January 31, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Lebanese officials say at least two people were killed, and 10 others were wounded, early today when Israeli forces, despite an ongoing cease-fire, struck an unofficial border crossing in eastern Lebanon. Israeli officials say the targeted site housed underground infrastructure for developing and producing combat equipment. [more]
• Israel and Hamas are expected to continue their hostage and prisoner exchanges tomorrow, with Hamas freeing three people held since October 2023 and Israel releasing a yet-unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners. [more]

DC AIR TRAGEDY | In the wake of Wednesday’s collision of a commercial jet and a military helicopter that killed 67 people in Washington, DC, President Donald Trump suggested factors including the helicopter’s pilot, air traffic control, and previous administrations’ policies on diversity and hiring could have played roles in the tragedy. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board – the federal agency charged with investigating aviation disasters – say they hope to have a preliminary report on the collision and its possible causes available within 30 days. [more]

U.S. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH | The National Science Foundation implemented a funding freeze this week and began a review of billions of dollars' worth of research grants for potential conflicts with President Donald Trump’s policy agendas, according to a report in the journal Science. [full report] [more]

U.S. FOREIGN POLICY | Ahead of a trip to Central America this weekend, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that President Donald Trump's desire to acquire Greenland and to retake control of the Panama Canal is driven by national security concerns over Chinese activity and influence in the Arctic and Latin American regions. [more]

U.S. FBI | Several senior FBI officials at the executive assistant director or special agent in charge levels have reportedly been ordered by the Trump administration to retire, resign, or be fired by Monday. Reports note that the targeted officials include those who oversee various cyber, national security, and criminal investigations. [more]

U.S., CANADA, AND MEXICO | U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico will be implemented tomorrow but that it has not yet been determined if oil imports from the two countries will be included in the move. Both Canada and Mexico have suggested they may impose reciprocal tariffs if Trump follows through with the plan. [more]

U.S. AND PANAMA | Ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said yesterday that Panama will not negotiate with the U.S. over ownership of the Panama Canal despite President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the United States should retake the waterway. [more]

UGANDA | Health officials in Uganda say a 32-year-old male nurse at one of the capital city Kampala’s main hospitals has died of Ebola – the country’s first death from the virus since early 2023. Reports say the World Health Organization has pledged an emergency allocation of $1 million to support Uganda’s response to the infection. [more]

GERMANY | The lower house of parliament is expected to vote today on restrictive immigration measures proposed by German political opposition leader Friedrich Merz, who has been accused by some of pursuing his agenda in cooperation with Germany’s far-right AfD party despite pledges to not work with the party. [more]

INDIA | A new study in the journal Science estimates that the tiger population in India has doubled over a period of about 10 years due to successful conservation and protection efforts. Researchers note that India is home to about 75% of the global tiger population. [full study] [more]

ITALY | Italian regulators blocked access to the popular Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek yesterday, citing data protection concerns as the reason for the move. [more]

FRANCE AND INDONESIA | At a meeting in Jakarta today, the defense ministers of France and Indonesia agreed to work more closely through technology exchanges and other forms of cooperation to maintain regional stability in the Indo-Pacific region. [more]

MYANMAR | The National Defense and Security Council announced today that it has extended Myanmar’s military government state of emergency rule for an additional six months. The state of emergency was first declared in February 2021 when the Southeast Asian nation's leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, was arrested and the country’s military took over the government. [more]

R.I.P. | British pop star Marianne Faithfull, best known for her 1964 hit “As Tears Go By” and for her relationship with The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, died yesterday at the age of 78, according to her music promotion company. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2020, the United States declared a public health emergency over the new coronavirus, and President Donald Trump signed an order to temporarily bar entry to foreign nationals, other than immediate family of U.S. citizens, who had traveled in China within the preceding 14 days. [more history]