Reuters reported that, in an email to customers, Planet Labs said the U.S. government had asked all satellite imagery providers to place an indefinite hold on publishing images from the conflict zone. The company said the move further expanded a 14-day delay policy it had already adopted last month. Under the latest arrangement, imagery dating back to March 9 will be withheld, and the policy is expected to remain in place until the conflict ends.
Planet Labs said it will adopt a system of managed distribution for some imagery, releasing material only on a case-by-case basis for urgent needs, critical missions or matters deemed to be in the public interest. The company said it was seeking to balance competing demands under what it described as an unusual situation.
Reports said satellite imagery has become increasingly important in modern conflicts, where it can be used for purposes such as target identification, weapons guidance and missile tracking. As commercial remote-sensing capabilities continue to improve, such imagery is playing a growing role in conflict-related analysis while also raising concerns that it could be exploited by parties involved in hostilities.
Reuters reported that another commercial satellite imagery supplier, Vantor, said it has not been directly contacted by the U.S. government, but has long reserved the right to tighten access controls during geopolitical conflicts and has already imposed restrictions on some parts of the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal also reported on Saturday that the U.S. government is seeking to limit outside access to satellite images of the Iran conflict zone.
Speaking on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump declared, “We got him,” revealing that the rescued officer, a highly respected colonel, had been trapped deep in Iran’s mountainous terrain after the aircraft went down two days earlier. Despite sustaining injuries, the pilot is expected to recover.
According to Trump, the rescue followed hours of intense planning and coordination, with military leaders closely monitoring the pilot’s location while he remained behind enemy lines. He praised the operation as a moment of national pride, highlighting the professionalism and determination of US forces involved.
Reports indicate that the mission involved a specialized commando unit backed by heavy air support and included a firefight during the extraction. While the pilot has been secured, officials said the operation remained sensitive until all forces safely exited the area.
This marks a rare instance where two US pilots have been rescued separately from hostile territory following the same incident. The first pilot had been recovered earlier, but confirmation was delayed to avoid compromising the second mission.
The incident stems from escalating tensions after Iranian forces reportedly shot down the US F-15 jet, as well as an A-10 Warthog aircraft in the region on Friday. Both sides had launched search efforts for the missing crew members in the aftermath.
U.S. officials confirmed on Friday that two U.S. rescue helicopters, including a UH-60 Black Hawk, which undertook the search-and-rescue operations for the jets, were also struck.
Repeated armed conflicts and unsafe ammunition storage have left a widespread legacy of explosive ordnance contamination across Libya, affecting residential areas, roads and agricultural land, UNSMIL said in a statement.
Issued on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, the statement stressed the importance of mine action in protecting civilians and supporting peace and stability in Libya.
UNSMIL said large-scale armed clashes in Tripoli in May 2025, along with four accidental explosions at ammunition depots in populated areas over the past two years, have underscored the severity of explosive ordnance contamination in Libya.
Risks remain even in areas where active conflict has subsided, particularly due to unsecured weapons and stockpiles, posing an immediate danger to displaced families returning home, according to the statement.
UNSMIL reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Libyan-led efforts to enhance the security of weapons and ammunition stockpiles and to clear explosive ordnance contamination. The mission called on national authorities, international partners and civil society to strengthen coordinated and sustained support for mine clearance efforts.
Libya remains divided between the UN-recognized Government of National Unity in the west and a rival eastern administration headed by Osama Hammad and backed by Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army.
Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. REUTERS/Ayman Sahely
A wildfire, dubbed the Springs Fire, expanded to 4,176 acres (16.9 square km) with only 10 percent containment in Riverside County as of Friday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
Around 260 firefighters are still battling the fire as evacuation orders were issued for some nearby communities in the area.
Another blaze, dubbed the Crown Fire, had burned 345 acres (1.4 square km) in Los Angeles County. The fire was 25 percent contained so far, according to the Cal Fire.
All evacuation orders for the Crown Fire have been lifted, but evacuation warnings remain in place for parts of the surrounding area.
The U.S. National Weather Service issued a Wind Advisory for some areas in Southern California, warning that “moderate to strong Santa Ana winds affected much of the area” Friday.
“Significant warming is expected through Sunday as gusty Santa Ana winds continue over Los Angeles and Ventura Counties,” the agency said in an area forecast discussion.
One pilot from the two-seat F-15 has been rescued, but the other remains missing. The A-10 Warthog reportedly managed to reach Kuwaiti airspace, where the lone pilot ejected and escaped.
U.S. officials later confirmed that two U.S. rescue helicopters, including a UH-60 Black Hawk, which undertook the search-and-rescue operations for the jets, were also struck.
The consecutive losses of U.S. aircraft came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Iranian forces “can’t do a thing about” U.S. planes flying over Tehran.
Scrambling for pilot
This incident is the first known case of a U.S. warplane being downed inside Iranian territory and the fourth F-15 lost since the United States and Israel launched large-scale strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Crews were racing to locate the second pilot of the downed jet, which was believed to have crashed in Iran’s southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, near the border with Iraq, according to local authorities.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was combing an area near where the pilot’s plane came down in southwestern Iran, and the governor of the province said that anyone who captured or killed the pilot would be “specially commended,” reported Iran’s semi-official news agency ISNA.
A television channel in the province advised citizens who encounter downed U.S. pilots to keep them alive and bring them to authorities for a “prize,” reversing earlier instructions that had encouraged harming them, NewsNation reported.
A reward of 10 billion tomans (6,600 U.S. dollars) has been set to find the pilot, reported the Iranian news outlets.
After weeks of relentless U.S. airstrikes, Iranians posted jubilant messages online celebrating the downing of the U.S. aircraft. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf wrote on X that what had begun as a military campaign had now been transformed into a hunt for their pilots.
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV News reported that Israel is assisting the United States with intelligence in locating the pilot.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the country had delayed planned strikes in the search area, citing Israeli officials. The Israel Defense Forces has not confirmed these reports independently.
“Miscalculation”
IRGC said Friday that the aircraft was hit by advanced air defense systems operated by its aerospace division.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said that Iran’s drone and missile capabilities had been “decimated”. While he claimed that the U.S. military had achieved “total air dominance” over the region, military experts suggested that air superiority does not mean that there are no threats.
Iran has bolstered its defenses by constructing extensive underground missile facilities, networks of tunnels, and fortified bunkers across the country, said Federico Borsari, a non-resident fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. “It is quite possible that some Iranian air defense assets are still operational and hidden and concealed in many locations across the country.”
The potential that a U.S. pilot remains alive and at large deep inside Iran has heightened the pressure on Washington in a war that has struggled to secure strong backing from the American public, according to opinion polls.
In a phone interview with The Independent, a British online newspaper, Trump said he hopes that’s “not going to happen” if Iranian forces find the missing airman.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Friday.
The source added that Washington has stepped up its diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire, particularly after an Iranian strike targeted a U.S. “military forces depot” on Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island.
According to the agency, assessments suggest that the proposal was put forward following an intensification of the crisis in the region and “serious problems” for U.S. forces resulting from their country’s “miscalculation” of Iran’s military capabilities.
U.S. officials later confirmed that two U.S. rescue helicopters, including a UH-60 Black Hawk, which undertook the search-and-rescue operations for the jets, were also struck.
In an editorial published on Wednesday, the Hokkaido Shimbun described the incident as serious and warned against downplaying its implications. The article stressed that the Japanese government has yet to apologize to China, despite the gravity of the case.
According to the editorial, SDF personnel, who are expected to uphold the law, instead violated international norms protecting diplomatic missions. The newspaper criticized the government for treating the matter as an isolated act by an individual, urging authorities not to trivialize the situation.
The editorial also highlighted the need for preventive measures, including stronger education and discipline within the SDF, to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, host countries are obligated to protect diplomatic premises from intrusion, damage, disturbance of peace, or impairment of dignity. The newspaper noted that the Japanese government’s delayed response raises questions about its commitment to these obligations and could harm the country’s international credibility.
Additionally, the incident has prompted concerns over the adequacy of security arrangements for foreign diplomatic missions in Japan, the editorial added.
Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mohi El-Din Salem, UN officials and representatives of the Khartoum State government attended the reopening ceremony.
In a statement, the Sudanese minister said the reopening reflects the resumption of cooperation between the Khartoum State government and the UN, hailing the step as a “positive indicator” of renewed international partnerships and support for the country’s stabilization efforts.
For his part, Associate Administrator of the UNDP Xu Haoliang said the return of UN agencies to Khartoum represents important support for Sudan in the current phase.
Xu said the UNDP is focusing on humanitarian response while strengthening the capacities of national institutions and local communities, contributing to recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The UN had previously relocated a large portion of its operations outside Khartoum, while maintaining some humanitarian activities through field offices in other states, amid significant challenges related to access and the deterioration of infrastructure and basic services.
Sudan is facing one of the largest humanitarian crises in the region. The ongoing war has displaced millions internally and externally, alongside a sharp decline in health and education services and surging food insecurity.
Earlier, the UN warned of growing humanitarian needs in Sudan as the war approaches its third year. According to the Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2026, recently announced by the UN, about 33.7 million people in Sudan will require humanitarian assistance this year — an increase of 3.3 million compared to 2025.
The ongoing war has displaced millions internally and externally, alongside a sharp decline in health and education services and surging food insecurity.
According to the report, the B1 bridge, located in the provincial capital Karaj, is one of the highest bridges in the Middle East and among the most complicated projects in Iran. It was targeted twice with missiles on Thursday.
IRNA cited Qodratollah Seif, the province’s deputy governor for political, security and social affairs, as saying that among those killed and injured were the inhabitants of Bileqan village, passengers and the families who had gathered in the nearby areas for the Nature Day, a traditional Iranian holiday marking the end of the Nowruz holidays.
He added that there were no military activities in the areas surrounding the bridge, stressing that the structure was under construction and scheduled to be inaugurated in the coming days.
Seif said those injured in the strikes were immediately transferred to nearby medical centers, and some of them were hospitalized.
Condemning the attacks in a post on social media platform X, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, “Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender.”
He added, “It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray. Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America’s standing.”
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East.
The B1 bridge, located in the provincial capital Karaj, is believed to be one of the highest bridges in the Middle East and among the most complicated projects in Iran.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that more than 1.1 million Lebanese have been displaced as displacement orders continue to affect new areas.
OCHA said nearly 15 percent of Lebanon’s territory has been affected by displacement orders over the past month. While many families have fled to collective shelters, relatives’ homes or informal settlements, others have remained behind in affected areas and are in urgent need of assistance.
Half of the healthcare facilities supported by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in affected conflict areas have been forced to close due to violence. Many healthcare workers themselves have been displaced. Hospitals and primary healthcare centers that remain operational are overwhelmed and understaffed.
Humanitarian partners are working to sustain essential services where possible. UNFPA has deployed nine mobile health units across Lebanon, providing maternal health services and emergency obstetric care in collective shelters. The units also offer psychosocial support, care for survivors of sexual violence and the distribution of dignity kits and essential supplies for pregnant women and new mothers.
However, OCHA said the humanitarian response is facing growing logistical constraints. Disruptions to major global transport routes are delaying the delivery of critical supplies. While aid agencies are attempting to reroute shipments and secure alternative supply lines, significant gaps remain as needs continue to rise sharply.
The office renewed its call on the international community for an immediate de-escalation of hostilities, the protection of civilians, healthcare facilities and humanitarian workers, full and unimpeded humanitarian access, particularly to southern Lebanon, and urgent funding to meet rapidly expanding needs.
UN peacekeepers along the Blue Line, known as UNIFIL, describe the situation as bleak and concerning.
UNIFIL said the Israel Defense Forces have expanded their incursion westward, with tanks and clashes reported in Sector West, roughly 12 km north of the Blue Line.
In Gaza, OCHA said humanitarian needs continue to far exceed what aid organizations can provide. Only one crossing is currently open for cargo to enter the Gaza Strip.
On food security, UN agencies and partners reported that distributions for March were completed, reaching every other family with rations covering half of minimum caloric requirements.
UN aid partners are also serving nearly 1.5 million meals daily and producing about 130,000 two-kilogram bread bundles daily. Still, OCHA said it is insufficient. Limited entry of commercial goods, particularly cooking gas, continues to constrain food preparation, forcing nearly half of households to rely on unsafe cooking methods such as burning trash.
On health, OCHA said that UN-supported emergency medical teams provided about 23,000 consultations across Gaza during the final week of March. However, persistent delays in clearing specialized medical and surgical equipment are limiting the ability to deliver complex care.
On shelter, the office said most of Gaza’s population is still displaced, and assistance is largely confined to short-term solutions. More durable shelter support depends on the entry of materials that are difficult to approve, including equipment needed to clear debris and unexploded ordnance or repair damaged homes.
During the last week of March, humanitarian partners assisted nearly 14,000 families with tarpaulins and household items, prioritizing those affected by flooding from recent rainstorms.
In education, last week’s rains damaged at least 15 temporary learning spaces, disrupting schooling for around 20,000 students. UNICEF and its partners continued setting up specialized learning tents and distributing stationery and recreational materials for children.
In the West Bank, OCHA data showed that violence has surged since the regional escalation began on Feb. 28. Two-thirds of Palestinian fatalities recorded in the first quarter of this year occurred after that date. Four Palestinians women were killed by falling munitions during an Iranian missile attack.
The office also reported more than 200 settler attacks in March that caused casualties or property damage, affecting over 100 Palestinian communities.
OCHA said that Palestinians must be protected, perpetrators of unlawful attacks must be held accountable, and policies driving displacement, insecurity and humanitarian needs must be reversed.
This photo taken on April 1, 2026 shows the building and vehicle damaged in Israeli strikes in the Jnah area of Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo by Bilal Jawich/Xinhua)
Officials and experts from various sectors shared their views on this topic during the latest episode of China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency.
Liu Dongmei, Party secretary of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development, said that in recent years, various frontier technologies have experienced rapid development.
In fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum information and biomanufacturing, China has entered a new phase characterized by a mix of leading in some areas and keeping pace with global counterparts, she added.
Liu noted that China has formed a relatively mature development pattern featuring breakthroughs in basic research, accumulated core technologies, large-scale industrial applications, and a growing voice in international competition.
China’s AI sector ranks among the global top tier, said Liu, noting that the number of downloads for open-source large models provided by Chinese enterprises in 2025 ranked first globally according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Liu Hui, head of a research institute with JD.com, said that as a technology and service company built on supply chain capabilities, new technologies serve as the fundamental driving force for the company’s growth. He noted that the company has deployed 50,000 internal agents, or “digital colleagues,” to help improve efficiency.
Zhai Tianrui, a deputy director of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and Zhongguancun Science Park Administrative Committee, said that in 2025, the number of unicorn enterprises in Beijing reached 116, ranking first among Chinese cities and third globally in both number and valuation.
Beijing’s unicorn enterprises span 11 industries, with the largest number in the AI sector, he added.
