GEAR MAG

By Kanishka Singh

Friendship Gate, following the exchanges of fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, in Chaman

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday expressed support for what it called Pakistan's "right to defend itself" against ‌attacks from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers after Islamabad said earlier in the ‌day that the neighboring countries were in "open war."

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers had said on Friday they ​were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in major cities.

"The United States supports Pakistan's right to defend itself against attacks from the Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group," a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed ‌statement. U.S. diplomat Allison ⁠Hooker said on X she spoke on Friday with Pakistan Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch.

Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities ⁠are vastly superior to Afghanistan's. However, the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades of fighting with U.S.-led forces, before returning to power in ​2021 ​when Washington withdrew chaotically.

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Pakistan is a major ​non-NATO ally of Washington. The ‌U.S. considers the Afghan Taliban to be a "terrorist" group.

The latest violence erupted after Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghan territory last weekend triggered Afghan retaliatory attacks along the border on Thursday, escalating long‑simmering tensions over Pakistan's claim that Afghanistan shelters Pakistani Taliban militants. Afghanistan denies this and argues Pakistan is deflecting ‌blame for its own security failures.

The State Department ​spokesperson said Washington was aware of the ​escalation in tensions and "outbreak of ​fighting between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban," adding the ‌U.S. was "saddened by the loss of life."

Both ​sides reported heavy ​losses in the fighting, which Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said amounted to an "open war".

"The Taliban have consistently failed to uphold their ​counterterrorism commitments," the ‌State Department said, adding that "terrorist groups use Afghanistan as a launching ​pad for their heinous attacks."

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing ​by Alistair Bell and Sam Holmes)

HAVANA (AP) — Top officials with Cuba's Ministry of the Interior unveiled for the first time late Friday the items they said were aboard aFlorida-flagged speedboatthat opened fire against troops in waters off the island's north coast this week, with soldiers responding and killing four suspects.

Cuba Boat Shooting

Officials also revealed to The Associated Press that authorities were able to establish that the 10 Cuban suspects left the U.S. in two boats, but one failed, so they transferred all the supplies to the remaining one and left the other adrift.

The government said the detained suspects revealed those details and stressed that theyimmediately contacted the U.S. Coast Guard.

Among the items Cuban officials said were aboard the boat: a dozen high-powered weapons, including one with a scope; a big cooler filled with more than 12,800 pieces of ammunition; 11 pistols; heavy-duty boots, helmets with cameras; and camouflage backpacks.

"We were clearly able to assess that we were facing a terrorist action from a boat coming from the United States," 1st Col. Ivey Daniel Carballo of the Cuban Border Guard Troops told the AP.

According to Carballo, the 30-foot (nine meter) border patrol boat detected an intruder on Wednesday morning and approached to within about 600 feet (185 meters) to investigate, but it was met with high-caliber gunfire.

He said that three of the attackers were immediately killed and that a fourth was wounded and later died.

Caraballo said the speedboat was located about one mile (1.6 kilometers) northeast of Cayo Falcones off the island's north coast. The border guard commander was injured, he added.

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Victor Eduardo Álvarez Valle, one of the heads of Criminal Investigation for State Security at the Ministry of the Interior, told the AP that authorities were surprised by the resistance they encountered.

"We didn't expect it, especially with that many people and weapons," he said.

"The military equipment found on board has been identified by the assailants, including where and how they acquired it, and the training they received. They also revealed who financed it," Álvarez added.

He noted that officials detected 13 bullet holes on the border guard boat and 21 others on the suspect's vessel, "meaning that there was combat."

The Cuban government had reported Wednesday that a person had been captured on land, but Álvarez said that so far, there is no information that the suspects had any support network on the island.

Cuba's chief prosecutor of the directorate at the Attorney General's Office, Edward Robert Campbell, told the AP that the six arrested, all of Cuban origin, could face terrorism charges, which carries a possible sentence of 30 years in prison, life imprisonment or even the death penalty, although the latter has been on moratorium for more than a decade.

The Associated Press was given access to Cuban military officials and shown the items displayed at the headquarters of the former Cuban Institute of Radio and Television ahead of a program that showed them to the public for the first time.

U.S.Secretary of State Marco Rubiohas said it was not a U.S. government operation and thatthe American governmentwas gathering its own information.

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — A cargo plane carrying money crashed Friday near Bolivia's capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles on highway, scattering bills on the ground and leaving at least 15 people dead and others injured, an official said.

APTOPIX Bolivia Plane Crash

Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 plane was transporting newly printed Bolivian currency when it "landed and veered off the runway" at an airport in El Alto, a city adjacent to the capital of La Paz, before ending up in a nearby field. Firefighters managed to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft.

Fire chief Pavel Tovar said at least 15 people died but he did not clarify if the dead were in the plane or in the cars on the nearby highway.

Salinas did not specify how many people had been killed in the crash and said the cause was being investigated.

Bolivian Air Force Gen. Sergio Lora said two of the plane's six crew members had not been found as of late Friday, adding that the aircraft was arriving from the eastern city of Santa Cruz.

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Images on social media showed debris from the aircraft, destroyed cars and bodies scattered on the road. According to Tovar, at least 15 vehicles were damaged.

The plane, belonging to the Bolivian air force, was transporting money to La Paz and images on social media showed people rushing to collect the bills scattered at the crash site, while police in riot gear tried to disperse them.

Tovar said the hundreds of people trying to collect the spilled bills were hindering rescue efforts.

More than 500 soldiers and 100 police officers took control of the area to disperse the mob, according to official reports. Police and military personnel burned the cash boxes in the presence of Central Bank President David Espinoza, who said the bills "have no legal value because they never entered circulation," without clarifying what that meant.

Espinoza did not specify the amount of money being transported but he said the banknotes had arrived in Santa Cruz from abroad.

Authorities temporarily suspended all flights to and from the terminal.

The 1995 crime film Heat starred Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and the late Val Kilmer

NEED TO KNOW

• In 2022, Michael Mann published his book Heat 2, serving as a prequel and sequel

• Heat 2 is being adapted for the screen, with production set to start in summer 2026

Heat 2is heating up!

The sequel to the 1995 crime classic,Heat, starringAl Pacino,Robert De Niroand the lateVal Kilmer, has long been in development.

For years, casting rumors have swirled about who would star in the film follow-up, and in February 2026,Christian Baleseemingly confirmed his involvement in the project.

The upcoming movie will be based on the 2022 novelHeat 2, which followed the characters before and after the events depicted in the 1995 movie.

"It's been my intention for a long time to do the further stories ofHeat," director Michael Mann toldDeadlinein January 2022. "There was always a rich history or back-story about the events in these people's lives before 1995 inHeatand projection of where their lives would take them after."

Here's what we know so far aboutHeat 2.

What isHeat 2about?

Heat 2is based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Mann and Meg Gardiner. The book takes place in different years, serving as both a prequel and a sequel to the 1995 action epic.

Heat 2picks up right after the movie, with Chris Shiherlis (Kilmer's character in the film) escaping Los Angeles and making his way to South America and Southeast Asia, where he becomes involved with the international drug cartel.

Another part of theHeat 2the novel is set in 1988 Chicago, and follows Vincent Hanna (Pacino's character), on the trail of a sadistic killer named Otis Wardell.

The section of the book also shows how Hanna and Neil McCauley (De Niro) almost met in the Windy City years before their face-to-face in the 1995 film.

Heat 2jumps to the year 2000, where the characters and plots from the different timelines intersect, leading to an intense showdown in L.A.

In an August 2022Rolling Stoneinterview, Mann described theHeat 2book as "a global version ofHeat."

Who is in theHeat 2cast?

The 1995Heatfeatured a star-studded cast, and the sequel is also shaping up to have A-listers on its roster.

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Some of the biggest names in Hollywood have been rumored to be joiningHeat 2, and in February 2026, one actor, Bale, seemingly confirmed his involvement in the project.

According to anXpost fromGood Day Chicago's Jake Hamilton, Bale told him, "I'll be back in Chicago soon forHeat 2!"

Other actors who have reportedly been linked toHeat 2includeLeonardo DiCaprio,Adam Driver,Austin ButlerandBradley Cooper, perThe Hollywood Reporterin October 2025.

With the plots spanning multiple decades, Mann said "aging and de-aging" technology "will be very important in the film," perThe Playlist.

Who is directingHeat 2?

Mann, who directed the 1995 film, is returning to helmHeat 2.

He also co-wrote the book the upcoming movie is based on, but he wasn't originally aiming for the novel to be adapted for the screen.

"It wasn't the intention, but you can't separate the two," Mann toldVulturein December 2023. "I don't know how to write novels. I do know how to write and imagine screenplays, and I wanted the novel to have a cinematic pace and a story-driven structure to it."

"What became exciting was to have them not be the people they are inHeat,but to put them through the experiences that turned them into the people that they are inHeat," he continued.

When willHeat 2start filming?

Heat 2is due to start filming in August 2026.

In a December 2025 interview withThe Guardian, Mann said, "Listen, no picture happens until it's happening, but right now we're looking to start Aug. 3."

According to The Playlist, at the 2025 Lumiere Film Festival, Mann shared thatHeat 2is "an expensive movie to make, but I believe it should be made at the proper size and scale. It's going to shoot in Chicago, Los Angeles, Paraguay and possibly some parts in Singapore."

Is there a release date forHeat 2?

As of February 2026,Heat 2does not have a confirmed release date.

Read the original article onPeople

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Co-host Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field against Pakistan in the last Group 2 game at theT20 World Cupon Saturday.

Sri Lanka Pakistan T20 WCup Cricket

Pakistan needs to beat already eliminated Sri Lanka by about 65 runs to qualify for the semifinals ahead of New Zealand on net run-rate after England pulled off adramatic winover the Black Caps on Friday.

Pakistan made wholesale changes to its playing XI and brought in fast bowler Naseem Shah, aggressive batter Khawaja Nafay and legspinner Abrar Ahmed.

Babar Azam, whose strike rate has been criticized in the shortest format, was finally dropped; opening batter Saim Ayub was surprisingly left out while fast bowler Salman Mirza was rested.

Captain Salman Ali Agha said he would have fielded first but it was a "massive opportunity" for his team to achieve a difficult task and set up a tall target for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, which fell to heavy defeats against both England and New Zealand in the Super Eight, made two changes. Injured Kusal Mendis made way for Kamil Mishara while Janith Liyanage came in for Dushan Hemantha.

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South Africa from Group 1 and England from Group 2 have already qualified for the semifinals.

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (captain), Khawaja Nafay, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Charith Asalanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka

AP cricket:https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

People watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(AP Photo) Credit - Associated Press

The United States and Israel launched a wave of military strikes against Iran on Saturday in what President Donald Trump said would be a "massive and ongoing" campaign aimed at bringing abouta change in the country's leadership.

The strikes once again bring the U.S. into direct confrontation with Iran, and plunge the Middle East into a new regional conflict several months after awave of U.S. and Israeli bombshit Iranian nuclear facilities in June.

"Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people," Trump said in an eight-minute video posted toTruth Socialat 2.30 am Eastern on Saturday.

"Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world," he continued.

Read more:Does Trump Have the Legal Authority to Strike Iran? An Expert Explains

Trump also addressed the Iranian people in the conclusion of his speech, telling them that "the hour of your freedom is at hand."

"Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take," he said.

"This will be, probably, your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America's help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So let's see how you respond," he added.

The latest campaign, dubbed Operation Epic Fury by the Pentagon, follows efforts by U.S. and Iranian officials to try tocraft a dealon Iran's nuclear program, as well as Iran's deadly suppression of mass protests inside the country, in which thousands were killed. In January, Trump posted a message assuring protestors "help" was on the way and urging them to "take over" Iran's institutions.

The first wave

The first strikes of the attack were heard in Tehran on Saturday, near the residence of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He had not made a public appearance for days before the attack, and his whereabouts are not currently known.

Soon after, Iranian media reported strikes across the country. At least 40 people were reported killed at a girls' school in southern Iran, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, although TIME could not independently verify that claim.

Iran responded by launching a wave of missiles at Israel and other U.S. allies across the region. Explosions were heard in the United Arab Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet, was also targeted.

The U.S. military had been signaling Trump's intention to attack for weeks. Trump had ordered what he called an "armada" of U.S. military firepower to be deployed in the waters near Iran. He moved the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group closer to the Persian Gulf and redirected the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group from the Atlantic Ocean toward the Middle East. The USS Mitscher and USS Michael Murphy, both guided-missile destroyers, had also been deployed in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping passage, according to a tracker of the American fleet kept by the U.S. Naval Institute.

U.S. and Iranian officials have been conducting several rounds of negotiations over Iran's nuclear programsbut have failed to come to an agreement. The two sides had one of their "most intense" rounds of negotiations in Geneva on Thursday, but again failed to reach a deal.

The next day, Trump said "additional talks" would take place, but signaled time was running out.

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"I'm not happy with the fact that they are not willing to give us what we have to have," he told reporters as he left the White House for Texas. "I'm not thrilled with that. We'll see what happens."

During his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Trump accused Iran of restarting "sinister ambitions" related to nuclear weaponry and appeared to indicate that the U.S. would considertaking military actionif Tehran did not abandon said ambitions. He claimed Iran was working to "build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America."

Trump ratcheted up his threats against Iran's leadership in January, as thedeath toll from the crackdownon protests in the country rose dramatically. An internet blackout across the country prevented effective communication with the outside world, but some estimates have the death toll reaching into the tens of thousands.

On Jan. 13, Trump appeared to indicate the U.S. wouldintervene militarilyin the country to support protesters. "Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY."

In response to Trump's repeated threats, Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned that both Israel and "all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets" in the event of an attack.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also threatened on Feb. 17 in a social media post that Iran may attack U.S. ships. "More dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea," he wrote.

Years of pressure

The strikes follow years of pressure on Iran's leadership by Trump, dating back to his first term as president. In 2018, Trump pulled out of a nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, that had dramatically reduced Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium, an essential material for building a nuclear weapon.

Trump then ordered the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, further inflaming tensions between the two nations.

Upon returning to office last year, Trump again ramped up the pressure on the Iranian government over its nuclear program. Since Trump had left the nuclear agreement—which wasnegotiated with Iran and other world powers—Tehran had increased uranium enrichment, built up its stockpile once more, and removed monitoring equipment from nuclear facilities.

After years of threatening to take military action to weaken Iran's nuclear program, Trump authorized the U.S. to join Israel in major strikes on three key nuclear sites in June. Trump claimed the country's nuclear enrichment facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated," but questions remained about the survival of key components of the program.

The 12-day barrage came on the back of a series of setbacks for Iran's leaders, including the crippling of its regional allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran's leadership was left severely weakened following the attack, both regionally and domestically.

Following the attack, Trump threatened further action if Iran didn't return to the negotiating table. "Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace," he said. "If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier."

In the aftermath of the bombing campaign, Iranian authorities arrested thousands of people they suspected of being spies—including activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens. United Nations experts estimated that more than1,000 peoplewere executed between June and September alone.

Economic crisis

As Iran picked up the pieces from the strikes, it faced another crisis. In September, the U.N. reimposed nuclear-related sanctions on the country. By late December, Iran was facing an economic downturn, rampant inflation and a collapse in its currency. Protests broke out first in Tehran's bazaars, as merchants and shopkeepers took to the streets in anger.

Those protests quickly grew into much broader demonstrations against the Iranian regime that has held power since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and into calls for the fall of Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei.

Whereas previous protest movements had been put down swiftly with violence, these came at a time when the government was already weakened by the Israeli and U.S. attack in June. As the protests grew into a serious threat to the government's rule, it responded with increasing violence.In January, two senior officials with Iran's Ministry of Health told TIME the death toll nationwidecould be as high as 30,000.

Contact usatletters@time.com.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gun rights and cannabis legalization are usually on opposite ends of the political spectrum, but both movements have brought about seismic shifts in the United States in recent decades.

Now those forces are lining up for a rare overlap in acase coming before the Supreme Courton Monday, and it is not the only unusual alliance.

The Republican Trump administration will be defending a firearm restriction, with backing from gun-control groups typically more aligned with Democrats.

On the other side is a pairing of the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

At stake is a federal law that bars people who regularly use marijuana from legally owning guns. It is an issue that has divided lower courts since a landmark 2022Supreme Court decisionexpanded gun rights.

Cecillia Wang, legal director at the ACLU, said the law violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutionally vague about what it means to be a drug user.

"We're deeply concerned with the potential of this statute to basically give federal prosecutors a blank check," she said. "Millions of Americans use marijuana and there is no way for them to know based on words of this statute whether they could be charged or convicted of this crime because they own a firearm."

Cannabis is legal for medicinal use in most states and for recreational use in about half the country.

But the law also applies more widely against all illegal substances, meaning the case could allow broader legal gun use by other drug users. The group Everytown for Gun Safety said the law meets theSupreme Court'srequirement that gun laws must have a strong grounding in the nation's history and tradition.

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"Restricting firearm use by illegal drug users is 'as old as legislative recognition of the drug problem itself,'" attorneys wrote.

Cannabis remains illegal on a federal level, though President Donald Trump hassigned an orderto fast-track its reclassification as a less dangerous drug.

His Justice Department is also asking the justices to revive a criminal case against Ali Danial Hemani, a Texas man who was charged with a felony because he had a gun in his house and acknowledged smoking marijuana every other day. FBI agents also found a small amount of cocaine when they searched his home as part of a broader investigation, but the gun charge was the only one filed against him.

The conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the case, finding that only people who are intoxicated while armed can be charged with a crime.

The administration has arguedin favorof gun rights in other cases, but government lawyers say this law is a justifiable restriction. "Habitual illegal drug users with firearms present unique dangers to society — especially because they pose a grave risk of armed, hostile encounters with police officers while impaired," they wrote in court documents. The law fits within the nation's history of restrictions on people who were frequently drunk, they argued.

While the conservative-majority Supreme Court has expanded gun rights, it also has upheld a federal lawdisarming peoplewho are subject to domestic violence restraining orders. The Department of Justice argues that drug users are similarly risky. The law it is asking the court to uphold was also used in the case of Hunter Biden, who was convicted of buying a gun when he was addicted to cocaine.

But the NRA and other gun-rights groups, typically aligned with the GOP, are arrayed against the administration in Hemani's case.

"Americans have traditionally chosen which substances are acceptable for responsible recreational use, and the fundamental right to keep and bear arms was never denied to people who occasionally partook in such drugs — unless they were carrying arms while actively intoxicated," lawyers for the Second Amendment Foundation wrote in court documents.

The cannabis group NORML agrees, saying one of the fastest-growing groups of users are baby boomers trying products such as marijuana gummies to relieve arthritis and sleep problems.

"It's laughable to think that by outlawing cannabis users possessing firearms you'll minimize the problem with gun violence," said Joe A. Bondy, chair of the board of directors for NORML, one of the country's oldest and largest groups advocating for the legalization of marijuana.