KlearNews

The US told non-essential government workers to leave Israel. Their families can leave too.

US officials fear a military strike on Iran could happen very soon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Israel next week.

He will discuss US military plans against Iran with Israeli leaders. The US is adding more military forces to the Middle East.

Pakistan's defence minister declared Pakistan and Afghanistan are in open war. This came after Pakistan bombed Kabul and three Afghan provinces overnight Thursday to Friday.

Afghan troops had attacked Pakistani border positions Thursday night. Witnesses in Kabul and Kandahar reported explosions and jets overhead until dawn.

Civilians in border areas fled to safety after the bombing. Tensions between the two countries have been getting worse for months. The Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.

The US military used a laser on Thursday. It shot down a drone on the US-Mexico border in Texas.

The drone belonged to Customs and Border Protection. The military mistakenly thought the drone was a threat.

The FAA closed airspace above Fort Hancock, Texas. This is the second time in two weeks.

The military used a laser on a mistaken threat. Democratic lawmakers said this shows military incompetence.

The Green Party won the Gorton and Denton byelection in England. Hannah Spencer is a local plumber and Green party councillor.

She became the party's first MP in northern England. She overturned Labour's 13,000-vote majority in the seat.

Reform came second in the race. Labour finished third in the race.

Labour's vote dropped 25.3% compared with 2024. The seat had been Labour's for nearly a century. Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to keep fighting after the defeat.

Hillary Clinton testified before Congress on Thursday. She is a former US Secretary of State.

Clinton accused Republican committee members of a fishing expedition. She said they wanted to distract from President Trump.

Bill Clinton testifies to the same committee on Friday. This is the first time a former president testifies to Congress.

Bill Clinton's testimony happens in Chappaqua, New York. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer expects Bill's session to last longer.

The European Union will start a trade deal with Mercosur. Mercosur includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay in South America.

Trade between the two sides may begin within two months. France strongly opposed this decision. Some European lawmakers challenged the deal in court.

Netflix stopped trying to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and streaming services.

Netflix leaders said the deal was no longer worth the money. Paramount Skydance offered $111 billion for Warner Bros.

Discovery instead. Paramount offered $31 per share while Netflix offered $27.75 per share.

Warner Bros. Discovery's board picked Paramount's offer as better. Netflix's withdrawal clears the way for Paramount to complete its purchase.

ICE agents arrested Columbia University student Ellie Aghayeva on campus in New York. They used false claims to gain access to the campus.

The agents claimed they were looking for a missing person. Students protested the arrest at university housing.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York met with President Trump about the arrest. Trump told the mayor the student would be released. Aghayeva was then released.

Anthropic's leader Dario Amodei said the company cannot agree to Pentagon terms. The Pentagon demanded full access to Anthropic's AI system for military use.

A Friday deadline was set for this demand. Defense officials threatened to label Anthropic a supply chain risk.

They could also use the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law. This law would give the military broad power over Anthropic's products.

But Anthropic said talks with the Pentagon continue. Amodei stated Pentagon threats do not change the company's position.

Block announced layoffs of more than 4,000 workers. This is about half of its workforce.

Block's stock price jumped 24 to 25 percent after the announcement. Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said most companies are late to understand what technology will do.

Technology will change many jobs. The market responded well to the layoff news.

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. died at age 84.

Memorial services began in Chicago to honor his civil rights work. Services also took place in Washington, D.C. and South Carolina. Jackson founded the Rainbow PUSH organization during his life.

Børge Brende stepped down as World Economic Forum president and CEO. He is a former Norwegian foreign minister.

Brende faced scrutiny over connections with Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein is a convicted sex offender.

Brende said he had communications with Epstein. But he claimed he was completely unaware of Epstein's past crimes.

Nvidia reported better-than-expected results on Wednesday. But the US stock market fell 1.2% after the news.

Nvidia stock itself sank 5% despite strong earnings. Investors worry the artificial intelligence boom will not last.

They fear big tech gains may not continue. Strong earnings did not stop the market fall.

The US and Iran are holding nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland. Oman is helping mediate the discussions.

Iran says an agreement is within reach. At the same time, the US is sending more military forces to the Middle East.

President Donald Trump is pressuring Iran with the threat of military action. Previous talks ended when the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025.

These new talks are seen as a last-ditch effort for peace. But chances of a deal remain unclear.

A Hong Kong appeals court ruled prosecutors failed to prove rent fraud against Jimmy Lai. Lai is a democracy advocate and former publisher.

He remains in prison on national security charges. In another case, a Hong Kong court sentenced Kwok Yin-sang to eight months in jail.

Kwok is the father of a United States-based activist. This is the first case against a family member of an activist living abroad under Hong Kong's national security law.

Jersey's parliament approved a bill to allow assisted dying for terminally ill adults. Members voted 32 to 16 in favour.

The bill still needs royal assent to become law. Jersey is now the second part of the British Isles with this approval.

Hungary vetoed an European Union loan to Kyiv. Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused Ukraine of blocking oil supplies.

Ukraine closed a critical pipeline to stop Russian oil theft. Hungary then stationed troops at energy facilities across the country. The dispute shows tension between Hungary and Ukraine over energy supplies.

A speedboat from Florida entered Cuban waters on Wednesday. People on the speedboat opened fire on Cuban border guards.

Cuban forces returned fire at the boat. Four people died and six were wounded.

The clash happened near Cayo Falcones in Villa Clara province, Cuba. The incident took place amid heightened tensions between the United States and Cuba.

Vice President JD Vance announced a temporary halt of Minnesota Medicaid payments. President Donald Trump declared a war on fraud in his State of the Union address.

A billion-dollar fraud case is related to Minnesota Medicaid. Mehmet Oz called this the largest fraud enforcement ever. Governor Tim Walz was given 60 days to fix the systems.

The FBI raided the home and office of Alberto Carvalho. Carvalho leads Los Angeles Unified School District in the United States.

This is the nation's second largest school district. The FBI has not said why it is investigating. Los Angeles Unified School District said it is helping the federal investigation.

Team USA won an Olympic gold medal in women's hockey. President Trump made a joke about the team during a call to the men's team.

Trump also mentioned inviting the women's hockey team to the White House. The women's team said any White House visit would come after their seasons end.

Team captain Hilary Knight called Trump's joke distasteful. Knight said the joke took away from their gold medal win. Team members said they don't want their achievement overshadowed by backlash over the joke.

Larry Summers will resign from teaching at Harvard University. Summers was a former US Treasury Secretary.

He was also a former president of Harvard. A university review of documents about Jeffrey Epstein led to his resignation.

Documents showed a closer relationship to Epstein than previously known. Last fall, Summers said he was deeply ashamed of his actions. Summers will leave at the end of the school year.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said talks with Russia are expected in early March. A Ukrainian group will meet American envoys on Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ukraine's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov will meet the US envoys. They are Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. These meetings prepare Ukraine for the planned three-way talks with Russia.

A sinkhole opened at an Omaha intersection in Nebraska today. It swallowed an SUV and a pickup truck.

Both drivers climbed out safely with help from witnesses. Witnesses also directed traffic at the scene. No one was hurt.

Casey Means is President Trump's pick for surgeon general. Means is a health influencer and critic of mainstream medicine.

She will appear before a Senate committee on Wednesday. The hearing will discuss her nomination for surgeon general. Her nomination is highly scrutinized by lawmakers and critics.

Energy bills will drop from April in Great Britain. Ofgem, the energy regulator, cut the price cap by 7%.

Average bills will fall to £1,641 a year. Households will save £117 from the reduction.

The government's Budget plan also helped reduce costs. The government aimed to cut £150 more per year from bills. All household energy bills will fall.

Heavy rains hit Brazil's Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil. At least 30 people died in the flooding.

Another 39 people were reported missing after the flooding. A river burst its banks during overnight rain.

Streets flooded with fast-moving brown water. The region saw record rainfall this month. Rescuers searched for the 39 missing people.

Violence has broken out across Mexico. This happens four months before the World Cup 2026.

Mexico is co-hosting the event. A cartel boss was killed.

This sparked days of violence in the country. US leaders warn of major security risks.

Cities hosting World Cup matches need funding released. Mexico's president said fans will be safe.