Russian officials meet US counterparts as Moscow denies aiding Iran
Kremlin spokesperson says talks are part of ‘necessary dialogue’ with Washington as war in Ukraine continues for a fifth year. Published On 26 Mar 202626 Mar 2026 A delegation of Russian officials has arrived in the United States for meetings with their American counterparts. The visit, which began on Thursday, marks the first such trip since relations strained over Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “We hope that these first tentative steps will, of course, make their contribution to the further revival of our bilateral engagement.” He said President Vladimir Putin had set the “main directives” for the trip and would be “thoroughly briefed” on the meeting. The visit comes as US-brokered talks seeking a deal to end the war in Ukraine are in effect frozen. Several rounds of negotiations since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year have failed to break the deadlock, with the Kremlin ruling out compromises to halt its years-long offensive. Russia, a close ally of Iran, has also been cited by Western intelligence officials as one of the backers of the Iranian government, as Tehran fights a war launched by the US and Israel. A report in the United Kingdom-based Financial Times newspaper on Wednesday alleged that Russia was close to completing a shipment of drones to Iran. Responding to questions about the report, Peskov said, “There are so many lies being spread by the media … Do not pay attention to them.” Russia this week carried out one of the largest aerial attacks since the start of its war on Ukraine, launching 948 drones in 24 hours as it moved troops and equipment to the front line. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a new appeal for allies to supply Kyiv with air defence munitions, warning that Kyiv, which relies on the US for air defence systems against ballistic missiles, will face a deficit of missiles while Washington is focused on the US-Israeli war on Iran. Advertisement Talks between Ukraine and the US that opened in the US state of Florida on Saturday again failed to produce a security guarantee that Kyiv has long sought from Washington. Adblock test (Why?)
WTO says world experiencing worst trade disruption in 80 years
WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says the global trade order has ‘irrevocably changed’, warning the system is facing its worst disruption in 80 years and the multilateral system will not return, as she calls on countries to reform global trade rules. Published On 26 Mar 202626 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Pakistan says it is mediating US-Iran talks
NewsFeed Pakistan says it is mediating indirect talks between the US and Iran aimed at ending the war, with officials confirming negotiations are underway. Published On 26 Mar 202626 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Mexico will continue accepting Cuban medical workers despite US pressure
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum praises services from Cuban doctors, who often work in underserved rural areas. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed that her country will continue receiving Cuban medical workers, as part of a longstanding programme meant to build goodwill between the island and other Latin American countries. Her remarks on Wednesday come as the United States pressures Latin American countries to sever their ties to Cuba’s medical programme. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Sheinbaum, however, told reporters during a news conference that the agreement was a benefit to Mexico. Thousands of Cuban medical workers have deployed there since 2022 to work largely in poor, rural areas. “We have a very good agreement that’s also been a great help to us. It’s a bilateral agreement that’s been very beneficial for Mexico,” said Sheinbaum. “It’s hard to get Mexican doctors and specialists to go out to many rural areas where we need medical specialists, and the Cubans are willing to work there.” In February, the US passed a law that opens the door to sanctions on countries that continue to participate in the programme. It called for the US secretary of state to issue a report within 90 days about which countries continue to pay the government of Cuba for the “coerced and trafficked labour of Cuban medical professionals”. The move comes amid a wider push to further isolate Cuba and topple the government in Havana, a longtime target of US ire. So far, countries including the Bahamas, Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica and Guyana have ended their participation in the Cuban medical exchange programme. Cuba has long depicted the decades-old programme as a means of signalling solidarity with other countries. It has also become an important source of foreign revenue for the island nation, which has been under a restrictive US economic embargo since 1960. Advertisement The administration of US President Donald Trump, however, has depicted the programme as akin to forced labour. “Basically, it’s human trafficking,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in February. “I mean, they’re barely even being paid. Their freedom of movement is tightly restricted. And we want these countries to understand that’s what they’re participating in.” Experts at the United Nations have also raised similar concerns, including about the confiscation of passports, which the Cuban government justifies as a means of preventing trained doctors from fleeing the country after their state-sponsored studies. The pressure on the Cuban medical missions is part of a broader push under Trump’s second term to seek regime change on the island. By threatening tariffs on Cuba’s trading partners, Trump has largely cut the island off from accessing the foreign oil necessary to power its electrical grid. Trump has also said that he hopes to “take” Cuba and install a new government that will be more pliant to US demands. The Mexican government has tried to balance its friendly relations with Cuba with the US’s demands. In the absence of energy shipments, Sheinbaum’s government has sent vessels with humanitarian aid to the island. Adblock test (Why?)
Video shows Israeli strike hitting displacement camp in Gaza
NewsFeed Videos show the moment a strike hit a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah, with explosions and smoke rising as casualties were carried away. Israeli attacks in Gaza have continued since the US-Israeli war on Iran, with 680 killed since the October ceasefire. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Iranian foreign minister rejects talks with US
NewsFeed “No negotiations have taken place.” Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi says his country is not and will not negotiate with the US while it is under attack. A day earlier, President Trump said the US was already in talks with Iranian officials, which Tehran denied. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Philippine president declares energy emergency as impact of Iran war felt
Transport unions say the emergency declaration is a ‘superficial band-aid’ that does not address the root cause of the fuel crisis. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a national energy emergency in response to the US-Israel war on Iran and what he called the “imminent danger” posed to the country’s energy supply. The emergency declaration on Tuesday came as Philippine transport workers, commuters and consumer groups plan to hold a two-day strike from Thursday to protest the increase in fuel prices and what they say is the Marcos administration’s failure to swiftly respond. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “The declaration of a state of national energy emergency will enable the government… to implement responsive and coordinated measures under existing laws to address the risks posed by disruptions in the global energy supply and the domestic economy,” Marcos Jr said. As part of the emergency response, a committee has been formed to ensure the orderly movement, supply, distribution and availability of fuel, food, medicine, agricultural products and other essential goods, he said. The emergency declaration, which will remain in force for one year, authorises the government to procure fuel and petroleum products to ensure timely and sufficient supply and, if necessary, pay part of the contract amount in advance. Authorities are also empowered to take action against the hoarding, profiteering and manipulation of petroleum product supplies. Earlier on Tuesday, Secretary of Energy Sharon Garin told a news briefing that the country still had about 45 days of fuel supply, based on current consumption levels. Garin said the government was working to procure 1 million barrels of oil from countries within and outside Southeast Asia to build its buffer stock, but there will likely be uncertainties in reaching this level. Advertisement Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez told the Reuters news agency that Manila was working with Washington to secure exemptions that would allow for the purchase of oil from countries under US sanctions. “All options are being considered,” the ambassador said in response to whether Iranian and Venezuelan oil was part of the talks with the US. But transport unions and Philippine senators have criticised the government’s response to the crisis, accusing the Marcos administration of lacking a unified and coordinated action to mitigate the fallout from the surge in oil prices. Piston, a federation of public transport associations, described the declaration of a national energy emergency as a “superficial band-aid that deliberately ignores the structural roots of the fuel crisis”. “If the government genuinely intends to protect transport workers and commuters from this geopolitical crisis, it would immediately suspend the Excise Tax and Value-Added Tax on petroleum products to drastically lower prices overnight,” Piston said in a statement on Tuesday. “Furthermore, tasking the Department of Energy to merely monitor ‘profiteering’ is a toothless gesture as long as multinational oil cartels remain legally empowered to dictate extortionate pump prices at will.” Renato Reyes Jr, of the progressive civil society coalition Bayan, said the declaration “does not address the basic problem of runaway oil prices and [their] effects on the mass transport system and other sectors in the country”. “It does not mention removing or suspending oil taxes, which are at the core of the people’s demands,” Reyes Jr told Al Jazeera. “Where are the needed price controls?” As part of the government’s mitigation measures, students and workers in some cities are being given free access to bus rides, and the government has started to provide a 5,000 peso ($83) subsidy to motorcycle taxi drivers and other public transport workers nationwide to help them cope with soaring gasoline and diesel prices. With reporting from Manila by Michael Beltran. Adblock test (Why?)
Drone attack ignites fuel tank at Kuwait airport
NewsFeed A drone has sparked a fire at a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport as Iran continues its retaliatory attacks on Gulf Arab nations almost a month into the US-Israeli war. Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina reports from Kuwait City. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Iran says ‘non-hostile’ ships can pass safely through Strait of Hormuz
Tehran’s statement on opening of key waterway comes as US President Donald Trump says talks are taking place to end the war. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026 Iran has said that “non-hostile” ships may transit the Strait of Hormuz amid a collapse of maritime traffic through the waterway that has prompted the biggest global energy crisis in decades. In a statement on Tuesday, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said vessels may avail of “safe passage” through the waterway, “provided that they neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran and fully comply with the declared safety and security regulations.” Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Ships will be allowed to transit the strait “in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities”, the statement posted on social media said. Iran earlier shared a similar statement about the status of the strait with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN body responsible for the safety and security of international shipping. Tehran did not elaborate in the statements on what regulations vessels need to follow to safely navigate the strait, through which about one-fifth of global supplies of oil and liquified natural gas usually transit. Iran’s remarks came as United States President Donald Trump said negotiations were under way to end the US-Israel war on Iran, despite Tehran’s previous denials that the sides were in talks. While a small number of ships are passing through the strait each day, traffic remains at a fraction of the levels seen before the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28. Five vessels were tracked transiting the waterway via their automatic identification systems on Monday, down from an average of 120 daily transits before the conflict, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward. Advertisement While Iran warned in the initial days of the conflict that any ship attempting passage would face attack, officials in Tehran have in recent weeks insisted that the waterway remains open, except to “enemies”. The collapse of shipping in the strait has prompted a surge in global energy prices, with some analysts predicting oil could rise to $150 or even $200 a barrel if the waterway stays effectively closed. After hovering above $100 per barrel for much of March, Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, fell more than 9 percent on Wednesday after The New York Times, the Reuters news agency, and Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Trump administration had sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war. Asia’s major stock indexes opened higher on Wednesday amid hopes for an end to the conflict. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was up about 2.3 percent as of 02:30 GMT, while South Korea’s KOSPI was 2.6 percent higher. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index was up 0.7 percent. Adblock test (Why?)
UN experts urge Israel to free Gaza doctor amid reports of ‘severe torture’
Dr Hussam Abu Safia ‘systematically denied’ medical treatment in Israeli detention, UN special rapporteurs warn. Published On 24 Mar 202624 Mar 2026 United Nations experts are calling on Israel to immediately release Dr Hussam Abu Safia, warning that the Palestinian physician from Gaza has been subjected to “severe torture” and other abuses in Israeli detention. In a statement on Tuesday, UN special rapporteurs Tlaleng Mofokeng and Ben Saul said they had received reports that Abu Safia’s health condition “remains dire”. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “He has been systematically denied critical medical examination and treatment, and deprived of essential care to such an extent that his life, health, and wellbeing have been gravely endangered,” they said. Abu Safia, the former director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was detained by Israeli forces in December 2024 amid Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the coastal enclave. He was arrested after refusing to leave the hospital, which was the last functioning health facility in Gaza’s north, amid Israeli attacks. Like many other detainees from the Gaza Strip, Israel has held Abu Safia without charge or trial, prompting widespread condemnation. His arrest and detention are “a reflection of Israel’s systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers and the decimation of the healthcare system in Gaza in order to inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians”, Amnesty International said. In Tuesday’s statement, the UN experts said Abu Safia “has suffered an arbitrary deprivation of liberty, violation of his human rights, including the right of every human being to be free from torture and ill treatment, and his right to health is being eroded”. Advertisement They urged the international community, including countries “with influence on Israel”, to take action “to ensure prevention, recourse and justice”. “Israel must release Dr Abu Safiya and all health care workers, and ensure they have access to appropriate medical care,” they said. More than 900 attacks on healthcare sector Gaza’s healthcare network has been decimated by Israel’s war on the enclave, with more than 930 attacks on the sector recorded since October 2023, according to World Health Organization (WHO) figures from last month. All 36 hospitals in the Strip have suffered damage due to Israeli attacks, the WHO said, while only half of all hospitals are partially functional. Palestinian healthcare workers have also been targeted throughout the war. Humanitarian group Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said at least 1,722 medical workers were killed between October 2023 and October 2025 – an average of more than two killed every day. Adblock test (Why?)