The leaders of Iran, Israel and the United ​States all voiced defiance and vowed to fight on as the Middle East war approached the two-week mark on Friday, killing thousands of people, disrupting the lives of millions of others and ‌shaking financial markets.

Millions of civilians are being displaced as fighting between Iran, Israel and the United States intensifies.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to escalate the war with Iran if it blocked oil shipments from the Middle East, even as he predicted ​a quick end to the conflict.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. forces “would not deliberately target a school” after Iranian state media reported over 160 were killed in a strike on a ​girls’ school on the first day of the U.S. and Israeli attacks on ‌Iran.

Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran on Sunday and Iran responded with more missile barrages, a day after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei pitched the Middle East and the global economy into deepening uncertainty.

Israeli leaders and officials have claimed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed following massive joint strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran, saying there are “many signs” he is no longer alive and that his body has been found.

Tropical Depression 09F has now intensified into Tropical Cyclone Urmil, becoming the first named system of the 2025–2026 Tropical Cyclone Season.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has been arrested and is in police custody on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

U.S. President Donald Trump says the world will know within the next “probably ten days” whether the United States can reach a deal with Iran or will take military action, speaking at the first meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Israel on February 28 to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and update him on Iran talks, a State Department official told CNN Wednesday.

Rescue teams combing through the backcountry of California’s Lake Tahoe region say they have found the bodies of eight skiers who went missing in an avalanche on Tuesday.

The chair of the Pacific Academy of Sciences says it is time Pasifika experts take the lead on climate change, health, renewable energy and traditional knowledge in the region.