ISPRA, Italy, March 31 (TNSrpt) -- The European Commission's Joint Research Center posted the following news: * * * 2025 was EU's most destructive wildfire season on record * The 2025 fire season was the worst on record for the European Union. Satellite-based analysis from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), managed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, show that 1 079 538 hectares - equivalent to approximately the area of Cyprus - were ravaged by fire across s  more

NEW YORK, March 30 -- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health posted the following news: * * * Across the Globe, ICAP Works to Protect Communities from Major Health Threats * For almost four years now, medical trains have crisscrossed Ukraine, moving wounded soldiers and civilians from the conflict zone to distant hospitals. Deadly antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria often stow away on board. When a train arrives, a regular public hospital-not a military hospital-could get 50   more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 31 -- An inventor from Rivne, Ukraine, Artem Perekresnyi has been awarded a patent (No. US 12589412 B2, initially filed Dec. 1, 2022) for "Apparatus for dry granular mixtures separation."  more

NEW YORK, March 31 [Category: Law/Legal] -- Access Now, an organization that says it defends and extends the rights of people and communities at risk, posted the following news release: * * * Breaking records, breaking connections: internet shutdowns in EECA in 2025 * Not a single day of 2025 passed without at least one internet shutdown. Last year, people across the world experienced the highest number of deliberate blackouts ever recorded by the #KeepItOn coalition. Launching today, Marc  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 [Category: Sociological] -- The American Economic Liberties Project posted the following news release: * * * Brief Warns of Looming Electricity Price Spikes from Iran War, Urges Immediate Action * Washington, D.C. - As global energy markets continue to reel from the War in Iran, the American Economic Liberties Project today released a new brief, " How Congress and States Should Respond to Electricity Price Spikes Due to the Iran War. " The paper analyzes how the continue  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on March 30, 2026, by David Axe, a journalist, author and filmmaker: * * * Europe's Porous Air Defenses Unmasked by Iran War Images of French and British fighters using high-tech air-to-air missiles to destroy Iranian attack drones may give the appearance of strength, but it betrays a serious weakness. * The European defensive campaign over the Middle East has underlined the fragility of its air f  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis issued the following commentary on March 30, 2026, by non-resident senior fellow Alexander Kolyandr: * * * Putin Tells Billionaires to Fill the Begging Bowl There is no sense of rejoicing in the Kremlin, even as the oil price soars and revenues rise. * Vladimir Putin did two things last week, indicating that despite a potentially huge rise in Russia's oil income resulting from the war in Iran, he is deeply worried about the coun  more

WASHINGTON, April 1 -- The Center for European Policy Analysis posted the following commentary on March 30, 2026, by Aura Sabadus, senior energy journalist for Independent Commodity Intelligence Services: * * * Pollution and Power Cuts: Russia Targets Moldova The Kremlin has not ended its efforts to subvert and capture Moldova, as recent events make clear. * At first sight, the damage to Moldova's vital infrastructure might appear to be collateral damage from Russia's attacks on Ukraine. Bu  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 31 -- SIMPLISAFE, INC., Boston, Massachusetts has been assigned a design patent (No. US D1120953 S1, initially filed July 5, 2024) developed by seven inventors Jessica Pitocco, Arlington, Massachusetts; Nadeem Hussain, Worcester, Massachusetts; Alice Chiang, Arlington, Massachusetts; Irene Lee, Boston, Massachusetts; Stephanie Leathe, Wenham, Massachusetts; Oleksandra Rudenko, Lviv, Ukraine; and Hanyu Gong, Foster City, California, for "Display screen or portion ther  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 31 -- SIMPLISAFE, INC., Boston, Massachusetts has been assigned a design patent (No. US D1120940 S1, initially filed Sept. 20, 2023) developed by four inventors Oleksandra Rudenko, Lviv, Ukraine; Stephanie Leathe, Wenham, Massachusetts; Irene Lee, Boston, Massachusetts; and Jordan Thayer, Boston, Massachusetts, for "Display screen or portion thereof with a graphical user interface."  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 31 -- SIMPLISAFE, INC., Boston, Massachusetts has been assigned a design patent (No. US D1120941 S1, initially filed Sept. 20, 2023) developed by three inventors Oleksandra Rudenko, Lviv, Ukraine; Irene Lee, Boston, Massachusetts; and Stephanie Leathe, Wenham, Massachusetts, for "Display screen or portion thereof with a graphical user interface."  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 31 -- The European Policy Centre issued the following commentary by Alberto-Horst Neidhardt, senior policy analyst and head of the European Diversity and Migration programme, and Felix Peerboom, lecturer at Maastricht University Department of European Law: * * * Closing the compliance gap in migration and asylum after Hungary's elections Hungary is refusing to implement the Migration and Asylum Pact. The opposition's victory could improve relations between Budapest a  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 31 -- The European Policy Centre issued the following news on March 30, 2026: * * * Andrew Puzder: Europe must adapt as US shifts to Asia By Rajnish Singh, Media Outreach Executive One day after the European Parliament's approval of key elements of the EU-US trade agreement, US Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder spoke to the EPC as part of its "Thought Leadership" series. The ambassador assured the audience that the transatlantic relationship, despite numerous diverg  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R44750) on March 27, 2026, entitled "FDA Human Medical Product User Fee Programs." The report is written by research assistant Sylvia L. Bryan and health policy specialists Amanda K. Sarata and Hassan Z. Sheikh. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates human medical products to ensure they are safe and effective for their intended use in patients. M  more

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 31 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The International Service for Human Rights posted the following statement with 21 organizations: * * * HRC61: Civil society presents key takeaways from the session On the "Urgent debate to discuss the recent military aggression launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates on 28 February 2026" and the "Urgent debate to discuss the Protection of Children an  more

GENEVA, Switzerland, April 1 -- The United Nations Human Rights Council issued the following statement: * * * Human Rights Council Concludes Sixty-First Regular Session after Adopting 38 Resolutions The Human Rights Council today concluded its sixty-first regular session after adopting 38 resolutions, in which, among other things, the Council voted to extend 19 country-specific and thematic mandates. A key focus of the Council's work throughout the session was the ongoing conflict in the Mid  more

LAKEWOOD, Ohio, March 31 (TNSbrep) -- The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis issued the following news release: * * * New residential heat pumps save Germany Euros1.3 billion on LNG imports over three years Germany can boost its energy security by cutting dependence on gas for power and heating Key Takeaways: Heat pumps have been displacing gas boilers in German homes, leading to significant savings on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and strengthening energy securi  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * The Iran Conflict Is Hitting Europeans Hard * Key Takeaways 1 Europe was already suffering from high energy prices before the Iran conflict, as climate policies and other factors lifted prices there much higher than those in Asia and the United States. 2 Higher rates of renewable energy adoption in Europe have not reduced electricity prices, but have instead led to the offsho  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * Trump Sets a 15-Point Peace Plan With Iran * Key Takeaways 1 President Trump has proposed a 15-point peace plan to Iran to cease hostilities in the Middle East, covering missiles, nuclear weapons, and maritime routes. 2 Pakistan is offering to host talks between parties, and Pakistan's army chief has reached out to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. 3 Iran   more

WASHINGTON, March 31 [Category: Energy] -- The Institute for Energy Research posted the following commentary: * * * The United States Needs to Expand Its Pipeline Network * Key Takeaways 1 The war in Iran has demonstrated that the United States needs more energy infrastructure, especially natural gas pipelines. 2 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Laura Swett recently addressed this shortcoming and committed to easing burdensome procedures delaying action. 3 Congress has been work  more

NORFOLK, Virginia, March 25 -- The NATO Allied Command Transformation issued the following news release: * * * Audacious Training: Using Exercises to Drive Warfare Development NATO's training enterprise is adapting to a security environment that changes quickly and rarely follows a script. That is the logic behind Audacious Training, the Bi-Strategic Command effort led by Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and Allied Command Operations (ACO) to make Collective Training and Exercises more rea  more

NORFOLK, Virginia, March 25 -- The NATO Allied Command Transformation issued the following news release: * * * Strengthening Cooperation with Ukraine NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) continues to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine on innovation, interoperability, and operational insights from modern warfare. During his recent visit, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, Admiral Pierre Vandier, met with Ukrainian political and military leadership to exchange operational perspectiv  more

STRASBOURG, France, April 1 -- The Parliamentary Assembly, an arm of the Council of Europe, issued the following news: * * * PACE Secretary General reiterates the Assembly's support for Ukraine as the country prepares for post-war governance PACE Secretary General Despina Chatzivassiliou has reiterated that the Assembly continues to stand alongside Ukraine and its people at the opening of the latest high-level dialogue with Ukrainian partners, focusing on good democratic governance in the cou  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 31 -- SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE S.A., Vevey, Switzerland has been assigned a patent (No. US 12588694 B2, initially filed Dec. 18, 2019) developed by five inventors Preksha Bapna, Gurgaon, India; Michel Dreyer, New Delhi, India; Michele Marazzato, Oberdiessbach, Switzerland; Joan Federico, Kharkov, Ukraine; and Constantin Bertoli, Konolfingen, Switzerland, for "Process for an instant oil fried noodle."  more

NEW YORK, March 31 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * Russia: Internet Shutdowns Escalate * (Berlin, March 31, 2026) - Russian authorities increasingly impose broad mobile internet shutdowns under the pretext of public safety, Human Rights Watch said today. Over the past month, they blocked mobile internet and cellular access in areas of Moscow and Saint Petersburg for almost three weeks. On March 29, 2026, police detained at least 14 people at  more

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- The U.S. Department of War issued the following news: * * * Snipers Test Signature Management Tech to Enhance Health, Safety * The U.S. Army Sniper Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, is working to improve sniper survivability and lethality in large-scale combat operations by evaluating and integrating advanced signature management technology into training. "What we've seen in the last few years in recent conflicts has been a lot of drone activity and having to hide fr  more

ROCKFORD, Illinois, April 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois posted the following news release on March 31, 2026: * * * Suburban Chicago Woman Indicted for Allegedly Defrauding Multiple Victims out of $3.5 Million CHICAGO -- A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted a woman on fraud charges for allegedly swindling multiple victims out of at least $3.5 million by falsely claiming their money would be used to support immigration services, projects in U  more

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 31 -- NATO issued the following news: * * * Sweden to host the next meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs * NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has welcomed that Sweden will host the next meeting of Allied Ministers of Foreign Affairs. It will take place in Helsingborg, a coastal city in southern Sweden, on 21-22 May 2026. Mr. Rutte said, "I am pleased that ministers are meeting in Sweden, a highly valued Ally that makes many important contributions to Euro-At  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 31 -- CONSTRUCTOR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH GENOSSENSCHAFT, Schaffhausen, Switzerland has been assigned a patent (No. US 12591913 B2, initially filed Feb. 23, 2023) developed by nine inventors Andrei Boiarov, Sofia, Bulgaria; Ilya Shimchik, Istanbul, Turkey; Nikita Firsakov, Istanbul, Turkey; Pavlo Bredikhin, Kharkov, Ukraine; Sergey Ulasen, Singapore, Singapore; Serg Bell, Singapore, Singapore; Stanislav Protasov, Singapore, Singapore; Nikolay Dobrovolskiy, Sofia, Bulga  more

SALISBURY, North Carolina, March 31 -- Catawba College posted the following news: * * * Trump Approval Drops as North Carolinians Oppose Iran Escalation; Cooper Leads Senate Race * New Catawba College-YouGov survey finds majority against ground troops in Iran, skepticism of U.S. action, and a double-digit advantage for Roy Cooper in early U.S. Senate matchup. An Update from the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service One month into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, North Caroli  more

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 31 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Massachusetts. *** Inhibiting USP36 ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 31 -- VALO HEALTH, INC., Lexington, Massachusetts has been assigned a patent (No. US 12590087 B2, initially filed April 30, 2020) developed by three inventors Bingsong Han, Boston, Massachusetts; Katherine Kayser-Bricker, Boston, Massachusetts; and Cuixian Liu, Boston, Massachusetts, for "Inhibiting USP36." *** Compositions and Methods for  more

NEW YORK, March 31 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news: * * * US Central Command Contradicts Cluster Munition Policy * Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, condemned on March 17 Iran's "reckless" use of cluster munitions, calling it an "inherently indiscriminate type of munition." Human Rights Watch has also confirmed Iran's use of these weapons in March in populated civilian areas in Israel, which may amount to war crimes. While Admiral Co  more