• Key Indian States Hold Elections
  • Middle East War: The Latest Updates
  • New Delhi Withdraws Bid for COP33
  • Netanyahu Authorizes Direct Talks With Lebanon
  • Air India CEO Steps Down
European leaders urge negotiated settlement as Iran closes Strait of Hormuz

LONDON (AP) – European leaders remained on the sidelines of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran on Thursday but tried to make their voices heard to help shore up a shaky ceasefire, quell fighting in Lebanon and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The war has put Europe in an uneasy position trying to maintain its support for the U.S. as a key NATO ally.

Punjab and Kolkata rained out in Indian Premier League

KOLKATA, India (AP) – Punjab Kings reclaimed top position in the Indian Premier League after a rainout against Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.

US economy grew a sluggish 0.5% in fourth quarter, downgrading previous estimate

WASHINGTON (AP) – The American economy, slowed by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, grew at a sluggish 0.5% annual pace from October through December, the Commerce Department reported Thursday in downgrade of its previous estimate.

Politics
Key inflation gauge remains elevated in February before Iran war

WASHINGTON (AP) – A key measure of inflation stayed high in February, before the war in Iran spiked gas prices, a sign that everyday costs were elevated even before the conflict began. An inflation gauge monitored by the Federal Reserve rose 0.4% in February from January, up slightly from the previous month.

Politics
Paramount president Jeff Shell stepping down amid legal battle

NEW YORK (AP) – Longtime media executive Jeff Shell is leaving Paramount, in a move that arrives amid a messy legal battle and the Skydance-owned company’s ongoing efforts to take over Hollywood rival Warner Bros. Discovery.

Politics
US economy grew a sluggish 0.5% in fourth quarter, downgrading previous estimate

WASHINGTON (AP) – The American economy, slowed by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, grew at a sluggish 0.5% annual pace from October through December, the Commerce Department reported Thursday in downgrade of its previous estimate.

Politics
Middle East War: The Latest Updates

A tentative U.S.-Iran ceasefire is faltering after Israel pounded Beirut and as Iran maintains its grip on the Strait of Hormuz while truce talks remain uncertain. Both Tehran and Washington are claiming victory and exerting pressure.

Politics
Netanyahu authorizes direct talks with Lebanon in boost to ceasefire efforts

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbors.

Politics
Russia's internet crackdown leads to a spring of growing discontent

Several dozen people lined up outside a presidential administration building on a sunny spring weekend in central Moscow as police stood nearby and watched them closely. The people were lodging complaints about the government’s intensifying crackdown on the internet that has seen regular shutdowns of cellphone internet connections.

ROME (AP) – Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization was “truly unacceptable” and said any attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law. Leo urged Americans and other people of good will to contact their political leaders to demand they reject war and work for peace.