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Italy buys Caravaggio painting for about $35 million, one of its largest payouts for a single work
ROME (AP) -- Italy has bought a rare portrait by baroque painter Caravaggio for 30 million euros (about $35 million), one of the largest state investments ever for a single artwork, the country's Culture Ministry said Tuesday. The portrait, painted around 1598 and attributed to Caravaggio in 1963, depicts Maffeo Barberini, a nobleman who later became Pope Urban VIII. The painting was acquired from a private collection by the Italian state after over a year of negotiations and will now enter Rome
March 11, 2026 -
FBI finds explosive residue in storage unit
NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI said Tuesday that it found explosive residue in a Pennsylvania storage unit as part of an investigation into two men charged with bringing homemade bombs to a protest outside the home of New York City’s mayor. Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, told police after their arrests that they were inspired by the Islamic State group, according to law enforcement officials and a criminal complaint. The men live in the Philadelphia suburbs and drove together to New York City
March 11, 2026 -
Shooting at US consulate in Toronto prompts increased security
Two men fired multiple shots at the US consulate in Toronto early Tuesday in what police described as a "national security incident," prompting beefed-up protection for US and Israeli diplomatic buildings in the Canadian city. The individuals approached the consulate in downtown Toronto at around 4:30 a.m., exited a white SUV and fired several rounds from a handgun at the consulate, Toronto police deputy chief Frank Barredo told reporters. There were people inside at the time, but "this building
March 11, 2026 -
Airlines raise fares as Middle East conflict lifts fuel costs
Some airlines in Asia and Europe raised fares, added fuel surcharges or adjusted schedules Tuesday as the Middle East conflict drove jet fuel costs sharply higher and disrupted key air routes. Australia's Qantas Airways, Scandinavia's SAS and Air New Zealand were among the carriers that announced price increases, while others warned the crisis could threaten fuel supplies or force further schedule changes. Jet fuel prices, which were around $85 to $90 per barrel before US-Israeli strikes on Ira
March 11, 2026 -
Trump says Iran war could be over soon, but oil disruption would trigger harsher US strikes
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US President Donald Trump said Monday that the war against Iran could be short-lived, but he left open the possibility of an escalation in fighting if global oil supplies are disrupted by the Islamic Republic, which chose a new hard-line supreme leader. Oil prices briefly shot to their highest level since 2022 a day after Iran selected Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his late father as Iran’s supreme leader. Investors saw it as a signal that Iran was digg
March 10, 2026 -
France to deploy dozen warships: Macron
PAPHOS, Cyprus (Reuters) -- France was deploying about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of defensive support to allies threatened by the conflict in the Middle East. Speaking in Cyprus before visiting the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which arrived over the weekend in the eastern Mediterranean, President Emmanuel Macron sought to reassure his Cypriot counterpart after drones were
March 10, 2026 -
China exports surge into 2026 after record year
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China roared into 2026 with exports far outstripping forecasts, fueled by red-hot electronics demand, putting the economy on track to top last year's record $1.2 trillion trade surplus and blunting the blow from the war in Iran. Outbound shipments from the world's second-largest economy grew 21.8 percent in US dollar terms in the January-February period, sharply up from the 6.6 percent increase recorded in December and blowing past the median forecast in a Reuters poll of
March 10, 2026 -
Swiss bar fire probe widens to five more local officials
GENEVA (AFP) -- Swiss prosecutors on Monday said five more current and former local officials were under criminal investigation over the New Year bar fire in the ski resort of Crans-Montana that killed 41 people. The prosecutor's office in southwestern Switzerland's Wallis canton, where the upmarket ski resort is located, declined to provide further details. However, a source close to the case confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the mayor of the Crans-Montana municipality, Nicolas Feraud, is
March 10, 2026 -
Much of Iran's uranium likely to be in Isfahan: Grossi
PARIS (Reuters) -- Almost half of Iran's uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity, a short step from weapons-grade, was stored in a tunnel complex at Isfahan and is probably still there, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said Monday. The tunnel complex is the only target that appears not to have been badly damaged in attacks last June by Israel and the US on Iran's nuclear facilities. Diplomats have long said Isfahan has been used to store 60 percent uranium, which the International A
March 10, 2026 -
Trump's Gaza plan on hold as Iran war pauses disarmament talks, sources say
Talks to advance US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war have been on hold since last week when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran, sparking a broader Middle East war, three sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations said. The pause threatens to stall implementation of Trump's flagship Middle East peace initiative, which he has cast as a major foreign policy objective. It comes less than a month after he secured billions of dollars in pledges for Gaza from Gulf Arab sta
March 10, 2026 -
Colombia's President Petro wins in congressional election, but lacks majority to advance reforms
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The party of Colombian President Gustavo Petro secured a victory in congressional elections, but will have to build coalitions with other parties to carry out announced reforms, including a controversial push to rewrite the nation’s constitution. Petro's Historical Pact party won almost a quarter of all seats in the Senate Sunday, more than any other party. But its staunchest opponents also made gains, with the Democratic Center party — the conservative party led by forme
March 10, 2026 -
Paris Hilton launches recovery fund for women business owners after disasters
The pop culture star, advocate and entrepreneur Paris Hilton launched an initiative Monday to support female small-business owners impacted by disasters, a nationwide expansion of her philanthropic support for women entrepreneurs after the 2025 Los Angeles fires. Hilton is donating $350,000 to kick-start the Back in Business Recovery Fund, with a goal to raise at least $1 million by the end of March. "Women-owned businesses are really the heart of so many of these communities," Hilton told The A
March 10, 2026 -
Five Iranian women's soccer players granted humanitarian visas in Australia
SYDNEY (Reuters) -- Australia on Tuesday granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian women's soccer team players after they sought asylum fearing persecution in their home nation. The announcement came after US President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the Iran women's soccer team in Australia following reports that the players had requested asylum. The remaining players are in a hotel on the Gold Coast. Albanese said help is available to the ot
March 10, 2026 -
World leaders eye oil reserves, but so far hold off on tapping them
NEW YORK (AP) — A widening war in Iran has halted oil tankers, made targets of refineries and spooked investors worried about the cascading impact of spiking energy prices. If it might seem like the ideal time to dip into the world’s emergency oil stockpiles, global leaders have so far responded with reluctance. Here is a look at the energy supplies that countries hold and when they tap them: Since war erupted in the Middle East on Feb. 28 with US and Israeli attacks on Iran, the flow of oil tan
March 10, 2026 -
China consumer inflation sees quickest jump in three years
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China's consumer inflation accelerated to the highest in more than three years due to the effects of the Lunar New Year holiday, while producer deflation persisted as weak demand remained a drag on an economy facing stiff external challenges. Policymakers have been trying to boost consumption over the past two years, but analysts say more needs to be done to address the supply-demand imbalance. The consumer price index rose 1.3 percent year-on-year for the fifth month of g
March 9, 2026