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Middle East conflict looks increasingly like a war nobody can win

Middle East conflict looks increasingly like a war nobody can win

LET'S begin with a simple question that rarely gets a straight answer: what would victory over Iran actually look like? In Washington and Jerusalem, the answers tend to sound definitive: eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability, break its regional power, perhaps even force political change at the top. It’s the language of decisive war, the kind with a clear endpoint. But shift the perspective to Tehran, and the definition changes completely. Victory, for Iran, is survival. That asymmetry shapes the entire conflict. In wars like this, the side that needs less to claim success often has the advantage – and, right now,…
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Why the US military is stuck using $1 million missiles against Iran’s $20,000 drones

Why the US military is stuck using $1 million missiles against Iran’s $20,000 drones

IT may sound hard to believe, but the almost trillion-dollar U.S. military is struggling to fight cheap drones in its war with Iran. Iran has built a simple drone, the Shahed, with a motorcycle-type engine, loaded it with explosives and successfully targeted its neighbors’ cities and power plants. Iran has also hit U.S. military bases with these drones, including an early April 2026 attack on the U.S. Victory Base Complex in Baghdad. The drones cost between US$20,000 and $50,000 to build. In response, the U.S. military sometimes fires missiles worth more than $1 million to shoot one down. As a…
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In abusive relationships, the end can be the most dangerous part

In abusive relationships, the end can be the most dangerous part

TWO deadly high-profile domestic violence cases this month highlight how the most dangerous part of a relationship can be when it is ending — particularly for women and families, and especially if guns are involved.  In Virginia, authorities say former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, in mid-April before killing himself. The two had been in the midst of a divorce. And on Sunday, a gunman in Shreveport, Louisiana, killed eight children and injured two women in what authorities described as the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in more than two years. Authorities…
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Four presidents, one warning: American democracy faces its starkest test on the eve of the republic’s 250th year

Four presidents, one warning: American democracy faces its starkest test on the eve of the republic’s 250th year

THEY came not as rivals or partisans, but as men who have held the weight of the world's most powerful office - and what they said, jointly, in a rare gathering on the eve of America's 250th anniversary, amounted to something closer to a civic alarm than a celebration. Former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton appeared at a private History Channel event in Philadelphia — "History Talks" — on the weekend of 19-20 April 2026, each speaking individually to NBC's Jenna Bush Hager in what was subsequently broadcast as a TODAY exclusive. Together, the…
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Who is calling the shots in Iran?

Who is calling the shots in Iran?

FOLLOWING the last round of talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, Iran’s foreign minister and negotiator Abbas Araghchi declared in a post on X on April 17 that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely open”. This came after he also signalled that his government could be flexible over the issue of nuclear enrichment as well as Iran’s support for its proxies in the region. Then came an abrupt correction. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a former commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who was recently appointed as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, is understood to…
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Healthocide? Why the attack on the Pasteur Institute of Iran is more than a war crime

Healthocide? Why the attack on the Pasteur Institute of Iran is more than a war crime

ON 2 April, the United States and Israel bombed the 106-year-old Pasteur Institute, targeting one of Iran’s oldest and most critical public health institutions. Established in 1920, the institute has long been central to vaccine production, infectious disease surveillance, and epidemiological research in the Middle East and beyond. But this wasn’t simply a strike on a building. It was much larger than any single incident. It was a brazen attack on the infrastructure that sustains Iran’s public health. And it reflects a broader pattern in modern warfare, where the target is no longer just people, but the systems that keep…
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Israel’s onslaught against Lebanon may strengthen Hezbollah – just when it’s at its weakest

Israel’s onslaught against Lebanon may strengthen Hezbollah – just when it’s at its weakest

AS the tentative ceasefire in Lebanon holds, people are returning to their homes in the south to find widespread destruction. Whole villages were laid waste, roads and bridges were ruined, and hospitals and other civic infrastructure were flattened. And the Israeli army is still very much in evidence in many areas. The most recent conflict between Israel and Lebanon has killed more than 2,100 people and displaced more than a million people. Israel’s stated aim is to destroy Hezbollah, which it describes as an Iranian proxy. But this is a misleading framing of the situation. And trying to destroy Hezbollah…
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Milan police dismantle luxury escort ring linked to Serie A stars and F1 driver

Milan police dismantle luxury escort ring linked to Serie A stars and F1 driver

ITALIAN financial police shattered a high-end prostitution network on April 20, 2026, placing four individuals under house arrest and seizing €1.2 million in illicit profits, with investigators uncovering a client list featuring over 50 Serie A footballers and at least one Formula 1 driver. The Guardia di Finanza targeted MA.DE. Milano, an events agency in Cinisello Balsamo near Milan, is accused of fronting "all-inclusive" packages blending nightlife outings in exclusive clubs, luxury hotel stays, sexual services, and nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") highs – often tailored as "post-match services" for visiting footballers at San Siro, Milan. La Gazzetta dello Sport broke…
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Weddings return to a broken Gaza

Weddings return to a broken Gaza

ON 31 December last year, my family gathered with our closest friends and relatives in a former clothing store in Gaza City. The space had been repurposed into an event hall. We were there not just to bring in the New Year but to celebrate my sister Noor’s wedding. The clothing store had been given an elegant makeover. There were clear glass tables decorated with small floral centrepieces. The light-coloured walls had accents of dark marble, and long white curtains hung from gold rods. We invited around 100 guests, but not all were able to attend. Some could not find…
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Both the US and Iran are firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Are both sides acting lawfully?

Both the US and Iran are firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Are both sides acting lawfully?

OVER the past several days, there have been conflicting reports about the Strait of Hormuz. It’s difficult to know what’s happening from one moment to the next. Iran said the waterway was open to commercial shipping again, then turned around and said it was closed. Iran then fired at two Indian-flagged ships going through the strait, forcing them to turn around. The next day, the US fired on an Iranian cargo vessel, which Tehran called a violation of the two countries’ temporary ceasefire and threatened retaliation. What’s actually happening in the Strait? Are both sides acting lawfully? We asked naval…
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