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BRUSSELS (AP) — Top European Union officials said Tuesday they have offered to pay Ukraine to repair a damaged pipeline meant to carry crude oil to Hungary, in a bid to persuade the government in Budapest to lift its veto on a massive aid package to the war-wracked country. Ukraine and Hungary have been locked in an escalating feud since Russian oil deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia were halted in January due to damage to the Druzhba pipeline, which crosses Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian officials have blamed the damage on Russian drone attacks. Hungary’s nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of deliberately holding up oil supplies — claims that Zelenskyy denies. In retaliation, Orbán has vetoed a major 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) EU loan to cover Ukraine’s military and economic needs for two years. Hungary is also blocking a new round of EU sanctions against Russia. EU leaders said in a statement Tuesday that the bloc “has offered Ukraine technical support and funding” to fix the pipeline. “The Ukrainians have welcomed and accepted this offer. European experts are available immediately,” European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. Zelensky is vehemently opposed to allowing Russian energy to transit through Ukraine. Energy revenue has fueled the four-year war waged by President Vladimir Putin on his country. But he wrote Tuesday that Ukraine is “undertaking all possible efforts to repair the damage and restore operations.” Costa and von der Leyen wrote to Zelenskyy Monday saying that they hope the EU offer of funding and technical help “can pave the way for overcoming the current blockage and ensure for the rapid repair of the pipeline.” EU leaders have lashed out at Orbán for agreeing to the loan to Ukraine at a summit in December and then reneging on that deal. They accuse him of undermining the fundamental EU principle of “sincere cooperation” between the 27 member countries. Ukraine is desperate for money and Zelenskyy said that it is important for his country to receive at least a first tranche of funding next month. Orbán, who is trailing in opinion polls ahead of elections next month, has leaned heavily on an election campaign that portrays Zelenskyy as an existential threat to Hungary. He has alleged that the Ukrainian leader, along with von der Leyen, seek to drag Hungary into the war, and claimed that his reelection is the only guarantee of Hungary’s peace and security. ___ Justin Spike in Budapest contributed to this report. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian American Ariana Afshar has tried to produce commentary about the first weeks of the war in the Middle East based on the perspectives of people in Iran. But the New York-based social media creator keeps running into an obstacle: An internet blackout imposed by the government in Tehran has stifled almost all communications from the country. That makes it nearly impossible to reliably survey perspectives on the escalating conflict from inside Iran, where Afshar lived as a teenager and still has family. That absence has amplified the voices of Iranian American social media creators, who are now explaining the nation’s complicated history and the conflicting desires of its citizens in succinct videos that are widely shared online. Their content is geared toward the surging demand for information in the U.S., where online searches like “why are we at war with iran” increased by 3,000% in the first week of March, according to Google Search Trends. Some creators and observers say the disproportionate influence of voices outside of Iran has exacerbated deep rifts in the diaspora, which includes about 750,000 people in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center. “I think it’s a huge problem among the Iranian diaspora, where they speak for Iranians a lot. I don’t want to fall into that,” said Afshar, who has roughly 350,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok. In her own online activity, she mostly critiques pro-war perspectives based on her experience growing up in both countries. In the rare moments when she is able to reach relatives, they are often too afraid to share their true feelings about the war and the government. Content creators “cannot thoroughly access the people’s opinions in Iran,” Afshar said. Some creators support the war, saying the fear of conflict pales in comparison to a government that killed thousands of people in January during a crackdown on dissent. Others have pointed to obliterated infrastructure and mounting casualties — including more than 165 killed by a strike on an elementary school — as a warning of more carnage to come, citing previous U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as precedent. “The outside media, especially Iranian diaspora, are playing a major role,” said Babak Rahimi, an Iranian professor of culture, religion and technology at the University of California San Diego. “It’s the kind of role that is not about really information, but it’s mostly about the circulation of emotions.” In many wars, citizens are able to supplement official reporting with first-person accounts posted on social media and widely shared, Rahimi said. But digital blackouts and fear of government retaliation have severely limited that in Iran. The Associated Press and other news outlets have some journalists reporting inside Iran, but limited communications makes getting their reporting out challenging at times. AP also uses satellite imagery, phone interviews to gather accounts and eyewitness testimony and user generated content it verifies to report on events in the country. But online, bad information still thrives on social media and in messaging apps like Telegram, where millions of people subscribe to groups where inaccurate and unattributed content is easily shared. Some of that disinformation is put out by the Iranian government, including fake firsthand accounts that attempt to rile up Americans who oppose the war, said Houman Hemmati, who supports the war and left Iran with his Persian Jewish family after the 1979 revolution. False information seemingly designed to favor the U.S. has also proliferated, including videos claiming that Iran was behind the strike on the school. A preliminary U.S. military investigation has found outdated intelligence likely led to the U.S. carrying out the strike, according to a U.S. official and a second person briefed on the findings. But in brief moments when Iranians are able to share information, Hemmati said, it quickly grabs attention, showcasing the hunger for firsthand accounts. “All it takes is for just a little bit to leak out, and those images and stories go viral,” said Hemmati, a 49-year-old from Southern California who speaks regularly on Fox News and has more than 83,000 followers on the social platform X. A 35-year-old Iranian living in New York, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation against relatives in Iran, said her family WhatsApp chat between relatives in both countries illustrates the blackout’s harm. In brief opportunities to connect, the chat has been a go-to for scraps of news her relatives cannot easily get. A cousin in Tehran sent messages the day the bombing began: “Where did they hit?” one read. “Everything I watch is just smoke and explosions.” The family chat has also been a forum for debate over the future of their homeland, with relatives sharing news clips and social media videos offering varying perspectives about U.S. involvement. But she said there is a huge difference between her family members in the U.S., who speak passionately about the abstract politics of the war, and those in Iran, who are living it each day. There has long been a “narrative war” among members of the diaspora, said 26-year-old social media creator Ciara Moezidis, who was born in the United States and has extended family in Iran. Her Instagram following has increased by 2,000 people since January, when she started posting in support of Iranian protesters and against a war. “It’s been incredibly exhausting to navigate this while seeing bombs drop across Iran and not being able to reach our families,” said Moezidis. Others, like Zoya Biglary, an Iranian American content creator with over 600,000 Instagram followers, said she hopes Iranians will eventually be able to see the outpouring of support for their struggle. “Maybe they’re looking for proof that someone on the outside kind of sees their humanity,” Biglary said. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah Raza in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, contributed. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran. Kent said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.” There was no immediate comment from the White House. Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote. As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats. Before entering President Donald Trump’s administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA. Democrats strongly opposed Kent’s confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures. During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden. Democrats grilled Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump’s national security team to discuss sensitive military plans. Still, Republicans praised Kent’s counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience. Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Kent had “dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.” Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

MIAMI (AP) — Atlanta is on a 10-game winning streak, its best stretch in more than 11 years. Orlando and Miami just ran off seven straight victories. Charlotte might be playoff-bound for the first time in a decade. The Southeast Division is … good? Seems so. At least, it’s not historically bad as was the case last season when the Hawks, Magic, Heat, Hornets and Washington Wizards combined for the worst record by any division in NBA history. And it’s possible the division could send four teams to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Division races and championships don’t mean much anymore and haven’t for some time. But the four Southeast teams in the mix with playoff hopes — everybody but Washington — sure seem as though they are feeding off one another and have been since the All-Star break. “I would say that’s probably a factor,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Everybody also knows what time it is right now. You have to make moves. You have to do something. And we knew that coming out of All-Star break.” Everyone got the message. Most everyone, that is. The Wizards seem to have no interest in winning right now, proven by the way they played defense — or not — against Miami’s Bam Adebayo in his 83-point game last week. They’ll start anew next year, they hope, with Trae Young and Anthony Davis to build around. Otherwise, the division is rolling. The five teams are a combined 40-25 since the break, the best mark by any division in the NBA during that stretch. Atlanta is 11-1, Miami has gone 9-3, Orlando is 10-4, Charlotte is 8-5 and Washington is 2-12. This is how good the Southeast has been in recent weeks: Atlanta was ninth in the Eastern Conference after a loss to Miami on Feb. 20. The Hawks were 9-0 since that game going into Monday night — and were still ninth in the East. Monday’s win pulled Atlanta into a tie with Philadelphia for eighth place; the Hawks own the tiebreaker, so if the season was over now, they would be the No. 8 seed going into the play-in tournament. Imagine: a 10-game winning streak, and you move up one spot. “Everybody’s trying to be aggressive but also solid at the same time,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “I think that’s really important. We don’t want to be gambling. We just want to make people work.” Charlotte is fun to watch, unless you’re on the other bench. Kon Knueppel is a serious challenger to his former Duke teammate, Dallas’ Cooper Flagg, for Rookie of the Year. The Hornets shoot a bunch of 3s, they play fast and they’ve got a little swagger. The Hornets added through the draft. The Hawks might have added by subtraction; trading Young ended all the speculation about his future in Atlanta and his now-former team is 20-10, the third-best record in the East, just a half-game behind Detroit and Cleveland since that deal got done. The Heat, they just try to outwork everybody — as always — and found some gems in Pelle Larsson and Kasparas Jakucionis to go alongside the likes of Adebayo. And the Magic, they evidently just needed a little conflict. Teams don’t always flourish when coaches and star players clash. Orlando might have done just that. It was clear earlier this season — a couple of times this season, actually — that Magic coach Jamahl Mosley and star forward Paolo Banchero weren’t in total lockstep. Banchero said some things, Mosley subtly clapped back, and things seemed goofy up near Disney World. Funny thing is, when the Magic seemed to be in trouble everything started to work. “We’re both competitors,” Banchero said when asked about his relationship with Mosley. “There were times where I was frustrated and I wasn’t playing as well as I think I should be. But it never became me pointing the finger at him or being disrespectful. It was all constructive; he’s talking to me, I’m talking to him. And winning, it cures everything. … Something I feel I learned at Duke is when there’s a little bit of conflict, it makes you lock in a little more.” Less than a month remains in the regular season. The jostling between the Hawks, Heat, Magic and Hornets could go all the way to the wire. The Southeast might not have a bona fide, can’t-miss, title favorite in that group — but it does have four teams that could be hitting their best stride at the right time. “It’s just this time of year,” Mosley said. “Every game matters.” ___ Around The NBA analyzes the biggest topics in the NBA during the season. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

BEIRUT (AP) — With airstrikes rocking Beirut and Israeli troops advancing against Hezbollah, Lebanon’s government has broken a taboo by proposing the first direct talks with Israel in decades. But Lebanese officials say they want the fighting to end first — and it might be too late for that. Hezbollah’s decision to enter the wider Iran war by firing rockets at Israel has led to the heavy Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing some 850 Lebanese and driving over a million people from their homes. The Iran-backed Hezbollah views the latest war as an existential struggle, and Israel is threatening a wider ground invasion, the seizure of territory and the destruction of Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure. The United States, which has mediated during past flare-ups, has so far shown no interest in doing so this time around. Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun offered to hold direct negotiations with Israel for the first time since the 1982 Israeli invasion during Lebanon’s civil war. Aoun also asked for a boost in funding for Lebanese troops and reaffirmed his commitment to disarm Hezbollah, a longstanding Israeli and U.S. demand. But Lebanon wants the fighting to end before any talks with Israel, according to three Lebanese diplomatic and government officials familiar with the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press. Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment about the offer of talks. But Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, during a visit to an Israeli town hit by an Iranian missile, denied any talks were planned. The agreement that ended Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war called for the disarmament of all armed groups, but Hezbollah alone kept its weapons, saying they were needed to protect Lebanon from Israel, which occupied the country’s south until 2000. Successive Lebanese governments, even those dominated by Hezbollah’s political rivals, refused to directly confront the group, which was widely seen as more powerful than Lebanon’s armed forces. There were fears that any attempt to disarm Hezbollah by force could rekindle the civil war. That calculus started to change in 2024, when Israel killed most of Hezbollah’s top leaders and pummeled its armed wing, potentially opening the door for Lebanese authorities to exert greater control. Aoun, a former army commander, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who both took office in early 2025, pledged to disarm Hezbollah, a position with wide support among Lebanon’s war-weary population. In the months leading up to the war, the government deployed troops across large parts of southern Lebanon and said it dismantled over 500 Hezbollah warehouses and military positions. But it did not confront the group directly. When Hezbollah launched a volley of missiles at Israel days after the surprise U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran, the Lebanese government condemned the militant group, outlawed its activities, and arrested several militants it accused of illegal possession of weapons. But by then the country had been plunged into yet another war. Hezbollah, which has launched waves of missiles and drones into northern Israel since that initial attack, still portrays itself as Lebanon’s only viable defense. It accuses Israel of violating a 2024 U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement because it continued to launch regular airstrikes, which often killed civilians, and refused to withdraw from five strategic points along the border. Hezbollah also likely feels obligated to support Iran, its main sponsor, at a moment of peril. Israel says Hezbollah is in violation of past agreements requiring it to disarm and that the airstrikes were aimed at preventing attacks. It has long accused Lebanese authorities of failing to disarm the group and warned that it would do so itself, at potentially great cost to Lebanon. Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Lebanese government “will pay an increasing price in infrastructure damage and territorial loss until the commitment to disarm Hezbollah is fulfilled.” Hezbollah officials have denounced the offer of direct talks with Israel and blame the government for failing to end the Israeli strikes or the occupation of the border areas. Mahmoud Qamati, a senior official in Hezbollah’s political bureau, said the offer of talks with Israel was a “concession and a big mistake,” in light of “the ongoing occupation and aggression.” “This move would be stabbing the resistance in the back. The state cannot make any promises without the resistance’s approval,” he told the Al Jazeera network. During past blow-ups, Lebanon would often turn to the United States, which has leverage over Israel and is a major donor to the Lebanese military. But Washington appears to be preoccupied with the wider war and its impact on the global economy. “There is no senior official in the White House focusing on Lebanon,” said Randa Slim, director of the Middle East Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center. Thomas Barrack, who serves as the White House envoy to Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, dismissed Lebanon as a “failed state” last year. Slim said the offer of talks was unlikely to gain traction or head off an Israeli invasion. Israel and the U.S had expected more decisive action from Lebanon’s army after the last war, despite its limited capabilities and financial struggles, and the risks of confronting Hezbollah directly. They may not be inclined to give it another chance. “They had been very clear with the Lebanese on how important it was to control Hezbollah from doing anything offensively,” said Ed Gabriel, president of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a nonprofit that aims to build stronger U.S.-Lebanon ties. “Hezbollah’s actions have now set back for the time being any resolution of this war and created a lack of confidence by U.S. officials that the (Lebanese armed forces) can control and disarm Hezbollah,” he said. Israeli troops are meanwhile advancing deeper into southern Lebanon ahead of an expected wider ground invasion. The Israeli military has struck and destroyed bridges and key roads, and issued evacuation warnings for an area stretching dozens of miles (kilometers) north of the border. The Lebanese government, in the grip of a severe, yearslong financial crisis, is scrambling to provide shelter and aid for almost one million people displaced. It is also calling on the international community to press Israel to spare key infrastructure, like Beirut’s airport and seaport, according to one of the Lebanese officials. Aoun, once confident he could disarm Hezbollah with minimal confrontation, continues with his flurry of diplomatic calls from the hilltop presidential palace. Drones circle overhead, airstrikes echo in the distance, and plumes of smoke rise to the south. ___ Associated Press writer Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com