Mexico considering social media restriction for minors: minister to AFP
MEXICO CITY, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Mexico is considering implementing an Australia-style social media restriction for minors, Public Education Secretary Mario Delgado told AFP. Several nations are toughening up age restrictions on social media platforms as concerns grow over excessive screen time for children and their exposure to harmful content online. Australia has since December required TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and other top social media services to remove accounts held by under-16s, or face heavy fines. French lawmakers in January approved a social media ban for under-15s, although it still needs to be ratified by the Senate. And that's where we should think about setting certain limits," Delgado told AFP.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:49 UTC
Oil up in Asian trade despite reserves release
TOKYO, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Oil rose in Asia on Thursday even after announcements of huge releases of crude from strategic reserves in an attempt to bring down prices in the wake of the Iran war. The United States Department of Energy said Wednesday it will release 172 million barrels from the strategic petroleum reserve "beginning next week". The release would "take approximately 120 days to deliver based on planned discharge rates," the agency said in a post to X. On Wednesday the International Energy Agency had announced that its members had agreed to unlock 400 million barrels of oil from their reserves -- their largest release ever. Japan said it would release oil reserves as early as Monday, while Germany said it planned to do the same, without specifying a date.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:34 UTC
One killed in attack on oil tankers off Iraq, rescue operation ongoing: authorities
One killed in attack on oil tankers off Iraq, rescue operation ongoing: authoritiesBAGHDAD, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - An attack on two oil tankers near Iraq killed at least one crew member, authorities said on Thursday, as Iran carries out a campaign to disrupt global energy markets. Farhan Al-Fartousi, from Iraq's General Company for Ports, told state television that one crew member had been killed and 38 rescued while the "search continues for the missing." Images of a ship at sea with plumes of smoke rising from a huge fire, were broadcast by state television channel al-Ikhbariya. An employee at Iraq's Basra oil terminal told AFP that it was unclear "whether it was a drone attack or explosive-laded boats". The attack in Iraq comes just hours after the US embassy in Baghdad warned that Iran and Tehran-backed Iraqi armed groups might target US-owned oil facilities in Iraq.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:29 UTC
NASA’s Artemis Program Opens a New Era of Scientific Discovery
The first phase of the program, Artemis I, occurred in November 2022 and demonstrated that NASA’s new technology can operate in space. The first phase of the Artemis program already demonstrated that NASA’s new systems could safely operate beyond Earth. Beyond enabling future telescopes and missions, Artemis is expected to transform how scientists study the Moon itself. Unlike Earth, where erosion and plate tectonics have erased much of the planet’s early history, the lunar surface preserves a record of the early solar system, Teece said. With two phases of the program remaining, Artemis is also shaping opportunities for the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Source:Daily Sun
March 12, 2026 03:28 UTC
Israel pounds south Beirut as Hezbollah launches new rocket attack
BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Israel pounded Beirut's southern suburbs late Wednesday night, while militant group Hezbollah fired rockets and missiles at northern Israel in a new operation, as the death toll in Lebanon climbed past 630. The Israeli military said late Wednesday that it had launched a new wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in south Beirut -- a stronghold of the Iran-backed group -- vowing to act with "great force" there after the military reported rocket fire from Hezbollah towards Israel. - 'Rapid security developments' -Israeli air raids also pounded southern and eastern Lebanon on Wednesday, with the NNA reporting strikes in several areas. In New York, senior UN officials and member states called for an end to fighting in Lebanon at a Security Council meeting. Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon said Israeli forces would continue to operate in Lebanon "as long (as) there will be a threat against us".
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:23 UTC
PSG hit five to stun Chelsea in Champions League last 16, first leg
PSG hit five to stun Chelsea in Champions League last 16, first legPARIS, France, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A gift by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen and two late goals by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave title holders Paris Saint-Germain a stunning 5-2 win over the English side in a thrilling Champions League last 16, first leg on Wednesday. They also have a different coach now, of course, with Liam Rosenior having succeeded Enzo Maresca in the dugout in January. The Russian redeemed himself on 39 minutes by parrying a Cole Palmer shot, 14 seconds before Dembele made it 2-1. His 12th goal of the season separated the teams at half-time, but again Chelsea hit back to equalise as the hour approached. Pedro Neto flew down the left and cut the ball back for the unmarked Fernandez to fire in first-time.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:19 UTC
Real Madrid run riot as Valverde treble stuns Man City
MADRID, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Federico Valverde's superb first-half hat-trick helped Real Madrid demolish Manchester City 3-0 in a surprise Champions League last 16 first leg rout on Wednesday. Los Blancos were missing several key players including Kylian Mbappe but Uruguayan midfielder Valverde's stunning treble, netted inside a 22-minute spell, crushed Pep Guardiola's team at the Santiago Bernabeu. City, who won the competition for the first and only time in 2023, even beat Madrid in the league phase and have strengthened since then. Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi made their Champions League debuts and for an all-too-brief period City seemed to be settling in at the Bernabeu. Nico O'Reilly misjudged it and the Madrid midfielder blazed through on goal.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:15 UTC
Hungary sends team to Ukraine, Kyiv says they were not invited
Hungary sends team to Ukraine, Kyiv says they were not invitedBUDAPEST, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A row between Ukraine and Hungary over a pipeline carrying Russian oil appeared to deepen Wednesday when Budapest said it had dispatched a delegation for talks, only for Kyiv to deny the group had any official status. Hungary and neighbouring Slovakia accuse Kyiv of deliberately delaying reopening the Druzhba pipeline pumping Russian oil to the two landlocked states. Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Budapest had notified Ukraine of the visit in advance via an "official diplomatic note". Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has urged the European Union to suspend sanctions on Russian oil and gas to counter rising prices since the Middle East war erupted. Ukraine accused Hungary of kidnapping them and threatened to hit back with sanctions.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:15 UTC
War likely to worsen repression in Iran: UN probe
GENEVA, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The war in the Middle East is likely to result in worsening institutionalised repression of Iranian citizens, UN-mandated investigators probing rights abuses in Iran said Wednesday. Iran's deepening human rights crisis "is likely to worsen in the wake of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran and Iran's retaliatory strikes across the region", the mission said in a statement. The three-person mission is tasked with gathering and preserving evidence of rights violations in Iran. "The human rights situation in Iran has been severely exacerbated by the US-Israeli air strikes since February 28," the report said. It also found that "many gross human rights violations by Iran amount to the crimes against humanity of murder, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, gender persecution, enforced disappearance and other inhumane acts".
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:14 UTC
Berlin airport briefly suspends operations over drone sighting
BERLIN, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Berlin airport had to briefly suspend takeoff and landing operations on Wednesday after a drone sighting, the latest in a series of such incidents in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. An airport spokesman told AFP operations were suspended "as a safety precaution" for around half an hour after "an unidentified flying object was seen" near a helicopter hangar used by the German army. Police were called in to investigate the sighting, but the object was not spotted again. Shortly after 7:10 pm (1810 GMT), restrictions were lifted and traffic resumed as normal, the spokesman said. In October, drones spotted over the southern city of Munich twice shuttered its airport, grounding thousands of passengers after their flights were cancelled or rerouted.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:09 UTC
US embassy warns Iran, proxies might target US-owned oil facilities in Iraq
US embassy warns Iran, proxies might target US-owned oil facilities in IraqBAGHDAD, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US embassy in Baghdad warned on Wednesday that Iran and Tehran-backed Iraqi armed groups might target US-owned oil facilities in Iraq. Several oil fields and facilities in Iraq have been hit by drones since the Middle East war began on February 28. "Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist militias may be planning to target US-owned oil and energy infrastructure in Iraq," the embassy said on X.Iraq's oil ministry spokesperson Saheb Bazoun told AFP on Tuesday that many foreign company employees have left the country since the start of the war. Last month, Iraq and US energy giant Chevron signed deals to manage and develop several oil fields, mostly in the country's south. Iraq is a founding member of the OPEC cartel, and crude oil sales make up 90 percent of the country's budget revenues.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:09 UTC
What we know about the strike on an Iran school
What we know about the strike on an Iran schoolPARIS, France, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran has accused the United States and Israel of conducting a deadly missile attack on a school on the first day of the Middle East war. Here is what we know about the strike:- What Iran says -The strike and an initial toll were first reported by Iranian media citing the governor of Minab, a county in southern Iran, on February 28. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the school was hit by a US Tomahawk missile because of a targeting mistake. The newspaper, citing US officials, said the investigation was ongoing, but preliminary findings were that the United States was responsible. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week the United States would not intentionally target a school.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:09 UTC
War disrupts fertiliser supplies, puts food security at risk
That has sent global fertiliser prices soaring, with the UN expressing concern in particular about the impact on developing countries. - The Gulf is a key manufacturer -Natural gas is a key feedstock to make artificial fertilsers, and with its ample gas supplies the Gulf region has become a key manufacturer. It also produces a quarter of globally traded ammonia, another feedstock for fertiliser production, she said. INREA models that without these three key fertiliser inputs, global crop production would fall by a third. - Uncertain outlook -In addition to the uncertainty about how long the war will last, the other question is the amount of damage that fertiliser production facilities will suffer from the fighting.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 03:04 UTC
Iran military says will hit US, Israeli economic targets in region
Iran military says will hit US, Israeli economic targets in regionTEHRAN, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran's military vowed on Wednesday to launch strikes against US and Israeli economic targets in the region, including banks, after overnight attacks hit an Iranian bank. It urged people across the region to refrain from going within one kilometre (half a mile) of banks. Iranian media said US and Israeli strikes hit a bank in Tehran overnight, killing an unspecified number of staff. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said that "a branch of my country's oldest bank was bombed while full of employees". "Our Powerful Armed Forces will exact retribution for this crime," he added on X.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 02:59 UTC
UN Security Council demands Iran halt attacks on Gulf states
UNITED NATIONS, United States, March 12, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The UN Security Council on Wednesday passed a resolution calling for Iran to immediately halt its attacks on Gulf states, saying they breach international law and pose a "serious threat to international peace and security." The resolution, passed by 13 votes with two abstentions, "demands the immediate cessation of all attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan." It also "condemns any actions or threats by the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed at closing, obstructing, or otherwise interfering with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz." Iran has struck Gulf states in retaliation to US-Israeli attacks that killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Islamic republic has also fired on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial sea passage for the global fuel trade, in a bid to inflict pain on the global economy.
Source:Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
March 12, 2026 02:59 UTC