Bahrain says Iran hit a desalination plant, stoking fears of attacks on civilian sites
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Bahrain has accused Iran of striking a desalination plant as the regional war expands and targets more civilian sites in Gulf states. Iran’s president said Sunday his country is responding to pressure with stronger attacks. He threatened more strikes on American targets in the Middle East. Iran said Israeli airstrikes hit oil storage sites and a petroleum transfer facility, killing four people. Bahrain said the plant attack damaged equipment, but didn’t confirm water outages. Iran said a U.S. strike hit its own desalination plant and cut water for villages. Israel also intensified strikes in Lebanon and ordered evacuations.
Oil built the Persian Gulf. Desalinated water keeps it alive. War could threaten both
As the Iran war widens, experts say the Middle East’s real strategic weak point may be water — not oil. Much of the Gulf’s drinking supply comes from desalination plants clustered along vulnerable coastlines within easy range of Iranian missiles and drones. Many of the individual plants supply water to millions of people. Without them, major cities could not sustain their current populations. In recent days, Iranian drones struck an energy facility that powers a desalination plant in the United Arab Emirates and sparked a fire at a desalination plant in Kuwait. Oil spills, contamination and sabatoge also could disrupt supplies of the freshwater that also sustains hotels, industry and some agriculture.
Trump’s ‘roaring’ economy meets a rough start to 2026: What the latest numbers show
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump promised that 2026 would be a bumper year for economic growth. Instead it’s kicked off with job losses, rising gasoline prices and more uncertainty about America’s future. In his recent State of the Union address, Trump said “the roaring economy is roaring like never before.” The latest batch of data on jobs, gasoline prices and the stock market suggests otherwise. There’s a gap between the boom that Trump has predicted and the results he’s produced. And that could set the tone in this year’s midterm elections as he tries to defend Republican majorities in the House and Senate.
China hopes 2026 will be a ‘landmark year’ for relationship with US
BEIJING (AP) — China says it hopes this year will be a “landmark year” in relations with the United States, as the two sides prepare for an expected leaders’ summit later this month. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells reporters in Beijing that the two leaders have had “good exchanges” at the highest levels. U.S. President Donald Trump is due in Beijing near the end of March. While China did not confirm the summit, Wang says both sides have a ready agenda for discussions. The U.S. and China have tensions over issues from trade to national security.
A new Nepali party led by an ex-rapper is set for a landslide win in parliamentary election
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s new Rastriya Swatantra party is heading for a landslide win in the country’s first parliamentary election since youth protests toppled the old leadership last year. On Sunday, election officials published results that show the party has already won most directly elected seats. Vote counting continues, and officials expect final results later this week. The party is led by Balendra Shah, a rapper-turned-politician. He rose to prominence during the uprising that pushed out a longtime prime minister. The new party is unseating Nepal’s two dominant parties.
12 years on, renewed hunt for missing Flight MH370 comes up empty as families press for answers
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian authorities say a renewed deep-sea search in the southern Indian Ocean has failed so far to find Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, twelve years after it disappeared. The Air Accident Investigation Bureau said Sunday that a seabed search conducted by marine robotics company Ocean Infinity between March 2025 and January 2026 surveyed thousands of square kilometers of ocean floor but has not produced any confirmed findings of the aircraft wreckage. Malaysia approved the hunt last year under a no-find, no-fee deal. The company gets paid only if it finds debris. Voice 370, a family advocacy group, is urging Malaysia to extend Ocean Infinity’s contract, which runs until June.
Decades after violence in Selma spurred the Voting Rights Act, organizers worry about its fate
SELMA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is marking the 61st anniversary of a key event in the Civil Rights Movement, when state troopers attacked voting rights marchers in Selma. The violence on March 7, 1965, shocked the nation and galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The annual commemoration pays homage to those who fought to secure voting rights for Black Americans. But the celebrations in Selma this weekend come as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case that could limit a provision of the landmark legislation. Marchers are scheduled to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday.
A singing circle at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw offers support for people with dementia
AMSTERDAM (AP) — A singing circle at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw helps people with dementia and other brain conditions connect through music. At a recent session, Megan Worthy, 58, joins her daughter and other singers in the venue’s Mirror Hall. Worthy lives with a rare form of early-onset dementia that affects her vision and thinking. Opera singer Maartje de Lint leads the group and says singing trains the brain and brings families closer. The hour-long session moves people to tears as they sing love songs and hymns.
NFL’s free-agent spending frenzy begins first with a legal tampering period
Ready, set, negotiate multi-million contracts. The NFL’s free agency period opens Monday with a 52-hour legal tampering period ahead of the official start of the new league year Wednesday. Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III head the list of high-profile players who will be free to sign a contract with a new team. Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Kyler Murray also will be seeking new teams because they’re going to be released by their teams.
George Russell wins Formula 1’s Australian GP as Mercedes goes 1-2
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — George Russell wins a dramatic season-opening Australian Grand Prix, and Mercedes seals a one-two with Kimi Antonelli. It’s Mercedes’ 61st one-two result and first since 2024’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc jumps into the lead at the first corner and then trades positions with pole sitter Russell. On lap 12, a virtual safety car comes out after Isack Hadjar stops on track. Mercedes pits both cars and gains an edge. Leclerc finishes third as Ferrari’s slow reaction during the yellow flags cost the team. Lewis Hamilton takes fourth. Oscar Piastri crashes before the start and misses his home race.