UAE air traffic operations return to normal

March 17 (Reuters) - Air traffic in ‌the United Arab ‌Emirates returned to normal ​after temporary precautionary measures were lifted, state news ‌agency WAM ⁠reported on Tuesday, citing the ⁠country's General Civil Aviation Authority.

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Earlier ​on ​Tuesday, ​the authority ‌announced a temporary closure of the country's airspace amid rapidly evolving regional ‌security developments, ​after the ​defence ​ministry said ‌it was responding ​to ​incoming missile and drone threats ​from ‌Iran.

(Reporting by Enas ​Alashray; Editing by ​Tom Hogue)

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March 16, 2026

UAE air traffic operations return to normal

March 17 (Reuters) - Air traffic in ‌the United Arab ‌Emirates returned to normal ​after temporary precautionary measures...

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El Salvador has arbitrarily detained nationals deported from the US, Human Rights Watch says

MIAMI (AP) — Salvadoran nationals who were deported from the United States have been arbitrarily detained inEl Salvadorand have disappeared into the Central American nation's prison system, according to a Human Rights Watch report released on Monday.

El Salvador Immigration Detention

The detainees featured in the report are among more than 9,000 Salvadorans deported from the U.S. since the beginning of President DonaldTrump's second administrationin January 2025. Some of them weredeported alongside Venezuelansand sent to the Center for Terrorism Confinement, amega prison in El Salvador also known as CECOT, according to the New York-based human rights group.

The report did not say exactly how many people are subject to arbitrary detention. The group interviewed 20 relatives and lawyers of 11 Salvadorans who were deported from the U.S. between March and October 2025 and immediately detained in El Salvador. The detainees cannot communicate with their families or talk to lawyers, the group said.

"They have a right to due process, to be taken before a judge, and their relatives are entitled to know where they are being held and why," said Juanita Goebertus, the Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "Deportation cannot mean enforced disappearance."

El Salvador's Presidential Office did not respond to a request for comment on the report.

Detainees disappearing into El Salvador's prison system has become a regular phenomenon since President Nayib Bukele declared a"state of emergency"in March 2022 to suppress the country's gangs.

The once temporary measure, which has been extended for nearly four years, suspends key constitutional rights and has led to around 91,300 people being detained in El Salvador. Bukele says 8,000 innocent people have been released.

Most have been detained based on scant evidence and vague accusations. Detainees have very little access to due process — prisoners are often judged in mass trials and lawyers regularly lose track of their clients.

Prisons have been accused of human rights abuses for years. Rights groups have documented cases of beatings by prison guards, sexual abuse and deteriorating prison conditions. Detainees' families often agonize, unsure if they will ever see their loved ones again.

Human Rights Watch said Salvadoran authorities have provided no information suggesting any of the detainees have been brought before a judge. The relatives and lawyers of some of the detainees say they don't know where they are being held or why, the report said. In five cases, relatives knew the deportees' whereabouts through litigation at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

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Many of the Salvadoran deportees have family in the U.S.

"I still know nothing about my son, nothing," said a 47-year-old mother of a Salvadoran who was deported on March 15, 2025. "I want information. I want someone to tell me that my son is OK, that he's alive."

The woman, who lives in Maryland without legal status, said she last talked to her 29-year-old son when he called her about three days before he was deported. She said she discovered her son was in El Salvador six months after the deportation, when she saw a photo that Bukele posted online showing detainees at CECOT.

The woman asked not to be identified for fear of being arrested in the United States. She also asked that her son's identity be kept anonymous, for fear of reprisals in prison. She said her son crossed the Mexican border when he was 17 and had lived in the U.S. for more than a decade.

The Trump administration says several of the Salvadorans who were deported are members of the MS-13 gang. Human Rights Watch said only 10.5% of the 9,000 Salvadorans deported had a conviction for a violent or potentially violent crime in the U.S.

On March 15, 2025, 23 Salvadorans were deported to El Salvador, includingKilmar Abrego Garcia, who was later returned to the U.S. following a judge's order.

Another mother said she also learned her 22-year-old son had been deported to El Salvador when she saw him in a photograph posted online of Salvadorans at CECOT.

The woman, who lives in Texas and has no legal status in the U.S., also asked not to be identified for fear of arrest. She said she has called authorities in both countries countless times since his deportation a year ago, but none has offered any information about him.

"I've never spoken to him," she said. "It's total silence. We know nothing about him, we don't know what's going to happen."

Associated Press reporter Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.

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March 16, 2026

El Salvador has arbitrarily detained nationals deported from the US, Human Rights Watch says

MIAMI (AP) — Salvadoran nationals who were deported from the United States have been arbitrarily detained inEl Salvadoran...

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Apache women seek court intervention as federal land is turned over for copper mining

The transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America is complete, but a group of Apache women is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene as a last-ditch effort to stop the project.

Oak Flat Copper Mining

The title to the land was conveyed by the federal government to Resolution Copper on Friday after an appeals court denied requests by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmentalists seeking to block the move.

The appeals court determined that the plaintiffs' legal claims likely would not succeed and lifted anemergency injunctionthat was put in place last summer.

The land includes Oak Flat — an area used for centuries forreligious ceremonies, prayer and gathering of medicinal plantsby the San Carlos Apache people and other Native American tribes. The tribe, the activist group Apache Stronghold and other plaintiffs have beenfighting for yearsto save what tribal members call Chi'chil Bildagoteel.

The appeals court in Friday's ruling recognized that the land transfer will fundamentally alter the nature of the land and lead to the destruction of sites sacred to the tribe and other plaintiffs.

"Despite those grave harms to Native religious practice, Congress has chosen to transfer this land, and plaintiffs have not raised any viable challenges to that decision," the court stated.

Attorneys for the U.S. Forest Service have argued in court filings over the years that the agency has no discretion because the exchange was indeed mandated by Congress when language was included in a must-pass national defense spending bill that was signed into law in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama.

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In a statement issued Monday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins — who oversees the Forest Service — said the project is among those that will help fulfill President Donald Trump's vision of energy independence.

"Completing this land exchange unlocks a major domestic source of copper, essential for defense, grid modernization and next-generation energy, and positions the nation to secure its future by expanding mineral production and unleashing America's full resource potential," she said.

Resolution Copper — a subsidiary of international mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP — estimates the mine will generate $1 billion a year for Arizona's economy and create thousands of jobs. The project has support in thenearby community of Superior.

Resolution Copper has said the project underwent an extensive review by the Forest Service that has included consultation with tribes that have ancestral ties to the land.

"Courts at every level have consistently ruled in favor of Resolution Copper, and three different presidential administrations have supported this project," Vicky Peacey, Resolution's president and general manager, said in a statement. "It is time for the meritless litigation to end."

The company did not immediately answer questions about the timetable for work at the site.

In a statement shared on social media, Wendsler Nosie Sr. of the group Apache Stronghold continued to raise concerns about water use and the potential for contamination as mining gets underway.

"The fight for Oak Flat raises critical issues about the environment and our nation's commitment to Native rights and religious freedom," Nosie said. "But at its heart, it is a battle for our sacred and holy land, the faith that has always been defined by it, and the right to have our religious traditions respected and protected."

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March 16, 2026

Apache women seek court intervention as federal land is turned over for copper mining

The transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest ...

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March Madness No. 1 seed Florida brushes off SEC tourney loss and eyes a national title repeat

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Nothing will convince Florida coach Todd Golden thatlosing in the Southeastern Conference Tournamentwas a positive.

SEC Vanderbilt Florida Basketball

Not even six consecutive wins andanother national title.

"I get it, but I'm not with it," Golden said Monday. "We're going to definitely learn from it. We're going to use it to our advantage, for sure, but I'm never going to be like, 'Oh, man, I'm glad we lost.'"

The Gators (26-7) landed aNo. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournamentdespite getting thumped by Vanderbilt in the semifinals of the league tourney. Florida got punched in the mouth early and never responded, a disappointing — some might call it eye-opening — showing before the Big Dance.

Golden is hoping the 17-point setback serves as a wake-up call for a team thathad won 12 in a rowup to that point. The defending national champion Gators open their repeat bid Friday night in nearby Tampa against the winner of a play-in game between Lehigh and Prairie View A&M.

"When you do lose, you can really drill down on some areas that you need to improve on," Golden said. "When you're winning, I think that's more difficult. It's more difficult to teach. It's more difficult to hold accountable. But now we don't have that issue off a loss and hopefully we respond the same way that we did after we lost to Auburn on January 24th."

The Gators looked downright unstoppable during their streak that included an average margin of victory of 20.5 points. But they seemed off against the Commodores, missing 10 layups, turning the ball over 14 times and allowing wide-open looks from 3-point range.

Was it a blip? A bad matchup? Or maybe something more foreboding?

Golden insists it was a one-off performance, not a sign of something being wrong or a blueprint for how to beat the best rebounding team in the country.

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"The great thing for us is we have already been an iteration of ourselves that we need to be to make a deep run," he said. "That's what we've been over the last two months. So we need to get back on track to what we were.

"We have been playing like the No. 2 team in America since January (6th). We know what we're capable of. We know what that looks like. We just have to go back out and do it."

The Gators have responded all season, whether it was stringing together wins after losses or answering questions about perceived flaws: Can they close out tight games? Yes. Are they good enough from 3-point range? For sure. Do they have consistent contributors off the bench? No doubt.

Florida started the season 5-4 and was unranked by January. But the Gators have since figured out how to mesh dual point guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee, how to get more shots for sixth man Urban Klavzar and how to best utilize the most dominant frontcourt in school history, a lineup that features Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh.

The group was good enough to go toe-to-toe with Arizona, Duke and UConn early and good enough to reel off 12 straight in SEC play late. Now is it good enough to repeat?

"We want to bring the fight to everybody," Golden said. "We do that more often than not. We talk a lot to our team about being the mentally and physically tougher team. … Vandy got us because they ran to the fight quicker than we did.

"We can't allow anybody else to dictate how we play. It's really important that we take pride in that and take the accountability that it's on us and not on anybody else."

AP March Madness bracket:https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracketand coverage:https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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March 16, 2026

March Madness No. 1 seed Florida brushes off SEC tourney loss and eyes a national title repeat

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Nothing will convince Florida coach Todd Golden thatlosing in the Southeastern Conference Tourna...

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The pros and cons of NBA expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas

The NBA's board of governors next week will vote on thepossibility of adding expansion teams in Seattle and Las Vegasfor the 2028-29 season, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, and there is reportedly "momentum" toward approval.

Approval, which requires a vote in favor from 23 of the league's 30 owners, would open bidding to offers expected to reach as high as $10 billion, the recent sale price of the Los Angeles Lakers, per Charania. Final approval could come "later in the year."

[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Fill out brackets for your shot at $50K]

The WNBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball have all expanded into Seattle or Las Vegas, or both, in recent years. They are, after all, two of the wealthiest markets.

As soon as news dropped — first thing on a Monday, right when morning talk shows needed a jolt — I thought: On one hand, the league is deep enough to expand into 32 teams; on the other, a third of the NBA is tanking already. Pros and cons, you figure.

Hey, a good gimmick: Pros and cons of NBA expansion into Seattle and Las Vegas.

Pro: The NBA is deeper than ever

After yet another draft loaded with talent, there is more of it in the NBA than ever. Welcome Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, among others, to a field of 450 players, all of whom can play. There are guys in the G League and elsewhere that can really play.

Last year's Sixth Man of the Year, Payton Pritchard, would have been an All-Star in the 1980s and would have dominated the 1950s. It is just a fact of life. Athletes get bigger, stronger, faster; they train harder and smarter. There are more elite athletes than ever.

And more places to draw from. Last year's draft alone featured players from Russia, the Bahamas, South Sudan, France, China, Lithuania, Canada, Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland, the Dominican Republic, Serbia, Ukraine and Italy.

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, as another example, added Jared McCain, who was a Rookie of the Year contender as recently as the middle of last season, to a roster that is already stacked with talent; and he is fully capable of helping them win games.

Where to put all these talents? The NBA adds 60 draftees to its pool of 450 players each year. On the way are AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and more. Why not add 64 to a field of 480, then? What is the difference? The spots will get filled, the league will persist, and 20 years from now you won't remember which was the last team to enter the league. If the product is as good as it is now, you'll take it.

Con: Are there enough superstars to go around?

Do we have enough superstars to field these new teams? The 15-man All-NBA roster will be a tough one to crack, but once we got past the initial round of 24 All-Stars this year, the league started to name Brandon Ingram, Alperen Şengün and De'Aaron Fox as replacements — hardly the household names who put a**es in seats from city to city, night to night.

Once you get past, say, Deni Avdija on the Portland Trail Blazers, you are kind of running out of the types of offensive engines who can power entire franchises, and even he may be a stretch. Attendance numbers may be decent, because it is still something to do on a Friday night in the city, but I am sure people are not lining up to watch Alex Sarr on the Washington Wizards or Egor Dёmin on the Brooklyn Nets.

Pro: Two more destination cities

According to Charania, Seattle and Las Vegas are both expected to "be among the NBA's top eight revenue generators," mostly because they are both destination cities.

People want to spend time in Las Vegas and Seattle, just like they want to spend time in Miami and the Bay Area. NBA players are no different. Think of the success the Heat and Warriors have enjoyed in recent decades. Might Vegas and Seattle soon join them as power players on anyone's list of preferred trade or free-agent destinations?

Con: More tanking

We already have as many as 10 teams — from the Milwaukee Bucks on down the standings — who are tanking the remainder of the season for a better draft pick.

Either that, or they are the New Orleans Pelicans, who can't get out of their own way.

Point is: There are already a lot of teams who do not treat the regular season with the respect it deserves. Do we really need to be adding more teams on top of that mix?

Pro: LeBron James, the owner

Is this a retirement gift for Lakers superstar LeBron James? The 41-year-old will almost certainly be part of one of the ownership groups,presumably the one in Las Vegas, where you can catch him on the sidelines of an event on multiple occasions each year.

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It will be pretty cool to keep one of the all-time greats involved in the game, even after he ends his playing career, assuming he ever ends his playing career. James,who has amassed a fortune in excess of $1 billion, has earned his right to reinvest in the NBA.

What an investment it would be. Prices for teams have skyrocketed. Michael Jordan paid $275 million for the Charlotte Hornets in 2010 and sold his majority stake at a $3 billion valuation in 2023. Last year, two of the NBA's signature franchises — the Lakers and Boston Celtics — respectively sold for increasing records of $7.3 and $10 billion.

And they show no sign of slowing down. The league signed an 11-year, $76 billion media rights deal, which began this season. Who is to say what franchises will fetch in 2036, as sports remain one of few live events to draw fans to arenas and viewers to devices.

Con: LeBron James, the owner

Then again, Jordan was a terrible steward of the Hornets. He rarely spent on his team, and they performed like it, making the playoffs just twice — a pair of first-round exits — in more than a decade with him at the helm. It is probably no coincidence that their ascent as an organization has occurred in the immediate aftermath of Jordan's exit.

If his playing career was any indication, can you imagine the passive-aggressiveness with which James will post on social media about his own team — a team that he built.

Remember: It was James who wanted his Miami Heat to draft Shabazz Napier. And it was James who wanted his Cleveland Cavaliers to sign a 32-year-old Deron Williams.

But it was also James who wanted to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and made it happen. It was James who coordinated his partnership with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in Cleveland, and with Anthony Davis in L.A. All yielded championships.

Then again, that was James, the player, not James, the owner. He had his own great performance to rely on when he played. It does not appear Bronny is ready to shoulder that load. Could make for an interesting general manager selection, though.

Pro: New team names!

Seattle will be the SuperSonics, I presume, which is awesome, especially if they bring back their skyline uniforms. What will Las Vegas be? They have the WNBA's Aces and NHL's Golden Knights. Las Vegas Raiders does not have as nice a ring to it in the NFL.

They could be the Sharps, or High Rollers. Name them after the local newspaper, the Las Vegas Review. Or the Cabaret. Or just Dice. The Las Vegas Strip? I'm spitballing.

It's fun to come up with a team name, and to laugh at the terrible ones that could live forever — like naming Toronto's team after a character from "Jurassic Park" — until you are the one who actually must come up with a name. It's a lot of pressure for a team.

We could get a terrible team name. We could get a great one. Either way, we win.

Con: The rich get richer

Can you imagine being in a conference room for the board of governors meeting?

"Should we create two teams out of thin air and sell them for a total of $20 billion?"

"That's $667 million apiece!"

"But … but our share of$15 billionin annual revenue goes from 1/30th to 1/32nd!"

"Hmmm, that's only $469 million every year instead of $500 million. Bummer."

"Well, I guess my new $667 million check will help. Thanks for making up some teams!"

Meanwhile, the average customer is struggling to bring their family of four to a game. Welcome to the world of big business, Seattle SuperSonics and the Las Vegas Fear and Loathing. It is ruthless out there. Wizards and Magic and Pelicans are awaiting.

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March 16, 2026

The pros and cons of NBA expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas

The NBA's board of governors next week will vote on thepossibility of adding expansion teams in Seattle and Las Vegas...

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