JERUSALEM, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iranian missile attacks have killed three Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank and a foreign worker in central Israel, medics said Thursday. The news agency said missile fragments landed in multiple locations across the West Bank, including within the city of Hebron, after Israel's military reported another round of Iranian missile launches. Israel's Magen David Adom medical emergency service described the victim as a "foreign worker", with Israeli media reports saying he was a Thai national working in agriculture. He was killed in Moshav Adanim, a town about 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Tel Aviv and less then eight kilometres from the West Bank, according to the Israeli medical service. The UAE itself has suffered numerous Iranian attacks since the war began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a massive wave of strikes on Iran.

“As many of you know, BLM leadership has transferred me to the National Operations Center,” Vilsack wrote in a letter to BLM employees Wednesday. Vilsack told Colorado BLM employees that Brian St. George, the associate state director, would be helping the agency build its strategic plan through 2030. Karren Haslam, the deputy state director for support services, will serve as associate state director. He is among several Western BLM state directors who have been shuffled under the Trump administration, with acting state directors in Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. As the BLM’s Colorado state director, Vilsack oversaw management of 8.3 million surface acres and 27 million underground acres.

The Denver group planning an April march and celebration of renowned labor and migrant leader César Chávez said Wednesday it would cancel the event in light of credible allegations of sexual abuse by the late Hispanic icon. The César Chávez Peace and Justice Committee of Denver had planned their event for April 11, but issued an unambiguous cancellation on Facebook. “The César Chávez Peace and Justice Committee of Denver has reviewed the allegations against César Chávez,” the statement said. Chávez marches and celebrations in other cities are also being canceled. The Denver Public Library has a César Chávez Latino Leadership Hall of Fame Award.

HONG KONG, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Hong Kong aviation giant Cathay Pacific has suspended flights to and from Dubai until the end of April over the war in the Middle East. "In view of the developing situation in the Middle East, all Cathay Pacific flights to and from Dubai have been cancelled up to and including 30 April 2026," the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Cathay had previously axed all flights to Dubai and Riyadh in March, extending earlier suspensions. Hong Kong Airlines also increased its fuel surcharge on Tuesday for a second time in just over a week. Cathay previously said extra flights to Europe would be operated in March to cater for an upsurge in demand.

MOSCOW, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian drone strikes on Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea killed a man and wounded two other people, the city's Moscow-installed governor said on Thursday. Sevastopol, which is the historic home of the Russian navy's Black Sea fleet, has been heavily targeted by Ukraine throughout the four-year conflict. "Air defense forces and our Black Sea Fleet have repelled the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack. "A man who was in a private home in a gardening community during the attack died as a result of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack on Sevastopol," he said, adding two other people received moderate injuries. Ukrainian authorities also reported strikes in the Black Sea port city of Odesa wounded three people.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - EU leaders converge on Brussels Thursday hoping to unlock a massive loan for Kyiv, with the much-needed funding ensnared in a standoff between Hungary's Viktor Orban and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky. "If President Zelensky wants to get his money from Brussels, then the Druzhba pipeline must be reopened." But the frustration is palpable that Orban should renege on a loan he personally greenlit at a previous summit in December. "Everybody wants this to be resolved," summed up an EU diplomat, saying fellow capitals were "more or less fed up" with the Hungarian leader's behaviour. Facing a budget shortfall four years into the war, Kyiv is estimated to need an influx of funds in early May -- implying a decision to unlock the EU loan by mid-April.

TORUN, Poland, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Armand Duplantis and Keely Hodgkinson headline the world indoor athletics championships that kick off in Torun, Poland, on Friday. AFP Sport looks at five stand-out events from the March 20-22 champs:- Women's 800m -All eyes will be on Keely Hodgkinson after the Briton smashed the indoor 800m world record last month. - Men's pole vault -A fourth world indoor title -- to match Sergey Bubka -- beckons for Sweden's Armand Duplantis, fresh from setting a 15th world record, of 6.31m, last week. The 26-year-old, who set his first ever world record in Torun in 2020, has won the past three world indoor titles with the three highest vaults in world indoor history: 6.20m in 2022, 6.05m in 2024 and 6.15m in 2025. - Women's high jump -World record-holder and Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh will be aiming to regain the world indoor title she last won in Belgrade in 2022.

Reading time: about 6 minutesThe Blaschka Glass Invertebrates Collection was recently moved from Corson-Mudd Hall to the Museum of the Earth due to construction in Corson-Mudd Hall. The collection of glass models of soft-bodied organisms were made in the late 1800s by father and son Leopold Blaschka and Rudolf Blaschka, who created between 10,000 to 15,000 glass models of invertebrates in their careers. Samantha Miculinich A shelf of Jellyfish glass models, part of the Cornell Collection of Blaschka Invertebrate Models on display in Mann Library. Samantha Miculinich A collection of glass Sea Anenome models from the Cornell Collection of Blaschka Invertebrate Models in Mann Library. Visitors can view the Blaschka Glass Invertebrates Exhibit in the Museum of the Earth, or a permanent, small collection of around 50 glass models in Mann Library open to the public.

LONDON, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Gulf states and Western nations strongly criticised Iran at an emergency meeting Wednesday of the UN's maritime body, convened amid growing fears for thousands of stranded ships and seafarers. Numerous nations used opening statements at the International Maritime Organization gathering to lambast Tehran's response to US-Israeli strikes, which has seen Iran target Gulf countries and commercial shipping. "Qatar resolutely condemns the attacks and threats from ... Iran perpetrated against merchant vessels and seafarers as well as shipping infrastructure in the region," the Gulf state's IMO delegate told the meeting. - 'Unlawful' -In response, Iran blamed "the recent unlawful use of force and military aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime". - 'Maritime corridor' -Maritime industry bodies have echoed that, urging a "coordinated international approach to security" while demanding that "seafarer welfare must be taken into account".

DOVER, United States, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump attended the return Wednesday of six crew members killed when their refueling aircraft crashed during the Iran war. The KC-135 plane crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, bringing the number of US troops killed in the joint US-Israeli operation to at least 13. "Their courage will never be forgotten," the White House said on X after the event, which was closed to the media at the request of the families. Trump, wearing a black overcoat, saluted as flag-draped coffins were removed from the back of a transport plane, according to photographs released by the White House said. At the time the White House accused Trump's critics of "disgustingly playing partisan politics."

So what happens in the Middle East simply cannot be ignored. Given the fractious nature of the Middle East countries, with no dominant power, it is only human nature that a tyrant and his henchmen attempt to control the great riches of the Middle East oil reserves. We saw that with Saddam Hussein, a cruel man who ruled by terror and murder, who eventually invaded Iran and Kuwait until the United States finally intervened and stopped his march to Middle East domination. This was a clear sign that Iran strove to dominate and conquer the Middle East. Whether Iran would ever use a bomb is unknown, but clearly, they would use the bomb as leverage over the oil-rich Middle East.

Brazil lowers benchmark rate to 14.75%, first cut in nearly two yearsBRASÍLIA, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Brazil's Central Bank lowered its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday for the first time in nearly two years, though it urged caution due to fuel price volatility caused by the Iran war. The bank lowered the key rate, known as the Selic and currently one of the highest in the world, to 14.75 percent from 15 percent. "Such a situation demands caution on the part of emerging economies, in a context of increased price volatility for financial assets and raw materials," it added. Brazil's inflation slowed to an annual rate of 3.8 percent in February, within the range targeted by the central bank. But economists noted the decline was due in part to lower fuel prices -- which could again turn higher if the war in the Middle East drags on.

Pro-Iran Iraqi armed group says will stop US embassy attacks, under conditionsBAGHDAD, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - An influential pro-Iranian armed group in Iraq pledged early Thursday to stop attacking the US embassy for five days, subject to several conditions including that Israel stop strikes on parts of Beirut. AFP reported no drone or rocket attacks so far on the US embassy in Iraq's capital Baghdad between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Strikes have targeted Iran-backed groups, which in turn have claimed near daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region. Kataeb Hezbollah said the group's secretary-general had "issued orders to suspend operations targeting the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for a period of five days". The US embassy has been targeted by drone and rocket attacks several times in recent days, with air defences intercepting most of the projectiles.

Tehran, following a strike on its South Pars field, said it would respond forcefully to any further attacks on its energy sector. "If it is repeated again, further attacks on your energy infrastructure and that of your allies will not stop until it is completely destroyed." Saudi Arabia also said it intercepted drones targeting energy infrastructure in the east, while debris from a ballistic missile landed near a refinery south of Riyadh. - 'Cowardly assassination' -French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to his US counterpart Donald Trump and the Emir of Qatar, and called for a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure. Strikes also hit multiple sites overnight, while Iranian media reported fresh bombardment across several regions, including Tehran.

DUBAI, March 19, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Abu Dhabi has shut down operations at a gas facility due to falling debris from missile interceptions, the Emirati capital's media office said on Thursday. "Abu Dhabi authorities are responding to incidents at the Habshan gas facilities and at the Bab (oil) field caused by falling debris from the successful interception of missiles," Abu Dhabi's media office posted on X. "The gas facilities have been shut down," it said, adding no injuries had been reported. The United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry expressed "strong condemnation" of the attack, which it blamed on Iran. "These attacks constitute a serious escalation and a violation of the principles of international law," the ministry said in a statement posted on X.Iran warned on Wednesday that it would destroy Gulf nations' oil and gas industries, which it considers American interests, if its own energy sector is harmed again following a strike on its South Pars field, the world's largest gas reserve.