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Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary of the game as Madrid host City for last 16, first leg showdown.

The move cements a US-brokered truce and signals Damascus’ intent to integrate the Kurdish-led northeast into the national government, even as thorny security and political questions remain.

Experts say the views of newly inaugurated president Jose Antonio Kast reflect deep dissatisfaction with the status quo.

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Pakistan bowled out for the lowest total in a match against Bangladesh as the latter claim 8-wicket win to open series.

IEA to release one-third of total oil reserve stock to combat energy crisis Sean Mathews on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 16:12 Vessels carrying Iranian crude for China have been passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but it's effectively closed for western ships A general view shows Ras Tanura's oil production plant near Dammam in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, on 27 December 2004 (Bilal Qabalan/AFP) Off The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday that its member countries agreed to unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves, as the US-Israeli war on Iran cut off supplies from the Gulf. "The oil market challenges we are facing are unprecedented in scale; therefore, I am very glad that IEA member countries have responded with an emergency collective action of unprecedented size," IEA executive director Fatih Birol said. The release is a historic record for IEA member countries and far exceeds the 182 million barrels of oil they released in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine jolted energy markets. The US, UK, France, Germany, and Turkey are just some of the 32 IEA members that hold over 1.2 billion barrels of public emergency oil stocks, with a further 600 million barrels of industry stocks held under government mandates. "The emergency stocks will be made available to the market over a timeframe that is appropriate to the national circumstances of each member country and will be supplemented by additional emergency measures by some countries," the IEA said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The statement, however, left key questions unanswered. For example, it did not specify how many barrels per day would be released immediately to offset Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Separately, Japan announced that it would release roughly 80 million barrels from its reserves starting on Monday, equivalent to about 45 days of supply. If that oil hits the market next week, it could be more meaningful in the short term. Roughly 20 percent of the world’s seaborne crude and natural gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz. In sum, that is around 18 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil and four million bpd of refined product crossing the strait. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed for western vessels as a result of Iranian attacks and insurance companies dropping war risk coverage for vessels. But a shadow fleet of tankers that is used to ferry Iranian crude to China has continued to transit the waterway. In fact, Iran is exporting more oil than before the war, according to data from energy firm Keplr. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 'Bottleneck' Oil and gas shipments from Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, the UAE, and Qatar, however, are effectively blocked from the Strait of Hormuz. The closure has put a spotlight on a 750-mile desert pipeline in Saudi Arabia. The East-West pipeline runs from the Abqaiq oil field on the kingdom's eastern Gulf coast to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, and can transport seven million bpd. 'Swinging into action:' The Saudi Arabian pipeline designed to bypass Hormuz Read More » The US and its allies have been able to keep the market price of Brent Crude in check by releasing reserves and leaning on Saudi Arabia’s pipeline, but experts say Brent’s price does not tell the whole story for the global economy. Brent was trading up 4.46 percent on Wednesday at $91.66 per barrel. The global economy, however, faces shortages of diesel, jet fuel, and fuel oil, which are refined products of crude oil. Releasing more Brent will not address those shortages unless Gulf refineries can resume exports through the Strait of Hormuz. “The bottleneck is in the refined products more than crude oil,” Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst and head of research at Global Risk Management, told Middle East Eye. “The market and economists don’t understand this.” War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Fire at Abu Dhabi airport under control after interception Authorities in the UAE said a fire that broke out at Abu Dhabi’s old airport has been brought under control.  The blaze followed what officials described as a successful interception by air defence systems, the Abu Dhabi media office reported. It did not specify the type of projectile involved or where it originated.

The International Energy Agency has agreed to release a record 400 million barrels of oil.

What to know about the Strait of Hormuz, a key passageway essential for global energy supply  WISN

Qatar announced a production halt at a facility last week and declared force majeure on LNG shipments.

Iraq shoots down drones near Baghdad airport Four drones were shot down near Baghdad International Airport, Iraq’s state news agency reported.  A US State Department official said a drone struck a US Embassy operations centre at the airport overnight. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity as the investigation continues, said the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center was targeted by Iran-backed military groups based in Iraq. Washington condemned the attack and said it was in contact with Iraqi authorities about steps to protect US personnel and facilities amid the US-Israeli war on Iran and its wider spillover in the region.

People on the coast of the United Arab Emirates can see oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz while playing on swings, riding horses and camping out on the beach near Khor Fakkan, as the war in Iran affects the global energy supply.

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'If I don't work, I go hungry': The migrant workers risking their lives to keep the Gulf running Areeb Ullah on Wed, 03/11/2026 - 13:54 Migrant workers from across the Gulf share the experience of having no choice but to work despite the threat posed by Iranian missile strikes Migrant workers sit on a wall against the backdrop of the city skyline as they take a break in Dubai on March 11, 2026 (AFP) Off The day after the missiles struck the Gulf, a Bangladeshi delivery rider in Dubai was back on his bike. The roads were quieter than usual, but the tips were better. But for a Pakistani rider who has spent four years working 12-hour shifts in the same city, there was never really a choice. “I came here to earn money, and working in any situation has become a necessity for me,” the driver told Middle East Eye. “Although many people feel afraid, we riders still have to continue working with courage. I get paid for every delivery. So if I do not work, I may go hungry.” The worker is one of hundreds of thousands of cleaners, construction workers, drivers and security guards keeping the Gulf running as the region comes under attack by Iranian missiles. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Since the conflict between Iran, the US and Israel escalated, Iranian strikes have killed at least 12 civilians across the Gulf states. Notably, in the UAE, every civilian casualty so far has been a migrant worker from Bangladesh, Nepal or Pakistan. Among the dead was Saleh Ahmed, 55, from Bangladesh, who was killed while delivering water in the UAE on the first day of the war.  But as missiles target the Gulf, the region’s vast population of migrant workers - who make up the majority of residents in countries such as Qatar and the UAE - are being left to fend for themselves, according to a human rights organisation with researchers embedded in the affected countries. Mustafa Qadri, executive director of Equidem, told MEE that the organisation’s network of migrant worker investigators across the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan has documented widespread panic, psychological trauma and systematic exclusion from official safety measures. “There is universal trauma, panic, worry, regardless of who the workers are,” said Qadri. Huge crude oil spike and Asia plummet: How the Iran war hit the markets Read More » “And I’m talking about workers that come from different countries, different jobs - both men and women.” Qadri said workers face two distinct forms of discrimination. The first is exclusion from official safety communications. While some formal statements have referenced all residents, workers on the ground say they have not received meaningful guidance on shelters, evacuation routes or emergency support. The second is structural discrimination. As essential workers in every sector of Gulf society - construction, hospitality, healthcare, security, domestic service and logistics - many of these workers are required to continue working through attacks, often moving toward danger rather than away from it. "There is a conscious choice made to get workers that are from relatively poor countries, who don't get paid as much and have a lot less power in the social dynamic of these countries, to do this difficult work - because they're less likely to complain or to demand protection," Qadri said. Particularly alarming, he added, is the situation of delivery riders and other gig economy workers, who remain on the streets while their wealthier clients shelter at home. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); And since the start of the conflict, more and more residents in the Gulf are using delivery services, opting to stay inside instead of venturing out to buy basic goods and necessities.  ‘Back to back orders’ MEE spoke to three delivery riders working for major platforms in the UAE, all of whom described continuing to work through the attacks with no instruction, support or choice. The drivers described an increased workload since the onset of the war and wished to remain anonymous to protect their employment. 'Although many people feel afraid, we riders still have to continue working with courage.... If I do not work, I may go hungry' - Pakistani delivery driver in Dubai A Bangladeshi rider who has worked for his company for two years said that on the day of the first attack, the roads were empty. But the day after, he was back out making deliveries. Customers, he noted, were tipping more generously than usual. A Pakistani rider based in Abu Dhabi, who has been in the country for five years, described the days immediately following the attack as relentless. With many local residents refusing to leave their homes, orders kept flooding in. “I worked day and night, taking only short rests,” he told MEE. He believed only around 70 percent of the usual number of people were out on the roads. People, he suspected, were bulk-ordering food and groceries in anticipation of the situation worsening. Another Pakistani rider in Dubai, who has worked for the same company for four years, described a system that offers no margin for fear. He lives in a shared rented room with friends, works 12-hour commission-based shifts, and said stopping was not an option. “The company only pays me for the orders I complete,” he said. “If I do not work, I do not earn anything.” As the attacks unfold, migrant workers are also becoming the primary witnesses documenting their impact. Much of the visual documentation of strike impacts circulating online has been captured and shared by migrant workers filming on their phones. The war on Iran has ignited rare civil unrest in Bahrain Read More » Earlier this week, Bahrain arrested five Pakistanis and one Bangladeshi worker for allegedly praising Iranian strikes while filming footage of the aftermath of the attacks. Qadri fears more workers could face arrest and bear the brunt of any further crackdown, particularly in the UAE, which has a strong track record of imprisoning people who film security-related incidents. "It's very similar to Gaza, where the most vulnerable people in a society become the eyes and ears in a conflict zone," Qadri said. "They should not face persecution for doing that." Compounding the crisis is the historically poor record of sending countries - among them Nepal, Kenya, India, Bangladesh and Ethiopia - in providing meaningful consular support to their nationals. While communities back home are pressing their governments to act, Qadri said the response so far has been inadequate. Workers on US and western military bases in the Gulf, many of them Nepali nationals hired specifically because of Nepal’s perceived neutrality, are thought to be particularly exposed. Standard operating procedures on such bases typically evacuate western civilians when risk rises - while essential services continue to be run by migrant workers who remain behind. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "The US, which started this war, and other western nations, which are mostly indirectly supporting it - they've got a lot of political pressure to get their own nationals out of the region. So there's not much pressure from those states to make sure migrant workers are protected," Qadri said. Numbness In Qatar, Shaheen Abdullah was turning onto the main road near his house when the explosions began. He stopped the car. A piece of shrapnel, still on fire, fell directly in front of him. His family, in the car behind, saw everything. “I wish they hadn’t seen it,” he told Middle East Eye. He called the police. While they put him on hold, officers arrived and cordoned off the area. “I was stunned by the moment, but then I didn’t give it much thought.” Iran war and Hormuz shock fuels cost-of-living crisis across South Asia Read More » That numbness, he says, has become the norm. Abdullah runs a shop in Doha and describes a community of migrant workers who have no option but to absorb what is happening and carry on - the shops, restaurants and delivery services cannot close. “Nobody can take a day off,” he said. He also points to a sharp disparity in how different communities are responding. “Everyone is watching how European countries are evacuating their citizens,” he said. “But evacuations are not in the minds of people who have nothing to go back to. They can’t afford any of that.” When the conflict does come up in conversation within his community, Abdullah says the discussion rarely turns to personal safety. “The conversations are not about wellbeing or safety. They’re political and existential.” Trauma, he says, goes unspoken. “Mental health is passive. It’s about being prepared and navigating this if it prolongs. Spending 15 minutes of our day worrying about falling shrapnel is something people have made peace with.” War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

British prime minister received document in 2024, before appointing Peter Mandelson as Washington ambassador, in which officials worried about his ties to convicted sex offender The post Files show UK’s Starmer was warned of ‘reputational risk’ to Epstein-linked US envoy appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Iran is not in a position to participate in the 2026 World Cup, says the country's Minister of Sports and Youth.

Pace of Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes Appears to Be Slowing  The New York Times

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - Iran has deployed about a dozen mines in the Strait of Hormuz, two sources familiar with the matter said, in a move likely to complicate the reopening of the narrow waterway, an important route for shipping oil and liquefied natural gas. Exports of oil and LNG through the strategic chokepoint along Iran's coast have effectively been halted by the war launched 12 days ago by the United States and Israel, helping to drive a surge in world energy prices.

Iran deploys mines in Strait of Hormuz, sources tell Reuters Iran has deployed around a dozen naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, potentially complicating efforts to reopen the crucial shipping route, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, corroborating earlier reporting by CNN.  The strategic waterway, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes, has effectively been shut to exports since the war between the US, Israel and Iran began nearly two weeks ago. According to the sources cited by Reuters, the locations of most of the mines are known, though it remains unclear how the US plans to deal with them. Iran has long warned it could mine the strait in response to military attacks, a move that could give Tehran significant leverage over global energy markets. The US military has targeted Iranian mine-laying vessels, destroying 16 earlier this week. President Donald Trump has demanded that Iran remove any mines from the strait immediately, warning there would be military consequences if it does not.

Lloyd’s of London stresses it is still insuring shipping in strait of Hormuz  The Guardian