Ten countries have been attacked after the US and Israel declared war on Iran
Across southern Lebanon and Beruit 31 people have been killed with 149 also injured due to strikes from Israel, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. It comes as tensions rise across the world with the US and Israel declaring war on Iran.
Advertisement
On Saturday, February 28 the United States and Israel launched a joint military attack on Iran following weeks of pressure from President Trump threatening action unless Iran’s leadership agreed to give up its nuclear programme.
Since the first US-Israel strike on Iran on Saturday 14 cities have been hit in Iran.
Striking back, Iran has launched strikes across nine countries including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. An Iranian drone has also struck a runway at a UK military base in Cyprus.
Israel bombed Lebanon after Hezbollah – Lebanese paramilitary group – joined the war in the Middle East.
Advertisement
Reports from the IDF have claimed that a senior member of the militant group has been killed in the strikes.
Lebanon’s health ministry has confirmed the death of 31 people with over 100 injured as the Israeli military claim the attack on the country will last days.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said: “We have begun an offensive campaign against Hezbollah. We are not just on the defensive, now we go on the offence.
“We need to prepare for several days of fighting, many. We need strong defensive readiness and continuous offensive preparedness, in waves.”
Advertisement
Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
Pillows that stop snoring are a relatively new phenomenon but the market is growing quickly in a country where 45 per cent of adults snore occasionally and 25 per cent are chronic snorers. Not only can snoring develop into potentially serious sleep apnoea, but people who sleep next to snorers will lose up to an hour of sleep per night. This makes it all the more important to find the best anti-snore pillow.
When your airway narrows, it causes air to move more quickly, which vibrates the soft tissues,” explains Michael Breus PhD, Founder of The Sleep Doctor. “There are three common causes of this narrowing. The first is simply that your muscles relax in sleep. Gravity moves all the tissue backward a few millimetres, including the tongue and any adipose tissue around the neck, which narrows your airway.” He adds that nasal congestion and alcohol can also cause narrowing.
The pillow you sleep on could be another factor: “If you sleep on your back and your pillow is overstuffed, it will push your head forward and narrow your airway. This can also happen with side sleepers to some extent. Meanwhile pillows with allergens like feathers can cause congestion.”
Advertisement
I’ve been reviewing bedding for years and as a snorer, I’ve compiled a list of the best anti-snore pillows. You can read my full reviews below, followed by some more advice from Dr Breus. If you’re in a hurry, here’s a look at my top five:
Owners Greene King’s plans would see changes made inside and outside the Ye Olde Starre Inne, off Stonegate.
The plans include replacing a wooden sign which spans between buildings on either side of Stonegate advertising the pub to passersby and featuring its 1644 establishment date.
Greene King’s application stated the works would respect the building’s historic features while providing much-needed updates and improving the experience for patrons.
Plans for the refurbishments would see the sign spanning across Stonegate swapped for one with Greene King’s dark green and copper colour scheme.
Advertisement
The proposed sign for Ye Olde Starre Inne, in Stonegate, York. Picture is from Greene King/York Council’s planning portal, available for all LDRS partners to use.
The entrance to its beer garden, doors and window frames, which are all currently black, would also be repainted dark green.
Bar areas on the inside of the pub building would be rearranged and timber floors would be refinished with staining and polish.
New fixed seats and lights would be installed and the toilets would also be refurbished with new wall tiles and flooring.
A timber and polycarbonate pergola would cover the beer garden and outside lights would be replaced and walls repainted.
It had become an inn called The Starre by 1644 and it is the pub in York which can show it has had a licence the longest.
During the English Civil War, it was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers after the Battle of Marsden Moor, which took place about seven miles from York in 1644.
In 1733, the pub’s landlord Thomas Bulman struck a deal with the owners of two shops on either side of Stonegate to hang a sign across the street.
Advertisement
A sign advertising the pub has been there ever since.
More extensions were added in the 18th and 19th Century and the building was refurbished in 1890 and 1985.
The pub was listed in 1954 and it features in Susanna Clarke’s 2004 alternate history novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, which is set during the Napoleonic Wars.
Plans stated the refurbishment would aim to bring the pub up to Greene King’s high standards across its estate.
Advertisement
They added the changes would respect the wider historic local area and the distinctiveness of the listed building.
Plans stated: “The proposed works seek to ensure the public house will continue to be a vibrant destination, assisting in helping to retain and attract new patrons.
“The proposed scope of works is limited to those necessary to improve the overall function of the existing pub and in doing so shall contribute to the economic vitality of the local area.”
Iran’s foreign ministry said it would defend its homeland as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) initiated counterattacks, launching drones and missiles at Israel. Further strikes were launched at US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and Qatar.
The strikes follow weeks of pressure from Trump on Tehran to make a deal to constrain its nuclear programme. In the lead-up to the strikes, Washington built up a significant fleet of warships near Iran.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in January to bolster the number of warships in the region. The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, and four accompanying destroyers were also dispatched from the Caribbean.
Israel announced it had launched an attack on Iran shortly after explosions were heard in Tehran on Saturday morning. One of the first strikes hit near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It wasn’t immediately clear where Khamenei was at the time, as he hadn’t been seen for days.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC Newsthat Khamenei and president Masoud Pezeshkian were alive “as far as I know” – though President Trump later said the Ayatollah had died in the attacks. This was then confirmed by Iran state media later on.
Advertisement
The strikes came after Trump pressured Tehran for a deal to constrain its nuclear programme (AFP via Getty)
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said the attacks had been conducted “to remove threats”. Sirens were heard across Israel to warn the public about possible incoming missile strikes.
Iran strikes back at Israel and US bases
Later on Saturday, Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Witnesses heard sirens and explosions in Kuwait, home to US Army Central. Explosions could be also be heard in Qatar, where Al Udeid Air Base hosts thousands of service members.
Advertisement
Iraq and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace, and sirens sounded in Jordan.
An apartment building in northern Israel was damaged and shrapnel fell in multiple sites, according to media and police. But Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said there had been no significant hits in Israel and rescue services said there were no injuries reported from missile barrages across the country.
Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, meanwhile, have vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump tells Iranians to topple their government
Advertisement
It took over an hour for Trump to make an official announcement on the US involvement in what he termed “major combat operations”.
In an eight-minute video on social media, Trump indicated the US was striking for reasons far beyond the nuclear programme, listing grievances stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East into a fierce foe.
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel on Monday (Reuters)
Trump told Iranians to take cover but urged them to later rise up and topple the Islamic leadership.
Advertisement
“When we are finished, take over your government,” Trump said. “It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.”
Fighting grounds flights and disrupts commercial air travel
The fighting has disrupted air travel in the region.
Israel and the UAE, home to both the long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, closed their airspace Saturday. Qatar Airways Group said it has temporarily cancelled flights to and from Doha because Qatari airspace also was closed.
Advertisement
Planes en route to Israel were rerouted to other airports.
Virgin Atlantic cancelled its flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to Dubai and said it would avoid flying over Iraq, meaning flights to and from India, the Maldives, Dubai and Riyadh could take slightly longer. Virgin Atlantic said all flights would carry appropriate fuel in case they need to reroute on short notice.
Turkish Airlines said on X that flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan will be suspended until Monday and flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman would be suspended on Saturday.
Dutch airline KLM previously said it was suspending Tel Aviv flights starting Sunday.
Advertisement
The entrance of RAF Akrotiri, a British sovereign base in Cyprus, which was hit by an unmanned drone (Reuters)
War widens to include Tehran-backed militias
Iran and Iranian-backed militias have fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, reportedly hitting the American embassy compound in Kuwait, while Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran as the war in the Middle East expanded on Monday.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the US-Israeli airstrike campaign has killed 555 people so far in Iran so far.
Advertisement
As the American and Israeli airstrikes continued, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani vowed on X that “we will not negotiate with the United States”.
Blasts were reported in Jerusalem, Dubai, Abu Dhabi in UAE, Doha in Qatar, and Manama in Bahrain as the conflict entered its third day.
Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs (Reuters)
US embassy ‘hit in Kuwait’ as American death toll rises
Advertisement
Smoke was seen rising from the vicinity of the US embassy in Kuwait, according to witnesses, and the US consulate urged Americans to “not come to the embassy”.
Three American troops were killed and five are seriously injured, the US military said, confirming its first casualties in the conflict.
President Trump has suggested the conflict with Iran could go on for the next four weeks after the US president earlier said that operations are “ahead of schedule”.
UK gives US permission to use RAF bases
Advertisement
Meanwhile, at the end of the weekend Sir Keir Starmer dramatically changed his mind over giving the Americans permission to use RAF bases in Cyprus to tackle the growing threat from Iran.
In a late statement on Sunday evening, the prime minister insisted he was giving permission for the “limited specific defensive purpose” of defending UK and US allies across the Middle East as Iran continues to lash out.
It follows defence secretary John Healey revealing that two Iranian missiles were aimed in the direction of Cyprus where the UK has bases.
Mr Trump later said he was disappointed in the delay over the decision from Sir Keir.
Advertisement
Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchange fire
Meanwhile, Israel launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut in Lebanon on Monday and ordered evacuations.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has warned that Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem is now a “target for elimination”.
It comes after the group fired at Israel in retaliation for killing Iran’s supreme leader.
Held in the Old Library at Auckland Palace on Sunday, March 15, fans of the show will be able to enjoy an afternoon of fine dining with their mothers.
Writing on Facebook, The Auckland Project announced: “Dearest gentle reader…
“This Mother’s Day, you are cordially invited to Auckland Palace for a delightfully decadent Afternoon Tea — set and served in the Old Library, where every mother shall be treated as the true diamond of the season.”
Advertisement
Tickets for the afternoon tea are £30, with two 90-minute slots available to book at 12.30pm and 2.30pm.
The menu, which can also be adapted to vegetarian and gluten free, for the special day has also been revealed, which includes:
Ham & Pease pudding, cheese & palace chutney and cream cheese & cucumber finger sandwiches
Homemade fruit scone with clotted cream and jam
An indulgent array of mini cakes & delights
Freshly brewed tea or coffee
Glass of prosecco or elderflower spritz
The Auckland Project’s attractions, including the Auckland Palace, reopened to the public in February after being closed for a winter break.
She said: “We have gone back to doing pre-booking and the reason behind this is we can give a much better experience.
Advertisement
“We will be able to cater in advance for any dietary needs, we can expect the people coming in and we can have the tables set.
“We have launched a Mother’s Day afternoon tea, which will be Bridgerton-inspired too, for which tickets will be sold digitally.”
To purchase tickets for the Bridgerton-inspired Mother’s Day afternoon tea, visit: https://tickets.aucklandproject.org/event-tickets/75377?branches.branchID=2536
The 13-second video, which was posted to the league’s official X account following Spurs’ 2-1 defeat by Fulham on Sunday, saw goalkeeper Vicario launch a free-kick out of play along with the captions: ‘Just how the play was drawn up’, ‘Whoops’ and ‘An interesting free-kick from Vicario’, accompanied by a crying laughing emoji.
Prosperity in the UK is no longer defined purely by size or population. While London continues to dominate headlines, a growing number of smaller cities are building strong economic identities of their own. High wages, skilled workforces, strong productivity and buoyant property markets are increasingly shaping where prosperity is concentrated. In many cases, university cities and well-connected commuter hubs are quietly outperforming larger urban centres.
DWP plans to increase the length of awards for people making new PIP claims
Linda Howard Money and Consumer Writer and Kate Lally
11:51, 02 Mar 2026
The UK Government plans to extend the length of awards for people making a new claim for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) from April in order to help reduce the backlog of Work Capability Assessments (WCA). The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the measure is designed to free up health professionals to conduct more face-to-face assessments and complete additional WCA reassessments.
Currently, the interval between PIP award reviews can be as short as nine months and the majority of people do not experience a change in their award at review. This is to be lengthened for most PIP claimants aged 25 and over to a minimum of three years for a new claim, increasing to five years at their subsequent review if they continue to be entitled.
Advertisement
These operational changes are separate from the Timms Review, which will examine the role of PIP, eligibility for the daily living and mobility components, assessment process and the criteria in supporting disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence.
The new measure in April will come into force alongside modifications to Universal Credit that narrows the gap between what people receive for being unemployed compared to long-term sickness. The alterations will see the UK Government fulfil a pledge it made in the Pathways to Work Green Paper to increase face-to-face assessments after they were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with contracts agreed by the previous government requiring 80 per cent of assessments to be completed virtually.
The proportion of face-to-face assessments will be increased, with those for PIP rising from 6 per cent in 2024 (57,000) to 30 per cent of all assessments, and the WCA from 13 per cent in 2024 (74,000) to 30 per cent, reports the Daily Record.
The UK Government said it is implementing these changes and “reforming the broken welfare system it inherited” by extending the time between assessments to check if a claimant’s condition still qualifies them for PIP, freeing up health professionals to conduct more assessments face-to-face and deliver more WCA reassessments.
Advertisement
It added: “Reassessments play an important role in taking account of how changes in health conditions and disabilities affect people over time.”
In total, the measures are expected to save the UK taxpayer £1.9 billion by the end of 2030/31 and comes alongside employment support aimed at sick or disabled people including Connect to Work, and the redeployment of 1,000 work coaches.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden recently stated: “We’re committed to reforming the welfare system we inherited, which for too long has written off millions as too sick to work.
“That is why we are ramping up the number of assessments we do face-to-face and taking action to tackle the inherited backlog of people waiting for a Work Capability Assessment.
Advertisement
“These reforms will allow us to save £1.9 billion, creating a welfare state that supports those who need it whilst helping people into work and delivering fairness to the taxpayer.”
Once again, it did not happen but looks so realistic.
And Cowan said it was difficult for there to be any recourse when content is presented “in a non-contentious manner”.
Unless a person has suffered commercial or reputational damage, options are limited.
“It’s always been quite challenging for an individual to enforce IP rights,” Cowan said. “If it is a deepfake that is showing them in a compromising position, let’s say, that’s different.”
Advertisement
The Data (Use and Access) Act came into force last month, making it a criminal offence to create, share or request a sexually explicit deepfake.
But then you have AI-generated videos such as Celtic’s Luke McCowan punching an assistant referee. Could it damage his reputation, or is it just not believeable?
A more pressing concern for players might be ‘passing off’. This is where someone unfairly associates their own products or services with the reputation and goodwill of an established brand or business – or player.
It is intended to mislead consumers into believing they connected to it – to the detriment of the established brand.
Advertisement
Cowan explained that in December 2024, as part of an AI-related consultation, the UK government said it was considering “introducing some kind of personality right”.
That would give a player more scope to take action.
Clubs, for their part, have a few more options open to them.
Social media accounts putting players in the shirts of their new team – or any team – is nothing new.
Advertisement
But what if a club wanted to take issue?
“Where you’ve got, for example, the Man City kit they could look at other IP rights,” Cowan said.
“Have they infringed the trademark in their crest? Or design rights in their shirt? For that kind of image, that’s what a club or an individual would likely be looking at.”
BBC Sport understands City believe fans know official channels remain the only places to go for any genuine news, images or videos.
Advertisement
But as the lines blur further, will clubs keep that stance?
Last month, John attended the awards show with the cast and crew of I Swear, a film inspired by his life story and experiences of living with Tourette’s.
During the event, he experienced a number of involuntary tics, one of which occurred while Sinners actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting on stage, resulting in him shouting the N-word from the audience.
In the last week, the incident has sparked a wave of headlines, with the BBC in particular facing scrutiny over how the uncensored slur ended up being included in the broadcaster’s Baftas coverage, which aired on a two-hour delay.
On Sunday, a week after the Baftas, John shared a message on his public Facebook page, claiming he’d been “waiting all week until the dust settles” to speak out.
Advertisement
“I would like to thank each and every one of you who have shown love, support and solidarity towards myself and the rest of the Tourette’s community,” he began. “Your kind words and support have got me through a very difficult week.
“Whilst I will never [apologise] for having Tourette syndrome, I will apologise for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create. This past week has been tough, and has reminded me that what I do, raising awareness for such a misunderstood condition, there is still a long way to go and I will keep on keeping on until this is achieved.”
A west London project will use waste heat from a data centre to supply low-carbon heating to 4,000 homes and a new commercial district
With millennia of history, hundreds of miles of underground rail and thousands of miles of sewers and pipelines, making large-scale sustainable infrastructural changes in central London is incredibly complex. A redevelopment project in west London is nevertheless set to use waste heat from a data centre in an ambient loop network to supply low-carbon heating to 4,000 homes and a new commercial district.
The network will circulate low-temperature water through underground pipes to capture heat from the Mopac Tower data centre, nearby Tube tunnels and other local sources. Building-level heat pumps then raise it to usable temperatures for heating and hot water. The development’s latest sustainability statement says these systems operate at about 264% efficiency, far higher than traditional gas boilers of around 80–90% because it is simply moving heat to create energy, rather than burning energy.
Advertisement
Developers say the 44-acre, £8bn Earl’s Court project is one of the largest systems of its kind in the UK and almost entirely privately funded, supported by £1.3m of public grants.
Solutions every Saturday Uplift your inbox with our weekly newsletter. Positive News editors select the week’s top stories of progress, bringing you the essential briefing about what’s going right. Sign up
The development aims to be operationally net-zero carbon from day one, with a goal to eventually be energy positive, exporting low-carbon heat to nearby communities, says Peter Runacres, head of urban futures at the Earl’s Court Development Company.
Ofgem, which becomes the statutory regulator for heat networks next year, has promised to protect consumers and ensure they pay “a fair and proportionate price”, a necessary safeguard given the mixed performance of early UK schemes.
Advertisement
Heat networks elsewhere in Britain have struggled with outages, slow repairs and opaque pricing, so the risk is real. ECDC argues its design avoids the pitfalls. Sutton said the system has “inherent resilience”, with a back-up plant, three interlinked loops so two-thirds stay online if one fails, and large storage tanks that absorb peaks in demand. Because the system runs on ambient temperature water rather than high-pressure heat, she said, it is less vulnerable than older networks.
Concerns about two-tier access, where some buildings benefit and others do not, have dogged other projects. Sutton said all buildings within the masterplan boundary will have the option to connect, though it will not be compulsory. The company is in discussions with Hammersmith, Fulham and Kensington, and Chelsea to extend connections across borough lines and reduce fuel poverty.
While these loop systems remain relatively new in the UK, smaller versions already operate at developments like One New Change in the City of London. Countries including Sweden and Denmark have deployed district heating far more widely, helped by planning systems more supportive of shared energy infrastructure and by historically higher heating costs that drove innovation.
Advertisement
Images: ECDC
Be part of the solution
At Positive News, we’re not chasing clicks or profits for media moguls – we’re here to serve you and have a positive social impact. We can’t do this unless enough people like you choose to support our journalism.
Give once from just £1, or join 1,800+ others who contribute an average of £3 or more per month. Together, we can build a healthier form of media – one that focuses on solutions, progress and possibilities, and empowers people to create positive change.