Live! Iran says ops normal on bombed Kharg Island; drone sets UAE oil facility ablaze

A cloud of orange-tinted, thick dust spread across the Gaza Strip on Saturday (March 14) as first responders told Palestinians to stay home, especially those with respiratory illness.

People were also urged to secure their tents to prevent them from being blown away. Israel's war with Hamas has left most of Gaza's 2 million residents displaced, living in tents and damaged buildings with little protection from the elements such as rain, wind, and sand.

Videos on Saturday showed tents flapping and trees swaying as cars drove down dust-filled streets with little visibility. While dust storms occur in Gaza, there hasn't been one this intense in more than five years.

“Export and import operations, as well as the activities of companies based on the island, are currently ongoing,” Ehsan Jahaniyan, deputy governor of Bushehr province, was quoted as saying by NourNews, an outlet close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

Kharg Island is home to the primary terminal that handles the country's oil exports.

Jahaniyan also said that daily life activities were normal, adding that the strikes left no casualties.

Early Saturday, semi-official Fars News Agency reported that the US strikes were limited to military facilities.

President Emmanuel Macron posted on X that he spoke with the president, prime minister, and parliament speaker of Lebanon, and that everything must be done to prevent the country from sinking into chaos.

Macron added that Hezbollah must immediately halt “its reckless escalation” while Israel must abandon any large-scale offensive and stop its massive airstrikes. Macron said Lebanese leaders have said they are willing to have direct talks with Israel.

The French leader said Israel must seize this opportunity to launch talks to reach a ceasefire, find a lasting solution, and allow Lebanese authorities to fulfil their commitments in support of Lebanon's sovereignty.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said on Friday (March 13) that he expressed readiness to negotiate with Israel but got no response. Lebanon and Israel have been at war since 1948.

The cultural sites damaged by US-Israeli strikes include museums and historic monuments across Iran, authorities said on Saturday (March 14).

The Cultural Heritage Ministry said the latest strikes in the city of Sanandaj in Kurdistan province seriously damaged the Asef Mansion, Salar Saeid Mansion, and Khosro Abad Mansion, according to Mizan, the judiciary's official news agency.

Some of the sites date back several centuries and are dedicated to Kurdish culture.

The fire in Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates broke out on Saturday (March 14) following the drone interception, authorities said.

No casualties were reported from the attack, the Fujairah media office said, adding that firefighters were battling the blaze.

Associated Press footage showed smoke rising on Saturday morning over the facility.

LPG distribution centres in Kolkata and several districts of West Bengal witnessed large queues on Saturday, amid reports of supply disruption in the wake of the West Asia conflict.

A large number of people were seen outside the distribution centres since early morning at various places in Kolkata, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts.

Meawhile, authorities have stepped up inspection across the state to curb alleged hoarding and diversion of LPG cylinders, officials said.

The Enforcement Branch (EB) of Kolkata Police, along with district authorities, have been conducting raids at several distribution centres and storage points over the past two days, they said.

The state government has set up a 24-hour monitoring mechanism, and held meetings with distributors to ensure adequate supply to priority sectors such as hospitals and schools.

The alleged LPG supply disruption has begun affecting hospital kitchens in Kolkata, forcing several state-run and private healthcare institutions to adopt contingency measures to ensure patient meals continue uninterrupted.

The crisis has also reportedly impacted the mid-day meal programme in schools in parts of the state.

Several restaurants and eateries have reduced meal options on the menu, with many switching to wood and charcoal-based cooking.

A section of autorickshaws running on LPG were also off the roads in the city and adjacent districts, owing to “irregular supply” at the filling stations.

Commuters claimed that autorickshaw drivers were charging exorbitant fares on some routes.

Haryana BJP MLAs held a meeting in Chandigarh on Saturday to strategise for Monday's Rajya Sabha polls for two seats in the state.

A training session was also held for the MLAs, especially the first-timers, to explain the voting process to them in detail.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli were also present in the meeting, besides ministers Mahipal Dhanda, Arti Singh Rao and Shruti Choudhry.

BJP's Sanjay Bhatia, Karamvir Singh Boudh of Congress and Independent candidate Satish Nandal are in the fray for the two seats. The BJP is backing Nandal for the second seat.

The ruling BJP has 48 MLAs, Congress has 37, the INLD has two MLAs in the 90-member Haryana assembly, and three legislators are Independents, with 31 votes each required for two candidates to make it to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana.

Congress with 37 members has the required strength to help its candidate win a seat. The equation, however, could change in case of cross-voting.

To keep its flock together, the Congress, after holding a meeting of party legislators in Chandigarh on Friday, moved its MLAs to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polling.

US President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post: “The Fake News Media hates to report how well the United States Military has done against Iran, which is totally defeated and wants a deal - But not a deal that I would accept!” Lebanese media report more Israeli attacks