Afghan authorities reported that Pakistani military jets attempted to bomb Bagram airbase, the former U.S. military facility north of Kabul, but Afghan forces successfully repelled the attack using anti-aircraft and missile defense systems. This incident occurred on the fourth day of escalating cross-border fighting between the two nations, marked by ground clashes and aerial assaults.
The US Justice Department on Thursday released additional files related to Jeffrey Epstein, including FBI memos describing interviews with a woman who made uncorroborated allegations against Epstein and Donald Trump. The materials, which The Guardian obtained and reported on last week, detail a series of FBI interviews conducted in 2019 with a woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and Trump in the 1980s when she was a minor. Her claims have not been verified, and the FBI never brought charges related to them, with The Guardian noting that some of her statements appear to contradict known facts about Epstein's life in the early 1980s.
A Hollywood-style propaganda video released by the White House, promising 'justice the American way' for Iran, features movie stars from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and promotes characters including a corrupt lawyer, a drug dealer, and a freedom fighter resisting an invading foreign army. The 42-second video posted on the official X account of the White House on Thursday was met with near-universal mockery online, with comments accusing the Trump administration of immaturity and likening its social media strategy to one run by teenagers.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is developing a system to process refunds for billions of dollars in illegally collected tariffs within 45 days without requiring importers to file lawsuits, as revealed in a court filing. Brandon Lord, a senior CBP official, stated in a declaration to the US Court of International Trade on Friday that the total amount held for such tariffs is estimated to be approximately $166 billion. This announcement came as government lawyers met with a federal trade judge to establish a process for returning funds to about 330,000 importers.
Demands are intensifying for an independent investigation into an attack on a girls' school in southern Iran that killed 165 young pupils this week, with United Nations experts denouncing the deadly bombing as "a grave assault on children." In a statement on Friday, a group of UN experts said girls between the ages of seven and 12 were the main victims of the attack on the primary school in Minab on Saturday.
In the dusty lanes of Damak, Nepal, an unprecedented political showdown is unfolding, pitting a veteran political heavyweight against a rapper-turned-politician in a contest that could reshape the country's politics. As Nepal heads into a gripping election, Balendra Shah, known as Balen, a 35-year-old former rapper who won the Kathmandu mayoral race in May 2022, has emerged as a unifying figure, particularly among youth enraged by a system they view as broken and corrupt.
Conservative peer Peter Gummer, known as Lord Chadlington, has announced he will leave the House of Lords after an investigation found he committed five breaches of standards related to COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) deals and failing to cooperate with previous inquiries. The Lords standards commissioner, Martin Jelley, determined that Chadlington breached the code of conduct for peers three times by: introducing a company in which he had a financial interest to the government in April 2020 as a potential PPE supplier for the NHS; having contact with the then health secretary, Matt Hancock; and providing further advice to the company.
UK supermarkets are experiencing a significant decline in bacon sales, driven by consumer fears that chemicals used to preserve the product increase cancer risks. New data released by the Coalition Against Nitrites reveals that the value of nitrite-cured bacon sales fell by 7.3% during the 12 weeks to January 25 compared to the same period last year. In the most recent period, such sales amounted to £238.4 million, down £18.7 million from the £257 million recorded a year earlier.
Conservative peer Peter Gummer, known as Lord Chadlington, has announced he will retire from the House of Lords following an investigation by the standards commissioner Martin Jelley. The probe found that Chadlington committed five breaches of the code of conduct for peers, including introducing a company in which he had a financial interest, SG Recruitment, to the government in April 2020 as a potential supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the NHS, contacting then Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and providing further advice to the company.
A federal panel reviewing Donald Trump's planned $400 million ballroom addition to the White House has postponed an expected vote on the project until next month, citing thousands of negative public comments. The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) was scheduled to cast a final vote on Thursday, but the commission's chair, Will Scharf, announced at the meeting's outset that the vote would now be held on April 2, due to the "large amount of public input" received during the comment period.
The Sri Lankan government evacuated 208 crew members from an Iranian naval support ship, IRIS Bushehr, just one day after a US submarine torpedo sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena, killing over 80 personnel. The evacuation highlights the escalating tensions in the region following the alleged US-Israeli assault on Iran.
A US submarine fired a torpedo that sank an Iranian warship off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, marking a significant escalation in hostilities as the Trump administration purportedly follows through on its threats to eliminate Tehran's military and political leadership. The attack has raised immediate questions about potential breaches of international law, with former US officials criticizing the move as military overreach.