A man has died, and another has sustained “potentially life-changing facial injuries” following a double stabbing in Coventry, West Midlands Police have confirmed.
Officers were called to a property on Newcombe Road just before 2 p.m. on Saturday, where they discovered two men suffering from severe stab wounds.
One man, in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene. A second man, also in his 50s, was rushed to the hospital with serious facial injuries that police described as “potentially life-changing.”
A 51-year-old man from Coventry has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody for questioning.
West Midlands Police stated that forensic examinations and investigations are ongoing, with a police presence remaining at the scene.
“Officers will be carrying out additional patrols in the area to reassure and support the local community over the coming days, and we urge anyone with concerns or information to contact us,” the force said in a statement.
The investigation continues, and authorities are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant information to come forward.
At least 34 people have died across multiple southeastern US states after a series of violent tornadoes ripped through the region, overturning vehicles and destroying homes.
In Kansas, a dust storm on Friday afternoon caused a massive highway pile-up involving more than 50 vehicles, killing at least eight people. Texas also reported a similar large-scale crash due to reduced visibility.
Authorities have declared a state of emergency in several states, including Arkansas, Georgia, and Oklahoma, where more than 100 wildfires are burning. Severe weather is expected to continue, with flash flooding and additional tornado warnings issued for Sunday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has classified the ongoing tornado threat as “intense to violent” and “particularly dangerous.” Residents in Alabama were urged to seek shelter on Saturday night as multiple tornado warnings were issued.
As of Sunday morning, over 250,000 properties across the US were without power, according to data from PowerOutage.
In Missouri, at least 12 people lost their lives. Governor Mike Kehoe described the devastation caused by the storms, which left homes leveled and communities in ruins. The state’s emergency management agency reported that 19 tornadoes had touched down across 25 counties.
One of the victims’ homes was completely destroyed. Butler County Coroner Jim Akers described the scene as unrecognizable, stating, “It was just a debris field… The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”
Alicia Wilson, who was evacuated from her home in Missouri, described the terrifying ordeal to KSDK, saying, “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through. It was so fast, our ears were all about to burst.”
In Mississippi, a woman recounted how her six-year-old daughter was overcome with fear as the storm hit. “All I could hear was my six-year-old screaming that she didn’t want to die. You don’t want to hear that coming out of your baby’s mouth,” Jericho McCoy told reporters.
In Texas, at least four people died in a 38-car pile-up caused by a dust storm, local officials confirmed. Sergeant Cindy Barkley from the state’s public safety department said, “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen. We couldn’t tell they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”
The severe weather has also triggered widespread wildfires. In Oklahoma alone, emergency officials reported more than 130 fires on Friday. By Saturday, hospitals had treated at least 112 fire-related injuries.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt surveyed the damage, revealing that his own ranch had been completely destroyed. “Oklahomans, we are in this together, and we will build back stronger,” he said.
Meteorologists warn that tornadoes typically form when warm, moist air rises and interacts with cooler air, creating powerful rotating storm systems. Several states, including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas, lie within “Tornado Alley,” an area frequently impacted due to its unique geography.
While peak tornado season in the region is from May to June, experts caution that dangerous storms can occur at any time of the year. Emergency responders remain on high alert as the situation continues to unfold.
The huge fireball explosion was caught on camera as Ukrainian forces obliterated a strategic Russian bridge in Kherson, dealing a major setback to Vladimir Putin’s military operations.
The bridge, which crossed the Konka River, was reduced to rubble in a precision airstrike. This vital supply route had been used by Russian forces to transport weapons and reinforcements for more than three years. However, Ukraine’s devastating strike has forced the Kremlin to scramble for an alternative, further weakening its grip on the occupied region.
Video footage captured the moment a pinpoint missile strike shattered two sections of the bridge, sending them plunging into the river below. A massive fireball erupted, followed by thick plumes of smoke that quickly spread over the occupied area. The strike rocked the nearby town of Oleshky, leaving Russian troops stunned by the sudden loss of a critical supply route.
The Konka River, a key tributary of the Dnipro River, has been a dividing line between Ukrainian-controlled and Russian-occupied areas of Kherson. This latest attack not only disrupts Russian supply lines but also signals Ukraine’s ability to strike deep into enemy-held territory.
The attack comes shortly after Ukraine successfully tested its new Long Neptune missile, a powerful combat weapon with an impressive 621-mile range. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the missile had already been deployed in battle, marking a major advancement in Ukraine’s military firepower.
Despite a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire, Putin has refused to agree, instead delaying negotiations with stalling tactics. Zelensky lashed out at the Russian leader, accusing him of lying about wanting peace while secretly planning further military offensives.
Ukrainian intelligence warns that Russia is massing troops along the eastern border, with signs pointing to a potential invasion of the Sumy region. Zelensky issued a stark warning:
“We are aware of this and will counter it. The buildup of Russian forces indicates that Moscow intends to keep ignoring diplomacy. It is clear that Russia is prolonging the war.”
In a high-level virtual summit hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, world leaders called for an end to the fighting and explored ways to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses. Starmer confirmed that European military officials will meet on Thursday to discuss a possible Ukraine peacekeeping force, signaling increased international pressure on Moscow.
The British PM also condemned Russia’s refusal to negotiate, accusing Putin of deliberately dragging out the war to buy time for new offensives.
With Ukraine ramping up its counterattacks and Putin refusing to back down, the battle for Kherson and the wider war rages on with no end in sight.
Shackled and in handcuffs, more than 200 alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang were deported from the United States and transferred to El Salvador’s maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) in a highly coordinated operation.
Footage shared by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele showed detainees being escorted from a plane into a heavily guarded convoy before being taken to the prison. The facility, known for its extreme security measures, is central to Bukele’s crackdown on organized crime.
The deported individuals, described by U.S. officials as violent gang members, were sent to El Salvador following an agreement between Bukele and U.S. authorities. Along with Tren de Aragua members, the transfer included two top leaders of MS-13 and 21 of its most wanted fugitives.
CECOT, considered one of the world’s most secure prisons, holds more than 13,000 inmates under strict confinement. Prisoners spend 23.5 hours per day in overcrowded cells, with surveillance measures preventing any outside communication.
The deportations followed an executive order by President Donald Trump, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to classify Tren de Aragua as a hostile force. The administration cited links between the gang and the Venezuelan government, labeling its members a security threat to the United States.
A federal judge issued a temporary halt to further deportations under the order, but the first transfer had already taken place. Trump’s directive remains under legal challenge from civil rights groups.
While officials praised the deportations as a step toward combating transnational crime, human rights groups have condemned the conditions at CECOT. The prison, built to hold 40,000 inmates, operates under a strict regime, with detainees subjected to limited legal access and harsh living conditions.
Bukele defended his government’s approach, stating that El Salvador is committed to eliminating gang violence. The Biden administration has not confirmed whether it will continue enforcing Trump’s deportation order.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have attacked the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier and several U.S. warships in the Red Sea, alleging the strike was in retaliation for recent American airstrikes in Yemen.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea stated Sunday that the group targeted the aircraft carrier and its escort vessels using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. “The armed forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea,” Sarea said in a televised statement.
U.S. defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed the claims, stating there was no indication of any attack on the Truman.
The Houthis’ announcement followed U.S. airstrikes ordered by President Donald Trump, which killed at least 31 people in Yemen. The strikes were carried out in response to Houthi raids on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The Iran-backed rebel group has previously targeted Israeli-linked ships during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Houthi leaders claim recent U.S. and British strikes on Yemen resulted in civilian casualties, stating that 101 people were wounded.
Trump vowed to take decisive action against the group, pledging to use “overwhelming lethal force” and calling on Iran to cut its support for the Houthis immediately.
A doctor has cast doubt on the reported timeline of Betsy Arakawa’s death, claiming she called his clinic a full 24 hours after officials say she had already passed.
Betsy, the longtime wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, was officially recorded as having died on February 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and often fatal disease linked to rodent exposure. Her husband, suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, passed away a week later on February 18.
However, Dr. Josiah Child, an emergency care specialist and operator of Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, told *The Daily Mail* that Betsy couldn’t have died on February 11—because she allegedly called his clinic on February 12.
Dr. Child recalled that Betsy had reached out to his clinic a few weeks prior to inquire about an echocardiogram for her husband. Though she was not a patient of his, a former patient had recommended Cloudberry Health to her.
“She made an appointment for herself for February 12,” Child said. “It was for something unrelated to anything respiratory.”
Two days before that appointment, Betsy canceled, citing her husband’s declining health. Afterward, the clinic attempted to contact her, but received no response.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted through exposure to rodent urine, droppings, and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus is known for causing severe respiratory distress, with most patients succumbing in a hospital setting.
“It is surprising that Mrs. Hackman spoke to my office on the phone on February 10 and again on February 12 and didn’t appear to be in respiratory distress,” Dr. Child noted, while also clarifying that he is not an expert in hantavirus cases.
His concerns add to lingering questions about Betsy’s death. Her husband, already battling severe cognitive decline, was reportedly alone in their home for several days following her passing. It remains unclear if he was aware of her death.
Gene Hackman, a two-time Academy Award-winning actor, was last detected alive on February 18 when his pacemaker transmitted its final signal. The medical examiner determined his cause of death as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiac disease, noting that his Alzheimer’s played a “significant” role. Notably, Hackman tested negative for hantavirus, according to Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell.
The bodies of both Hackman and Arakawa were not discovered until February 26, when a concerned neighbor and caretaker called 911 after finding them unresponsive in their home. The couple had largely withdrawn from public life in their later years, residing in a secluded cul-de-sac within a gated community. Hackman is survived by three children—two daughters and a son—from his previous marriage.
A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) early Sunday, delivering a fresh crew to replace two NASA astronauts who have been stranded aboard the station for more than nine months.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were originally scheduled for a brief roundtrip aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, have been unable to return after propulsion issues rendered the vehicle unsafe for their journey back to Earth. Their long-awaited relief arrived at 05:45 GMT when the SpaceX capsule, carrying four new crew members, securely connected to the ISS.
Live footage broadcast by NASA showed the moment the arriving astronauts embraced their ISS counterparts in the weightlessness of space.
“It’s a wonderful day, and it’s great to see our friends arrive,” Williams said after greeting her replacements.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit shared footage of the Crew Dragon’s approach as the ISS orbited Earth, marking a key moment in the complex mission to retrieve the long-overdue astronauts.
Wilmore and Williams’ extended stay significantly exceeded the typical six-month rotation for ISS crews. However, their nine-month mission is still well short of the 371-day U.S. spaceflight record set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio in 2023 or the world record of 437 days set by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov aboard the Mir space station.
The prolonged mission, which left the duo unexpectedly away from family, required them to receive additional clothing and personal items to accommodate their extended time in space. Their situation has drawn global interest and sympathy.
Now that their replacements have arrived, Wilmore and Williams will begin preparations for their long-awaited return. They are scheduled to splash down off the Florida coast no sooner than March 19, aboard the returning Crew Dragon capsule.
Joining them on the journey home will be NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, further highlighting ongoing international collaboration aboard the ISS.
The incoming Crew-10 team—composed of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov—launched from Kennedy Space Center on Friday.
Their mission includes conducting vital scientific experiments, such as flammability tests for future spacecraft designs and studies on how space travel affects the human body. These investigations will help pave the way for long-term space missions, including potential journeys to Mars.
The national power grid of Cuba suffered a catastrophic collapse on Friday night, plunging millions into darkness and deepening the island’s ongoing energy crisis.
The outage began at approximately 8:15 p.m. (00:15 GMT) after a failure at the Diezmero substation in Havana triggered a chain reaction that shut down power generation nationwide, according to officials from the state-run Union Electrica (UNE).
By Saturday morning, UNE reported generating only 225 MW—less than 10% of the country’s total electricity demand. Authorities said backup circuits were supplying power to critical services such as hospitals.
“Several provinces have parallel circuits and generator units are starting to be synchronized with the national grid,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel posted on X.
The latest blackout follows three nationwide outages in late 2024, two of which lasted several days. While this is the first major grid failure of 2025, it comes amid one of the worst economic crises Cuba has faced in three decades.
Cuba, under long-standing U.S. sanctions, has depended heavily on subsidized Venezuelan oil for years. However, as Venezuela’s government struggles with its own economic challenges, fuel deliveries have become increasingly unreliable.
“Right now, no one knows when the power will come back on,” Havana resident Abel Bonne told Reuters early Saturday while standing along the Malecon waterfront.
For many Cubans, blackouts are already a part of daily life. In Havana, residents endure frequent four- to five-hour power cuts. Outside the capital, the situation is even worse, with rolling blackouts reaching up to 20 hours per day in recent weeks.
“My God, this is terrible, we’re in for a dark weekend,” said Karen Gutierrez, a 32-year-old ice cream vendor in Havana, speaking to AFP.
Andres Lopez, a 67-year-old from the eastern province of Holguín, expressed frustration over yet another grid failure.
“It really bugs me,” he said. “Let’s see when they get the power back on.”
Cuban officials attribute much of the country’s economic hardship to the Cold War-era U.S. trade embargo, which restricts financial transactions and limits access to vital imports such as fuel and electrical infrastructure parts.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently tightened sanctions against Cuba, vowing to implement a “tough” stance toward the island’s communist-led government.
To address its electricity shortages, Cuba is accelerating plans to install at least 55 solar farms using Chinese technology by the end of the year. Officials say these new facilities could generate approximately 1,200 MW—about 12% of the country’s total electricity supply.
More than 1,300 employees at Voice of America (VOA) were placed on leave Saturday following an executive order from President Donald Trump that slashed funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and six other federal agencies. The move also cut financial support for two key news services that broadcast to authoritarian regimes.
Michael Abramowitz, VOA’s director, said nearly the entire workforce of journalists, producers, and support staff had been put on administrative leave, effectively halting operations at the government-funded broadcaster, which delivers news in nearly 50 languages.
“I am deeply saddened that for the first time in 83 years, the storied Voice of America is being silenced,” Abramowitz wrote on LinkedIn, emphasizing its role in promoting “freedom and democracy worldwide.”
Alongside VOA, USAGM terminated grants to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which provides independent news to Eastern Europe, Russia, and Ukraine, and Radio Free Asia (RFA), which broadcasts to China and North Korea.
Trump’s directive is expected to significantly impact these organizations, which serve as vital news sources in countries with restricted press freedom.
Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA now reaches an estimated 360 million people weekly. USAGM employs approximately 3,500 workers and operates on an $886 million budget, according to its latest congressional report.
VOA’s Seoul Bureau Chief William Gallo reported Sunday that he had been locked out of company systems and accounts.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do is shoot straight and tell the truth, no matter what government I was covering. If that’s a threat to anyone, so be it,” Gallo posted on Bluesky.
Kari Lake, a former news anchor and Trump ally nominated to lead VOA, defended the cuts, describing USAGM as “a giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer” and stating it was “not salvageable.” She said she would reduce the agency’s size to the minimum allowed under law.
On its website, RFE/RL warns that it has been designated an “undesirable organization” by Russia and cautions that Russian citizens could face legal consequences for engaging with its content.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called RFE/RL a “beacon” for those under oppressive rule.
“From Belarus to Iran, from Russia to Afghanistan, RFE and Voice of America are among the few free sources for people living without freedom,” Lipavsky posted on X.
Trump’s executive order instructed USAGM and other agencies to scale back to their legally mandated minimum operations, citing efforts to reduce government spending.
Mike Balsamo, president of the National Press Club, criticized the cuts, warning they undermine America’s commitment to independent journalism.
“For decades, Voice of America has delivered fact-based, independent journalism to audiences worldwide, often in places where press freedom does not exist,” Balsamo said.
Reporters Without Borders, based in Paris, also denounced the move, calling it “a direct threat to press freedom worldwide” and a rejection of decades of U.S. leadership in promoting the free flow of information.
Bay Fang, president of Radio Free Asia, argued the funding cuts benefit authoritarian regimes.
“This is a reward to dictators and despots, including the Chinese Communist Party, who would like nothing better than to have their influence go unchecked,” Fang said.
Some Republicans have accused VOA and other publicly funded news organizations of left-wing bias and have advocated for their closure. The cuts align with efforts by tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce the size of the federal government.
Musk’s agency has already cut over 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal workforce, frozen foreign aid, and eliminated thousands of government programs.
On Saturday, Musk appeared to mock the USAGM cuts on X, writing, “While winding down this global government propaganda agency, it has temporarily been renamed the Department of Propaganda Everywhere (DOPE).”
Trump’s order also targeted several other agencies for reductions, including the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency. The White House said these reductions would limit the agencies to their “minimum presence and function required by law.”
In a statement, the administration defended the executive order, saying it “ensures taxpayers are no longer funding radical propaganda,” citing allegations of left-wing bias at VOA.
A military airstrike on a village controlled by resistance forces in central Myanmar has killed at least 27 civilians and injured 30 others, according to an opposition group and local media reports on Saturday.
The attack occurred Friday at 3 p.m. in Let Pan Hla village, located in Singu Township, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, a spokesperson for the Mandalay People’s Defense Force (MDY-PDF) confirmed.
Myanmar’s military did not comment on the incident.
The country has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, sparking widespread opposition. After security forces violently suppressed peaceful protests, many opponents of military rule took up arms, leading to ongoing conflicts across large parts of the country.
The military government has intensified airstrikes against the pro-democracy People’s Defense Force and ethnic minority guerrilla groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades. These groups occasionally conduct joint operations against the military but lack defenses against air attacks.
The town of Singu was captured by the Mandalay People’s Defense Force, aligned with Myanmar’s main opposition, in July last year.
The resistance group’s statement on its Telegram social media channel stated that six children were among those killed when the airstrike targeted a busy market in Let Pan Hla village.
Osmond, a spokesperson for the group, told The Associated Press that bombs destroyed around 10 houses near the village market.
“This airstrike was not aimed at a military target, but rather at the market area, where civilians visit daily,” Osmond said.
Independent verification of the situation remains difficult, as internet and cellphone access in the region have been severely restricted.
Myanmar Now, an independent news outlet, reported that the death toll from the airstrike, which struck a tea shop near the market, had risen to 30, with seven victims in critical condition.
A recent report by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica, a Myanmar-based research and advocacy organization, stated that since the military coup in 2021, 2,224 civilians have been killed and 3,466 wounded in 4,157 airstrikes.
