March 10, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Israeli officials announced yesterday that they have cut off Israel-supplied electricity to Gaza as part of efforts to pressure Hamas into accepting an extension of the first phase of the Gaza cease-fire and releasing more hostages in return for a commitment to negotiating a lasting truce. The move follows last week’s Israeli decision to block the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza. [more]
• The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that more than 1,000 people have been killed over the past five days in ongoing violence between Syria’s interim government forces and supporters of former leader Bashar Assad. Reports note that much of the government violence has centered on members of the pro-Assad Alawite sect of Shia Islam living in the country’s coastal region near the port city of Latakia, and cite government officials as saying that the military operation against Assad loyalists has been completed. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1110 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• U.S. and Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet for talks tomorrow in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as part of diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will head Ukraine's delegation at the talks, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to be the senior U.S. official in attendance. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | U.S. stock futures are generally down, and global stocks fell, today amidst ongoing uncertainty over the Trump administration’s fiscal and tariff policies and after President Donald Trump declined yesterday to rule out either a recession or increased inflation while discussing business concerns over his policies. [more]

U.S. FEDERAL BUDGET | Ahead of a Friday deadline to fund government operations, House Republicans unveiled a spending bill on Saturday to fund the government through September 30. The measure includes a slight increase in defense spending and a decrease in non-defense programs to below 2024 budget year levels, according to analysts. The House is expected to vote on the funding measure as early as tomorrow. [more]

U.S. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES | Reports say most of the Department of Health and Human Services’ 80,000 employees have received an offer to leave their jobs in exchange for a payment of as much as $25,000. Among HHS agencies included in the offer were the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and offices that administer Medicare and Medicaid. [more]

COLOMBIA UNIVERSITY | Citing antisemitic incidents on campus, the Trump administration moved Friday to cancel an estimated $400 million in grants and contracts to New York City's Columbia University. Reports also note that federal immigration authorities on Saturday arrested Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who played a prominent role in Colombia campus protests against Israel last year, has been in the United States as a permanent resident with a green card, and is married to an American citizen. [more]

PENNSYLVANIA | Authorities say all five people aboard a single-engine airplane that crashed yesterday near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, survived the incident. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. [more]

NEW YORK | Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Saturday in response to wildfires on New York’s Long Island. Emergency officials say the fires are now considered contained and that investigations are ongoing into their cause. [more]

U.S. AND CHINA | Following through with an announcement made last week in response to an increase in U.S. tariffs, China began imposing new tariffs on $22 billion worth of U.S. goods today. Reports note that most of the new Chinese tariffs are on agricultural products. [more]

CANADA | Canada’s governing Liberal Party elected former central banker Mark Carney its leader yesterday. Carney will be sworn in as prime minister in the coming days, replacing Justin Trudeau. [more]

IRAN | Iranian officials said yesterday that their country would consider negotiations with the U.S. if talks are confined to concerns about the militarization of Iran’s nuclear program. The statement came a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected calls for talks over concerns that they would be aimed at imposing restrictions on Iran’s missile program and its influence in the region. [more]

AUSTRALIA | At least one person was killed, an estimated 200,000 homes and businesses remain without power, and more than 700 schools are closed for the day in eastern Australia after Tropical Cyclone Alfred struck the region on Saturday. Officials warn that flooding risks in the region remain high. [more]

ARGENTINA | Authorities say at least 16 people have died and dozens of others remain missing following heavy rains over the weekend that flooded the eastern Argentine city of Bahía Blanca. [more]

ROMANIA | Demonstrations took place yesterday outside the offices of Romania’s election commission in Bucharest after far-right populist Calin Georgescu’s candidacy for May’s re-do of the country’s presidential election was rejected. Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results of last December’s first round of presidential voting after allegations emerged that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote the candidacy of Georgescu. [more]

NORTH KOREA | North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea off its west coast today just hours after the start of the annual Freedom Shield joint U.S.-South Korea military command exercises, according to South Korean military officials. [more]

SOUTH SUDAN | Amidst ongoing fighting between government forces and insurgent groups in the country’s north, the U.S. State Department ordered its non-emergency government personnel to leave South Sudan’s capital city of Juba yesterday. [more]

GERMANY | Most flights into and out of major German airports have been cancelled today amidst a one-day strike by public-sector airport employees called by the ver.di workers’ union. [more]

FOOTBALL | The Cleveland Browns have reportedly agreed to a four-year, $122.8 million contract extension with All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Mickey 17" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $19.1 million in receipts, followed by "Captain America: Brave New World" and "Last Breath." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1959, thousands of Tibetans rebelled against occupying Chinese forces, surrounding the Dalai Lama’s palace to protect him from potential harm. Fierce fighting between Tibetans and Chinese forces ensued in the following days, causing the Dalai Lama to flee Tibet for India. [more history]