March 11, 2025

UKRAINE | Today is day 1111 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Ukrainian and U.S. officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia today to discuss a possible framework for a cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war. Reports say Ukraine intends to propose a cease-fire covering the Black Sea and to call for an end to the use of long-range missiles, as well as for a release of prisoners. [more]
• Ukraine carried out its largest drone attack on Russia of the war today, just hours before talks with the U.S. began in Saudi Arabia. Russian authorities say 337 Ukrainian drones were shot down over 10 Russian regions and that at least two people were killed, and 18 others were wounded, in the strikes. [more]
• Military chiefs from more than 30 countries – notably not including the United States – are meeting in Paris today for discussions on creating an international force to deter future Russian aggression in Ukraine following any potential cease-fire or peace agreement. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Major U.S. stock indices all fell sharply yesterday amidst ongoing concern over the effects of Trump administration tariff and other policies on business and trade and following President Trump’s refusal to rule out the possibility of a recession. [more]

U.S. ELECTIONS AND CYBERSECURITY | The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, also known as CISA, announced yesterday that, in compliance with Trump administration initiatives, it has eliminated funding for two cybersecurity programs: the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which provided election security assistance to state and local officials, and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which focused on cyberthreat intelligence and cyber incident response. [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | A federal judge in New York City yesterday ordered that Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University last year who was arrested by immigration authorities over the weekend and who is a legal U.S. resident, not be deported pending court hearings. Also yesterday, President Donald Trump warned that Khalil’s arrest was the first “of many to come” in a crackdown on campus demonstrations against Israel and the war in Gaza. [more]

U.S. INTERNATIONAL AID | Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that the Department of Government Efficiency’s review of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s programs has been completed and that some 5,200 of USAID’s 6,200 programs have been eliminated. The remaining U.S. development and aid programs are expected to be placed under State Department purview. [more]

U.S. CLIMATE FUNDING | The U.S. Treasury Department has announced plans to withdraw from a $17 million international Loss and Damage Fund commitment aimed at having polluting nations help compensate poorer countries for the effects of pollution and related climate change. [more]

UTAH | Governor Spencer Cox says he intends to sign a measure passed by Utah legislators making the state the first in the U.S. to ban fluoride in public drinking water. [more]

U.S. SOLAR POWER | According to a new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie, the U.S. installed a record-breaking 50 gigawatts of new solar power generating capacity in 2024, accounting for 84% of all new electric generating capacity added to the country’s power grid for the year. [press release] [more]

U.S. AND CANADA | In response to existing and threatened tariffs on Canadian goods imported into the U.S., Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province, announced a 25% increase in the cost of electricity that his province provides to some 1.5 million homes in the U.S. states of Minnesota, New York, and Michigan. Ford also said he would not hesitate to shut off electricity completely if the U.S. escalates its tariffs on Canada. [more]

U.S. AND JAPAN | Japanese trade minister Yoji Muto says he failed to win assurances from U.S. officials this week that Japan will be exempted from pending U.S. tariffs on a wide range of imported goods, including cars, steel, and aluminum. [more]

GLOBAL AIR QUALITY | According to a new report from Switzerland-based air quality monitoring group IQAir, only 17% of cities worldwide met World Health Organization air pollution guideline levels in 2024. Only seven countries – Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Grenada, Iceland, and New Zealand – met WHO annual average pollution guideline levels for the year, and Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and India were found to have the highest pollution levels. [press release] [full report] [more]

GLOBAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS | At the start of the annual meeting of the U.N.’s Commission on the Status of Women yesterday, 193 U.N. member nations adopted by consensus a Political Declaration to respect, protect, and champion the rights, equality, and empowerment of women and girls. The declaration coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing women’s conference where the world’s nations adopted a roadmap to achieve gender equality. [press release] [more]

U.K. | Environmental groups and government officials have expressed concern over possible damage and other effects following the collision yesterday of a cargo ship carrying toxic chemicals and a tanker transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military in the North Sea off England’s east coast. Both vessels are reported to still be burning following the collision. [more]

PHILIPPINES | Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in Manila today on a warrant from the International Criminal Court accusing him of crimes against humanity related to alleged mass killings during his war on drugs while in power. [more]

SOUTH SUDAN AND UGANDA | Amidst increased intra-governmental tensions and concerns over the possibility of civil war in South Sudan, reports say Uganda has deployed an unknown number of special forces troops to South Sudan in support of the government of President Salva Kiir. [more]

PORTUGAL | Political analysts say Portugal’s governing coalition of Social Democrat Prime Minister Luis Montenegro is likely to lose a confidence vote in parliament today, triggering a third general election in three years for the country. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake and resulting tsunami struck Japan’s northeastern coast, killing nearly 20,000 people and severely damaging the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. [more history]