Lebanon death toll from Israeli attacks surpasses 1,000

Lebanon’s health ministry says the human toll from Israel’s latest assault has crossed a grim threshold, with more than 1,000 people killed since the campaign began earlier this month. The ministry reported 1,001 deaths in the country since 2 March, up from a tally of 968 a day earlier. The count includes 79 women, 118 children and 40 health workers, while 2,584 others have been wounded, the ministry said in a statement. Lebanese authorities say Israeli attacks have displaced one million people nationwide. In a further…

EU leaders unable to persuade Hungary’s Orban to lift Ukraine loan block

A high-stakes push by European Union leaders at a Brussels summit fell short, leaving Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s veto on a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine firmly in place, officials said. "They tried. They failed," one European official said of the efforts by other EU leaders to convince Mr Orban at a summit in Brussels. The loan was signed off by EU leaders in December, but Mr Orban — who keeps cordial ties with Russia and has clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — has stalled its rollout, citing…

Air quality to worsen in coming days, CAMS warns

Europe’s air‑quality watchdog has sounded the alarm: conditions are set to worsen across several countries, including Ireland, over the next few days, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), said the downturn stems from a continent‑wide upswing in fine particulate pollution, known as PM2.5. PM2.5 pollution is made up of tiny, nano‑sized organic compounds, roughly one thirtieth the width of a human hair. So small they can cross the lung’s…

Fire safety measures failed during deadly Hong Kong blaze, inquiry hears

A cascading series of human failures left nearly every life-saving safeguard ineffective when a ferocious blaze ripped through a Hong Kong housing complex last year, killing 168 people, a public inquiry heard. The fire erupted on 26 November at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, making it the world's deadliest residential building blaze since 1980. Flames swept through seven of the estate's eight residential blocks, all under renovation. Bamboo scaffolds, protective netting and foam boards wrapped the…

Cuba-bound tanker carrying Russian diesel to arrive in several days

A tanker loaded with Russian diesel is expected to reach crisis‑hit Cuba “in several days” after employing evasive tactics to get to the island, which is under a US fuel blockade, according to a maritime tracker. Maritime intelligence firm Windward said that if the vessel docks, it would mark the first confirmed delivery of refined products to the island since early January. Windward had earlier indicated the Hong Kong-flagged Sea Horse had “likely” discharged about 190,000 barrels of Russian diesel in Cuba in early March,…

Meningitis cases expected to rise amid ‘unusual outbreak,’ UK health chief says

A surge in meningitis cases tied to an outbreak in Kent, England, is expected, a senior health official warned, as investigators examine whether the bacteria has started spreading more readily. Professor Robin May, chief scientific officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: "This is a very unusual outbreak." UKHSA announced five additional meningitis cases yesterday morning, lifting the number under investigation by health officials to 20. Fresh figures due this morning are anticipated to push the total higher.…

Trump Vows to Halt Israeli Attacks on Iranian Gas Field

US President Donald Trump said Israel, enraged by recent events, had “violently lashed out” by striking Iran’s largest gas installation — a dramatic escalation in the US‑Israeli war — while insisting Israel would not carry out additional attacks unless Iran retaliates. The strike on the sprawling South Pars gas field lifted oil prices and prompted Tehran to threaten oil and gas sites across the Gulf, even as it launched missiles toward Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The flare‑up deepened an already unprecedented disruption to…

Members of the European Parliament back proposed ban on ‘nudification’ apps

Two European Parliament committees backed a ban on AI “nudification” apps that create non-consensual sexual images of adults and children and supported delaying some AI rules. The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) voted as part of the Digital Omnibus on artificial intelligence. At the start of the year, changes to the Grok AI tool by social media company X sparked global outrage after people used it to generate and share…

Iran’s Uniquely Complex Power Structure: A Closer Look

Iran elevated Mojtaba Khamenei to supreme leader following the Feb. 28 killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a U.S.-Israeli strike that also killed about 40 senior officials, a move intended to signal constitutional continuity in a precarious moment. The strike that assassinated the supreme leader aimed to decapitate Iran’s leadership and spur a popular push to unseat those in power. Debate over the strategy’s wisdom will continue, but authorities moved quickly to install Mojtaba Khamenei to show the state still…