Home Blog Page 43

Strikes kill at least 5 in Ukraine, as Zelenskyy visits Gulf Arab states to talk drone defense

By
The Associated Press
-

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched over 270 drones at Ukraine overnight, killing at least five people, Ukrainian authorities reported on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, made unannounced visits to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as Kyiv seeks to use its drone expertise to help Gulf Arab states blunt Iran’s attacks as the war in the Middle East rages on.

Two people were killed and at least 11 more were injured in a nighttime Russian drone strike on Odesa, according to the head of the region, Serhii Lysak. According to Lysak’s Telegram posts, the attack damaged a maternity hospital and private houses in the major Black Sea port city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the “massive” strike involved more than 60 drones.

“Last night, the Russians launched a massive strike on Odesa. There was no military purpose whatsoever — this was pure terror against ordinary civilian life,” he said Saturday on X. He added that port and “critical” infrastructure were also damaged, as well as business premises.

Two men died and two more were wounded early on Saturday in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine, after a Russian drone hit an industrial facility, regional head Oleksandr Gandzha said in a Telegram update. He did not specify what the industrial building was.

One person was killed overnight in the Poltava region, also in central Ukraine, as Russia struck unspecified industrial sites there, regional authorities reported on Saturday.

According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 273 drones at Ukraine during the night, 252 of which were downed or electronically jammed.

Zelenskyy visits Arab Gulf nations

Also on Saturday, Zelenskyy and Emirati state media reported on a meeting between the Ukrainian President and his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to discuss regional security amid the Iran war.

Later that day, Zelenskyy posted on X to say he had arrived in Qatar.

“Real security is built on partnership, we value everyone and remain open to supporting all those who are ready to work together for this goal,” he wrote alongside a video of himself disembarking a plane and shaking hands with Qatari officials.

The war in the Middle East erupted a month ago when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. The Islamic Republic retaliated with strikes against Israel and the Gulf Arab States and the blockading of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway. The war has upended global travel and sent oil prices soaring as its economic fallout extended well beyond the region.

Last week, Zelenskyy revealed that Kyiv is helping five countries, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan, counter Tehran’s drone strikes on their territory.

“For Ukraine, this is also a matter of principle: terror must not prevail anywhere in the world. Protection must be sufficient everywhere,” he commented on X following his meeting with the Emirati leader.

He added they had discussed “the security situation in the Emirates, Iranian strikes, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which directly affects the global oil market”.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian leader visited Saudi Arabia. Days earlier, he said Kyiv is looking into whether it can play a role in restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Emirates News Agency, Zelenskyy and Al Nahyan discussed “security developments in the region amid ongoing military escalation and their implications for regional and international peace and security, as well as their impact on international navigation and the global economy”.

Ukraine has quickly grown into one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone interceptors that are cheap and effective. They are playing a key part in its defense against Russia’s more than 4-year-old full-scale invasion.

In return for its aid to Gulf countries, Ukraine is seeking more high-end air-defense missiles that they possess and that Kyiv needs to blunt Russia’s attacks.

Drones kill a child in Russia’s Yaroslavl region

In Russia, a child died after a Ukrainian drone hit a private house in Russia’s western Yaroslavl region, local Gov. Mikhail Evraev reported in the early hours on Saturday.

According to Evraev’s Telegram post, the child’s parents were hospitalized with serious injuries after the attack. A female neighbor was also injured in the nighttime strike that saw over 30 drones shot down over the region, Evraev reported. He said several private homes and a retail building were damaged.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that 155 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the night over Russia and occupied Crimea.

Once a luxury for moms, doula care is going mainstream

By
The Associated Press
-

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Shaquoiya Stewart held one of her 6-month-old twins on her lap while Shanille Bowens held the other. As the women caught up and the babies stared at each other quietly, Bowens came around to the key question she asks all the mothers she works for: “Do you think there’s anything you need more support with?”

Bowens is a doula, a provider of physical and emotional support before, during and after birth — care that used to be seen as a luxury and was available only to those who could afford it. But doulas are becoming mainstream.

The country’s once-reluctant medical establishment is increasingly welcoming the way doulas complement doctors and nurses, and with insurance coverage growing fast, parents from across the economic spectrum can now take advantage.

More than 30 states reimburse doulas through Medicaid or are in the process of implementing such coverage, up from 14 in late 2022, according to the nonprofit National Health Law Program. Private insurers are starting to do the same, with industry giant UnitedHealthcare launching a new benefit this year. Without insurance, costs vary widely but can exceed $2,000.

The changes are being driven by mounting research that shows these trained, non-medical professionals can significantly improve the health of moms and babies. Expanding doula care, experts say, is a relatively inexpensive way to help reduce maternal mortality, which kills Black mothers like Stewart at a rate more than three times higher than white women.

“Doulas can benefit everybody,” said Sierra Hill, maternal care access coordinator for Minnesota’s health department. “And that’s especially true for our communities that are facing a lot of inequities and health disparities.”

Stewart, who has Tennessee Medicaid, said Bowens shepherded her through the jitters of early pregnancy with her twin sons, blood pressure issues during delivery, a C-section and baby blues after birth.

“I felt safe. It didn’t feel like I was just by myself,” said Stewart, a 35-year-old single mother of four. “She was like my homegirl.”

Awareness of doulas has grown

In 2006, 3% of women in the U.S. got care from a doula during labor, according to a survey conducted for the nonprofit Childbirth Connection, now a program of the National Partnership for Women & Families. That figure has doubled or tripled since then, researchers estimate.

When Bowens was pregnant with the first of her six children more than two decades ago, a counselor recommended a doula.

“I’m like, ‘A doula, what is that?’” Bowens recalled.

Bowens was so inspired by the care she received that she ultimately became one herself. In addition to answering moms’ questions and connecting them to community services, Bowens helps her clients navigate the health system and advocates for them.

“Oftentimes, we become friends with our clients – lifelong friends. We help connect them with resources in the community,” said Bowens, founder of Naturally Nurtured Birth Services. “We cater to them … so it looks different for each client.”

That help pays off, especially for moms from underserved communities.

Research comparing two groups of socially disadvantaged mothers found that those who used doulas were four times less likely to have a baby with low birth weight, two times less likely to have a birth complication and much more likely to start breastfeeding. Another study published last year found that Medicaid recipients with doulas had a 47% lower risk of C-sections and a 29% lower risk of preterm birth and were 46% more likely to go to a postpartum checkup.

That postpartum finding is key, said April Falconi, a scientist at Carelon Research who co-authored the recent study. More than half of maternal deaths occur during the postpartum period, she said. Causes include infection and excessive bleeding.

These sorts of results led Minnesota to become one of the first states to cover doulas through Medicaid in 2014. A decade later, the state expanded coverage, allowing Medicaid recipients 18 sessions with a doula without prior authorization, more than double what was allowed before.

“The return on investment is huge,” the health department’s Hill said.

Rising acceptance of doulas by doctors and nurses

There are no mandatory licenses for doulas, but there are state qualification standards to receive Medicaid payments and many doulas seek certification from private entities.

Naturally Nurtured is involved in a pilot project in Memphis in which doula services are paid for under a Tennessee Medicaid program run by UnitedHealthcare. Services are free to members.

UnitedHealthcare commercial clients with a doula benefit, on the other hand, get reimbursed for the care. Doulas are also included in a limited but growing number of other private plans.

“I see doulas becoming more and more integrated and accepted by all within the health care system,” said Dr. Margaret-Mary Wilson, chief medical officer at UnitedHealth Group.

That extends to doctors and nurses in hospitals.

Dana Morrison, principal director of Doulas of Duluth in Minnesota, said there “was definitely” resistance to doulas by birth teams when she began her work 10 years ago. That was also true nationally. One point of friction was when doulas advocated for something different from what the medical professionals wanted. And since doulas weren’t as integrated into care, they didn’t have the time to build trust with doctors and nurses.

Today, Aspirus St. Luke’s hospital contracts with Doulas of Duluth on a grant-funded program, and patients can receive a scholarship to hire a doula through the organization.

Nurse Mallory Cummings, doula coordinator at Aspirus St. Luke’s, said people on the birth team accept and appreciate doulas. “What it really comes down to is everyone’s knowledge of what a doula is,” she said.

Doulas support moms through trying times

On a recent afternoon, Mary Bey settled into a chair in a homey room at the Memphis doula center, cradling her sleeping infant, Ca’Mya. Bowens sat beside her, taking notes on her laptop.

After discussing breastfeeding and sleep, they talked about how Bey, 39, has been crying a lot since the delivery.

“What brings it on?” Bowens asked.

“I’ll be scared and I’ll just be so protective and treat her like she’s just glass,” Bey replied.

Bey is haunted by a past loss. Before giving birth to her daughter last December, she suffered a stillbirth. Bowens helped her through.

“She was there when I had to push him out. She was there after, when I was healing. She came to the house. She brought groceries,” said Bey, a single mother of four who was connected with Bowens through the same pilot program as Stewart.

When Bey got pregnant again, she texted Bowens: “Hey, can you still be my doula?”

As the pregnancy progressed, Bowens answered all of Bey’s questions and kept her calm. She was there for Bey’s scheduled C-section and supported her when doctors monitored Ca’Mya for jaundice and what they briefly thought was a heart problem.

Later, Bey worried her C-section scar might be infected. Bowens advised her to get it checked out. It was.

Without her doula, Bey said she would never have gotten through either pregnancy as well as she did, physically or emotionally.

“She makes you feel like she’s family,” Bey said. “She was a friend — my best friend — a cousin, an auntie, a sister. All of the above.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Moroccan court jails rapper who has criticized ties with Israel and corruption

By
The Associated Press
-

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A Moroccan court sentenced a rapper known for his criticism of the country’s ties with Israel and government corruption to eight months in prison, the latest in a string of penalties against young musical artists.

Souhaib Qabli’s songs sharply criticize Morocco’s 2020 decision to normalize ties with Israel in an accord brokered by the first Trump administration. His lyrics also call out problems with public services and restrictions on freedom of speech, grievances also voiced by Morocco’s Gen Z protesters last year.

The judge ruled Thursday that Souhaib Qabli, a 23-year-old rapper, was guilty of insulting a constitutional body, his attorney Mohamed Taifi told The Associated Press. Qabli, who is a member of Al Adl Wal Ihsane, a banned but tolerated Islamist association, was also fined $106.

“The court did not clarify what it meant by a constitutional body. No specific party was identified in the case file, and there are many constitutional institutions,” Taifi said.

Taifi said that his client is appealing the verdict. He also said Qabli was cleared of other charges, including insulting public officials and disseminating false allegations.

Before the public hearing, dozens of supporters gathered outside the court in Taza, a city in north-central Morocco about 162 miles (261 kilometers) from the capital Rabat, holding banners calling for Qabli’s release. Rights groups in the North African kingdom have described the case as a political measure aimed at curbing freedoms.

Qabli, known by the stage name L7assal, was arrested earlier this month and remained in custody until the court delivered its verdict. He was studying refrigeration and air conditioning at a vocational training institute in addition to his music career.

His attorney said that in court, Qabli was questioned about his songs and social media posts. Qabli said he had no intent to insult any constitutional body and was expressing his views through rap.

His songs include one titled “No to the Normalization,” referring to Morocco’s decision to normalize ties with Israel in the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, in exchange for Washington’s recognition of Morocco’s claim to the disputed Western Sahara territory.

The move was criticized by Morocco’s vocal pro-Palestinian supporters and sparked large protests in several cities. While authorities allowed the rallies, they have arrested activists who criticized the decision.

Morocco’s constitution generally guarantees freedom of expression, and the country is seen as relatively moderate compared to others in the Middle East. Yet certain types of speech can still trigger criminal charges, and Morocco has seen tightening restrictions on dissent, including against journalists and activists.

Columbus (Spring 2026)

By
Keely Spitler
-
Columbus (Spring 2026)

A trumpet, a debut save and an eighth-inning swing: Dodgers’ new faces make noise early

By
The Associated Press
-

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The two biggest offseason acquisitions by the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers are paying dividends already.

Edwin Diaz earned his first save in his debut and Kyle Tucker singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of a 5-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

Diaz trotted out in the ninth to the sounds of trumpeter Tatiana Tate, who tooted from the stands next to the left field bullpen. Wearing Diaz’s No. 3 jersey, she played Timmy Trumpet’s “Narcos,” the closer’s entrance song that electrified New York Mets fans before the Dodgers lured the fan favorite away on a $69 million, three-year deal.

“It’s really cool because it’s another way to keep the fans involved in the game until the ninth inning because they’re all going to be waiting for that,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “Having Sugar in the ninth is always going to be special.”

However, fans may be hearing a recorded version of Diaz’s music next time. Tate, who has played with Stevie Wonder and Doechii, isn’t expected to be a regular presence during the season.

Díaz struck out two and walked one. He converted 28 of 31 save chances for the Mets last season.

“I always get a little bit nervous when I come into the game, but at the end of the day I was excited, too,” Diaz said. “I come in a one-run game was really big for me. I want to set it down the second day of the season, help this team to win, get the save and keep going.”

The Dodgers won back-to-back World Series championships without a true closer, although at times it was a rocky road. The last pitcher to fill that role was Kenley Jansen, who twice led the National League in saves during his spell in Los Angeles.

Now, Diaz provides dependability, a track record and a level of trust at the back of the bullpen.

“It’s going to be a lot on Sugar because he’s going to have to be under a lot of pressure,” Rojas said, “but he’s done it before. He’s the right guy for the task.”

Manager Dave Roberts initially didn’t think the Dodgers had a chance to land Diaz in free agency after the right-hander opted out of the final two years and $38 million of his contract with the Mets.

Roberts got off a 45-minute video call with Diaz and front office executives, and told his wife, “We’re going to get him.”

“It was selling ourselves and talking about how much we valued him and the culture of the team and the ownership and how we’ll do anything to win,” Roberts recalled. “He talked to his wife and convinced her moving West was a good decision.”

Another factor that played in the Dodgers’ favor, Roberts believes, is that Diaz’s younger brother, Alexis, had joined the Dodgers last May as a reliever. He is currently in the Texas Rangers organization.

“Calling him up from the minors and us treating him like a superstar, I think that kind of helped make that decision and comfort going forward,” Roberts said.

The attraction for Diaz was simple: “A lot of good players here. Everyone stays healthy, this team has a chance to win a three-peat,” he said.

Tucker went 1-for-3 with the game-winning single and a stolen base. In his debut on Thursday, the right fielder notched his first hit and first RBI in an 8-2 comeback victory. He signed a $240 million, four-year deal to leave the Chicago Cubs.

“I’m excited for them to have the opportunity to play in this environment and feel part of the family,” Rojas said. “I’m pretty sure they’re looking closely at how fun it’s been.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Pope Leo XIV visits Monaco to urge its people to use their faith and wealth for good

By
The Associated Press
-

MONACO (AP) — Pope Leo XIV visited the cosmopolitan Mediterranean principality of Monaco on Saturday to encourage its people to use their Catholic faith and wealth for good.

As a cannon boomed, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene met Leo at the Monaco heliport, just down the coast from the marina that is home to the megayachts of the rich and famous.

A brilliant sun made the Mediterranean sparkle as Leo emerged from the Italian military helicopter that had ferried him from the Vatican for the nine-hour stay. It’s the first papal visit to Monaco since Pope Paul III came in 1538.

At the palace, members of the royal family stood in the courtyard, the women dressed in black and with lace head coverings, waiting for Leo to arrive.

Leo is aiming to show how small states, such as the Holy See and Monaco, can punch above their weight on the global stage, especially in times of war, to uphold traditional Catholic values on the sanctity of all human life.

Monaco is one of the few European countries where Catholicism is the official state religion. And Prince Albert recently refused a proposal to legalize abortion, citing the important role Catholicism plays in Monaco society.

The decision was largely symbolic, since abortion is a constitutional right in France, which surrounds the coastal principality of 2.2 square kilometers (about 1 square mile).

But in refusing to allow it in Monaco, Albert joined other European Catholic royals who have taken a similar stand over the years to uphold Catholic doctrine on an increasingly secular continent. When Pope Francis visited Belgium in 2024, he announced he was putting the late King Baudouin on the path to possible sainthood because he abdicated for a day in 1990 rather than approve legislation to legalize abortion.

The visit includes a private meeting with Albert and Princess Charlene at the palace, a meeting with Monaco’s Catholic community in the cathedral and Mass in the sports stadium.

A coastal playground for the rich and famous, Monaco is renowned as much for its tax-friendly incentives and Formula 1 Grand Prix as its glamorous royal family. The son of the late American actress Grace Kelly, Albert spoke in perfect, unaccented English when he greeted Leo at the heliport. Leo was heard noting that he landed three minutes late.

Monaco’s population of 38,000 is heavily Catholic and also multinational, with only a fifth of the population actually citizens of the principality.

___

Winfield reported from Rome.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Israel says it intercepted first incoming missile from Yemen as war in Middle East intensifies

By
The Associated Press
-

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel early Saturday and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels later claimed responsibility for the attack, their first since the war in the Mideast started.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, claimed responsibility in a statement aired Saturday morning on the rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite television. The possible entry to the war of the Houthis calls into question whether the group will again target commercial shipping traveling through the Red Sea corridor.

Sirens went off around Beer Sheba and the area near Israel’s main nuclear research center for the third time overnight Friday into Saturday as Iran and Hezbollah continued to fire on Israel overnight. Loud explosions also filled the air in Tel Aviv and Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said it was responding to 11 different impact sites across the metro area.

Israel had struck Iran’s nuclear facilities hours after threatening to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran on Friday. Iran vowed to retaliate and struck a base in Saudi Arabia, wounding U.S. service members and damaging planes.

More than two dozen U.S. troops have been wounded in Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base in the past week, according two people who have been briefed on the matter. Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the base in the Friday attack that injured at least 15 troops, including five seriously, according to the people who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The base about about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital of Riyadh came under come attack twice earlier in the week, including a strike that injured 14 U.S. troops, according to the people briefed on the matter. The base is run by the Royal Saudi Air Force but also used by U.S. troops.

In Lebanon, authorities said more than 1,100 people have been killed since the start of the war. The Associated Press is now calling Israel’s military actions in southern Lebanon an invasion. Israel has moved thousands of troops across the border into Lebanon, and Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have been fighting on the ground for at least three weeks.

U.S. stocks experienced a further drop Friday. The S&P 500 sank 1.7% to close out its worst week since the Iran war started and its 5th losing week in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.1%. Meanwhile, crude oil prices continued to soar.

With U.S. gas prices approaching $4 a gallon, members of Congress have been pushing to suspend the federal gasoline tax, set at 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel. U.S. President Donal Trump suggested states should look at suspending their fuel taxes.

Involvement of Houthis could further complicate the war

Saree said the Houthis fired a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting what he described as “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel. The attack came hours after Saree signaled in a vague statement Friday that the rebels would join the war.

The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014, and so far had stayed out of the war as the rebels have had an uneasy ceasefire for years with Saudi Arabia, which launched a war against the group on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government in 2015.

Attacks on vessels during the Israel-Hamas war upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passed each year before the war. The rebels also fired drones at Israel.

In 2024, the Trump administration launched strikes against the Houthis that ended weeks later. The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthi rebels, overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy had faced since World War II.

The Houthi rebels attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January 2025. That would cause further chaos in global shipping, which already is reeling from Iran’s stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas once passed.

The potential involvement of the Houthis in the war also would complicate the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the aircraft carrier that went to port in Crete on Monday for repairs. Sending the carrier back into the Red Sea could draw it into the same high tempo of attacks seen by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and the USS Harry S. Truman in the 2025 American campaign against the Houthis.

Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities

Israel focused its attacks Friday on sites “in the heart of Tehran” where ballistic missiles and other weapons are produced, the military said. It said it also hit missile launchers and storage sites in Western Iran, while witnesses in eastern Tehran reported a partial power outage following airstrikes.

Iranian state media said Friday that two nuclear facilities had come under attack. Israel, which had threatened to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran, claimed responsibility, and Iran quickly threatened to retaliate.

“Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said via X.

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted, IRNA reported. The strikes did not cause any casualties and there was no risk of contamination, it said. The Arak plant has not been operational since Israel attacked it last June.

Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after impurities are removed from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.

The Israeli military later said raw materials are processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and the strike was a major blow to Iran’s nuclear program.

Seyed Majid Moosavi, IRGC’s Aerospace Force commander, said on X that employees of companies tied to the U.S. and Israel should abandon their workplaces: “This time, the equation will no longer be ‘an eye for an eye,’ just wait.”

Late Friday, Israeli authorities said Iran had launched missiles at the country that killed a 52-year-old man in Tel Aviv. Sirens alerted people to seek shelter in and around Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beer Sheba and areas near the country’s main nuclear research center, which were targeted by Iranian strikes that injured dozens last weekend.

Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down missiles and drones targeting the capital, Riyadh. In Lebanon, the Health Ministry said two people were killed.

Kuwait said its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port to the north, which is under construction as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. China has continued to purchase Iranian crude.

Trump renews call for Israeli-Saudi ties

Speaking in Miami at an event sponsored by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Trump reiterated his desire for those two countries to normalize relations.

The president has been pressing the two biggest powers in the Middle East on that for years as part of his Abraham Accords efforts, and he said the time will be right when hostilities end with Iran.

“It’s now time,” he said. “We’ve now taken them out, and they are out bigly. We got to get into the Abraham Accords.”

Significant headwinds remain, including Saudi Arabia’s insistence that there needs to be a credible path to a Palestinian state before it normalizes commercial and diplomatic ties with Israel.

Diplomacy proceeds alongside US troop buildup

Word of the attacks on Iran came after Trump claimed that talks on ending the war were going “very well” and that he had given Tehran more time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran maintains that it has not engaged in any negotiations.

With stock markets reeling and economic fallout from the war extending far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran’s chokehold on the strait.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington delivered a 15-point “action list” to Iran for a possible ceasefire, using Pakistan as an intermediary. It proposes restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the strait.

Iran rejected the offer and presented its own five-point proposal that included reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the waterway.

Trump has said if that Iran doesn’t reopen the strait to all traffic by April 6, he will order the destruction of Iran’s energy plants.

Diplomats from several countries including Pakistan and Turkey have tried to organize a direct meeting between U.S. and Iranian envoys. Separately, G7 foreign ministers meeting Friday in France formally asked for an immediate halt to attacks against populations and infrastructure.

U.S. ships drew closer to the region carrying some 2,500 Marines, and at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne trained to land in hostile territory to secure key positions and airfields have been ordered to the Middle East.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. “can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops.” Following the G7 meeting, Rubio said the deployments are designed to ensure “maximum opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.”

Israel sent the 162nd Division into southern Lebanon to support efforts to protect its northern border towns from Hezbollah attacks and uproot the militant group, the military said.

Death toll climbs

Nineteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon.

Authorities dais over 1,900 people have been killed in Iran. The U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people, are damaged.

At least 13 American troops have been killed, and four people in the occupied West Bank and 20 in Gulf Arab states have also died.

In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.

Possible breakthrough with aid and agricultural shipments

There appeared to be a breakthrough as Tehran agreed to allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, accepting a request from the U.N. Ali Bahreini, the country’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said Iran agreed to “facilitate and expedite” such movement.

The vital waterway usually handles a fifth of the world’s oil shipments and nearly a third of the world’s fertilizer trade. While markets and governments have largely focused on blocked supplies of oil and natural gas, the restriction of fertilizer ingredients and trade threatens farming and food security around the world.

“This measure reflects Iran’s continued commitment to supporting humanitarian efforts and ensuring that essential aid reaches those in need without delay,” Bahreini said on the social platform X. The U.N. earlier announced a task force to address the ripple effects that the war has had on aid delivery.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo, Madhani from Washington and Gambrell from Dubai.

Africa is hurting again from a global crisis it had no part in starting

By
The Associated Press
-

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Lagos taxi driver Adegbola Isaac went to the gas station twice last weekend. Each time, the price in the Nigerian city had climbed further and hit 1,350 naira ($0.99) per liter, a nearly 35% increase since the Iran war started. That’s wiped out most of his daily profit.

“It is hitting hard,” Isaac told The Associated Press.

Like many people across the world, Isaac is one of millions across Africa who are reeling from the economic impacts of the faraway conflict in the Middle East, which began Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

For many Africans, the fuel price hike because of the Strait of Hormuz being largely closed off worsens the hardships they already struggle with in some of the world’s poorest households.

The latest shock also isn’t isolated.

Africa is hurting again from another global crisis it had no part in starting.

From the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine and now the Middle East conflict, the world’s fastest-growing continent — with a population rivaling China and India — is at the painful end of ripple effects that include a global scramble for critical resources like fuel and fertilizer.

With the majority of African countries being net importers of refined oil products, the impact has been swift, leading to rising retail fuel prices in Africa and associated increases in the costs of most goods and services.

Experts say African countries are critically integrated into global economies and are exposed to global shocks because of their dependence on major economies.

The United Nations on Friday said it is pursuing a way to allow fertilizer to resume safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, hoping it would build confidence in wider diplomatic efforts around the Iran war.

Africa is the epicenter of crises

According to a 2025 report by U.N. Trade and Development, or UNCTAD, which describes Africa as “the epicenter of overlapping global crises,” more than half of the continent’s imports and exports are with five non-African countries.

All of Kenya’s fuel comes from the Middle East, particularly from the United Arab Emirates, with its fuel retailers saying 20% of the country’s outlets are already affected. Uganda’s fuel stock was initially projected to last a few weeks.

South Africa sources a significant amount of its fuel from Saudi Arabia. Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, lacks local refinery capacity and relies on importing refined crude products from Europe.

Adapting to higher prices

In Zimbabwe, health labor workers protested in favor of an increase in wages as the cost of living rose sharply. In response, the government plans to increase the blending of fuel with ethanol, from the current 5% to 20% ethanol blending. The blend poses a danger to cars, and a higher blend contributes to the emission of pollutants.

“I now avoid going into town during peak hours because the fares are too high,” said Washington Nyakarize, an informal cellphone trader who works in Harare’s Central Business District. “If I go later, the charge is a bit lower, but I lose business, because most customers come early in the morning.”

After South Africa’s fuel supplies from Saudi Arabia dropped, diesel-dependent industries started to panic-buy, fearing the worst. That is despite the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, or DMPR, saying the country still has untapped strategic reserves and diversified supply routes.

War is likely to impact more than fuel

Access to fertilizer across Africa, including conflict-wracked countries like Sudan and Somalia, is set to be impacted, according to UNCTAD.

Kenya’s flower industry also has reported weekly losses of up to $1.4 million since the Iran war began, with growers attributing the losses to a decline in demand and shipping disruptions.

Experts say the war could further put Africa in uncharted territory if it lasts longer.

“If the conflict persists for another month or two, honestly, we’re going to be in unknown terrain, that no one else, like, no one can really predict, and we just have to wait and see,” said Zainab Usman, a senior research scholar at the New York-based Center on Global Energy Policy.

Governments scramble for alternatives

With the global squeeze in oil supply, African governments have begun to look for alternative routes for supplies.

Bloomberg reported this week that several countries including South Africa, Kenya and Ghana have reached out to Nigeria’s Dangote Refinery for fuel deals.

While it regularly exports jet fuel used in aircraft to the U.S. and Asia, the Dangote refinery this week announced that it completed the sale of 12 shipments of refined petroleum products to several African countries, including Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana and Togo, a first at that scale since reaching full capacity earlier this year.

Energy experts say the Dangote refinery could be challenged in meeting growing demands for its products if its planned expansion is slowed down or if there are disruptions to its crude oil supply.

“As long as there is a steady supply of crude oil, the (Dangote) refinery has the capacity to meet some of the needs” from across the continent, according to Olufola Wusu, a Lagos-based oil and gas expert who was part of a team that helped review Nigeria’s national gas policy.

___

Michelle Gumede and Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe, contributed to this report.

Ashlon Jackson’s buzzer-beating 3 for Duke stuns LSU and etches its place in March Madness lore

By
The Associated Press
-

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — It took Ashlon Jackson a long time to get to bed after hitting the latest memorable buzzer-beater in March Madness, a 3-pointer in the women’s NCAA Tournament that kept Duke’s season alive.

There were hundreds of text and social media messages to respond to, including one from Kevin Durant. Jackson laughed when asked if the NBA star had her phone number, saying, “no, no, no.” He reached out via social media; she did respond to him.

Jackson apologized because she wasn’t able to get to everyone, but she needed to eventually get some sleep — which finally happened around 2 a.m.

“I try to respond to as many people as I can, you know,” Jackson said. “Because you’re very grateful that they were watching women’s basketball. So, I try to show my gratefulness. but I haven’t been able to get back to everyone.”

The Duke senior said she had to finally stop looking at her phone because her shot was unavoidable on social media.

“Every time I scroll, I see it,” she said. “I kind of got tired of seeing it, so I just put my phone down. I just replay in my head the ball spinning and spinning. I’m like, oh, I don’t want to see that.”

The ball kept on going to the basket, spinning around and hitting every part of the rim.

Jackson remembered when she was younger watching some of the great March Madness buzzer-beaters that she is now forever linked with.

Her 3-pointer may not have had the same magnitude as Morgan William’s shot for Mississippi State that ended UConn’s 111-game winning streak in the 2017 national semifinals or Arike Ogunbowale’s game-ending 3s for Notre Dame in the Final Four and NCAA championship game a year later.

Still, it’s a shot that Duke fans will remember for a long time because it lifted the third-seeded Blue Devils to an 87-85 win over No. 2 seed LSU on Friday night in the Sacramento 2 Regional.

“I’m still feeling like I’m on cloud nine a little bit,” Jackson said. “But I know that we got another game tomorrow, so I’m like, OK, I can deal with this.”

With Duke trailing by one point with 2.6 seconds left, Jackson caught the ball on the wing and faked out LSU defender Flau’Jae Johnson before putting up the shot right in front of the Blue Devils’ bench. The shot rolled around the rim several times before dropping in, setting off a wild celebration.

“My teammates and my coaches, they trust me and they believe in me,” said Jackson, who missed six of her first seven 3-pointers in the game. “And whenever shots aren’t really falling for me, I can’t really hang my head. That’s just how the game goes. Every competitor knows that.”

Jackson said it was her first game-ending shot.

“Never had a game-winner. Plenty of buzzer-beaters before,” Jackson said. “The way it went in, I felt like I was in a dream and it was playing back over and over again before the ball went in.”

LSU coach Kim Mulkey has seen a lot in her long coaching career. She’s been on both sides of it.

“I’ve been doing this a long time. Lost a national championship with seven-tenths to go. Been in those situations before,” Mulkey said. “Heartbreaking for your team and your players and fans. Been around a long time and seen endings like that. Been a part of those endings. Takes a while to get over it.”

Duke doesn’t have much time to enjoy the win; the Blue Devils face top-seeded UCLA in the Elite Eight of the Sacramento 2 Region on Sunday. The Bruins beat Minnesota in the other regional semifinal.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

The Latest: Israel stops missile fired from Yemen as concerns about Houthis entering the war rise

By
The Associated Press
-

Israel stopped a missile fired from Yemen on Saturday, the first time it had faced fire from that country since the war in the Middle East erupted last month. Concerns rose about the Iran-backed Houthis’ possible entry into the fighting.

The group’s previous attacks on vessels during the Israel-Hamas war upended shipping in the Red Sea.

Before the attack from Yemen, there appeared to be a breakthrough as Tehran agreed to allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities hours after threatening to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran on Friday. Iran vowed to retaliate and struck a base in Saudi Arabia that U.S. officials said wounded at least 10 U.S. service members, two of them seriously.

Here is the latest:

Oman reports drone attack on Salalah port

Oman said the strike hit Salalah port Saturday morning, wounding a foreign worker.

The government media office said the two-drone attack also damaged a crane.

Sirens sound in Bahrain ahead of a potential attack

Sirens sounded in Bahrain Saturday morning, ahead of a potential attack, authorities said.

The Interior Ministry urged people to head to the nearest safe location.

Saudi base faced an onslaught of Iranian missiles and drones in an attack that wounded US troops

Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base in a Friday attack, according to a person briefed on the assault.

The Iranian assault wounded at least 15 U.S. service members, including five who were seriously hurt in the attack, according to the person who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. U.S. officials initially reported that at least 10 U.S. troops were injured, including two who were seriously wounded.

1...424344...22,142Page 43 of 22,142