World

AP staffers turn March Madness into movie brackets

Robert Pattinson on working with Zendaya in multiple films

Costa Rica cuts ties with Cuba, closes embassy in Havana

Costa Rica on Wednesday cut diplomatic ties with Cuba and President Rodrigo Chaves declared that the "hemisphere must be cleansed of communists."When asked whether his decision signified a complete severing of ties, Chaves stated that "at this moment, Costa Rica and the Cuban communist regime do not have diplomatic relations." 

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Judge Rips Apart DOJ’s Bonkers Claim About Trump’s Ballroom With Just 1 Burn

It’s safe to say that the U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wasn’t really feeling the Department of Justice’s “brazen” arguments.

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Zendaya wears 2015 Oscars dress to 'The Drama' premiere

'Bachelorette' Taylor Frankie Paul Addresses Domestic Violence Allegations

"It's been a heavy time to see the headlines," the "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star told "Good Morning America."

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A look inside Jordan Chiles' final UCLA home meet

Transportation Lobbyists Have Donated Thousands To Sean Duffy’s Son-in-Law As He Runs For Congress

Industry money has been pouring into the congressional campaign of Michael Alfonso, a 26-year-old political unknown from Wisconsin.

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Ryan Coogler Used Sign Language Throughout The Oscars  — And It’s Breathtakingly Powerful

The “Sinners” director made history in more ways than one at the 98th Academy Awards.

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Iran's government appears intact, if degraded, US spy chief says

STORY: TULSI GABBARD: “The regime in Iran appears to be intact, but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities.” U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate hearing Wednesday that Iran’s government has been damaged but not incapacitated since the war began on February 28. “Even so, Iran and its proxies continued to attack U.S. and allied interests in the Middle East. The excesses that if a hostile regime survives, it will likely seek to begin a years long effort to rebuild its military missiles and UAV (drone) forces.”  Gabbard's testimony comes just one day after the shock announcement that her top aide Joe Kent - who headed the National Counterterrorism Center - had resigned over the war in Iran. In a letter posted ​to social media, Kent said "Iran posed no imminent threat" to the U.S. and the war was started "due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobby."  The White House rejected that assertion, saying Kent's letter included "false claims." Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress have said they want more information about an air campaign that has killed thousands of people in Iran, disrupted the lives of millions and shaken energy and stock markets. Democrats in particular have complained that the Trump administration has not kept Congress adequately informed about a conflict, which has cost U.S. taxpayers billions, and demanded public testimony rather than classified briefings held in the past two weeks. The threat assessment Gabbard presented to the committee added to confusion over the state of Iran's nuclear program.  Some administration officials said in the run-up to the war that Iran was weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon, one of the reasons given for starting the airstrikes. On Wednesday, Gabbard said Iran's nuclear enrichment program was obliterated in U.S. and Israeli strikes in June and that Washington had seen no effort since to rebuild its enrichment capability. Also, questions have swirled around what Trump was told before he decided to join with Israel in striking Iran. Sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reports have said Trump was warned, for example, that attacking Iran could trigger retaliation against U.S. Gulf allies despite his claims on Monday that Tehran's reaction came as a surprise. Trump was also briefed ahead of the operation that Tehran would likely seek ​to close the Strait of Hormuz, according to two other sources familiar with the matter.

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Colombia detains alleged mastermind of Ecuadoran candidate assassination

Colombian immigration authorities said Wednesday they had arrested an Ecuadoran drug trafficker linked to the 2023 murder of a popular candidate just before Ecuador's presidential election.Another dozen people are currently on trial over the killing, which shook Ecuador's political landscape in an election that Noboa won with a promise to take a tough stance on drug trafficking.

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Pakistan and Afghanistan announce Eid 'pause' in hostilities

Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday announced a halt in fighting during celebrations for the end of Ramadan, after the deadliest strike in their escalating conflict killed hundreds in Kabul earlier this week.- Mediation stalled - Afghanistan and Pakistan have faced calls for an immediate end to the conflict, with the civilian death toll mounting and concern about those displaced.

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NY's New Museum returns contemporary to heart of Manhattan

After an $82 million expansion, New York's New Museum will bring contemporary art back to the heart of Manhattan, showcasing modern works alongside classics by Dali and Marcel Duchamp after two years closed.The reopening follows three years of intensive construction in one of the busiest spots in the city to future-proof Manhattan's only contemporary art museum.

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Eight killed during Rio police operation, including drug kingpin

At least eight people died Wednesday during a police operation against organized crime in Rio de Janeiro, including one of Brazil's most-wanted drug lords, authorities said.Also on Wednesday, Brazilian police launched a separate operation across 15 states targeting organizations linked to drug and arms trafficking.

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Cesar Chavez, icon of US labor movement, accused of serial sex abuse: report

US civil rights icon Cesar Chavez, whose decades of campaigning brought lasting changes to workers' rights, is accused of being a serial rapist who abused children and harassed women in the movement he led, a bombshell New York Times investigation said Wednesday.Two women The New York Times spoke to, who were the daughters of fellow members of the United Farm Workers (UFW), the union Chavez co-founded in 1962, said Chavez abused them as minors in the 1970s.

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Trump nominee for Homeland Security chief grilled at fiery Senate hearing

Markwayne Mullin, US President Donald Trump's pick for Homeland Security chief, distanced himself from his fired predecessor Kristi Noem as he was grilled over immigration policy at a contentious Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.Paul, who has had acrimonious relations with Mullin for years, told reporters after the three-hour hearing that he would vote against his nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security, the agency charged with carrying out Trump's immigration crackdown.

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When Trans People Lose Health Care, We All Lose Health Care

This is yet another reminder of how interconnected our well-being is.

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First international aid convoy arrives in crisis-hit Cuba

The first shipment of international aid for crisis-hit Cuba has arrived in the country in the shape of five tons of medical supplies, official sources said Wednesday.All told, humanitarian organizations and public figures plan to deliver 20 tons of aid to the island by air and sea to help Cuba through its worst economic crisis in three decades exacerbated by the US capture of Maduro and the cut-off in oil shipments from Venezuela.

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Eight killed during Rio police operation, including drug kingpin

At least eight people died Wednesday during a police operation against organized crime in Rio de Janeiro, including one of Brazil's most-wanted drug lords, authorities said.Also on Wednesday, Brazilian police launched a separate operation across 15 states targeting organizations linked to drug and arms trafficking.

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Jordan Klepper Really Wants To Believe That Ex-President Confided In Trump On Iran

"There's also another possibility," the "Daily Show" host said before teasing an even wilder theory.

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Thousands rally in Istanbul to mark year since mayor's arrest

Thousands of people gathered outside Istanbul City Hall Wednesday to mark one year since the arrest of the city's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu in a graft probe widely seen as a politically motivated act against the key opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Police heightened security around City Hall, which saw major clashes when police cracked down on protests a year ago.

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Tulsi Gabbard Won't Say If Iran Posed Imminent Threat To U.S.

"It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat," the director of national intelligence said.

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Risking airstrikes to break a Ramadan fast in Lebanon

STORY: Salam Issa Rida had barely set the table for iftar when the Israeli military published an evacuation order for all of Beirut's southern suburbs. It was the first time it had called for a mass displacement from the area, as the Iran conflict spills into Lebanon. "They put a warning for the entirety of Beirut’s southern suburbs, so we didn't know where exactly they would strike anymore. That's it, you just have to leave." The Lebanese mother of six heeded the warning. And in the weeks since, Salam and her family have set up home in a tent within a sports stadium. Despite life being upended as Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Israeli military trade blows, Salam is determined to continue making the holy month of Ramadan special. Her family had been craving chicken to break their daily fast, so she risked her life by returning to their home. As she grabbed ingredients and pots from the kitchen, the Israeli military issued a new warning on X. A strike was imminent. “Thank God, they're not striking immediately. Now, no one's unafraid - we all get scared. But when my kids aren't with me and I'm not slowed down by anyone, I still go.” More than 900 people have been killed in Lebanon, and 1 million displaced. Israel stepped up airstrikes on Beirut on Wednesday, following what Hezbollah described as a large rocket attack against Israel the day before.   Those who have left home have tried to keep as many of their treasured Ramadan customs as possible, still fasting from sunrise until mosques echo out the call to prayer at sunset. The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid al-Fitr. Besides sharing a festive meal and gifts for children, Muslims also visit the graves of their deceased loved ones. Salam's greatest regret is that she won't be able to visit her father's grave near the Israeli border this year. As her husband Ahmed puts it: Ramadan is about sacrifice and prayer - but this year, they're giving up more than usual.

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From Faraja to Sepah: Iran's multiple security forces

Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has taken steps to ensure it is not reliant on a single security force but rather multiple structures to defend the Islamic republic against external and internal threats.Here are the key elements of the Iranian security forces: - Islamic Republic of Iran Army - Known within Iran as the "Artesh" Iran's conventional army is tasked with preserving the country's sovereignty and comprises a large ground army with much smaller naval, air and aerospace forces.

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Nigerian president meets royals on 'historic' UK state visit

King Charles III ceremonially welcomed Nigerian President Bola Tinubu at Windsor Castle on Wednesday in the first state visit by the leader of Africa's most populous nation in nearly four decades.On Wednesday evening, Charles and Tinubu were set to give speeches at a lavish state banquet.

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'Tell Me To My Face': Markwayne Mullin, Rand Paul Clash In Confirmation Hearing

“You told the media that I was a freakin’ snake,” Paul fumed at Trump's DHS secretary nominee, whom he accused of having "anger issues.”

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‘Roll The Tape’: Rand Paul Confronts Markwayne Mullin With Supercut Of His ‘Anger Issues’

During explosive exchanges at Mullin's Senate confirmation hearing, Trump's DHS pick admitted he “could've done things different.”

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Sean Hannity Apologizes For Being '*******' To Prominent Democrat

"I had you all wrong," the Fox News host told the lawmaker on his "Hang Out" podcast.

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US intel chief says Iran's government degraded but appears intact

STORY: :: The top U.S. spy says Iran's government 'appears to be intact, but largely degraded' :: Washington, D.C. / March 18, 2026 :: Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Director of National Intelligence "The IC assesses that Operation Epic Fury is advancing fundamental change in the region that began with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and continued with the 12-day war last year, resulting in weakening Iran and its proxies. The IC assesses the regime in Iran appears to be intact, but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities." // "Even so, Iran and its proxies continue to attack U.S. and allied interests in the Middle East. The IC assesses that if a hostile regime survives, it will likely seek to begin a years long effort to rebuild its military missiles and UAV forces." :: Sen. Ron Wyden, (D) Oregon  “Did the intelligence agencies assess that the Iranians could respond to a regime change attack from us by attacking U.S. forces and other American, and other Americans in the region?”  GABBARD: "The IC assessment has always taken very seriously, the threat of the Iranian regime's missile capabilities and how our American troops within the region may be put at risk." WYDEN: “Again, you know, it seems to me with Americans dying in the war, it's hard to see how you can sit here and say that the intelligence agencies couldn't provide a clear warning that if attack, the Iranians would respond by attacking our people.” The hearing was Gabbard's first significant public appearance in months. The hearing largely focused on the Iran war, now in its third week, as lawmakers - including some of President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans as well as Democrats - have said they want more information about an air campaign that has killed thousands of people, disrupted the lives of millions and shaken energy and stock markets. Democrats in particular have complained that the administration has not kept Congress adequately informed about a conflict that has cost U.S. taxpayers billions, and demanded public testimony rather than classified briefings held in the past two weeks.

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US launches new era of drug war with Latin American allies

The United States and allies in Latin America and the Caribbean have ushered in a new phase of anti-drug cooperation including extraditions, shared intelligence and security plans despite criticism from international organizations.The anti-drug campaign, which includes controversial elements such as attacks on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, is sparking alarm in some parts of the region.

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'Free France': Macron reveals name of Europe's largest warship

President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced that France's next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will be called "France Libre" (Free France), as the country looks to reinforce its status as a major maritime power.France is one of the two countries in the world that operate nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

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Foreign press group slams Israeli police for breaking journalist's wrist

An international media association on Wednesday criticised an "unprovoked assault" by Israeli police on journalists in Jerusalem, which it said left a CNN producer with a fractured wrist."During the assault, one Israeli officer fractured the wrist of a CNN producer," the FPA said in a statement. 

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Iran war has US farmers worried about the cost and availability of fertilizer

Dolores Huerta Says Cesar Chavez Sexually Assaulted Her: 'For The Last 60 Years Have Kept A Secret'

A powerhouse in the civil rights and labor movements, Huerta levied her own allegations against Chavez following a bombshell exposé detailing his abuse.

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Iran was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment, US intelligence finds

US intelligence concluded Wednesday that Iran was not rebuilding nuclear enrichment capacities destroyed last year by the United States and Israel, contradicting a key justification by President Donald Trump for his ongoing war.Trump said after the June 2025 bombing that the United States had completely destroyed Iran's nuclear sites, but since his latest war he has maintained that Tehran was nonetheless weeks away from a nuclear bomb and that he had to act.

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'Happened so fast': UK students panicked by meningitis outbreak

Hundreds of masked-up students queued Wednesday to get vaccinated at the UK university campus at the heart of a deadly meningitis outbreak, as the number of cases rose to 20.The number of cases being probed by UK authorities has risen since Tuesday from 15 to 20.

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Maiduguri bombings follow surge of jihadist violence in Nigeria

Nigeria's defence chiefs visited Maiduguri Wednesday after one of the deadliest attacks in the Borno state capital in years, in a show of defiance.In Maiduguri, chief of defence staff General Olufemi Oluyede pledged "in the future this will not repeat itself."

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South Lebanon residents flee death and destruction

The line of cars stretched as far as the eye could see along the coast of southern Lebanon, as residents of areas bombarded in the Israel-Hezbollah war poured into the ancient city of Sidon in search of safety.For now the military says it is only conducting "limited" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. 

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Israel strikes central Beirut as war expands

STORY: Israeli warplanes hit Beirut on Wednesday, leveling apartments in the city's center as the war launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran grinds on. In the Bachoura neighborhood, Israel warned residents to leave a building it said was being used by the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah. Eyewitness video verified by Reuters showed the moment the bombs hit and the building crumbled. Lebanese authorities said Israeli attacks on Beirut on Wednesday killed at least ten people.  The Israeli military's sweeping evacuation orders have displaced more than 1 million people in the country. Meanwhile Israel continued to strike targets in Iran, on Wednesday claiming to have eliminated Iran's intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib.  That comes the same day Tehran held a funeral for its security chief, Ali Larijani, assassinated a day earlier. Tehran said the killing of officials would not hinder its operations.  Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the Islamic Republic was a robust political system that did not depend on any single individual. Iran confirmed the death of Larijani...  ...and retaliated by firing missiles with multiple warheads into Israel. The skies over central Israel and Jerusalem lit up as interceptors sought their targets.  Israeli authorities said two people died after being injured by shrapnel in the city of Ramat Gan. Another Iranian missile tore a crater into the pavement and set cars ablaze in a residential area of Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. Fourteen people have been killed in Israel since the U.S.-Israeli attacks began at the end of February. U.S.-based Iran human rights group HRANA said on Monday that an estimated 3,000-plus people have been killed in Iran.

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Why convoys cannot fully protect oil tankers from Iran attacks

The Israeli-US war on Iran has provoked a reaction from Tehran that has effectively choked a large chunk of the world's oil supply, and untangling the blockage will take a regional effort beyond what is currently being proposed, experts have told AFP. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged other global powers to send warships to escort convoys of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the United States and Israel began a war on the Islamic republic last month, sending global oil prices up by more than 40 percent.  Iran has however shown it has a much wider reach and can disrupt supplies throughout the Persian Gulf and beyond, simply by firing off a clutch of drones or a missile. Trump has acknowledged the dangers of this kind of attack, at least in the strait. "It's easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close-range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are," he posted on social media at the weekend. But strategic planners need to look at a much bigger geographical area and consider a much wider array of tools if they are serious about protecting oil tankers, experts have told AFP. "Treating 'Hormuz security' as a chokepoint-only problem is analytically incomplete," naval analyst Tayfun Ozberk, a former Turkish navy officer, told AFP. The strait is labelled a "chokepoint" because it narrows to around 24 miles (38 kilometres) as it snakes between the southern Iranian coastline and the Arabian Peninsula's eastern tip, a jutting piece of land shared between United Arab Emirates and Oman. "The effective threat envelope Iran can generate already extends well beyond the narrows," said Ozberk. "That matters because traffic is exposed not only during the brief transit of the strait, but during the longer 'funnelling' phase where routes, speed constraints, and predictable lanes increase vulnerability." - 'Limited protection' - Iran has carried out attacks on shipping hundreds of miles from the strait since the war began, towards the Iraqi coast on one side and well into the Gulf of Oman on the other. "Outside the strait, there are risks as long as you're within missile range," said a European military source who requested not to be named. And even within the strait, there are particular challenges that convoys could struggle with -- for one, the narrowness of the channel drastically reduces the time a warship might have to stop an attack. "Mounting a navy-escorted convoy through the Strait of Hormuz... is not only very complex but also offers limited protection," researchers Christian Bueger and Jane Chan wrote in a recent paper for RSIS, a Singapore-based defence think tank. "Not only air defence but also capabilities to intercept speed boats and surface drones, and to detect mines would be required." The world has been in a similar situation before -- both sides in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s targeted commercial ships in the strait. Sidharth Kaushal, of the UK-based RUSI think tank, told AFP that the United States needed to maintain up to 35 vessels in the area during what became known as the Tanker War. Yet the capacity of navies to carry out this type of operation has diminished over the years. Hans Tino Hansen of the Risk Intelligence firm told AFP the number of warships in western navies equipped for a convoy mission had fallen by 75 percent since 1988. - 'Raise uncertainty' - One of the thorniest problems a convoy could face is the possibility of sea mines. Trump said on Monday that US forces had hit all of Iran's mine-laying ships but warned that the devices could be transferred to other vessels. Turkish expert Ozberk said mines remained Iran's "most strategically efficient lever" because they "raise uncertainty and cost even when they don't sink ships". "You can't 'convoy' your way around a credible mine threat without some degree of mine countermeasures," he said. Putting these measures in place slows convoys, as specialist vessels take time to clear any devices and they themselves need further protection. The European military source told AFP if an area is mined "you first have to create safe routes with mine countermeasure vessels, which are very vulnerable and therefore must be protected, and which advance at four kilometres an hour to clear a strip a few hundred metres wide".  "Even then, a convoy has to be preceded by a mine countermeasure vessel to detect any anomaly. "Within the convoy, frigates must be inserted at regular intervals to deal with air and surface threats." The source added that if there were no mines "convoys can form more easily and travel at higher speeds, and the frigates can manoeuvre around the ships they are protecting". The overall complexity of protecting tankers in the wider region means any operation would probably not resemble a traditional convoy at all, RUSI's Kaushal argued. "Instead, destroyers and aircraft would likely attempt to provide an air-defence network over routes as a whole, while tools like helicopters could provide cover against USVs (surface drones)," he said. "The tempo of activity needed to make this shield persistent while also prosecuting targets on the Iranian mainland will likely prove highly resource intensive, however." fz/jxb/ah/rl

AFPTV

'Today' Host Files For Divorce In A Move That Many Could See Coming

"You accept that it’s broken and you take this new step forward,” the morning show personality said earlier.

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Aftermath of Israeli strikes seen in central Beirut

STORY: :: Damaged buildings and cars are seen in central Beirut after Israeli airstrikes :: Zuqaq al-Blat district, Lebanon / March 18, 2026 :: Bachoura, Lebanon :: Basta district, Lebanon Israel stepped up airstrikes in central Beirut on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and destroying a 10-story building, Lebanese authorities said, in attacks that shook the capital in the third week of Israel's war with Hezbollah. Central Beirut was hit by four airstrikes over an eight-hour period, targeting buildings in a cluster of neighborhoods within walking distance of the city's downtown and the headquarters of the Lebanese government. The Israeli military statement said it had "struck assets" of a Hezbollah-run financial institution, Al-Qard Al-Hassan, in Beirut, and that the Israeli Navy had targeted Hezbollah militants in the city. It did not give specific locations. A strike at around 1:30 a.m. (2330 GMT) destroyed several floors of an apartment block in the Zuqaq al-Blat district. Another strike, around 8:00 a.m. (0600 GMT), tore through a floor of a second building in Zuqaq al-Blat, some 50 meters from the site of the earlier strike.

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Under Hezbollah fire, people in north Israel hope for better days

Israeli dairy and fruit farmer Tommy Kurlender refused to abandon his herd during the last war with Hezbollah, and vowed he would again stay put this time around.I've been through several wars here in the country," he told AFP. "A farm is not abandoned.

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Some say the sharks in Las Vegas eat just as well as the tourists

Fear in central Beirut as Israel strikes, with and without warning

Sara Saleh and her family fled wearing their pyjamas on Wednesday when Israel's military said it would strike a central Beirut building near the school-turned-shelter where they had been staying.Along with her parents, brother, sisters and sisters' children, "we fled in our pyjamas" down the road to central Beirut's Martyrs' Square, she said.

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Afghans search for loved ones at rehab center bombed by Pakistan

STORY: :: Families search for loved ones after Pakistan bombed a rehab center  :: Kabul, Afghanistan / March 18, 2026 “I came here to check the lists. I don’t know whether his name (the addicted person) is on the list or not. I don’t know if he is alive or dead, so far, he is missing. I have no information at all.” :: Afghan officials say over 400 people were killed in what Pakistan called a 'precise' strike on military and terrorist sites ::March 17, 2026 The Afghan Taliban government has said that more than 400 people were killed and 265 wounded in the air strike that took place on Monday (March 16) night, just as people and staff at the center were praying, days before the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Pakistan rejected the claim, saying it had "precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure". The sharp escalation has further worsened relations between the Islamic neighbors at a time when the region has become unstable following the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

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