Exclusive-US Weighs Military Reinforcements as Iran War Enters Possible New Phase

By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Erin Banco and Gram Slattery WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration is considering deploying thousands ⁠of ⁠U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as ⁠the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran, said a U.S. official and three people …

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Heavy Social Media Usage Erodes Young People’s Wellbeing, Report Finds

HELSINKI, March 19 (Reuters) – Heavy social media usage ⁠appears ⁠to contribute to a drop in ⁠wellbeing among young people, especially girls, in some English-speaking countries, the World Happiness ​Report published on Thursday found. Already, a number of countries across the world are working on plans to curb ‌children’s social media access after Australia ‌in …

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Italy’s Justice Referendum Tests PM Meloni and Divided Opposition

ROME, March 19 (Reuters) – A forthcoming Italian referendum on judicial reform ⁠will ⁠test right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s political ⁠strength and could give the fragmented opposition the impetus to forge a broad alliance ahead of ​next year’s general election. Italians will vote on March 22-23 on a proposal to separate the careers of judges …

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A Baseball Title Unleashes the Happiness Venezuelans Kept Bottled up for Years

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — There’s happiness, and then there’s Venezuelan happiness. It feels sweeter. Louder. Deeper. Maybe because it doesn’t arrive as often. Or because it has been repressed by security forces and self-censored to avoid jail. Or because it seems collectively and individually unattainable. But the nation felt it Wednesday. Its people cried, yelled, …

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World Happiness Report Highlights Social Media’s Negative Impact, Ranks Finland as Happiest Country

HELSINKI (AP) — Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published Thursday. The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, also …

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Russian Drones Hit Apartment Buildings in Ukraine’s Odesa Port

March 19 (Reuters) – Russian drones struck several ⁠apartment ⁠buildings in Ukraine’s Black ⁠Sea port of Odesa, triggering fires and injuring ​at least three people, local officials said early on Thursday. “There has been ‌damage to two high-rise apartment ‌buildings, another residence in the city’s historic centre as well ⁠as ⁠private homes,” Serhiy Lysak, head …

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