‘Truly junk’: E-waste from rich nations floods local markets in Nigeria | Environment News
Kano, Nigeria – On a bustling day in northern Nigeria, Marian Shammah made her way to the Sabon Gari Market, one of the largest electronics hubs in Kano state.
The 34-year-old cleaner was in need of a refrigerator, but with rising costs and a meagre income, she saw the second-hand appliances sold at the market as a lifeline.
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After locating the one she wanted, she paid the vendor 50,000 naira ($36) and took it home. But just a month later, the freezer collapsed.
“Only the top half of the refrigerator was working, and the freezer wasn’t working,” said Shammah.
Her food spoiled, her savings disappeared, and she was soon back in the market searching for another appliance.
Although Shammah could have bought a new local appliance for just over 30,000 naira ($30) more, she – like millions of Nigerians – believes second-hand products from America and Europe “last longer” than new products sold in Nigeria.
Observers say this trend is part of a larger crisis. Nigeria has become a major destination for the developed world’s discarded electronics – items often near the end of life, sometimes completely dead, and frequently toxic because they contain hazardous materials. When they break down, they add to landfills, worsening an already dire e-waste crisis on the African continent.
Around 60,000 tonnes of used electronics enter Nigeria through key ports each year, with at least 15,700 tonnes already damaged upon arrival, according to the United Nations.
The trade in used electronic goods is powered largely by foreign exporters. A UN tracking study between 2015 and 2016 showed that more than 85 percent of used electronics imported into Nigeria originated from Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, China, the United States, and the Republic of Ireland.
Many of these imports violate international restrictions, like the Basel Convention, an environmental treaty regulating the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous electronic waste to developing countries with weaker environmental laws.
Across West Africa, the Basel Convention’s “E-Waste Africa Programme”, a project focused on strengthening e-waste management systems across the continent, estimates that Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria collectively generate between 650,000 and 1,000,000 tonnes of e-waste annually – much of it the result of short-lifespan second-hand imports.
Health risks
The United Nations describes e-waste as any discarded device that uses a battery or plug and contains hazardous substances – like mercury – that can endanger both human health and the environment. Several of the toxic components commonly found in e-waste are included on the list of 10 chemicals of major public health concern maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the WHO, used electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) presents a growing public health and environmental threat across Africa, with Nigeria at the centre of the trade.
“Much of the equipment shipped as used electronics is close to becoming waste,” said Rita Idehai, founder of Ecobarter, a Lagos-based environmental NGO, warning that devices imported and sold as affordable second-hand goods often fail shortly after arrival and quickly enter the waste stream.
The consequences are far-reaching. Many imported fridges and air conditioners, for instance, still contain CFC-based and HCFC-based refrigerants such as R-12 and R-22 – chemicals banned in Europe and the US for causing ozone depletion or being linked to cancer, miscarriages, neurological disorders, and long-term soil contamination. These gases live for 12 to 100 years, meaning leaking equipment adds to a multi-generational environmental burden.
After these imported items stop working or fall apart, informal recyclers then dismantle the electronics with their bare hands, Al Jazeera observed. In Kano, the recyclers inhale poisonous fumes and manage the heavy metals without protection. Their work earns them a meagre 3,500–14,000 naira ($2.50-$10) per week, they said, and the after-effects linger – including persistent coughing, chest pain, headaches, eye irritation, and breathing difficulties after long hours of burning cables and dismantling electronic devices.
The health crisis extends into Kano’s communities.
Among casual recyclers and residents who live close to e-waste dumps, many report symptoms that range from chronic headaches and skin irritation to breathing issues, miscarriages and neurological concerns, according to health surveys done by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. These ailments are consistent with longtime toxic exposure, the researchers said.
Recent field assessments conducted by Nigeria’s Federal University Dutse also stressed that in and around Kano state, where the Sabon Gari Market is located, there are rising levels of heavy metals in soil and drainage channels.
Dr Ushakuma Michael Anenga, a gynaecologist at the Benue State Teaching Hospital and second vice president of the Nigerian Medical Association, warned that toxic exposure from informal e-waste recycling poses grave health risks to communities in Kano.
“Exposure to heavy metals and refrigerant gases in e-waste causes extreme brief and long-term health issues, generally affecting the breathing and renal organs,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Common casual practices like exposed burning and dismantling result in direct, high-level exposure for workers and nearby residents. Children and pregnant girls are particularly inclined due to the fact that those toxicants can disrupt development or even skip from mother to unborn baby, [while] recyclers who work without defensive equipment face repeated, frequently irreversible damage.”
Profits over protection
In Sabon Gari Market, second-hand electronics are advertised as less costly lifelines for households and poor business owners burdened by inflation.
Many customers say foreign-used home equipment appears sturdier and seems like better value for money than new imports from the developing world. Meanwhile, others are just looking for cheap options in difficult economic times.
“I usually go for second-hand or foreign-used electronics because brand-new ones are too expensive for me,” Umar Hussaini, who sells used electronics at the market, told Al Jazeera.
“Sometimes you can get them for half the price of new ones, and they look almost the same, so it feels like a good deal at the time.”
But the last refrigerator he bought stopped cooling after just three months. With no warranty or guarantee, the seller refused responsibility.
“For weeks, we couldn’t store food properly at home, and we ended up buying food daily, which was more expensive,” he said. “However, I have to buy another one again.”
For small business owners like Salisu Saidu, the losses can be even more devastating. He bought a used freezer for his shop, believing it had been serviced. Within weeks, it failed.
“I lost a lot of frozen food, which meant I lost money and customers,” he told Al Jazeera.
Around his neighbourhood, broken electronics are often dumped out in the street, sometimes emitting smoke or sparks.
“There’s also a lot of electronic waste piling up around,” he said, calling for tighter import controls, proper certification, and mandatory warranties to protect buyers from being sold what he described as “damaged goods disguised as fairly used”.
Bought as bargains, sold as burdens
At Sabon Gari Market, another vendor, Umar Abdullahi, is surrounded by imported refrigerators, air conditioners and washing machines stacked tightly together.
The products in his shop are advertised as “London use” or “Direct Belgium”, while he negotiates the sale of a double-door fridge for 120,000 naira ($87).
Abdullahi’s store is where Shammah returned after the refrigerator she bought failed. But he admits that much of what he sells to customers arrives unchecked.
“We buy them untested from suppliers in Europe, and we also sell them untested so we can make our profit,” he told Al Jazeera.
This despite the fact that international rules under the Basel Convention, as well as Nigerian environmental regulations, prohibit the shipment of material considered e-waste – with penalties including fines and jail terms.
Nwamaka Ejiofor, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), said the country does not permit the import of e-waste. However, the entry of used electronics is allowed under regulated conditions.
“The importation of used electrical and electronic equipment is regulated and may be allowed only where such equipment meets prescribed conditions, including functionality and compliance requirements,” she told Al Jazeera.
“Nigeria applies a combination of regulatory, administrative and enforcement measures to ensure that imported used electronics comply with national law and the country’s international obligations,” she added, listing out measures including environmental regulations, cargo inspection and verifying that imported equipment is “functional”.
However, despite this, some traders find loopholes in the system, including declaring cargo they plan to sell as personal belongings or second-hand household goods to avoid scrutiny.
Although NESREA says enforcement has improved, critics say the steady flow of mediocre goods continues largely unchecked. Even dealers at Sabon Gari Market acknowledge that most appliances are sold “as is”, without certification or guarantees.
‘Loopholes’
Behind the second-hand electronics trade is a network of collectors and exporters who source discarded appliances across Europe.
Baban Ladan Issa, who ships used electronics from Ireland to Nigeria, said items are gathered from weekend markets, private homes that are replacing old gadgets, and contractors clearing out equipment from offices, hotels and hospitals.
“Some suppliers mix working and damaged goods together,” he told Al Jazeera, noting that while he tries to avoid faulty items, not all buyers do the same.
Once assembled, shipments worth millions of naira are sent to Lagos through ships then down to sellers in the market in Kano state, sometimes packed in containers or hidden inside vehicles to reduce inspection risks.
Shipping records seen by Al Jazeera showed consignments labelled as “personal effects”, a classification that can limit detailed checks at ports.
Chinwe Okafor, an environmental policy analyst based in Abuja, said the problem is systemic.
“Exporting nations regularly take advantage of loopholes by means of labelling nonfunctional e-waste as ‘second-hand goods’ or ‘for repair,’” she told Al Jazeera. “In some instances, research estimates that over 75 percent of what arrives in developing countries is truly junk.”
“This permits wealthy countries to keep away from highly-priced recycling at home while pushing unsafe materials into nations with weaker safeguards.”
Ibrahim Adamu, a programme officer with the NGO Ecobarter, added that mislabelling, poor inspection technology and corruption at ports make enforcement difficult.
“The highest profits are captured by exporters and brokers who arbitrage the gap between disposal costs in Europe or Asia and the strong demand for ‘tokunbo’ goods in Nigeria,” he said, using the local name for used imported electronics.
To forestall this, he said Nigeria “must reinforce border inspections” and implement a policy whereby producers and manufacturers bear financial responsibility. At the same time, “the international network has to adopt binding bans that [hold] manufacturers and exporters responsible”, Adamu said.
Little oversight, mounting risks
Although Nigeria has regulations governing the import of electrical and electronic equipment, enforcement gaps keep exposing markets like Kano’s Sabon Gari to ageing and near-end-of-life appliances, locals say.
Ibrahim Bello, a used electronics importer with a decade in the business, said many shipments that arrive from Europe are in less-than-ideal condition.
“Around 20 to 30 percent of the items we receive have issues when they arrive,” he told Al Jazeera. “Some are already damaged, while others stop working after a short time because they are old.
“That’s just part of the business.”
Retailer Chinedu Peter gave similar estimates. “From what I’ve experienced, maybe 40 percent of the electronics have some fault as they come,” he said, adding that environmental and protection checks don’t happen as they are meant to.
“Such a lot of items enter without special checks.”
Both men feel that clearer rules and certified testing systems will improve trust. But until then, thousands of ageing, unsuitable products will continue to flood Nigeria.
Shammah, back at Sabon Gari Market just weeks after her refrigerator broke, was once again searching through rows of stacked appliances, hoping her next purchase might last longer than the last.
“I don’t really trust these fairly used appliances again, but I still have to buy something because we need it at home,” she told Al Jazeera.
“This time I’m thinking … I can buy a new one from a proper shop, even if it takes longer, because I don’t want to lose my money again.”
Navy F/A-18’s Close Call With An Iranian SAM Highlights Remaining Risks To Epic Fury Aviators (Updated)
Videos have emerged showing an apparent very close call for a U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet after it was targeted by an Iranian man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) while conducting a low-level strafing run during an Operation Epic Fury mission. The persistent threat posed by Iranian air defenses, whatever is left of them, is something that we have repeatedly drawn attention to.
The videos have been geolocated to the port of Chabahar in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, which is located along the country’s eastern shore, near the Pakistan border. This would explain, at least to a degree, why the Super Hornet is operating so low over hostile territory. This coastal area was hit hard by strikes from the start of the war, and the near proximity to the ocean means combat search and rescue would be easier to execute in a pinch. There is also a better understanding of what air defense threats remain than, say, in the eastern part of the country.
The date of the incident is unconfirmed, but it is reported to have occurred yesterday.
Previously, we have seen plenty of evidence of Super Hornets conducting strafing runs with their M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannons in coastal areas of Iran. Some of these are seen in the videos posted directly below.
In the sequence, the distinctive zipping sound of the cannon can be heard, as well as a puff of smoke as the rounds are unleashed.
The F/A-18 makes a left-hand turn before the missile comes into view. It is unclear if the pilot was aware of the threat and maneuvered to avoid it or was unaware of the missile. There is no obvious sign of infrared countermeasures being deployed, although BOL IR-type countermeasures can be harder to see in daylight.
The missile is then seen exploding behind the aircraft, leaving shrapnel in its wake.
While it is not immediately obvious whether or not the F/A-18 was struck, it appears to have escaped relatively unscathed, suggesting this may have been a very lucky near-miss for the crew of the jet.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that the Super Hornet crashed in the Indian Ocean. Iran’s Fars News Agency published the statement from the IRGC:
“The enemy F-18 fighter jet was accurately hit in the sky of Chabahar by missiles from the IRGC Navy’s advanced modern air defense system, under the command of the country’s integrated air defense network, and crashed in the Indian Ocean.”
U.S. Central Command responded by denying that any U.S. fighter aircraft had been shot down by Iran, but its statement on X did not immediately rule out a near-miss or damage to the aircraft.
There have been multiple Iranian claims of U.S. aircraft being hit by air defenses. So far, however, there is credible evidence for only one previous such incident.
This was the U.S. Air Force F-35A that the IRGC claimed was hit over Iran, and which U.S. officials confirmed made an emergency landing, with the pilot having sustained shrapnel injuries. The IRGC released a video that they claimed shows the F-35 being hit by a missile, as seen through a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system.
As we have explained in the past, while the U.S. has claimed air supremacy over Iran, it certainly does not yet possess it across the entire country. There remain very real risks, especially as the air campaign moves more toward increasing direct attacks farther east in the country, bringing aircraft closer to potential lingering threats.
For all the defense-suppression missions that have been flown, Iran still possesses road-mobile air defenses as well as more exotic types that can pop up virtually anywhere and give aircrews very little time to react. These systems can be easily hidden and will remain a threat on the battlefield long after static air defenses are destroyed. Beyond that, there are MANPADS, which, while less of a menace in terms of outright performance and engagement envelopes, are impossible to entirely remove from the battlespace.
UPDATES:
We have ended our rolling coverage on Epic Fury for the day.
UPDATE: 4:30 PM EST –
The open-source researchers at the Bellingcat organization say they have identified the mines found overnight in Kafari, Iran, as U.S.-made BLU-91/B anti-tank mines, usually associated with the Gator Scatterable Mine System.
There have been suggestions that the mines may have been dropped along roads to try to prevent Iranian mobile missile launchers from deploying out of their mountain bases and heading to launch sites.
It looks as if President Trump has suspended his ultimatum on the Strait of Hormuz for another 10 days. Trump, under increasing domestic pressure as oil prices soar, had last week warned that the U.S. military would “obliterate” Iranian power plants if the strait is not open before a 48-hour deadline.
UPDATE: 4:00 PM EST –
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated today that a “growing amount of energy” is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz as indirect contacts between the United States and Iran show progress.
“There’s a growing amount of energy that’s been flowing through the strait, not as much as should be flowing, but some of it has picked up. There’s been some progress in regards to the exchange of messages, but that’s an ongoing and fluid process, and not one we’re going to negotiate or talk about in the media,” Rubio explained to reporters.
President Donald Trump today reiterated his estimated timeline for ending the war with Iran, saying that he still plans for it to last just four to six weeks.
Trump made the statement during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, telling reporters that the U.S. is already “way ahead of schedule” on the conflict.
“We estimated it would take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to achieve our mission, and we’re way ahead of schedule. If you look at what we’ve done in terms of the destruction of that country, I mean, we’re way ahead,” Trump said.
UPDATE: 3:50 PM EST –
President Trump has slated the U.K. Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers as “toys” compared to the flattops of the U.S. Navy.
In his latest spat with the United Kingdom, Trump said America “doesn’t need” British help in the conflict, despite repeatedly criticizing its reluctance to get involved.
Relations between Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been tense ever since Starmer refused America permission to launch its initial strikes on Iran from RAF bases.
UPDATE: 3:40 PM EST –
Trump has revealed the nature of the “present” from Iranian officials, which he alluded to earlier this week.
Trump said that Iran has allowed 10 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a sign of good faith for talks to end the war. Trump told reporters: “[Iran said] we’re going to let you have eight boats of oil, eight boats, eight big boats of oil. This was two days ago. And they’ll sail up tomorrow. That was three days ago. And I didn’t think much about it. And then I watched the news, and they said, a very good anchor actually happened to be Fox. But I watched it, and they said something unusual is happening. There are eight boats that are going right up the middle of the strait. Eight big tankers are going loaded up with oil right through. And I said, well, I guess, I guess they were right. And they were they were real. And I think they were Pakistani-flagged. And, I said, well, I guess we’re dealing with the right people. And, actually, they then apologized for something they said, and they said, we’re going to send two more boats. And we ended up being 10 boats.”
Today, however, publicly available ship-tracking data revealed only two Iran-linked LPG carriers were seen leaving the Persian Gulf, possibly the “extra two” vessels Trump referred to.
UPDATE: 2:05 PM EST –
In its latest update on the situation in the Middle East, the U.K. Ministry of Defense claims that Russia was likely providing intelligence and training to the Iranian military ahead of the United States and Israel launching their operations. Russian expertise for Iran likely encompassed drone technology and electronic warfare, drawing from their own experience in Ukraine.
The commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm. Brad Cooper, has provided his view on the death of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy commander in an Israeli airstrike.
According to Cooper, under Adm. Alireza Tangsiri’s command for eight years, the IRGC Navy “harassed thousands of innocent merchant mariners, attacked hundreds of vessels with one-way attack drones and missiles, and killed countless innocent civilians.”
We are seeing a major airlift operation underway at the remote American outpost in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia. Five C-17s and a C-5 were visible on the main ramp at the airfield today. This is a sudden uptick in aerial logistics on the island.
There has been a contingent of KC-135R tankers that have been using the island, as well as a handful of F-16s protecting it. And while a transport or two would be seen coming and going, this is an airlift operation that is much larger. There had been some talk that air defenses were being moved from Asia to the island after Iran supposedly took two ballistic missile shots at it. The Navy also continues to use its port facilities there to support ships that are taking part in Epic Fury. The USS Tripoli and its escorts just stopped by there on their way to the Middle East, for instance. But this could also be the logistics surge before a bomber deployment. While B-52s and B-1s operate at a high tempo from RAF Fairford in the UK, the B-2s are still flying missions from the United States. This could be about to change.
Russia is close to completing a phased shipment of drones to Iran, according to Western intelligence reports about Moscow’s efforts to keep its embattled partner in the fight against Israel and the United States. As well as drones, Moscow is set to provide Tehran with medicine and food, the Financial Times reports. However, Russia appears to have turned down Iranian requests for long-range air defense systems.
The British newspaper cites two officials who were briefed on the intelligence report. They state that senior Iranian and Russian officials began secret discussions on the delivery of drones only days after Israel and the United States attacked Iran.
The first shipment of Russian-made drones reportedly began to be delivered to Iran in early March and was due to be completed at the end of the same month.
The reports provide the first firm indication since the start of the war that Moscow is providing Iran with lethal, as well as non-lethal, support. Russia is also understood to provide Iran with other critical military capabilities, including satellite imagery, targeting data, and intelligence support.
Although the types of drones included in the deal are not disclosed, they very likely include the Geran-2, which is a Russian-based version of the Iranian Shahed-136.
Asked about Moscow sending drones to Iran, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the FT: “There are a lot of fakes going around right now. One thing is true — we are continuing our dialogue with the Iranian leadership.”
Russian support for Iran is not just about ensuring that Iran remains able to hit back at Israel and the United States, but also about securing its own interests: namely, keeping a pro-Kremlin regime in control in Tehran.
Publicly, Moscow has voiced its support for Tehran but has presented its support as humanitarian, rather than military. In particular, Russia has publicized its provision of humanitarian aid to Iran since the start of the conflict.
On the other hand, the Russian provision of Geran-series drones makes a lot of sense for Iran. So far, Tehran has relied heavily on long-range one-way attack drones to hit targets across the Middle East. Reportedly, it has fired more than 3,000 of these drones since the start of the fighting.
While the Shahed-136 is notably cheap to manufacture, Iran is clearly burning through its accessible stocks of the drones, while its production capacity is also coming under attack by Israel and the United States. With a production line already up and running in Russia, and reportedly churning out thousands of Geran drones each month, Iran would clearly benefit from tapping into this supply.
Russia has also been producing more advanced versions of the one-way attack drones for use in its own war in Ukraine. Modifications include measures to better evade air defences and to carry heavier and more varied payloads, as well as more precise navigation systems. Such developments would likely be of interest to Iran, as well.
Ultimately, in the next stage of the deepening Russia-Iran relationship, Tehran could start to manufacture drones incorporating some of the advances that have been introduced and combat-tested by Russia.
Regardless, Israel is already actively interdicting shipments between Iran and Russia on the Caspian Sea via airstrikes. Moving large volumes of drones across that waterway will be an increasing challenge as those shipments will be a top target of the IAF and Mossad.
At the same time, Tehran looks set to miss out on advanced air defense capabilities that it had requested from Russia.
Russia has declined, however, Iranian requests for the S-400, the FT reports, based on information provided by current and former Western officials. It is assumed that Moscow wants to avoid further escalation with the United States, especially if Iran were to use the S-400 to target U.S. military jets.
However, Russia did close a deal last December to deliver 500 Verba man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) as well as 2,500 of the associated 9M336 missiles over three years. The Verba was developed as a replacement for the widely used Igla. Its primary advantage is its advanced multispectral seeker, operating in the ultraviolet, near infrared, and mid-infrared bands, for improved discrimination between targets and decoys.
An official marketing video showing the Verba (SA-29 Gizmo) MANPADS:
Verba MANPADS
U.S. President Donald Trump has issued another warning to Iran, while repeating his claim that Tehran is “begging” for a deal to end the war.
Trump warned that Tehran “better get serious soon, before it is too late.”
It is unclear whether Iran is serious about negotiations, after reports that the Trump administration offered Tehran a 15-point ceasefire plan earlier this week. The plan was reportedly presented to Iranian officials via Pakistan.
In public, Tehran has said it rejects the proposal, although there have been suggestions that Iranian officials are at least reviewing it.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media that his government has not engaged in talks to end the war and that it does not plan on any negotiations. While he acknowledged the United States had tried to send messages to Iran through other nations, he said that was “not a conversation nor a negotiation.”
Writing on his Truth Social app, Trump said: “The Iranian negotiators are very different and ‘strange.’ They are ‘begging’ us to make a deal, which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only ‘looking at our proposal.’ WRONG!!! They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”
The White House has reiterated this hard line, with a warning that the U.S. military was prepared to “unleash hell” if Iran did not accept defeat. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. president preferred a peaceful path but was prepared to “hit [Iran] harder than they have ever been hit before” if necessary.
Negotiations as soon as this weekend seem less likely, at least according to Ishaq Dar, the foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Pakistan. In a statement on X, he wrote:
“There has been unnecessary speculation in the media regarding peace talks to end the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In reality, U.S.-Iran indirect talks are taking place through messages being relayed by Pakistan. In this context, the United States has shared 15 points, being deliberated upon by Iran. Brotherly countries of Turkiye and Egypt, among others, are also extending their support to this initiative. Pakistan remains fully committed to promoting peace and continues to make every effort to ensure stability in the region and beyond. Dialogue and Diplomacy is the only way forward!”
Options for what the U.S. military might do next include deploying ground forces and/or a massive bombing campaign, according to Axios, which cites two U.S. officials and two sources with knowledge of the ongoing discussions.
In terms of ground forces, the United States is looking at the option of invading or blockading Kharg Island; invading the island of Larak, another strategic outpost in the Strait of Hormuz; seizing the strategic island of Abu Musa and two smaller islands, which lie near the western entrance to the strait; and blocking or seizing ships that are exporting Iranian oil on the eastern side of the Hormuz Strait.
We have previously looked at reported plans to send American troops to take Kharg Island or even far deeper into the country to seize stocks of enriched uranium. Any such option would represent a huge escalation for Operation Epic Fury, and an attempt to seize Kharg Island would be very challenging — something that we have discussed with former CENTCOM commander Joseph Votel.
The possibility of the U.S. military seizing one or more islands belonging to Iran or taking control of the Strait of Hormuz is also unlikely to find favor with Israeli officials.
Operations of this kind would be “complex and fraught with danger,” and would likely trigger “massive Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure, the laying of mines, and, in any case, a severe escalation.” This is the assessment of unnamed Israeli security officials speaking to journalist Nadav Eyal.
Trump has also lashed out at NATO allies for doing “absolutely nothing” to assist the United States in the conflict.
Adopting all caps for his Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “NATO NATIONS HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HELP WITH THE LUNATIC NATION, NOW MILITARILY DECIMATED, OF IRAN. THE U.S.A. NEEDS NOTHING FROM NATO, BUT ‘NEVER FORGET’ THIS VERY IMPORTANT POINT IN TIME!”
Israel has announced the latest senior Iranian military official to have been killed in an airstrike: the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy.
According to the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, the Iranian naval commander of the IRGC, Alireza Tangsiri, was killed along with other “senior officers of the naval command” in an overnight strike in southern Iran. Tangsiri was “directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz” and has been “blown up,” Katz said in a video statement. Iran has yet to comment.
According to The New York Times, citing three Israeli officials, Tangsiri was targeted while he was in an apartment hideout alongside other IRGC officers. Some Israeli media outlets report that Tangsiri was killed in a strike in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas.
Israel’s military said today that it had carried out a wave of strikes across Iran, including extensively in the central city of Isfahan. It said Israeli forces “completed a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting infrastructure” of the regime.
Meanwhile, Iran has launched further attacks on Israel, with reports of explosions in Jerusalem, as well as in the central town of Kafr Qasim. Both those areas have seen non-stop air raid alerts today, with reports that Iran launched at least six missiles, including some apparently carrying cluster munitions.
Reports indicate that missile fragments or cluster munitions struck the outskirts of Jerusalem, while more missile debris reportedly came down in the Modiin area, just outside Jerusalem.
An Iranian missile attack on Kafr Qasim reportedly left six people “lightly injured by blast effects.” The city’s mayor, Haitham Taha, said the blast this morning was caused by cluster munitions. A video purportedly taken in Kafr Qasim this morning showed a car being flipped over by a nearby blast.
Iranian bombardment of U.S. military facilities in the wider region appears to be having a significant effect, according to a report from The New York Times.
Citing military personnel and American officials, the newspaper states that many U.S. troops have been forced to relocate from their bases to hotels and office spaces throughout the region.
“So now much of the land-based military is, in essence, fighting the war while working remotely, with the exception of fighter pilots and crews operating and maintaining warplanes and conducting strikes,” the article contends.
The need to keep the U.S. military and its allies in the Middle East supplied with weapons could be bad news for Ukraine. The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon is considering whether to divert to the Middle East critical munitions earmarked for Ukraine. The report cites three people familiar with the matter, but notes that a final decision to redirect the equipment has not yet been made.
The weapons that could be diverted away from Ukraine would almost certainly include air defense interceptor missiles, badly needed by Kyiv, but also by allies in the Middle East that continue to come under Iranian drone and missile attack.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) remain heavily engaged on a second front in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will expand its occupation of southern Lebanon, creating what he described as a “larger buffer zone” to push back the threat of Hezbollah.
Today, the IDF confirmed that another Israeli soldier has been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, amid ongoing fighting with Hezbollah militants along the border. Reportedly, the soldier, part of the Golani Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit, was killed in an exchange of fire with Hezbollah gunmen, during which another Israeli soldier was lightly hurt.
This brings the number of Israeli soldiers killed in southern Lebanon to three, after the military said two were killed on March 8.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has said any negotiations with Israel would amount to “surrender,” and the Iran-backed group is continuing to launch attacks on Israel.
After a brief lull, Iranian missile and drone attacks are once more targeting the United Arab Emirates.
In Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, two people were killed by falling debris after an Iranian missile was intercepted, according to local media. In a post on X, the official Abu Dhabi Media Office said three others were injured in the incident. Since the war began, at least 10 people have been reported killed in the UAE from Iranian attacks.
Kuwait has said it had arrested six people over an alleged Hezbollah plot to assassinate leaders in the Gulf state. The interior ministry said five of those arrested were Kuwaiti citizens. It added that 14 more members of the group had fled the country.
An Iranian envoy has said South Korean ships could pass through the Strait of Hormuz only after coordinating with Tehran, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
Iranian Ambassador to South Korea Saeed Koozechi said that his country has asked Seoul to provide details of the vessels stranded in the key waterway. Reportedly, 26 South Korean ships with about 180 crew members aboard remain stranded in the shipping lane, effectively blocked by Iran following attacks by the United States and Israel.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Photos: Scenes from the 2026 iHeart Music Awards
You thought the Oscars brought awards season to an end? Think again. The iHeartRadio Music Awards took place Thursday night with performances and appearances by Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Sombr, Weezer, Alex Warren, Shaboozey and John Mellencamp, among other stars. Here’s a glimpse at the best looks from the red carpet and the best moments of the show itself, which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
The Show
Lainey Wilson performs onstage at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Taylor Swift accepts the pop album of the year award onstage at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Miley Cyrus accepts the Innovator Award onstage at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
John Mellencamp, right, performs onstage at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Terry Ellis, from left, Cindy Herron and Maxine Jones of En Vogue perform at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Red Carpet
Miley Cyrus on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Ella Langley on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Shaboozey and Kehlani on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Cheryl Porter on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones and Terry Ellis of En Vogue on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Teddi Mellencamp on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Brianna Mazzola and Wennely Quezada of ‘3QUENCY’ on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Sublime on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Brent Smith and Zach Myers of Shinedown on the red carpet for the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Graham Stanush, Sebastian Gonzalez, Matty Bielawski and London Hudson of Return to Dust on the red carpet for the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Kings shut out last-place Canucks for much-needed win
VANCOUVER, Canada — Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves for his third shutout of the season and 39th of his career to lead the Kings to a 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.
Trevor Moore had a goal and an assist for the Kings, and Scott Laughton, Artemi Panarin and Quinton Byfield also scored. Mikey Anderson had a pair of assists.
The victory moved the Kings within one point of the Nashville Predators, who hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
One of the best stops by Kuemper, whose last shutout was on Dec. 6 against Chicago, came at the 10:43 mark of the first period when Teddy Blueger launched a blast from the slot and the goalie kicked out his right leg to send the puck soaring with the toe of his skate.
Kevin Lankinen made 34 saves for the Canucks, who lost their fourth straight game. Vancouver has been shut out five times this season, with four coming at home.
The Kings opened the scoring with Laughton’s power-play goal 17:34 into the first period. Stationed at the top of the faceoff circle, Byfield took a shot that hit the skate of Laughton as he jumped in front of the net, deflecting the puck in past Lankinen.
Byfield sealed it with an empty-netter with 2:24 left in the game.
Up next for Kings: vs. Utah at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.
First responders rescue man from Tehran building hit by air strike | US-Israel war on Iran
The Iranian Red Crescent Society released video showing rescuers in Tehran lowering a man strapped to a stretcher from the wreckage of a building severely damaged in an airstrike.
Published On 27 Mar 2026
Malaysia’s ships allowed to pass Strait of Hormuz, PM Anwar says | US-Israel war on Iran News
Malaysian leader says oil tankers granted clearance by Iran as government introduces measures to conserve fuel.
Published On 27 Mar 2026
Iran has allowed Malaysian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Malaysia’s leader said, amid the global energy crunch driven by the United States and Israel’s war with Tehran.
In a televised address on Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed thanks to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian for granting Malaysian vessels “early clearance” through the waterway, which has been effectively closed by Tehran.
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“We are in the process of securing the release of the Malaysian oil tankers and the workers involved so they can continue their journey home,” Anwar said.
Anwar did not elaborate on how many vessels had cleared the strait, which normally facilitates the transport of about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, or under what conditions the vessels were cleared for safe passage.
The Malaysian government, which has traditionally pursued a policy of non-alignment in international affairs, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Anwar said that while Malaysia had been affected by the disruption to energy supplies, the Southeast Asian country was in a “much better position” than other nations due to the capacity of the state-run oil and gas company Petronas.
As one of the world’s top suppliers of LNG, Malaysia is a net energy exporter, but the country imports nearly 70 percent of its crude oil from the Gulf region.
Anwar said his government would take a series of measures to conserve fuel, including reducing the individual monthly quota for subsidised petrol and “gradually and selectively” moving civil servants onto work-from-home arrangements.
“Food supplies are affected; prices will certainly rise. Fertiliser as well, and of course, oil and gas,” Anwar said.
“So there are steps we need to take. There are countries whose impacts are far worse than ours, but that does not mean we are spared entirely,” he said.
While Iran has stated that the strait is open to ships that are not aligned with the US or Israel, Tehran has claimed the right to exercise control over the waterway and admitted responsibility for at least two of 20 documented attacks on commercial vessels in the region.
Iran’s parliament is also pushing legislation that would establish a toll system in the strait amid reports that Iranian authorities have been demanding vessels fork over as much as $2m to guarantee their safe passage.
Five ships were tracked transiting the strait via their automatic identification systems on Wednesday, up from four the previous day, according to maritime intelligence company Windward.
Before the war, an average of 120 vessels transited the waterway each day, according to Windward.
Break-in attempt at Christian ‘King’ Combs and Raven Tracy’s home
The home of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ son Christian “King” Combs and his girlfriend, Raven Tracy, was the target of what police said was a burglary attempt Thursday morning.
The pair were in Bali when police were summoned to their Porter Ranch home Thursday morning, according to a source familiar with the incident. Neighbors called police around 12:45 a.m. after they heard what they believed were shots fired in the 11900 block of Churchill Way in the affluent San Fernando Valley neighborhood. According to law enforcement, the commotion was actually a window being smashed near the rear patio of the $3-million residence.
King Combs, the 27-year-old rapper, model and son of disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, lives at the 5,400-square-foot property with Tracy, a 32-year-old influencer and fashion entrepreneur.
Images of at least two people were captured on security cameras, a law enforcement source told The Times. It’s unclear whether Combs and Tracy were targeted, or if the suspects were casing homes in the area. When police arrived, all suspects had fled the area. Police investigators told Fox 11 that nothing was stolen.
A source close to Combs told The Times that this was the second recent break-in attempt at the property. The first occurred during Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial in the summer.
The attempted break-in is the most recent in a string of high-profile home invasions, although it is unclear whether the incidents are related. Earlier this month, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Rachel Zoe’s Bel-Air mansion was broken into while she was out of town.
The reality TV personality and fashion designer was in Las Vegas for the opening of the Wynn’s ultra-exclusive social club Zero Bond. Zoe is a close friend of club founder Scott Sartiano.
According to TMZ, Zoe’s alarm company received an activation alert and swiftly called local police. Officers responded and spotted two male suspects leaving the property, one of whom the outlet said was taken into custody.
In August, “All Night Long” crooner Lionel Richie was home when a man broke into his Beverly Hills residence around midnight. According to NBC4 Investigates, police responded to a 911 call and searched the neighborhood, finding a suspect blocks away. A 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary.
Law enforcement sources told the outlet that security cameras at Richie’s home picked up images of the suspect, who entered the home but was spooked by an alarm.
Japanese Grand Prix: George Russell fastest from Kimi Antonelli in Suzuka first practice
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, his car sporting an aerodynamic upgrade that featured new side pods, floor and engine cover, was seventh fastest, 0.791secs off the pace.
Both Verstappen and Norris were among the drivers to run wide at Spoon, where a tailwind on entry was causing problems.
Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad were eighth and 10th, sandwiching the Haas of Esteban Ocon.
Williams’ Alex Albon had a torrid session, running off track and hitting the wall at Degner Two, traditionally one of the track’s most demanding corners, midway through the session, before a spin after colliding with Cadillac’s Sergio Perez, who appeared not to see Albon on the inside as the British-born Thai dived down the inside at the chicane.
The two Aston Martins brought up the tail of the field on a weekend on which engine partner Honda want to show improvement on its home track after a dire start to the season.
American reserve driver Jak Crawford, completing one of the team’s mandatory young driver days, was in Fernando Alonso’s car and was 22nd, just over a second slower than Lance Stroll.
Honda have introduced some changes that are hoped to address the engine-vibration issues that have been causing reliability problems and major discomfort for the drivers.
Aston Martin also have an aerodynamic upgrade for Japan, featuring a new engine cover and front-of-floor furniture.
IAEA seeks local cease-fire for Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant repairs
Members of International Atomic Energy Agency inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southeastern Ukraine, on September 1, 2022. On Thursday, the IEAE said it had initiated cease-fire talks in order to conduct repairs at the plant. File Photo by IAEA Press Office/UPI | License Photo
March 27 (UPI) — The United Nations nuclear watchdog said Thursday it has begun discussions for another localized cease-fire for Ukraine‘s Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to allow for urgently needed repairs.
The plant, Europe’s largest, has been occupied by Russian forces since early in the war, which has repeatedly endangered and damaged the site.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that the situation at the plant is challenging and has warned about the risk the war poses to it.
The IAEA said Tuesday that the ZNPP lost connection to its sole remaining main power line after it was damaged and was now dependent on a single backup line that had only recently been reconnected to the plant.
On Thursday, the IAEA said in a statement that its director, Rafael Grossi, had begun discussions with Russia and Ukraine to secure a cease-fire so the necessary repairs could be conducted.
Although the timing for the necessary repairs remains uncertain, Grossi has confirmed that they have “proposed a cease-fire window to both parties, allowing for safe assessment and restoration of the damaged infrastructure,” it said.
The IAEA has brokered five localized cease-fires for Zaporizhzhia, the latest initiated late last month that allowed for repairs to the sole backup power line, which was reconnected to the nuclear power plant on March 5.
The plant is located in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southeastern Ukraine. Russian forces seized the utility on March 4, marking the first time a civilian nuclear facility has been occupied.
On the grim anniversary of the plant’s fourth year of Russian occupation, Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy enterprise said the facility “remains one of the most acute risks to European energy and nuclear stability.”
“The seizure of a nuclear facility and its use as a tool for political pressure is a violation of the fundamental rules of the industry,” Energoatom CEO Pavlo Kovtonyuk said in a statement.
“Our task is to protect people and be ready at any moment to resume safe operation of the plant.”
Palestinians flee tear gas as Israeli settlers arrive in occupied West Bank | Occupied West Bank
The Israeli army fired tear gas at Palestinian residents of the Beit Imrin village, northwest of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers can be seen setting up tents, while gunfire is heard as the Palestinians fled.
Published On 27 Mar 2026
LAPD chief backed cops who shot Jillian Lauren; commission overruled
For the second time in recent months, the civilian commission that oversees the LAPD has overruled Chief Jim McDonnell in a police shooting, concluding that officers were in the wrong when they shot at Jillian Lauren, an author and the estranged wife of Weezer bass player Scott Shriner.
McDonnell wrote in a report made public Thursday that two officers were justified in using deadly force against Lauren, 52, who pointed a gun and fired at officers during a standoff in the backyard of her Eagle Rock home last April.
But the Police Commission took the rare step of going against McDonnell’s recommendation, finding fault with the shooting and concluding that the officers made serious tactical mistakes.
Although the five-member panel is the final authority on whether a police shooting is in or out of policy, the chief has final say on officer discipline. Such decisions are rarely made public because of state police privacy laws.
The incident began at about 5:20 p.m. on April 8, 2025, when police responded to a request for help from the California Highway Patrol in tracking down three suspects wanted in a hit-and-run crash. Officers Joshua Wolak and Dorian Zhou joined in the search, along with several others from the nearby Northeast patrol station.
Body-worn camera footage released by the department showed Wolak, Zhou and a CHP officer standing on a retaining wall next to a fence that separated a neighbor’s home from Lauren’s property. The LAPD video shows Lauren, wearing a purple Weezer T-shirt and black tights, walk around the yard with a black handgun, looking around as though she were on high alert.
Police said that officers yelled at Lauren to drop her gun for several minutes, before she shot a round in their direction. Wolak then fired seven rounds, while Zhou shot five from a distance of roughly 50 feet.
Lauren was not connected to the hit-and-run incident, authorities said. Audio from a 911 call by one of Lauren’s neighbors indicated that Lauren believed she was being fired at by armed suspects, who had been spotted running through neighboring properties.
After the shooting, Lauren retreated into her home, where she stayed for about an hour until an officer called her personal assistant, who was also inside. She was later taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound to her left arm, police said.
During his interview with internal investigators, Zhou said he saw Lauren raise the handgun at a 45-degree angle, “rack” the slide to chamber a round and fire at officers. In response, he said, he fired five rounds, aiming at her center mass.
He responded that he stopped firing “because I lost sight of her.”
The commission voted unanimously to rule the officers’ decision to shoot out of policy. Officials typically do not publicly discuss the rationale for reaching certain decisions.
Both the commission and the chief were critical of the command decisions of Sgt. Albert Hoang at the scene, noting his failure to ensure that the officers involved were interviewed and the fact that he didn’t notify his higher-ups about the shooting until three hours after it occurred.
The civilian panel also diverged from McDonnell in assessing the tactical mistakes made by Hoang and the two officers. In his report, McDonnell found that the differing tactics used by CHP and LAPD only contributed to the confusion in what was already a fraught situation.
McDonnell wrote that he wants to develop protocols to ensure that if a similar incident were to arise “the other agency should be directed to disengage from the tactical portion of the incident or, as practicable, placed in a position and role that minimizes the co- mingling of tactics.”
In a 4-1 vote, the commission also decided that the officers’ decision to draw their weapons did not comply with LAPD policies — another rare finding.
Lauren was initially arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer, a charge that carries a lengthy prison sentence, then later charged with assault and negligent discharge of a firearm. In December, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted her diversion due to mental health issues, sparing her potential jail time.
The bestselling author of “Everything You Ever Wanted,” she filed for divorce from her husband in December in Los Angeles County Superior Court. In her petition, she cited “irreconcilable differences” but did not list an official date of separation. The two married in November 2005 and share two teenage sons.
Before the confrontation with police, Lauren had been recovering from cancer treatment and a hysterectomy in March.
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
Excerpts From Jackson’s Speeches – Los Angeles Times
Here are some excerpts from Jesse Jackson’s recent campaign speeches:
PHILOSOPHY:
When we turn to each other, and not on each other, that’s victory. When we build each other, and not destroy each other, that’s victory.
Red, yellow, brown, black and white–we’re all precious in God’s sight. Everybody is somebody.
Where do we find common ground? It’s at the plant gate that locks workers out . . . . It’s at the farm auction, when farmers are driven from their land with no place to go. When someone is sick and dying in the admitting office because they don’t have a green or yellow card.
We the people must come together, demand health insurance. We the people must demand better pay for our teachers, demand jobs and security. We the people must say: drive drugs out, drive jobs in.
No one has earned the right to do less than your best.
Our children need strong men and strong women. But you’re not a man just because you make a baby.
It’s just not right to bring a child in this world and abandon that child. It’s just not right . . . . We must rebuild people–that’s a first step to rebuilding the cities.
THE UNDERCLASS:
When you look at Jesse Jackson, you look at the American dream of hope and possibility unfolding before your very eyes. In a real sense, I was born in the underclass . . . born to a teen-age mother who was born to a teen-age mother.
I went to school where teachers received less pay than their white counterparts, by law . . . .
We lived in a three-room house, bathroom on the back porch, slop jar by the bed for the family. Wallpaper used not for decoration, but for a wind breaker.
As your President, I will open up the door of opportunity, but you must walk through those doors . . . . I have faith in you. I want you to have faith in yourself . . . . If you rise above your circumstances, you can make it.
POVERTY:
People aren’t fighting for welfare. They’re fighting for fair-share.
Most poor people are not black or brown. Most poor people are white, female and young. Color it pain, color it hurt.
Most poor people aren’t on welfare. They work every day. They change the beds in hotels. They raise other people’s children.
They work every day. They drive cabs. They’re orderlies in hospitals. They’re not lazy. They work every day. They bathe the bodies sick with fever. They empty their bedpans. They clean out the commodes. No job is beneath them.
And yet, when they get sick, they cannot afford health insurance, and they cannot lie in the beds they’ve made up every day.
We can do better than that. There are 38 million people in America without health insurance. We need to sit down and devise a national health insurance plan. Because it’s right.
I choose to invest in Headstart, and day care, and prenatal care on the front side of life, rather than jail care and welfare on the backside of life.
THE ECONOMY:
Every generation has a challenge. Our challenge today is to end economic violence.
You know something has gone awry when profits go up and wages go down, and 600,000 farms are foreclosed, and plants are closed and workers are abandoned.
It’s called reverse Robin Hood. It’s taking from the poor and giving to the rich. And that is not fair.
Now the top 1% of wage earners 10 years later pay 20% less in taxes, instead of paying 20% more. Government (has been) used as a lever to take from working people and the poor and to give to the rich.
DRUGS:
The No. 1 threat to this nation is drugs–cocaine, crack, heroin, PCP. We’re consuming $150-billion worth of drugs a year. The No. 1 tax-free industry in America is drugs.
Drugs are corrupting leaders, killing our children. But don’t just focus on children and ballplayers. Children do not buy $150-billion worth of drugs a year. And ballplayers do not launder $150 billion in drug money through banks.
We must get serious about ending the war of drugs in this country. Stop the cocaine, the crack, the heroin. Ban the drugs. Ban the handguns. Make our streets secure and safe again.
In 1986 the Coast Guard interdicted 10,000 pounds of cocaine. In 1987, the Coast Guard interdicted 26,000 pounds of cocaine. Then, the Administration cut the Coast Guard budget by $100 million. They busted the Coast Guard and gave the drug smugglers the green light.
I want to cut the supply of drugs. I want you to join me and cut the demand.
TRADE:
The No. 1 exporter from Taiwan is not Taiwan. It’s General Electric. Which owns RCA. Which owns NBC. Which says, “Buy American,” while NBC workers are forced to strike and make concessions.
The first four years of the Reagan Administration, GE made $10 billion. That’s all right. But as profits went up, wages and jobs went down. They paid zero taxes. That’s not all. They got a $100-million tax rebate, while workers on unemployment compensation had to pay taxes. That is economic violence.
FOREIGN POLICY:
The Russian bear is in check because we have the mental preparedness and the military preparedness. But the drug war is hitting us where we have no defense, in our character, in our lives, in our dreams.
In Latin America, our fight is not with 3 million Sandinistas. They do not threaten us. If they did, 15,000 Contras could not save us from them.
Miguel Rojas cherishing final season as Dodgers win season opener
In a quiet moment before the pomp and circumstance of opening day, Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas learned he’d be starting in the final season opener of his long career.
He was on the bench for the Freeway Series finale at Dodger Stadium earlier this week, when manager Dave Roberts came over to check in and give Rojas the news.
“I didn’t know if, ‘Thank you’ was the right thing to say because it’s something I earned,” Rojas recounted before the Dodgers’ 8-2 win Thursday against the Diamondbacks. “It’s not something that I asked for as a favor. So I was just kind of speechless.”
Rojas embraced Roberts.
“It was a gift to myself because of all the hard work and the preparation I put in throughout my whole career,” Rojas said. “This way is the best way possible because I got up to the big leagues as a utility defensive replacement who can play shortstop but couldn’t really hit much.”
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Rojas, who intends to retire after this year, wrapped up his final opening day as a starter.
Opening day is a celebration across baseball. But the Dodgers made it a full production. The pregame program Thursday included roster-introduction pyrotechnics, along with a stage and blue carpet set up in center field.
It was also a time to commemorate the 2025 World Series, raising the banner and revealing the new sign marking the organization’s ninth title.
Rojas rode onto the field perched atop a metallic blue convertible, hoisting the 2025 World Series trophy over his head. To his left sat Freddie Freeman, holding the 2024 trophy. Will Ferrell sat in the driver’s seat.
“It’s here,” Rojas said Thursday afternoon. “This is my last chance to play baseball with an amazing group of guys.”
A spot in the starting lineup hadn’t been guaranteed for the 2025 World Series hero. The Diamondbacks started right-hander Zac Gallen. And throughout the year, Rojas will generally play second base against left-handers, platooning with Alex Freeland to begin the year and eventually Tommy Edman when he returns from the 10-day injured list.
“This means a lot to him, his family and to the Dodger fans,” Roberts said. “And also, most importantly, I think he’s a great option for today. All in, it was the right decision.”
Rojas’ final opening day — he’s lined up to transition into a player development role with the Dodgers next year — was a well-rounded game for the Dodgers.
A marquee pitching matchup between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Gallen produced a scoreless first three innings. The Diamondbacks broke through first, with Geraldo Perdomo roping a two-run homer off Yamamoto in the fourth inning.
The Dodgers hadn’t recorded a hit since Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff single. But in the fifth, they finally got to Gallen, and batted through the order.
Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández kicked off the rally with back-to-back groundball singles. Then Andy Pages launched a go-ahead home run into the left-field seats.
Rojas, dropping a single into shallow center field, and Ohtani, drawing a walk, held on the pressure. And the Diamondbacks pulled Gallen for right-hander Juan Morillo.
How the Dodgers celebrated their World Series title ahead of season opener.
The Dodgers tacked on one more run, as Rojas raced home on Will Smith’s single up the first-base line, before Morillo finally escaped a bases-loaded jam.
The next inning, Yamamoto slammed the door shut against the top of the order with a pair of groundouts to Rojas and a strikeout, Yamamoto’s sixth. He retired nine straight batters after Perdomo’s homer.
That would end Yamamoto’s night at six innings.
The Dodgers continued piling on against the Diamondbacks’ bullpen. A four-run rally in the seventh inning featured Kyle Tucker’s first hit as a Dodger, an RBI double and a two-run shot from Smith. The Dodgers’ bullpen held the D-backs scoreless the rest of the way.
After reliever Tanner Scott forced a fly out to shortstop Mookie Betts to end the game, Rojas pointed two fingers to the sky and then joined his teammates in the handshake line.
Rojas held his emotions at bay through spring training, immersing himself in the daily work. But opening day made it more real.
“Baseball is what I remember me doing my whole life,” Rojas said. “I don’t remember myself doing anything else. I know I was a good son, a good brother, a good student. I know that. But I don’t remember myself doing that. I remember myself playing baseball, preparing for a baseball game, working out to be a professional baseball player. Then when I was in the minors I remember myself working really hard to get to the big leagues and then working really hard to be an every-day player. It goes on and on.”
Until it doesn’t.
Future Hall of famer Clayton Kershaw knows what that’s like. Venturing into retirement a year ahead of Rojas, Kershaw was on NBC’s broadcast Thursday, sporting a suit on the field before the game.
He commented on Rojas’ tan, and Rojas told Kershaw he’d stolen his look and had been going sleeveless.
“My wife and my kids call him Uncle Kersh because of the joy he had throughout the year,” Rojas said. “He was really happy all year. He wasn’t really caught up in numbers or stats. He was just enjoying his time. I really wish I can do a little bit of what he did last year. I hope I can enjoy it as much as he did last year.
“So I’m going to be Uncle Miggy this year.”
Endangered monarch butterfly population surges 64 percent | Environment
Mexico’s monarch butterfly population surged 64 percent this winter, raising hopes for the endangered species’ spring migration to the United States and Canada.
Published On 27 Mar 2026
Mandelson personal phone messages requested for files release
Officials are set to publish more documents related to his appointment as UK ambassador to the US – but have so far only had access to the peer’s work phone.
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The Hotel Inspector declares ‘new low’ before owners provide huge end of show update
Thursday’s episode of Channel 5’s The Hotel Inspector saw two friends in Bramber, East Sussex, attempt to turn their hotel and pub around
The Hotel Inspector followed best friends Jack and Danny on Thursday’s episode as they attempted to save their hotel and pub(Image: Channel 5)
The Hotel Inspector followed best friends Jack and Danny on Thursday’s episode as they attempted to save their hotel and pub.
The two pals, who had been best friends since meeting on a ski season in 2010, had decided to go into business together, gambling everything to run the 16th-century Castle Inn, a 20-bedroom pub and restaurant in the charming village of Bramber, East Sussex.
However, after six months, the two pals were struggling as occupancy had plummeted with Jack having to dip into his wedding funds and Danny uprooting his young family from Birmingham to East Sussex to make the business venture work.
Thankfully, British hotelier, businesswoman and The Hotel Inspector host Alex Polizzi was on hand to help the duo turn things around. Alex, 54, was unimpressed with the hotel’s bare and dated decor, including fake flowers and all white decoration everywhere.
Alex even admitted she was “horrified” by the “ghastly” sitting area, saying there was no charm at all in the hotel, even likening the space to a canteen.
As part of her plan to combat some negative online reviews, Alex invited three different duos to come and stay. However, the next morning, the hotel guests didn’t hold back their words as they provided honest and brutal feedback.
One guest said of the dining space and “wedding like” white padded chairs used: “We use these [the chairs] in mental health hospitals because then people can’t throw them at you…” to which Alex pointed out: “That’s a new low!”
It was then revealed that the guests would be invited back, where they could see the changes made at the hotel and then provide a review for the hotel.
Talking about the brutal feedback, one of the owners said: “Luckily we’ve actually got each other through this because otherwise I don’t think I could have gone through that complete pounding alone.”
After gathering a £5,000 makeover budget, the team got to work modernising the dining area into a contemporary and clean space with green panelling walls, as well as stylish new furniture. The team also made some changes to the bedrooms, providing luggage racks, stylish lamps and removing unnecesary furniture.
Alex advised the duo to invite all the locals over for a ‘meet the owners’ evening, which was a roaring success and the guests who had previously stayed there loved the new features, saying they’d be happy to stay again.
At the end of the show, after Alex’s work and advice was done, the duo provided an update four weeks later. They revealed: “Hi Alex, hope you’re well…
“Just wanted to say, thank you very much for everything you and your team have done here. The locals have been raving about the changes, the food offerings, and the new decor. The vibes around the village are great!
“We’ve noticed a strong traction in repeat customers and new ones. Thank you very much for your support, hopefully see you soon!”
The Hotel Inspector continues on Thursdays at 9pm on Channel 5.
Video shows Minnesota dad and boy were flown to ICE detention in Texas
MINNEAPOLIS — Airport security video shows another way federal agents are taking immigrants to detention centers — in some cases they’re using commercial flights, with escorts dressed like any other passenger.
Video obtained through a public records request shows a 5-year-old boy who became a face of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis being flown with his father to Texas on a Delta Air Lines flight, just a day after they were taken into custody. He had been detained while wearing a bunny hat.
Adrian Conejo Arias and son Liam Conejo Ramos seemed calm in these recordings as they were being escorted through the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by a man and two women dressed in plain clothes. Since the father and boy didn’t appear to be in custody, their trip to San Antonio probably went unnoticed by fellow passengers.
The Trump administration, like its predecessors, is mostly using ICE Air Operations charter flights as it detains hundreds of thousands of people for deportation. Human rights monitors are trying to keep track as detainees are loaded onto planes in shackles in parts of airports the public can’t easily see.
The video of Liam and his father, they say, exposes another route that’s harder for rights monitors to document, despite happening in plain view inside the same airport terminals where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents wearing tactical, military-style gear are now being deployed to support security checkpoints.
What happened in this case?
The father, who was seeking asylum from Ecuador, and son were detained by ICE officers in Minnesota on Jan. 20 and taken to Texas. They were released on a judge’s orders and returned to Minnesota, but then an immigration judge denied their asylum request. The family’s lawyer said they’re appealing.
The video that revealed their commercial airline travel was first obtained by Nick Benson, an aviation enthusiast and activist with MN 50501, a grassroots group involved in anti-ICE and No Kings protests. Benson said he’s never seen children while monitoring ICE charter flights, so he suspected the agency was flying them commercially. He identified the time and day the father and son were flown out of Minneapolis, filed a public records request for the security video — and there they were.
The Associated Press obtained the same video through a similar request to the MSP Airport Police Department. It shows the father carrying the boy’s Spider-Man backpack as a woman shows an airline agent their boarding passes. A man and the other woman follow them onto the jet bridge.
Delta declined to comment on the video. But the airline said most government travel is booked through third-party agencies, with no advance notice about who is flying or why. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
What is ICE Air?
ICE Air Operations transfers and deports people mostly using flights chartered through airline broker CSI Aviation, which has subcontracted with small airlines such as GlobalX, Eastern Air Express, Bighorn Airways, Key Lime Air and Avelo Airlines.
ICE Air continues to rapidly expand both domestic transfer and deportation flights, according to Human Rights First, which documented 1,630 immigration enforcement flights in February alone. Of that total, 183 were deportation flights and 1,170 were domestic transfer flights.
ICE also uses U.S. Coast Guard planes. Flight Monitor said it has tracked hundreds of flights since June in which Coast Guard planes were used to transport immigrants domestically.
“It seems that ICE sometimes uses commercial flights to destinations where they don’t carry out kind of larger scale ICE Air deportation flights,” said Savi Arvey, director of research and analysis for refugee and immigrant rights at Human Rights First.
The monitors use flight-tracking websites to follow the charter planes, but these tools can’t track individual passengers on commercial flights, making them “less in the public eye,” Arvey said. “It adds another level of opaqueness.”
Bellisle and Vancleave write for the Associated Press. Bellisle reported from Seattle. AP writers Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.
Lindsey Vonn won’t rule out skiing again after horrific Olympics crash
Lindsey Vonn is less than two months removed from a skiing accident at the Milan-Cortina Olympics that almost resulted in the amputation of her left leg.
She has stopped taking painkillers but is still exhausted.
She is back home in Park City, Utah, but spends nearly all of her time in rehab.
She is 41 and has won four overall World Cup championships, with 84 World Cup wins and three Olympic medals, including gold in the downhill at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
Yet, Vonn would not definitively say that her competitive skiing career is over, during a recent interview with Vanity Fair’s Elise Taylor.
“I don’t like to close the door on anything, because you just never know what’s going to happen,” said Vonn, who appears on the magazine’s cover in a long, black dress with a split that shows her left leg — bandages and all.
“I have no idea what my life will be like in two years or three years or four years. I could have two kids by then. I could have no kids and want to race again. I could live in Europe. I could be doing anything.”
She added: “It’s hard to tell with this injury. It’s so [messed] up.”
Vonn, who returned to racing in late 2024 after nearly six years away from the sport, had two victories and three other podium finishes in her five World Cup races during the most recent season. In December, Vonn announced she would be competing in her “5th and final Olympics!”
“I wanted to win the Olympics, and I wanted to win the downhill title, and I was on track to do both of those things,” Vonn told Vanity Fair.
On Jan. 30, Vonn suffered a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, with meniscus and bone damage, when she crashed during a downhill race in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
She decided to compete at the Olympics anyway and had a couple of successful training runs leading up to the Feb. 8 downhill competition.
“I was in the exact mental state that I wanted to be in,” Vonn said. “I was ready to go.”
Unfortunately, her race didn’t last long. Vonn lost control on the first jump, spun sideways in the air, slammed to the ground and needed to be airlifted from the course. Vonn and other skiing experts have said that the ruptured ACL likely had nothing to do with her crash at the Olympics.
Vonn suffered a complex tibia fracture and other major damage. It contributed to a condition called compartment syndrome, which involves excessive pressure building up inside a muscle and possibly can lead to permanent injury or amputation.
Five surgeries later, Vonn is on the road to recovery. She has posted several photos and videos on Instagram as she amps up her fitness routine again. In a March 15 post on X, Vonn wrote that she’s not ready to discuss her skiing future.
“My focus has been on recovering from my injury and getting back to normal life,” she wrote, adding, “I’ll let you know when I decide.”
Vonn did tell Vanity Fair that she’s not crazy about the idea of the catastrophe at the Winter Games being the public’s last impression of her as a skier.
“I don’t want people to hang on this crash and be remembered for that. What I did before the Olympics has never been done before. I was number one in the standings. No one remembers that I was winning.”
I stayed in chocolate-covered hotel room 1 hour from UK – 1 thing shocked me
I stayed in a chocolate themed hotel suite that was full of delicious treats – but what surprised me the most wasn’t the edible chocolate in the bathroom.
I stayed in a chocolate hotel room
Hidden away, just an hour from the UK, is a hotel suite completely draped in chocolate. This is accommodation that money simply cannot buy, but no, you don’t need a golden ticket – you merely have to be the world’s kindest person.
Tony’s Chocolonely has teamed up with the Social Hub in Amsterdam to offer a select few people an overnight stay in this extraordinary, chocolate-themed room. And I was fortunate enough to become the first guest to experience it.
From the cupboards and shelves brimming with chocolate, the overwhelming chocolate aroma, and the inspirational messages scattered throughout, this suite was a remarkable space I won’t forget in a hurry.
However, it wasn’t just the edible chocolate in the bathroom that surprised me the most: it was the deeper meaning behind the competition.
What to expect
I stepped into the room through enormous red curtains to find a personal bartender, who prepared a beverage of my choosing. I opted for the Salted Caramel Espresso Martini, which was incredibly tasty and decadent. The bartender was welcoming, considerate and engaging.
I was then given free rein to discover the suite’s three spaces: the principal red one, a concealed blue room, and an upstairs monochrome room.
Each space conveyed its own theme and function: the red for community and connection, the blue for self-reflection, and the black and white for gratitude and recognition.
In the red room, I discovered a self-contained kitchen featuring a functioning hob, coffee maker, sink, microwave, a create-your-own ice-cream sundae station, a well-stocked fridge containing various beverages, and (crucially) cabinets brimming with chocolate.
Every visitor receives a shelf packed with chocolate which they can take away, to share with the loveliest people in their lives (or someone less lovely, should they wish). Messages about kindness and connection were dotted throughout. There was even a chocolate Jenga available with questions printed on the wrappers.
The blue room features a fortune slot machine, which requires finding tokens scattered around the suite to operate. Within it, you can collect chocolates and discover self-reflective questions. I invited my brother along, who was posed the question: “What’s one belief you have changed your mind about?”
He answered: “That I’m not good enough.” This wasn’t something I anticipated him revealing or knew he’d struggled with, because to me, my older brother is nothing short of perfect.
Finally, we entered the black-and-white room, where visitors can leave a message of kindness for the team or the following guest. Charlie Ayres, head of brand at The Social Hub, commented: “We wanted every part of the room to spark togetherness and encourage kindness, using chocolate to create opportunities to share, interact and above all, be sweet to one another.
“This is a one-off, limited experience designed to celebrate some of the world’s sweetest people, while also telling a more important story. Through our partnership with Tony’s Chocolonely, we hope to spark conversation around exploitation in the chocolate industry, showing how experiences can be both joyful and meaningful.”
My night in the chocolate ‘red room’
The red room, along with the black and white room, was our accommodation for the evening, and the space is, quite frankly, enchanting.
Upon entering, I was met with a delightful chocolate aroma that wasn’t overly sweet but rather nutty and creamy. Everything appears extraordinary, and just when you think you’ve discovered all the chocolate, you open a new cupboard or area, and there’s even more.
The bed felt like sinking into a cloud, complete with a soft mattress and a thick duvet. Personally, I would have preferred the room to be a tad warmer, as it was a large area with only air conditioning and no heating.
However, there were ample blankets available, which kept me snug and warm. One minor issue was the television, which we couldn’t seem to get working, but this encouraged my brother and me to continue conversing.
I awoke feeling incredibly refreshed. We indulged ourselves with a scrumptious sundae before receiving a heartwarming and delightful wake-up call that encouraged us to share the kindness we’d experienced with the wider world.
Reflecting on his time there following the visit, my brother remarked: “Sweetness and warmth even down to the scent wafting throughout the rooms. It had a spacious bathroom, a comfortable bed and an abundance of chocolate as a treat at hand, anywhere you looked. Thought and caring touches sprinkled throughout promoting mindfulness and a reminder that peace doesn’t happen in a vacuum.”
The chocolate-themed room will remain available for the next three days. Enthusiasts in Amsterdam can also visit the space on March 29 from 1 pm.
The message
When the world requires a touch of kindness, this partnership seeks to inspire people to engage with family, friends, and even complete strangers, and to appreciate the significance of making decisions that benefit those in their community.
Trix van der Vleuten, chief marketing officer at The Social Hub, explained: “The world feels increasingly divided. We’re more digitally connected than ever, yet loneliness is rising. We wanted to come together with Tony’s to showcase that sweetness, simple, human kindness, matters more than ever, and that people can enjoy our products while positively impacting society.”
Through this launch, Tony’s Chocolonely aims to spotlight its commitment to aiding approximately 40,000 cocoa farmers in achieving a sustainable income. The firm’s head of global brand and communications, Sadira E. Furlow, stated that the brand’s goal is to eradicate exploitation within the cocoa industry by demonstrating that chocolate can be produced more ethically.
The Social Hub has locations in Glasgow, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome and more. Discover more about how you can stay at the Social Hub here.
Projectile from Lebanon kills at least one in north Israel | US-Israel war on Iran
Video captured flames and black smoke where a projectile from Lebanon killed at least one person and injured 13 others in Nahariya, Israel. Burnt vehicles and extensive shrapnel damage could be seen at the site.
Published On 27 Mar 2026
Analysts say Trump doesn’t understand Iran reality has changed | US-Israel war on Iran
Watch this discussion between Ross Harrison and Hassan Ahmadian on US strategy regarding Iran. They conclude the US is still negotiating with old talking points, while Iran has moved on.
Published On 27 Mar 2026