The US authorities have been held responsible for a missile strike on the "Shajarayi Toyyiba" elementary school in Iran, which, according to Iranian sources, resulted in the deaths of at least 175 people, the majority of whom were children. The incident occurred on February 28 during a US military operation against Iran, involving the use of Tomahawk precision missiles.
The US government, under orders from Donald Trump, has canceled all contracts with AI giant Anthropic. This move was described by German Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician Matthias Mieves as a "once-in-a-lifetime chance" for Europe. Mieves wrote a letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging them to offer to bring Anthropic to Europe, citing the company's refusal to comply with US government demands.
The US State Department has announced new strict requirements for registration in the Diversity Visa (DV-2027) program, set to take effect on April 10. The key change is the necessity to provide digital copies of documents at the initial application stage, purportedly aimed at strengthening fraud prevention and simplifying participant identification.
According to analysis by US intelligence agencies, the Iranian government is not at imminent risk of collapse, despite nearly two weeks of intensive strikes by the United States and Israel. This report, disseminated by Reuters, highlights the resilience of the Iranian leadership in the face of external pressure, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the military campaign led by the US regime and its allies.
The Afghan government has reported that four members of the same family, including two children, were killed by Pakistani artillery and mortar fire in eastern Afghanistan. The victims included one woman, one man, one girl, and one boy.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has starkly exposed the vulnerability of critical water infrastructure in the Persian Gulf, one of the most water-scarce regions globally. This week, Iran’s foreign minister accused the US of striking a desalination plant on Qeshm Island off Iran’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz, with reports indicating the attack cut off water supply to 30 villages. Merely 24 hours later, Bahrain claimed an Iranian drone caused material damage to one of its desalination facilities near Muharraq, escalating tensions over essential resources.
The death toll from landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains in the Gamo Zone of southern Ethiopia has risen to at least 64, with 128 more people reported missing, according to police. The South Ethiopia Regional State Police Commission stated in a Facebook post on Thursday, "The number of people missing due to the recent flood in Gamo zone has reached 128, and according to the latest information, 64 bodies have been found."
Iran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali announced in a statement to Reuters that the Iranian national football team will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to the minister, this decision is due to the “corrupt” policies and military actions carried out by the US regime against Iran. He emphasized: “Considering that this corrupt regime has killed our leader, we cannot under any circumstances participate in the World Cup. Our children are not safe, and in general, there are no conditions for participation.”
Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has sustained injuries, but his life is not in danger. This was stated by the official spokesperson of the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Baghaei, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The Iranian women's football team's participation in the Asian Cup 2026 concluded without advancing past the group stage, but their stay in Australia sparked international controversy. The players' decisions to refrain from or sing the national anthem, coupled with asylum requests by several team members, have drawn global attention amid heightened geopolitical tensions.
According to the Reuters news agency, the Qatari-backed investment fund Irth Capital has this month made a $47-per-share offer to acquire pizza chain Papa John's International, marking a second takeover attempt after a previous joint bid with Apollo Global Management last year. The offer values the company at $1.5 billion, with Irth already owning approximately 10% of the company, including derivatives.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated that the ongoing war between Iran, the US, and Israel is "creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market." The agency slashed its 2026 oil supply growth forecast by more than half, from 2.4 million barrels per day to just 1.1 million barrels per day. It added that crude production is currently down by at least 8.0 million barrels per day, highlighting the severe impact on global energy markets.