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Donald Trump's Iran war has ended in a humiliating defeat, with the US president now being held hostage by the very country he sought to dominate. Despite his initial boasts of a "short-term excursion", Trump's military adventure has failed to achieve any of its stated objectives, including regime change and access to oil wealth. The Iranian military has successfully asserted its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global oil shipments, and has demonstrated its capacity to wreak havoc on the Gulf states. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has forecast a spike in inflation to 4.2% in the US, a 40% increase since Trump returned to office, and the stock market has dived into correction territory. Trump's attempts to justify his blunder and extricate himself from its dire consequences have been met with skepticism. His denial of any wrongdoing is too vehement to be convincing, and his calls for NATO countries to rescue him while insulting them as "cowards" have fallen flat. Iran has leveraged its control of the Strait of Hormuz to secure concessions from Trump, including the lifting of oil sanctions and safe passage for eight oil tankers. The Iranian government has rejected Trump's latest offer of negotiations "until complete victory", and Trump's threats of "obliteration" have been met with defiance. The Trump administration's decision-making process has been marred by ignorance, incompetence, and self-interest. Trump's advisors, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have been accused of lacking expertise and misunderstanding key technical realities, leading to a series of catastrophic mistakes. In the end, Trump's Iran war has been a classic example of a conflict launched willfully through ignorance and sheer stupidity, with devastating consequences for the US economy and global stability.

The US-Iran conflict, now in its fifth week, has escalated into a war of attrition with no clear strategy or end in sight. The US continues to hit Iranian targets while building up forces in the region, while Iran launches missile and drone attacks on Israel and neighboring Gulf states.The conflict has significant economic implications, with Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz causing oil prices to surge and disrupting global supply chains. The pain is likely to get worse, with shortages already felt across the world, from Asian factories to European diesel markets.The war should never have been started, with the threat not imminent, objectives unclear, and justification falling apart under scrutiny. Responsibility rests with Donald Trump and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. The delusion that force can impose a more compliant regime in Tehran has predictably given rise to a conflict that sustains itself.The only plausible exit is negotiation without preconditions. However, Mr. Trump mixes threats of escalation and claims that negotiations are progressing, with little evidence of a meaningful diplomatic track. The conflict cannot be separated from Gaza, where Mr. Netanyahu is gambling that war with Iran will restore his standing.If US ground forces are committed, the dynamic shifts, and American casualties will harden resolve among those who backed the intervention, making withdrawal politically harder. World powers can shift the incentives away from a US ground war by working together to insulate themselves from economic pain and coordinate diplomatic messaging.

Dua Lipa, the Brit award-winning pop star, has been announced as the curator of this year's London literature festival at the Southbank Centre. The festival, now in its 19th year, will run from October 21 to November 1.Lipa will shape the programme of events across the opening weekend and beyond in collaboration with her Service95 book club, which she launched in 2023. This initiative is part of the Southbank Centre's 75th anniversary programme and during the UK's National Year of Reading.Lipa has established herself as a prominent advocate for reading through her book club, where she spotlights established writers and emerging voices. She has interviewed notable authors such as Margaret Atwood, George Saunders, and Olga Tokarczuk.“Reading has anchored me through every chapter of my life,” Lipa said. “Curating the Southbank Centre’s London literature festival is a dream come true. I’m thrilled to indulge one of my greatest obsessions: books and the brilliant minds behind them.”Mark Ball, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, praised Lipa's passion for literature, stating, “Dua Lipa is a global cultural force with millions of fans around the world, and her passion for the written and spoken word has inspired a new generation of readers.”The 2026 edition will feature a mix of ticketed and free events, highlighting both Lipa's favourite writers and new literary voices. The full programme is expected to be announced over the summer.

Aarti Holla-Maini, a British lawyer with a background in the satellite business, is the director of the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa). She is responsible for alerting the UN secretary general if a large asteroid is on a possible collision course with Earth.On 27 December 2024, a robotic telescope in Chile spotted a distant rock, asteroid 2024 YR4, which was initially estimated to be the size of a small building. As the asteroid's impact probability increased, Holla-Maini's team drafted a letter to the UN secretary general, triggering the first global notification since the UN established a planetary defence collaboration in 2013.The asteroid's size and speed meant an impact could release energy comparable to hundreds of times the power of the Hiroshima bomb, potentially wiping out a city or region. The asteroid reached level three on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, indicating a threat to human civilization.Holla-Maini's team worked with the International Asteroid Warning Network and other experts to track the asteroid. Although its impact probability peaked at more than 3% in February 2025, it has since dropped to a negligible level. The asteroid scare served as a useful test for Unoosa's role in planetary defence.Unoosa plays a critical role in registering satellites launched into Earth's orbit and acts as an informal 'hotline' for potential satellite collisions. Holla-Maini's small team of 35 employees punches well above its weight, managing a massive remit as governments and businesses increasingly operate in space.

Bob Dylan, the 84-year-old music legend, has taken to Patreon, a platform typically used by podcasters and visual artists, to share exclusive content with his fans. For $5 a month, subscribers can access 'Lectures from the Grave,' a series of AI-generated lectures, letters, and short stories.The choice of platform and content has raised eyebrows, as many major music stars have opted for Substack for their newsletter-style content. The use of AI to generate the content has also sparked debate among fans, with some questioning the authenticity of the posts.The content so far includes a video of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, a lecture about Wild Bill Hickok, a folk hero of the Old West, and a fictional letter from Mark Twain to Rudolph Valentino. While the connections between these topics and Dylan's past are tenuous, they are in line with his style of often leaving interpretation open to his fans.Dylan's decision to use Patreon and AI-generated content has been met with both curiosity and confusion. Fans are eager to decode the meaning behind his posts, and the $5 a month subscription fee is seen as a way to support the artist. As one fan noted, 'If a man who sold his publishing to Universal for a reported $300m back in 2020 patently doesn’t need the $5 a month subscription fee – although, one might argue, why shouldn’t he be paid for his work? – his fans are doubtless going to view it as money exceptionally well spent.'

NASA is planning to send four astronauts on a 10-day loop around the moon on the Artemis II mission, marking a significant step towards returning humans to the lunar surface. The mission comes nearly 57 years after the last human visit to the moon during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.The Apollo 11 moon landing, which took place on July 21, 1969, captivated the world as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon's surface. Armstrong's iconic words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," echoed globally, symbolizing a historic achievement in space exploration.However, the current Artemis missions lack the same level of political and rhetorical urgency that drove the Apollo program. NASA has shifted its focus between the moon and Mars over the years, with Donald Trump justifying the mission in terms of "lunar economic development" and preparing for a future visit to Mars.Despite the challenges in replicating the excitement of the first moon landing, the moon remains a source of fascination throughout history, inspiring artistic expression and captivating the imagination of people worldwide. The Artemis missions, including the Artemis II crew, which includes Victor Glover, the first black astronaut, and Christina Koch, the first female astronaut, to reach the moon, may still spark public enthusiasm.As the world waits for the Artemis II mission to launch, it's clear that while it may not have the same world-historical importance as Armstrong's "giant leap," it still represents a significant step forward in space exploration and could potentially ignite a new wave of interest in lunar exploration.

The Houthis are a militant group that emerged from a years-long civil war in Yemen as the country’s most powerful political force. Their strategic location at the entrance of the Red Sea allows them to disrupt international trade.The group, which has an estimated 20,000 fighters, represents the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam. The Houthis first began gaining mass support around the turn of the century from Shia Yemenis who were fed up with corruption and authoritarian leaders.In 2014, the Houthis captured the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and a year later overthrew the western-backed president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Hadi was forced to flee, but his allies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched a military campaign, also backed by the west, to drive out the Houthis.The ensuing civil war led to an estimated 377,000 deaths and displaced 4 million people by the end of 2021. The UN brokered a 2022 truce between the warring sides in Yemen that has largely held.As part of Iran’s “axis of resistance”, the Houthis began targeting international shipping in the Red Sea after the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, which triggered the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. The Houthis’ campaign in the Red Sea – a major thoroughfare for world trade – brought chaos to global supply chains.The Houthis ceased their attacks after a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2025.While the US says Iran has armed, funded, and trained the Houthis, the group denies being an Iranian proxy but says they share a political affinity. On 28 March, the Houthis fired missiles at Israel, vowing to continue military operations until Israel “ceases its attacks and aggression”.

A significant generational divide has emerged among conservatives at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas, as the group's leaders plead for unity ahead of a challenging midterm election year for Republicans. The divide centers on the US war with Iran, with younger conservatives expressing disappointment and even 'betrayal' over Donald Trump's launch of strikes against Iran.Younger conservatives argue that Trump's actions run counter to his campaign pledges to oppose foreign entanglements. In contrast, older conservatives are looking past Trump's campaign criticism of military action, arguing that the war in Iran is a pragmatic act forced by threats to the US.The conference, usually a place of optimism, was marked by anxiety over the Iran war, with attendees debating the direction of the Maga movement. The absence of Trump, who is apparently consumed with the war in Iran, was also notable.Meanwhile, Iran has accused the US of plotting a ground assault while publicly seeking talks, as the war enters its second month. The conflict has killed thousands of people and caused significant disruptions to global energy supplies.In related news, US lawmakers are reacting to reports that the Pentagon is preparing for ground operations in Iran, with some expressing concerns about the objectives and execution of such operations.

On Palm Sunday, Christians in Lebanon gathered in churches to commemorate Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but the celebrations were overshadowed by the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The Maronite Catholic church near Dahiyeh in Beirut's southern suburbs was filled to capacity, despite being close to a largely deserted district due to Israeli evacuation orders and ongoing air strikes.In the coastal city of Tyre, church bells tolled and choral music filled the air as residents sought solace in preserving their sacred traditions amid the devastation. Worshippers prayed earnestly for peace, aware of Lebanon's history of sectarian tensions rooted in the 1975-1990 civil war between Christians and Muslims.Mahia Jamus, a 20-year-old university student in Beirut, expressed concern that no one is safe from the conflict's effects. "There's no bombing here right now, but no one is safe from this—not the Christians, not anyone," she said. "No one is spared from its effects."In Tyre, Roseth Katra, 41, emphasized the importance of preserving traditions despite the surrounding devastation. "Amid the wars, the tragedies, and the destruction happening around us, we remain on our land," she said. "Today is Palm Sunday, and we are celebrating."The conflict has resulted in at least 1,238 people killed and over 3,500 wounded in Israeli attacks since March 2, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Health. Israeli troops have launched a ground invasion advancing towards the Litani River, while Hezbollah has claimed dozens of operations against Israeli forces.