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Israel has launched several airstrikes on Lebanon yesterday, marking the first time they have launched missiles at the Middle Eastern nation since a ceasefire went into effect several months ago. Just days after resuming attacks on Hamas in Gaza, Israel has launched airstrikes into Lebanon, where Hezbollah maintains their operations centers. Hezbollah, similar to Hamas, is backed by Iran and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United Nations, and Israel has taken major action against the group since the beginning of their war with Hamas. Israel stated that the latest round of attacks were in retaliation after several strikes from Lebanon were launched towards Israel recently. They confirmed that three missiles had been intercepted by their defense systems near the town of Metula, but there were no injuries or fatalities. However, neither Hezbollah nor have any other Palestinian forces taken responsibility for the strikes, leaving the culprit unknown. Nevertheless, as a response, Israel sent rockets towards numerous rocket launchers across Lebanon, which Hezbollah had been using to launch rockets into Israel prior to the ceasefire. They also targeted several Hezbollah command centers, which are the centers of operation for the group. Then, later in the night, they sent another round of missiles towards more operations centers, in addition to hitting a major warehouse meant for storing weapons. Lebanon confirmed that seven people were killed in the attacks, while 40 others were injured. While Hezbollah has strongly denied any participation in the initial strikes, Israel has continued to strike back, as they have been doing over the past few months. After months of effort from both sides and external powers, Israel and Hezbollah finally agreed to a ceasefire in November, and that agreement, though fragile, has managed to hold until now. However, according to Lebanon, Israel has been and still is in violation of the ceasefire, as they maintain a significant presence in the southern portion of the country and continue to bombard Hezbollah sites with occasional airstrikes and bombs. They claim that they have been attempting to stop Hezbollah from regaining their composure and launching straight back into attacks, but the conflict has slowly been rising as the strikes continue. Nevertheless, Hezbollah has established that they are still set on preserving the current ceasefire instead of fighting back-- but that could change if Israel takes more drastic measures against Lebanon. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Alcohol doesn't actually kill brain cells-- it just damages them. However, this does not mean that alcohol does not have an effect on the brain. Instead, it damages brain cells so badly that overconsumption of alcohol can lead to irreparable brain damage, among other issues. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Insight without action is worthless. (Marie Forleo) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Neologism (noun, nee-AH-luh-jiz-um) - Neologism can refer either to a new word or expression or to a new meaning of an existing word. In a Sentence: I love seeing all the slangy neologisms that pop up on social media every year.

Soon-to-be-chancellor Friedrich Merz has managed to get a $1 trillion spending bill through the German Parliament, serving as a big win for his party as they begin talks over a coalition with the Social Democrats. The center-right Christian Democrats, won Germany's elections on February 23, making their leader, Friedrich Merz, the next chancellor of Germany after Olaf Scholz was ousted in a no confidence vote last November. However, it is almost impossible for one party to win over the entire Parliament, meaning that Merz would need to form a coalition with another party to have a majority. In addition to that, in the new Parliament, Merz would not be able to get a two-thirds majority to support his new spending bill, forcing him to call for emergency sessions with the old Parliament, who approved it in the nick of time. This is a significant achievement for Merz, who brought together several parties to approve a massive bill just as he comes into office. He knew that the parties who were likely to go against his bill would be more powerful in the new Parliament, but he was successfully able to pass the bill in a race against the clock as time wound down-- he only had a handful of days to get the bill through Parliament before the transition. The bill allocates a staggering $547 billion to improve infrastructure across the country, but it also includes a major section to allow for unlimited defense spending. Earlier this year, Merz had opposed this idea, but he claims that after seeing US President Donald Trump's relationship with NATO and the EU crumble in recent months, he has been motivated to ramp up defense spending within the country. He has done this by including a section in the bill that removes defense spending from the list of government spending items that are capped by a bill introduced in 2009-- that bill prevents defense spending from going over 0.35% of the country's GDP. However, while the new idea has been met with praise from many people, including the Social Democrats who Merz is attempting to form a coalition with, he will now need to appease the conservatives within his own party. Germany has always been very cautious about taking on large amounts of debt, and Merz will need to take action on the other side of the scale to make sure that the increase in debt does not have dramatic effects on other parts of the economy. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): While most people believe that we only have five senses, some scientists think that we have 8, 21, or even 33 senses, including proprioception and interoception. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart. (Helen Keller) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Permeate (verb, PER-mee-ayt) - To permeate is to pass or spread through something. In a Sentence: The scent of lilacs permeated the room.

United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to begin dismantling the Department of Education, a major move that will affect the entire country. Trump had been hinting at shutting down the Department of Education for months, but action was not successfully taken until now. Usually, dismantling a federal department requires a majority vote from Congress, and efforts to do so have failed in recent years. However, Trump seems to have found a loophole around that vote, as he instead signed an executive order yesterday instructing Linda McMahon, the Secretary of Education, to begin dismantling the department. While Congress will likely need to approve a bill to officially confirm the shutdown of the department, Trump seems to have initiated the process with the order. Despite the fact that state and local governments provide most of the funding for public education, the Department of Education still maintains a budget of $268 billion. Most of this is used towards grants and loans for students, but the Trump administration has confirmed that the government's grant and loan programs will not be affected by the shutdown of the department. Republicans claim that the money given to the Department of Education is going to waste, and cutting the department from the picture will help save those funds. Some people believe that the money is being pocketed, while others think that it is being spent on useless causes that do not provide benefits to anyone. Trump also confirmed that while the department's budget has doubled over the past few years, test scores across the country have not improved, backing his idea that the funds are going to waste. Meanwhile, Democrats believe that the shutdown of the Department of Education could have a massive negative effect on the population. They have established that federal funding is crucial in schools across the United States, and the loss of the department could be a detriment to the education of children in lower-income families and children with disabilities. Furthermore, Democrats have stated that it would also heavily affect the lives of teachers, who would be fired due to a lack of funding. Now, Trump seems to be slowly bringing down the Department of Education, and it does not seem like his agenda for the system can be stopped. The only lingering question is, what will the impact be on the United States, and will that impact end up as a benefit or a detriment to the country? Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Einstein failed an entrance exam to get into university-- though he still excelled in math and physics. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success . (Lionel Messi) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Vernal (adj, VER-nul) - Vernal is a formal adjective that describes something that relates to or occurs in the spring. In a Sentence: It is such a relief after a long, cold winter to see the trees and flowers in their glorious vernal bloom.

What is Nowruz? Why is it celebrated? Let’s find out. Intro Nowruz is the Iranian/Persian New Year, celebrated around the spring equinox. It is celebrated by Zoroastrianists, Baha’i, and some Muslims in places like Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia. History/Origin The mythological origin of this holiday is that when the mythical King Jamshid was trying to destroy an eternal winter that would kill everybody, he made a throne. Demons rose his throne and him to the heavens and he shone like the sun. The people declared his victory to be the New Day (Now Ruz). Historians suspect that the actual origin of this holiday was to celebrate the sowing of seeds (planting season) by ancient people known as the Proto-Indo-Iranians, around the 8th century BCE. Celebration Before Nowruz, people perform a vigorous spring cleaning and buy some flowers. A traditional meal called the Haft-sin is eaten, where sabzeh  (wheat, barley, mung bean, or lentil sprouts grown in a dish), wheat germ sweet pudding, oleaster, vinegar, apples, garlic, and sumac are consumed. On Nowruz, people visit their relatives’ houses or throw big parties. Fun Facts Countries in Asia celebrate Nowruz, but did you know that some European countries like Albania also celebrate it? Nowruz is the first day of the Persian month of Farvadin, the 1st month. Farvadin usually runs from March 21 to April 20. Nowruz sometimes lasts for 13  days! Children receive monetary gifts, sometimes called “Eidi.” Nowruz is a national holiday in Iran and many Central Asian countries. We at YNH hope that everyone who celebrates has a great New Year! Nowruz Mubarak! Image credit: https://yektamarket.com/product/haft-sin-items/

Israel has broken their ceasefire with Gaza, which ended on March 1, launching barrages of airstrikes across the strip after weeks of failed negotiations. Israel's initial ceasefire with Hamas lasted from mid-January to March 1, and it was decided that they would continue talks for the following phase of their ceasefire agreement during the first phase. However, those talks were delayed, and they only got off the ground around the time which the ceasefire ended. Israel continuously instructed Hamas to return more hostages, but Hamas did not want to do so unless they were given a guarantee that they could maintain control over Gaza even after the war comes to an end. Israel, meanwhile, has been calling for Hamas to leave the strip, and they have maintained their stance that any deal that allows Hamas to stay in power will not be accepted by their side. Then, yesterday, Israel bombarded some of Gaza's largest cities -- Gaza City, Deir-al-Balah, and Khan Younis -- with airstrikes. The strikes have killed at least 413 people and destroyed even more structures, though Israel claims that they targeted Hamas operations facilities. The fact that there were serious airstrikes but no ground invasion confirms that it is part of an Israeli attempt to force Hamas to agree to a deal, as a ground invasion would mean a return to full-scale war. Israel has tried this multiple times in the last few weeks-- they launched smaller strikes last week which killed around 150 people, and they have also cut off the supply of aid to Gaza. Hamas has not retaliated, though, but it is unclear whether they have avoided retaliation out of fear of additional attacks or whether they simply do not have the supplies to do so. They have strongly condemned Israel's decision to disrupt the peace, though, and they claim Israel is solely responsible for violating their agreement. The United Nations and other countries, such as Egypt and Australia, have also condemned the airstrikes and have called for peace to be maintained in the region. Israel has now issued evacuation orders for several areas near the border, which hints at the possibility of a ground invasion in the near future, but they have not confirmed anything. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Horses can't vomit. Horses have much stronger esophagus muscles than most species, their esophagus connects with their stomachs at a much lower angle than in other animals, and their stomachs aren’t surrounded by abdominal muscles (which contract to make vomiting possible). However, we don't know why their stomachs need to be vomit-proof, and why no other animal has the same anatomy. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quote s): I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate. (Elbert Hubbard) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Limerick (noun, LIM-uh-rik) - A limerick is a humorous rhyming poem of five lines. In a Sentence: My limerick received a prize for the funniest poem at the open mic night.

At least 40 people are dead and numerous others are injured after a massive tornado outbreak ripped through the United States, spawning dozens of tornadoes across the Midwest and Deep South. The storm swept through the Midwest on Friday before ravaging the southeastern portion of the country on Saturday, heavily affecting states like Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The multistate system was a combination of supercells, which usually spawn tornadoes, and squall lines, which are strong cells arranged in a long line that stretches for hundreds of miles that can also spawn tornadoes. Missouri was one of the hardest-hit, with 12 people dead in that state alone. The initial damage there has also taken longer to fix, as Missouri remains the only state hit by the storm to still have upwards of 10,000 power outages. Nevertheless, many towns were hit hard by several strong tornadoes, and it may take years to recover. Houses were reduced to pieces by the fierce winds, and flying debris destroyed other homes, cars, and additional structures. However, this system did not just drop rain and spawn tornadoes. Texas and Kansas were hit by massive dust storms that resulted in major accidents on roadways-- one pileup in Kansas involved over 71 vehicles and killed 8 people alone. The winds, which traveled for long distances beyond the storm, expanded around 150 wildfires across Oklahoma, doing more damage. Those wildfires have collectively burned around 170,000 acres and destroyed around 300 buildings, wiping out entire neighborhoods. Unfortunately, strong systems like this are common during the spring in the United States, as the period from the beginning of March to the end of May is considered tornado season. During this season, warm, moist air from the Gulf sweeps into the country, mixing with cold air from the Arctic to form tornadoes. In fact, the central United States has the most tornadoes per year of any location on Earth, giving it the nickname, "Tornado Alley." Upcoming Events: St. Patrick's Day (Monday, March 17) NCAA March Madness Begins (Tuesday, March 18) International Day of Happiness (Thursday, March 20) French Language Day (Thursday, March 20) Naw-Rúz (Thursday, March 20) International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Friday, March 21) World Indoor Athletics Championship Begins (Friday, March 21) World Poetry Day (Friday, March 21) Nowruz (Friday, March 21) World Down Syndrome Day (Friday, March 21) World Day for Glaciers (Friday, March 21) International Day of Forests (Friday, March 21) World Water Day (Saturday, March 22) World Meteorological Day (Sunday, March 23) World Indoor Athletics Championship Ends (Sunday, March 23) Winter Military World Games Begin (Sunday, March 23) Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The Texas horned lizard wards off predators by squirting a jet of blood straight from its eyeballs. The blood is mixed with a chemical that has a repellent taste, especially to common predators like wolves and coyotes. They can also aim the blood with surprising accuracy, and it can travel as far as five feet. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quote s): Maybe some people think that it’s all about the hype, about the fame, but it’s not. It’s all about being the best. It’s all about challenging myself everyday. (Joanna Jędrzejczyk ) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Rife (adj, RYFE) - Rife usually describes things that are very common and often—though not always—bad or unpleasant. Rife is also commonly used in the phrase “rife with” to mean “copiously supplied” or “having a large amount of; full of.” Unlike most adjectives, rife is not used before a noun. In a Sentence: Speculation about who would be sent to the new office had been rife for weeks.

Cuba is experiencing yet another nationwide power outage after the central electrical grid failed for the fourth time in the last six months. The power outage was due to a short circuit on a transmission line at the Diezmero substation in the country's capital of Havana, which led to a chain reaction of events that completely halted power generation across the island. The incident occurred on Friday night at around 8 pm local time, leaving many citizens without electricity for all of Saturday. Electricity is necessary for a multitude of important household devices like stovetops, ovens, fridges, and air conditioning, leaving Cubans hot and uncomfortable in their homes with food spoiling away. Now, authorities are working to restore power as fast as possible, but it could take days for power to return to some areas. They are working primarily on restoring power to crucial buildings like hospitals, and some small power plants are already back up and running. However, some of the country's largest power plants are still shut down, so many residents have been forced to resort to a personal device that creates electricity-- and most Cubans lack access to a generator. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this sort of problem has happened. Major nationwide blackouts also occurred in October, November, and December, with some leaving residents out of power for upwards of two days. Occasional outages are common across the country, with people losing electricity for four or five hours at a time, but those blackouts can last up to 20 hours in some cases. These blackouts primarily occur due to fuel shortages and aging electrical infrastructure across Cuba. The country has faced major financial problems with oil and gas in recent years, forcing them to depend on supplies of Venezuelan oil, which can be inconsistent. In addition, much of their electrical infrastructure is over 30 years old, and constant battering of the system by hurricanes every year has exacerbated the effect of age on the reliability of the country's power grid. Nevertheless, Cuba is working on moving towards renewable energy to shift away from their dependency on oil from other countries-- the planned construction of at least 55 solar farms across the island by the end of 2025 is expected to generate enough electricity to supply around 12% of the country's total energy consumption. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The FDA actually allows up to one rat hair in every 100 grams of peanut butter before it’s considered “defective.” For reference, 100 grams is equal to a little under a quarter of a pound. Since it’s so hard to spot and remove the hairs during the difficult, unglamorous process of peanut harvesting, they allow small amounts of it. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quote s): Happy is the man who has broken the chains which hurt the mind, and has given up worrying once and for all. (Ovid) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Stratagem (verb, STRAT-uh-jum) - A stratagem is a trick or plan for deceiving an enemy or for achieving a goal. In a Sentence: They devised various stratagems to get the cat into the carrier, but the feisty feline was wise to them all.

The captain of the Portuguese container ship that smashed into a US-flagged oil tanker earlier this week has been arrested and charged for the incident. On Monday, the Stena Immaculate, an oil tanker belonging to the United States military, was anchored off the coast of the United Kingdom in the North Sea when it was hit by the Solong, a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship. Both ships suffered serious damage and a massive fire ensued, sparking rescue operations from the local coast guard. 36 people made it out of the incident, but one man is still missing and has been presumed dead. Now, the captain of the Solong has been identified as Russian native Vladimir Motin, a 59-year-old, and he has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. Investigations into the incident are still taking place, though, and the exact cause of the crash has not been determined. However, the captain will still face a trial in the United Kingdom, and he remains detained until then. Meanwhile, pollution was initially a major concern for governments and environmentalists alike, but authorities have confirmed that no substances seem to be leaking from either ship. The Stena Immaculate was carrying over 220,000 barrels of jet fuel, which began leaking into the ocean on the day of the incident. The leakage was quickly stopped, though, and the remaining oil in the ocean was taken care of using floating barriers and dispersants. In addition, the Solong was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide, a toxic chemical, but thankfully, none of that seems to have spilled into the ocean either. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): You might already be aware that you shed your skin, and that much of the dust you see around your home is composed of dead skin cells. You shed skin nearly constantly, and your entire epidermis completely regenerates approximately every 27 days. While the amount varies greatly per person, you lose an average of 1.5 pounds of skin cells a year, which means that you’ll most likely shed at least half your body weight in skin cells throughout your entire life. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I know how I look like. I know how I sound. I know how I walk. I’m just gonna be me. I do me, and you do you. (Caster Semenya) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Bamboozle (verb, bam-BOO-zul) - To bamboozle someone is to deceive, trick, or confuse them. In a Sentence: The salesperson bamboozled us into getting a more expensive item than we had planned to buy.

People across the Americas were treated to a spectacular total lunar eclipse last night, turning the moon a bright red in what is known as a 'blood moon.' A lunar eclipse is when the Earth passes directly between the Moon and the Sun, and it always occurs on a full moon night because of the Moon's positioning behind Earth. The Moon's orbit around Earth is tilted by approximately 5 degrees, but that tilt slowly rotates. Because of this, every two to three years, a total lunar eclipse occurs. During a total eclipse, the Moon turns completely red, giving it the nickname 'blood moon.' This is because the sunlight that usually bounces off a full moon is being blocked by Earth, so the only light that reaches the Moon are the waves that travel through Earth's atmosphere. However, the atmosphere is full of particles and dust that block the shorter wavelengths, leaving just red -- the longest wavelength -- to travel onward the moon. Lunar eclipses are also very unlike solar eclipses. Solar eclipses occur during the day and require special goggles to see, preventing eye damage. Lunar eclipses can be seen with the naked eye, as it is a reflection of the Sun's light. In addition, solar eclipses only occur in extremely specific areas, making them more rare. Lunar eclipses can be seen by virtually anyone on that side of the planet, making them more visible to the public. Nevertheless, many lunar eclipses go unseen due to the fact that they are at extremely late or extremely early hours-- this year's eclipse peaked at 2:59 am EDT. Last night's eclipse was visible across the Americas-- everywhere from Canada and the United States down to Chile and Argentina. It was partially visible in places like New Zealand, Western Africa, and Europe's Iberian Peninsula, but people who were able to get a view of the full eclipse were treated to a beautiful sight. Totality began at 2:26 am EDT and continued for over an hour, with the eclipse peaking at 2:59 am. It was the first total lunar eclipse since the last one on November 8, 2022, but it is just the first of several others that will come in the following years. Later this year, there will be a lunar eclipse on September 7, which can be seen from Asia and Western Australia, and another one will occur on March 2, 2026 across the Pacific Ocean. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): One study conducted in 2017 by the Innovation Center for US Dairy found that 7% of the American population believes that chocolate milk comes from brown cows. While this statistic may only seem mildly staggering at first, the truth is that 7% of the American population is equivalent to around 23.8 million people. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I love to win. But I love to lose almost as much. I love the thrill of victory, and I also love the challenge of defeat. (Lou Gehrig) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Curfew (noun, KER-fyoo) - Curfew refers to a law or order that requires people to be indoors after a certain time at night, as well as to the period of time when such an order or law is in effect. Chiefly in the United States, curfew is also used to refer to the time set by a parent or caregiver at which a child has to be back home after going out. In a Sentence: No one is allowed on the streets during the curfew .

Dozens of people were killed after a train carrying hundreds of people was hijacked in Pakistan yesterday, leading to an intense rescue operation that saved almost 350 people. The incident occurred in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, a large province covering the southwest corner of the country, and the attack was carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a rebel group looking to achieve independence for Balochistan. The BLA has been around for quite some time now, and they have executed multiple dangerous, deadly plans that have killed dozens of people over the past few years. The BLA opposes many decisions that the Pakistani government has made, specifically several major decisions that have grown their relations with China, and they believe that the Baloch people are being used and deserve an independent state. China has recently made massive investments into what is known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which works to grow Pakistan's economy while providing China with a new trade route and easier access to the Middle East. One of the largest of these projects is the ongoing construction of the port of Gwadar, a city in Balochistan with a strategic location on the coast. However, many of the Baloch people maintain a stance against the Chinese government, leading to conflict in the region. In the latest attack, the BLA attacked the Jaffar Express, a long-distance train route traveling between the Balochi capital of Quetta and the city of Peshawar, which is located in the far north of the country. The group began firing rocket-propelled grenades and sprayed heavy gunfire onto several carriages, and while there were soldiers onboard to defend the train, they were greatly outnumbered by the BLA. Then, the BLA stormed onto the train and began to separate people by their ethnicity, immediately killing anyone from the province of Punjab. Anyone who tried to escape was shot at, and many were killed. However, several people managed to evade BLA forces and run to nearby towns, where Pakistani troops were already stationed. In the end, 26 passengers and the train driver were killed by the BLA, but Pakistani forces managed to kill all 33 BLA militants involved in the hijacking. Nevertheless, Pakistani officials have referred to this attack as a wake-up call for their nation to address the growing threat of the BLA in the southwest. While Balochistan makes up 44% of Pakistan's total land area, it contains only 6 to 7% of its population, and much of the province's population has been stricken by serious poverty. In addition, growing Chinese influence in the region has further displeased the BLA, leading to a sharp increase in attacks over the past few years. Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): There is a type of predatory fish known as a snakehead fish, which can get up out of the water and walk over a quarter of a mile. They have both gills and an organ located in their “gill arches” that permits them to breathe oxygen, and they can weigh up to 14 pounds. Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled. (Plutarch) Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Multifarious (adj, mul-tuh-FAIR-ee-us) - Something described as multifarious has great diversity or variety, or is made up of many and various kinds of things. Multifarious is a formal word and a synonym of diverse. In a Sentence: He participated in multifarious activities throughout college.