US AND CANADA

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The captain of the Iranian women's football team has withdrawn her bid for Australian asylum, making her the fifth member of the delegation to change her mind.

Zahra Ghanbari will fly from Malaysia back to Iran, news agency IRNA reported on Sunday. 

Australian officials confirmed another member had dropped their asylum application but did not identify them. It comes a day after authorities reported three other women had withdrawn their claims.

The footballers had originally sought sanctuary after concerns that the team would face repercussions for staying silent during the country's anthem at their opening Asian Cup match.

The latest withdrawal means that, of the seven to initially accept Australia's offer of humanitarian visas, only two now remain in the country as defectors. 

Human rights activists have said the women may have been pressured to reverse their decisions through threats against their families.

Shiva Amini, an exiled former Iranian national futsal player, said she had received information that Iran's Football Federation, working with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had "placed intense and systemic pressure on the players' families in Iran".

"Several of the players decided to go back because the threats against their families became unbearable and the intimidation was relentless," she wrote on X on Sunday. 

Iranian media reports hailed Ghanbari's decision, with IRNA saying she was "returning to the embrace of the homeland", while the semi-official Mehr news agency called it a "patriotic decision".

On Saturday, three other members withdrew their bids for asylum, named by human rights activists in the Iranian diaspora as Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, Mona Hamoudi, and Zahra Sarbali.

Confirming their decisions, Australia's home affairs minister said his government had done everything it could to ensure the women were given the chance to have a safe future in the country.

"Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation presenting them with genuine choices and interacted with authorities seeking to help them," Tony Burke said in a statement.

"While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions."

Iran's sports ministry said in a statement that "the national spirit and patriotism of the Iranian women's national football team defeated the enemy's plans against this team", adding that Australia's government was "playing in Trump's field".

IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim said the three were on their way to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to join the rest of the squad and were "returning to the warm embrace of their families and homeland".

If said they had resisted "psychological warfare, extensive propaganda and seductive offers" in Australia.

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Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has publicly confirmed that talks are underway between the United States and Cuba. This is the first time Havana has officially acknowledged these meetings. In a speech on Friday, Díaz-Canel stated that the conversations are intended to resolve bilateral differences through dialogue, focusing on identifying and solving problems based on their severity.

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US Leader, Donald Trump has warned that NATO could face a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist Washington in reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

Speaking during an interview, the US president urged allied nations to contribute to efforts to secure the key shipping route, which is vital to global oil supplies.

“It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said, arguing that Europe and China depend far more on Gulf oil shipments than the United States.

“If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO,” he added.

The warning came after Trump appealed to several major economies — including China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom — to join a coordinated effort to reopen the narrow waterway.

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Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu released a short video on social media mocking rumours circulating online that he had died, as tensions remain high in the region amid Israel’s ongoing military confrontation with Iran and its allies.

In the video shared on his official X account, Netanyahu was seen receiving a steaming cup of coffee at a café outside Jerusalem while joking about the claims.

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Iran's newly installed supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz should remain closed, describing the move as a powerful lever against Iran's adversaries as regional tensions continue to intensify.

Speaking in televised remarks carried by Iranian state media, Khamenei said the closure of the narrow waterway, one of the world's most critical oil transit routes, was necessary to pressure countries backing the ongoing military campaign against Iran.

"The Strait cannot reopen while aggression continues," he said, adding that American military installations across the Middle East should shut down immediately or risk becoming targets.

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A shocking video shows Victoria Johnson, 30, a Florida woman high on methamphetamine, reacting with disbelief, laughter, anger, and tears as she faced charges in a hit-and-run crash that killed an 8-year-old boy and seriously injured a 10-year-old.

Johnson appeared via video conference for her first court hearing on Friday, where she faced five charges related to the crash outside Faith Baptist Church in Winter Haven, Florida, on Wednesday evening around 8:30 p.m. The children had been crossing the street to get cupcakes after a church service celebrating the pastor’s 50th birthday when they were struck.

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Four U.S. service members have been confirmed dead after a military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting ongoing operations in the region, according to the U.S. military.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the KC-135 Stratotanker went down at about 2 p.m. ET on March 12. Six crew members were on board the aircraft at the time of the incident, with four deaths confirmed while rescue efforts continued for the remaining two personnel.

"At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq," CENTCOM said in a statement. "Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue."

Officials said the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation. However, the military has ruled out combat involvement in the incident.