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The United States and Israel have launched large-scale airstrikes across Iran targeting government, IRGC, and nuclear sites, with Iranian state media reporting that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior officials were killed. 

This comes as Pakistan declared "open war" and launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan, Mexico's most wanted cartel boss "El Mencho" was killed in a special forces operation, and Panama seized control of two canal ports from a Hong Kong firm following claims by President Trump about Chinese involvement.

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Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇵🇰 Pakistan declares "open war," strikes Afghanistan: Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan after declaring "open war," claiming hundreds of Afghan forces killed and military assets destroyed, figures Kabul rejected, while both sides reported additional casualties. Afghanistan accused Pakistan of striking civilian areas and causing dozens of deaths, the UN warned of escalation, and mediation efforts by regional actors resumed.

2️⃣ 🇲🇽 Mexico cartel boss "El Mencho" killed: Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho" and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, died after being wounded in a Mexican special forces operation in Jalisco carried out with US intelligence support, with authorities reporting additional fatalities, arrests and weapons seized. Following his death, cartel members blockaded roads and torched vehicles and businesses across several states, prompting flight suspensions, school closures and security warnings.

3️⃣ 🇸🇪 Sweden confirms Russian drone near French carrier: Sweden confirmed a drone it jammed 13km from France's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Oresund was Russian. France said confirmed involvement would amount to a provocation, as Romania also scrambled jets over a drone breach.

4️⃣ 🇪🇺 EU moves to bypass Hungary's Ukraine loan veto: EU officials are exploring ways to lift Hungary's veto on a €90bn loan to Ukraine, with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying the bloc will deliver the funds "one way or the other" as Viktor Orbán links his blockade to the damaged Druzhba pipeline and demands oil transit resume. Options under discussion include accelerating repairs, using Croatia's Adria pipeline, pursuing legal avenues under EU treaties, or leveraging defence funding decisions, as Kyiv warns it needs support by early April.

5️⃣ 🇨🇳 Chinese official used ChatGPT to target dissidents: OpenAI said a Chinese law enforcement official used ChatGPT to document an alleged influence operation targeting dissidents abroad, including impersonating US immigration officials and forging court documents. Investigators linked the account to real online activity before banning the user. The report said the network involved hundreds of operators and thousands of fake accounts and comes amid broader US-China competition over AI.

Major Story

🇮🇷🇺🇸🇮🇱 US and Israel launch major strikes on Iran, Khamenei reported killed

The United States and Israel launched large-scale airstrikes across Iran targeting government, IRGC, and nuclear-related sites in Tehran and at least 20 other cities, with Iranian state media reporting that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the IRGC commander-in-chief, and senior security official Ali Shamkhani were killed. Tehran has responded by firing missiles and drones at Israel and US-aligned states and bases across the Gulf, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE, with fresh reports of strikes around Dubai's Jebel Ali port. Air-raid sirens and airspace closures have been reported across Jordan, Iraq, and the Gulf as governments brace for further salvos.

Iran's airspace remains closed and a near-total communications blackout is in effect in many areas, limiting independent verification of events on the ground. Iranian officials are calling the strikes a war crime, citing civilian casualties including a reported attack on a girls' school in Minab with dozens killed. President Trump has publicly framed the operation as an opportunity for regime change, urging Iranians to "finish the job." The UN Security Council has convened an emergency meeting, with the US and Israel defending the strikes as necessary to cripple Iran's military and nuclear capabilities while Iranian representatives emphasise civilian casualties. Analysts are now watching for clarity on succession in Tehran, the scale of further Iranian retaliation, and whether Iran's regional allies — Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, and the Houthis — escalate in ways that would signal a broader regional war.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇵🇦 Panama seizes canal ports from Hong Kong firm: Panama assumed control of two Panama Canal container ports after its Supreme Court annulled contracts held for over two decades by Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison as unconstitutional, a move the company called unlawful and Hong Kong protested as taken by force. The decision followed claims by President Donald Trump that China was operating the canal, for which there is no public evidence, and could affect a planned $22.8bn sale to a BlackRock-led group.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸 US Ambassador backs Israeli regional expansion: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said "it would be fine" if Israel took control of land spanning much of the Middle East during an interview on biblical claims, while adding Israel was not seeking expansion and had a right to security in territory it legitimately holds. Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman, along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States, condemned the remarks, and there was no immediate response from Israel or the United States.

3️⃣ 🇩🇰 Denmark calls snap election over Greenland: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called a 24 March election ahead of the October deadline, citing security concerns and seeking to capitalise on improved polling linked partly to her handling of tensions over Greenland. She pledged to rearm, redefine ties with the US and introduce measures including a wealth tax and property tax changes, as polls showed gains for her Social Democrats and the wider red bloc.

4️⃣ 🇺🇸 Ex-F-35 instructor charged with training Chinese pilots: The US Justice Department said former Air Force Major Gerald Brown, a former F-35 instructor, was arrested and charged with providing and conspiring to provide defence services to Chinese military pilots without authorisation after allegedly travelling to China in 2023 to train them. Officials said his contract was negotiated by Stephen Su Bin, previously jailed for hacking military secrets, and noted similar charges against former pilot Daniel Duggan.

5️⃣ 🇸🇸 UN warns South Sudan sliding toward war: A UN Commission on Human Rights report warned South Sudan risks a return to full-scale war, citing killings, systematic sexual violence, arbitrary detention and displacement, and blaming political and military elites for undermining the 2018 peace deal, including the arrest and prosecution of First Vice President Riek Machar. The report said intensified military operations and regional involvement have worsened instability, with hundreds of thousands displaced and millions needing humanitarian assistance.

6️⃣ 🇨🇦 Carney in India to diversify from US: Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in India seeking to strengthen trade and strategic ties, with talks planned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on cooperation spanning trade, energy, technology, artificial intelligence and defence, as India described the visit as a significant step in deepening relations. The trip comes amid US tariffs on Canadian exports and efforts to diversify trade, alongside attempts to reset strained ties after Canada accused India of involvement in a 2023 killing, which India denies.

7️⃣ 🇺🇲 OpenAI takes Pentagon deal Anthropic rejected: OpenAI said it struck a deal to supply AI to classified Pentagon networks after President Donald Trump ordered agencies to cease using Anthropic, whose talks with the administration collapsed over demands to allow mass surveillance and autonomous weapons, as CEO Sam Altman said OpenAI's agreement bars those uses. Anthropic said it would not change its position despite Pentagon pressure, while nearly 500 OpenAI and Google employees warned against dividing companies, and OpenAI also announced plans to raise $110bn at an $840bn valuation.

8️⃣ 🇩🇪🇦🇹 Germany, Austria sign airspace treaty: Germany and Austria ratified a treaty allowing each to pursue non-military airspace violations across their shared border without prior approval and to exchange daily surveillance reports, with weapons and most forms of coercion prohibited in the partner's airspace. The agreement completes an "Alpine triangle" with similar pacts involving Switzerland and will enter into force three months after mutual notification of ratification.

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