Top World News
Apr 3, 2026
Steve Bannon scoffs amid search for US pilots in Iran: 'Gonna get some people shot down'
MAGA influencer Steve Bannon suggested downed pilots were the price of fighting a war with Iran.After reports said that the U.S. military was searching for the pilots of a crashed F-15 on Friday, Bannon noted that CENTCOM had flown around 12,000 sorties during the war."First off, that's an extraordinary amount just in the time we've been there," he explained. "These things are going to happen. You're going to get some people shot down. That's just the reality."Author Brandon Weichert told Bannon that he hoped the downed jet was a "wake-up call" for the White House."But I'm still watching these troops flowing into the region," he noted. "So to me, this looks like we're plussing up. Doesn't look like we're de-escalating.""Unfortunately, again, it looks like Trump is still tempted to, to climb that escalation ladder," Weichert added. "And I can't stress enough how significant of a problem this will be for the United States if we get bogged down in a ground war."
Apr 3, 2026
Trump ignored 'war game' scenario evidence that predicted Hormuz strait crisis: analysis
Donald Trump ignored a war games scenario that predicted the Strait of Hormuz would be closed following strikes on Iran, an analyst has claimed. David Rothkopf, speaking to The New Republic's Greg Sargent, says the president was made aware of a scenario in which the United States would likely suffer the impact of the Strait of Hormuz's closure. Trump's administration struck Iran in early March, with the stated objective being regime change, though analysts questioned whether the administration had a comprehensive long-term strategy beyond the initial military operation.A war games plan seen by Trump should have been enough to convince him not to strike Iran, Rothkopf says, but action was taken against the Middle Eastern country. Rothkopf said, "That’s why the National Security Council was created. Well, we effectively don’t have an NSC now because he doesn’t listen to advice. And so you have this ignoramus who ignores the fact that when war games like about this were conducted, we lost."Okay, there was a big famous war game that was conducted a number of years ago about the U.S. attacking Iran—we lost because they leveraged the Strait of Hormuz. And he ignores that. He didn’t consult the allies. He thought they would just go along with him. "And frankly, he thought it would be over in a minute because he didn’t sort of think through 92 million people, 50 years of history, deeply ingrained institutions in that country. He thinks he’s Superman. And of course, that’s fine when you jump off the building. It’s just a problem when you hit the ground."Rothkopf went on to suggest some of Trump's alleged targets in Iran would, should they be struck, constitute a war crime. "They went in, they bombed a bridge," he wrote. "We can debate whether that’s a war crime because it’s civilian infrastructure. He threatened now to go in and bomb their electrical systems. That is a war crime. That is punishing civilians. "Obviously, this is going to harden resistance. It’s going to have an effect on how the Iranians handle, for example, the Strait of Hormuz."
Apr 3, 2026
US fighter jet shot down by Iran: report
A U.S. fighter jet in the Middle East was shot down by Iran, according to a breaking news report from Axios on Friday, the first such instance since the Trump administration launched Operation Epic Fury alongside Israel in late February.“An American fighter jet was shot down by Iranian fire,” reads a statement from Axios’ Barak Ravid, issued on social media moments after his report was published. “A search is underway to locate the two crew members, according to a source familiar with the details.”Neither the White House or the U.S. military responded to Axios’ request for comment on the alleged downed aircraft, which according to photos and videos viewed by Axios, is believed to be an F-15 fighter jet.מטוס קרב אמריקני הופל מאש איראנית. חיפוש מתנהל כדי לאתר את שני אנשי הצוות, כך לפי מקור שמעורה בפרטים. קראו את הכתבה שלי ב-@axioshttps://t.co/8CR6n5WqJA— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 3, 2026
Apr 3, 2026
Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing appointed president after ‘sham’ election
Min Aung Hlaing seized control five years ago and plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaosMin Aung Hlaing, the military general who plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos when he took power in the 2021 coup has been appointed president, months after widely condemned sham elections.Min Aung Hlaing, who is wanted by the prosecutor of the international criminal court for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority, was voted president by lawmakers on Friday. Myanmar’s parliament is dominated by the pro-military party, which won a landslide in one-sided elections earlier this year. Continue reading...
Apr 3, 2026
People of Burkina Faso should forget about democracy, says military ruler
Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in 2022 coup, tells state broadcaster ‘we must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us’People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy as it is “not for us”, the military president, Ibrahim Traoré, told the country’s state broadcaster.Traoré took power in a coup in September 2022, toppling another junta that had taken power just nine months earlier. He has since stifled opposition and in January banned political parties outright. Continue reading...
Apr 3, 2026
A day in the life of Asia’s fuel crisis
From farms in New Zealand to factories in Delhi, the effects of the oil crisis triggered by the Iran war are rippling across Asia Continue reading...
Apr 2, 2026
One killed and buildings damaged as magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes Indonesia
Quake with epicentre west-north-west of Ternate island shakes cities and prompts regional tsunami warningOne person has been killed after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Ternate island, damaging buildings and triggering small tsunami waves.The quake, which had a depth of 35km, occurred on Thursday at 6.48am local time, according to the United States Geological Survey. Its epicentre was 127km (79 miles) west-north-west of Ternate, an island in Indonesia’s North Maluku province. Continue reading...
Mar 31, 2026
Pakistan and China propose five-part peace plan for Middle East
Foreign ministers Ishaq Dar and Wang Yi met in Beijing as Pakistan pushes for peacemaker roleMiddle East crisis – live updatesPakistan and China have released a joint five-part proposal for peace in the Middle East, after Pakistan’s foreign minister flew to Beijing on Tuesday to seek Chinese support for the country’s faltering efforts to negotiate an end to end the war.The one-day meeting between Ishaq Dar and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, came as Pakistan continues to push for the role of peacemaker between the United States and Iran, even as the war shows little sign of relenting. Continue reading...
Mar 30, 2026
News outlets falsely report Somaliland called for extradition of Ilhan Omar
Reports, based on X post from unofficial account, follow JD Vance’s accusations and threats of finding ‘legal remedies’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxSeveral news outlets have falsely reported that Somaliland’s government called for the extradition of Ilhan Omar, basing their stories on a post from an X account that does not represent the state despite its claims to the contrary.Fox News, the New York Post, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s the National News Desk and the Independent ran stories on the US representative. The reports centred on a post by @RepOfSomaliland in reaction to claims by JD Vance that Omar had committed immigration fraud, which echoed prior allegations against the Somali-born Minnesota Democrat that she has vehemently denied. Continue reading...
Mar 30, 2026
Interpol arrest warrant requested in Congo-Brazzaville for Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas
Football federation president on the run with wife and sonConviction in absentia of wide-ranging corruption chargesAuthorities in Congo-Brazzaville have applied to Interpol for an international arrest warrant against Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, the president of the country’s football federation, Fecofoot, after he was convicted of embezzling $1.1m in Fifa funds.Mayolas is on the run with his wife and son after they were all sentenced to life imprisonment this month for embezzling funds provided by world football’s governing body as part of its Covid-19 relief plan in February 2021. As the Guardian revealed last year, that included almost $500,000 earmarked for the Congo women’s team. Continue reading...
Mar 30, 2026
Weather tracker: Thunderstorms drench UAE and Saudi Arabia
Abnormally strong jet stream triggers deluge in Middle East, while north Africa braces for 60-80mph gustsAn unusual weather pattern unleashed severe thunderstorms across parts of the Middle East last week, battering countries including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The Arabian peninsula – typically dominated by arid desert climates – received up to 150mm of rain in just a few days.The deluge was caused by an abnormally strong jet stream, which helped a deep area of low pressure to develop north of Saudi Arabia. This, in turn, drew moist tropical air from the Indian Ocean and triggered intense storms. Continue reading...
Mar 28, 2026
KP Sharma Oli: Nepal’s former prime minister arrested over alleged role in deadly protest crackdown
At least 77 people killed in anti-corruption youth uprising in September, which began over a brief social media banNepal’s former prime minister KP Sharma Oli was arrested early on Saturday morning over his alleged role in the deaths of dozens of people who took part in the gen Z protest that toppled his government last year.Police detained the three-time former prime minister at his residence in the capital Kathmandu, and also arrested his former home affairs minister Ramesh Lekhak. Continue reading...
