World

The US Senate on Friday passed legislation to unlock funding for paying tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers who were forced to go five weeks without pay due to a partial government shutdown. This move came after 50,000 TSA agents faced financial hardship as the White House and Congress clashed over immigration enforcement and budgetary allocations, causing massive disruptions at airports nationwide.

In Tashkent, the construction of four artificial lakes and reservoirs is planned by the end of 2026. This was announced by the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, citing a corresponding presidential decree. The project is part of efforts to improve the city's ecological situation and combat climate change.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the signing of an "important arrangement" with Saudi Arabia, purportedly laying the groundwork for future contracts, technological cooperation, and investment. In a post on X, Zelenskyy claimed that "Saudi Arabia also has capabilities that are of interest to Ukraine, and this cooperation can be mutually beneficial." However, Saudi authorities have not confirmed this defense pact, raising questions about its actual implementation and scope amid ongoing regional instability.

In India's flood-prone regions, escalating climate-related disasters disproportionately impact marginalized communities, compounding their vulnerabilities. In Kharballi village in Assam's Barpeta district, Amir Hussen, 47, stated he has lost his house 17 times to riverbank erosion: "Wherever there are floods, there is erosion... When we try to find our footing, due to floods, our house gets washed away." Villages like Kharballi, built along shifting riverbanks, see floods routinely erase homes, farmland, and livelihoods, forcing families to relocate repeatedly, often rebuilding on borrowed land or narrow strips left by the river.

The Austrian government has announced plans to introduce a mandatory ban on social media use for children under 14 years old. Conservative junior minister for digitisation Alexander Proll confirmed the decision at a joint press conference on Friday, stating that draft legislation would be prepared by June, with cabinet members from other governing parties in attendance.

Yemen's Houthi rebels, allied with Iran, are not currently actively participating in the war against the United States and Israel. However, an Iranian military official told the Tasnim news agency that if the US attacks Iran's oil facilities on Kharg Island, Tehran could choose to destabilize the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off Yemen's coast.

France’s Sports Minister Marina Ferrari has condemned the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to introduce genetic testing for women’s events as a “step backwards”, warning it raises major ethical, legal, and scientific concerns. In a statement on Friday, Ferrari expressed the French government’s “deep concern” over the ruling, opposing any broad use of genetic screening that conflicts with French bioethics legislation. She highlighted that such tests, initially introduced in 1967, were discontinued in 1999 due to scientific reservations, and France regrets this regression.

In the war initiated by the US and Israeli regimes, the initiative currently lies with Iran. Over the past month, the conflict has not moved toward resolution but instead toward escalation. The US and Israeli leadership had hoped to eliminate Iran's leadership and collapse its political system, but this failed to materialize, leading to a protracted war.

Mohaddeseh Fallahat recalls combing her children's hair on the morning of February 28, tying their shoes, and lifting their backpacks before kissing them goodbye. Addressing a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva via videolink on Friday, she stated, "That morning was like any other. There was no sign that this would be the last time. As they walked out the door, they simply said, 'Mum, come pick us up after school.' That simple sentence now repeats in my mind 1,000 times, and each time my heart burns with pain."

The World Bank has approved a $10.6 million grant to Uzbekistan aimed at reducing leaks in the country's aging gas transmission infrastructure and ensuring supply to households and industrial enterprises. The bank's representative office in Uzbekistan officially announced this decision.

The Pakistani government has announced the resumption of military operations in Afghanistan. According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 26, the temporary ceasefire that was in effect during the Ramadan holiday has ended, and expectations for a long-term cessation of hostilities have not been met.

The European Union (EU) regime has announced it will introduce handling fees for small packages arriving from outside the bloc starting November 1. This fee will be charged in addition to a customs tax on such items that goes into effect in July. The EU Parliament and the European Council on Thursday voted to introduce the handling fees, with the European Commission required to set the amount, which is likely to be around €2 ($2.30) per package.