News from March 26, 2025 at 2 PM

After three days of talks in Saudi Arabia, the US reached separate agreements with Russia and Ukraine. All parties agreed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, eliminate the use of force, and prevent commercial vessels from being used for military purposes, as well as to develop measures to ban strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine. President Zelensky expressed regret over the lack of an explicit ban on attacks on civilian infrastructure but was generally content, stating Ukraine would immediately implement the Black Sea and energy ceasefires. However, a third document from the Kremlin introduced new conditions, including the lifting of sanctions on Russian banks, insurers, companies, ports, and ships to allow more agricultural and fertilizer exports, potentially delaying the maritime ceasefire. The Kremlin also stated the 30-day pause on energy strikes would be back-dated to March 18 and could be suspended if one side violated the deal. While the agreement is a fragile step towards reducing fighting in Ukraine, success is not guaranteed amid mutual distrust.

On March 26, 2025, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz took responsibility for a group chat leak where high-ranking officials discussed military strikes in Yemen, inadvertently including a journalist. Waltz admitted full responsibility and called it 'embarrassing'. President Donald Trump and intelligence chiefs downplayed the security risks, stating no classified material was shared. However, Democrats and some Republicans called for an investigation. Atlantic magazine's Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally added to the Signal chat, reported seeing classified military plans. Trump dismissed the incident as a 'glitch' with no operational impact. During a Senate hearing, intelligence officials denied any classified information was shared, but Democrats questioned this. The chat involved the Vice President and Defense Secretary, sparking lawsuits and concerns over the use of the Signal app by government officials.

On March 25, 2025, Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 23 Palestinians. The Israeli military resumed its campaign against Hamas a week ago, breaking a two-month ceasefire. Since then, nearly 700 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to Palestinian health officials. Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population has been displaced multiple times during nearly 18 months of conflict and faces worsening shortages of food and water. The Israeli army ordered residents in northern border towns to evacuate, citing Palestinian rocket fire into Israel. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the offensive aims to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages. Hamas, accusing Israel of abandoning the January 19 ceasefire, is cooperating with efforts by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States to restore calm and conclude a three-phase ceasefire agreement.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance announced he will visit Greenland this week, accompanying a high-level U.S. delegation. President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the U.S. should take over Greenland, a proposal opposed by both Greenland and Denmark. Polls show that nearly all Greenlanders reject joining the U.S. Vance posted on social media that the visit aims to assess the situation in Greenland and prevent other countries from using its territory to threaten the U.S. and Canada. Greenland, long controlled by Denmark, is now a semi-sovereign territory under the Danish realm. The delegation includes Vance's wife, White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, with the visit scheduled from Thursday to Saturday.

Affected by dry weather and strong winds, multiple wildfires broke out in the Yeongnam region of South Korea, with the affected area reaching 12,565 hectares by March 25th, equivalent to one-fifth of Seoul's area. South Korea's Acting Minister of the Interior and Safety, Ko Kyoung-tae, stated that the fires were difficult to control due to smoke hindering firefighting efforts. The wildfire in Yecheon County started on Saturday, triggering a Level 3 forest fire alert. The Korean Forest Service reported that the fire containment rate dropped from 65% to 55%, with the fire line extending to 214.5 kilometers. The wildfires have resulted in four deaths, at least 11 serious injuries, and the evacuation of over 3,000 people. The South Korean government declared the affected areas as special disaster zones, deploying more than 6,700 firefighters and 77 helicopters to combat the fires.

The arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, Mayor of Istanbul from Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party, sparked widespread protests across the country. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that 123 police officers were injured and 1,133 suspects detained during the protests, with detainees including members of 12 different terrorist organizations. Authorities seized various dangerous items. President Erdogan labeled the protests as a 'violent movement' and held the Republican People's Party responsible. Imamoglu was detained on corruption and terrorism-related charges and later transferred to the prosecutor's office. Despite protest bans in cities like Istanbul and Izmir, demonstrations continued, with Ankara extending the ban until April 1.

Palestinian Oscar-winning co-director of 'No Other Land,' Hamdan Ballal, was attacked at his home in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and subsequently detained by the Israeli military. Witnesses reported that Ballal was beaten by settlers and then taken by soldiers. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that no Palestinian was detained from an ambulance, but three Palestinians were detained on suspicion of throwing rocks at security forces. The attack occurred on Monday evening in the village of Susya, where around a dozen masked settlers assaulted the area, also targeting five Jewish American activists. Ballal and his companions are suspected of stone-throwing and causing injuries, and are currently being held at an Israeli police station in the West Bank.

The Yemeni movement Ansar Allah, known as the Houthis, claimed on Tuesday to have launched two ballistic missiles at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport. CENTCOM posted a video on X showing fighter jets taking off with the phrase “Give 'em Hell Harry,” possibly referring to the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. The Houthis also attacked the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and other warships in the Red Sea using missiles and drones. Over the weekend, the United States conducted dozens of strikes on Houthi-controlled northern and central regions of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, which killed over 50 people and injured nearly 100, according to the Houthis. In retaliation, the Shia movement targeted the US aircraft carrier and other warships in the Red Sea.

The U.S. on Tuesday added dozens of Chinese tech companies to its export blacklist for the first time under the Trump administration, aiming to curtail Beijing's AI and advanced computing capabilities. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security included 80 organizations in the 'entity list,' with over 50 from China, barring U.S. firms from supplying them without government permits. These companies were blacklisted for allegedly acting against U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, part of efforts to restrict Beijing's access to exascale computing and quantum technologies. Twenty-seven Chinese entities were targeted for acquiring U.S. items for China's military modernization, and seven for advancing China's quantum technology. China's foreign ministry strongly condemned the restrictions, urging the U.S. to stop generalizing national security. Experts noted that Chinese firms accessed U.S. technologies via third parties, with the U.S. stepping up efforts to track and prevent smuggling of advanced semiconductors.

On March 25, 2025, French movie star Gerard Depardieu appeared in court in Paris for his trial on two sexual assault charges allegedly committed during the filming of 'Les Volets Verts'. Depardieu admitted to grabbing the hips of the woman accusing him of sexual assault but denied it was an assault, attributing his actions to a bad mood. The 76-year-old actor, who has faced multiple sexual assault allegations in recent years and consistently denied any wrongdoing, is standing trial for the first time. If convicted, Depardieu could face up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros. The trial, expected to last at least three days, was postponed from October due to Depardieu's health issues. Prosecutors allege that Depardieu assaulted two women, including set decorator Amelie K., during the filming in 2021.

A Russian military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 12 members of Ukraine's Azov regiment to long prison terms ranging from 13 to 23 years on Wednesday. The defendants were charged with 'terrorist activity' and 'violently seizing or retaining power.' Independent news outlet Mediazona reported that 11 other individuals, previously returned to Ukraine in prisoner exchanges, were also sentenced in absentia, including nine women who worked as army cooks. The 12 Azov members, who appeared in court with shaven heads, plan to appeal the verdicts, with some denying wrongdoing or claiming their testimonies were obtained under duress, though Reuters could not confirm this. Ukraine has not yet commented on the verdicts. The Azov regiment, banned in Russia and labeled as a 'terrorist organization' by Moscow, is viewed by many Ukrainians as heroes symbolizing national resistance, particularly during the siege of Mariupol from February to May 2022. Nearly 2,500 eventually surrendered from their bunkers beneath the Azovstal steelworks, with President Vladimir Putin promising they would be treated according to international standards. Prior to Wednesday's sentences, Russia's state Investigative Committee reported that 145 Azov members had been convicted.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto has traveled to Moscow for talks with Russian government officials. He plans to discuss the prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine and issues of bilateral cooperation, including in the energy sector. Szijjarto wrote on his Facebook page that the peace talks between the US and Russia have reached a new milestone, making the world safer again. Hungary has been advocating for open communication channels for three years. The discussions in Moscow will focus on peace, energy security, and expanding economic cooperation.

On Monday night, the Sudanese Armed Forces conducted an airstrike on a crowded market in North Darfur, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, as reported by activists on Tuesday. Social media posts showed numerous burned corpses and smoke rising from the ground, verified by the London-based Centre for Information Resilience, which identified the site as the village of Tora, 40 km north of al-Fasher. The incident, matching satellite imagery, marked one of the highest casualty numbers in Darfur since October 2024. The Sudanese army did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Lists provided by the Coordinating Committee for Refugees and Displaced People in Darfur included 84 people, with at least 26 confirmed dead. Emergency Lawyers, a group monitoring the conflict's impact on civilians, declared the attack a violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime, calling for an independent investigation. Tora, controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is amidst a power struggle with the Sudanese army. The conflict exacerbates what the United Nations describes as the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with half of Sudan's 50 million population facing acute hunger and over 12.5 million displaced due to ongoing violence. The RSF reported over 400 deaths in Tora, though Reuters could not independently verify these figures.

On April 22, 2024, Yevgenia Gutsul, the leader of Moldova's Gagauzia region, attended a press conference in Moscow. On April 26, Russia condemned the arrest of Gutsul, the pro-Russian leader of Moldova's Gagauz ethnic minority, calling it a blatant example of police state tactics. Moldovan police detained Gutsul at Chisinau's international airport late on Tuesday, following the unexplained disappearance of two other pro-Russian lawmakers. Gutsul, held for 72 hours in the capital, according to Angela Starinschi of Moldova's Anti-Corruption Centre. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that current authorities use extreme pressure on popular political opponents. Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, noted that opponents of President Maia Sandu complain of a police state in Moldova. Gagauzia, a region of 140,000 in southern Moldova, is dominated by ethnic Turks favoring close ties with Russia and has had tense relations with central authorities since Moldovan independence in 1991. Gutsul, a fierce government critic, was elected bashkan in 2023.

On February 26, 2025, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced in Rome, following a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, that Sweden plans to increase its defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2030, exceeding previous projections. Currently, defense spending is expected to reach 2.4% of GDP this year and 2.6% by 2028. The government believes NATO will soon set a target of 3% to 4% of GDP for member states, which Sweden aims to meet. Over the past four years, Sweden has doubled its defense allocations to address the lack of military investment following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The government and the main opposition party have plans to raise loans of about 300 billion Swedish crowns ($29.9 billion) by 2035 to fund the rearmament.