Dresden Evacuates 18,000 Residents for World War II Bomb Disposal

DRESDEN, Germany — Authorities evacuated about 18,000 people from central Dresden after an unexploded World War II bomb was discovered near the Carola Bridge reconstruction site, in what emergency services described as the city’s largest operation of its kind to date. Bomb disposal specialists prepared to defuse the 250-kilogram British bomb, which was uncovered during work to rebuild the Elbe River crossing that partially collapsed in September 2024. The find triggered a security cordon with a 1-kilometer radius, sweeping…

UK Government Publishes First Batch of Peter Mandelson Files Today

U.K. to release first tranche of Mandelson appointment files amid Epstein-linked probe The U.K. government will publish the first batch of documents today relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the United States, as police continue investigating allegations he passed sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein during his time as business secretary. Mandelson was arrested on Feb. 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was bailed and later released from his bail conditions, but remains under…

U.S. death row prisoner who never killed victim wins last-minute reprieve

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Charles “Sonny” Burton, a 75-year-old inmate who spent more than three decades on death row for a 1991 Talladega robbery that ended in a customer’s killing. Ivey, a Republican, said it would be unjust to execute Burton because he did not pull the trigger in the fatal shooting. Ivey’s decision spares Burton days before he was scheduled to be executed by nitrogen gas. In a written statement, the governor said the facts of the case did not warrant the ultimate punishment…

Iran threatens attacks on U.S. and Israeli financial infrastructure, including banks

Iran threatened to target U.S.- and Israeli-linked economic assets — including banks — in a warning that underscores the risk of the conflict spilling from the battlefield into financial and digital infrastructure across the Middle East and beyond. The scope, timing and method of any potential action were not immediately clear. The statement signals that economic targets, such as banking networks and associated services, could come under pressure, heightening concerns about cyberattacks, sanctions-related retaliation, or…

Earth logs fifth-warmest February on record, EU climate agency reports

World logs fifth hottest February as atmospheric rivers drench western Europe, Copernicus reports The world registered its fifth hottest February on record as extreme rainfall and widespread flooding inundated parts of western and southern Europe, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate monitor. Global temperatures last month were 1.49C above pre-industrial levels, defined as 1850-1900, underscoring the persistent heat that is shaping weather extremes worldwide. Europe’s picture was split between temperature and…

Bus fire in Switzerland kills at least six, police say

KERZERS, Switzerland — At least six people were killed and three others injured when a bus caught fire on a road in the western Swiss town of Kerzers, prompting police to open a criminal investigation and say early evidence points to a deliberate act by someone on board. Frédéric Papaux, a spokesperson for the Fribourg cantonal police, said investigators had “elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus,” while cautioning that the precise cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Officers…

Iran suffers heaviest strikes to date, despite markets betting war ends soon

The United States and Israel launched what officials and witnesses described as the most intense airstrikes of the war on Iran, as Tehran fired missiles toward central Israel and Iran-aligned forces expanded drone attacks on U.S. bases in the Gulf. The escalation deepened fears over energy security in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to block oil shipments unless the strikes stop. Israel’s military said it began “an additional wave of strikes” on targets in Tehran shortly after explosions were…

Wegovy may pose greater sudden vision loss risk than other weight-loss injections

Wegovy tied to higher risk of sudden vision loss than Ozempic, analysis suggests Wegovy, the blockbuster weight-loss drug that contains semaglutide, may carry the highest risk of sudden vision loss among semaglutide medicines, according to a new analysis of U.S. safety reports published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. The study linked the injections to ischaemic optic neuropathy — often called an “eye stroke” — and found the odds of the condition were roughly three times higher in men than in women. Semaglutide is…

Mother behind Coco’s Law: Let Nicole’s story forge a safer future

Irish mother urges EU-wide ‘Coco’s Law’ to combat cyberbullying and AI-altered intimate images STRASBOURG — An Irish woman whose daughter died by suicide after years of abuse urged the European Parliament to adopt stronger, harmonized laws against online harassment and the sharing of intimate images, warning that AI-altered content is making harm “worse and worse.” Addressing members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Strasbourg to mark International Women’s Day, Jackie Fox called for EU-wide safeguards modeled on…

Belgium pledges crackdown on antisemitism after synagogue bombing

Belgium’s prime minister vowed to combat antisemitism after a pre-dawn explosion damaged a synagogue in the eastern city of Liege on Monday, as federal prosecutors who handle organized crime and terrorism took charge of the investigation. No injuries were reported. Police said the blast occurred around 4 a.m. local time (3 a.m. Irish time) in front of the synagogue, blowing out windows in buildings across the street. Officers quickly established a security perimeter around the site. Authorities described the incident as…