UK Higher Ed: Prestige at a Discount

The competition is heating up and getting fiercer as UK higher education desperately fights to hold onto crashing foreign student enrollment. 

At least 22 universities are offering guaranteed tuition-fee discounts of up to £8,000 for overseas students. This shift is driven by a 17 percent drop in postgraduate enrollment in the two years leading to March 2026, stricter visa rules, and a 2024 ban on family members accompanying students. 

The reduced net fee at these varsities is likely to fuel concerns about the education sector's approach to recruiting overseas students, on whose fees it already depends.

The University of Nottingham, which set out plans to trim more than 600 jobs, offers an immediate £3,000 scholarship for 2026 taught master’s courses with no application needed, replacing merit awards. 

Meanwhile, the University of Aberdeen, where 100 jobs could be cut as part of a £10m savings plan, introduced an £8,000 scholarship directly deducted from the tuition bill. 

Furthermore, the University of Kent are offering a pre-approved £5,000 discount for master's degree entrants from 14 specific countries – including China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, and Vietnam – requiring no separate application process. 

The University of Leeds are also providing a hassle-free £5,000 regional scholarship reduction directly to eligible international undergraduate students, such as applicants from Kenya. 

Zeenat Fayaz, founder of The Brand Education, which advises universities on branding, said this “pricing war” could backfire by sparking competition between institutions on the basis of a degree’s cost rather than their own strengths. 

“Higher-tariff universities are not only offering scholarships, but they’re also reducing their grade requirements to allow students in... It’s a race to the bottom”.

Butterflies On The Move

Around the world, ongoing environmental changes are prompting many butterfly species to relocate and search for new homes, a process referred to as species range shifts or species redistribution. 

As temperatures, rainfall and habitats change, butterflies can relocate over long distances, or even move vertically up and down mountain ranges. 

A new global study found one in ten known butterfly species has already shifted in range. So, where are they going – and why? 

Data from a collection of more than 6,180 reports (565 studies and 68 expert assessments) of butterfly range shift and which covered 1,758 species across 105 countries, showed 80% of the documented butterfly species had expanded their ranges latitudinally, meaning east to west, or longitudinally, meaning north to south. It found that 27% had reduced their range and 22% had shifted up or down slopes on hills or mountains. 

Many species showed a combination of these range changes. The public narrative is often simplistic: as the world warms, species are shifting towards cooler temperatures at higher latitudes, or moving upwards in mountains. This is happening, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. 

In fact, butterflies need more than to find new homes at the right temperature. Caterpillars often depend on specific host plants; adults need nectar, shelter and safe places to breed; and populations also require connected habitats so individuals can move easily through the landscape, meet, reproduce and breed. 

Some species show how fast changes can happen. The tawny coster (Acraea terpsicore) native to the Indian subcontinent, primarily centered in India and Sri Lanka, has expanded through Southeast Asia and into Australia. In Brazil, Godartiana byses has expanded from Rio de Janeiro and Bahia into São Paulo, a shift linked to climate warming. 

Other species show the opposite pattern. The small blue (Cupido minimus) has lost 40% of its habitat in the United Kingdom over the past 150 years. In Germany, the cranberry fritillary (Boloria aquilonaris) has lost much of its original habitat because of bog drainage. In Romania, an increase in farming has been linked to a severe range contraction of the danube clouded yellow (Colias myrmidone). 

Even range shifts along mountain slopes are not always straightforward. In Mexico, the painted lady (Vanessa cardui) shifted upslope at a rate of about 83 metres per year between 1988 and 2011. Over the same period, the queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) shifted downslope at a rate of about 32m per year. 

Together, these examples show butterfly species range shifts are not simply a story of animals moving towards the poles. 

In the comprehensive study, climate change and extreme weather events were the most common reasons why butterflies shifted their range. 

But climate change is not the only factor. Agriculture, forestry, urban development and habitat destruction are also reshaping where butterflies can live and reproduce. These disturbances destroy host plants and breeding sites, and fragment large habitats into patches too small to sustain a healthy population. 

It is important to note that butterflies are part of the living fabric around us. Adult butterflies contribute to pollination. Caterpillars feed birds, spiders and other insects. When butterflies disappear, it can signal the plants, grasslands or woodlands once visited by butterflies are also changing. 

This matters for conservation. Many protected areas are based on maps of where species lived in the past. But if butterflies and other species are moving, those maps quickly become outdated. 

The message is simple. Conservation cannot only protect habitats where species once lived – it must include the places where they will relocate, and the wildlife corridors they will use to get there. If not, we may keep protecting yesterday’s nature while tomorrow’s nature has nowhere left to go.

Cockroaches Arise!

What began as an Internet punchline is turning into something more serious. 

Indians online are rallying around the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP; lit. "Cockroach People's Party") – a parody political movement that started as online satire but has rapidly become a vehicle for venting anger over unemployment, corruption and the state of India’s democracy. 

The movement, a cheeky riff on the name of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has flooded social media with memes, mock campaign messaging and jokes carrying an edge of public frustration. 

“We have to understand that five years ago nobody was ready to speak up against Modi or the government”, said CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke (top right). “The times are changing”. 

Launched online on May 16, 2026, the movement’s rise traces back to controversial comments made by Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant, who compared some young people and critics of institutions to “cockroaches” and “parasites”. 

“There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment or have any place in the profession”, Kant said. The remarks quickly ricocheted across social media, drawing criticism and meme-making in equal measure. 

Kant later said he had not intended to insult young people and that his comments were directed at individuals with fraudulent degrees. 

But by then, the Internet had already done what it does best. On Instagram, the movement has amassed about 21 million followers – more than double the number for the BJP, which have approximately 9 million, and Congress, India’s main opposition party, which have about 13.4 million. Meaning, CJP have more followers than real political parties!

“Nothing of this was intentional”, Dipke said. “It is the younger people who were actually very frustrated. They don’t have any outlet. They were really angry at the government”. 

Dipke, a political communications strategist said the movement’s popularity reflects a shift in India’s political climate. He previously worked alongside the Aam Aadmi Party, which emerged from India’s anti-corruption movement in 2012. 

And he had reported that both his personal and CJP Instagram accounts were hacked or locked out, and Meta temporarily took down the party's backup page as well. The primary CJP X account is also inaccessible, having been officially withheld in India.

A real shame! The world's most populous democracy is afraid of cockroaches! 🪳🪳🪳

“I understand the frustrations of the youth and see why they are resonating with it”, wrote Shashi Tharoor, a member of the Congress party, calling the account’s inaccessibility on X “disastrous” and “deeply unwise”.

“There should be an outlet for the youth to express their feelings and so, let CJP’s account function instead of shutting it down”, he wrote. “Democracies need outlets for dissent, humor, satire, and even frustration”.

India Bans Phones for Tiger Safaris

Many travel to parts of India in the hope of spotting the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in the wild. For many, it's a rare and unforgettable experience – the perfect moment for a photo. 

But perhaps not anymore. A number of India's national parks and tiger reserves have introduced new rules about the use of mobile phones. It comes after a ruling by the country's Supreme Court in November 2025 that banned mobile phones from certain areas to "minimize disturbance to wildlife". 

Wildlife disturbance has become a big problem in India. When tigers are spotted in parks and reserves, it often results in vehicles rushing to see the animal, with visitors focused on filming or taking photos of the moment. 

In February, a viral video showed a wild tiger in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district surrounded by vehicles, with little space to move as tourists shouted and took photos. 

To mitigate the situation, several large national parks have banned the use of phones altogether. In some parks, visitors will be able to carry their phones with them but will not be allowed to use them. In others, they will be asked to leave their phones at the entrance to the park and collect them again after their tour. The use of cameras is still allowed, although many parks charge a fee for this. 

Anyone caught breaking the new rules may be fined or asked to leave the park. 

Drivers and tour guides will still be allowed to carry their phones with them in case of an emergency. 

With over 3,600 wild Bengal tigers, India is home to 75% of the world's wild tiger population, according to the BBC. The species has been listed as endangered for many years, but thanks to conservation efforts, numbers doubled between 2010 and 2022.

In the Scottish Premiership match yesterday between Celtic and Hibernian, the former had only one objective: Get the three points. 

And Martin O'Neill's side got the job done as the Scottish champions won 2-1. 

On 41 minutes, Daizen Maeda made his side's dominance count by slotting in a low Alistair Johnston delivery, but seven minutes later, their rivals poked in the leveller. 

After consistent second-half pressure, Celtic got their breakthrough through Kelechi Iheanacho, 151 seconds after coming off the bench. The Nigerian was in the right place when Kieran Tierney’s corner came all the way through to him inside the box, and he calmly side-footed the ball beyond the Hibs goalie to stab home in the 72nd minute. 

Celtic are now level on points with Hearts,  ahead of the latter's titanic showdown with Rangers today. And a day earlier, Falkirk beat Motherwell 1-0

Companionship Is A Silent Power

A 24-year-old cancer patient in Foshan, China opens a delivery app and orders two hours of human company. Just someone to sit by her bed and talk.

How comforting the presence of another human being can be. 

Since the crippling of US military sites and the demolition of radars in the Middle East due to Iranian attacks, there has been heavy rainfall in parts of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. 

A large dam in Iran’s Paveh region has overflowed again after seven years. Due to heavy rainfall, this dam with a capacity of about 400 million cubic meters is now completely full and water has started overflowing. 

Meanwhile, Iraq’s largest Darbandikhan Dam has also reached 100% capacity, forcing its gates to be opened. After many years, this dam has again reached its full capacity. 

There are stories that the weather in that region was controlled using cloud seeding radars located in the Middle East, especially in the UAE. Others say that high-powered phased-array radar systems emit extremely powerful electromagnetic beams in UHF and X-band frequencies, which disrupt the normal flow of the atmosphere. But now that the radars have been destroyed, the weather is starting to return to its normal state. 

As a result, Tehran in Iran, which had been affected by drought for years, has seen heavy rainfall and the temperature has dropped by about 5 degrees Celsius. 

Whether this is a conspiracy theory or not, just as the weather is slowly returning to normal – if America completely withdraws from the Middle East, perhaps long-term stability and an environment of peace will return to the region.

Asia’s Biggest Food Staple is Under Threat

Harvest-ready rice fields are lying idle and farmers are deciding whether to skip planting for the coming season, as spiking fuel and fertiliser costs from the war in the Middle East hit one of the world’s biggest rice-growing regions. 

Across Southeast Asia, tens of millions of smallholders are struggling to find affordable crop nutrients as well as the diesel needed to run tractors, irrigation pumps and rice planters. In Thailand, some farmers are leaving the crop in the ground as it is too expensive to harvest. 

The scarcity of supplies underscores how the six-week war in Iran has upended global trade and raised concerns around food shortages. As well as driving oil prices higher, the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz – which remains largely blocked despite a temporary ceasefire – has choked a vital route for fertiliser and fuel deliveries, with Asia particularly affected. 

“There’s a lot of panicked farmers”, said Patrick Davenport, a director and co-founder of BRM Agro, an integrated rice farmer and miller in Cambodia, where roughly three-quarters of the population lives in rural areas. “Most are involved in agriculture – and they are all hurting”, he said. 

Rice is a staple for more than half of the world’s population, as well as a livelihood for rural communities across a region where agriculture still accounts for a large share of economic activity. Farmers struggling with input costs that have doubled or even tripled are also finding themselves squeezed by persistently low prices, at least for now. 

Weighed down by ample inventories, benchmark prices for Thai white rice 5% broken fell to a decade-low in late October and have recovered only a little since then, spending most of last month below $400 (RM1,586) a ton. 

“Margins are super tight, and that means they will plant less”, said Máximo Torero, the chief economist of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, noting that a further 20- to 30-day closure of Hormuz would affect the availability of food as soon as the second half of the year. The input shortages can only be resolved if vessels can begin moving through the strait again. “I don’t see any other solution”, he said. 

In Cambodia, some growers are reluctant to proceed this month without a guaranteed return, said Davenport, whose company works with about 2,000 farmers. Around a tenth have said they won’t plant unless they can secure a fixed price for the new crop. 

In the Philippines, the world’s top rice importer and also a major producer, paddy-rice output could fall by at least 10% this year, according to Raul Montemayor, the national manager for the Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives Inc. That could amount to about two million tons of lost rice given projected national output of 20.3 million tons. 

“That’s a very big possibility, and the reduction will be felt during the next harvest season in September or October”, said Montemayor. 

The shortage of inputs couldn’t have come at a worse time for rice farmers in Southeast Asia, many of whom grow two or more crops a year and are currently straddling the seasons. Harvesting of dry-season fields is in progress, while planting is beginning for the main wet-season paddy crops in Thailand and the Philippines. 

“That’s when all these fuel costs start mattering a lot. Fertiliser costs will matter a lot. Availability will matter a lot”, said Alisher Mirzabaev, a senior scientist for policy analysis and climate change at the International Rice Research Institute. “On the food-security side, we are buffered by the existing stocks – but we should not get complacent”. 

Elsewhere in Asia, the main plantings in India – a major grower – remain a couple of months away, while China has been more insulated from the energy and fertiliser shocks. 

But in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, where rice is grown three times a year, farmers are barely breaking even as they collect the main paddy crop. With production costs surging, some growers are considering scaling back to just two crops, said Pham Van Nhut, a 63-year-old farmer in the southern province of Vinh Long. 

Some farmers in Thailand, meanwhile, have chosen not to harvest the rice crop that’s ready now or are delaying collection, leading to a decline in quality. The dry-season crop in March-April could fall by around 19% from the same year-earlier period, according to a March 31 report by the Bangkok-based Kasikorn Research Center. 

Planting for this year’s main crop in Thailand is due to start in weeks, and while it is unlikely that growers will halt production entirely, output will be limited by how much fertilisers can be procured, said Pramote Charoensilp, the president of the Thai Agriculturist Association, which represents tens of thousands of farmers across much of the country. 

With the disruptions set to last, farmers are seeking creative ways to reduce their dependence on imported fertilisers and fuel. Some are switching from rice to corn, which needs less water from diesel-fed irrigation machines. BRM, the company in Cambodia, is accelerating plans to scale up bio-organic fertiliser production and seeking suppliers of electric tractors and solar-powered water pumps to reduce fuel use. 

But options are limited for many others who depend on rice for their livelihoods, leaving them little alternative but to continue planting – even if that means absorbing losses. 

“We have no choice”, said Ruel Bantugan, a rice farmer in the Philippines’ Bataan province. “We just need to gamble and plant again, rather than leave the land idle”.

Humanoid Robots Beat Humans in Beijing Half-marathon

Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism and autonomous navigation skills as they whizzed past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing, China on Sunday. 

The race's inaugural edition last year was riddled with ‌mishaps, and most robots were unable to finish. Last year's champion robot recorded a time of 2 hours 40 minutes, more than double the time of the human winner of the conventional race. 

This year's contrast was stark. Not only had the number of participating teams increased from 20 to more than 100, but several robot frontrunners were noticeably faster than professional athletes, beating the human winners by more than 10 minutes. 

Unlike last year, nearly half of the robot entrants navigated the tougher terrain autonomously instead of being directed by remote control during the 21-km (13-mile) race. The robots and 12,000 men and women ran in parallel tracks to avoid collisions.

You'd better believe it, Elon Musk's Tesla cybertruck is a dustbin container!

😂😂😂

Japan Downgrades China From Partner To Neighbour

Japan released its annual Diplomatic Bluebook last Friday... that's the foreign ministry's fancy yearly report on how Tokyo sees the world. 

And the big drama was this: China got quietly stripped of its "one of Japan's most important partners" label, a description Tokyo had maintained since 2016, and replaced with the considerably less impressive "important neighbour".

After a decade. Neighbour. Beijing probably filed that under "noted" and went for lunch! 🍜🍜🍜

I reckon Japan must be smirking and China is completely distraught and absolutely devastated!! 🤣🤣🤣

 

Four cubs have been born to an India-born cheetah in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Saturday. 

The fresh litter takes India’s total population of cheetahs to 57. 

Yadav also said that this is the first recorded cheetah birth in the open forest since India’s reintroduction programme for the big cat species, Project Cheetah, was launched in 2022, as all previous births have taken place inside Kuno’s large-ranging enclosures. 

Dual Role at Kajang Toastmasters

On Saturday, I made the long, ardous journey to Prima Saujana in Kajang for the Kajang Toastmasters Club meeting. 

I had decided to challenge myself to take on the twin role of Table Topics Master and Evaluator and I prepared 5 topics centered around the theme "Scaling New Peaks". I thought I did a pretty good job!

Photos from the said meeting:

Oracle were said to have laid off 12,000 people in India – 40% of their local workforce – on March 31, 2026, Moneycontrol reported, citing impacted employees. 

Those affected by the layoffs were informed via early morning emails, which read “...a decision has been taken to streamline the operations, and as a result, unfortunately, the position you currently hold will become redundant”, the report said. 

The impacted workers told the Moneycontrol website that another round of job cuts was likely within a month. 

This latest round of layoffs had impacted 30,000 employees globally, the report added. Oracle declined to comment on the development.

Narendra Modi's India Has Lost Its Way

To add to my post "An Israeli-Indian Bromance" published March 05, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to be leading India in a very wrong direction. 

He is dropping all pretences and cozying up to the axis of evil, that is the United States and Israel. Kowtowing to the former is already bad enough and then he is embracing the latter. 

And now, cowardly India keeps silent when the purveyors of chaos and war are wilfully engaged in open aggression against Iran. It must be pointed out that India-Iran relations span millennia, rooted in shared Indo-Aryan origins, cultural exchanges, and deep linguistic ties (Sanskrit and Persian).

India is acting like the "three monkeys"! 🙈🙉🙊 

Regretfully, Modi is dragging India's reputation through the mud. Where is his honour? Where is India's dignity?

I will say out loud! India has lost its way!

Modi's strengthening bond with Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump shouldn't come as a surprise. There exists a shared "ideological convergence" between Modi’s Hindu nationalism, Netanyahu’s Zionism and Trump's MAGA-ism. 

Based on newly released, unredacted documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation (the "Epstein files") released by the US Department of Justice in early 2026, an email dated July 09, 2017, sent to an unknown recipient, had Epstein highlighting Modi’s July 2017 visit to Israel: "The Indian Prime Minister Modi took advice and danced and sang in Israel for the benefit of the US president". 

The email suggests a connection between a meeting Modi had with then-US President Donald Trump in June 2017 and his subsequent visit to Israel, implying the trip was a "performance" to curry favor with the US administration. 

Of course, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly denied these allegations, calling them "trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal". The government did confirm the 2017 visit was a legitimate diplomatic event but dismissed the "dance and song" claim as baseless and malicious. 😂😂😂

Sivasangari Subramaniam did not need to compete in the qualifying rounds to enter the Squash Australian Open 2026. As the top seed and world No. 6, she received a first-round bye. 

In the second round (round of 16) on Wednesday, she defeated England's world No. 39 Grace Gear 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 in 24 minutes. 

Sivasangari will face compatriot and national champion Aira Azman for a place in the semi-finals. 

World No. 22 Aira edged past world No. 36 Tomato Ho of Hong Kong, 11-4, 12-10, 8-11, 5-11, 11-6. 

The 21-year-old Aira has never beaten Sivasangari in their last three meetings.

An Israeli-Indian Bromance

Both Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and India's Narendra Modi have a blossoming bromance going on! 💕 

A nauseating sight to behold! 🤮🤮🤮

But that's not all!

Modi's strong support for Israel and his refusal to condemn the naked Israeli (and US) aggression against Iran, a long-time friend of India's is telling!

Before Wednesday, Aberdeen remained winless in 33 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D7, L26) since a 1-0 league victory in May 2018. Yesterday, their winless streak continued as the reigning champions did just enough to defeat the Dons 2-1 in an away Scottish Premiership match.

Luke McCowan’s corner was hooked goalwards by Liam Scales into the path of Kieran Tierney who fired past the goalkeeper in the 5th minute. 

But Celtic gifted Aberdeen an equaliser in the 19th minute when Scales clipped a rival player in the box to concede a penalty. And the spot-kick sent Vijami Sinisalo the wrong way to let Dons level. 

But substitutes decided this game as James Forrest, who had been on the pitch two minutes, crossed for fellow sub Benjamin Nygren to beat the goalie from close range in the 67th minute and got all 3 points for Celtic.

Just so you know. This fixture was re-arranged after a waterlogged pitch put paid to the game on February 04, following weeks of bad weather in the Granite City.

Celtic now leapfrog Old Firm rivals Rangers and move five points behind league leaders Hearts.

A wee bit closer!

Bombs, Missiles and Drones Cause Widespread Death and Destruction

Israel may have pulled the trigger first – but I blame US President Donald Trump! He, himself suggested on Tuesday that he may have “forced Israel’s hand” into a war with Iranian "lunatics" (The Times of Israel, March 03, 2026). 

It sure has been a very busy week so far for all parties involved. Yesterday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth touted as evidence of America's global reach in its war on Iran when he confirmed a US fast attack submarine had sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean – the Pentagon released footage of the strike. FYI, the IRIS Dena, had participated in a naval exercise in India just weeks ago. And according to Sri Lankan authorities, 32 sailors have been rescued, 61 are still missing and 87 bodies have so far been found. 

Iran's navy are already almost decimated, if you believe the Americans. Trump declared Monday that the US sank 10 Iranian battleships. But, on the same day, CENTCOM had stated that in two days, the Iranian regime had 11 ships in the Gulf of Oman and now they have none left. 

Whether 10 or 11, that hadn't stopped Trump from gloating: “They’re at the bottom of the sea”. 

Oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has plunged by 90 percent since the outbreak of the Middle East war, energy market intelligence firm Kpler said on X. Iranian forces, meanwhile, claimed "complete control" of the strait, a vital route for world oil and gas supplies, after Trump said Tuesday the US Navy were ready to escort oil tankers through the channel. 

The British are joining in. Their F-35s shot down Iranian drones over Jordan, marking the first time that one of the Royal Air Force's stealth fighter jets had destroyed a target in combat, the UK defense ministry shouted out on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces said they dropped more than 4,000 bombs on Iranian targets in just four days and on Tuesday, even hit “Minzadehei”, a secret underground site on the outskirts of Tehran where Iran transferred much of its nuclear program after the 12-day war with Israel in June. 

The commander of CENTCOM – the forward headquarters of United States Central Command in Qatar – Admiral Brad Cooper claimed the US has struck more than 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions and severely degraded Iran's air defences.

It's not all one-sided though. Three US fighter jets were downed over Kuwait. The Americans explained on Monday that the F-15s were "mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences" and all six crew ejected safely. If you ask me, I don't believe this excuse of a "friendly fire incident".

A day earlier, Iran pounded a base housing US troops in Kuwait on Sunday, killing three service members. Since then, the death toll has risen to six, CENTCOM confirmed on Monday, an uptick that was forecasted by Trump and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine. 

Still, Iran maintained that more than 650 US military personnel were killed and wounded in the first two days of Operation True Promise 4, while its military say they fired over 700 drones and hundreds of ballistic missiles in 48 hours exceeding the total firepower of the June 2025 war. 

Also, on Monday, Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery at Ras Tanura halted operations after a drone strike in the area. Iran accused Israel of carrying out the attack, describing it as a “false flag” operation.

And on the same day too, a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle struck a runway at a UK military base in Akrotiri, Cyprus. Consequently, Greece is sending two frigates and a pair of F-16 fighter jets to Aphrodite's Isle.

Amazon Web Services reported Monday that two data centers in the United Arab Emirates were “directly struck” and another facility in Bahrain was also damaged after a drone landed nearby. 

On Tuesday, two ballistic missiles were aimed at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base. Air defenses intercepted one, while the second struck the base southwest of Doha without causing casualties. Al Udeid is the backbone of US military airpower in the Middle East, housing the Combined Air Operations Center that direct American and coalition missions across the region. The strike marks a direct hit on one of Washington’s most critical strategic assets there. 

There's been so many claims made by all sides; it's been difficult to establish the veracity of every claim. What is certain is the trail of death and destruction left behind! 

And then there's this widely-circulated story which according to Israeli journalist Nahum Barnea, Trump through Italy had sought an immediate ceasefire upon seeing that the Iranian government did not collapse after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with senior figures in the country’s leadership – but Iran rejected it outright.

They should fear Khamenei as a martyr, more than Khamenei alive!

This ambitious American-Israeli project targeting Iran envisioned a massive bombing campaign to last only 4-5 days and expecting Iran to surrender thereafter. 

Today is Day 6! 

IRAN HAS NOT SURRENDERED! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

And on Tuesday, parents in Minab, Iran held a mass funeral for the 165 students – most of them girls aged between 7 and 12 – as well as staff killed in the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh all girls' school by the evil Israel-US axis. 

The IRNA news agency had cited a local prosecutor as saying that 96 people had been wounded in Saturday’s strike. 

Ali Farhadi, spokesperson for Iran’s Education Ministry, said Sunday that three attacks struck the school, which he said had 264 students. 

Some social media accounts linked to Israel claimed the site was “part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base”. However, an analysis by Al Jazeera’s digital investigations unit of satellite imagery compiled over more than a decade, as well as recent video clips, published news reports and statements from official Iranian sources, tells a very different story. 

The findings reveal that the school had been clearly separate from an adjacent military site for at least 10 years. The investigation also shows that the strike pattern raises fundamental questions about the accuracy of intelligence information on which the bombing was based.

The Minab massacre is a war crime.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said Wednesday Israel and US had killed 1,045 military personnel and civilians since the start of the war. Elsewhere, Al Jazeera reported at least 11 dead in Israel as well as six US soldiers and eight civilians killed in the Gulf states. And the death toll from Israeli military action in Lebanon has risen to 72, with 437 injured since this front of the war ignited on Monday.

Indian University Face Backlash for Claiming Chinese Robodog as Own

I have seen this clip on X: An Indian university falsely claiming a Made-in-China robodog as their own! 

Galgotias University based in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida were ejected from the India AI Impact Summit (February 16–20, 2026) – the event pitched by the Indian government as a flagship gathering to position India as a global AI hub – after they showcased the robot dog as part of their indigenous AI ecosystem. The robotic quadruped which they named "Orion" was identified as a commercial Unitree Go2, a mass-produced model from Chinese company Unitree Robotics, which can be purchased online for about $2,800. 

Meaning, the university hadn't built anything. They'd unboxed something, pointed it at a camera, and called it innovation! In reality, it was a devil-may-care deception that was bold, brash and brazen!

😂😂😂

The incident created embarrassment for the organisers of the summit – which was aimed to highlight Indian technological self-reliance – as the video had also been shared on IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's official X account. The post had since been deleted. 

And the video of the university professor, Neha Singh who proudly claimed that the four-legged robot was developed at their Centre of Excellence went viral. 

Later, after a torrent of disapproval and denunciation, she said her remarks were not clearly articulated and expressed regret over how they were interpreted. The Head of the Communications Department, School of Business told Hindustan Times that the controversy stemmed from hurried communication and enthusiasm at the event, not from any intention to falsely claim ownership of the machine. 

"It might be that I could not convey well what I wanted to say, or you could not understand well what I wanted to say", she had tried to explain. 

But that remark was so laughable! The academic’s LinkedIn bio highlighted her focused expertise on communication skills. 

“I have always believed that communication is more than just a skill – it is a force that shapes identity, builds confidence, and opens doors. With a natural flair for language, articulation, and stage presence, I have spent years helping individuals unlock their voice and express themselves with clarity and impact", she wrote. 

“What sets me apart is not just my command of language, but the ability to connect, inspire, and elevate others through it. I enjoy working with learners at various stages – guiding them to communicate with confidence, professionalism, and authenticity", the bio further stated. 

😂😂😂

Social media users pounced on the private university, known for their closeness, engagement with the ruling BJP party and BJP politicians, and accused the tertiary institution of dishonesty.

In a statement on Wednesday, the university denied claiming they had built the robot and described the backlash as a "propaganda campaign". 

😂😂😂

"We would like to clearly state that the robotic programming is part of our endeavour to make students learn AI programming and develop and deploy real world skills using globally available tools and resources, given developing AI talent is need of the hour", the university responded. 

At least three statements had been issued by Galgotias University in the aftermath of this awkward situation.