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March 18 (Reuters) - Several loud bangs were heard in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Wednesday and some of the city's residents received phone alerts for the first time warning them of a hostile aerial threat, a Reuters witness in the city said. (Reporting by Timour Azhari. Editing by Jane Merriman)

By Joshua McElwee ROME, March 18 (Reuters) - The Vatican's top diplomat on Wednesday called on U.S. President Donald Trump to end the expanding Iran war as soon as possible and suggested Israel should also stop its strikes against Lebanon. "I would say to finish it as soon as possible ... and to leave alone Lebanon," Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a senior advisor to the American Pope Leo, said in an unusually direct appeal. "This message goes also to the Israelis," he added, speaking to journalists at an event at the Italian parliament.

An international media association on Wednesday criticised an "unprovoked assault" by Israeli police on journalists in Jerusalem, which it said left a CNN producer with a fractured wrist. The Foreign Press Association (FPA) said police officers on Tuesday night "unnecessarily and aggressively repelled a group of journalists who were doing their jobs, documenting individuals who were praying outside the walls of the Old City". It said police detained several journalists, damaging photographic equipment and confiscating memory cards.

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World Health Organization staff remain ‘vigiliant’ in the event of a nuclear incident

Readers respond to Gordon Brown’s article about the effects of war on children following the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, Iran We welcome Gordon Brown’s powerful focus on the traumatic effects of war on children in Iran (Children killed, a school turned into a graveyard: even in wartime, we can’t accept this, 12 March). In our work with child psychologists in Ukraine, Gaza and other conflict zones, we have seen how wars blight the lives not only of children who are injured but also of those who lose their homes, families and communities. Disrupted schooling, displacement to other countries, bereavement in their peer group and family, witnessing the horrors of conflict and feeling the terrors of air raids or ground attacks – all of these catastrophic experiences can lead to lifelong psychological disturbance. Continue reading...

A crowd celebrating Chaharshanbe Suri in Tehran were forced to flee after gunshots disrupted their event.

US presidents have long bypassed Congress's authority and dissenting lawmakers have often tried to fight back.

Pakistani minister says five-day pause, to begin at midnight Thursday, requested by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkiye.

Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon says any move by President Donald Trump to pull U.S. from transatlantic military alliance would have dire consequences for him domestically

Damage to Iranian nuclear site not ‘very significant’ and ‘no casualties’, says IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi told reporters that the strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear site did not hit the actual power plant but landed on the premises, not causing any "very significant" damage. “The reactors have not been affected and there are no casualties,” Grossi reported, but added that the IAEA had not independently confirmed the damage. Nevertheless, he emphasised that “any attack on any nuclear facility should always be avoided”.

Trump ally warns US economy not strong enough to cope with Iran war  Financial Times

Canadian ships stuck in Persian Gulf as blockade of Strait of Hormuz continues  Coast Reporter

Russia says shipping can return to Strait of Hormuz through diplomacy Negotiations are the only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for shipping, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.  It comes as maritime traffic through the key waterway is still suspended due to Iranian threats and attacks on ships following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

JUST IN: Iran War Affecting Ukraine's Fight, Estonian Official Says  National Defense Magazine

Iran's threats against Jordan come as King Abdulah visits the Gulf and Jordan continues to host thousands of US troops.

MADRID, March 18 (Reuters) - Spain plans to evacuate and relocate troops deployed in Iraq in the coming days due to the conflict in Iran and the wider Gulf region, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday. Around 300 Spanish troops are deployed in Iraq, both as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State formed in 2015 under Operation Inherent Resolve and a separate NATO mission advising Iraqi government forces since 2018.

By Jonathan Saul LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - A proposal from the UN's shipping agency on Wednesday calls for a safe maritime corridor to free some 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf by war in Iran. Hundreds of vessels have dropped anchor since Tehran threatened to attack ships attempting to leave the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal submitted by Bahrain, Japan, Panama, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates and backed on Wednesday by the United States called for "a framework such as a safe maritime corridor".

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