened dramatically after reports that the United States has begun a blockade of Iranian ports, a move already rippling through global markets and political circles.
An Indian healthcare provider plans to invest $50 million in diagnostic and pharmaceutical projects in Uzbekistan’s Namangan region, aiming to expand access to advanced medical services between 2026 and 2028.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
Millions of Orthodox Christians across the globe celebrated Easter, known as Holy Pascha, on Sunday (12 April) with midnight liturgies, candlelight processions and deeply rooted local traditions reflecting centuries of faith.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 32-hour ceasefire introduced to mark Orthodox Easter on Saturday (11 April). Russian officials said Ukrainian drones attacked targets in the Kursk and Belgorod border regions, injuring five people.
A U.S. federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, marking a setback in his ongoing legal battles with major media organisations he accuses of publishing misleading coverage.
Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar has said he does not support Ukraine’s fast-track entry to the European Union and will uphold an opt-out allowing Hungary to avoid contributing to a €90 billion EU loan for Kyiv.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on a five-day visit to China, his fourth trip in four years, highlighting Spain’s push to strengthen economic and strategic relations with the world’s second-largest economy.
Hungary’s political landscape is entering a new phase after voters brought an end to the long rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with analysts pointing to economic discontent and governing fatigue rather than a decisive ideological break.
Millions of people in Sudan are surviving on just one meal a day as the country’s worsening hunger crisis pushes communities closer to famine, humanitarian organisations have warned.
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