Multiple ships collide in Strait of Hormuz as regional conflict escalates
Several ships have been collided in the Strait of Hormuz as the war in Iran escalates.
Iranian agent found guilty of plot to kill President Trump
An Iranian operative has been convicted of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump in 2024, even as Iran is currently dealing with the threat of a “sleeper cell” attack on the American mainland amid the Iran war. Asif Merchant, 47, a Pakistani national, admitted in his trial testimony that he stole documents from Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was trained to arrange political assassinations in the United States. The plot failed. Now he could face life in prison. In a statement at the time of Merchant’s arrest in 2024, then-FBI Director Christopher Wray called the plot “straight out of Iranian playbook.”
‘Killer’ asteroid bypasses the moon
It looks like the moon is clear. NASA has determined that asteroid 2024 YR4 (the same “urban killer” that was thought to be at risk of hitting Earth on December 22, 2032, before new calculations revealed it would miss us) will also spare our neighbors. The space rock is the size of a 15-story building, and a collision would not knock the moon out of orbit. Still, one team of scientists was worried enough that they proposed nuking the asteroid. But there’s no need to worry. New observations suggest YR4 may miss the moon by just 13,200 miles. This is still very marginal by cosmic standards.
Uber becomes “women-only”
Uber allows women to ride together. The service rolled out its Women First feature, a feature that allows female riders and teens to select female drivers, and also allows female drivers to select female riders. “We did it because women requested it,” Uber says. Riders can access women’s preferences directly from the Uber app. If the wait is too long, you can choose a standard ride or book your trip for a later time. Similarly, drivers can turn on preference for female riders in their Uber Driver app settings. The expansion comes as Uber faces thousands of sexual assault lawsuits and intense scrutiny over overall passenger safety.
‘Dangerous!’ jab at Timothée Chalamet
Timothée Chalamet’s casual remark about classical performing arts seems to have thrown him into “crisis.” The Oscar-nominated actor spoke about acting and the arts at CNN and Variety’s Town Hall with Matthew McConaughey, saying, “I don’t want to do ballet or opera or anything that’s like, ‘Hey, no one cares about this anymore, let’s keep this going.'” The ballet and opera communities took notice—and perhaps the people on Jeopardy! did too! The March 9th episode offered a category for “Ballet and Opera.”
Heat’s Bam Adebayo lights up the scoreboard
Although the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo fell short of Wilt Chamberlain’s single-game points record by one point, he still racked up some amazing stats of his own. The 6-foot-9 center scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards, second in NBA history behind Chamberlain’s historic 100 points in 1962 and just ahead of Kobe Bryant’s 81 points in 2006. In the process, Adebayo made 36 of 43 free throw attempts, another record. He also recorded 22 3-point shots, tied for third all-time. The Heat won 150-129. − Compiled and written by Robert Abitbol
