World

Amid global energy supply disruptions, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has indicated that it may be necessary to keep the country’s coal-fired power plants operational for longer than planned. Speaking at an event organized by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Frankfurt, Merz stated, “We may need to keep our coal plants online for longer.” Germany has relied on coal as a primary energy source for decades, but its share has dropped to less than 22% by 2024, with renewable energy sources nearing 60%. The country is in the process of phasing out coal to minimize pollution, with the last coal-fired plants scheduled to be shut down by 2038. Merz emphasized on Friday, “I am not ready to gamble with the core of our energy supply just because we agreed on some deadlines years ago.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has called on the United States to conclude its investigation and publish findings into a deadly strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab, Iran, which occurred on the first day of the war last month. At an urgent UN Human Rights Council debate, he stated that the bombing "evoked a visceral horror" and that "there must be justice for the terrible harm done".

During a massive attack on Ukraine from March 23 to 24, described by the US-based Institute for the Study of War as "the largest Russian strike series against Ukraine of the war thus far," several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Lviv were damaged. The strikes resulted in several fatalities and over 40 injuries. Lviv Regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported that a drone strike hit St. Andrew's Church, part of a former 17th-century Bernardine monastery, and destroyed several buildings.

A hacking group allegedly linked to Iran, known as the "Handala Hack Team," has claimed responsibility for breaching the personal email account of Kash Patel, the Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The group shared photographs and documents from the U.S. official online, stating that Patel "will now find his name among the list of successfully hacked victims."

The international football tournament FIFA Series has kicked off in Tashkent. In its opening match, the Uzbekistan national team, under the guidance of coach Fabio Cannavaro, secured a confident 3:1 victory over Gabon. Despite conceding an early goal, the Uzbek side managed to turn the game around and claim the win.

Russia's Justice Ministry on Friday declared Pavel Talankin, the teacher and main protagonist of the Oscar-winning documentary 'Mr Nobody Against Putin,' a 'foreign agent.' Talankin fled Russia in 2024, smuggling out footage he recorded over two years at a school in the Chelyabinsk region, which was used in the film co-directed with U.S. filmmaker David Borenstein. The documentary exposes pro-war propaganda in Russian schools.

A research reactor in Khondab, western Iran, was bombed in two stages by airstrikes, according to Iranian officials, who described the attack as "aggression from the American and Zionist enemy." In a statement to the Fars news agency, authorities emphasized there were no casualties and no danger of a radiation leak. However, the Israeli military later confirmed it struck the heavy water plant, potentially escalating regional tensions. The reactor uses heavy water, which is about 10% denser than normal water and can be utilized in nuclear processes, though Iranian officials downplayed any immediate nuclear risks.

▪️ US President Donald Trump has decided to delay a planned attack on Iran's energy infrastructure for another 10 days, a move that could be pivotal in the nearly month-long conflict between the two nations. Trump has previously extended similar threats, but these actions serve strategic purposes: to calm international markets, distract attention, and buy time, as his commitment to deadlines is reportedly fluid.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on the United States to conclude its investigation and publish findings into a deadly strike on an Iranian primary school that occurred on the first day of the war last month. Speaking at an urgent UN Human Rights Council debate in Geneva, Türk said the bombing “evoked a visceral horror”, adding that “there must be justice for the terrible harm done”.

The death of 25-year-old Spanish woman Noelia Castillo by euthanasia (physician-assisted dying) after a protracted legal battle with her father has triggered intense debate in Spain about the state's role in her care and the reasons for the prolonged delay in implementing her wish to end her life. Castillo was left paraplegic (paralysis of the lower body) due to injuries sustained in a suicide attempt in 2022. Although the Catalan regional government granted her the right to assisted dying in 2024, the process was suspended at the last moment after legal objections raised by her father, backed by the campaign group Christian Lawyers.

The US regime is refurbishing 80-year-old airstrips on the islands of Tinian and Peleliu, amid escalating strategic rivalry in the Indo-Pacific region. These airstrips, originally built during World War II to target Japan, are being quietly repaired as part of a purported defensive buildup in response to China's growing challenge, which allegedly aims to strengthen US military posture despite raising tensions.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned that Lebanon faces the threat of a “humanitarian catastrophe” as Israel expands its weeks-long bombardment and ground invasion of the country. UNHCR’s Lebanon representative Karolina Lindholm Billing said on Friday during a briefing in Geneva that Israeli strikes and forced displacement orders have affected people living across the nation – from southern Lebanon to the Bekaa Valley, the capital Beirut, and further north.