Red

Wrexham came agonisingly close to earning a shock win over the Saints on the opening day of the campaign.

Josh Windass opened the scoring from the penalty spot for the visitors at St Mary’s Stadium but last-gasp goals from Ryan Manning and Jack Stephens earned the hosts victory.

Despite that triumph, the Saints struggled under Will Still and parted company with the head coach in early November.

They have drastically improved under German boss Eckert, winning nine of their past 12 league fixtures.

But Lewis O’Brien, who netted his side’s second goal at West Brom last time out, feels Wrexham’s improvement since the first fixture between the sides is evident.

“We were a pretty new team. There were a lot of signings and we were trying to understand how everyone played,” the midfielder said of the August contest.

“We’ve now got three games at home and three away and hopefully we can pick up as many points as we can.”

BEVERLY Hills star Tori Spelling and seven children have been rushed to hospital after a driver allegedly blew through a red light and plowed into their SUV.

The 52-year-old actress was behind the wheel with four of her children and three of their friends when the other vehicle slammed into her at high speed — sending all eight occupants to the emergency room.

The crash unfolded in Temecula, California, around 85 miles east of Los Angeles, just before 6pm on Thursday.

Officers responding to reports of a collision arrived to find two heavily damaged vehicles at the scene.

Unconfirmed photos circulating online show a car with its entire front end destroyed and an SUV missing chunks of its bumper, lights and undercarriage.

Spelling had been transporting four of her own kids along with three of their friends when the other driver allegedly ran the red light at speed.

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POOR TORI!

Tori Spelling reveals medical diagnosis after wearing eye patch

All eight were taken to hospital across three separate ambulances.

They were treated for cuts, contusions and concussions, with no arrests made at the scene.

Eyewitness video obtained by TMZ showed Spelling speaking animatedly with officers, gesturing as she appeared to recount the collision.

An investigation into the crash remains ongoing.

It is not the first time the star has been caught up in road drama, back in 2011, she was involved in an accident while fleeing paparazzi with two of her children.

“Paparazzi chased me w/the kids 2school,” she posted at the time.

“I was trying to get away from him and had a pretty big accident. Took down whole wall of school.”

Spelling, who was pregnant during that 2011 incident said other mothers stepped in and helped by “chasing him away.”

She shares children Liam, 19, Stella, 17, Hattie, 14, Finn, 13, and Beau, nine, with ex-husband Dean McDermott, whom she married in 2006.

The former couple announced their split in 2023, with their divorce finalized in November 2025.

“I am officially divorced. It’s been quite a journey,” Spelling said on her misSPELLING podcast, calling it “one of the easiest divorces in Hollywood.”

Despite the chapter closing on her marriage, Spelling told People last month she has no plans to date, saying she is firmly in her “power era.”

“I have so many businesses that I want to build, [and build] my empire and I can date later,” she said. “That can always come.”

Just last week, the TV personality was spotted at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles alongside the likes of Taylor Swift.

Europe’s Red Sea naval task force tells us it is prepared for the resumption of Houthi attacks on shipping in the region. The Iranian proxy group has already launched several ballistic missile strikes against Israel since joining the ongoing war in the Middle East over the weekend. Now there is growing concern that the Houthis could effectively shut down the Bab el-Mandeb (BAM) strait, a narrow stretch of water between Yemen and Djibouti. Doing so would choke off a flow of oil exports from Saudi Arabia, especially to east, exacerbating a huge spike in oil prices after Iran closed off the Strait of Hormuz to most shipping. Having both straits closed at once is something of a ‘sum of all fears’ scenario for the global energy marketplace.

A new Houthi offensive would be a major cudgel for Iran, because it would open a new front in the war and draw in military resources at a time when they are heavily involved in Epic Fury. A potential activation of the Houthis is arguably Tehran’s biggest military card left to play, but just how much control Tehran retains over the Houthis is unclear.

Operation Aspides “maintains a high level of situational awareness and conducts daily assessments of potential risks to freedom of navigation, making necessary operational adjustments where required,” an Aspides official told The War Zone. “In the event of a resumption of Houthi attacks to merchant vessels – which remains a possibility – we are present and ready to implement our mandate.”

“At the moment the missile launches from Houthi against Israel mark the first step,” the official added. “Their statement is not as clear and not a direct threat to merchant vessels passing through the Red Sea. Of course as we’ve already mentioned, a resumption of Houthi attacks to merchant vessels still remains a possibility.”

Aspides was created in February 2024 during the Houthi’s 15-month campaign against warships and commercial vessels. It is a defensive operation to provide protection for ships transiting the Red Sea region and situational awareness about Houthi threats.

Operation Prosperity Guardian, a similar effort created months earlier by the U.S. Navy that we were the first to write about, was disbanded a year ago after the Houthis agreed to a ceasefire. Its responsibilities were subsumed by Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50, the surface warfare task force under U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT). U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday declined to comment about what, if any, preparations DESRON 50 is making for the possible resumption of Houthi aggression in the Red Sea.

So far, the Houthis’ intentions for the Red Sea region remain publicly unknown. On Wednesday, the group’s spokesman, Yahya Saree, announced they struck southern Israel with ballistic missiles in coordination with Iran and Hezbollah. No mention was made about the Red Sea.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah’s help and reliance upon Allah, carried out the third military operation in the ‘Holy Jihad Battle,’ targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets…” Saree stated.

However, as we noted yesterday, Iran is pushing the rebels “to prepare for a renewed campaign against Red Sea shipping, contingent upon any further escalation by the US in its war on the Islamic Republic,” Bloomberg News reported, citing European officials familiar with the matter.

Houthi leaders “are weighing options for more aggressive action after launching ballistic missiles at Israel,” Bloomberg added. During their previous campaign launched in late 2023, the Houthis attacked so many vessels with missiles and aerial and surface drones that shipping companies avoided the waterway, creating a spike in the price of some goods because alternative routes were much longer, resulting in increased cost of fuel, insurance and wages for crews. 

At issue now are the increasing amount of oil exports flowing through the BAM in the wake of Iran’s Strait closure. 

“Over the first 28 days of March, the amount of crude oil transiting the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait jumped by 21% compared with February,” CNN noted, citing the Vortexa shipping data firm. 

In the past two weeks, Saudi Arabia has diverted nearly five million barrels a day of crude oil to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the network added. While just a fraction of the 15 million barrels a day that have been cut off by the Strait closure, the Yanbu exports have helped reduce oil shortages and blunt price increases. Brent Crude, the global oil benchmark, reached a high of more than $107 per barrel on March 30 but fell to just over $101 per barrel as of Wednesday morning Eastern Standard Time, according to the latest figures from OilPrices.com.

A disruption of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea transit option could cause oil prices to rise much higher and very quickly, creating a cascading wave of financial impacts across the globe. Even if the Strait of Hormuz were opened today, it will still take a while for the global economy to recover from the shock. Meanwhile, for Saudi Arabia, the simultaneous closure of both straits is a long-standing nightmare, a financial double-whammy that would also send energy prices around the globe skyrocketing.

Beyond the purely economic impact that a resumption of Houthi attacks would bring, defending against them could require military assets at a time when the U.S. is still building up its already heavy commitment for Operation Epic Fury. During the previous Houthi Red Sea campaign that stretched into early 2025, the U.S. and allies deployed many warships, including the Eisenhower and Truman Carrier Strike Groups (CGS) to both defend against Houthi attacks and strike targets in Yemen. These operations resulted in a large expenditure of air defense munitions already under tremendous strain as Iran rains down missiles and drones across the Middle East.

You can see video from some of those encounters below.

Strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi Targets by USS Gravely, USS Carney, and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower

At the moment, the U.S. has only the Lincoln CSG in the Middle East after the departure of the USS Gerald R. Ford for repairs from a fire. While the USS George H.W. Bush is reportedly on the way to replace the Ford, that journey will take a while. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has pushed thousands of Marines and a contingent of the 82nd Airborne to the region in advance of what could be an attack on Iran’s Kharg Island, which would greatly escalate Epic Fury.

The future of the U.S. fight against Iran remains unclear. Monday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Iran wanted a ceasefire, which he would only consider after they reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Iran pushed back against that, which you can read more about in our story here. We might learn more tonight during Trump’s scheduled 9 p.m. speech about the war.

What role the Houthis may play in this conflict is not fully clear. They are the most independent of Iran’s proxy groups and often act on their own accord. A weakened Iran could further imperil any obedience they have to the regime in Tehran, though there is also the question of what would happen to Houthi weapon stocks should the Islamic Republic, a key supplier, fall. There is also a long history of fighting with Saudi Arabia to consider, as that could be rekindled.

Regardless, if the conflict continues, the Houthis opening a second front in the Red Sea would have wide-ranging military and economic effects and we will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor said her players “do not deserve that level of refereeing” after Arsenal’s Katie McCabe avoided a red card for pulling Alyssa Thompson’s hair during their Champions League quarter-final exit.

The Blues were chasing a late leveller after scoring a stoppage-time goal to make it 3-2 on aggregate when McCabe reached out and tugged Thompson’s hair.

The American winger was breaking forward, but McCabe escaped a yellow card and the video assistant referee (VAR) did not advise referee Frida Mia Klarlund to review the incident.

Bompastor was shown a yellow card for angrily protesting against the decision and then sent off for her continued outburst – although she refused to leave the touchline as Arsenal held on to reach the semi-finals.

The Frenchwoman arrived prepared with her mobile phone so she could show a replay of the incident as she gave a furious interview to BBC Two.

“For me, it is clearly a red card for the Arsenal player. She’s pulling Alyssa Thompson’s hair,” Bompastor said.

“If the VAR is not able to check that situation, I don’t know why we have the VAR.

“I’m the one getting a red card when I think the Arsenal player should be the one getting a red card.”

The rising sun sets fire to the snow-covered caps of the Atlas mountains. Within moments, the shadowy gorges are gleaming with warm terracotta hues. I turn my back on north Africa’s highest peaks and look north where Marrakech – nicknamed the Red City – rests like a jagged ruby amid the jade swathes of palms and the silvery sheen of olive groves.

Swinging 800 metres (2,625ft) above the stony desert in a giant wicker basket, I try to imagine what this scene would have looked like when camel trains trooped this way, loaded with salt, spices and enslaved humans bound for Marrakech’s souks.

The sky around us is filled with dozens of hot-air balloons, drifting like pollen on a Saharan breeze. The biggest of the suspended baskets hold 16 passengers, most of whom will have left guesthouses and riads in the labyrinthine old town before the dawn prayer call.

“That’s the Koutoubia minaret there, to the west,” says our pilot Daniel Penet, founder of Ciel d’Afrique. “That shadowy area to the north of the minaret is the medina [the old town].”

I realise that “shadowy” may be the perfect word to describe the medina. While the high-rise tower-blocks of Gueliz (the new town) are tall enough to catch the first rays, it takes longer for the sunlight to seep into the medina’s alleys and marketplaces. I can now make out the vast triangular Djemaa el-Fna (Place of the Dead), said to be named for the heads of rebels and criminals that once decorated the walls of the vast plaza. I’d been to Marrakech perhaps a dozen times but this unique aerial vantage point provides a proper chance to get my bearings.

Ever since I first visited 30 years ago, I’ve delighted in the atmosphere of “shadowiness” whenever I step through the gates in the city walls. I revelled in the jolt of adrenaline that came with running the gauntlet of the phalanx of hustlers and faux guides on each foray into old Marrakech, though the city is an infinitely more relaxing place these days, thanks to the efforts of the tourist police.

But the medina still defies orientation. It swallows you whole. No matter how carefully I study the warren of tunnels, arches and boltholes around my accommodation there’s only thing I can be certain of; I will, at some point, become utterly and hopelessly lost.

Safely back on land at the city gates after my early morning balloon ride, I fall into step behind a djellaba-clad figure driving a heavily loaded mule ahead of him. The rabbit warren leads me in the general direction of Derb Farnatchi (Farnatchi Alley). Farnatchis are the wood-burning ovens that serve two crucial purposes: the fire that heats the hammam steam baths is also used by the quarter’s residents to bake their day’s supply of bread.

Finally I arrive at the old mansion that has been converted into Riad Le Farnatchi, a collection of suites, restaurant, spa and even swimming pool – a respite from the world outside. There are now more than 7,000 riads (historic houses, converted into boutique hotels) in Marrakech and this is among my favourites. Many are hidden deep in nondescript alleys and I’ve come to realise that the best of them – such as Le Farnatchi – shun signs so that you’re forced to memorise the doors’ ancient features, like the familiar lines in an elderly face. Guests should look on the challenge of navigation as part of the thrill.

Marrakech has its share of world-famous sights, of course, but if you want to dig more deeply into the secrets of this mysterious city an experienced local guide is priceless.

I sign up for a tour with Intrepid, who have been working to help Moroccan women make an inroad into the traditionally male-dominated tourism industry. Their tours provide fascinating insights on this conservatively Muslim city from a female viewpoint.

Atika Aït Nejjar leads us into timeless sections of the souks where donkeys outnumber tourists and introduces us to the owners of tiny stalls where the best pastries, olives and mint tea have been sold for several generations. She knows many of the local women who gather at the few surviving farnatchi ovens each morning with loaded trays of dough balanced on their heads ready for baking khobz flatbread. She leads us through a humble quarter, where crumbling adobe walls still stand (barely) as testament to the devastating earthquake that struck in 2023, to the house of her friend Fatima, an Amazigh (Berber) friend who prepares a huge plate of delicious vegetable couscous for us.

Later, when the subterranean fires have heated the steam rooms she guides my wife through the complexities of a session in the most authentic of the women’s hammam. The largest hammam have male and female sections but in humbler quarters the afternoons are typically for men while mornings are reserved for the women: “Sometimes they spend hours gently steaming,” Atika smiles. “It’s one of the few places where women can gather to gossip and joke … far removed from the ears of men.”

After leaving Atika, I wander more, enjoying getting lost. The never-ending street theatre of old Marrakech continues its parade across the stage of the street. Countless historic fondouk (caravanserais) remain, recognisable from the big gateways that would have been wide enough to drive loaded camels through. Some have been gentrified and turned into designer stores selling cedarwood furniture and ornate lamps. The most fascinating are in varying states of decay but with such an air of timelessness that you can still imagine Saharan salt trains being offloaded at the end of a long journey from Timbuktu.

While there are souks that appear a thousand times a day on Instagram, others you’ll find by searching them out, or more likely through being lost and drawing on all your senses. Place des Epices (the spice souks) has a scent all of its own, while the less well-known Souk Haddadine (the tinsmith souk) is best found by straining your ears for the rhythmic clatter of hammering. Souk Laghzal is just round the corner from the tour groups in the Spice Souk yet few outsiders ever find it. Those who do should spare a moment’s contemplation since this tiny square was once the slavery souk. These days it’s heaped with mountains of fascinating bric-a-brac and traditional remedies in the form of herbs, potions, dried reptiles and animal skins. There’s also a nameless restaurant here where Fatima – known to traders as “the mother of the souks” – serves the heartiest tajines to stallholders (for a fraction of the price charged in the bazaar thoroughfares).

You can use all the tricks in the book to learn your way around the medina: turn backwards frequently to register how the path will look on the return journey, but be sure to memorise landmarks and architectural quirks that will remain visible even when the stalls have closed. Souks that are vibrant during the day can become almost unrecognisable when the shutters are pulled down.

When the sun sets the medina is wrapped in a dark shawl. Lamps flicker to life and a smokescreen of barbecues billows across the Djemaa el-Fna. Musicians make a few tentative initial rolls on their drums and storytellers call out to gather crowds around them. The stage is set for a new chapter in Marrakech’s medina.

Intrepid’s Private Marrakech Medina, Palace & Tombs Discovery Tour costs from €69. Balloon rides with Ciel d’Afrique from 2,400 Moroccan dirham (€225)

NELLY Furtado has silenced body shamers in a curve-hugging strapless red gown, as she was honored with a Hall of Fame award.

The iconic singer, 47, has faced cruel comments about her figure since her return to the spotlight, but defied the haters to accept the coveted achievement.

Nelly looked stunning in her dress, as she was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2026 Juno Awards.

The stunning star oozed sex appeal in the incredible dress as she collected her gong.

The Grammy Award winning artist wore her brown locks tied back, and she accessorised with huge earrings.

Nelly beamed and threw her arms in the air as she walked on stage to be inducted into her native country’s Hall of Fame.

Addressing the audience, the thrilled star said: “Honestly, I’m just really proud to be Canadian. I live in Canada.

“I make my music in Canada.

“I work with Canadian musicians, songwriters, producers because I totally believe in the Canadian dream.

“Please believe it, too.”

It comes after Nelly revealed how she was retiring from performing, after 25 years in the spotlight.

Taking to Instagram last October, the Grammy winner made an emotional post expressing gratitude for her career but that she felt it was time for a change.

Addressing fans, Nelly said: “I have decided to step away from performance for the foreseeable future and pursue some other creative and personal endeavours that I feel would better suit this next phase of my life.

“I have enjoyed my career immensely, and I still love writing music as I have always seen it as a hobby I was lucky enough to make into a career.

“I’ll identify as a songwriter forever.”

Nelly shot to fame in 2000 with her debut album Whoa, Nelly!.

The record was a huge success and spawned the single I’m Like A Bird which went was played on radio stations around the world.

The star is also well known for her song Promiscuous as well as her collaboration with singer James Morrison on Broken Strings.

Another huge hit for Nelly was her chart topping song Maneater.

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — For decades, Democrats’ only chance of getting elected to Congress from the conservative state of Utah was by convincing voters that they were sensible moderates, not like the zealous progressives from California or Colorado.

But the political landscape has changed, thanks to a redistricting shakeup that created a deep blue district anchored by Salt Lake City. Suddenly, congressional candidates are trying to outflank each other on the left in an unusual race that could help determine whether Democrats take back control of the U.S. House in the midterms.

Exhibit A is Ben McAdams, a former congressman who once described himself as pro-life and voted against a federal minimum wage increase. As he mounts a comeback campaign in a much more Democratic district, he pledged his support for abortion rights and raising the minimum wage during a recent forum for young voters.

As primary opponents criticized McAdams as the most conservative among them, he insisted that he’s only “moderate in tone.”

It’s a far different approach than McAdams used in 2018, when he ousted a Republican incumbent in the midterms of President Donald Trump’s first term. While representing the southwest Salt Lake Valley and parts of deep-red Utah County in the former 4th district, he was considered the most conservative House Democrat during his single term by one analysis, before losing reelection to a Republican.

McAdams is now running in the new 1st district, including all of Salt Lake City and much of its suburbs, which emerged from a years-long legal battle over Utah’s congressional map.

Whoever wins the primary will likely win the November general election, and McAdams faces a half-dozen Democratic opponents.

“What makes me a strong candidate is the fact that I’ve actually delivered on a lot of things people are talking about,” McAdams told The Associated Press. “It’s easy to have a strongly worded tweet or talking points, but I can actually follow that up with accomplishments that are making life better.”

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin views Utah’s 1st district as a foothold in a red state that could not only help the party win the House this year but set it up for long-term success. He said the party is pouring more money into Utah than ever before — at least $22,500 a month — to build infrastructure ahead of the 2030 census, when the fast-growing state could gain House seats.

The recipe for success, Martin said, is a willingness to meet voters where they’re at and a platform that reflects “not just the majority of Democrats, but the majority of the people in the district.”

Unlike state Republicans, the Democrats are holding an open primary on June 23, meaning anyone in the district can vote, regardless of party affiliation. That could benefit a candidate like McAdams, who built a broad base during his previous campaign. But state party leaders have said they’re confident that registered Democrats have a strong enough majority to decide the primary.

Democrats have historically struggled to gain solid footing in Utah, where about half the population belongs to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the faith known widely as the Mormon church have always leaned Republican.

Even though the church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, the capital is one of the only places where Democrats hold local control and religion takes a back seat in politics.

Martin expects the youth vote will be key to winning in Utah and building longevity there. Utah is the youngest state, with a median age of about 32.

“This is a group that’s up for grabs,” he told the AP, noting that Democrats too often assume young voters are with them. He said that could mean Utah “is one of the biggest potential swing states in the country.”

Robert Axson, chairman of the Utah Republican Party, rejected that notion.

“Everything I am seeing shows the younger generation continuing to lead in the promotion of our conservative principles,” he said. “While we see the generational passing of the torch, there is not a political swing away from the values that make Utah a wonderful place to call home.”

Jockeying for the Gen Z vote

Several young voters who came to meet candidates on a Saturday morning in Taylorsville said they hoped to capitalize on the opportunity to elect a progressive.

Milo Hohmann, 22, of Holladay, said state Sen. Nate Blouin is the “firebrand” that Utah needs in Congress.

Perhaps the most vocal Democrat in the Republican-led state legislature, Blouin has racked up endorsements from some of the country’s most prominent progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Greg Casar and Maxwell Frost.

Blouin said he aims to energize an electorate that has grown accustomed to settling for someone who will “play nice” with Republicans.

He jabbed at McAdams’ voting record while defending himself against criticisms that he has never passed legislation. Blouin said he’s been effectively blacklisted by Republican legislative leaders, and at least two bills that he originally sponsored passed after they advanced under other lawmakers’ names.

“I don’t measure progress by how many times you can get pats on the back from Republicans,” he told the AP.

His stance resonated with Hohmann, a transportation engineer, who said Utah has “an electric moment” to elect a Democrat who won’t compromise their values.

Hannah Paisley Zoulek, 19, of Millcreek, said she’s leaning toward Blouin or his colleague in the state Senate, former teacher Kathleen Riebe. But she had a concern about Blouin.

“I struggle a bit with Senator Blouin’s emphasis on how hard he holds his own positions,” Zoulek said. “It’s great if you want to make a statement, but not necessarily if you want to do the work.”

Neither Hohmann nor Zoulek thought McAdams was the right fit for the new district given his more moderate past.

Ben Iverson, who will be voting for the first time this year, disagrees.

The 17-year-old from Cottonwood Heights considers himself very progressive and said he thinks McAdams is “a great option.” He noted that McAdams voted to impeach Trump in 2019, despite knowing it could cost him reelection.

“I don’t think left-wing voters want a moderate Democrat who will capitulate to the right,” Iverson said, adding that he thinks McAdams has successfully shed the moderate label.

Throughout his life, Iverson said McAdams has been a mainstay of local politics. He was Salt Lake County’s state senator, then its mayor, and represented much of the area in his previous congressional district.

“I’ve been in the trenches, rolling up my sleeves, saying not ‘How do we pass a bill that will never become law?’ but ‘How do we actually enact legislation that will make people’s lives better?’” McAdams said.

Schoenbaum writes for the Associated Press.

The Houthis in Yemen have launched their first attacks on Israel, opening a new front in the month-long regional war. Al Jazeera’s Virginia Pietromarchi explains why the move could raise new risks for oil shipping, and civilians in Yemen.

On the latest episode of The Chequered Flag Podcast, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill thinks that if Max Verstappen is not enjoying the sport any more following regulation changes then perhaps he needs to take a break.

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WATCH MORE: The Chequered Flag Podcast on BBC iPlayer

Israel’s Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir issued a stark warning to the country’s cabinet this week: unless urgent measures are taken, the Israeli army is on the brink of collapse.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 13 on Thursday, Zamir told ministers that he was “raising 10 red flags”, urging the government to move quickly on long-delayed legislation to alleviate the strain on its “exhausted” military.

The army has been overseeing what rights groups and the United Nations have determined is a genocide in Gaza, the de facto annexation of the occupied West Bank and numerous incursions into Lebanon and Syria.

Addressing ministers, Zamir stressed the need for a “conscription law, a reserve duty law, and a law to extend mandatory service”, adding that without these measures, “before long, the [Israeli military] will not be ready for its routine missions and the reserve system will not last”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since said that plans will be made to extend mandatory military service. However, this is not the first time the alarm has been raised that the military is straining under the pressure of repeated operations, which have seen it involved in the killings of tens of thousands of civilians across the Middle East.

The first came as early as June 2024, just eight months into the genocidal war on Gaza, when France24 reported on shortfalls in troop numbers, exhaustion and a lack of supplies.

That situation has only worsened since.

So, how large was the army before October 2023, how active has it been and how has the current era of unprecedented regional aggression sapped the military’s reserves? Here is what we know.

How suited is the Israeli army to its country’s forever wars?

Not very.

Launched in 1948, the idea of an Israeli military made up of a relatively small standing army backed by a large reserve corps of mobilised citizenry was the plan from the outset in order to instil a narrative of social cohesion, national identity and shared responsibility within the new country’s populace. Reservists would move between civilian life and military service to achieve this.

Before the war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, Israel’s standing army numbered just 100,000. This was immediately bolstered by calling up 300,000 reservists, pulling Israel’s “citizen soldiers” from their jobs and families to take part in the bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza in response to the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel.

Ultimately, this means that the majority of troops serving are reservists rather than career soldiers.

Where are Israeli troops now?

On March 1, the day after US-Israeli strikes on Iran began, Israel announced the mobilisation of another 100,000 reserve soldiers.

That was in addition to 50,000 reservists currently on duty as a result of the Gaza war.

At the time, military sources said the additional troops would bolster existing positions along the border with Lebanon, its frontier and occupied positions within Syria, as well as in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

Additionally, Israel’s Home Front Command called up 20,000 reservists, primarily for search and rescue operations, with reinforcements also deployed to the Israeli Air Force, Navy and Intelligence Directorate.

Israel has since deployed “thousands” of those troops to take part in its invasion of southern Lebanon, which it resumed in response to rocket fire from Iranian ally Hezbollah on March 3.

Addressing the same security cabinet meeting as Zamir, Central Command chief Major General Avi Bluth told ministers that government policies in the occupied West Bank were also placing increasing pressure on the military’s already stretched manpower.

According to the report, Bluth told ministers that over the past year, the government has approved the construction of multiple illegal settlements in the Jordan Valley and elsewhere in the West Bank as part of a wider operation characterised by rights groups and more than 20 countries as Israel’s “effective annexation” of the occupied Palestinian territory.

Bluth added: “This is your policy, but it requires security and a full protection package, because the reality on the ground has completely changed – and that requires manpower.”

Are Israeli troops exhausted?

According to many of the army’s own members, particularly reservists, they are.

Speaking to the Ynet News outlet, which is typically supportive of Netanyahu and his ruling Likud party, one reservist told the newspaper in December of his decision not to report for duty.

“We have battles to fight at home,” he said, explaining his decision. “There are guys on the team who were fired from their jobs, others whose families are barely staying afloat, or who have been dragging out their studies for a very long time. This is a problem, a complexity that is hard to describe.”

Resentment of the apparent exemption offered to members of Israel’s ultra-religious Haredim community, whose refusal to enlist for service is often overlooked by politicians, is also growing, Israeli media reports.

Responding to Zamir’s comments to the security cabinet, Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, took to Twitter to address the government directly.

“The government must stop the cowardice, immediately halt all budgets to the Haredi draft dodgers,” he said of the extensive social benefits many in Israel’s ultra religious community rely upon. “Send the military police after the deserters, draft the Haredim without hesitation,” he said.

“The warning has been given. It’s on your heads. It’s in your hands. You cannot continue to abandon Israel’s security, in wartime, for petty politics.”

The simple answer is that the top management of Aston Martin and Audi have felt things were not working at various junctures and decided to act.

As far as Audi is concerned, it was clear some time ago that not enough investment was being put into Sauber early enough for the team to be in good shape when Audi officially entered F1 in 2026.

Andreas Seidl, the first chief executive officer, had been concerned about that for a while, and there was a bit of a power struggle between him and Oliver Hoffmann, the chairman of the boards of all Sauber companies, through 2023 and 2024.

It was expected one would win out. In the end, Audi decided to remove them both, and appoint Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley in a dual leadership role, Binotto as chief operating and technical officer and Wheatley as team principal.

Many in F1 raised their eyebrows at that – dual leaderships rarely work. Add in that at Audi there was another senior figure, in chief executive officer Adam Baker, and many felt the leadership of Audi looked unwieldy.

So it was not a massive surprise when that structure was streamlined, with Baker removed, and Binotto made head of the Audi F1 project under Audi CEO Gernot Dollner.

That was supposed to be that. Binotto was in overall charge, Wheatley ran the race team.

But when Wheatley decided that he wanted to come back to the UK, his talks with Aston Martin leaked, and he and Audi agreed to split with immediate effect.

As for Aston Martin, Lawrence Stroll is an ambitious man, he wants success, and he has invested a lot of money in it.

So it’s hardly a surprise that, when he feels things are not working, he takes action.

All the changes he has made have seemed logical on one level or another. There was clearly a problem with car design – after they made a big leap forward in 2023 under new technical director Dan Fallows, the team failed to develop the car effectively in season. They started 2024 less competitively and fell backwards again.

At the same time, Stroll was recruiting Newey. Why wouldn’t he, given he was available having left Red Bull? And with Newey on board, and the team stumbling under Fallows, it’s hardly a surprise Fallows would be considered surplus to requirements.

Same with the leadership. Mike Krack became team principal but the team was not moving in a convincing direction. Hence Stroll looked for change. Andy Cowell is highly regarded; his recruitment made sense.

Stroll would not have expected a clash between Cowell and Newey, but he got one, so another change was made.

Each change is understandable in isolation. But success in F1 is founded on stability not disruption and there has been little evidence of that at either team for the past two or three years.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland’s Kristoffer Velde scored in the 13th minute and Timbers defender Kamal Miller picked up a red card seven minutes later, but James Pantemis surrendered only a João Klauss goal to help them hold on for a 1-1 draw with the Galaxy on Sunday.

Velde scored for the second time this season to give Portland (1-3-1) a 1-0 lead early. But things became difficult from the 20th minute on when Miller received his card for a foul on Klauss.

Antony Alves Santos notched his first assist this season on the score and Joao Ortiz picked up his second.

Klauss came up with the equalizer in the 30th minute with assists from Marco Reus and Gabriel Pec. It was the fifth goal for Klauss, who has certainly helped ease the loss of superstar Riqui Puig for a second straight season because of injuries. Klauss spent his first three seasons with St. Louis City, where he scored 25 goals in 79 appearances.

Reus earned his first assist this season after posting a career-best nine last year. Pec’s helper was his third to begin the season.

Pantemis totaled six saves for the Timbers, including four in the first half.

JT Marcinkowski stopped two shots in his first start of the season for the Galaxy (1-2-2).

The Galaxy lead the series 14-12-11, but are 5-10-11 in Portland. The two clubs played to a 1-1 draw in Portland last season before the Timbers posted a 4-2 victory on the road.

DESPITE winning dream roles, Anya Taylor-Joy admits her real wish is to retreat from Hollywood and live on a farm.

The 29-year-old is one of the world’s best-known actresses but has spent years feeling nervous on the red carpet, struggled to watch her award-winning performances and now wants calm.

She voices love interest Princess Peach in the new Super Mario Galaxy movie, which is released on April 1.

But Anya described her ideal life as “on a farm”.

She said: “I want goats, chickens, ducks, horses — all of it. I want to work, come into the city when I want to, then disappear and ride all day.”

The film is the follow-up to 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed more than £1billion worldwide.

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Princess Peach is the main female character and head of state of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Anya said: “I was so touched by how strong she is and how cool. The fact that’s going to be a role model kids can have nowadays is unbelievable. I left feeling very inspired by her.”

Anya knows all too well that life can be difficult as a child.

She was born in Florida, then lived in Argentina for five years where she rode horses in the idyllic countryside.

Her African-Spanish mum, a psychologist, and Scottish-Argentine dad, who raced powerboats, then moved the family to London when she was six — and things became dramatically different.

Anya was bullied, “locked in lockers, barred from classrooms, not invited to things” and did not speak English.

Watching films helped her navigate through the traumas.

She told the Happy Sad Confused podcast: “I’ve never been good at being cool, this is why I didn’t get along well with people in school.

“If I like something, I love it and it just pours out of me.

“But if I was sad, like if my hamster died, my parents could put me in front of a movie and I would feel better at the end of it.

“I could get lost in something like that.”

It was her love of movies that eventually helped her learn English.

She says: “I learned English when I was eight. I stuck it out for two years in London, refusing to speak English because I wanted to go home. Then eventually I was like, ‘I have no friends, this is going to be a needed skill’.”

Anya told her parents she was going to be an actress.

But first, after being “picked up” outside Harrods, she became a model at 16.

She was recruited by Sarah Doukas, boss of Storm model agency, who had discovered Kate Moss.

But at first Anya thought she was a stalker.

She said: “It was absurd. A black car comes up, starts chasing me. I pick up my dog, start running and a head comes out of the window and they say, ‘If you stop, you won’t regret it,’ and I stop.

“It was the head of a modelling agency. I don’t encourage other people to do this.

“I had no idea what I was doing, but luckily it worked out and my parents came with me the next day to the modelling agency.”

Her parents always supported her. Anya said: “They’d had six kids, so were like, ‘Oh, just do whatever you’re going to do’.

“I’m so grateful for the approach my parents have had because I did some pretty ballsy things in my teenage years and luckily they paid off, but they were always supportive.”

She did many auditions before getting her breakthrough role at 19 in film The Witch.

Anya said: “I thought that audition went so badly. I truly thought I had messed that up massively because I had a huge panic attack before I went into it, and luckily that really worked for the scene.”

It was then that Anya found where she truly belonged.

She said: “Going into work every single day felt like such a joy.

“I could breathe because I’d found a place where I was doing something I loved, with people who didn’t think I was a psychopath. And I could have fun with it. I loved every second of making that movie.”

She found it “mind blowing” that The Witch was a hit and forced herself to watch the performance.

Anya said: “It’s like getting hit by a bus. I personally don’t agree with not watching your films, it’s not all about you. It’s a whole bunch of other people who have done a lot of work and different departments that you have to go and support, because they deserve it and you love them. So I have to watch it.

“But the first time, I always feel I’ve let people down and I’m always like, ‘Oh, I messed it up’.

“Then I process it and the second time I watch it, it’s slightly more palatable and I’m able to lose myself a bit more.

“By the third time I’m just like, ‘OK, whatever’. You just have to get over yourself and applaud the people you care about that worked with you.”

Anya became a household name in 2020 after starring in Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, which led to a Golden Globe for Best Actress.

She went on to roles in horror film Last Night In Soho, black comedy The Menu and the apocalyptic film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Anya said she works “very hard, very gratefully hard” because she feels lucky to do a job she feels passionate about.

But it is not always easy. Despite her modelling background, Anya struggles with the limelight.

She said: “When I first started doing red carpets, I couldn’t handle the notion of being pretty.

“I was like, ‘I don’t do that’. I am a scummy, mud-caked ferret and striving for anything different felt disingenuous and scary.”

She has even been known to dress up “like an East Berlin spy” at times so nobody recognises her.

Now she is trying to make time for some balance in her life.

She said: “I’ve been living on film sets for five years and, occasionally, I think it would be nice to find out what Anya would do with three months if she wasn’t playing another person.

“So I’m trying to be more careful with my time there.

“You spend 18 hours a day thinking, behaving and breathing as another human being. That doesn’t leave a lot of time to figure out what it is that you like.”

And the person she wants to spend it with is her husband, US musician Malcolm McRae, who she married in 2021.

The couple split their time between homes in the Hollywood Hills and London.

She said: “I’ve finally found someone who will happily sit in silence with me, reading. We’re basically 80 years old and seven at the same time, and it works really well.

“When you are together, you are really valuing the time you have. Everyday, mundane activities are so full of joy.

“I love going to the petrol station with him and filling up the car and going to get breakfast.”

But right now, her focus is all on Princess Peach.

Anya told US Today: “She wants to find out where she comes from and is on a quest for adventure and prioritising herself a little bit more.”

Princess Peach sounds very much like the actress playing her.

England’s World Cup-winning captain Zoe Stratford has announced she is pregnant with her first child.

Announcing the news on Instagram the 29-year-old said the baby is due in September.

“We are so incredibly grateful and excited,” added Stratford.

The news comes seven months after she led the Red Roses to a World Cup triumph on home soil.

Stratford’s news will rule her out of the Women’s Six Nations, where England will open their campaign against Ireland at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Saturday, 11 April.

England are yet to confirm who will lead the side in the 2026 campaign, but Marlie Packer and Meg Jones were vice-captains during the World Cup, with Alex Matthews taking the skipper’s armband for their pool match against Australia.

Red Roses head coach John Mitchell will name his Six Nations squad on Friday.

Stratford was named World Player of the Year in 2021 and has also co-captained her club Gloucester-Hartpury to three back-to-back Premiership Women’s Rugby titles.

Since the World Cup success, she has also opened a coffee shop with England and Gloucester team-mate Natasha Hunt.

Stratford becomes the third England women’s player to announce they are expecting this year, following Bristol duo Lark Atkin-Davies and Abbie Ward.

Hollywood’s biggest night is here, along with the biggest red carpet of awards season.

Not only is it massive in size — it takes about 2,400 hours and more than 400 workers to assemble the 25,000-square-foot red carpet, measuring 900 feet long and 60 feet wide — but enormous in influence. It boasts the most memorable, stylish and extravagant fashion in entertainment history. In fact, stars have been taking cues from Hollywood history at precursor awards shows. Old Hollywood glamour dominated January’s Golden Globes. And the Actor Awards, held two weeks ago, were themed “Reimagining Hollywood Glamour from the ‘20s and ‘30s.” So the Oscars red carpet may also pay homage to La La Land.

Lead and supporting actress nominees Jessie Buckley, Kate Hudson, Emma Stone, Elle Fanning, Wunmi Mosaku and Teyana Taylor have already won in the style department and are sure to impress yet again. All eyes will also be on dapper actors Michael B. Jordan, Timothee Chalamet, Delroy Lindo and Jacob Elordi.

Here’s the best fashion from the 2026 Oscars, captured from every angle by The Times’ photo team. After the carpet wraps, the 98th Academy Awards will air live from the Dolby Theatre on ABC starting at 4 p.m.

READ MORE: Winners list | Full coverage

Ji-young Yoo

Ji-young Yoo, who voices Zoey in “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” is pretty in purple.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Kevin Grandalski and Marlee Matlin

Marlee Matlin and husband Kevin Grandalski, a retired Burbank police officer, arrive on the red carpet. Matlin won the lead actress Oscar in 1987 for her debut film, “Children of a Lesser God.”

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Mario Lopez

Mario Lopez arrives on the red carpet. The actor’s talk show “Access Hollywood” was abruptly canceled on Friday after nearly 30 years.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Nadim Cheikhrouha

French Tunisian film producer Nadim Cheikhrouha wears an Artists4Ceasefire pin, designed by Shepard Fairey. The collective of actors and filmmakers is advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Ken Jeong

“The Masked Singer” host Ken Jeong is all smiles.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Islamabad hits Kandahar facility after Taliban drones strike civilian areas and military sites as conflict intensifies.

Pakistan has carried out strikes on an Afghan military facility in Kandahar after Taliban drones targeted civilian areas and military installations across the country.

The strikes on Saturday came after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the overnight drone attacks, warning Kabul it had “crossed a red line by attempting to target our civilians”.

Pakistan’s military said the drones, described as locally produced and rudimentary, were intercepted before reaching their targets, though falling debris wounded two children in Quetta and civilians in Kohat and Rawalpindi.

A security source told the AFP news agency that airspace around the capital, Islamabad, had been temporarily closed when the drones were detected.

Islamabad said the Kandahar facility had been used both to launch the drone attacks and as a base for cross-border rebel activity.

The exchange marks the sharpest single escalation yet in a conflict that has been building since late February, when Pakistan launched military operations against what it said were Pakistan Taliban fighters sheltering on Afghan soil.

Islamabad also accuses Kabul of harbouring fighters from the ISIL (ISIS) group’s Khorasan province affiliate.

The Taliban government has denied both charges.

The drone attacks followed Pakistani strikes on Kabul and eastern border provinces in Afghanistan overnight on Thursday into Friday. The Pakistani attacks killed four people in the capital, women and children among them, and two more in the east.

In the Pul-e-Charkhi neighbourhood of Kabul, one resident described being buried under rubble after his home was hit, saying he lay there believing it was his “last breath” before neighbours pulled him free.

A local representative told AFP that those killed were “ordinary people, poor people” with no involvement in the conflict.

Pakistani aircraft also struck a fuel depot belonging to the private airline Kam Air near Kandahar airport, which an airport official said supplied aid organisations, including the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The official added that there were “no military installations” at the site.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence claimed that its forces had captured a Pakistani border post and killed 14 soldiers.

Islamabad dismissed the assertion as baseless, with the prime minister’s spokesman accusing the Taliban of “weaving fantasies” rather than dismantling rebel networks on Afghan territory.

The UN mission in Afghanistan says at least 75 civilians have been killed and 193 injured since hostilities intensified on February 26, a toll that includes 24 children.

According to the UN refugee agency, about 115,000 people have been forced from their homes.

The crisis is unfolding as the wider region remains engulfed by the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began just two days after the Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes escalated.

Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi has urged both sides to pursue dialogue, warning that further force would only deepen the crisis, though his appeal came as Pakistani jets were already in the air over Kandahar.

ISLA Fisher shows she’s a match for any red carpet. 

The Australian star, 50, beamed in a crimson dress at the Time Women of the Year Gala.  

Actress Lucy Liu and Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor were honoured at the LA bash. 

In 2024, Isla split from Sacha Baron Cohen after more than 20 years. 

Isla has revealed she feels like a new woman and is ready to embrace life following her divorce from Baron Cohen. 

Commenting on her split, Now You See Me star Isla, 49, said: “I’m not going to lie, it’s been a really challenging time. 

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“I definitely feel like there’s something about the divorce club that anyone in it understands in a way other people don’t.  

“It’s a different grief. 

“I feel like creating a new identity after your divorce is so fun, though.  

“You get to reflect on your values and goals, explore new interests, focus on what you want and rebuild your sense of self.” 

Isla made her comments in an interview for New Beauty magazine, for which she also posed in a series of outfits. 

MAURA Higgins continued her American takeover as she ditched her underwear for a daring red carpet look.

The former Love Island star, 33, turned heads in a stunning plunging cut-out gown, posing for cameras at a swanky fashion bash.

The TV star posed alongside model Brooks Nader and TikTok star Dixie D’Amelio in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Maura looked every inch the Hollywood star as she arrived at Vanity Fair’s The 2026 Vanities Party: A Night For Young Hollywood.

The Irish beauty flashed plenty of skin in the bold, black velvet and mesh Black Swan-inspired ensemble.

Maura was spotted at the event with Sports Illustrated model Brooks, 28, and social media sensation Dixie, 22.

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Maura Higgins turns heads as she steps out in her BRA with oversized coat

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The trio mingled with guests at the star-studded bash.

It’s just the latest in a string of swanky events where the Irish former Love Island star has been making serious waves Stateside. 

Maura is currently starring in The Traitors US alongside Lisa Rinna, best known for The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills. 

Last week millions of viewers watched the Love Island 2019 contestant make it to the final as a Faithful before the grand finale next week. 

The show may not have aired in the UK yet, but Maura’s sharp sense of humour has already made her a fan favourite in the States.

It was that same quick wit that made her hugely popular on Love Island, before she won over viewers again during her stint on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

After filming wrapped on the US series at Ardross Castle in Scotland last June, Maura walked away feeling confident she had smashed it, according to pals. 

Traitors US began on January 8 and attracted 638 million viewing minutes which proved a streaming record for the show, now on its fourth series. 

Viewers have noted the chemistry between Maura and 27-year-old Love Island USA star Rob Rausch.

Maura was asked about their relationship when she appeared on US talk show Watch What Happens Live recently.

Host Andy Cohen told her: “The internet wants you and Rob to get together.” 

Rob certainly showed his appreciation for the Irish star by gifting her a £17,000 Hermès Birkin bag.

A credit to her rising popularity, Maura has now signed up with top-tier agency Align PR, whose clients include Madonna and Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Bryce Dallas Howard. 

In March last year, the star revealed that she had been invited to lunch with Margot ­Robbie.

The actress is a huge Love Island fan and previously described Maura as one of her favourite contestants.

Maura wrote on Instagram: “When Margot Robbie invites you to lunch . . . you go.” 

Meanwhile back home, the Love Island favourite has also just bagged a six-figure deal with Victoria’s Secret.