New York (AFP) Mar 6, 2026 - Four years ago, NASA purposely smashed a spacecraft into a small asteroid to see if they could deflect it - a test to prove humanity could protect Earth from threatening space rocks.
Beijing (AFP) Mar 6, 2026 - China's leaders are 'clearly aware' of challenges facing growth, the head of the country's top economic planning body said on Friday, vowing to boost sluggish domestic consumption.
Paris, France (AFP) Mar 6, 2026 - Planet Labs PBC, a leading provider of high resolution images taken from space, said Friday it would hold back for 96 hours images of Gulf states targeted by Iranian drone attacks.
Washington, United States (AFP) Mar 6, 2026 - Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has said the company has 'no choice' but to challenge in court the Pentagon's formal designation of the artificial intelligence firm as a risk to US national security.
Abu Dhabi (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - Debris from a drone injured six people in an industrial zone of the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi on Thursday, while Dubai, Doha and Manama were subjected to missile attacks as Iran pressed on with a retaliation campaign.
Seoul (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw tests this week of his country's naval destroyer, claiming Pyongyang is in the process of 'arming the Navy with nuclear weapons', state media reported Thursday.
Paris, France (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - Iran's internet is still 'around 1 percent of ordinary levels', monitor Netblocks said on Thursday, leaving most Iranians struggling to access independent news or communicate with the outside world.
Rome (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - Italy will send air-defence assistance to Gulf countries hit by Iranian strikes launched in retaliation for US-Israeli attacks, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Thursday.
Baku (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - Azerbaijan said it was preparing to retaliate after two people were wounded on Thursday in Iranian drone hits on an airport and near a school.
Beijing (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - China has expressed its anger over Israeli-US strikes on Iran but, despite hits to its oil imports, will not risk its interests by confronting Washington and helping its long-standing partner, analysts say.
London (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - Britain's defence minister John Healey arrived in Cyprus Thursday, following a drone strike on a UK air base on the Mediterranean island.
Tehran (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - Israel on Thursday launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, which stepped up its attacks on Gulf nations Qatar and Bahrain, as the Middle East war spread throughout the region and beyond.
Doha (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - Multiple rounds of explosions echoed over the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday just hours after officials said they were evacuating residents living near the US embassy.
Taipei (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - Taiwan's main opposition party said Thursday it will back more than $11 billion in special funding for US weapons purchases and left the door open to more acquisitions, but insisted it will not write a 'blank cheque' for the government.
Kuwait City (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - A tanker was hit by a 'large explosion' in waters off Kuwait, causing an oil spill, British maritime security agency UKMTO said Thursday, as the US-Iran-Israel war paralysed Gulf shipping.
Tampa, United States (AFP) Mar 5, 2026 - The United States has sunk more than 30 Iranian ships during the ongoing war, while ballistic missile and drone attacks by Tehran's forces are down substantially, a top US military officer said Thursday.
