hits

New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr hit a stunning 179 not out off 139 balls to inspire her side to chase down 346 against South Africa in the highest successful run chase in women’s one-day international history.

Laura Wolvaardt’s 69 from 74 balls, a 91 from 90 balls by Anneke Bosch and Chloe Tryon’s 25-ball 52 helped South Africa post 346-6 in the second ODI of their series against the Kiwis.

Kerr came in at 21-1 in New Zealand’s reply and struck 23 fours and one six at a strike rate of 128.78 during her match-winning knock.

She was helped by Izzy Gaze, who made 68 from 48 balls, as the Kiwis made 350-8 in reaching their target with two balls to spare and levelling the series.

The previous highest successful chase in women’s ODI cricket was when India made 341-5 in reaching a 338 target set by Australia in their World Cup semi-final last October.

Kerr is no stranger to producing heroics, especially against South Africa, as she inspired New Zealand to victory against them in a T20 World Cup final in 2024.

She was also the ICC’s women’s cricketer of the year in 2024.

Kerr also holds the record for the highest individual innings in a women’s ODI, having hit an unbeaten 232 against Ireland when aged 17 in 2018.

CONCORD, N.H. — An ad for Republican presidential candidate Patrick J. Buchanan that features a quick image of the exploding Challenger space shuttle will be redone following criticism of its airing in the home state of one of the crew members killed in the disaster.

Buchanan said Thursday the image of the explosion will be deleted “out of sensitivity” for the family of Sharon Christa McAuliffe, a Concord schoolteacher and one of the shuttle crew members killed 10 years ago this month. The ad contains a clip of the explosion, followed by a photo of Buchanan at President Reagan’s side. The ad aimed to emphasize Buchanan’s service in past Republican administrations.

An Iranian missile barrage has caused a fire a chemical plant near Beersheba in southern Israel, following expanded attacks on Iranian infrastructure.

Experts say families could save more than £100, though Ryanair disagrees

Passengers flying with Ryanair are being encouraged to follow several steps to reduce costs on their journeys, though the airline has responded by dismissing the advice as “fake news”.

Consumer champion platform Which? claimed its research revealed travellers may have been spending more than necessary. Last month, Which? suggested families could potentially save over £100 on their next Ryanair flight by simply disregarding the airline’s “recommended” fare option. When arranging a summer journey from London to Alicante for a family of four, Ryanair promoted its “Regular” fare as the “ideal” selection.

But opting for this choice would have cost £59 more than picking the “Basic” fare and adding the identical seats and luggage manually later during the booking process, Which? claimed. The article continues: “If our family decided that we could get by with four cabin bags instead of the eight included in Ryanair’s ‘Regular’ fare, then we could reduce the fare by £163 from Ryanair’s recommendation.

“The Regular fare comes with priority boarding, carry-on luggage and free standard seat selection included, but on around 30 checks over the past two years we’ve only once found it cheaper. We looked at 15 flights to a range of locations in February 2026 and only once was the Regular ticket cheaper, even if we wanted all those extras.”

Ryanair has made its feelings on Which?’s findings abundantly clear. A spokesperson for the airline told Sky News: “This is more fake news from Which? Thankfully no one reads, or takes any notice of Which’s fake recycled news articles or your spurious ‘advice’, as our traffic growth from 200 million to 208 million passengers in 2025 proves.”

March 27 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that Transportation Security Administration employees will begin receiving paychecks as the department’s shutdown continues.

There was movement on Capitol Hill toward ending the shutdown and partially funding DHS on Friday. After the Senate unanimously voted to pass a bill that would fund the department, aside from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. House rejected the bill outright.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the House will pursue its own bill that would fully fund the department for 60 days. Johnson said the Senate’s bill would not move forward because it did not include funding for ICE.

President Donald Trump was also critical of the Senate-passed bill, saying it “wasn’t appropriate.” He signed an executive order to direct payment toward the more than 60,000 TSA employees.

“Today, at the direction of President Trump and the Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, TSA has immediately begun the process of paying its workforce,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to UPI. “TSA officers should begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday, March 30.”

Alan Fyall, associate dean of the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, told UPI that news of TSA receiving pay is welcome, though for some it may be too late.

“If they’re going to get paid, that’s excellent,” Fyall said. “I’m sure there are quite a few who have left and probably won’t return.”

As of Friday, TSA agents were on their second pay period without receiving a paycheck.

On Wednesday, Ha Nguyen McNeill, deputy administrator of the TSA, told the House Homeland Security Committee that more than 480 workers have resigned and workers have missed $1 billion in pay.

“Most people in lower to middle salaries, if you miss two paychecks, that’s a problem,” Fyall said. “That’s not unique to TSA agents. As they would say, ‘do the math.'”

This is the second time the government has at least partially shut down, affecting the pay of TSA workers, in the past six months. The TSA has been shut down for more than 85 days this fiscal year.

“Many of our workforce have missed bill payments, received eviction notices, had their cars repossessed and utilities shut off,” McNeill told the House committee. “Some are sleeping in their cars, selling their blood and plasma and taking on second jobs to make ends meet.”

When the shutdown ends, Diego Bufquin, professor of practice at the Freeman School of Business at Tulane, told UPI he expects relief to come to TSA workers and travelers quickly, though the end of spring break adds to the long lines.

“We’re not going to have this resolved by this weekend,” Bufquin said. “Lines are going to be very long this weekend. There will be lots of complaints from passengers for sure.

“The thing is that the job market right now is not looking fantastic either,” Bufquin said. “I don’t think those TSA agents who are now considering switching jobs are in a good spot to easily find jobs in other sectors, given the current job market.”

Fyall said that the air travel industry as a whole is “resilient,” though the repeated government shutdowns will cause some travelers to change their habits, opting for direct flights when possible.

“If it’s a one-off, everybody complains but life gets back to normal pretty quickly,” Fyall said. “One of the things about the long queues is you might be waiting 3 or 4 hours, but that tells you that they’re doing their job properly. You want to get on your plane and be secure.”

With hit medical drama The Pitt finally available to watch in the UK on HBO Max, leading man Noah Wyle has shared some tantalising insight into its future beyond season two

The Pitt’s Noah Wyle has delivered an exciting update on the third season of HBO’s smash-hit medical drama.

He also teased his hopes for the future of the drama, hinting it could run “forever” if audiences are still tuning in.

Wyle portrays Dr Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch, a senior attending physician working in a crowded and underfunded emergency room in Pittsburgh.

Throughout each season, Dr Robby, along with a team of doctors, nurses, and medical students, experience a single 15-hour shift, with the second instalment taking place during a busy 4th of July.

The former ER star was in London this week for the UK launch of the series where he spilled two important rules that every episode of the hit series must follow.

Speaking to HBO Max Chairman Casey Bloys, Wyle was asked how soon the cast and crew will be ready to start up production on season three.

“Very soon, boss, very soon,” Wyle joked. “We are in the process of writing character arcs for season three for everybody.”

He went on to explain how the series’ unique storytelling format presents a compelling challenge for the writers, which includes himself and creator R. Scott Gemmill.

“It’s a very interesting show to break because, unlike a lot of shows that are 22 episodes that may play over a calendar year, this is 15 hours of one day,” he continued. “So you’re painting with a much finer brush.

“The character’s arc is not really enough to go through the courtship of a romance, but it’s enough to get your head turned.

“It’s maybe enough to lose faith, maybe enough to find faith, but these are really small arcs that happen over the course of the day but can be really satisfying if you’re engaged with that character.”

Thankfully, The Pitt quickly found a devoted audience in the States, with the second season premiere amassing an impressive 7.2 million US viewers within its first week of release.

“We have these characters who seem to be resonating on a one-to-one with audiences,” Wyle added.

“Everyone’s feeling, ‘I’m a little Javadi (played by Shabana Azeez), I’m a little Samira (Supriya Ganesh), and I have a little Langdon (Patrick Ball) in me, or I know a Whitaker (Gerran Howell)’, and that makes it really exciting to see where they’re going to go next, and to write for where they’re going to go next.”

Hinting at the third season’s narrative, Bloys and Wyle revealed that the upcoming instalment is also building to an explosive and potentially life-changing event in much the same way as the first two seasons.

“We’ve built a pressure cooker where every hour we turn up the temperature, we add more ingredients, then just when it’s about to explode we drop a piano on it,” Wyle revealed.

“You’ve done that successfully for season two and now you’re thinking about it for season three?” Bloys clarified, and Wyle confirmed “Yes”.

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“One of the gratifying things about season two is that we realised we don’t need a big ‘deus ex machina’ plot device to keep this engaging,” he said. “There’s something really satisfying about watching everyday people trying to get through the course of the day, beset by all the trials and tribulations that come over the course of that day.

“If that is satisfying television then this show could run forever, because we don’t need a helicopter to come down in the ambulance bay, we don’t need to jump the shark.”

The Pitt is available to stream on HBO Max with new episodes on Thursdays.

KATIE Price has revealed plans for a second wedding to husband Lee Andrews in the UK while hitting back at trolls – despite claims he’s travel-banned. 

There is ongoing speculation that Lee, 43, is unable to leave Dubai after allegedly forging his ex-girlfriend Dina Taji’s signature to secure a £200,000 loan.

But Katie, 47, appeared to deny the claims as she responded to a follower on Instagram who mocked her romance with the businessman. 

After the former glamour model posted a loved-up snap of her and Lee, one troll was quick to reply: “Till the next.”

But Katie soon fired back: “Thank you for the follow. I’ll pass on your follow back request but please look forward to our wedding in the UK. 

“You clearly can’t get d*** and I can see why.”

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But some concerned fans suggested it was actually Lee commenting back on Katie’s account. 

When Lee suddenly appeared in the comments to have a pop at the troll, someone replied: “That was you responding wasn’t it on Katie’s page LOL. Katie doesn’t engage with people like that.”

It’s not the first time Lee has been accused of hijacking Katie’s social media. 

In February the couple sent fans and Katie’s family into a spin when they appeared to confirm she was pregnant just weeks after their wedding. 

While Katie later confirmed she was not carrying their child, sources close to her family to The Sun at the time said there were concerns she’d not written the apparent pregnancy announcement. 

An insider said: “That post doesn’t appear to have been written by Katie.

“She often makes spelling errors and this is word-perfect.“She also doesn’t know how to use Instagram Stories so we think Lee has done this.”

Last month Lee took to Instagram to deny ongoing speculation he is unable to leave Dubai – despite having never met his wife’s family or her five children.

Instagram to address the rumours, sharing a grab allegedly from an app which shows if someone has any travel bans in Dubai. 

He said: “Oh guys, I’ve never really been one to explain myself but there’s a lot of fake news going around so I better say something. 

“I’m going to share on the next story, after this one, that there is no travel ban, directly from the police UAE application. 

“It’s my profile. You can check those statuses, you can check any fines you’ve got, relating to traffic, and also if you’re allowed to travel.

“Allow me to share that. It’s not fabricated, I’m going on my honeymoon in a few days guys so definitely not on a travel ban.”

Nate McFall has spent the past six years travelling the globe curating tourism content for social media, but he says a cold North East beach town is still one of his favourite places

A globetrotter who has dedicated the last six years to travelling the world claims the finest destination he’s discovered is a “cold little beach town” in the North East of England.

Nate McFall, whose videos focus on highlighting unusual accommodation and travel adventures, posted on Instagram where he admitted there’s nowhere quite like home.

“I spent six years travelling the world, and yet somehow this is still one of my favourite places I have ever been,” he opened in a clip filmed on the shoreline. “I didn’t realise when I left, but this place shaped me in more ways than I can explain.”

While he may have visited Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia recently, Nate maintains this chilly North East coastal spot still “hits different” whenever he returns.

“It was actually here about eight years ago that I tried surfing for the first time,” he went on, displaying a photograph from the moment in 2018.

“It was cold – like properly cold – but something shifted in me that day because if I could surf in the freezing cold North Sea, what else is possible?”

Nate admitted that throughout his journeys he had been “chasing something” he’d already discovered.

“This is Tynemouth,” he revealed. “A small coastal town, but it’s full of life. Wherever you look, people are enjoying this place running along the seafront, swimming in the sea and surfing.”

Nate also pointed out the wealth of coffee shops dotted around the town, noting that at weekends, Tynemouth’s Victorian railway station “turns into a bustling market” of people selling “delicious food, crafts and handmade trinkets.”

The traveller also declared Tynemouth home to the “best chip shop in England”. He made his way back down towards the beach to show the reasons why.

“It’s served out of what is basically a shipping container [called The View],” he explained. “There’s a fresh sea breeze and with fishcake in hand, I top it off by looking at 1,000 year old ruins [Tynemouth Priory and Castle] right next to me.”

Nate concluded by stating he’s utterly convinced the UK possesses beauty that countless people fail to appreciate.

Enjoying a chilli fish empanada from Riley’s Fish Shack, he closed: “It’s proof that you don’t always need palm trees or plane tickets. Some of the most unreal places are right here on our doorstep.”

Writing in response, one Instagram user enthused: “I love this – I’m from Whitley Bay and am a wild swimmer so am always at the beach when I visit home. It’s such a special place.”

A second person declared: “Love Tynemouth and Riley’s fish shack, on a summers night as it gets a little chillier, sitting around one of the fire pits with friends is such a good way to finish a weekend.”

A third commented: “Love this. I am in New Zealand. So many beautiful places in the world. No country has the title of best place. Tynemouth looks cool. I will visit it now when I next visit UK.”

And a fourth person praised: “Thanks Nate. Spent many lovely days at Tynemouth as a child. Haven’t been back in 50 years since my family moved to Florida, USA. But still have fabulous memories. Thanks so much for reminding me.”

Video shows the aftermath of an airstrike in Iraq’s Anbar province on a headquarters of the pro-Iran Popular Mobilisation Forces, where at least ten people were killed during a commanders’ meeting.

THE secret son of late Bee Gees star Maurice Gibb has refuted singer Lulu’s claims that he was conceived during the time she was married to him.

Sixties icon Lulu told Louis Theroux on his latest podcast that she only recently learned Maurice had another son and that he might have been the product of a one-night stand during their marriage.

But Nick Endacott-Gibb, 57, insists he was conceived around two years before Lulu and Maurice’s romance began.

He told the Mirror: “I was born in April 1968, conceived in August 1967. Lulu and Maurice weren’t married until 1969, after what has been described for decades as a ‘whirlwind’ romance.

“Were you together with him, Lulu? Two years does not a whirlwind make. I’m as curious as she is about whether Maurice was with her at the time I was conceived. It was the summer of love, after all!”

Hove-based Nick was adopted from a children’s home at 18 months old by secretary Peggy and her chartered quantity surveyor husband David.

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Nick’s biological mum is former music studio manager Patti Nolder, who he met for the first time in 2003 after uploading his details onto the Missing You database — a long-running message board style online community that helps reunite families.

Initially, she told him his dad was Chris Andrews, guitarist and vocalist of 60s psych-pop band The Fleur de Lys, but a DNA test confirmed this was not the case.

It was Patti’s sister who threw Maurice’s name into the mix and, after uploading his DNA to an ancestry website, he matched 100 per cent with Maurice’s other son Adam, who had uploaded his own DNA.

Further matches with cousins of the Gibb brothers followed and Nick struck up a close relationship with their older sister Lesley and her daughter Debbie, who live in New South Wales, Australia.

Nick never got the chance to meet Maurice before his death from a heart attack in 2003, but he said: “I’m sad he died before I got the chance to meet him, but his memory lives on in the songs.”

Lulu was married to Maurice for six years, with their relationship officially ending in 1975. They never had children together.

She admitted the news of Nick’s existence came as a complete surprise decades after their relationship ended.

Louis said: “You know, we’re not always our best selves and that Maurice, I think it’s openly acknowledged now, had a fling with Barbara Windsor while he was with you.”

Lulu admitted: “I think he’s got a son. It might have happened when we were married.”

She continued: “I just found out someone showed me something with a guy, and I can’t remember the year he impregnated this girl after a one-night stand, and she has a son who has had his genes taken.

“It’s proven he’s 100 per cent Maurice.”

A shocked Louis asked: “While he was with you?”

Lulu answered: “I didn’t do the math because it wasn’t that important.”

Louis replied: “Why isn’t it important?”

Lulu responded: “Today, c’est la vie.”

The Bee Gees are one of the most successful bands of all time, dominating the charts with a string of global hits.

From disco anthems like Stayin’ Alive and Night Fever to timeless ballads, the group sold over 200 million records worldwide and helped define an entire era of music.

He had two children — daughter Samantha and son Adam — with his second wife, Yvonne Spenceley.

Following her divorce, Lulu went on to date celebrity stylist John Frieda but the romance was rocked by a short-lived affair with David Bowie.

She continues to perform live, with shows lined up in the UK, including a major concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2026.

As well as music, she’s been opening up about her life in recent years, releasing her memoir, If Only You Knew, and speaking candidly about her past struggles, including her battle with alcoholism and journey to sobriety.

Watch the moment an Iranian strike hits what appears to be a bridge in central Tel Aviv, startling pedestrians nearby with the loud blast.

The fate of an Iranian woman caught in a US-Israeli bomb attack is unknown, after video emerged of the moments she filmed the bombardment on her phone.

Storm Therese is battering the Canary Islands with heavy rain, 100km/h winds and significant snowfall, with over 40 flights cancelled and schools closed across the islands

Storm Therese is currently wreaking havoc on the Canary Islands, particularly Tenerife and La Palma, with an unusual mix of heavy rain, 100 km/h (62 mph) winds, and significant snowfall at high altitudes. Authorities have declared a full-scale emergency in Tenerife, labelling it as one of the most severe storms to batter the archipelago in over a decade.

Spain‘s meteorological agency, AEMET, has issued several alerts that will remain active throughout the weekend. Orange (high risk) warnings have been dispatched for northern Tenerife and parts of La Palma due to wind gusts reaching 90–100 km/h and heavy rainfall. Concurrently, yellow warnings are in place across all seven islands for rain, thunderstorms, and choppy seas with waves reaching up to 6 metres (20 feet).

Unusually for this time of year, significant snowfall has also blanketed Mount Teide and surrounding peaks above 1,800–2,000 metres.

The storm has led to widespread cancellations and safety closures across the islands. Over 40 flights were cancelled or rerouted by Friday, March 20, primarily at Tenerife North and South airports. Travellers are advised to check their flight status via Flightradar24 or their airline.

Schools and universities in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and several other islands were shut on Thursday and Friday, whilst key roads, including access to Teide National Park and the TF-445 to Punta de Teno, are closed due to ice and snow.

Major international events such as the Tenerife Bluetrail 2026 race have been cancelled or postponed.

Providing an update on the weather situation on Friday (March 20), one Tenerife resident known as @theknightstrider1 on TikTok took to the platform to share details with his 115,000 followers.

The car hire and bar owner, who is based in Playa de las Américas, was heard saying: “A little weather update for you then, it’s raining… it’s pretty grim and it’s gone really overcast as well.

“The rain showers are on and off, we haven’t really had any rain until now. It was okay this morning, but yeah it is raining. The current temperature’s around 18 degrees, not too cold but the umbrella’s are out, people are sheltering and it’s really not that nice.”

He added: “Bear in mind, you might get caught in the rain, have a brolly with you. Maybe some of the rain macs as well if you’ve got any, if not buy some because it’s on and off.”

One person wrote: “Weather’s been awful the last three days, can’t wait to go home.”

Whilst another added: “Arrive tomorrow, packed a brolly.”

A third chimed in: “This makes me so happy as someone who was going to go this week and changed to last week! Phew.”

Whilst a fourth asked: “Why is it every time it’s sunny in the UK it rains in Tenerife?”

Another resident of the Canary Islands also posted a weather update on TikTok from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, captioning the clip, ‘Rain, wind and choppy ocean. Flights cancelled and diverted. Flooding in El Médano and roads closed. The storms Theresa and Samuel are hitting Canary Islands.’

He then said in the video: “Here if your weather update from Tenerife South on Friday March 20th, 2026. The two storms – Theresa and Samuel – are hitting the Canary Islands with force.

“As you can see here, we have quite a lot of waves here in the Troya area of Las Americas. The storms have caused quite a few incidents on the island, we have had 11 flights cancelled yesterday, 10 flights have been cancelled during the day today.

“We have had quite a few flights deviated to other airports as well and we have had ferries that have been cancelled because of the conditions out on the see.”

He explained the temperature was currently hovering around 19 degrees and there had been some rain which was “coming and going” along with overcast skies.

Are flights from the UK to Tenerife being cancelled?

Yes, flights from the UK to Tenerife are currently experiencing cancellations and significant disruptions due to severe weather from Storm Therese.

As of Saturday, 21 March 2026, authorities in Tenerife have declared an island-wide emergency due to extreme conditions including heavy rain, strong winds, and rare snowfall over high ground.

Over 36 flights were cancelled earlier this week, with further disruptions reported today. While many cancellations involve inter-island services, several international flights have been diverted or cancelled due to poor visibility and high winds.

Currently, the most affected airport is Tenerife North (TFN), which has seen the greatest impact, though Tenerife South (TFS) – where most UK flights land –is also experiencing delays and some rerouted services.

Conditions are expected to remain hazardous through Saturday, with a gradual improvement predicted for Sunday, 22 March.

Major airlines serving the UK to Tenerife route, such as Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2, and TUI, are urging passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport

If your flight is cancelled, contact your airline immediately to discuss rebooking or refund options.

SCREEN star Sydney Sweeney is rolling in dollar frills — after her new lingerie line helped to quadruple her fortune. 

The American actress is now worth $40million, up from $10million just two years ago. 

The news came as Sydney, 28, showed off a range of sexy pink and white underwear from her Syrn brand. 

The Seductress line launches next week after her original designs sold out in the US. 

Sydney launched the business on the back of becoming one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars. 

She was worth some $10million in 2024 thanks to roles in black comedy The White Lotus, teen drama Euphoria and the rom-com movie Anyone But You. 

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Lucrative deals with Armani Beauty, Ford and Samsung followed — while controversial adverts for clothing brand American Eagle saw sales shoot up, along with Sydney’s profile and potential earnings. 

Last year she raked in $7.5millon for her role in hit psychological thriller The Housemaid. 

Sydney launched Syrn in January in a bid to take on fellow celebs Rihanna and Kim Kardashian — who have become billionaires through their clothing brands Savage x Fenty and Skims. 

The star’s racy photo shoots have seen her criticised for not being a “girl’s girl”. But hitting back, Sydney said: “People will say, ‘Oh, she’s doing this for guys’. 

“I’m like, ‘What’s more ‘girl’s girl’ than owning your body and doing it for yourself?’.” 

March 17 (UPI) — A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck eastern Cuba early Tuesday, hours after the island’s national power grid collapsed, leaving nearly the entire country without electricity and compounding an already severe economic and social crisis.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake at magnitude 5.8, while Cuba’s National Seismological Research Center measured it at 6.0. The epicenter was located off the coast of Guantánamo province and was widely felt across eastern Cuba.

State local newspaper Granma reported no fatalities or significant material damage.

The tremor followed the total disconnection of Cuba’s National Electric System shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, the sixth nationwide blackout in roughly 18 months. The Ministry of Energy and Mines said on X that the causes remain under investigation.

The outage left nearly 10 million people without electricity, disrupting water pumping, telecommunications and Internet service. Residents relied on candles, torches and battery-powered radios, according to a report by Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca.

The ministry said the failure affected the entire country, including Havana. The U.S. Embassy in Cuba issued a security alert saying no information was available on when power would be restored.

Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said on X that authorities are following established protocols and working to restore electricity to the country’s largest generating units.

Independent outlet Diario de Cuba reported that the government has yet to explain the collapse, which coincided with renewed protests in Havana and growing signs of public discontent.

Officials initially said service was being partially restored through localized “microsystems” in several provinces, prioritizing essential facilities while attempting to restart major thermoelectric plants. Full recovery could take time, especially due to fuel shortages that have limited distributed generation since January.

Frequent blackouts have slowed industrial activity and strained public services nationwide. Recent demonstrations in several cities have resulted in arrests.

Official figures show the Cuban economy has contracted more than 15% since 2020. Much of the state-run industrial sector remains idle and essential services have deteriorated sharply.

Independent experts estimate that fully restoring the power system would require between $8 billion and $10 billion, sums widely seen as beyond the reach of the Cuban economy.

Days after President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged talks with the United States to address longstanding disputes, the government announced measures to allow greater entry of private capital, including from U.S. companies and Cuban expatriates in Miami.

In an interview with state-run Canal Caribe, Vice Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said investors could own private companies on the island and access the financial sector. He confirmed that Cuban emigrants may become partners or owners of private businesses without living in Cuba and may associate with local firms under the Foreign Investment Law.

They also would be allowed to enter the national financial system, open foreign currency accounts and create cooperation and investment funds with authorization from the Central Bank.

Pérez-Oliva Fraga said the measures respond to demands from the diaspora and aim to expand its role in economic development as the government seeks to attract foreign capital and diversify the private sector.

He said “Cuba’s doors are open” to foreign investment, including U.S. companies, while again blaming the U.S. embargo for the island’s energy crisis and fuel shortages.

On Monday, President Donald Trump said he would have “the honor of taking Cuba,” describing the country as weakened after decades of rule by what he called violent leaders.

“You know, all my life I’ve heard about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States have the honor of taking Cuba? That would be a great honor,” Trump said from the Oval Office, according to CNN.

“Taking Cuba in some way, yes, taking Cuba. I mean, whether you free it or take it, I think I can do whatever I want with it,” he added.

His comments came as senior administration officials have repeatedly said a conflict with Iran could end within days and after Trump suggested that Cuba could be next on his agenda.

CCTV footage released by Israeli police shows the moment an Iranian missile struck a street in Tel Aviv. Emergency crews say at least three people were injured, and several vehicles were destroyed.

Iranian state TV video shows the Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i speaking to a reporter when a blast, described by officials as an Israeli strike, hit near the al-Quds Day rally in Tehran. Despite the explosion, he continued marching with crowds taking part in the annual pro-Palestinian demonstration.

California voters are being urged to put a poison-pill effort on the November ballot that would nullify a controversial proposed tax on the state’s billionaires.

Neither proposal has yet qualified for the ballot — supporters of each need to gather the verified signatures of hundreds of thousands of voters. But petitions that have been mailed and texted to California voters in recent days demonstrate the stakes in a contest that has drawn tens of millions of dollars in campaign spending.

“Government has wasted billions of our tax dollars on homelessness and many other failed programs with little to show for it,” reads the new mailing to voters. “We can’t afford more wasteful spending!”

The proposal is aimed at countering a proposed one-time 5% tax on billionaires assets that would fund healthcare for the state’s neediest residents, but opponents say it would lead to lost tax revenues as California’s wealthiest flee the state.

Mailers and texts recently sent to voters describe the new proposal as an effort to create a more accountable, transparent and effective state government that would require auditing of new state taxes and ensuring they comply with existing law.

The small-font description of the proposed initiative included in the mailing specifies that any new tax enacted after Jan. 1 must be deposited into the state’s general fund and conform with current state tax policy, which is an oblique reference to a prior voter-approved ballot measure requiring that a significant portion of the state’s tax revenue be spent on education.

If competing proposals appear on a ballot and are successful, the one that receives the most votes nullifies the other. There are other ballot measure proposals aimed at thwarting the billionaires tax.

The mailers and texts were funded by a committee called Californians for a More Transparent and Effective Government, which was funded by another group, called Building a Better California, according to the California secretary of state’s office.

Earlier this year, the latter group received a $20-million donation from Google co-founder Sergey Brin, $2 million from former Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt and $2 million from Stripe CEO Patrick Collison, among donations from other Silicon Valley leaders, according to fundraising disclosure reports.

Attempts to reach spokespeople connected with the effort were unsuccessful Monday night.

Suzanne Jimenez, chief of staff at SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, the primary union backing the billionaire tax, decried what she described as an effort by a small number of the state’s wealthiest residents to avoid paying their fair share.

“So far, those few billionaires are failing,” she said in a statement. “Despite the expensive and wasteful tactics by a small group of billionaires that aim to deny voters a choice on the billionaire tax in November, our growing coalition and volunteer base is on track with signature collection and gaining momentum. The public is crystal clear on the fact that keeping ERs and clinics open is more important than billionaires getting more tax breaks.”

California’s budget is notoriously volatile because it is largely dependent on taxes paid by its wealthiest residents. Revenue hinges on capital gains from investments, bonuses to executives and windfalls from new stock offerings, all of which are grossly unpredictable.

The billionaire tax would cost more than 200 of the state’s richest residents about $100 billion if a majority of voters support it on the November ballot.

The proposed tax would retroactively apply to billionaires’ assets as of Jan. 1, and has already prompted some of California’s wealthiest residents to leave the state. It has also created a wedge among Democrats. Some argue that it is necessary to address tax inequities that benefit the rich and harm everyone else. Among the supporters is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who kicked off the billionaire tax proposal drive in February.

But others, notably Gov. Gavin Newsom, oppose the effort, saying policies that vary by state would drive innovators and businesses outside of California.

Itamar Greenberg laughed when asked if he thought he should be afraid. The 19-year-old Israeli antiwar activist had just described being spat on in the street and is the target of an online hate campaign.

“Yes!” he finally responded. “If I thought about it, I probably should be. I just don’t have time.”

Voices like Greenberg’s are rare in Israel at a time when public clamour for war is growing, and genocidal language already familiar to millions of Palestinians is reemerging, but with a different target – Iran.

Officially, 11 Israelis have been killed in Iranian strikes since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28. What the actual number might be, or how many of Iran’s ballistic missiles may have penetrated the country’s Iron Dome defence shield, is unknown.

Speaking at the site of an Iranian missile strike in West Jerusalem, shortly after the start of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to the use of apocalyptic language that has characterised the genocide his country has conducted in Gaza. Comparing Iranians with the Jewish people’s biblical foe, Amalek, who the Jews had been divinely ordered to wipe from the face of the planet, Netanyahu told reporters: “In this week’s Torah portion, we read, “‘Remember what Amalek did to you.’ We remember, and we act.”

So far, Iran claims to have launched strikes across Israel, saying its missiles and drones hit military sites, symbolic infrastructure, and even Netanyahu’s office. Tehran has described the attacks as precise and strategic, rather than indiscriminate and part of a broader regional response. Iran also claims to have targeted locations such as Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion airport and Haifa.

However, Israeli officials have denied many of the specific claims. Netanyahu’s office dismissed Iranian assertions about hitting his office, or affecting his condition, as “fake news”, with stringent reporting restrictions on Iranian strikes within Israel making confirmation either way difficult.

What is clearer is that against the drumbeat of Iranian strikes, the fervour for war appears to be increasing among the public. A poll carried out last week by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) suggested overwhelming public support for the war, with 93 percent of Jewish-Israeli respondents expressing support for the strikes on Iran, and 74 percent expressing support for Netanyahu, the country’s historically divisive prime minister.

“No one’s talking about opposition to the war,” Greenberg said, describing an environment in which figures from across Israel’s media and political landscape – with the exception of the left-wing Hadash party and antiwar organisations such as Greenberg’s Mesarvot – had lined up behind the war. “It’s also getting increasingly violent,” he said.

“We held a protest on Tuesday, where the police were already waiting. They beat and arrested us. I was illegally strip-searched,” he said, describing it as efforts intended to humiliate him.

Greenberg is no stranger to such tactics. Six months ago, after being arrested for protesting the genocide in Gaza, prison guards had threatened to carve a Star of David on his face, a permanent reminder of what they thought his priorities should be.

It’s not just antiwar activists who have faced the brunt of the Israeli security establishment’s force.

“The atmosphere is very violent,“ lawmaker Ofer Cassif of the Hadash party told Al Jazeera. “When I leave the house, I’m more worried by the danger posed by a physical attack by fascists than I am by any missile,” he said.

Hadash and lawmakers like Cassif have been targeted by physical threats and attacks throughout the Gaza war. But criticism of the Netanyahu government’s handling of Israeli captives in Gaza meant that opposition to the Gaza war was – comparatively – more socially acceptable. When it comes to Iran, the current climate is toxic, Cassif said.

“We’re often accused of supporting the regime in Tehran,” Cassif explained of the attempts to delegitimise their opposition to the war.

“We’re unequivocally not. We want to see that regime go, but we’re not going to allow Netanyahu to say he’s doing this for the Iranian people. He isn’t. That’s not just rhetoric, that’s fact. The Israeli leadership was just as supportive of the shah as the US, and he was a murderous dictator no less than the current regime,” Cassif said, referring to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the leader of Iran before the Islamic revolution.

For now, analysts and observers in Israel describe a society that believes it is almost engaged in a holy war.

“They brought an antiwar activist onto one of the light news programmes,” political analyst Ori Goldberg said from near Tel Aviv, “and she was treated like you would a flat-earther. It’s as if it’s inconceivable that anyone would oppose this war.

“Israel has become a society with no middle ground, no capacity for conversation. It’s as if our entire existence is dependent on our ability to do anything we want. And if the world tries to stop that, then the world’s anti-Semitic, and we all burn.”

Ellyse Perry scored 76 to become the leading runscorer for Australia in women’s Tests, going past Karen Rolton’s mark of 1,002. Perry now has 1,006 runs.

Australia resumed on 96-3, trailing by 102, with Sutherland and Perry’s stand of 133 putting the hosts into a strong position before the latter was dismissed lbw by Deepti Sharma.

Wicketkeeper Beth Mooney ground out 19 off 53 balls to help Australia move into the lead and provide support to Sutherland, who played superbly on an increasingly challenging surface.

She was unbeaten on 93 at tea and quickly moved to her landmark century before holing out off Deepti.

Alana King and Lucy Hamilton put on 34 together to give Australia a significant lead and a weary India then wilted under the lights in the final session.

The visitors slipped to 10-2 and Sutherland then claimed the key wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues and captain Harmanpreet Kaur to leave India 64-4.

Left-arm fast bowler Hamilton, on her Test debut, removed Deepti and Richa Ghosh in the space of three balls to have India reeling on 82-6 and in danger of losing the match inside two days.

However, Pratika Rawal’s defiant 43 not out and Sneh Rana’s unbeaten 14 ensured the Test will go to a third day.