onsdag 18 mars 2026
Latest news
Russian invasion Russian reactions
Putin's advisor: Shadow fleet may receive escort
Russia is considering giving oil tankers from the so-called shadow fleet an escort by warships. The cargo ships may also receive armed security personnel. This was stated by Vladimir Putin's advisor Nikolai Patrushev in an interview with the newspaper Kommersant on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.
- If new threats at sea from European countries arise, further measures will be taken, he says.
The statements come after the Swedish Coast Guard boarded two ships suspected of being falsely flagged and part of the shadow fleet in March.
Middle East crisis Reactions
Toilet blockage and declining morale on US warships
The largest US aircraft carrier, the Gerald R Ford, is to undergo repairs on the Greek island of Crete, several media outlets report.
Recently, a fire broke out on the giant ship, destroying hundreds of berths. Several crew members suffered minor injuries after inhaling smoke. The fact that the fire started in the laundry has further complicated life, writes the New York Times. Now many are unable to wash their clothes.
The fire is described as the latest in many problems that have contributed to declining morale on board. NPR has reported that the toilets often break down. The ship is in its tenth month at sea, and Democratic politicians in the United States have criticized Donald Trump for pushing both the ship and the crew to the breaking point.
About 4,000 people serve on the Gerald R Ford.
Trump's USA Iran War
US intelligence: Iran did not build nuclear weapons
Iran was not rebuilding its nuclear energy capacity after the US bombings in June 2025. This is shown by new intelligence from the United States according to AFP. The claim that Iran was on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons was President Donald Trump's main argument to justify the ongoing attack on the country.
US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard was questioned about the new information in the Senate on Wednesday.
"There has been no attempt to rebuild Iran's ability to enrich uranium," she said.
Democrat Jon Ossoff pressed Gabbard on whether Iran posed an "urgent threat" as Trump claimed, but she refused to answer, referring to the assessment that can only be made by the president himself, according to NBC.
More infected with infectious meningitis
Can be confused with hangover
Linnea Blomberg
Two students have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, UK.
Several have become seriously ill – and now the number of victims is increasing.
At the same time, authorities are warning that symptoms can be confused with a hangover.
The number of cases of meningitis linked to the outbreak in Kent, UK has increased to 20, the country's health protection authority says. This is an increase from a previous 15 cases.
As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, nine of the cases were laboratory confirmed, while a further eleven are still being investigated.
Most of those infected are young adults, and several cases can be linked to an event at a nightclub. People who visited the nightclub between March 5 and 7 are now being urged to take antibiotics as a precaution.
Two students have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, UK.
1 / 2Photo: Carl Court / Getty Images
Over 2,500 doses
The authority states that it is working closely with the nightclub and other actors, including the University of Kent, to limit the spread of the infection.
So far, more than 2,500 doses of antibiotics have been distributed. At the same time, a targeted vaccination program for students is being launched. The situation is described as changing and it is estimated that more cases may be added.
Two people have died in connection with the outbreak. One was a student at the University of Kent. The other was a high school student at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in nearby Faversham.
Symptoms can be mistaken for hangover
Common symptoms of meningitis can include fever, headache, rapid breathing, fatigue, chills, vomiting and cold hands and feet.
However, early symptoms can easily be confused with, for example, a cold, flu – or a hangover. According to the authority, this means that students are at particular risk of missing the first warning signs.
TOP NEWS
The future of the EU
Merz's silence is pointed out as a sign of EU frustration
Is bad weather in store between Germany and Spain when EU leaders meet for a summit in Brussels on Thursday? Earlier this month, Chancellor Friedrich Merz sat quietly by Donald Trump's side as the US president "threw verbal darts" at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government, writes Bloomberg.
That Merz made no attempt to defend Spain is one of many signs of how the German leader has abandoned EU loyalty, writes the news agency. Since Merz took office last year, he has become increasingly frustrated with the EU's sluggish bureaucracy, which he believes is holding Germany back, according to the news agency.
- When it comes to crucial issues such as Greenland or the war with Iran, Merz is still prepared to hold Europe together, but on issues such as bureaucracy and cumbersome rules, he is ready to put pressure on Brussels to ensure that the German economy does well, says Sudha David-Wilp at the German Marshall Fund think tank.
China-Taiwan relations
China is trying to lure Taiwan with energy supplies
China is offering Taiwan help with energy supplies in exchange for the country allowing itself to be governed from Beijing, Reuters reports. A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry says that "peaceful reunification" would give Taiwan better protection when it comes to energy supplies.
A significant part of Taiwan's liquefied natural gas is imported from Qatar, transports that have been severely affected by the Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Taiwan does not import any energy from China but receives significant assistance from the United States.
Taiwan has not commented on China's offer. The statement is part of China's attempt to make Taiwan Chinese, something the island has long opposed.
Pakistan-Afghanistan relations
Afghanistan promises revenge: "You will notice"
Afghanistan will avenge the Pakistani airstrike that killed hundreds of people at a treatment center in Kabul, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said according to AFP.
At a mass funeral in the capital on Monday, Haqqani expressed anger at those behind the attack.
“You will see the consequences of your crimes,” he said.
The Taliban regime says at least 400 people were killed and more than 200 injured. The human rights organization NRC says “hundreds” were killed and according to the UN, at least 143 people were killed.
Pakistan denies Afghanistan’s accusations that it deliberately targeted the treatment center.
Meningitis outbreak
Starmer urges young people from the club to seek medical attention
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is urging people who visited a nightclub in Canterbury in early March to come forward so that the large outbreak of meningitis can be stopped. This is reported by AFP.
The call to seek medical attention comes after two young people died and the number of cases of the disease increased from 15 to 20 in the past 24 hours. All cases are linked to club visits that took place on March 5-7.
It is unclear exactly what caused the infection to spread at the club. A mother has told the tabloid The Sun that her daughter became ill after sharing an e-cigarette, something that authorities advise against, but there is currently no confirmed connection.
Authorities are now trying to trace those infected while vaccination efforts for students are being launched. Britain has had a meningitis vaccination program for a decade, but students are too old to have taken part in it.
Fear of disease spreads among students in Kent
After an outbreak of meningitis at a university in Kent, UK, that killed two people, students are reporting concerns and fear. The Guardian reports.
“Many of my roommates have already left here. Their parents picked them up at 1am,” says 22-year-old Aram, who received an urgent warning from the university that he may have come into contact with the infection.
Sofia Malanga says that posts and videos on social media are exacerbating fear among students. The posts “exaggerate certain things” and show people in white protective suits walking around the campus, she says.
“There’s a lot that is being spread that makes it even scarier. The videos are terrifying.
Meningitis spreads in Kent, UK – young people queue for antibiotics
Hundreds of students queued on Tuesday morning to get antibiotics at the University of Kent in the UK, reports Sky News.
The cause is a large outbreak of bacterial meningitis that has mainly affected young people and students in the area. Two people have died and about ten are being treated in hospital with severe symptoms.
Around 1,300 doses were distributed at the university yesterday. Reporter Sadiya Chowdhury testifies to a “covid-like” atmosphere, many are wearing masks and keeping their distance.
Doctor Gayatri Amirthalingam has emphasized in interviews that the disease does not spread easily.
– It usually requires very close and prolonged contact, or intimate contact such as kissing.
The outbreak is linked to a nightclub and authorities have urged everyone who visited the club on March 5-7 to seek medical attention.
Juliette, 18, dies in meningitis outbreak
Two young people have died in an outbreak of meningitis in Kent, UK, British media reports. One of them was 18-year-old Juliette Kenny. Her family is “devastated and at a loss for words to express their loss,” her father said in a written statement.
About a dozen people are being treated in hospital and hundreds have been given preventive antibiotics.
The outbreak is linked to a nightclub in Canterbury and has particularly affected students. Anyone who visited the club between March 5-7 has been urged to seek medical attention.
On Tuesday, authorities confirmed that the cases identified were caused by meningococcal type B.
Prenumerera på:
Kommentarer (Atom)