November 24, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• In what it said was an operation targeting Hezbollah chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai, Israel carried out airstrikes on Lebanon's capital Beirut yesterday for the first time since June. Lebanese authorities say at least five people, including Tabtabai, were killed, and 25 others were wounded, in the strikes. [more]
• According to the Houthi-run SABA news agency, a Houthi-controlled court in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa convicted 17 people of spying for foreign governments Saturday and sentenced them to death. Prosecutors said those convicted collaborated with intelligence officers from Saudi Arabia, the U.K., Israel, and the United States. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,367 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Ukrainian and U.S. diplomats are expected to continue talks today in Geneva on the U.S.-drafted 28-point peace plan circulated last week that raised concern after being seen as favorable to Russia. Discussions are set to move forward as diplomats cited "progress" in the talks and after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Ukraine over the weekend for what he said was its lack of gratitude for U.S. efforts. [more]

U.S. PRESS FREEDOM | The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is scheduled to hear arguments today in the Trump administration's appeal of an April lower court ruling that blocked the administration from barring the Associated Press from presidential events over the news agency's refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Officials say investigations are ongoing following a Friday night fire on a container ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles. The fire prompted a now-lifted shelter-in-place order for surrounding communities due to concerns about hazardous materials on the ship, which was moved out to sea on Saturday. [more]

U.S. AND VENEZUELA | Amidst ongoing tensions and reports of possible U.S. military action against Venezuela, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots yesterday to "exercise caution" when flying over Venezuela "due to the worsening security situation and heightened military activity." Following the warning, several smaller airlines cancelled flights in Venezuela indefinitely and Turkish Airlines suspended flights from November 24 to 28. [more]

MORE U.S. AND VENEZUELA | In a continuation of increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. is expected to designate the Cartel de los Soles, which the U.S. alleges is led by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization. Reports note that the name "Cartel de los Soles" does not refer to a specific organization, but is, rather, a phrase Venezuelans have used for decades to refer to officials who have grown rich from drug trafficking. [more]

GLOBAL CLIMATE | In the concluding declaration of the COP30 U.N. climate summit in Brazil, nations pledged additional funding for countries to adapt to climate-related weather issues, but failed to approve explicit details to phase out the use of fossil fuels or strengthen countries’ emissions cutting plans. [more]

SUDAN | Sudanese military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan has rejected a U.S.-led proposal for a cease-fire in Sudan's 30-month civil war, calling the proposal "the worst yet" and accusing mediators of being biased in their efforts to end the war. [more]

VIETNAM | According to state media, the death toll from last week's flooding and landslides in central Vietnam has risen to at least 90. [more]

NIGERIA | Authorities say about 50 of the more than 300 schoolchildren abducted from a Catholic school in north-central Nigeria last week have escaped captivity and have been reunited with their families. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but reports note that the school is located in a region known for armed gangs that have carried out such acts for ransom in the past. [more]

JAPAN | Police in Tokyo, Japan, say at least 10 people were struck by a car early today in an incident that remains under investigation. Local media reports that the driver of the car, who fled the scene, has been arrested. [more]

G20 | The Group of 20 summit in South Africa closed yesterday with plans to hand over the group's rotating presidency to the United States despite no U.S. representative attending the talks. In a leaders' declaration issued Saturday, G20 members called for more global attention on issues that specifically affect poorer countries, such as the need for financial help for their recovery efforts following climate-related disasters and finding ways to ease their debt levels. [more]

WEEKEND MOVIES | "Wicked: For Good" topped the North American box office over the weekend with an estimated $150 million in receipts, followed by "Now You See Me: Now You Don’t" and "Predator: Badlands." [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species,” which explained his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. [more history]