October 3, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Update from regional conflicts:

• Reports cite senior Hamas officials as saying this week that some points in the Gaza peace plan agreed upon recently by U.S. and Israeli leaders are "unacceptable" and must be amended. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,317 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here is your update:

• Speaking at a foreign policy forum in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that any U.S. supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, as has been requested by Kyiv, would signal a "qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the United States." [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN | In a social media post yesterday, President Donald Trump said he would be meeting with "Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame" to determine what federal agencies and programs he recommends be cut amidst the ongoing federal government shutdown and whether the cuts will be temporary or permanent. The announcement marked a reversal of Trump's previous statements on the Project 2025 conservative government reform plan, about which he repeatedly said during the 2024 presidential election that he knew nothing and had nothing to do with. [more]

MORE U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN | Amidst ongoing uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. economy, both the federal government's monthly jobs report, scheduled for release today, and its latest report on the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits are expected to be delayed due to the ongoing government shutdown. [more]

U.S. ARMED CONFLICT | New reports cite a White House memo as saying President Donald Trump has declared the U.S. to be in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels and that he as directed the U.S. military to conduct operations against them "pursuant to the law of armed conflict." The memo, which has raised concerns among members of Congress about the administration bypassing Congress' role in authorizing military action, follows three recent deadly U.S. strikes against boats in the Caribbean that the administration accused of ferrying drugs. [more]

U.S. CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS | The Department of Energy announced this week that it is cancelling $7.6 billion in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects. Reports note that while clean energy projects are in place in most U.S. states, the announced cuts were applicable for just 16 states – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington – all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. [more]

U.S. AND VENEZUELA | Describing the incident as a U.S. "provocation" and a threat to national security, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said his country detected five U.S. fighter jets flying about 46 miles off Venezuela's Caribbean coast yesterday. The incident comes amidst the deployment of multiple U.S. Navy ships in the region for what the Trump administration says are anti-drug trafficking operations and the recent deadly targeting by U.S. forces of at least three boats from Venezuela believed to have been carrying drugs. [more]

CLIMATE AND WILDFIRES | A new study in the journal Science says that a review of the most lethal and economically costly wildfires from 1980 to 2023 found that such disasters increased sharply from 2015 onward, with 43% of the 200 most damaging events occurring in the last decade. Study authors suggest that climate change and land mismanagement are creating increasingly fire-prone human-built and natural environments. [full study] [more]

U.K. | Authorities say yesterday's vehicle and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, in which two people were killed and three others were injured, is being investigated as an act of terrorism. Police say a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent carried out the attack and was shot and killed by police, while three other people have been arrested, but not yet charged, on suspicion of preparing or committing acts of terrorism in connection with the attack. New reporting today cites police as saying that one of the victims killed in the incident was likely shot by armed officers aiming for the attacker. [more]

MORE U.K. | According to announcement today, Sarah Mullally, the bishop of London, has been chosen to lead the Church of England as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, marking the first time a woman has been chosen to hold the office since it was established in 597 A.D. by Saint Augustine. [more]

GERMANY | Flights in and out of Germany's Munich Airport resumed this morning after the travel hub was shut down for several hours overnight due to multiple drone sightings in the area. Authorities say it remains unclear who was responsible for the drone flights. [more]

PAKISTAN | According to Pakistan’s paramilitary security forces, seven Baloch Liberation Army militants were killed in a raid on a hideout this week in the country's southwestern Balochistan province. Reports cite Pakistani officials as saying the militants had backing from India, but note that no evidence to support the claim was provided. [more]

INDIA AND CHINA | Government officials say direct flights between select cities in India and China, which were suspended in 2020, are set to resume by late October amidst the countries' thawing relations. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1990, after 45 years of Cold War division, West Germany and East Germany declared the creation of a reunified Germany. [more history]