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Iranian forces “are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” the country’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said.Qalibaf added: “Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased.”The comments came as regional powers were meeting in Pakistan to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East as about 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the monthlong war.The war has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.The Houthis’ entry could further hurt global shipping if they again target vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade typically passes.Here is the latest:UN peacekeeper killed in southern LebanonA U.N. peacekeeper was killed and another critically wounded when a projectile exploded in their position near a village in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL said in a statement very early Monday.The statement said the “origin of the projectile” was unknown.The hilly frontier zone where the UNIFIL force patrols has seen decades of cross-border violence.Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants fought a full-scale war in 2024 and are fighting again since Hezbollah joined Iran at firing into Israel in the current war. Israel has moved thousands of troops across the border into Lebanon.Israel says it thwarted 2 attacks against troops in West BankIsraeli soldiers shot at two men who they assessed were posing a threat to them in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank overnight, killing one and “neutralizing” the other, Israel’s military said early Monday.According to the military’s statement, one man armed with a knife ran toward soldiers near Dura, in the southern West Bank, and was killed. Another accelerated toward them in his vehicle near a village just north of Jerusalem, and troops also fired at him.Israel approves ‘limited prayer framework’ at Holy SepulchreIsrael’s police said it had approved a “limited prayer framework” to open worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem as the sacred season of Holy Week gets underway.Major sites holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem’s Old City have been closed during the Iran war because of safety considerations. Earlier this month, shrapnel from the interception of an Iranian missile fell on a rooftop just steps from the church, which Christians revere as the place where Jesus was crucified.But criticism surged from around the world Sunday after the police prevented a tiny group of Catholic faith leaders from entering the church in order to celebrate a private Mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday.The police announcement said authorities had worked with a representative of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch whose entry they had barred, and more details on what activities would be permitted would be forthcoming.Israeli air force intercepts 2 drones launched from YemenIsrael’s military said that its air force had intercepted two drones launched from Yemen early Monday morning.The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for launching their first attack in the current war -- a missile fired at Israel, which was also intercepted -- early on Saturday morning.Petrochemical facility struck in Iran's northIranian media reported early Monday that one of the facilities of Tabriz Petrochemical was struck in a northern province of the country. They said no hazardous materials had been released.The company takes oil or natural gas and processes them into chemical products used to make everyday materials like plastics and chemicals.Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it will target residences of US, Israeli officialsIran’s joint military command spokesperson declared on Sunday that the private residences of U.S. and Israeli officials have now become legitimate targets for Iran, as the war in the Middle East enters its first month and continues to widen across the region.The threat was aimed at U.S. and Israeli military and political officials living in the Middle East, including Israel.Ebrahim Zolfaghari said that this decision has been made after the U.S. and Israel have targeted residential homes of Iranians in various cities across Iran.Military says Iran launched more missiles at IsraelIsrael’s military on Sunday night said Iran had launched another salvo of missiles at the country. Sirens went off in the Beersheba area, which has been targeted repeatedly in the last days.Israel says it hit Tehran with more munitions; Iran says power restored in capitalLate on Sunday, Israel’s military said that over the past 24 hours its fighter jets had dropped more than 120 munitions in Tehran, targeting sites used for weapons research, development and production.Around the same time, Iran’s state television said power was back in areas of Tehran that had experienced outages.IAEA reports severe damage to Iran’s Khondab heavy water production plantThe U.N. nuclear watchdog said Sunday that satellite imagery confirmed severe damage to the Khondab heavy water production plant near ArakThe International Atomic Energy Agency added that the installation has no declared nuclear material. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization reported on Friday that the facility was hit and Israel claimed responsibility for the strike.Since the war began a month ago, several strikes targeted nuclear sites across Iran.Foreign ministers depart after talks in IslamabadThe foreign ministers of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt departed late Sunday night for their respective capitals after attending a meeting convened by Pakistan to review progress in bringing the United States and Iran to the negotiating table to end war in the region, the ministry of Foreign Affairs said.It gave no further details.Pakistan earlier said that top diplomats from Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia would visit Islamabad from March 29 to 30 for in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate regional tensions.ADAMA pesticide company says warehouse damaged in Iranian missile attackAn agriculture company that produces pesticides in southern Israel said it suffered damage to a warehouse on Sunday.Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services responded to a massive blaze that began around 3:30 pm from an Iranian missile or shrapnel fragments. The company, ADAMA, said the damage accorded at its Makhteshim plant in the town of Ramot Hovav, on the outskirts of Beersheba, and there was no damage to production facilities.ADAMA said its workers evacuated according to instructions from the emergency services. Israel’s Fire and Rescue said the evacuation included the immediate plant as well as a nearby highway and the evacuation was lifted after about an hour.Dramatic footage after the strike showed pillars of smoke and billowing flames reaching high into the sky. There were no injuries, according to Israel’s rescue services.Lebanese displaced by war slam Israeli prime minister’s announcement of widening invasionPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said the Israeli military is expanding its security zone in the tiny Mediterranean country. Ground forces are clashing with the Hezbollah militant group in their ongoing invasion, intent to create what officials have called a “security zone”.Mohammad Doghman who fled the southern city of Nabatieh slammed Netanyahu, calling Israel “an expansionist state.”Over one million Lebanese have been displaced in the latest war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, sheltering in public schools or in tents pitched on the side of the road. Israel says its aim is to protect the country from Hezbollah rocket attacks.Displaced Lebanese fear that this invasion would be a pretext to a new occupation, but some are still hopeful they will return home.“They take it, and we take it back again, like every time,” said Mohammad Wansa, a displaced Lebanese from the village of Dibbeen living in a tent in central Beirut. “We will return to our homes; we will return to them.”Iran’s supreme leader applauds Iraq’s stance in the warIn a message attributed to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, he expressed his appreciation to senior religious authorities in Iraq for their supportive stance toward Iran during the war, according to two semi-official Iranian news agencies.Since he was named third supreme leader of Iran, Khamenei has made no public appearance, but has conveyed only rare messages.Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for several attacks on U.S. bases in the country in solidarity with Tehran.US embassy warns of potential attacks on universities in IraqThe U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, in a statement posted on X Sunday, warned that Iran and allied militias “may intend to target the American Universities in Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk, along with other universities perceived to be associated with the United States,” after Iran threatened American universities across the Middle East.The statement added that Iran and affiliated militias have already carried out “widespread attacks on U.S. citizens, targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq” and the “Iraqi government has not prevented terrorist attacks against the United States and regional countries from Iraqi territory.”It reiterated a warning for U.S. citizens to leave the country.Many universities around the region have already moved to teaching online since the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered the ongoing war in the Middle East.Iran reports power outages after attacksIran’s energy ministry says power was cut in Tehran and Alborz provinces after attacks on electricity facilities. The state media reports late Sunday did not say who attacked.Fire in Israeli factory is upgraded to hazardous incidentIsrael’s Fire and Rescue Services warned that a missile or missile fragment that hit a factory near the southern Israeli city of Beersheba had set a massive blaze and was upgraded to a hazardous materials incident.Authorities evacuated people in the immediate area, but there were no injuries.Israel’s fire and rescue services said the fragment set a pesticide tank on fire, sending plumes of smoke high over the entire city of Beersheba, the largest city in Israel’s Negev desert. Additional waves of launches of missiles from Iran hit over 20 sites in Beersheba but did not create major damage nor injuries, according to Israel’s emergency rescue service Magen David Adom.Pakistani foreign minister says his country will host talks between US and IranPakistan’s foreign minister says Islamabad soon will host talks between the U.S. and Iran.Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar made the announcement Sunday. He did not specify whether the talks would be direct or indirect. There was no immediate word from the U.S. or Iran.“Pakistan is very happy that both Iran and the U.S. have expressed their confidence in Pakistan’s facilitation” of the talks, which will happen in the “coming days,” Dar said in a televised speech after top diplomats from regional countries met in Islamabad.He said the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia endorsed Pakistan’s peace efforts. The ministers are expected to meet again Monday.Pakistan has emerged as a mediator, having relatively good ties with both Washington and Tehran. Pakistani officials have said their public effort follows weeks of quiet diplomacy.American University of Beirut moves classes online after Iran threats to US-affiliated campusesThe announcement from the university in the heart of the Lebanese capital comes as American universities and schools across the Mideast fear strikes that may target their facilities.President Fadlo Khuri in an announcement Sunday said it was a precautionary measure and that there was “no evidence of direct threats” to the prestigious university and its renowned hospital.“The American University of Beirut has stood for the peaceful emancipation and progress of the people we educate and serve for more than a century and a half,” said Khuri.The threat from Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard comes after comes after recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on two campuses in the Islamic Republic.Top US oil industry official presses for quick action to reopen straitThe head of the U.S. oil and natural industry’s top lobbying group says “the only real solution” to rising energy and consumer prices as a result of the war with Iran is to get the Strait of Hormuz open.“If we can do that this week with targeted regime actions, I think we have to take that opportunity because it’s only going to get worse over time,” said Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute.Sommers told Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing” that “that artery has to be reopened and fast” because “the longer this goes on, the higher prices are going to go.”Sommers is also troubled by the entry of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.“If the Houthis start attacking ships going through the Red Sea, that could really put us on the cusp of a major energy crisis throughout the world. That is a top concern this week, as well,” he says.Death toll in Lebanon exceeds 1,200 people in ongoing war between Israel and HezbollahOver 3,500 people were also wounded since the start of this latest military escalation, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Among the killed are 52 health workers.Israel launched intense airstrikes over Lebanon after the Hezbollah militant group fired rockets towards northern Israel in solidarity with Iran on March 2.Since then,towardne milltowardanese have been displaced as Israeli ground forces continue an invasion into southern Lebanon.Netanyahu says Israel will widen its invasion of southern LebanonPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that Israel will widen its invasion of southern Lebanon.Netanyahu said Israel would expand what he called the “existing security strip” in Lebanon as Israeli forces continue to target the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.“We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north,” he said on a visit to northern Israel, adding that “Hezbollah still has residual capability to fire rockets at us.”There were no immediate details.In Lebanon, officials say more than 1,100 people have been killed in the fighting since the Iran war began.▶ Read moreExpert says world economy is a ‘crisis point’ as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen open new front in warThe Houthis joined the war over the weekend with a missile attack on Israel. Their entry has raised concerns that they could resume attacks on vessels in the Red Sea further disrupting the global shipping industry and sending oil prices much higher.Nomi Bar-Yaacov, fellow at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said the Houthis’ potential disruption of oil export in the Red Sea will create a “point where we have not been before.”At this time, both the Homuz and Bab al-Mandab straits will be closed, she said.“All eyes are on the mediation, but the oil crisis is, I think, at an unprecedented state,” she said.Kuwait’s top diplomat blasts Iran’s destabilization of the regionKuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Sabah said Sunday that what the region is witnessing is “systematic pattern of undermining regional stability led by Iran”, as the monthlong war continues to destabilize the region.In a statement reported by the state-run Kuna news agency, Al Sabah said that Iran is destabilizing the region through “exploiting chaos and terrorism as tools of influence.”Kuwait’s Armed Forces said Sunday that projectile attacks injured 10 members of its forces, and its Defense Ministry said that the warehouses of a private logistics company were hit, resulting in only material damage, as the country intercepted 26 other Iranian missiles and drones over the past 24 hours.Also on Sunday, Qatar and Bahrain said that they intercepted missiles and drones launched toward them.Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrives in JordanUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Jordan Sunday, part of his tour of Gulf Arab states as Kyiv continues to offer its drone expertise to help governments blunt Iranian attacks during the war in the Middle East.“Security is the top priority, and it is important that all partners make the necessary efforts toward it. Ukraine is doing its part. Important meetings ahead,” Zelenskyy wrote on his social media channels, alongside a video that showed him arriving by air.Jordan’s state news agency reported that Zelenskyy would meet with King Abdullah II for talks on regional developments and bilateral relations.Hundreds gather in central Istanbul for protest against US and IsraelNearly a thousand people gathered in central Istanbul Sunday afternoon despite heavy rains to protest the ongoing conflicts in Iran, Lebanon and Palestine.Organized by several religious conservative NGOs, the rally featured slogans like, “Resist, Gaza will prevail” and “Muslims don’t bow to oppression,” as well as signs saying, “Killer Israel, Killer United States” and criticizing the Israeli closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque.“We are here for all the oppressed in the world. Lebanon, Iran, Palestine, yesterday it was Venezuela, tomorrow it will probably be Cuba, we are here for all of them,” protester Mehmet Yilmaz told The Associated Press.“When Iran launches a missile, despite claiming no one can hurt them with their Iron Dome, they (Israelis) all scurry into their holes like mice the second the sirens blare,” Ekrem Saylan told AP. “What do the Iranians do? They take to the streets. This is about belief, faith. If they (Israelis) had faith they wouldn’t be afraid of death.”Christians celebrate Palm Sunday in GazaDozens of Christian faithful gathered Sunday in the Holy Family Church in Gaza to celebrate Palm Sunday, marking the first time for the sacred celebration in the war-torn territory where a fragile ceasefire was reached in October.“Many of our Christian relatives are missing this year. We lost 6% of our Latin and Greek Orthodox Christians in the war, and this is a great loss, a very great sorrow,” said the Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, the parish priest of the Catholic community based at Holy Family Church in Gaza.While weapons have largely fallen silent in Gaza, Christians are celebrating among near-daily Israeli strikes and heightened regional tension. Inside the church, altar servers waved branches and fronds, and the Palestinians attended the mass in silence and reverence.“We pray for the people of Jerusalem, for all of Palestine, and for the entire region, that God Almighty may grant peace, justice, and reconciliation to all the peoples of the region,” Romanelli said.Pakistan’s prime minister pledges support to Saudi Arabia amid regional tensionsPakistan’s prime minister on Sunday pledged continued support for Saudi Arabia during talks with the kingdom’s foreign minister, as both countries discussed regional stability and efforts to end ongoing conflict.Shehbaz Sharif renewed Pakistan’s support to the kingdom during a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who is visiting Islamabad to attend a meeting of top diplomats from Islamic countries to discuss how to end the Iran war.According to statement from Sharif’s office, Sharif “appreciated the remarkable restraint exercised by Saudi Arabia amid the current crisis” and said Pakistan would “always stand shoulder to shoulder” with the kingdom.Sharif briefed the Saudi foreign minister on Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts aimed at helping end the war in the region.Firefighters battling fire at factory from missile fragment in southern IsraelA missile fragment that fell on a factory outside of the southern Israeli city of Beersheba on Sunday set a pesticide tank on fire, according to Israel’s Fire and Rescue, sending black plumes of smoke and billowing flames high into the air.Fire and Rescue services said there were no injuries from the fire and no danger to the public, but evacuated people nearby as a precaution as multiple crews attempted to get the fire under control.Iranians crossing into Iraq urge US to stop war, citing worsening living conditions and fearIranians crossing into southern Iraq on Sunday urged the United States to end the war, describing relentless airstrikes, rising prices and worsening living conditions, but insisting they would not leave their country.“A message to America: Stop the war,” said Atef al-Fatlawi, 30, who arrived from Ahvaz with her husband and young son. She said daily life had deteriorated sharply, with insecurity replacing what she described as previous stability. The family crossed into Iraq via the Shalamcha crossing in Basra.Al-Fatlawi crossed into Iraq to buy groceries, including rice, which is now cheaper than in Iran due to soaring costs. She said an explosion near her home shattered windows and frightened her child.“There is fear. My son is scared, so we brought him with us,” she said.Others made brief trips for basic needs. Fatima Ghaffari, 39, said she crossed the border mainly to access the internet before returning to her home in Abadan. “It’s scary, so scary,” she said of daily life in Ahvaz.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Severe flooding, a landslide and thunderstorms in parts of Afghanistan left 17 people dead and 26 injured over the last 24 hours, with more heavy rainfall predicted, authorities said Sunday, the latest casualties from extreme weather in the country this season.The number of casualties could increase as crews from the country’s National Disaster Management Authority survey the affected areas, the authority’s spokesman, Yousuf Hammad, said in a statement. Thirteen of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, mostly in the western, central and northwestern parts of the country, were affected.The severe weather also left 147 homes either completely or partially destroyed, wiped out 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) of roads and destroyed agricultural land and irrigation canals and businesses, Hammad said. In all, he said, 530 families were affected.Heavy rainfall was also forecast to affect eastern and central parts of the country Monday, and Hammad warned flooding was also possible in those areas. The disaster management authority warned residents to avoid river banks and areas at risk of flooding in those regions, and ordered local officials to be on standby to provide assistance.Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, with snow and heavy rain that trigger flash floods, often killing dozens, or even hundreds, of people at a time. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods.Decades of conflict, coupled with poor infrastructure, a struggling economy, deforestation and the intensifying effects of climate change have amplified the impact of such disasters, particularly in remote areas where many homes are built of mud and offer limited protection against sudden deluges or heavy snowfall.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Keith Thurman said the fight should have continued, and maybe if it had, he would have found a way to get the best of Sebastian Fundora.But until referee Thomas Taylor stopped the bout at 1:17 of the sixth round on Saturday night, there was little evidence that Fundora was in danger of relinquishing his WBC super welterweight belt.The 6-foot-5 Fundora (24-1-1, 16 knockouts) used his nine-inch height and reach advantage to pepper Thurman (31-2, 23 KOs) with a series of hard lefts and combinations. Thurman managed to get in the occasional blow, but had to pick his spots.There just wasn't enough of an opportunity for him against the man called The Towering Inferno. Fundora landed 96 shots to 28 for Thurman, according to Compubox, and 64 power punches to 25.“I was a little nervous today because Thurman is such a big name," Fundora said. "But once we got in that ring, I said, ‘This is my world.’”He made that clear early in the fight, and by the fifth round, Fundora was in complete control, delivering blow after blow with Thurman against the ropes. A knockout seemed like a matter of time, and it nearly came in the closing seconds of that round before the bell rang.The moment, instead, occurred early in the sixth.Thurman, holding ice to the left side of his battered and bruised face, was upset about the ref's decision to step in, arguing he hadn't been knocked down and was on the verge of giving his opponent a true challenge.“The fight was getting really good," Thurman said. “The fans were loving the action and the referee stopped the fight too early. They don’t have the guts to let the fights go on like (in past years). He talked to me and said if I was moving my feet he wouldn’t stop the fight. I wasn’t on the ropes taking shots. It was very unfortunate to not give the fans a better show. Win, lose, or draw, I thought it was a little bit premature. I had more in me.”Fundora, a 28-year-old from Coachella, California, was a significant favorite entering the bout, listed at -325 at BetMGM Sportsbook.“We’ve been working very hard for this fight," Fundora said. “I told him that I’ve always looked up to him. He’s a Hall of Famer for sure.”Thurman, a Clearwater, Florida resident, looked all of his 37 years old, and perhaps after this night, he could have some big decisions to make about his future. But Thurman said he has more left in him, especially the way this fight ended.He once ruled the welterweight division, his only loss before Saturday occurring July 20, 2019, in a split-decision loss to Manny Pacquiao.“Sebastian definitely came in shape,” Thurman said. "He throws a lot of punches. The uppercut that caught me and cut me was an awkward punch that I’ve never been hit with before. The man brings it. He’s a tremendous champion, and I can lift my head up high knowing I was defeated by a great young fighter.”Fundora said he is willing to take on anyone who's willing to step into the ring with him in the 154-pound division.If he continues to have nights like this one, Fundora could find himself in position to be the unified title holder. It would hard to argue against that Saturday night.“There’s all kinds of big names," Fundora said. “One-fifty-four is the best division right now. Whoever wants it next can get it.”___AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Large crowds protested Saturday against the war in Iran and President Donald Trump's actions in “No Kings” rallies across the U.S. and in Europe. Minnesota took center stage, with thousands of people standing shoulder-to-shoulder to celebrate resistance to Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement.Minnesota's flagship event on the Capitol lawn in St. Paul drew Bruce Springsteen as its headliner. He and other speakers praised the state's people for taking to the streets over the winter in opposition to a surge of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents.Springsteen performed “ Streets of Minneapolis,” the song he wrote in response to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. Springsteen lamented Good and Pretti’s deaths but said the state's pushback against ICE gave the rest of the country hope.“Your strength and your commitment told us that this was still America,” he said. “And this reactionary nightmare, and these invasions of American cities, will not stand.”People rallied from New York City, with almost 8.5 million residents in a solidly blue state, to Driggs, a town of fewer than 2,000 people in eastern Idaho, a state Trump carried with 66% of the vote in 2024.Big but mostly peaceful crowdsU.S. organizers have estimated that the first two rounds of No Kings rallies drew more than 5 million people in June and 7 million in October. They expected 9 million participants Saturday, though it was not clear whether those expectations were met.Organizers said more than 3,100 events — 500 more than in October — were registered, in all 50 states.Protests were mostly peaceful, but some arrests were reported.In Los Angeles, authorities deployed tear gas near a federal detention center downtown. One man had a leaf blower, attempting to clear the air. The Los Angeles Police Department later arrested people for failing to disperse. Earlier in the day, a band was playing and people were dancing to Spanish-language music.The Denver Police Department said on the social platform X that it declared an unlawful assembly and deployed smoke canisters after a small group of protesters blocked a road and did not leave as asked. Some threw the canisters back at officers, police said. At least eight people were arrested, as was a ninth person later on who police said was throwing objects.GOP officials dismissive of protestsWhite House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called them the product of “leftist funding networks” with little real public support.The “only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them,” Jackson said in a statement.The National Republican Congressional Committee was also sharply critical.“These Hate America Rallies are where the far-left’s most violent, deranged fantasies get a microphone,” spokesperson Maureen O’Toole said.Protesters have a long list of causesTrump's immigration enforcement push, particularly in Minnesota, was just one item on a long list of grievances that also included the war in Iran and the rollback of transgender rights. Speakers at the Minnesota rally decried billionaires' economic power.In Washington, hundreds marched past the Lincoln Memorial and into the National Mall, holding signs that read “Put down the crown, clown” and “Regime change begins at home.” ”Bill Jarcho was there from Seattle, joined by six people dressed as insects wearing tactical vests that said, “LICE” — spoofing ICE — as part of what he called a “mock and awe” tour.“What we provide is mockery to the king,” Jarcho said. “It’s about taking authoritarianism and making fun of it, which they hate.”About 40,000 people marched in San Diego, police there said.In New York, Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said during a news conference that Trump and his supporters want people to be afraid to protest.“They want us to be afraid that there’s nothing we can do to stop them,” she said. “But you know what? They are wrong — dead wrong.”In Topeka, Kansas, a protesters dressed up in an inflatable frog costume and a baby version of Trump. Wendy Wyatt showed up with a “Cats Against Trump” sign. Many things upset her about the administration, she said, but the rallies are “very hopeful to me.”Organizers said two-thirds of RSVPs for the rallies came from outside of major urban centers. That included communities in conservative-leaning states like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, South Dakota and Louisiana, as well as suburbs in electorally competitive Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.Main event at the Minnesota CapitolOrganizers designated the rally there as the national flagship event.Before Springsteen took the stage, organizers played a video in which actor Robert DeNiro said he wakes up every morning depressed because of Trump but was happier Saturday because millions of people were protesting. He also congratulated Minnesotans for running ICE out of town.The bill also included singer Joan Baez, actor Jane Fonda, Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and a long list of activists, labor leaders and elected officials.Protesters held up a massive sign on the Capitol steps that read, “We had whistles, they had guns. The revolution starts in Minneapolis.”“Donald Trump may pretend that he’s not listening, but he can’t ignore the millions in the streets today,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.Rallies overseasDemonstrations were also held in more than a dozen other countries, according to co-executive director Ezra Levin of Indivisible, which spearheaded the events.In Rome, thousands marched with chants aimed at Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose conservative government saw its referendum for streamlining Italy's judiciary fail badly this week. Protesters also waved banners protesting Israeli and US attacks on Iran.In London, demonstrators held banners with slogans such as “Stop the far right” and “Stand up to Racism.”And in Paris, several hundred people, mostly Americans living in France, along with labor unions and human rights organizations, gathered at the Bastille.“I protest all of Trump’s illegal, immoral, reckless and feckless, endless wars,” organizer Ada Shen said.___Richmond reported from Madison, Wisconsin, and Hanna from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press journalists Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu; Nicholas Garriga in Paris; Mike Pesoli in Washington; Colleen Berry in Milan; Amy Taxin in Santa Ana, California; and Jill Connelly in Los Angeles contributed.
HAVANA (AP) — Two sailboats that went missing carrying humanitarian aid from southern Mexico to Cuba landed in Havana on Saturday afternoon hours after Mexico's navy said it had located the boats days after they went incommunicado because of bad weather.The vessels carrying at least eight people departed from Isla Mujeres in southern Mexico on March 20 and then lost contact, fueling concern in Mexico, Cuba and beyond.In a post on X on Saturday morning, the navy said an aircraft spotted the boats 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) northwest of Havana, Cuba. Upon arriving to the island, Adnaan Stumo, the coordinator of the sailing convoy, said bad weather was responsible for the delay because the boats had to take a longer route and the sailors were “never in any serious danger.”He thanked Mexico's navy, which escorted one of the boats into Havana Bay, for its support and making sure they were OK, and said they were “delighted” to start delivering aid to Cubans on the island.““We arrive with a simple but powerful message: solidarity with the Cuban people doesn’t stop at borders. It crosses oceans,” Stumo, a U.S. citizen, said. “Over the past week, our sailboats encountered difficult conditions at sea, during which we lost contact with convoy coordinators and maritime authorities alike."The organization Nuestra América Convoy said Friday that based on the speed of the vessels reported to the Cuban maritime authorities, the window of arrival for the boats in Havana should be between Friday and Saturday and that the boats were led by experienced sailors.James Schneider, communications director for Progressive International who helped coordinate the Nuestra America convoy to Cuba, thanked Mexican and Cuban authorities for their help on Saturday and said he was “relieved” to hear they were safe.“The crews are safe, and the vessels are continuing their journey to Havana,” he said Saturday morning. “The convoy remains on track to complete its mission — delivering urgently needed humanitarian aid to the Cuban people."The boat's arrival comes as an increasing number of countries and aid organizations have sent shipments of aid to Cuba while a U.S. fuel blockade has caused crippling blackouts and pushed the Caribbean nation to the brink of collapse. President Donald Trump in a speech Friday said “Cuba is next” after speaking about military actions in Venezuela and Iran.The fuel blockade has prompted United Nations leaders to warn of a potential “humanitarian crisis” in the island's future amid mounting concerns by human rights and religious leaders as hospitals, schools and many residents go without power for long stretches.The same day the boat was located, a delegation of religious leaders also arrived in Cuba. They visited hospitals and a nursing home, and met with other religious leaders on the island.“Immense suffering is being caused to the people,” said the Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock, general secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Police in Nepal arrested former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli early Saturday over the deaths of dozens of people during violent protests in September that toppled the government and resulted in new elections.Authorities arrested the powerful Communist Party leader at his residence on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu. They also arrested Ramesh Lekhak, the former home minister who has been accused of ordering authorities to fire on protesters.The arrests come a day after a new government headed by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah took office following a landslide win in a parliamentary election by his Rastriya Swatantra Party.“No one is above the law. We have taken former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak under control,” Home Minister Sudan Gurung said in announcing the arrests on social media. “This is not revenge against anyone, it is just the beginning of justice.”An investigation by a commission established by the recent interim government called for punishment of up to 10 years in prison for Oli, Lekhak and the chief of police at the time of the protests.Several trucks of police officers in riot gear conducted the arrests at the mens' homes before taking them to the Kathmandu District Police office.The arrests triggered the anger of Oli's supporters, and hundreds gathered near the prime minister's office later Saturday to protest and demand that Oli be immediately released from custody.They chanted slogans against the new government, burnt tires and scuffled with riot police who used batons to try clear the road blocked by the protesters. No major injuries were reported, but police said they detained seven protesters.An election earlier this month was the country’s first since youth-led protests against corruption and poor governance last September left 76 people dead and more than 2,300 injured. Angry mobs burned down the offices of the prime minister and president, police stations and the homes of top politicians who were forced to flee on army helicopters.The demonstrations fueled by “Gen Z” activists forced the appointment of Nepal’s first female prime minister, Sushila Karki, a retired Supreme Court judge who served during the transition leading up to the election.
Authorities in Colombia say a body has been found in the search for a missing American Airlines flight attendant from Dallas who disappeared during a layover in Medellín.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel early Saturday, the first time it had faced fire from that country. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack, which calls into question whether the rebel group backed by Tehran will again target commercial shipping traveling through the Red Sea corridor.Sirens went off around Beer Sheba and the area near Israel’s main nuclear research center for the third time overnight Friday into Saturday as Iran and Hezbollah continued to fire on Israel overnight.The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014, and so far had stayed out of the war as the rebels have had an uneasy ceasefire for years with Saudi Arabia, which launched a war against the group on behalf of Yemen’s exiled government in 2015.Attacks on vessels during the Israel-Hamas war upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passed each year before the war. The rebels also fired drones at Israel.Israel struck Iran’s nuclear facilities hours after threatening to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran on Friday. Iran vowed to retaliate and struck a base in Saudi Arabia, wounding U.S. service members and damaging planes.Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Houthis, issued the claim in a statement Saturday on the rebels' Al-Masirah satellite television.Saree said they fired a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting what he described as “sensitive Israeli military sites” in southern Israel. The attack came hours after Saree signaled in a vague statement Friday that the rebels would join the war that shocked the region and rattled the global economy.In 2024, the Trump administration launched strikes against the Houthis that ended weeks later. The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthi rebels, overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy had faced since World War II.The Houthi rebels attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January 2025. That would cause further chaos in global shipping, which already is reeling from Iran’s stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas once passed.The potential involvement of the Houthis in the war also would complicate the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the aircraft carrier that went to port in Crete on Monday for repairs. Sending the carrier back into the Red Sea could draw it into the same high tempo of attacks seen by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 2024 and the USS Harry S. Truman in the 2025 American campaign against the Houthis.Prior to the attack from Yemen, there appeared to be a breakthrough as Tehran agreed to allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, accepting a request from the U.N. Ali Bahreini, the country's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said Iran agreed to “facilitate and expedite” such movement.The vital waterway usually handles a fifth of the world’s oil shipments and nearly a third of the world’s fertilizer trade. While markets and governments have largely focused on blocked supplies of oil and natural gas, the restriction of fertilizer ingredients and trade threatens farming and food security around the world.“This measure reflects Iran’s continued commitment to supporting humanitarian efforts and ensuring that essential aid reaches those in need without delay,” Bahreini said on the social platform X. The U.N. earlier announced a task force to address the ripple effects that the war has had on aid delivery.More than two dozen U.S. troops have been wounded in Iranian attacks on a Saudi air base in the past week, according two people who have been briefed on the matter. Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base in a Friday attack that injured at least 15 troops, including five seriously, according to the people who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.The base had come under come attack twice earlier this week, including an incident that injured 14 U.S. troops, according to the people who had been briefed on the matter.Located about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the base is run by the Royal Saudi Air Force, but also used by U.S. troops.Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilitiesBahreini's announcement came just hours after Iranian state media said two nuclear facilities had come under attack. Israel, which had threatened to “escalate and expand” its campaign against Tehran, claimed responsibility, and Iran quickly threatened to retaliate.“Iran will exact HEAVY price for Israeli crimes,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said via X.Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex in Arak and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in Yazd Province were targeted, IRNA reported. The strikes did not cause any casualties and there was no risk of contamination, it said. The Arak plant has not been operational since Israel attacked it last June.Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after impurities are removed from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.The Israeli military later said raw materials are processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and the strike was a major blow to Iran's nuclear program.Seyed Majid Moosavi, IRGC’s Aerospace Force commander, said on X that employees of companies tied to the U.S. and Israel should abandon their workplaces: “This time, the equation will no longer be ‘an eye for an eye,’ just wait.”Late Friday, Israeli authorities said Iran had launched missiles at the country that killed a 52-year-old man in Tel Aviv. Sirens alerted people to seek shelter in and around Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beer Sheba and areas near the country's main nuclear research center, which were targeted by Iranian strikes that injured dozens last weekend.Trump renews call for Israeli-Saudi tiesSpeaking in Miami at an event sponsored by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Trump reiterated his desire for those two countries to normalize relations.The president has been pressing the two biggest powers in the Middle East on that for years as part of his Abraham Accords efforts, and he said the time will be right when hostilities end with Iran.“It’s now time,” he said. “We’ve now taken them out, and they are out bigly. We got to get into the Abraham Accords.”Significant headwinds remain, including Saudi Arabia’s insistence that there needs to be a credible path to a Palestinian state before it normalizes commercial and diplomatic ties with Israel.US pushes diplomatic solutionWord of the attacks on Iran came after Trump claimed that talks on ending the war were going “very well” and that he had given Tehran more time to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran maintains that it has not engaged in any negotiations.With stock markets reeling and economic fallout from the war extending far beyond the Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran's chokehold on the strait.A Gulf Arab bloc said Thursday that Iran has been exacting tolls from ships to ensure safe passage.Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington delivered a 15-point “action list” to Iran for a possible ceasefire, using Pakistan as an intermediary. It proposes restricting Iran’s nuclear program and reopening the strait.Iran rejected the offer and presented its own five-point proposal that included reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the waterway.Trump has said if that Iran doesn't reopen the strait to all traffic by April 6, he will order the destruction of Iran’s energy plants.Uncertainty surrounding the conflict prompted a further drop in U.S. stocks Friday. The S&P 500 sank 1.7% to close out its worst week since the Iran war started and its 5th losing week in a row. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.1%. Meanwhile, crude oil prices continued to soar.With U.S. gas prices approaching $4 a gallon, members of Congress have been pushing to suspend the federal gasoline tax, set at 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel. Trump said he has “thought about” suspending it but suggested states should look at suspending their taxes on fuel.Attacks appear to intensify early SaturdayWitnesses in eastern Tehran reported a partial power outage following airstrikes. In Israel, loud explosions filled the air in Tel Aviv and emergency crews responded to nearly a dozen impact sites.An Associated Press journalist heard loud explosions in Tel Aviv, and Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said it was responding to 11 different impact sites across the metro area.Defense Minister Israel Katz had earlier vowed that Iran “will pay heavy, increasing prices for this war crime.”Israel focused its attacks Friday on sites “in the heart of Tehran” where ballistic missiles and other weapons are produced, the military said. It said it also hit missile launchers and storage sites in Western Iran.Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said it shot down missiles and drones targeting the capital, Riyadh. In Lebanon, the Health Ministry said two people were killed.Kuwait said its Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port to the north, which is under construction as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, sustained “material damage” in attacks. It appeared to be one of the first times a Chinese-affiliated project in the Gulf Arab states has come under assault in the war. China has continued to purchase Iranian crude.Diplomatic wrangling endures even as US sends more troopsDiplomats from several countries including Pakistan and Turkey have tried to organize a direct meeting between U.S. and Iranian envoys. Separately, G7 foreign ministers meeting Friday in France formally asked for an immediate halt to attacks against populations and infrastructure.Meanwhile, U.S. ships drew closer to the region carrying some 2,500 Marines, and at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne — trained to land in hostile territory to secure key positions and airfields — have been ordered to the Middle East.Nevertheless, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. “can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops.” Rubio, speaking to reporters following the G7 meeting, said the deployments are designed to ensure “maximum opportunity to adjust to contingencies should they emerge.”Israel sent the 162nd Division into southern Lebanon to support efforts to protect its northern border towns from Hezbollah attacks and uproot the militant group, the military said.The U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in Iran, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people, are damaged.“If this war continues, we risk a far wider humanitarian disaster,” Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said in a statement. “Millions could be forced to flee across borders, placing immense pressure on an already overstretched region.”Death toll climbs, primarily in Iran and LebanonNineteen people have died in Israel, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon.Authorities said more than 1,100 people have been killed in Lebanon, and over 1,900 people in Iran.At least 13 American troops have been killed, and four people in the occupied West Bank and 20 in Gulf Arab states have also died.In Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.___Amiri reported from New York, and Toropin from Washington. Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami; Fay Abuelgasim in Cairo; Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel; Fatma Khaled and Samy Magdy in Cairo; Sam McNeil in Brussels; Matthew Lee in Paris; Matthew Daly and Aamer Madhani in Washington; and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.
