TOKYO, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwest region near China, its defence minister said Tuesday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. "Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country... while ensuring the safety of our personnel," said Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. Japan has long had a policy to use its military only for self defence in its most strict meaning. China is beefing up its military and is engaged in a number of territorial disputes with other countries in the region, including Japan over the Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu in China.

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TEHRAN, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iranian media reported Tuesday that initial investigations indicated strikes in central Iran had hit some "military sites", without specifying the locations. "Initial investigations indicate that some military locations in Isfahan were targeted," the Fars news agency quoted Akbar Salehi, a security official at the governor's office in Isfahan province, as saying. The official also said the extent of the damage and any casualties were not immediately clear.

Bhutan Ambassador to Bangladesh Dasho Karma Hamu Dorjee today called on Minister for Posts and Telecommunication, ICT Division and Science and Technology Faqir Mahbub Anam. Photo: PIDDHAKA, Mar 31, 2026 (BSS) - Bhutan Ambassador to Bangladesh Dasho Karma Hamu Dorjee today called on Minister for Posts and Telecommunication, ICT Division and Science and Technology Faqir Mahbub Anam. The Bhutanese envoy met the minister at the Secretariat here, a handout said. During the meeting, they discussed strengthening cooperation in the telecommunications and information technology sectors between the two countries in detail. Among others, Posts and Telecommunications Division Secretary Abdun Naser Khan, Political Counselor of the Bhutanese Embassy in Dhaka Jigdrel Y Tshering and Counselor for Trade Affairs Dawa Tshering were present at the meeting.

MONTERREY, Mexico, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iraq coach Graham Arnold said Monday he is trying to shield his squad from news of the war in the Middle East as they prepare for a crunch 2026 World Cup playoff against Bolivia. However Arnold is determined not to let the troubled build-up distract his team as they bid to secure Iraq's first appearance at the World Cup since the 1986 finals in Mexico. At least 101 people have been killed in Iraq since the conflict erupted on February 28, according to an AFP tally. "I prefer not to talk about it right now (the war in the Middle East). "A tremendous amount is happening in the Middle East; if they dwell on it too much, it will mess with their heads.

BEIJING, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Two container vessels belonging to the Chinese shipping giant Cosco have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz as they have exited the Gulf, ship tracking data showed Tuesday. The CSCL Indian Ocean crossed the strait at around 0914 GMT on Monday, followed by CSCL Arctic Ocean 27 minutes later, according to data from Marine Traffic.

STUTTGART, Germany, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A last-gasp Deniz Undav goal saved Germany's blushes in an unconvincing 2-1 win over Ghana in a friendly in Stuttgart on Monday. Germany dominated possession and field position against the visitors but needed a Kai Havertz penalty to break through just before half-time. Despite a seventh win in a row, it was an inconsistent performance from Julian Nagelsmann's men against an out-of-form Ghana side. The hosts had Ghana pinned back for much of the opening half, with the visitors handing Germany the initiative with misplaced passes and failed clearances. With 20 minutes left, Ghana broke through on the counter to punish the hosts for their wastefulness, Derrick Koehn threading a ball for Fatawu to tap home.

Canadian Jeremy Hansen is among the four-person crew, what astronaut and fellow countryman Joshua Kutryk called "a very big deal." It's the first -- not just the first Canadian lunar mission -- it's the first mission in the world that isn't purely a US crew. That's really cool as an astronaut, to think that I have a friend who's going to go around the far side of the Moon. - What's different about the Artemis mission? That's what Artemis is about, and that's something that we couldn't have done during Apollo because we didn't have the technology to do it.

JAKARTA, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Indonesia urged warring parties in the Middle East "to respect international humanitarian law" after three of its peacekeepers were killed in Lebanon, and called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting. All parties to the conflict are urged to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the security of peacekeeping personnel," defence ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait said in a statement. "The safety and security of UN peacekeepers is non-negotiable and must be upheld at all times," said Sugiono, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN under-secretary-general for peace operations, condemned "these unacceptable incidents and said "all acts that endanger the peacekeepers must stop". Permanent Security Council member France has said it was seeking a meeting of the body over the matter.

MATANZAS, Cuba, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A Russian oil tanker was set to deliver the first crude shipment to Cuba since January on Tuesday after Washington gave the crisis-hit island a reprieve from an effective fuel blockade. Trump said Sunday that he did not object to Russia or others sending oil to the island because Cubans "have to survive." The US president has mused about "taking" the communist-ruled island, though Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed in March that Cuban and US officials had held talks. Analysts said the Russian oil would buy the Cuban economy only a few weeks. Herrero said the shipment was just "another donation" by Cuba's Russian ally, but he doubted that Moscow wanted to subsidize the Cuban economy in the long term.

Oil slips, stocks rise as report says Trump willing to end warHONG KONG, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Oil prices sank and most stocks rose Tuesday, following a report that indicated Donald Trump was willing to end the Iran war even if the key Strait of Hormuz remained closed. Both main oil contracts fell Tuesday, though West Texas Intermediate and Brent were still sitting well above $100 a barrel. However, Trump also threatened Monday to destroy Kharg Island, through which most of Iran's crude passes, if a peace deal is not reached. He warned US forces would destroy "all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)." Market experts warned that any US ground operation or wider Iranian retaliation could send oil prices to levels not seen since July 2008, when Brent hit almost $150 a barrel.

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar, March 31, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was elected a vice-president by the lower house on Tuesday, a parliament official said, with the coup leader edging closer to becoming president and maintaining his rule. "Senior General Min Aung Hlaing got 247 votes," of 260 cast by MPs, a parliament official announced according to a live broadcast of the proceedings. Three vice-presidents are expected to be chosen this week, one of whom will be elected president in a parliament-wide vote.