The archipelago nation of 116 million, which has some of the region's highest energy costs, relies on coal for about 60 percent of its electricity generation. While hoping to "maximise" the use of local coal, the Philippines was also keeping the option of upping its purchases of coal from top supplier Indonesia, the energy secretary said. Indonesia, meanwhile, had assured the Philippines it would place no limits on coal orders. The Philippines -- regularly affected by electricity outages -- is heavily dependent on imported fuel to keep its power plants running. Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos in January announced a "significant" discovery of natural gas made near the country's rapidly depleting Malampaya offshore natural gas field.

Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman. Photo: MoFADHAKA, March 24, 2026 (BSS) - Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman has reaffirmed Bangladesh's steadfast commitment to combating racism in all its forms, emphasizing the country's signing of all relevant international conventions on racism and racial discrimination. He also called for strengthened global efforts to eliminate racism, promote equality, and uphold human dignity. Highlighting ongoing racial injustices in Rakhine and Gaza, Dr. Rahman underscored that the global community is still far from realizing the goals of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Foreign Minister also highlighted the challenges faced by migrant workers worldwide, including exclusion, exploitation, and limited access to justice, which undermine the core values of the United Nations.

KYIV, Ukraine, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the government to ensure stable diesel supplies on Monday, after the war in the Middle East sent oil prices spiralling. Diesel prices surged by almost 25 percent in Ukraine since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, with analysts warning that supply for April remained unclear. "All agencies must work closely with the fuel market to ensure uninterrupted supplies and to make it clearer for society what options for government support do exist," Zelensky said in his daily address. Ukrainian energy consultancy Enkorr earlier warned that some suppliers are hesitant to contract April orders due to the price volatility triggered by the Iran war. Another Ukrainian fuel consultancy, A 95, said that no fuel shortage was expected.

Iran state media says 'new wave of missiles' launched at IsraelTEHRAN, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran launched another round of missiles towards Israel on Tuesday morning, state television announced, after earlier strikes hit a building in the north while a loud explosion rang out in Jerusalem. "Iran fires new wave of missiles at occupied territories," the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) posted on Telegram. Moments later, it posted that the "Iranian missiles pass(ed) through several Israeli missile defences". The Magen David Adom emergency services released video of a damaged building in the north of Israel, and said there were no deaths from the incident. The Israeli military later on Tuesday morning issued several notices that it had detected incoming Iranian missiles and was working to intercept them.

TOKYO, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Japan will release another part of its strategic oil reserves from Thursday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday, after Tokyo began to tap stockpiles last week. "In order to secure 'the necessary amount for the whole of Japan' ...we will release the state (oil) reserve from 26th March this week," she said in a post on X. Last Monday, Tokyo started the release of 15 days' worth of private-sector petroleum reserves. Its strategic oil reserves are among the world's largest and stood at more than 400 million barrels as of December. IEA members agreed on March 11 to tap oil stockpiles to cushion the surge in prices caused by the war in the Middle East -- by far the largest-ever response of its kind.

Recent opinion polls credit the left-wing bloc with a slight lead over the right, but neither were seen garnering a majority in the 179-seat parliament. - Interest in Greenland -In Greenland's capital Nuuk, the campaign has generated more interest than usual, with more than 20 candidates standing. Greenland's main political parties all want independence from Denmark, but Naleraq's rivals favour a more measured process. - 'No place here' -In metropolitan Denmark, Greenland did not get much attention in the campaign. The far-right Danish People's Party, which slumped in the 2022 election but has seen an upswing in opinion polls, is meanwhile in favour of ending permanent residence permits.

NEW YORK, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Two pilots were killed and dozens of people injured after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York's LaGuardia airport, US authorities said Monday. By 2:00 pm (1800 GMT) Monday, the airport said flights had restarted but told travelers to still expect delays and cancellations. "Everyone was hunkered down, everyone was screaming, we didn't have any directions because the pilots' cabin was destroyed," he told US media. Air traffic controller shortages are a problem across the United States and the government has ramped up its hiring efforts in response. Located in the borough of Queens, LaGuardia is the third-busiest airport serving New York, handling 33.5 million passengers in 2024, according to port authority figures.

US regulator blacklists all new foreign-made routersWASHINGTON, United States, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US Federal Communications Commission on Monday banned authorizations for all new consumer routers produced in foreign countries, citing "national security" reasons. The FCC noted that the blacklisting does not apply to routers already acquired by consumers, and does not prevent retailers from importing and selling routers that previously received FCC equipment authorization. The national security determination on which the decision was based said that "allowing routers produced abroad to dominate the US market creates unacceptable economic, national security, and countersecurity risks." The determination said that foreign-produced routers posed risks to US supply chains and create a "severe cybersecurity risk." In December, the FCC made a similar national security-based determination in banning drones produced in foreign countries.

KYIV, Ukraine, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russian missile and drone strikes triggered air raid alerts across Ukraine on Tuesday, with attacks killing two people in Poltava and another person in Zaporizhzhia, regional military administrations said. Air raid alerts were issued in the small hours in all of Ukraine except for Odesa region, according to regional authorities. "As a result of the enemy attack on Poltava community, damage was recorded to residential buildings and a hotel. Fires broke out," Vitali Dyakivnych, head of the Poltava regional military administration, posted on Telegram. Farther south, Russia carried out a "massive combined missile-drone strike" in Zaporizhzhia, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional military administration.

At least 13 dead in road accident in southern PeruLIMA, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - At least 13 people were killed Monday in a head-on collision of a minivan and a big-rig truck on a highway in the Arequipa region of southern Peru, authorities told AFP. "We have 13 reported fatalities," regional public health official Walther Oporto told AFP. The big-rig truck had Brazilian license plates. Authorities have been able to confirm the identities of two of the victims thus far, and the cause of the crash is under investigation. More than 3,000 deaths were recorded on Peru's roads last year, according to official data.

CANBERRA, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen called on Tuesday for an immediate end to hostilities in the Middle East, describing a "critical" situation for energy supply chains globally. "We all feel the knock on effects on gas and oil prices on our businesses and our societies," von der Leyen said alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra. "It is of utmost importance that we come to a solution that is negotiated, and this puts an end to the hostilities that we see in the Middle East," she added.

The Israeli military also announced it was "striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Beirut" after having called on residents to leave the southern suburbs beforehand. Israel has since launched strikes across Lebanon, killing at least 1,039 people, and sent ground troops into the country's south. The Israeli military told AFP two Hezbollah members were captured. Hezbollah, for its part, announced more than 50 attacks targeting Israeli troops and bases in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, particularly in the border coastal town of Naqura. - Strike near Beirut -The Israeli strike on Hazmieh killed at least one person, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

SEOUL, March 24, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - North Korea will never give up nuclear weapons, leader Kim Jong Un said, indicating that the country will soon designate South Korea the "most hostile state", state media reported Tuesday. "We will continue to firmly consolidate our status as a nuclear-armed state as an irreversible course, while aggressively stepping up our struggle against hostile forces," Kim told the Supreme People's Assembly. "We will designate South Korea as the most hostile state and deal with it by thoroughly rejecting and disregarding it," Kim said. "The United States and its allies are constantly bringing nuclear strategic assets into the areas surrounding our country, shaking the foundations of regional security," Kim said. Such feats "shattered... false claims of hostile forces that there can be no prosperity without nuclear abandonment", he said.

After lifting the trophy in 2006, Italy's record at the World Cup has been dire. Northern Ireland are big underdogs against Italy but hope to end a 40-year absence from the World Cup. Path BUkraine's footballers will hope to lift the morale of a war-torn country by competing at a first World Cup in 20 years. Slovakia, who last featured at the World Cup in 2010, host Kosovo in Bratislava while Turkey and Romania square off in Istanbul. Turkey have not played at the World Cup since a surprise third-place finish in 2002.

The news ramped up hopes for an end to the conflict and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of oil and gas flows. However, the mood was deflated somewhat after Iranian media said there had been no talks between Tehran and Washington. Markets had started the week deep in the red after Trump warned Saturday that Iran had 48 hours to allow traffic through Hormuz or he would strike the country's energy infrastructure. "But you cannot instantly repair disrupted shipping lanes, fractured refining capacity, or the insurance black hole forming around tanker traffic. The market may trade the headline in the short term, but it settles on the barrel in the medium term.