October 9, 2025

MIDDLE EAST | Updates from regional conflicts:

• Israel and Hamas have agreed to move forward with the first phase of a Gaza cease-fire plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, with preliminary actions including the release of all 20 living hostages still held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and the start of a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the majority of Gaza. International response to the agreement has been overwhelmingly positive, with many nations noting that the progress opens the door for a lasting peace. Reports note that action on remaining issues, such as the disarmament of Hamas and the governance of post-war Gaza, remains unclear. [more]
• A new study in The Lancet medical journal says that after two years of war and dire food shortages in Gaza, more than 54,600 children younger than age 5 in the Palestinian enclave may be acutely malnourished, with more than 12,800 severely affected. The analysis was conducted by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. [study abstract] [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 1,323 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• In a news briefing yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that strikes on Russian oil facilities by Ukraine’s newly developed long-range missiles and drones are causing significant gas shortages in Russia and that a recent Ukrainian counter-offensive has derailed Russia’s plans to capture parts of the eastern Donetsk region. [more]
• Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that a missile fired by Russian air defenses to target a Ukrainian drone was responsible for the December 2024 downing of an Azerbaijani jetliner as it was preparing to land in Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya. Thirty-eight people aboard the aircraft were killed in the incident. [more]

U.S. DISSENT | Reuters cites unnamed sources at the White House, FBI, and U.S. departments of Homeland Security and Justice as indicating that the Trump administration plans to deploy America's counter-terrorism apparatus, as well as the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department, against certain left-wing groups the Trump administration accuses of funding and organizing political violence, and that top White House aide Stephen Miller is playing a central role in the threatened crackdown on liberal non-profits and groups opposed to President Donald Trump's agenda and policies. [full report] [more]

U.S. MILITARIZATION | In a social media post yesterday, President Donald Trump said that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker should be jailed "for failing to protect ICE Officers" by opposing the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago. [more]

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL POWER | The Senate voted yesterday to reject a measure that would have required President Donald Trump to seek congressional authorization to carry out military strikes on suspected drug cartel assets. The vote followed recent military actions in the Caribbean Sea that killed at least 21 people and destroyed four small boats thought to have been carrying drugs. [more]

CALIFORNIA | Federal officials announced charges yesterday against Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, in connection with starting a fire in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, California, that eventually spread in January to become one of the most destructive fires in the city's history - killing at least 12 people and destroying thousands of homes. [more]

U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN | Day 8. The Internal Revenue Service said yesterday that it will furlough nearly half of its workforce amidst the ongoing government shutdown. Reports cite Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union as saying the furloughs will likely cause increased wait times, backlogs, and delays implementing tax law changes as the shutdown continues. [more]

GLOBAL JOURNALISM | In a speech to executives of international news agencies today, Pope Leo XIV called for imprisoned journalists to be released, said that the work of journalists must never be considered a crime, and urged news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the “ancient art of lying” and manipulation. [more]

UNITED NATIONS | Reports cite senior U.N. officials as saying the international organization will cut 25% of its global peacekeeping forces worldwide largely due to U.S. funding reductions. Reports note that the U.N. currently has about 50,000 peacekeepers deployed across nine global missions, and that contributions from the U.S. and China have historically made up about half of the global body's peacekeeping budget. [more]

NOBEL PRIZES | Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai has been named the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nobel judges cited Krasznahorkai's “artistic gaze which is entirely free of illusion, and which sees through the fragility of the social order combined with his unwavering belief in the power of art" in announcing the award. [detailed info] [more]

TAIWAN | In a report released today, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense says it plans to strengthen its anti-drone training and capabilities in response to Chinese drone incursions over the self-governing territory, which China claims as its own. [more]

INDIA AND AUSTRALIA | In what analysts say is a sign of continued and strengthening ties, the defense ministers of India and Australia signed a new bilateral security agreement today that establishes a framework for joint staff talks between the countries' militaries and provides for submarine rescue and defense industry cooperation. [more]

U.K. AND INDIA | British Prime Minister Keir Starmer began a two-day visit to India yesterday during which he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to discuss strengthened trade, defense, and technology ties between their countries and promote a trade agreement signed in London in July. [more]

CONGO | World Health Organization officials say efforts to contain the recent Ebola outbreak in the southern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo appear to have been successful, with no new cases of the disease since the health agency's most recent update on October 1. Reports note that there were a total of 63 cases and 43 deaths in the outbreak. [more]

BANNED BOOKS | The American Library Association's 2025 Banned Books Week runs through October 11. The organization notes that data from 2024 indicates a continued increase in demands to remove books from school and public libraries, with 72% of such demands coming from pressure groups or government entities or officials, 16% from parents, and 5% from individual library users. The most common justifications cited for demands to remove books from libraries were: claims of illegal obscenity for minors, inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters or themes, and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | Built between 1848 and 1884 and dedicated in 1885, the Washington Monument—a marble-faced granite obelisk that honors the first U.S. president, George Washington—opened to the public in Washington, D.C., on this date in 1888.  [more history]