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 Iran threatens to assassinate Netanyahu as Gulf conflict escalates Tehran on Sunday issued a direct threat to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the conflict between the U.S. and Israel against Iran intensified, further straining energy security in the Gulf. The country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned it would “pursue and kill” Netanyahu, whom it called a “child-killer,” if he remained alive. Israel responded with targeted strikes against key Iranian figures and facilities over the weekend. The Israel Defense Forces reported the elimination of two senior intelligence officials associated with the “Khatam al-Anbiya” Emergency Command. Additional attacks included Iran’s Space Agency research center and a factory producing aerial defense systems. Iran continued retaliatory actions in the region, with central Israel experiencing a missile barrage, though no injuries were reported. The ongoing conflict has disrupted oil operations, including at the UAE’...

 Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro hospitalized in intensive care with pneumonia, officials say   Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro is being treated in an intensive care unit in Brasilia after developing pneumonia, hospital officials said Friday. Doctors described the 70-year-old’s condition as serious, warning that pneumonia in older patients can progress to septicemia if bacteria enter the bloodstream. Bolsonaro was transferred from prison after experiencing high fever, chills, vomiting, and low oxygen levels, his eldest son, Flávio Bolsonaro, said on X. The hospital confirmed bronchopneumonia, likely caused by aspiration, and said he is receiving intravenous antibiotics and non-invasive support. Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup following his 2022 election defeat, and hospital staff noted it is unlikely he will return to prison in the coming days due to the need for ongoing IV treatment. Family members have criticized his incarceration c...

 Renowned 20th-century philosopher Jürgen Habermas dies at 96 Jürgen Habermas, the German philosopher widely recognized for his contributions to modern political thought and democratic theory, died Saturday in Starnberg, Germany, at the age of 96. His passing was confirmed in a statement by his Berlin-based publisher, Suhrkamp Verlag, which noted that Habermas’s work, translated into more than 40 languages, had left a lasting impact on global intellectual discourse. Jonathan Landgrebe, head of the publishing house, described him as “a significant philosopher, ever-present advisor, and dear friend.” For more than six decades, Habermas helped shape postwar and post-reunification German political life. He is best known for conceptualizing the “public sphere,” a domain for discussion free from state influence, which he argued is essential for a functioning democracy. Rising to prominence with the Frankfurt School in the mid-20th century, Habermas offered rigorous critiques of capitalis...

Kansas driver’s license law puts some transgender residents in ID limbo A new Kansas law has effectively invalidated the driver’s licenses and other government-issued documents of transgender residents, leaving many in legal and personal limbo. Senate Bill 244, which went into effect immediately after the legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto, requires that the gender listed on a driver’s license align with the state’s binary definition of male and female. The law also directs the state registrar to “correct” birth certificates that do not match these definitions. Unlike similar restrictions in other states, Kansas’ law retroactively invalidates previously issued documents. Legal advocates warn that the law threatens the privacy and safety of transgender residents, forcing them to disclose their gender identity in situations ranging from employment applications to renting property or opening bank accounts. The law also restricts bathroom use to the sex assigned at birth and amen...

 US-China trade talks begin in Paris, setting stage for Trump-Xi summit  U.S. and Chinese officials began high-level trade talks in Paris on Sunday, setting the stage for President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in about two weeks. The delegations are led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. While the White House has announced Trump’s visit for March 31 to April 2, Beijing has not yet confirmed the dates. Bessent emphasized that the U.S. team aims to secure outcomes that prioritize American farmers, workers, and businesses. Over the two-day talks, the delegations will focus on trade and economic issues of mutual concern. Trump’s visit will be his first to China since his first term in 2017 and follows a one-year truce in the U.S.-China trade war agreed upon last year in Busan, South Korea. Despite the truce, tensions remain, including over a new U.S. trade investigation into 16 trading partners...

 IPOB PROPAGANDA: OPERATION UDO KA INVITES MEDIA ORGANISATIONS CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS TO VERIFICATION TOUR OF  ORSU-EKETUTU  MOTHER VALLEY ORSU–IHI-TEUKWA IN IMO STATE The attention of Headquarters, OPERATION UDO KA and 82 Division Nigerian Army has been drawn to  social media viral posts, alleging that the images published on 12 March 2026 along with a media release on Nigerian Army Social Media handles showing recovered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from Orsu-Eketutu Mother Valley and Orsu–Ihiteukwa, in Imo State were fake and manipulated.  For the records, the devices in the images released were  recovered during the ongoing operations EASTERN SANITY conducted simultaneously in Imo and Anambra  states, as stated in the media releases on this operation. However, the geo location on the pictures were blurred for operational security reasons and not for any ulterior motives as being propagated by Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) symphatisers on t...

 Republic of Congo holds presidential election, internet disruption reported Internet connectivity across the Republic of Congo was disrupted on Sunday as voters cast ballots in a presidential election, global internet watchdog NetBlocks said. Network data indicated a nation-scale disruption to internet access, the watchdog said on X. A similar near-total nationwide internet blackout was recorded during the country’s March 2021 presidential election, lasting about three days, according to NetBlocks. Polls opened at 6 am (0500GMT) in the country’s presidential election and will remain open until 6 pm (1700GMT). More than 2.6 million registered voters aged 18 and above are eligible to cast their ballots. President Denis Sassou Nguesso seeks re-election A candidate with an absolute majority will be declared the winner of the elections, or in an unlikely event, a run-off will be called between the two top candidates, AA reported. Incumbent President Denis Sassou Nguesso first took powe...