Latest news

 

Situation in Iran
Khamenei speaks out again – but does not appear

Iran’s new leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a written statement on the occasion of the Persian New Year Nowruz, state Iranian media reports according to Reuters.

Among other things, he designates the new year as the “year of the resilient economy” and calls for improved relations with neighboring countries. He also claims that Iran is not behind the attacks on Turkey and Oman.

The fact that Khamenei has not appeared during the war has given rise to a lot of speculation about whether he is alive, and if so, what condition he is in. Iran’s ambassador to Cyprus has confirmed to The Guardian that the new leader was injured in the attack that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.  

Iran War
Trump: Considering Escalating War – Other Countries May Protect Hormuz

The US is considering escalating the Iran War because they are “very close” to achieving their goals, Donald Trump writes on Truth Social.

“The Strait of Hormuz may be guarded and patrolled by other countries that use it if necessary – the US does not!” he continues.

He adds that the US will help with this effort if asked, but that it “will not be necessary” once the Iranian threat is averted.

Earlier in the day, the president said that the US needs “a lot of help” to open the Strait of Hormuz, after previously saying that they do not need any help at all.

A number of countries – including Sweden – published a joint statement on Friday that they are ready to take “appropriate measures” for safe shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The measures in question are not specified. 

Trump's USA  The conflict with universities
Trump administration sues Harvard – again

The US Department of Justice is suing the top university Harvard, which it accuses of having allowed anti-Semitism on campus, reports the AP.

The goal is to "recover billions of taxpayer dollars distributed to a discriminatory institution," the lawsuit says.

In a statement, Harvard calls the lawsuit a pretext for the administration to take control of the school.

The Trump administration has taken action against a number of top universities, which it accuses of conducting left-leaning education. The dispute with Harvard has been going on for months. Last month, the Department of Justice sued the school, then with allegations that they illegally took ethnic background into account in applications.

Climate Threat  Global Challenges
Ski Lift Removed from Melting German Glacier

Germany's largest glacier, the Schneeferner, located on the country's highest mountain, the Zugspitze, on the Austrian border, has melted to the point that a ski lift that was over 50 years old is now being dismantled. This is reported by AFP.

- The glaciers in Bavaria will inevitably melt away because they can no longer survive climate change, says glaciologist and study author Christoph Mayer of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

His colleague, geologist Wilfried Hagg, states that there is "absolutely zero chance" of saving any of the German glaciers.

New figures released this week show that glaciers in the Bavarian Alps shrank by more than a quarter between 2023 and 2025 alone. Around one million cubic meters of ice melted away during the period.