Good morning.<\/p>\n
Israel has launched intense strikes against the southern suburbs of Beirut just hours after its military ordered the entire population of the area \u2013 more than 500,000 people \u2013 to evacuate immediately.<\/p>\n
The Israel Defense Forces had told all residents of the area to \u201csave your lives and evacuate your homes immediately\u201d \u2013 prompting an exodus of the Lebanese capital\u2019s population in scenes of panic \u2013 before its warplanes launched strikes against what it claimed were Hezbollah targets in the area. The strikes marked a significant escalation in Israel\u2019s growing offensive in Lebanon, which began after Hezbollah fired missiles and drones into Israel on Monday.<\/p>\n
The war has escalated each day, now affecting an additional 14 countries across the Middle East and beyond. Yesterday, Azerbaijan accused Iran of drone attacks, which Tehran denied.<\/p>\n
What else is happening with the war? The US granted Indian refiners a 30-day waiver to buy Russian oil<\/a> after the US-Israel war on Iran sparked fears of a supply crunch, lifting global prices. Barely a month ago, Donald Trump claimed India had agreed to stop purchasing oil from Russia, in a shift that he said would \u201chelp END THE WAR in Ukraine\u201d by cutting off a key source of funds for Moscow.<\/p>\n This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump fires homeland security secretary, Kristi NoemNoem will be replaced at the end of the month. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite\/AP<\/p>\n Donald Trump yesterday announced he was replacing Kristi Noem<\/a> as the homeland security secretary, capping weeks of bipartisan complaints about her leadership after immigration agents killed two US citizens and reports emerged that she was involved in a personal relationship with a top deputy.<\/p>\n Noem\u2019s firing is the first major personnel shake-up of Trump\u2019s second term. In a post on Truth Social, the president said Markwayne Mullin, a Republican Oklahoma senator, would take over from Noem on 31 March.<\/p>\n Trump said Noem \u201chas served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)\u201d.<\/p>\n How have the Democrats reacted? Democrats have cheered Noem\u2019s departure, with Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, saying at a press conference: \u201cGood riddance. She was a disaster.\u201d But Jeffries said it would not change Democrats\u2019 stance towards funding the homeland security department: \u201cA change in personnel is not sufficient. We need a change in policy that has to be bold, dramatic, transformational and meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n Dismay as Hegseth urges Latin American allies to join \u2018offense\u2019 against cartelsHegseth at the inaugural Counter Cartel Conference in Florida yesterday. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell\/AP<\/p>\n Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, has urged Latin American countries to adopt a more aggressive approach against drug cartels<\/a>, warning that the Trump administration may otherwise act unilaterally in the region.<\/p>\n Hegseth\u2019s remarks came amid escalating US intervention in the region, both militarily and in elections.<\/p>\n For months, the Trump administration has used the \u201cwar on drugs\u201d to justify strikes on small boats that have killed 152 people and the months-long military buildup along Venezuela\u2019s borders \u2013 although the US president later said his main objective was the country\u2019s vast oil reserves.<\/p>\n What did Hegseth say? \u201cAmerica is prepared to take on these threats and go on offense alone if necessary. However, it is our preference, and it is the goal of this conference, that in the interest of this neighborhood, we all do it together with you,\u201d he said in a speech.<\/p>\n In other news \u2026Letitia James, the New York attorney general, is leading the lawsuit against the US government. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst\/Reuters<\/p>\n A coalition of Democratic attorneys general and governors across 24 US states are suing Donald Trump<\/a> to block his latest round of tariffs. The White House is planning to enact a new 15% tariff on all imports after the supreme court declared Trump\u2019s \u201cliberation day\u201d tariffs illegal.<\/p>\n A Florida handyman who was sentenced yesterday to life in prison for molesting two children had been convicted of storming the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, but was pardoned by Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Canadian backpacker Piper James died \u201cas a result of drowning\u201d<\/a> after a dingo attack at K\u2019gari, the Queensland coroner\u2019s court says. It had been speculated that James could have entered the water to escape dingoes before drowning.<\/p>\n Stat of the day: Weight-loss injection could be made for $3 a month, study findsThe WHO designated semaglutide as an essential medicine last year. Photograph: Tom Little\/Reuters<\/p>\n Weight-loss injections such as Wegovy and Ozempic could be made for just $3 a month<\/a>, according to new analysis, potentially making the treatment available to millions of people in poorer countries as patents expire. More than 1 billion people live with obesity worldwide, with rates rising fast in lower-income nations as they shift to westernised diets and more sedentary lifestyles.<\/p>\n Culture pick: The Bride! review \u2013 Jessie Buckley is electrifying as frizzy-haired, black-tongued monster\u2019s wife\u2018Barnstorming performance\u2019 \u2026 Jessie Buckley in The Bride! Photograph: Landmark Media\/Alamy<\/p>\n This new monster\u2019s-wife tale is a rackety, violent black comedy with sprinklings of Rocky Horror and extended homages to Mel Brooks\u2019s Young Frankenstein. It\u2019s also a gangster joyride from the roaring 20s and 30s with Mr and Mrs F-M reimagined as a kind of post-death Bonnie and Clyde<\/a>. The Bride! is out today in the US.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss this: A lone battle \u2013 Why is Pedro S\u00e1nchez the only European leader to take on Trump?S\u00e1nchez has said a government\u2019s overriding duty is \u2018to protect and improve the lives of its citizens, not to manipulate or profit from global conflicts\u2019. Photograph: Jon Nazca\/Reuters<\/p>\n This week, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez, became one of the very few European leaders to openly and emphatically reject the demands of a US president<\/a> whose trademark negotiating style is an erratic mix of bullying, humiliation and self-aggrandisement.<\/p>\n \u2026 or this: How Flightradar24 became the go-to platform for the world to watch global aviation crises unfoldFlightradar24 showing empty airspace over the Middle East due to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Photograph: flightradar24.com<\/p>\n Mikael Robertsson and Olov Lindberg did not set out to build one of the pre-eminent monitors of global airspace. In an attempt to draw more eyes to their Swedish flight price comparison portal, the entrepreneurs added a page charting air traffic. That page became Flightradar24<\/a>, the portal that people around the world now turn to when there is chaos in the skies.<\/p>\n Climate check: Global sea levels have been underestimated due to poor modelling, research suggestsThe island of Toruar in eastern Papua New Guinea is threatened by rising sea levels. Photograph: Kalolaine Fainu\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Sea levels around the world have been underestimated due to inaccurate modelling, with research suggesting ocean levels are far higher than previously understood<\/a>. The finding could significantly affect assessments of the future impacts of global heating and the effects on coastal settlements.<\/p>\n Last Thing: I lost my arm \u2013 now I\u2019m one of the fastest drummers in the world\u2018I can play timbres and speeds other drummers can\u2019t\u2019: Jason Barnes with his kit. Photograph: Melissa Golden\/The Guardian<\/p>\n After losing his arm in an electrical explosion, a drummer in Atlanta worked with engineers to develop a robotic prosthetic controlled by muscle signals. Fourteen years later, the device has helped him achieve a Guinness world record for the most drum beats per minute using a prosthetic<\/a>, striking the drum up to 20 times a second.<\/p>\n Sign up<\/p>\n Sign up for the US morning briefing<\/p>\n First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you\u2019re not already signed up, subscribe now<\/a>.<\/p>\n Get in touch<\/p>\n