March 3, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Israel announced yesterday that it has stopped the entry of all food and other aid supplies into Gaza and warned of "additional consequences" for the Palestinian territory if an extension of the tenuous Israel-Hamas ceasefire is not approved. Egyptian and Qatari mediators responded to the move by accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon in violation of humanitarian law. [more]
• Ahead of an Arab League summit in Cairo tomorrow, Arab foreign ministers are meeting today for talks focusing on an Egyptian plan to rebuild Gaza that is meant to counter U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. take over the territory after transferring Palestinians elsewhere. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1103 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• A contentious meeting Friday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump has resulted in major changes to ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. [video of meeting] [more]
• Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of not being thankful enough for U.S. aid, and both the signing of an economic agreement and a press conference were cancelled before Zelenskyy was asked to leave to the White House on Friday. [more]
• European leaders, with the notable exception of those of Hungary, largely expressed their continued support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy following the White House meeting and held a summit in London yesterday with the aim of solidifying European and other international aid for Ukraine's continued resistance against the Russian invasion. [more]
• U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the situation a "crossroads in history" and also announced a new $2 billion financing package for Ukraine to purchase air defense missiles [more]
• France proposed a partial one-month truce between Russia and Ukraine today that would cover air, sea and energy infrastructure attacks but not include ground fighting. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says the proposed truce would “allow us to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a truce.” [more]

U.S. TARIFFS | President Donald Trump is expected to impose new tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico tomorrow, but government officials say the tariff rate may not be at the 25% level previously announced. The U.S. is also expected to increase tariffs on Chinese goods from 10% to 20%. [more]

CAROLINAS | Amidst a combination of dry fuels, strong winds, and low relative humidity, crews are battling dozens of wildfires in North and South Carolina. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency yesterday to support wildfire response efforts. [more]

NEW YORK | Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that he is running for mayor of New York City. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 after an investigation concluded that he sexually harassed at least 11 women, said New York City is in crisis and cast himself as a manager who can tackle the city’s problems. [more]

U.S. AND KOREA | The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group arrived in South Korea yesterday in a show of force and of solidarity with South Korea. The arrival came just days after North Korea conducted cruise missile tests that leader Kim Jong Un said were a demonstration of his country’s counterattack capabilities. [more]

GERMANY | Large police operations are underway in Manheim, Germany, this morning after a car drove into a crowd in the city center. Reports say at least one person was killed, and several others were injured, in the incident, which remains under investigation. [more]

CHINA | The largely-ceremonial National People’s Congress is being held in Beijing this week. The annual political summit is used to endorse decisions already made by the Chinese Communist Party, but is also seen as a means of signaling government priorities for the coming year. [more]

IRAN | Amidst increasing tensions between Iran and the United States, former Iranian foreign minister and vice president Mohammad Javad Zarif resigned, and Finance Minister Abdolnasser Hemmati was impeached, yesterday. Both Zarif and Hemmati had previously indicated a willingness to negotiate with the U.S. as part of efforts to alleviate sanctions. [more]

EUROPEAN ECONOMY | Annualized inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency fell to 2.4% in February – down from 2.5% in January and a signal, according to economists, that could support additional interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank. [full eurostat report] [more]

PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN | Afghan and Pakistani forces traded gunfire overnight near the nations’ Torkham border crossing, which has been closed for almost two weeks due to Pakistan objecting to Afghanistan’s construction of a new border post. No casualties were reported on either side in the incident. [more]

AFRICAN AID | The United Nations' World Food Programme said today that it will close its independent southern African bureau due to funding constraints and that southern operations will be consolidated into its eastern African operations. The move follows the announcement of massive foreign aid cuts by the U.S., from which the program has typically received about half its annual donations. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Australian James Harrison, whose blood plasma donations saved the lives of an estimated 2 million babies worldwide, died on February 17, according to a statement released by his family today. Harrison’s blood contained a rare antibody, Anti-D, which is used to make medication given to pregnant mothers whose blood is at risk of attacking their unborn babies. He donated plasma approximately every two weeks from age 18 until he turned 81. [more]

CRYPTOCURRENCY | Various cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, ether, XRP, Solana, and cardano all rose sharply today from last week’s lows after U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned them yesterday as potentially being included in a U.S. strategic reserve of crypto tokens. [more]

SPACE | Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander successfully touched down on the moon yesterday, making the company the first private outfit to put a spacecraft on the lunar surface without having it crash or fall over. [more]

GOLF | Joe Highsmith shot a final-round 6-under-par 64 yesterday to win the Cognizant Classic and claim his first PGA Tour victory. [more]

OSCARS | “Anora” was the big winner at last night’s 97th Academy Awards, winning five awards, including for best picture, best actress (Mikey Madison), best director (Sean Baker), best original screenplay, and best film editing. Other major winners included: best actor Adrien Brody for his role in “The Brutalist;” best supporting actress Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez;” best supporting actor Kieran Culkin in “A Real Pain.” “No Other Land” won best documentary featured, while “I’m Still Here” won for best international film and “Flow” won for best animated film. [complete list of winners] [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Captain America: Brave New World" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $15 million in receipts, followed by "Last Breath" and "The Monkey." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the act establishing the National Academy of Sciences as an independent institution created for the purpose of providing "objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology [and] to provide scientific advice to the government 'whenever called upon' by any government department." [more history]