March 24, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli military action in Gaza since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel surpassed 50,000 over the weekend, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. [more]
• U.S. military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen continue today for a 10th straight day amidst ongoing threats by the rebel group to continue targeting Red Sea shipping in protest of Israel’s suspension of aid entering Gaza. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1124 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Following cease-fire talks between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators yesterday, Russian and U.S. officials are meeting today in Saudi Arabia. Reports cite U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff as saying there is the potential for a limited cease-fire agreement regarding Black Sea shipping from both countries. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say at least seven people were killed in overnight Russian drone attacks across Ukraine, including three in the capital Kyiv, where at least 10 additional people were injured. [more]

U.S. GUN VIOLENCE | Among several incidents of U.S. gun violence over the weekend:

• Three people were killed, and at least 15 others injured, Friday night when gunfire broke out at a park in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Four people, ranging from 15-20 years old have been arrested in connection with the incident. [more]
• Two teenagers were killed by gunfire outside a shopping mall in Brockton, Massachusetts, Saturday. Police say the incident took place following reports of several teens fighting and that no arrests have yet been made in the case. [more]
• Police in Houston, Texas, say six people were shot early Sunday at an after-hours nightclub in the city and that preliminary evidence suggests the people involved in the shooting knew each other. No arrests have been made in the case. [more]

U.S. TUBERCULOSIS | According to preliminary data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 10,300 cases of tuberculosis in the U.S. in 2024 – up 8% from the previous year and the highest level since 2011. Researchers attribute the increase largely to international travel and migration. [CDC report] [more]

U.S. IMMIGRATION | According to a notice in the Federal Register, the Trump administration plans to revoke the temporary legal status of some 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. The move would cut short the two-year "parole" period granted to the migrants under former President Joe Biden that allowed them to enter the country by air if they had U.S. sponsors. [Federal Register document] [more]

U.S. AND GREENLAND | Usha Vance, wife of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, and Trump administration national security adviser Mike Waltz are among the members of a U.S. delegation reported to be visiting Greenland this week to “visit historic sites” and “learn about Greenlandic heritage.” The visit comes amidst continued suggestions by U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. should take control of Greenland – a proposition that both Greenland and Denmark have rejected. Greenland Prime Minister Mute B. Egede has characterized the visit as “highly aggressive,” and said Waltz’s “mere presence in Greenland will no doubt fuel American belief in Trump’s mission — and the pressure will increase.” [more]

TURKEY | Hundreds of thousands of people took part in protests yesterday for a fifth day in a row in Istanbul following the arrest of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to Turkish President Recep Erdogan. Imamoglu’s imprisonment is widely regarded as a political move to remove a major contender from the next presidential race, which is scheduled for 2028. Authorities say more than 1,100 people have been arrested across Turkey in connection with the protests, and reports note complaints of censorship of protest-related posts on social media platforms. [more]

SUDAN | Local pro-democracy activist groups say at least 45 residents were killed in the Sudanese city of al-Maliha over the past two days as members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces battled government forces for control of the strategic desert city. [more]

CANADA | Prime Minister Mark Carney called yesterday for early national elections to be held April 28. Political and economic tensions with the U.S. government are expected to be among the top issues for Canadian voters and candidates. [more]

PAKISTAN | Pakistani security forces say at least 16 Taliban militants were killed yesterday as they attempted to cross into Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the border with Afghanistan. [more]

SOUTH KOREA | Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was reinstated as South Korea's acting president today after the country’s Constitutional Court overturned his impeachment. The Court has yet to rule on the separate impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December. [more]

VATICAN | 88-year-old Pope Francis returned to the Vatican yesterday following a five-week hospitalization for life-threatening double pneumonia. Reports say doctors have advised that Francis needs two months of rest and convalescence at the Vatican as he continues to recover. [more]

JAPAN | Authorities say at least two people have been injured, dozens have been evacuated, and several homes have been damaged amidst wildfires that broke out in western Japan yesterday, including near the towns of Okayama, Imabari, and Aso. [more]

COLLEGE BASKETBALL | UConn’s bid for a third straight NCAA men’s basketball championship ended yesterday with a loss to Florida, 77-75, in the second round of the NCAA tournament. [more]

SOCCER | Mexico beat Panama, 2-1, last night to claim the 2025 Concacaf Nations League tournament title. Also yesterday, Canada beat the U.S., 2-1, to claim third place in the tournament. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Snow White" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $43 million in receipts, followed by "Black Bag" and "Captain America: Brave New World." [more]

ENTERTAINMENT | Conan O’Brien received the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy in a Kennedy Center ceremony last night. [more]

R.I.P. | Former heavyweight boxing champion, Olympian, and businessman George Foreman died Friday at the age of 76. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1945, With the debut of the Billboard magazine pop album chart, American pianist and singer Nat King Cole's "King Cole Trio" became the first record album to appear at No. 1. [more history]