In a new report, Doctors Without Borders says sexual violence is the ‘defining feature’ of the conflict in Sudan.

Hanaan was 18 years old when she was raped by members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of committing widespread “war crimes” during nearly three years of fighting against Sudan’s army.

She was walking alongside a female friend to her makeshift home in an encampment for displaced people in South Darfur, when four men on motorbikes stopped them and asked where they were going.

“Two took each girl, and they raped us,” she told Doctors Without Borders, an international medical NGO known by its French initials MSF.

“I feel uncomfortable in my body, heavy. I don’t feel pain, apart from in my back – because they beat me, they beat me with their guns on my back,” she said.

Hanaan – not her real name – shared her testimony as part of a report released by MSF on Tuesday, which details the widespread use of sexual violence as a weapon in Sudan’s ongoing brutal civil war.

The NGO said 3,396 survivors of sexual violence sought treatment in MSF-supported health facilities across North and South Darfur between January 2024 and November 2025.

The data, presented in the report titled, There is Something I Want to Tell You…, was drawn from MSF programmes in just two of Sudan’s 18 states and reflects only a fraction of the crisis, while the true scale of the phenomenon remains unknown.

Women and girls accounted for 97 percent of survivors treated in MSF programmes. The RSF and allied militias were found to be primarily responsible for the systematic abuse.

Children among the survivors

“Sexual violence is a defining feature of this conflict – not confined to front lines, but pervasive across communities,” Ruth Kauffman, MSF emergency health manager, said in a statement.

“This war is being fought on the backs and bodies of women and girls. Displacement, collapsing community support systems, lack of access to healthcare and deep-rooted gender inequalities are allowing these abuses to continue across Sudan.”

Following the RSF’s capture of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on October 26, 2025, MSF treated more than 140 survivors fleeing to Tawila. Among them, 94 percent were attacked by armed men, with many reporting assaults along escape routes.

The assaults “deliberately targeted non-Arab communities as a means of humiliation and terror, echoing previous RSF atrocities such as the dismantling of Zamzam camp”, the report said. The RSF took control of famine-hit Zamzam camp in the western Darfur region after two days of heavy shelling and gunfire in April 2025.

Survivors described attacks not only during fighting, but in everyday settings, such as fields, markets and displacement camps.

Children were also among the survivors. In South Darfur, one in five survivors was under 18, including 41 children younger than five, the organisation said.

MSF called on the United Nations, donors and humanitarian actors to urgently scale up health and protection services in Darfur and all of Sudan, and on all parties to the conflict to cease and prevent sexual violence and hold perpetrators accountable.

Is there room in corridos tumbados for a little bit of R&B soul? Linea Personal is betting on it.

For three years, the música Mexicana band Linea from Stockton has been perfecting its sophomore album, “Todo ø Nada,” a 13-track project that incorporates elements of melodic trap, R&B, blues and corridos tumbados.

“It’s slow music, the lyrics transmit good feeling and it’s moody,” said frontman Gustavo Raya Garcia following the album’s release on March 26. “Our R&B style is a lot different from these [corrido] artists.”

At its core “Todo ø Nada” is a sad sierreño escapade that heavily has boisterous elements of corrido tumbados — often through wailing high-pitch strumming from a requinto and thunderous tololoche plucks, most notable in tracks like “Motorola” and “Tarot.”

But most distinct from the LP is the blues-infused “Caperuzita,” which kicks off the album with an ethereal, pitch-shifting cry that wades through the backdrop as an omniscient spirit — an interpolation inspired by Future’s “Wait for U” (featuring Drake and Tems) — while sounds of a banjo speckle about. The band also isn’t afraid to tap into other genres by infusing a drunken, jazzy trumpet into the sex positive “Ülala” — whose infatuating lyrics were partially inspired by the chorus line in Luther Vandross’ ”Never Too Much.”

“R&B is our original sound and we wanted to bring that back to this album but a little different,” said Raya Garcia “We wanted it to have a little bit more feeling to it. That’s why we added new instruments.”

For the group — which includes frontman Raya Garcia, his brother and secondary voice Aidan Raya Garcia, requinto player Jorge Ontiveros Zúñiga and guitarist Edgar Lozoya Verduzco — bringing “Todo ø Nada” to fruition was a total slow burn.

The band — who gained traction through their 2024 hustler melodies “Holanda” and the melancholic “Hennessy” — was often stuck in lengthy creative meetings at Street Mob Records, the record label founded by Fuerza Regida’s Jesús “JOP” Ortiz Paz, who signed the band in 2021.

“It taught us a lot of patience and a lot of faith in God’s timing,” said Raya Garcia. “We really wanted this album to come out a year ago, but things happened for a reason.”

To help fuel their creative flow, the group went down to a beach retreat in San Carlos, Sonora, right Mexico’s Gulf of California. They compiled a total of 50 songs, then narrowed it down to the 13-track list.

“What we look at is the lyrics,” said Edgar Lozoya Verduzco, the group’s producer. “The one we were not too sure about was ‘P— Alcohol’ because it was too explicit.”

But at the end of the day, Lozoya Verduzco wanted to push against the grain with the obscenity-laced track whose lyrics’ double meaning are reminiscent of those in Lil Wayne’s 2008 “Lollipop.”

“We’re not scared to try something new,” said Lozoya Verduzco.

(Cat Cardenas / For De Los)

With the release of “Todo ø Nada,” Linea Personal hopes it can continue to build on the momentum achieved by many of its Mexican American contemporaries — including corrido tumbado forefather Natanael Cano and its mentor, Fuerza Regida. According to Spotify, corridos accounted for 77% of all música Mexicana streaming in 2023.

“We are inspired a lot [by these acts], we see their mentality,” said Lozoya Verduzco. “We need need to be exactly like that or work 10 times harder.”

THE North Norfolk Fryer is returning to the tracks this summer.

Onboard, passengers can enjoy chippy tea and ice cream dessert to make it feel like being at the seaside – but on a heritage steam train instead.

The Norfolk Fryer picks passengers up from Sheringham Station in Norfolk and embarks on a 90-minute return journey to Holt.

Onboard, guests will be served up local fish and chips – and to finish, a tub of Ronaldo’s ice cream.

There’s also a bar onboard for anyone wanting to enjoy a tipple.

The trains run from Sheringham to Holt and back with the return journey taking around 90 minutes.

GET IT BOOKED

The ‘cheap luxury’ beach resorts under 4 hours from UK with breaks from £75pp

DIG IN

We found 20 of the cheapest all-inclusive hotels for summer… with breaks from £349pp

Diners will get to enjoy their chippy tea and countryside views in either the Gresley Buffet Car, which has been fully restored with a 1930s art deco interior or in one of the 1950s British Railways carriages.

A table for two in First Class starts from £87.50 while a table for two in regular seating is £79.50.

There are also options to sit in tables of three or four if you fancy gong as a group.

Seats are bound to go quickly and you’ll need to book in advance on their website.

The trains set off every Wednesday from April 1, 2026 at 6.30PM.

There are other experiences onboard too from sausage and mash dinners, to brunch, cream tea and even gin trains.

For even more fish and chips, fans of the seaside classic should head up to Whitby.

Here you’ll find Trenchers, which was awarded ‘Restaurant of the Year’ title at the National Fish and Chips Awards 2026.

The awards are considered the ‘Oscars’ of the fish and chip industry and at this spot you can eat in or take away their seaside fish suppers.

You can opt for plaice with chipped potatoes, lemon and homemade tartare sauce for £20.95.

Or try out the cod with chipped potatoes, lemon and homemade tartare sauce in three sizes: small for £15.95; medium for £19.95 and large for £21.95.

Then for takeaway, you could grab cod and chips, haddock and chips or scampi and chips all for £13.50 each.

There’s a children’s menu too.

If you fancy a full on stay in Whitby – check out this hotel…

*If you click on a link in this box, we will earn affiliate revenue

Whitby, North Yorkshire
With a history of sailors and vampires, a dramatic coastal path, and the very best in pints and scampi, it takes a lot to beat Whitby. Pop in the amusements, eat award-winning fish and chips, and board the all-singing Captain Cook boat tour on the harbour. The Royal Hotel overlooks the harbour with stays from just £68 per room.

BOOK A STAY

Check out the most affordable seaside town for fish and chips with an award-winning beach.

And check out this pretty ‘seaside’ town 1 hour from London named best half term day trip – with popular fish and chips & 800-year-old pub.

The Lakers followed the lead of their oldest member, the triple-double producing LeBron James, in dispatching the Wizards 120-101 at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.

Two days off between games left James looking spry, with lob dunks and dunks on the fast break contributing to his 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. James was eight for 16 from the field in notching his third triple-double of the season and the 125th of his 23-year NBA career, ranking him fifth all time.

At 41 years and 90 days old, James once again became the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double, passing his previous mark (41 years, 79 days).

Lakers star LeBron James dunks against Washington at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“I mean, I’ve had moments more this year and last year that I’ve enjoyed more in the moment,” James said. “It’s pretty cool to know that I’m at this point in my career (and) I’m still able to do those things, man. It’s super dope. It’s super humbling. And I just try to put the work in and continue to put the work in and those are the results of it.”

James achieved the triple-double despite playing just 33 minutes.

“Yeah, I don’t know what to say. He’s very praise-worthy,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I tried to give every version of the same soliloquy about his longevity. But I don’t have anything for you tonight.”

For James and his teammates, Sunday’s practice had “value” because it allowed them to clean up some things, do some “teaching” and get some “reps” that will pay off with the playoffs approaching.

They put that into action against the Wizards, but the Lakers did so without star guard Luka Doncic, who did not play after being given a one-game suspension by the NBA for his 16th technical foul.

Austin Reaves took over the primarily ballhandling duties with Doncic out, running the show in delivering a near double-double with 19 points and nine assists. Reaves was just four for 11 from the field and he missed all four of his three-point attempts, but he was 11 for 12 from the line.

Lakers guard Luke Kennard, center, drives between Washington’s Tre Johnson, left, and Jamir Watkins during the first half Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Backup center Jaxson Hayes was outstanding in scoring 19 points on eight-for-eight shooting, including a three-pointer with six minutes and 41 seconds left.

Luke Kennard had 19 points off the bench, knocking down four of five from three-point range.

Deandre Ayton was a force for the Lakers, his efficient five-for-five shooting leading to 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Each of them played their part to help the Lakers win for the 12th time in 13 games and limit the effect of Doncic’s absence.

Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (33.7 points per game), is fourth in assists (8.2), second three-pointers made (4.0) and first in points scored in the first quarter (12.0). He’ll return against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

“Yeah, I mean we had a professional approach,” James said. “We came in, we got the job done, understanding it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re still trying to build habits for the postseason. So, a good win for us.”

Although the Lakers won handily, it was against a Wizards team tied for the worst record in the NBA (17-58). Washington has lost 18 of its past 19 games.

For the Lakers (49-26), the game was about making strides from a practice they rarely get to have.

“The value is being able to continue to improve,” Redick said before the game. “And again, I said this, we’ve placed a heavy emphasis on what we’re teaching in film and what we’re cleaning up in film, because we haven’t had court time to do that. So [Sunday], it was some of the game clean-up stuff. All the guys got some reps doing some things that they probably won’t do during a real game.”

SEOUL, March 31 (UPI) — The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights violations, with South Korea joining 49 other countries as a co-sponsor despite speculation it might withhold support as it seeks to improve relations with Pyongyang.

The resolution was adopted by consensus at the Council’s 61st regular session Monday in Geneva. It expresses “deep concern about the systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [and] the pervasive culture of impunity and lack of accountability for such violations.”

The measure urges Pyongyang to undertake sweeping reforms, including dismantling political prison camps, ending forced labor and ensuring freedom of expression and movement.

The Council has adopted a North Korean human rights resolution every year since 2003.

South Korea had reportedly weighed opting out of co-sponsorship this year, as the administration of President Lee Jae Myung pursues renewed engagement with the North and seeks to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

However, Seoul ultimately decided to join as a co-sponsor “following in-depth consultations among relevant government agencies,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Park Il said at a press briefing Tuesday.

He pointed to the resolution’s references to humanitarian issues such as abductions and reunions for separated families, as well as language supporting dialogue and engagement.

“It was by taking all these aspects into account that we decided to participate as a co-sponsor,” Park said.

South Korea also backed a similar U.N. resolution at the General Assembly in November. Seoul had co-sponsored such measures from 2008 through 2018, but stepped back during a period of inter-Korean detente between 2019 and 2022 under then-President Moon Jae-in.

The latest resolution comes as Seoul weighs how to balance engagement with Pyongyang against pressure to address its human rights record.

President Lee has taken conciliatory steps since taking office in June, including restricting activist groups from sending propaganda leaflets across the border.

Last week, Human Rights Watch and more than two dozen organizations and individuals urged Lee’s government to continue supporting the resolution, warning in an open letter that recent policy moves “signal a troubling shift away from support for the victims of the North Korean government repression.”

“Sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula cannot be achieved by excluding human rights,” the letter said. “Dialogue and engagement need to go hand in hand with the protection of human rights and accountability.”

North Korea has long rejected such resolutions as hostile acts, accusing the United Nations and Western countries of using human rights as a pretext to undermine its government.

Speaking at a session ahead of the vote Monday, North Korea’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Kang Myong Chol, said Pyongyang “categorically rejects” the measure.

“We condemn it as a falsified document motivated by ulterior political objectives of undermining the dignity of my country and discrediting its ideology and system,” Kang said.

A recent report by the U.N. special rapporteur found that the country’s human rights situation has “shown no improvement” over the past decade and in many cases has worsened, despite limited engagement with international mechanisms.

The report cited persistent restrictions on movement, expanded surveillance and the continued use of forced labor, as well as growing difficulty for citizens attempting to leave the country.

The resolution was adopted without participation from the United States, which withdrew from the Human Rights Council after President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending U.S. membership in February 2025.

A dream team has assembled to bring a scripted series based on the book “Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story” from the drawing board to the small screen.

Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern has signed on to portray Miami Herald investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, whose tireless reporting on the Epstein sex-trafficking case exposed how federal prosecutors approved what many have referred to as a “sweetheart” plea deal for Epstein in 2008.

Per Variety, the official description of the series reads: “An explosive account of an investigative reporter exposing the secret plea deal between Epstein and federal prosecutors. Drawing from Brown’s experience as a groundbreaking reporter for the Miami Herald, the book and the limited series follow her relentless years-long investigation that identified 80 victims, persuaded key survivors to go on the record, and led to Epstein[‘s] and Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrests.”

In 2008, the financier was charged with luring underage girls to his Palm Beach, Fla., mansion for sex. Under the plea agreement with then-U.S. Atty. for the Southern District of Florida Alexander Acosta, Epstein avoided a federal trial — where, if convicted, he could have faced a potential sentence of life in prison — and pleaded guilty instead to two state felony solicitation charges.

He served 13 months in a county jail but was allowed to go to his office six days a week on a work-release program.

Co-showrunners for the project are Eileen Myers, known for “American Hostage,” and Sharon Hoffman, best known for her work on “House of Cards” and who is adapting Brown’s book for television. Dern will also executive produce, along with Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, known for “The Big Short,” “Don’t Look Up” and “Succession.” Brown is also executive producing.

Although Sony Pictures Television is still pitching the series to networks and streamers, industry insiders predict that, with Dern and McKay on board, a green light is on the horizon.

Last week, Brown joined veteran journalist Katie Couric live on Substack to discuss her reporting on Epstein, and how the disgraced financier and his camp underestimated her. “I don’t think he worried about the little old reporter from the Miami Herald,” she said.

“When you have a sex predator of children who is — at the time I wrote this story, he was out there, you know, he was free — and he was still, as we now know, harming children,” Brown told Couric. “And so my goal at the time was to look at how this happened.

“Where was the breakdown? Was there someone who … was powerful who let him off the hook, and I just thought it was a good time to take a new look at it like a cold case detective would.

“By the time I decided to reopen the case, these women, these victims who were 13, 14, 15 years old, were now in their late 20s and early 30s, and Donald Trump became president right around this time. And ironically, as I was already looking at this story, he nominated Alexander Acosta to be his Labor secretary, and I knew at the time that he was the very person who had let [Epstein] off the hook. And so that’s where I started looking at this case.”

A MAJOR airline has become the first to increase luggage charges in response to the fuel crisis caused by the Iran conflict.

American carrier JetBlue has confirmed that the cost of taking baggage onboard is to go up – and others could follow suit.

The new costs will see checked bags go up by $4 (£3) for off peak, economy travellers, so will now be $39 (£30).

And the cost for peak economy travellers will go up by $9 (£6.80) so to $49 (£37).

Passengers paying for luggage less than 24 hours before the flight will pay an extra $10 (£7.50).

A JetBlue spokesperson told local media: “Adjusting fees for optional services used by select customers, such as checked baggage, allows us to continue offering more competitive fares.”

TAKING OFF

Airline launches first flights in 2 years from UK to top food destination

RULES TO AVOID

Full list of UK airline hand luggage rules explained

So far, a number of airlines have already said they will be raising the cost of flights due to the fuel crisis.

Cathay Pacific, AirAsia and Thai Airways are just some that are increasing fares, along with Air New Zealand.

United Airlines said it could eventually see fares increase as much as 20 per cent.

Other airlines have said they are cancelling flights altogether.

United Airlines confirmed that it would be cutting five per cent of flights for the next few months, which works out to around 250 a month.

Air New Zealand has cancelled 1,100 fights, affecting 44,000 passengers, while Scandinavian airline SAS also cancelled 1,000 flights.

But airlines, especially budget ones, could choose to leave the cost of flights alone to remain competitive and instead raise the cost of extra fees.

In the UK, both Ryanair and easyJet have said their fares won’t be affected by the fuel crisis for now.

However, the crisis is being caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – and the longer it continues, the more they will be at risk.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil routes, with around 20million barrels passing through every day – roughly 20 per cent of global supply.

Petrol and diesel fuel costs have increased by more than 17p a litre since the end of February, with a litre of unleaded petrol costing 150.11p as of March 30.

A fastball up and off the plate to Guardians left-handed hitter Steven Kwan was an inauspicious beginning to Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki’s season debut.

The arm-side miss fell in line with a persistent spring-training pattern for Sasaki, who struggled with command from his first Cactus League start through his Freeway Series appearance last week.

Over the course of a seven-pitch strikeout, however, Sasaki adjusted — something he failed to do during game action this spring.

“I actually didn’t have confidence at all before this game started,” Sasaki said through an interpreter Monday. “But I was just focusing on doing what I can control.”

In the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss Monday, Sasaki’s first start of the season was something of a best-case scenario. He held the Guardians to one run and four hits in four-plus innings. And the biggest difference from his spring training struggles was he issued just two walks.

The Dodgers squandered the effort with a lack of offense, in their first loss of the season.

Sasaki will have more to prove against stronger offenses than Cleveland’s. But his performance at least suggested that the Dodgers’ faith in him wasn’t misplaced.

“We know he can do it here, and especially now that his velocity is back to closer to where it used to be,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said last week. “I feel like he puts us in a great position to win.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removes starting pitcher Roki Sasaki from the game in the fifth inning Monday against Cleveland.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

The Dodgers had seen Sasaki bounce back before. He had a middling start to last season and pitched through shoulder discomfort before landing on the injured list last May. His average fastball velocity plummeted from 98 mph in his MLB debut to 94.9 mph in his last start.

He returned from the IL in time for two relief appearances in September, his fastball sitting above 99 mph, and a dominant postseason run. He didn’t allow a run in eight of his nine playoff outings, and he posted a 0.84 ERA.

“He could have cashed in last year,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “Given his health early, the lack of performance towards the middle of the year, towards the end he could have just written it off and started fresh in the offseason.

“But he was willing to pitch out of the bullpen, ramp back up and give us whatever we needed. So for me, that was something where he put himself out there. That’s why I have a lot of confidence right now [that he can] turn the corner from spring training.”

Sasaki still threw some non-competitive pitches Monday. That inefficiency brought his pitch count up to 78 pitches twice through the Guardians’ batting order, and Roberts pulled him when the lineup turned over again.

Sasaki also reigned in his misses, used both sides of the plate, and effectively deployed his new cutter as a put-away pitch early.

“I couldn’t get through five innings, but the results overall felt pretty good,” Sasaki said. “I kind of have confidence about that.”

Through the first two innings, Sasaki held the Guardians scoreless, and to just one bloop single. But in the third, he threw a four-seam fastball down the middle to Austin Hedges and hung a cutter to Kwan for a pair of doubles and a run.

Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker rounds second base after a Mookie Betts double during the ninth inning against the Guardians at Dodger Stadium on Monday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

Next, Sasaki walked Chase DeLauter, and the inning threatened to spiral. But Sasaki locked in to strike out José Ramírez and induce Kyle Manzardo to line out, escaping without further damage.

With no outs and one runner on in the fifth inning, Sasaki handed the ball over and left-hander Tanner Scott took over. Dodgers fans sent Sasaki, who’d been booed during his last spring start, off with a warm ovation.

“I think it should be a big boost to his confidence,” Roberts said after the game. “… When you don’t have success, it’s hard to have real confidence. That was certainly an honest admission. But when you perform, you start to have true confidence. So hopefully he can build on this one.”

After Scott, Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who is in line to join the rotation when the schedule isn’t so packed with off days, provided four innings. He gave up three runs, all in the seventh.

The Dodgers didn’t score until the final inning, with the help of a little luck. Kyle Tucker reached base on a chopper that squeaked through the infield and then advanced all the way to third on a wild pitch. Mookie Betts then drove him in with a line-drive double. Two batters later, Betts scored as Freddie Freeman grounded out to first.

“The takeaway is, we’re 3-1 and the guys that we expect to swing the bats aren’t swinging the bats right now,” Roberts said. “So that’s a good thing; they’ll hit.”

Hezbollah attempts to make Lebanon ground invasion ‘costly’ for Israeli army as it continues its advance.

The Israeli military has said four soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon, where its forces are clashing with Hezbollah fighters after launching a ground invasion of the country.

An army statement on Tuesday named three soldiers from the same battalion who “fell during combat”. In a separate statement, it said another soldier had been killed in the same incident and two others wounded, without naming them.

Ten Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah flared up on March 2, following a United States-Israeli joint attack on Iran. More than 1,200 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, and more than a million displaced.

This comes a day after the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said two peacekeepers were killed “when an explosion of unknown origin destroyed their vehicle” near the southern Lebanese village of Bani Haiyyan. Another peacekeeper was killed by a projectile on Sunday near the southern Lebanese village of Aadchit el-Qsair.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday ordered the military to expand its invasion in southern Lebanon, pushing deeper to extend what he calls a “buffer zone” reaching the Litani River.

Israel’s far-right ministers have urged Netanyahu to annex southern Lebanon, as the military destroys bridges and homes to cut the area off from the rest of the country.

Al Jazeera’s Lebanon correspondent Zeina Khodr said Monday night marked a new escalation as Israel opened a new front in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, targeting roads that link towns known to be Hezbollah strongholds and strategic supply lines for the group.

“In the past weeks, [the Israeli army] hit bridges over the Litani, now they are trying to isolate the west Bekaa from southern Lebanon,” Khodr said, reporting from Beirut.

“Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem made it very clear they know the imbalance of power. They are not going to be able to stop this invasion, and the Israeli army will most likely reach until the Litani River, but they will not make it easy for them to consolidate control,” she continued.

“What Hezbollah is trying to do is make this a costly war for Israel.”

The escalation in Lebanon comes amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, which has killed more than 1,340 people since February 28.

The Israel Hayom newspaper on Monday reported that Netanyahu told senior US officials that any future agreement between the US and Tehran would not stop Israel’s war in Lebanon.

Israel’s far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich last week said in an Israeli radio interview that the war in Lebanon “needs to end with a different reality entirely”, which includes a “change of Israel’s borders”.

Malcolm in the Middle star Justin Berfield spent years playing older brother Reese in the beloved American sitcom and he has now given his first interview in almost 20 years ahead of its reboot

The actor who famously played Reese in Malcolm in the Middle has broken his silence after 20 years — and revealed the real reason he quit Hollywood.

Justin Berfield is back on our screens next month with the four-episode revival of the popular show that ended two decades ago. And he has now revealed why he has remained so quiet since then.

Speaking on The Joe Vulpis Podcast, Justin, now aged 40, was asked whether he had done any other podcast or interview since the sitcom ended.

He replied: “No, like podcasts weren’t a thing and I’ve always just said no because like I wasn’t working on anything. I’m just like a stay-at-home dad! So, why am I going to do a podcast?

“Because I’m just chilling at home with my kid. So unless I had something to talk about, I’m like, I don’t want to go on a podcast.”

He then explained that he has remained in the industry by working behind the camera as an onset producer and writer on various projects.

And he added: “I was just like, I don’t care (about going on podcasts). I’m enjoying my life. Unless I have something to talk about current. I don’t want to go back in time and talk Malcolm.”

However, he is now more than happy to talk about the beloved sitcom, given Hulu’s Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair is set to land on Disney+ in April.

The final episode of Malcolm aired in May 2006 and Justin revealed in the rare interview why he quit Hollywood soon after.

He said he moved to Colorado with his wife, Liza, after filming because he just wanted a change of scenery.

Giving an insight, he said: “Lots of fly fishing. I still miss it. I love it because I just loved being somewhere so secluded. I was still living in Denver so I was like in the city because I still like access to sports teams and good restaurants and things like that. So I wasn’t living in the mountains or anything like that, even though I went to visit them quite often.

“But I kind of separated from Hollywood and I just got to live somewhere else for once because I grew up here and I just wanted to live somewhere else.

“At that time I had no kids, so I was like, this is the perfect time to do this. So we lived there for three years and then we moved back to LA.”

He also revealed that he quit acting and was never “in demand” after the show.

However, he said he never had the intention of becoming the next Leonardo DiCaprio and that he has loved being a stay-at-home dad to his two children in recent years.

The new series of Malcolm in the Middle will see Justin return as the older brother of Malcolm, played by Frankie Muniz.

Malcolm’s other brother, Francis, played by Christopher Masterson, is also set to return, as are Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek who play parents Hal and Lois.

And asked what it was like being back on set with his old colleagues, Justin said it felt like no time had passed at all.

He added: “It felt like a really, just a really long hiatus. When we were filming the show, you’d film for like eight months and then you’d take like two, three months off, and then kind of go back and do some things again and start seeing everyone, and that was like your year for seven years straight.

“And then we did this, it was obviously like 20 years since we’d seen each other for most of us. And you just kind of, it felt like time stopped, like we just got right back into it.”

The synopsis to the upcoming revival reads: “After shielding himself and his daughter from his family for over a decade, Malcolm is dragged back into their orbit when Hal and Lois demand his presence at their 40th anniversary party.”

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Not Fair arrives on Disney+ on April 10

Investors remain wary, as the Wall Street Journal report came on the same day the US president threatened to destroy Iran’s key oil export hub and desalination plants unless it accepts a deal, while also suggesting that diplomacy was making progress.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The news comes as governments around the world scramble to implement measures to ease the burden of surging fuel prices while also seeking to conserve energy, with around one-fifth of global crude oil and gas passing through the waterway.

The Wall Street Journal, citing administration officials, said Trump and his aides had concluded that a mission to reopen the waterway would extend beyond his four- to six-week timeline. It added that he had decided to focus on targeting Iran’s missiles and navy, before seeking to pressure the country diplomatically to reopen the Strait.

Further fuelling concerns, a drone struck a Kuwaiti oil tanker in Dubai waters, causing a fire on Tuesday morning. Dubai authorities said the blaze had already been extinguished, but concerns about a potential oil spill remain.

Maritime traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil normally passes, remain a key pressure point for global energy supplies. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump has “options available” in response to Tehran’s threats to control the strait, after Iran was reported to have effectively created a “toll booth” there.

Both major oil benchmarks fell on Tuesday, though West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude remained well above $100 a barrel. At 7 a.m. CET, the international benchmark Brent was trading at nearly $113, while WTI crude was above $102 a barrel.

Most equity markets in Asia rose briefly, but by this point Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was down 1.3%, South Korea’s Kospi had fallen 3.3%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng had shed 0.5%, and the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.4%.

US futures were up between 0.6% and 0.8%.

In other early Tuesday trading, gold and silver prices rose. Gold was up 0.7% at $4,587.80 an ounce, while silver climbed 2.4% to $72.25 per ounce.

The US dollar stood at 159.61 Japanese yen, down from 159.71 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1472, up from $1.1465.

BASEBALL

CITY SECTION

Cleveland 6, South Gate 1

Collins Family 13, Alliance Ouchi 6

Gardena 11, King/Drew 5

Palisades 2, San Fernando 1

SOUTHERN SECTION

Arcadia 5, El Dorado 4

Bethel Christian 1, Norton Science 0

Calabasas 9, Stockton Lincoln 2

Canyon Country Canyon 18, de Toledo 0

Cathedral 1, St. Monica 0

Cerritos Valley Christian 6, Schurr 2

Chadwick 25, Army-Navy 1

Citrus Hill 8, Indio 2

Cornerstone Christian 10, California Lutheran 0

Corona Centennial 6, Aquinas 3

Cypress 7, Damien 2

Desert Mirage 13, Packinghouse Christian 2

Downey Calvary Chapel 11, Southlands Christian 4

Duarte 4, Sierra Vista 3

Foothill Tech 8, Channel Islands 1

Ganesha 4, Garden Grove Pacifica 1

Glendora 13, Portola 4

Jurupa Valley 16, Adelanto 5

Kaiser 5, Temescal Canyon 4

Linfield Christian 8, Anaheim Canyon 6

Littlerock 4, Vasquez 4

Magnolia 7, Los Amigos 1

Montclair 8, Baldwin Park 5

Newbury Park 10, Thousand Oaks 9

Norco 10, Riverside King 0

Northwood 2, Chico 1

Paraclete 3, Castaic 2

Rancho Christian 11, Hemet 0

Rancho Mirage 11, Xavier Prep 1

San Jacinto Valley Academy 5, Temecula Prep 4

San Marino 5, Montebello 0

Santa Ana Foothill 7, Charter Oak 3

Santa Barbara 5, Eastvale Roosevelt 4

Santa Fe 7, Orange 1

Santa Margarita 1, Mayer Dei 0

Savanna 13, Garden Grove Santiago 0

Servite 5, JSerra 4

Shadow Hills 6, Palm Springs 3

Shalhevet 12, Valley Torah 0

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 7, Corona Santiago 4

St. Paul 10, Irvine 1

Temecula Valley 3, Yorba Linda 0

Tustin 5, Woodbridge 1

West Covina 10, Edgewood 3

Westlake 11, Oaks Christian 5

Westminster 11, Godinez 2

Whitney 4, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 3

INTERSECTIONAL

Alhambra 2, Berkeley St. Mary’s 0

Bell 9, Escondido 1

Brentwood 16, Crawford 1

Calabasas 9, Stockton Lincoln 2

Campbell Hall 9, Arleta 1

Castle Park 6, Verdugo Hills 5

Chatsworth 11, Golden Valley 8

Chula Vista Mater Dei 15, LA Roosevelt 4

Concord De La Salle 6, Bishop Amat 0

Corona 12, Chicago Mt. Carmel 2

Fallbrook 13, South Pasadena 3

La Palma Kennedy 15, El Cajon Valley 2

Las Vegas Southeast Career Tech 3, Sun Valley Poly 1

Legacy 13, San Francisco Washington 1

Loyalton 13, Portola 2

Moorpark 5, Oceanside 0

Mountain Ridge 1, Villa Park 0

Palo Verde Valley 4, North Hollywood 3

Phoenix Brophy College Prep 14, Arrowhead Christian 13

Ramona 3, Calexico 2

Santa Maria 10, San Luis Obispo Classical Academy 0

South Hills 4, Poway 1

Tucson Salpointe Catholic 10, St. Bernard 0

Whitney 4, St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 3

Wilmington Banning 6, Durango 1

Windward 10, Kearny 0

SOFTBALL

SOUTHERN SECTION

Baldwin Park 21, Gabrielino 9

Calabasas 13, Channel Islands 8

Cornerstone Christian 12, California Lutheran 8

Long Beach Poly 21, Long Beach Cabrillo 1

Los Amigos 10, Santa Ana Valley 0

Mayfair 7, Norwalk 3

Millikan 17, Long Beach Jordan 0

Newbury Park 12, Oxnard Pacifica 7

Rancho Cucamonga 10, Temescal Canyon 4

Redondo Union 4, El Segundo 3

Shadow Hills 12, Palm Springs 0

Sierra Vista 2, Duarte 0

St. Paul 8, La Serna 4

Temecula Prep 13, San Jacinto Valley Academy 0

Western Christian 12, Claremont 11

Wiseburn-Da Vinci 10, Bishop Montgomery 7

Yorba Linda 16, Placentia Valencia 0

INTERSECTIONAL

Alhambra 15, Rancho Cotate

Atascadero 8, Corcoran 7

Chico 8, Durham 5

Lompoc 5, Mission College Prep 4

Santa Maria St. Joseph 11, Arroyo Grande 1

The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has cut access to one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply, leaving many countries scrambling for alternatives.

So what can they rely on to make up for the shortfall in a quick time?

Many Asian countries are turning to coal, reopening shuttered plants and expanding production.

Policymakers say immediate energy needs supplant environmental concerns.

Others are hoping to turn to renewables. Solar power is now the cheapest form of electricity in many parts of the world. But renewables, especially wind, have faced hostility from the Trump administration.

Indian teenage prodigy smashes his third IPL half century as Rajasthan routed Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

Days after turning ‌15, Rajasthan Royals opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi found a perfect way to ⁠celebrate, tearing ⁠to a 15-ball half-century in a commanding eight-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday.

Sooryavanshi, who ⁠lit up his debut season with a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans last year, took only 15 balls to smash his first fifty ⁠of the season – the third fifty-plus score of his eight-match IPL career so far.

Alongside fellow opener and India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sooryavanshi tore into the Chennai attack in the powerplay, leading the team to 74 without loss.

Sooryavanshi was ‌dismissed for 52 after 17 balls, including five sixes and four fours, after sharing a blistering 75-run stand with Jaiswal. Rajasthan sealed victory in just 12.1 overs after chasing down a victory target of 128.

“I think of defending, but the plan was to decide the game in the powerplay as we’d restricted them to a low score,” ⁠Sooryavanshi said.

“If the bowlers had bowled well in ⁠the powerplay then the game might have turned their way, but we went all out in the powerplay.”

The Under-19 World Cup winner credited Rajasthan coach Kumar Sangakkara and staff for ⁠backing his attacking instincts.

“They told me to read the situation well and back my game,” he added.

Rajasthan’s quick ⁠chase followed a brilliant bowling effort. Their ⁠attack reduced Chennai to 41-4 at the end of the powerplay, putting the visitors firmly on the back foot before they were dismissed for 127 in 19.4 overs.

South Africa pace ‌bowler Nandre Burger led the charge with figures of 2-26 and was named player of the match, while Jofra Archer and Ravindra Jadeja also ‌took ‌two wickets apiece.

Rajasthan will next face the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Saturday, while Chennai host Punjab Kings on Friday.

Coronation Street newcomer Ben Driscoll will be left ‘absolutely devastated’ in the fallout to a sickening plot, while another bombshell leads to him hitting the bottle

It’s a tough time ahead for the Driscolls on Coronation Street, especially newcomer Ben.

Actor Aaron McCusker who has played him since October has spilled on two big moments ahead for his character. Ben will be left “devastated” in the fallout to his teenage son Will Driscoll’s grooming ordeal.

But Ben will also be left blindsided about a DNA twist that sparks heartache for him, tearing apart his relationship with his mother Maggie. It’s not yet clear if Ben will find out his real father is former character Jim McDonald, but we do know that Ben learns the man he thought was his father actually wasn’t.

Actor Aaron teased of what is ahead: “Ben and Maggie are having a row and in the heat of the argument, Maggie says something that just doesn’t make sense to Ben. Maggie tries to backtrack and pretends she didn’t know what she was saying but Ben won’t let it go.

READ MORE: Coronation Street’s Maggie vows to take down Megan amid DNA bombshellREAD MORE: Emmerdale icon says ‘good things come to an end’ after 17 years on soap amid big shake-up

“It’s digging at him, why did she say that, and he just needles at her till eventually she says right here’s the truth. Maggie’s also being blackmailed by Ben’s ex Melanie who knows the truth from Ben’s brother who witnessed things, and is using this to try to force Maggie to convince Ben to let Will go live with her.

“Eventually it all just gets too much for Maggie and she makes the decision to tell Ben herself. Then the truth comes tumbling out.” On the impact of the paternity news, Aaron went on: “He’s stunned and he’s also livid, made worse by the fact he can’t go back and talk to the man who he always thought was his dad because he’s dead.

“He also finds out that Alan knew he wasn’t Ben’s dad and still stuck by Maggie and that endears him to Alan even more. He has a huge argument with Maggie then he goes straight out to the bar and gets stuck into the whiskeys.”

Aaron hinted that it could be it for Maggie and Ben. He said: “Let’s be honest he’s forgiven his mum for quite a lot already! He threw her out of the house on Christmas Day, then let her back in.

“He sits back 50% of the time and lets her get away with how she treats Eva and he does realise that she was a single mother and sacrificed a lot to bring him and Fin up. But maybe it will go a different way this time, I think it will take a while to get over this but time’s a healer so I hope in the end they will be alright.”

He then discussed the plot involving Ben’s son Will, who has been sexually abused by his athletics coach Megan Walsh. With Will still manipulated into believing they are in a relationship, and with Megan pregnant with his child, ben is left blaming himself.

Aaron explains: “He’s absolutely gutted, he’s been through a stage of blaming himself, maybe he’s been too wrapped up in the move to Weatherfield, been stuck in the middle of the war between Maggie and Eva, focusing on his two other kids and it just slid by him. He’s disappointed in himself and he’s going out of his way now to try to make things better but with a teenage son it’s not easy and he’s going to have to work hard to repair the relationship.”

Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Sit on the left when you catch the train from Swansea to Carmarthen, and you can watch huge sandy estuaries unspool outside the window. There’s a curlew standing by the water, an egret-haunted pool in the wetlands, and a boardwalk along the foreshore, part of the 870-mile Wales Coast Path. It has been a six-hour, four-train journey to get here from Essex, but I’ll soon be on foot.

Carmarthenshire has picturesque railways, a network of buses, and some epic long-distance paths, so it makes for an ideal car-free break. The 13-mile Tywi Valley Path (officially opening in time for Easter) will link Abergwili near Carmarthen and Ffairfach near Llandeilo, helping walkers and cyclists access some lovely scenery. I’m visiting just before Saint David’s Day, and there are daffodils everywhere. Carmarthenshire offers a quintessentially Welsh experience, packed with castles, cockles and cawl (stew).

As I set off from Ferryside station, there’s a view of the ruined 12th-century Llansteffan Castle across the estuary. The Three Rivers hotel and spa, where I’m due to stay tonight, is 10 minutes into my walk. I drop off my bag and press on, feeling buoyant. I’m heading for Kidwelly, five miles from Ferryside along a hilly, inland stretch of coast path.

I’m soon winding down through mossy, snowdrop-beaded woods, where primroses glimmer in banks of ferns and bluebells are sprouting. When I walk up to the lane above, sudden sunshine lights the distant sea, and the veiny salt marsh is fretted with silver. Offshore winds have trimmed the trees slantwise, neat as a fresh fade from a stylish barber. The paths are still boggy in places, and there are no other walkers until the final, tarmacked half-mile, where teal and redshank pipe from the mud-banked River Gwendraeth.

Kidwelly Castle (£8.50 adults, £5.90 kids) is a maze of wall walks, spiral stairs and cavernous towers with views across sepia reed beds. Gwenllian, who led a Welsh army against the Normans in the 12th century, fought her final battle nearby. Newest among Kidwelly’s pubs and cafes, Y Barbican opened in November 2025; it offers armchairs and freshly made cakes – worth the uphill walk from the castle.

There’s a regular train service between Kidwelly and Ferryside, but bus 198 runs directly back to my hotel, where I head to the spa. A mural by the pool, painted by owner Jackie Cavill, mirrors the view outside: hilltop Llansteffan Castle, framed by gulls and oystercatchers. Through the windows, the sun sets behind a tall Scots pine.

The next morning, I stroll to the station along the low-tide beach. Wintering ducks and geese gather on seaweed-blanketed sandbanks. Today’s destination is the 230-hectare National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW), where car-free visitors get 50% off entry (full price £19 adults, £10 kids). It’s an hour or so’s cycle from Carmarthen, mostly on route 47 of the UK’s National Cycle Network. Brompton bikes are available to hire at Carmarthen bus station, but the drizzle is becoming torrential …

Bus 279 runs four times a week from Carmarthen to NBGW, and there’s one due in an hour. Cash-only Pantri Blakeman, up some stairs opposite the bus station, is a great place to wait. There’s a daffs-and-dragons frieze around the walls and a menu offering cockles and bacon on toast with laverbread and leek cawl.

The landscaped grounds of NBGW are cheerful, even in the pouring rain, with blossom, birdsong and thousands of spring bulbs. In the Tropical House, there are banana palms, bugle plants and bright flamingo lilies. Outside, dunnocks hop around heavy-headed hellebores and bullfinches feast on lakeside buds. Several sparrows chirrup noisily from the olives in the world’s largest single-span glasshouse. Designed by Foster + Partners, the Great Glasshouse houses more than 1,000 species of Mediterranean plant, soft fronds of scarlet honey myrtle, yellow-flowered cassia and fresh-scented Christmas heather among them. I just have time for a mustardy rarebit in the cafe before heading back to the bus.

The rain has stopped when I get off near Abergwili and walk the last bit of the Tywi Valley Path, a traffic-free, well-kept stretch of road alongside a former railway track. It leads to the Bishop’s Park, where the oxbow lake and ornamental evergreens attract siskins, goldcrests, grebes and slate-blue nuthatches. The old bishop’s palace is home to Carmarthenshire Museum (free). In Carmarthen, two miles west, I’m staying in the delightfully time-warped Falcon hotel. Close to the bus station, it offers cockles au gratin for dinner and cheese-and-leek sausages with a veggie breakfast.

The next morning, I take bus 280 through green countryside to the colourful market town of Llandeilo, near the eastern end of the Tywi Valley Path. There are views of wooded Merlin’s Hill, topped with an iron age fort, and the dramatic ruins of Castell Dryslwyn (free).

Castell Dinefwr (free), in the sprawling Dinefwr park next to Llandeilo, was once home to Lord Rhys, whose peaceful rule led to a flowering of Welsh music and poetry. I drop in to Pitchfork & Provision in Llandeilo, then head through bluebell woods to the hidden Llandyfeisant church, half overgrown with ivy, and the atmospheric castle ruins, on a wooded hill above the River Tywi.

The estate’s 18th-century owners landscaped the park with trees and waterways. A boardwalk among ferns and catkins leads to little waterfalls, slopes of pungent wild garlic, and a bird hide overlooking the lake. I stop to warm up in the National Trust cafe at Newton House (£12 adults, £6 kids), with a garden full of tulips. The guy in the cafe hands out Saint David’s Day postcards with a recipe for Welsh cakes.

Back at Pitchfork & Provision, the owner Rachel Mabbitt tells me how the business has expanded from a bakery, founded with a friend during lockdown, to include a popular cafe and deli. A perfectly cooked bowl of vegetable cawl comes with tangy Pitchfork cheddar, and the bara brith (spiced tea bread) is gooey and delicious. It’s a 10-minute walk to Llandeilo station, where trains on the scenic Heart of Wales line stop five times a day (twice on Sundays). The railway rolls towards Swansea past hilly woods, soft reed beds and the winding River Loughor.

The trip was supported by Discover Carmarthenshire. Some transport was provided by Great Western Railway (advance tickets from Swansea to Carmarthen start at £8.10; £39.50 from London Paddington). Accommodation was provided by Three Rivers hotel and spa (B&B doubles from £120) and Falcon hotel and restaurant (B&B doubles from £110)

John Tavares redirected a shot from Morgan Rielly into the net with five seconds left in overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Ducks in a fight-marred game Monday night.

The Leafs overcame a 3-1 deficit with three goals in the third period, including Rielly’s snap shot from the high slot that beat Ducks goalie Ville Husso stick-side to give Toronto a 4-3 lead with three minutes left in regulation.

But Leo Carlsson, who hobbled to the locker room after taking a hard hit and falling to the ice in the first minute of the third, gathered a loose puck near the left circle and flicked a shot past Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz to make it 4-4 with 1:39 left.

Tavares added a first-period goal, and Stolarz stopped 28 of 32 shots for Toronto, which took the ice about 1½ hours after general manager Brad Treliving was fired near the end of his third season, with the Maple Leafs on the verge of being eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier scored in the first 10 minutes, and John Carlson scored his first goal for the Ducks. Gauthier, who leads the Pacific Division-leading Ducks with 38 goals and 65 points, suffered an upper-body injury on a cross-check late in the first and did not return. Husso had 22 saves.

Ducks captain Radko Gudas, slowed by a lower-body injury, insisted on playing in the rematch of a March 12 game in which his knee-on-knee hit on Auston Matthews led to a season-ending injury for the Toronto captain and a five-game suspension for Gudas.

It took three seconds for the Leafs to exact some revenge, Toronto forward Max Domi and Gudas dropping the gloves and exchanging punches as soon as the puck dropped.

That set the tone for a hard-hitting game that featured a combined 85 penalty minutes, numerous scuffles and game misconducts incurred by Toronto’s Michael Pezzetta and Domi in the second.

Up next for Ducks: at San José on Wednesday.

A video published by a Palestinian content creator shows a group of children carefully lifting their doll on a stretcher to reenact a funeral as they play together in a displacement camp in Gaza.