Drone footage from Israel shows damage to a factory in Petah Tikva after debris from an intercepted Iranian missile struck the site. The attack comes as Israel says it continues to intercept incoming missiles, on the 35th day of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

It was ​not ⁠immediately clear how the vessel, which Marine Traffic tracking data shows is sailing south along the coast of Oman, secured safe passage.

A container ship belonging to French shipping giant CMA CGM has crossed ⁠⁠through the Strait of Hormuz, the first such passage by a Western vessel since Iran effectively closed the waterway, the Marine Traffic vessel website shows.

The Malta-flagged Kribi, owned by CMA CGM, crossed the Strait on April 2 and is the first French-owned vessel to ‌‌make it through the channel since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28.

It was not ⁠⁠immediately clear how the vessel, which the data shows is sailing south along the coast of Oman, secured safe passage.

There was no immediate comment from CMA CGM.

However, LSEG ⁠⁠shipping data showed the vessel on Thursday changed its destination to “Owner France”, ⁠⁠signalling to Iranian authorities the nationality ⁠⁠of its owner, before crossing the strait’s Iranian territorial waters.

The ship had originally been bound for Pointe-Noire in the Republic of ‌‌the Congo.

Only about 150 vessels, including tankers and container ships, have transited the strait since March 1, according to data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Most were linked to Iran and countries including China, India and Pakistan.

Beijing expressed “gratitude” on Tuesday after three of its ships passed through the strait, including two container ships on Monday belonging to state-owned shipping giant Cosco.

Energy crisis

Until the war led to the effective blocking of the Strait, it was the route for about a fifth of global oil and ⁠⁠liquefied natural gas supplies. As a result, fuel prices have skyrocketed worldwide.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump insisted that petrol prices would fall quickly once the war concluded, but offered no solution for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, he invited sceptical US allies to do it themselves. He insisted that the war would be worth it.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday it would ⁠⁠be unrealistic to launch a military operation to open the strait, and ⁠⁠that only diplomatic efforts would work.

Macron has worked with European and other ⁠⁠allies to build a coalition to guarantee free passage through the strait once hostilities have stopped.

Meanwhile, writing in the US journal Foreign Affairs, Iran’s former top diplomat said that Tehran should make a deal with the United States to end the war by offering to curb its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief.

Tehran could “declare victory and make a deal that both ends this conflict and prevents the next one,” wrote Mohammad Javad Zarif, foreign minister from 2013 to 2021.

The Great British Menu judge Tom Kerridge has shared an insight into life with his rugby-loving son Acey, describing the youngster as a ‘monster’ and an ‘absolute unit’

Tom Kerridge says he has “monstrous fireworks” with son Acey as he shared a candid family insight. Tom, 52, shares 12-year-old son Acey with wife Beth Cullen-Kerridge.

Beth is a sculptor by trade and last year took part in two shows in the United States. While Tom says rugby-loving Acey, who still attends the local state primary school, is like a “mini me”.

The two share a love of motorbikes and a passion for cooking. Tom has previously described Acey as an “absolute unit” and revealed he could deadlift 80kg by the time he was aged nine.

Tom, who grew up in a single-parent household in Wiltshire, says he is “learning to be a dad”. It comes as he opened up about his relationship with young Acey.

Speaking to The Times, Tom said: “We have monstrous fireworks but we also have the best laughs. The best way I can describe my relationship with him is I am like his big brother, just with money.

“So we will play the same games. We’ll do daft things. And then we’ll fall out like brothers as opposed to a father and son relationship.

“I grew up in a single-parent family so I’m learning to be a dad at the same time as he’s learning to be a son. I haven’t got anything to base it on so we’re both learning as we go along. And I think so far we’re doing all right.”

Tom has previously explained that Acey found his “space” on the rugby pitch. Although the chef says he has a “red mist” and “hates losing,” taking inspiration from former England star Joe Marler.

Speaking on the Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner podcast, Tom said: “My son is an absolute unit, rugby is his space, rugby is his game, rugby is where he is going to go. He plays number one, number three.

“He suffers from red mist. We have a conversation about it quite a lot, he can be the most gentle, wonderful human but he’s also got this streak of, he hates losing, he has a temperament that explodes and I love that, I try to control, to enhance it.

“My son is unnaturally strong, he’s nine years old but he can deadlift 80 kilos, he’s a monster and Joe is his hero. Joe is the greatest thing that’s ever been.”

Tom also says that his arguments with Acey drive Beth “nuts”. On the Rugby Lives podcast Tom disclosed that young Acey mirrors many of his characteristics.

When questioned if his son ‘takes after him’, Tom responds: “Yeah, in a lot of ways, he does massively and it drives my wife nuts because sometimes just like, two of us. And we do fall out quite a lot because we argue about the same thing and it’s almost like having an argument with yourself and then afterwards we both laugh about it.”

Tom will return to screens from 7pm tonight (April 3) with The Great British Menu on BBC Two. This week’s episode will see the top two chefs from Northern Ireland cooking a six-course meal in a bid to impress the judges, including Tom, Great British Menu Champion of Champions Lorna McNee, and comedian Phil Wang.

WASHINGTON — Pam Bondi is out of her job after failing to deliver criminal cases against President Trump’s political enemies.

But there’s no guarantee her successor will have any better success at placating the president.

Over the last year, Bondi’s Justice Department has encountered resistance from judges, grand jurors and its own workforce in trying to establish criminal conduct by one Trump foe after another. A new attorney general will confront not only Trump’s demand for political prosecutions — a constant dating back to his first term in the White House — but also the same skeptical court system, and factual and legal hurdles, that have impeded efforts to deliver the sought-after results.

“At the end of the day, it’s not like there were some magic steps that Pam Bondi could have taken to make bad cases look good to grand juries or judges,” Peter Keisler, a former acting attorney general in President George W. Bush’s administration, said in an email. “The problem is that the president is demanding that prosecutions be brought when there’s no evidence and no valid legal theory. A new Attorney General won’t change that.”

Bondi was just the latest Trump attorney general pressed to meet the president’s demands of loyalty and desire for retribution. Trump in his first term called for Jeff Sessions to investigate Democrat Hillary Clinton and ultimately pushed him out over his recusal from the Russia election interference investigation. He berated another attorney general, William Barr, over Barr’s refusal to back his false claims of election fraud in the 2020 contest. Barr resigned soon after.

Bondi arrived at the Justice Department 14 months ago seemingly determined to remain in Trump’s good graces unlike her predecessors had, heaping praise on him, offering unflinching support and embarking on investigations into Democrats and the president’s adversaries — even amid concerns from career prosecutors about the sufficiency of evidence.

Days after Trump implored Bondi via social media last September to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James, the Justice Department did just that, securing indictments in Virginia.

But the win was short-lived: a judge weeks later dismissed the cases after finding that the prosecutor who filed them, Lindsey Halligan, was illegally appointed. Grand juries have since refused to bring new mortgage fraud charges against James and the Comey case is mired in a thorny evidentiary dispute and statute of limitations concerns. Both Comey and James have vigorously denied any wrongdoing and called the cases against them politically motivated.

Since then, a federal grand jury in Washington refused to return an indictment against Democratic lawmakers in connection with a video in which they urged U.S. military members to resist “illegal orders.” And a federal judge has quashed Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve as part of an investigation into testimony last June by Chair Jerome Powell about a $2.5 billion building renovation.

The judge, James Boasberg, said that the government has “produced essentially zero evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime” and called its justifications for the subpoenas a “thin and unsubstantiated” pretext to force Powell to cut interest rates. A prosecutor on the case subsequently conceded in court that the investigation had not found evidence of a crime.

An additional investigation into a Trump enemy remains underway with prosecutors in Florida scrutinizing former CIA Director John Brennan over testimony to Congress related to Russian interference in the 2016 election. That investigation has been open for months, but has not produced charges and it’s not clear that it will. Brennan’s lawyers have similarly called the investigation baseless.

One high-profile Trump critic who could face trial in the years ahead is his former national security adviser, John Bolton, though the investigation that produced that indictment and examined Bolton’s handling of classified documents began before Trump took office.

For now, the Justice Department will be led by Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche, who has a longstanding relationship with Trump after having served as one of his personal lawyers. Several people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Thursday that Lee Zeldin, a Trump loyalist and head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has been privately mentioned by Trump as a possible pick.

Whoever holds the job in the long term will almost certainly be expected to carry out Trump’s retribution campaign with more success, said Jimmy Gurule, a former Justice Department official and law professor at Notre Dame. Blanche appeared to acknowledge as much in a Thursday evening interview with Fox News, saying “I think the president is frustrated, everybody is frustrated ” and that “what we saw happen for the past four years is unforgivable and can never happen again.”

“If she was fired because Trump did not think that she was moving quickly enough in bringing criminal cases against his political enemies, then you would expect that the person that would replace her would probably agree to escalate those efforts,” Gurule said.

Tucker writes for the Associated Press.

OKLAHOMA CITY — In the aftermath of their worst loss of the season, few Lakers players or coaches had spoken to Luka Doncic after he limped off the court in the third quarter Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Austin Reaves didn’t know the extent of Doncic’s hamstring injury, but he knew how the Lakers superstar would approach the latest hurdle in this winding season.

“He’s a competitor,” Reaves said of Doncic, “so he’ll do all he can do to put himself in a position to come back when he can.”

Doncic will undergo an MRI on Friday on the left hamstring injury he suffered in a 43-point loss to the Thunder. He already missed four games before the All-Star break with the same injury, but the Lakers withheld expectations on his status for the final five regular-season games.

After Sunday’s game in Dallas, the Lakers face the Thunder at home Tuesday, play consecutive games at Golden State on Thursday and against Phoenix at home Friday and finish the regular season Sunday against Utah.

Doncic’s injury left the Lakers backcourt extra shorthanded Thursday as Marcus Smart missed his sixth consecutive game Thursday. The veteran guard could return against Dallas, coach JJ Redick said. He has been day-to-day since injuring his right ankle against Orlando on March 21.

If Smart is unable to return in Doncic’s absence, the Lakers could shift even more ball-handling responsibility to Reaves and LeBron James while relying on Bronny James as an additional guard off the bench. The 21-year-old James has played in five consecutive games, tying his longest stretch of his second pro season.

The Lakers (50-27) are already guaranteed a top-six seed in the Western Conference, but are still jostling for seeding. They have a one-game lead for the No. 3 seed over No. 4 Denver, which is on a seven-game winning streak.

Approaching the end of the regular season, the Lakers looked at Thursday’s game against the defending NBA champions as a test, forward Jake LaRavia said. They were 15-2 in March with 13 wins in their last 14 games. The Lakers were playing like an evolved form of the team that lost by 29 to the Thunder in Oklahoma City in November.

But like that first rout, Thursday’s featured a flurry of Lakers turnovers, suffocating Oklahoma City ball pressure and an efficient masterclass from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“This close to the end of the season, we would’ve wanted it not to go that way,” said LaRavia, who had six points and a team-high eight rebounds Thursday. “It was pretty much the same story, I feel like, the first time we played here this year.”

The Lakers built much of their March success on successful revenge performances. They bounced back after previous losses to the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and the Orlando Magic. They lost by seven to the Nuggets on March 5 then responded with nine consecutive wins, their longest winning streak of the season, including an overtime thriller against Denver that clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker that could factor into the tight standings.

Redick praised his team’s “playoff mentality” during the run. It was also when the team was largely its healthiest.

Doncic had played all but one game since the All-Star break. Reaves, who missed six weeks with a calf injury this season, has started in 22 consecutive games. When James returned from an elbow injury, the star trio found a clear hierarchy that lifted the team to new heights.

Doncic, who became just the 10th player in NBA history to score 600 points in a single month, is the “head of the snake,” said James, who is averaging just 12.3 shots in the last 12 games but is shooting 54.4% from the field. Doncic’s brilliant March unified the team behind his most valuable player push, his thrilling shot-making and even his smiling dunk against Washington.

With the team exuding the type of joy that often characterizes Doncic’s game, James believes the Lakers can maintain their momentum despite Doncic’s uncertain status and a deflating loss.

“Nothing is rattled,” James said. “It’s one game, it’s part of the NBA season, it’s the defending champions. We get it. We understand.”

This digital publication, dated April 2026, features a primary article by Kevin Gower exploring the etymology and global titles of Good Friday. The text explains that while some link the name to the word “holy” or a linguistic shift from “God,” others view it through the lens of religious victory. International variations of the holiday’s name are also highlighted, contrasting Western terms with those used in Slavic, Latin, and Germanic cultures. Beyond the central theme, the source provides a snapshot of global news, including currency exchange rates, international political conflicts involving the Trump administration, and various sport … 

April 3 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has requested that Congress increase the Pentagon’s budget by $1.5 trillion for fiscal year 2027 on Friday.

The additional funding the president is asking for is a 40% increase over the current budget. At the same time he is requesting a 10% decrease in all non-defense spending, cutting about $73 billion from domestic programs.

Some of the programs that Trump is proposing to reduce funding to include environmental, renewable energy, transportation and infrastructure programs. About $1.6 billion would be eliminated from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research programs.

The budget request is being led by White House Budget Director Russell Vought, the author of Project 2025.

“The 2027 budget builds on the president’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the federal government,” Vought wrote in a message to Congress. “A historic paradigm shift in the budget process is occurring and is producing real results for the American public. Fiscal futility is ending. Together, we will achieve significant budgetary savings for the American people while implementing the president’s bold vision.”

The request comes on the heels of Trump’s speech on Wednesday, in which he said the United States cannot “take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all of these individual things.” Instead, the United States must focus on war.

“Don’t send any money for day care, because the United States can’t take care of day care,” Trump said Wednesday. “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care.”

Fiscal year 2027 begins in October.

The White House published a top-line fact sheet summarizing the request for more defense spending on Friday, along with additional documents highlighting the president’s spending goals. It outlines Trump’s wish to “reinvigorate” the military.

Trump is calling on Republicans in Congress to approve $350 billion in additional funds through reconciliation for obtaining munitions and expanding the defense industry.

By taking $350 billion in additional funding through the budget reconciliation process, Republicans could avoid the Senate filibuster and the need to negotiate with Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Trump is also requesting $40.8 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Justice, a $4.7 billion increase over its current budget. The White House says this is to continue the Trump administration’s efforts to “stop the migrant crime epidemic.”

Another $1.47 billion is being requested for the Department of Defense to add resources to the southern border, including sensors and surveillance technology.

EMOTIONAL Kelsey Parker has confessed “her pain will never go away” as she opened up on grief on the fourth anniversary of her husband Tom’s death.

Kelsey unexpectedly found herself a widow at age 32 after her late husband Tom Parker from the boyband The Wanted tragically died.

The famous singer passed away in March 2022 at the age of 33 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

Kelsey has been open with fans on grief and juggling life as a mum – her and Tom have two children together, Aurelia and Bodhi.

Speaking on the Cbeebies HQ Parenting Helpline podcast, Kelsey shared how she’s been dealing with the grief of losing her husband four years ago.

Addressing a parent in a similar situation, Kelsey said: “Your pain is never going to go away. That pain is never gonna go away. What you learn to do is live around your pain.”

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“It makes me emotional talking about it.”

Kelsey continued: “I am grieving and I am getting out of bed and I am being a parent because I have no other choice.”

Recalling the day Tom died, she said: ” I told the kids I need to go to the hospice to make sure that the angels come for daddy today, so that’s when I knew he was gonna die.

“He’s never coming back we will never see him again.”

Talking to Tom in his last days, Kelsey remembered saying: “I said ‘I know you’ve put me on this path and I will walk this path for you now, and I will do everything to bring your children up the way you wanted to bring your children up’.”

The motivational speaker told podcast host Holly Hagan that she had no choice but to get up everyday and be a mum – her kids needed her.

She explained they were obviously going “mummy, mummy can you come make me breakfast? and Kelsey said she’s not going to turn around and say, “no I’m grieving. I’m devastated your dad’s died.”

Despite having dealt with grief so young, Kelsey felt her kids had developed strong resilience.

Geordie Shore‘s Holly captioned the podcast clip: “This episode with the fabulous @being_kelsey was so incredibly empowering. It actually ran over about an hour because we just could not stop talking.”

Since the death of her husband Kelsey has become host of the Mums The World podcast and a motivational speaker diving into the world of unexpected grief.

Kelsey has also found love again with tree surgeon, Will Lindsay, after hard-launching their relationship back in September 2024.

NEW YORK — This is not the run up to the midterm elections that Republicans wanted.

A year and a half after winning the White House by promising to lower costs and end wars, Donald Trump is a wartime president overseeing surging energy costs and an escalating overseas conflict that many in his own party do not like.

He offered little clarity to a nation eager for answers this week during a prime-time address from the White House, his first since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran more than a month ago, simultaneously suggesting that the war was ending and expanding.

“Thanks to the progress we’ve made, I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly, very shortly,” Trump said. “We’re going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.”

Trump’s comments come roughly six months before voters across the nation begin to cast ballots in elections that will decide control of Congress and key governorships for Trump’s final two years in office. For now, Republicans, who control all branches of government in Washington, are bracing for a painful political backlash.

“You’re looking at an ugly November,” warned veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse. “At a point in time when we need every break possible to hold the House and Senate, our edge is being chipped away.”

Republicans confront evolving political landscape

It’s hard to overstate how dramatically the political landscape has shifted.

At this time last year, many Republican leaders believed there was a path to preserve their narrow House majority and easily hold the Senate. Now they privately concede that the House is all but lost and Democrats have a realistic shot at taking the Senate.

Republicans are also struggling to coalesce around a clear midterm message on Iran.

The Republican National Committee has largely avoided the war in talking points issued to surrogates over the last month. The leaders of the party’s campaign committees responsible for the House and Senate declined interview requests. Many vulnerable Republican candidates sidestep the issue, unwilling to defend or challenge Trump publicly.

The president remains deeply popular with Republican voters, and he has vocal supporters like Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

“That was the best speech I could’ve hoped for,” he wrote on social media after Trump’s address on Wednesday evening. Graham said Trump “gave the American people a clear and coherent pathway forward.”

Trump made little effort to sell the conflict to Americans before the initial attack. Five weeks later, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed and hundreds more injured. Thousands more troops have converged on the region, and the Pentagon requested $200 billion in new funding.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key passage for a fifth of the world’s oil, remains closed. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. was $4.08 on Thursday, according to AAA, almost a full dollar higher than on President Joe Biden’s last day in office.

On Wednesday, Trump insisted that gas prices would fall quickly once the war concluded but offered no solution for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, he invited skeptical U.S. allies to do it themselves.

He insisted that the war would be worth it.

“This is a true investment in your grandchildren and your grandchildren’s future,” Trump said. “When it’s all over, the United States will be safer, stronger, more prosperous and greater than it has ever been before.”

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who was once among Trump’s most vocal allies in Congress, lashed out against his Iran policy.

“I wanted so much for President Trump to put America First. That’s what I believed he would do. All I heard from his speech tonight was WAR WAR WAR,” she wrote on social media. “Nothing to lower the cost of living for Americans.”

Time is not on Trump’s side

About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say the U.S. military action in Iran has “gone too far,” according to AP-NORC polling from March. Roughly a third approve of how he’s handling Iran overall.

The possibility of sending U.S. forces into Iran also appears politically unpalatable.

About 6 in 10 adults are “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed to deploying U.S. troops on the ground to fight Iran. That includes about half of Republicans. Only about 1 in 10 favor deploying troops.

At the same time, Trump’s approval ratings have remained consistently weak. About 4 in 10 Americans approve of how he’s handling the presidency, roughly in line with how it’s been throughout his second term.

Republican strategist Ari Fleischer, a senior aide in former President George W. Bush’s administration, acknowledged that Trump has not received the polling bump in this war that Bush got after invading Iraq.

Bush, of course, worked to build public backing for the Iraq War before going in. Immediately after the 2003 invasion, Bush’s popularity soared, as did the stock market.

Public sentiment and the economy soured only after the conflict stretched on. It ultimately spanned more than eight years, spawning a generation of anti-war Republicans — and sowing the seeds of Trump’s “America First” foreign policy.

“My hope is that the Trump experience is the exact opposite of the Bush experience,” Fleischer said.

He said Trump must win the war decisively and quickly to avoid a further backlash, saying there could be a “very significant political upside if things end well, oil comes down and markets rally.”

Fleischer added that Trump’s actions will matter much more than his words.

“Ultimately, he is not going to get judged on his persuasion or his explanations or his assertions, he’s going to get judged on results,” he said.

Peoples writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.

Following the Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City earlier this month, defender William Saliba confirmed he would not be joining up with France because of an ankle injury.

His centre-back partner Gabriel then withdrew from the Brazil squad with a knee problem.

They were later joined by England forward Eberechi Eze (calf), Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard (knee) and Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber (groin) – who all missed the cup final defeat at Wembley through injury – as well as Belgium forward Leandro Trossard (hip).

After players joined up with their respective countries, five more from Arsenal withdrew – England trio Declan Rice (knock), Bukayo Saka (knock) and Noni Madueke (injured his knee against Uruguay) as well as Spain’s Martin Zubimendi (knee) and Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie (undisclosed).

Arteta said his players were “desperate” to play for their countries.

“When you are fit and available to play for the national team, you have to play,” he added.

“It makes us so proud that we had that many players in the national team.

“Players are desperate to play for their nation. I know how important it is to them. We are fully supportive of that and when we can do it, we do it.”

Premier League leaders Arsenal are in FA Cup quarter-final action on Saturday as they visit in-form Championship side Southampton (20:00 BST).

Arteta confirmed Eze will miss the game through injury, but Odegaard and Timber are in contention to return, while Madueke’s injury is not as bad as first feared and is a doubt.

Asked how many of those 11 players who withdrew from international duty will be available for selection against the Saints, Arteta added: “You will see. I will let you do the speculation. You can judge afterwards.

“We are in a position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition.

“We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us.”

For decades, leaders who were responsible for war crimes tended to plead ignorance or insist it was a mistake and their hands were clean. What has changed in the Middle East is the swaggering contempt we have seen from the United States, Israel and Iran as they instead dismiss, mock or flout the international laws protecting civilians. If the international community does not urgently reassert support for those norms, it may be acquiescing to their destruction.

US President Donald Trump, who told The New York Times he doesn’t “need international law” and the only restraint on his power was his “own morality”, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has dismissed “tepid legality” in favour of “maximum lethality”, have expressed little regard publicly for the safety of civilians  affected by the US-Israeli war on Iran, which just entered its second month.

After announcing that the US had “demolished” Iran’s Kharg Island, Trump told NBC News, “We may hit it a few more times just for fun.” Hegseth has declared that “no quarter” would be given to enemies in Iran. That phrase indicates troops are free to kill those seeking to surrender rather than capture them. Such scenarios have served as a textbook example of a war crime in US military academies.

The Trump administration is not alone in this regard. In language eerily reminiscent of the war in Gaza, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has threatened to demolish homes across southern Lebanon and block hundreds of thousands of civilians from returning.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared US banks, investment firms and commercial ships valid targets despite their civilian status. Its spokesman warned Iranians that any street protests would be met with “an even harsher blow” than the January massacres, in which security forces killed thousands across the country. A state television presenter was more direct, saying opponents in the diaspora would face consequences that would see their “mothers sit in mourning”.

These statements are worthy of our attention not only because they telegraph a blatant disregard for civilian life but also because these leaders seem to mean it.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in Iran, more than 1,200 in Lebanon, and 17 in Israel. Altogether, several million people across the Gulf, Israel and Lebanon have been displaced or forced to flee from their homes. Based on a preliminary US military report, US forces were responsible for a deadly attack on an elementary school in Minab, Iran, in which more than 170 children and staff were killed.

The Israeli military has fired white phosphorus, which can burn to the bone, on Lebanese homes despite a clear prohibition on its use as a weapon in populated areas. Iran has launched internationally banned cluster munitions at Israeli cities and attacked commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The international legal system, designed to protect civilians during armed conflict, did not falter overnight. Unflinching US support for Israel as it carried out acts of genocide against the Palestinian population in Gaza, destroyed its hospitals and water systems, carried out countless air strikes that turned neighbourhoods into rubble and killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians over two and a half years contributed to a sense that some leaders would always be above the law.

Those double standards are alive and well, profoundly corroding respect for international law. When Iran struck Gulf energy infrastructure, condemnation rightly came within hours. But when Israel unlawfully dropped white phosphorus on Lebanese neighbourhoods, the same governments went quiet. Leaders need to say, with equal specificity and force, that attacks on Iranian power plants, Lebanese homes and Gulf civilian facilities are violations of the laws of war, regardless of who the perpetrator is. Otherwise, the rules are just a cudgel for punishing rivals.

The Geneva Conventions oblige every country not merely to follow the laws of war but also ensure global respect for them, including by refusing to arm forces credibly accused of violating them.

Yet arms continue to flow to belligerents on multiple sides of these conflicts with no apparent review of the likely impact. European governments that supply weapons or grant overflight and basing rights to forces unlawfully bombing civilians are not bystanders. If the actions of US and Israeli forces match the irresponsible rhetoric of their leaders, countries that arm or assist them could very well find themselves complicit in war crimes.

As during the war in the former Yugoslavia or more recently in Ukraine, the machinery of documentation and accountability needs to occur while the conflict is ongoing, not afterwards. Today, warring parties in the Middle East are working to prevent exactly that. Iran has imposed a nationwide internet shutdown and jailed people for sharing strike footage. Israel has banned live broadcasts and detained journalists. Gulf states have arrested citizens for posting images online. In the US, the Federal Communications Commission has threatened broadcasters’ licences over coverage of the war on Iran unfavourable to the Trump administration.

Governments with developed intelligence capabilities should be preserving and sharing evidence of war crimes right now: satellite imagery, communications intercepts, open-source footage. UN investigative bodies need immediate additional resources. And governments need to speak out clearly on the importance of justice for war crimes.

If this work waits until the shooting stops, the evidence may be gone, and the political will for accountability may quickly shift focus. The belligerents know it. They may even be counting on it.

The leaders repudiating the laws of war today may think they will gain from a world without rules, where brute force settles every question and all civilian harm is just written off as collateral damage. But by dismissing the principle of nonreciprocity, which makes clear that one side’s violations do not justify noncompliance by the other, they have spurred rounds of tit-for-tat strikes that put their own troops as well as their civilian populations in harm’s way.

Those who see the value of the existing system curbing the barbarity of war need to stand up for it. Otherwise, they may one day find themselves forced to explain to future generations why they did nothing while it burned.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

The United States and Israel have carried out multiple attacks on medical facilities in the course of their war on Iran.

On Thursday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appealed to international health organisations to respond to attacks on medical facilities in Iran, including the Pasteur Institute in capital Tehran, a key centre that Iranian officials said had been targeted that day.

At least 2,076 people have been killed and 26,500 have been wounded in Iran since the US and Israel first launched strikes on the country on February 28.

Here is a closer look at how the US and Israel have hit healthcare facilities in Iran.

What has the Iranian president said about attacks on healthcare?

On Thursday, Pezeshkian wrote in an X post: “What message does attacking hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and the Pasteur Institute as a medical research center in Iran convey?”

The Iranian president, 71, a heart surgeon by profession, continued: “As a specialist physician, I urge WHO [the World Health Organization], the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders and physicians worldwide to respond to this crime against humanity.”

What is the Pasteur Institute, which has been targeted?

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei wrote in an X post: “The American-Israeli aggressors have attacked the Pasteur Institute of Iran – the oldest and most prestigious research and public health centre in Iran and the entire Middle East, founded in 1920 through an agreement between the Pasteur Institute of Paris and the Iranian government.”

Baghaei deemed the attack “heartbreaking, cruel, despicable, and utterly outrageous”.

He did not specify whether there were casualties from the attack.

The institute was founded more than 100 years ago in collaboration with the Institut Pasteur in Paris, an internationally renowned centre for biomedical research, which itself was founded in 1887.

The institute in Iran conducts research on infectious diseases, produces vaccines and biological products and provides advanced diagnostics.

The centre has played a central role in fighting endemic diseases such as smallpox and cholera. It also supports Iran’s national immunisation programme by developing and producing vaccines and related biologicals – including those used against diseases such as tetanus, hepatitis B and measles.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO, wrote in an X post on Friday that two departments of the Pasteur Institute of Iran have also been working closely with the WHO.

“The conflict in Iran, and the region, is impacting the delivery of health services and the safety of health workers, patients, and civilians present at health facilities,” Ghebreyesus wrote.

Which other healthcare facilities have been hit in Iran?

“Since 1 March, WHO has verified over 20 attacks on health care in Iran, resulting in at least nine deaths, including that of an infectious diseases health worker and a member of the Iranian Red Crescent Society,” Ghebreyesus wrote in his X post.

Some of the facilities hit include:

Red Crescent warehouse

On Friday morning, a drone strike hit a Red Crescent relief warehouse in Iran’s Bushehr province.

While no casualties were reported, the attack destroyed two relief containers, two buses and emergency vehicles, Fars news agency reported.

Tofigh Daru

On March 31, Israeli-US strikes hit one of Iran’s largest pharmaceutical companies in Tehran, the Iranian government said in a post on X.

The company was later identified as Tofigh Daru Research and Engineering Company, which is owned by the Social Security Investment Company, a state-run holding firm. On LinkedIn, Tofigh Daru states that it develops and produces active pharmaceutical ingredients “in the anticancer, narcotics, cardiovascular to immunomodulatory segments”.

No confirmed casualty numbers were reported from that strike.

Delaram Sina Psychiatric Hospital

This newly constructed hospital in Tehran was significantly damaged during an attack on the capital on March 29, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

About 30 patients were in the hospital at the time of the strike late on Monday, the hospital’s director told IRNA. No specific casualty figures for the hospital have been reported.

Ali Hospital

The hospital in Andimeshk in Iran’s Khuzestan province sustained damage from an explosion on March 21, according to the Mehr and Fars news agencies.

In his post on Friday, Ghebreyesus confirmed this attack and said the facility had been forced to evacuate staff and cease services.

Reports about the attack do not mention casualties at the hospital.

Gandhi Hospital

On March 2, Gandhi Hospital in Tehran was damaged during attacks on a television communications tower nearby.

No confirmed casualty figures were reported for the hospital itself.

What does international law say about attacks on healthcare?

International humanitarian law states that health establishments and units, including hospitals, should not be attacked, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

These protections also apply to the sick and wounded, to medical staff and to means of transport such as ambulances.

In 2016, the United Nations Security Council resolution 2286 was adopted unanimously. This condemns attacks on healthcare and calls on nations to respect international law.

However, last year record attacks on healthcare during armed conflict were recorded, according to the WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA).

The SSA said that in armed conflicts worldwide, 1,348 attacks on medical facilities resulted in the killing of 1,981 people. The majority of these deaths were in Sudan, where 1,620 people were killed, followed by Myanmar, where 148 people were killed.

This was a sharp uptick from 2024, when 944 patients and medical personnel were killed in armed conflict.

Where else has Israel targeted medical staff and facilities?

Lebanon

Besides Iran, Israeli attacks have also targeted healthcare facilities in Lebanon.

A month into its latest bombardment of Lebanon, Israel has killed 53 medical workers, destroyed 87 ambulances or medical centres, and forced the closure of five hospitals, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.

“Israeli strikes and blanket evacuation orders are cutting people off from care and shrinking the space for health services to function,” Luna Hammad, the Lebanon medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), told Al Jazeera, adding that MSF has seen “a documented pattern of attacks affecting healthcare”.

Gaza

Throughout its genocidal war in Gaza, Israel has also attacked healthcare facilities in the Palestinian enclave.

In October 2023, hundreds of people sheltering in the car park of Gaza’s al-Ahli Hospital were killed in an Israeli attack, according to Palestinian health officials.

Israel attributed the explosion at the facility to a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an allegation denied by the armed group.

In March 2024, the Israeli military said it killed 90 people in its raid on al-Shifa Hospital during a siege, as displaced Palestinians sheltering in the facility described long detentions and abuse.

In December 2024, the Israeli army arrested Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, after refusing to follow orders to abandon one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza. His arrest came a day after the military killed approximately 20 Palestinians and apprehended about 240 in a raid inside the hospital, which was one of the “largest operations” conducted in the territory until that time.

In March 2025, Israeli forces reportedly shot dead 15 Palestinian medics for the Palestine Red Crescent Society and inside clearly identifiable PRCS ambulances, during a rescue mission in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan neighbourhood.

KELLY Osbourne has sparked fresh romance rumours after sharing snaps of her supposed new hairdresser partner.

The TV star, 41, took to Instagram to post photos of Kiinicki, 37, just weeks after her shock split from fiancé Sid Wilson.

According to the Mail, the pair were previously spotted “all over each other” at a party following the break-up.

Kelly then reposted a striking selfie of Kiinicki, who uses they/them pronouns, alongside a thinking face emoji.

She shared the candid snap of Kiinicki posing at an event, joking: “buy one, get one @leandraearl” with a winking emoji.

The Mail reports the pair were seen getting close at an exclusive after-party for Lily Allen’s gigs at the London Palladium.

KELLY’S PAIN

Kelly Osbourne shares cryptic post about ‘reactive abuse’ amid fiancé split

KELL’S HELL

The real reason behind ‘fragile’ Kelly Osbourne’s split from Sid Wilson

Kelly was said to be giggling with her possible new partner in a hidden-away corner among the plush sofas of the luxurious Broadwick Hotel in Soho last month.

According to the publication, the pair also have matching tattoos of a crescent half moon with a tooth, which they got together in the US.

The ink was done in the same month the reality star was last publicly seen with her ex-fiancé on the red carpet at the Grammys.

Kiinicki is a Los Angeles-based barber and creative behind the brand Hella Good Hair.

Kelly wouldn’t be the first star to fall for their hairdresser – with Davina McCall and Mel B both finding love this way.

The daughter of Sharon Osbourne and late rock legend Ozzy Osbourne recently parted ways from Sid Wilson just seven months after his proposal.

Slipknot rocker Sid got down on one knee after more than three years of dating, with the couple welcoming their son Sidney together in November 2022.

He proposed backstage in an intimate moment watched by her famous parents as the family attended Ozzy’s last-ever Black Sabbath gig.

But all was not as it seemed, with the pair having since called off their engagement.

A source told the Mail: “In truth, she and Sid have been facing challenges in their relationship for some time, and things were not as they appeared.”

Last week, Kelly left fans curious after posting a cryptic Instagram reel about “abuse” to her stories.

While she did not explain the post, it came just a week after her split from Sid, 48, was revealed.

“Kelly and Sid have decided to call off their engagement,” a source told the Mail.

“Kelly has been struggling following the loss of her father. The grieving process has been incredibly difficult, and she’s been doing everything she can to cope.

“They tried to make it work, particularly for the sake of their child, but ultimately decided that separating is the best path forward.”

The TV personality has also opened up about her grief, saying: “I am ill right now.”

Kelly’s dad, Ozzy Osbourne, died on July 22, 2025, following a series of health battles including Parkinson’s disease.

The airline and tour operator has shared advice for passengers on social media

Jet2 has issued an update for passengers worried about disruption to their spring travel plans. With the Easter holidays here at last, many families have booked European getaways over the next few weeks. However, some passengers are worried about possible cancellations.

Greece faced travel disruption this week after a deadly storm hit parts of the country, and Crete was enveloped in a Saharan dust storm. Passengers have also been warned of possible jet fuel shortages caused by the Iran war.

One passenger who shared their concerns with Jet2 has been told that all flights are currently planned to go ahead as normal. Taking to X, a customer named Liz Hughes asked Jet2 for guidance ahead of an upcoming trip to Corfu later this month.

Liz wrote: “We have return flights booked Man-Corfu 13-20 Apr. Should we be worried about cancellations?” A Jet2 employee named Lily responded to the question on Friday (April 2).

Replying from the @Jet2tweets account, Lily said: “Hi Liz, all flights are planned to go ahead as normal. If anything were to change regarding your booking, we would be sure to reach out to you directly to make you aware, and discuss the options available to you. Thanks, Lily.”

The news comes as Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has recently said passengers could face severe disruption in early May if the Middle East conflict continues. Speaking on Sky News Michael O’Leary said: “Fuel suppliers are constantly looking at the market.

“We don’t expect any disruption until early May, but if the war continues, we do run the risk of supply disruptions in Europe in May and June, and we hope the war will finish sooner than that and the risk to supply will be eliminated.”

Oil prices have surged since February due to Iran’s block on tankers passing through a key shipping passage, the Strait of Hormuz. The Business Secretary has said there are no supply chain issues for jet fuel “at this moment.”

Peter Kyle told Times Radio: “I was looking immediately after the conflict started, where we interact in order to get resilience into our society, into our economy, we’ve been working with all these key sectors, identifying sectors where there may well be challenges down the track. We have no (fuel) supply chain issues at this moment at all.”

UK airlines are not experiencing disruption to their supply of jet fuel, according to an industry association. An Airlines UK spokesperson said: “UK airlines are currently not seeing disruption to jet fuel supply and continue to engage with fuel suppliers and Government to monitor the situation.”

WASHINGTON — President Trump has proposed boosting defense spending to $1.5 trillion in his 2027 budget released Friday, the largest such request in decades, reflecting his emphasis on U.S. military investments over domestic programs.

The sizable increase for the Pentagon had been telegraphed by the Republican president even before the the U.S.-led war against Iran. The president’s plan would also reduce spending on non-defense programs by 10% by shifting some responsibilities to state and local governments.

“President Trump is committed to rebuilding our military to secure peace through strength,” the budget said.

The president’s annual budget is considered a reflection of the administration’s values and does not carry the force of law. The massive document typically highlights an administration’s priorities, but Congress, which handles federal spending issues, is free to reject it and often does.

This year’s White House document, prepared by Budget Director Russ Vought, is intended to provide a road map from the president to Congress as lawmakers build their own budgets and annual appropriations bills to keep the government funded. Vought spoke to House GOP lawmakers on a private call Thursday.

Trump, speaking ahead of an address to the nation this week about the Iran war, signaled the military is his priority, setting up a clash ahead in Congress.

“We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care,” Trump said at a private White House event Wednesday.

“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare — all these individual things,” he said. “They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”

Immigration enforcement, air traffic controllers and national parks

Among the budget priorities the White House called for:

-Supporting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and deportation operations by eliminating refugee resettlement aid programs, maintaining Immigration and Customs Enforcement funds at current year levels and drawing on last’s year’s increases for the Department of Homeland Security funds to continue opening detention facilities, including 100,000 beds for adults and 30,000 for families.

— A 13% increase in funding for the Department of Justice, which the White House said would be focused on violent criminals.

— A $10 billion fund within the National Park Service for beautification projects in Washington, D.C..

— A $481 million increase in funding to enhance aviation safety and support an air traffic controller hiring surge.

With the nation running nearly $2 trillion annual deficits and the debt swelling past $39 trillion, the federal balance sheets have long been operating in the red.

About two-thirds of the nation’s estimated $7 trillion in annual spending covers the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs, as well as Social Security income, which are essentially growing — along with an aging population — on autopilot.

The rest of the annual budget has typically been more evenly split between defense and domestic accounts, nearly $1 trillion each, which is where much of the debate in Congress takes place.

The GOP’s big tax breaks bill that Trump signed into law last year boosted his priorities beyond the budget process — with at least $150 billion for the Pentagon over the next several years, and $170 billion for Trump’s immigration and deportation operations at the Department of Homeland Security.

The administration is counting on its allies in the Republican-led Congress to again push the president’s priorities, particularly the Defense Department spending, through its own budget process, as it was able to do last year.

It suggests $1.1 trillion for defense would come through the regular appropriations process, which typically requires support from both parties for approval, while $350 billion would come through the budget reconciliation process that Republicans can accomplish on their own, through party-line majority votes.

Congress still fighting over 2026 spending

The president’s budget arrives as the House and Senate remain tangled over current-year spending and stalemated over DHS funding, with Democrats demanding changes to Trump’s immigration enforcement regime that Republicans are unwilling to accept.

Trump announced Thursday he would sign an executive order to pay all DHS workers who have gone without paychecks during the record-long partial government shutdown that has reached 49 days. The Republican leadership in Congress reached an agreement this week on a path forward to fund the department, but lawmakers are away on spring break and have not yet voted on any new legislation.

Last year, in the president’s first budget since returning to the White House, Trump sought to fulfill his promise to vastly reduce the size and scope of the federal government, reflecting the efforts of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

As DOGE slashed through federal offices and Vought sought to claw back funds, Congress did not always agree.

For example, Trump sought a roughly one-fifth decrease in non-defense spending for the current budget year ending Sept. 30, but Congress kept such spending relatively flat.

Some of the programs that Trump tried to eliminate entirely, such as assisting families with their energy costs, got a slight uptick in funding. Others got flat funding, such as the Community Development Block Grants that states and local communities use to fund an array of projects intended mostly to help low-income communities through new parks, sewer systems and affordable housing.

Lawmakers have also focused on ensuring the administration spends federal dollars as directed by Congress. This year’s spending bills contained what Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democratic member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, described as “hundreds upon hundreds of specific funding levels and directives” that the administration is required to follow.

Mascaro and Freking write for the Associated Press. AP reporter Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Celtic have yet to pick up a league point in Dundee this season.

In October, they lost at Dens Park for the first time since 1988, while Dundee United beat them for a second time at Tannadice last time out.

That took the champions’ league defeats to eight, double last term’s total and five more than the campaign before.

By the time Celtic kick off (16:30 BST), Rangers will have hosted Dundee United on Saturday (15:00) and Hearts will have played their game away to Livingston earlier on Sunday (14:00).

“Psychologically, there’s an advantage to playing early if you go and get your results,” O’Neill said. “If you don’t, it opens the way for you.

“I’m hoping that between now and the end of the season, it might work in reverse.

“You just have to try and take care of your own game that you are supposedly in control of.”

O’Neill gave an update on injured players Arne Engels and Julian Araujo.

“It’s a thigh,” O’Neill said of right-back Araujo, who has returned to parent club Bournemouth for treatment. “He’s doing fine in recovery, now. We expect to see him back, hopefully in the not too distant future.

“Arne’s come back now. We’ll see. Each day it’s a good day for him, he’s trained most of the week. We’ll just keep any eye on things at this minute. We couldn’t rule him out or in for Sunday.”

Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal speaks out against Islamophobic chants during Spain’s match with Egypt.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa says Spain is a tolerant country and not racist despite Islamophobic chanting during a national team match this week.

Sections of the crowd at Spain’s friendly against Egypt on Tuesday sang, “Whoever doesn’t jump is Muslim,” at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium in Cornella.

Spain and Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal, who is Muslim, criticised those chanting as “ignorant and racist”.

Arbeloa defended Spain on Friday while insisting racist attitudes should be eliminated.

“I think Spain is not a racist country. If it was, we would have a problem every weekend at all of the stadiums,” the Spaniard told reporters.

“I keep thinking we have to eradicate any racist attitude at stadiums and in society. … Spain as a country has to keep fighting to get rid of these attitudes.

“[However,] I think we’re a great country, very tolerant, and with these kinds of situations, we shouldn’t generalise.”

Real Madrid striker Vinicius Jr has been racially abused at several stadiums across the country in high-profile incidents in recent years.

In January 2023, Atletico Madrid fans hung an effigy of the Brazilian forward from a bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground.

Four months later, Vinicius squared off with fans abusing him at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium in an incident that gained him worldwide support in his battle against racism.

In 2025, five Real Valladolid fans who racially abused Vinicius in a 2022 match, were found guilty of committing a hate crime – the first such ruling in Spain regarding insults at a football stadium.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised teenager Yamal for making a “great statement” by condemning those responsible for the abuse.

“We stand for inclusion. … It’s frustrating that a small number of idiots don’t understand this,” Flick said.

“We all want to be respected. It doesn’t matter about your colour, your religion, your region. It’s time to change these thoughts.”

Atletico coach Diego Simeone said the problem was related to a lack of respect in the world.

“It’s a social problem on a world level, not about Spain or Argentina or Brazil or anywhere,” the coach said.

“Respect that was lost many years ago – respect for parents, schoolteachers, police, club directors, coaches, presidents – … today it’s been lost. and we don’t have it.”

Catalonia’s regional police said they were investigating the chants, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the incident “unacceptable”.

“We cannot allow an uncivil minority to tarnish the reality of Spain, a diverse and tolerant country,” he said.

The Azzurri’s failure to reach a third consecutive World Cup continues to send shockwaves through Italian football.

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has left his role “by mutual consent”, three days after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

The Italian football federation announced the news in a statement on Friday, thanking Gattuso “for the dedication and passion” during his nine months in charge.

Italy’s chances of reaching this year’s tournament in North America ended on Tuesday after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualifying playoff.

“With a heavy ‌heart, having failed to achieve the goal we had set ourselves, I consider my time in charge of the national team to be over,” Gattuso said in a statement.

“The Azzurri shirt is the most precious asset in football, which is why it is right to facilitate future technical assessments with immediate effect.

“It has been an honour to lead the ⁠national team, and to do so with a group ⁠of lads who have shown commitment and loyalty to the shirt.”

Gattuso was appointed in June on a one-year contract, replacing Luciano Spalletti who was sacked following Italy’s 3-0 defeat by Norway ⁠in their opening group game, although he remained in place for the 2-0 win over Moldova the next ⁠day.

Italy won their next five group games under ⁠Gattuso, but given Norway’s far superior goal difference, they were resigned to another World Cup playoff before the final group game, which Norway won 4-1 at the San Siro.

Italy had lost at ‌the playoff stage for the last two World Cups to Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, but looked on course to make it this time after a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland ‌in ‌the semifinal, before it all fell apart in Bosnia.

Gattuso’s 10-man team let slip a 1-0 lead and crumbled in the penalty shootout.

His departure comes a day after Italy’s football federation president Gabriele Gravina resigned, along with Gianluigi Buffon, who was the national team’s delegation chief.

Supriya Ganesh is leaving HBO medical drama The Pitt at the end of season two

The Pitt is set to lose one of its leading stars at the conclusion of season two.

American actress Supriya Ganesh, who portrays Dr. Samira Mohan in the popular HBO series, is apparently departing the medical drama despite being a key character since the programme’s inception, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Here’s everything you need to know about the reported departure from the HBO show.

Why is Supriya Ganesh leaving The Pitt as Dr Samira Mohan?

Her exit is understood to be a “story-driven decision”, according to an “individual with knowledge of the situation” as reported by Variety.

The publication further notes that as the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center operates as a teaching hospital, it’s common practice to have a rotating cast of characters as medical staff arrive and depart.

Season two also dedicated considerable attention to Dr Mohan’s professional journey as she contemplated her next steps following the completion of her residency.

According to IMDb, the star appears in 29 of The Pitt’s 30 episodes across both seasons, making her departure all the more significant.

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Actress Ganesh, who previously had minor roles in programmes including Grown-ish, Billions and Chicago Med before securing The Pitt, has yet to address the news on social media.

Alongside her departure, Ayesha Harris – recognised by Pitt viewers as senior night shift resident Dr. Parker Ellis – has now allegedly been promoted to series regular status for the upcoming season.

Actress Harris has featured in productions including Netflix’s Glamorous with Kim Cattrall, Daisy Jones and The Six on Prime Video, alongside roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Matlock.

She has starred across eight episodes spanning two seasons of The Pitt. HBO commissioned a third season of The Pitt prior to the second season’s debut back in January this year.

The Pitt has been developed by R. Scott Gemmill, with John Wells and lead star Noah Wyle serving as executive producers.

This represents the second partnership between the trio, who previously collaborated on the hugely successful ER.

The series follows Wyle’s Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch as he commences a shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s emergency room, commonly referred to as ‘The Pitt’.

Each instalment chronicles one hour of his shift as he confronts different patients and scenarios, navigating various challenges and administrative matters that arise throughout.

The Pitt has garnered considerable acclaim for its authenticity and maintaining emphasis on the medical drama realm rather than interpersonal relationships amongst staff, unlike comparable programmes.

Season three is anticipated to comprise another 15 episodes documenting Robby’s most recent shift.

A 10-month interval separated seasons one and two, though it remains unclear whether there will be another temporal gap before the third series.

Wyle secured Best Actor in a Drama Series at the Critics Choice Awards and stated in his acceptance speech, according to Deadline: “I can’t even tell you how moved I am.

“I owe everybody at this table everything: from my partner [R.] Scott Gemmill, to Sarah Aubrey and Joey Chavez at HBO Max, to everybody at Warner Bros, to my beautiful wife Sara [Wells], to my costars, to my cowriters, to the directors who make the show, to our crew, to our cast.”

The Pitt season 1 is streaming on HBO Max UK now and season 2 episodes are airing weekly on Thursdays

Nearly six years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the underlying inflation process in advanced economies has fundamentally shifted, even as headline consumer price inflation has declined substantially from its 2021–2022 peaks.

According to the Federal Reserve in a