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Donald Trump threatened to “massively blow up” the world’s largest gasfield after Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars field led Tehran to take revenge on energy facilities across the Middle East.

Israel’s targeting of Iran’s giant South Pars gasfield on Wednesday, hours after intensely bombarding Beirut, marked a major escalation of the war. Iran then retaliated with fresh attacks across the region, including on Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities.

The strikes in recent days are a significant escalation – they’re the first time fossil fuel production facilities have been hit, rather than sites associated more generally with the oil and gas industry.

Lawmakers and community leaders react to ‘indefensible’ César Chávez sexual abuse allegations

The United Farm Workers (UFW) union has canceled celebrations honoring Cesar Chavez as public figures and community organizers voiced their shock and disgust after several women shared allegations of grooming and abuse by the late labor organizer.

The New York Times released an investigation on Wednesday detailing the allegations, which revealed that for years the co-founder of the UFW union, who died in 1993, had groomed and sexually abused girls involved in the movement.

• Who has spoken out? Labor rights activist and co-founder of the UFW Dolores Huerta, 95, released a statement on Wednesday saying: “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.” The report also includes the stories of two women, who were daughters of organizers in the movement, who said they were children when the grooming and abuse began.

Kash Patel admits under oath FBI is buying location data on Americans

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is buying location data on Americans, Kash Patel, the FBI director, said under oath at the Senate intelligence committee’s annual worldwide threats hearing on Wednesday.

The admission came in response to a question from the senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat. Patel said: “We do purchase commercially available information that’s consistent with the constitution and the laws under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and it has led to some valuable intelligence for us.”

Wyden, a longtime opponent of the warrantless surveillance of Americans, denounced it, saying “doing that without a warrant is an outrageous end run around the fourth amendment”, which bars unreasonable searches and seizures.

• Is this the first time the FBI has admitted to purchasing such data? No. In 2023, then FBI director Christopher Wray acknowledged that the organization had previously purchased location data derived from internet advertising – but he said it was not currently doing so.

In other news …

• A Russian oil tanker is heading to Cuba, according to maritime tracking data, as the island endures blackouts caused by the US’s economic blockade.

• Attorney general Pam Bondi has refused to commit to honoring a subpoena to testify under oath about the justice department’s handling of the Epstein files.

• The Senate has voted 53-47 to reject a measure aiming to limit Trump’s war powers, with senator Rand Paul of Kentucky the only Republican to support it.

• LGBTQ+ rights in Europe are under threat from east and west due to conservative agendas in Russia and the US being “off the pitch’”, Ireland’s former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said.

Terrorism deaths in Nigeria rose by 46% in 2025

Deaths from jihadist attacks rose sharply in Nigeria last year, even as global deaths from terrorism fell to their lowest level in a decade, according to a new report. Nigeria recorded the largest rise in terrorism deaths globally in 2025, with fatalities rising by 46% from 513 in 2024 to 750, placing it fourth in the global terrorism index, behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Filter recommends: The 13 best nonalcoholic wines in the US in 2026

Just like with alcoholic wines, there’s a wide variety in quality when it comes to their non-alcoholic counterparts. While it might be tempting to dismiss the category as upsold grape juice, in her guide to the best booze-free wines, Oset Babür-Winter explains the process of making both types is much the same: “You’re investing in the effort and care that goes into making a product that tastes, smells and feels thoughtful.”

Don’t miss this: How a viral snow fight provoked Mamdani’s schism with NYPD

When a blizzard closed New York’s schools, young people headed to Washington Square Park for a snowball fight. Within an hour police were called about teens’ behavior; officers were subsequently pelted with snowballs. While the police commissioner called the treatment of police as “disgraceful” and “criminal”, mayor Zohran Mamdani dismissed it as “kids throwing snowballs”. Here’s how a snowball fight came to exacerbate existing tensions between Mamdani’s agenda and the police.

Climate check: Women and girls bearing brunt of water shortages globally, UN warns

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by water shortages and a lack of sanitation around the world, delaying the economic and social development of poorer countries, the UN has warned. Women are responsible for collecting water in more than 70% of rural households withouts mains water – and a 1C rise in temperature reduces incomes in female-headed households by 34% more than in male-headed ones.

Last Thing: Possum found nestled in with plush toys at airport gift shop in Tasmania

A brushtail possum was found nestled among the kangaroo and dingo plush toys in a gift shop in Hobart airport, Tasmania, delighting customers and staff. A spokesperson for the airport said the animal remained calm as it was safely escorted out of the terminal without incident, while staff are now planning to put up a photo of the marsupial in the shop.

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