American air strikes targeting the Houthis have killed at least 31 people, according to the Iran-backed militia. Donald Trump said that the strikes were aimed at securing shipping routes in the Red Sea and vowed that America would “use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective”. The Houthis have been attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea since late 2023.
Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, claimed on social media that more than 250 gang members had arrived in his country after being deported from the United States. Mr Bukele’s announcement came hours after a federal judge temporarily forbade Mr Trump from using an 18th century law to deport alleged gang members. Mr Bukele evidently found the timing funny, writing: “Oopsie… Too late”.
A fire in a nightclub in North Macedonia killed at least 59 people and injured more than 100. Some 1,500 people were attending a concert at the Pulse club in Kocani, about 100km east of the capital, Skopje. Pance Toskovski, the interior minister, said that initial reports suggest that the blaze was caused by pyrotechnics.
Baidu became the latest Chinese tech giant to unveil a new artificial-intelligence model. Baidu was one of the first big Chinese firms to release an AI chatbot, but it fell behind rivals such as ByteDance and, in particular, DeepSeek. The swift rise of China’s AI industry has spooked investors in American competitors.
Keir Starmer chaired a virtual meeting of European leaders and other allies of Ukraine. Britain’s prime minister accused Russia of “dithering and delay” over Mr Trump’s ceasefire proposal and said that Ukraine must be able to “deter future Russian aggression”. Sir Keir said that a “coalition of the willing” would send military officials to London on Thursday to discuss operational details of how to secure an eventual peace deal.
Tens of thousands protested in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital. Clashes broke out between protesters, riot police and supporters of Aleksandar Vucic, the country’s president. Anti-corruption protests began in Serbia last year after the collapse of a railway-station roof in Novi Sad, the country’s second-largest city, killing 15 people. Mr Vucic has defied the protesters, saying: “You will have to kill me if you want to replace me.”
A SpaceX capsule carrying new crew members has docked with the International Space Station. Two of the astronauts on the ISS had intended to be there for only eight days, but technical issues with the spacecraft they arrived on kept them trapped in orbit for nine months. After a two-day handover, they will be able to come home at last, as soon as the weather allows re-entry.
Word of the week: Fulul, a term used by Syrians to refer to the remnants of the Assad regime. Read the full story.
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