News from February 19, 2025 at 2 PM

On February 18, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Riyadh to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The US agreed to hold further talks with Russia, excluding Kyiv from the initial meeting. President Donald Trump expressed confidence in the negotiations and indicated a possible meeting with President Vladimir Putin by the end of the month. Ukraine stated it would not accept any deal imposed without its consent, echoed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's insistence that no decision should be made over Ukraine's head. Some European politicians criticized the US for concessions to Moscow last week. US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz emphasized the need for a permanent end to the war, involving territory negotiations. Rubio noted Russia's willingness to engage in a serious peace process, but stressed the need for concessions from all sides.

Pope Francis has been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, with his condition described as 'complex'. The 88-year-old had been suffering from a respiratory infection for over a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday. A follow-up chest CT scan revealed the onset of pneumonia, necessitating additional drug therapy. Despite this, the Pope remains in good spirits, spending his day reading, resting, and praying, and expressed gratitude to well-wishers. Previously experiencing bronchitis symptoms, he has cancelled all public events through Sunday. Doctors have adjusted his medication twice during his hospital stay. Pope Francis, who had part of a lung removed at age 21 and developed pleurisy as an adult, is prone to lung infections. During his 12 years as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he has been hospitalized several times, including a three-night stay for bronchitis in March 2023.

A Delta Air Lines CRJ900 flight operated by Endeavor Air crashed and overturned upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 17, injuring 18 people, three of whom were seriously hurt, including a child. The plane had 76 passengers and four crew members. Passenger Nelson posted a video on Facebook showing firefighters extinguishing the flames, with the tarmac covered in snow. Passenger Kukov described being flipped sideways and hanging upside down in the cabin. The airport suspended all flights for two hours following the incident, having canceled some flights due to a snowstorm the previous day. The runway was dry and there was no crosswind at the time of the accident. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was charged on Tuesday with leading a coup plot to overturn his 2022 election loss. The charges follow a two-year police investigation that culminated in riots by his supporters in Brasilia in early 2023. Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet accused Bolsonaro and his running mate, General Walter Braga Netto, of leading a 'criminal organization' aiming to establish a new order, including plans to poison President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. A total of 34 people, including several military officials, were charged. Bolsonaro's lawyers denied the allegations, and analysts believe it is unlikely he will be arrested before trial. The case resembles the charges faced by former U.S. President Donald Trump over his 2020 election loss.

On February 19, 2025, a mass stranding of false killer whales occurred near Arthur River in the northwest of Tasmania, Australia. A total of 157 whales were stranded, with about 90 surviving. Due to complex environmental conditions and extreme stress, expert teams were unable to save them, leading to the decision to euthanize the surviving whales. Local resident Jocelyn Flint described the scene as horrific. Marine biologist Kris Carlyon noted the extreme difficulty in accessing the site and transporting rescue equipment. Tasmania has experienced frequent mass whale strandings in recent years, including the country's worst-ever incident in 2020.

The United Nations, World Bank, and European Union released a report on the 18th, stating that the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip requires over $50 billion, with $532 billion needed over the next decade and $200 billion in the first three years. The funds will primarily be used for repairing buildings and infrastructure, and mitigating social and economic losses. The recent round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulted in the destruction of 292,000 homes in the Gaza Strip, with 95% of hospitals ceasing operations and an 83% economic contraction. The report indicates that the Gaza Strip is not yet ready for large-scale reconstruction. Arab countries are discussing the 'Arab Plan,' aiming to complete reconstruction in three years with up to $200 billion. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated that Israel is waiting to assess the plan and will not accept any plan that allows Hamas to exist. Israel and Hamas are set to initiate the second phase of ceasefire negotiations this week.

US President Donald Trump stated on February 18 that auto tariffs will be around 25 per cent, with more details to be shared on April 2. Last week, Trump indicated that auto tariffs would take effect on April 2, following reports from his Cabinet on import duty options. Trump has consistently criticized unfair treatment of US automotive exports in foreign markets. For instance, the European Union imposes a 10 per cent tariff on vehicle imports, compared to the US's 2.5 per cent tariff on passenger cars, though the US levies a 25 per cent tariff on highly profitable imported pickup trucks. Trump also mentioned that sectoral tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductor chips could start at 25 per cent in April, potentially increasing over a year. Since his inauguration, Trump has imposed a 10 per cent tariff on all imports from China, and announced 25 per cent tariffs on goods from Mexico and non-energy imports from Canada, though these were later delayed by a month. He has set a March 12 start date for 25 per cent tariffs on all imported steel and aluminium and directed his economic team to devise reciprocal tariffs for countries taxing US imports.

Billionaire Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, launched the Grok-3 AI model on February 17, claiming it to be the 'world's smartest' AI chatbot. Grok-3 outperformed Google Gemini, DeepSeek V3, Anthropic Claude, and OpenAI GPT-4o in math, science, and coding benchmarks. Musk stated that Grok-3's computing power is over ten times that of its predecessor and has completed pre-training, aiming to understand the universe. xAI plans to release a voice-enabled chatbot and a new subscription service, SuperGrok. Grok-3 is already available to X platform Premium+ subscribers. Musk expects Grok-3 to be fully developed in a few months, intensifying competition with OpenAI. xAI is in talks to raise $10 billion, valuing the company at $75 billion.

KFC announced the relocation of its U.S. headquarters from Louisville, Kentucky, to Plano, Texas. Approximately 100 KFC U.S. employees will be required to move over the next six months. This move is part of Yum Brands' plan to establish two corporate headquarters, with the other in Irvine, California. KFC and Pizza Hut's global teams are already based in Plano, while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill's teams are in Irvine. Additionally, about 90 Yum Brands U.S. remote workers will be asked to relocate to their respective work campuses. However, Yum Brands and the KFC Foundation will maintain offices in Louisville and plan to build a new flagship restaurant in their former hometown. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have reconsidered their headquarters locations, with Texas being a popular choice due to its business-friendly policies.

Recently, US President Donald Trump's approval rating has slightly decreased from 45% in the Jan 24-26 poll to 44% in a poll ending on Feb 18. The percentage of Americans who disapprove of his presidency has risen to 51%. Despite enjoying a relatively high approval rate of 47% on his immigration policy, the share of those who think the economy is on the wrong track has increased from 43% to 53%, and approval of Trump's economic stewardship has fallen from 43% to 39%. The latest poll shows only 32% of respondents approve of Trump's performance on inflation. A US Labor Department report indicated that consumer prices rose by the most in nearly one and a half years in January. 54% of respondents oppose new tariffs on imported goods, while 41% are in favor.

Authorities in Barangay Addition Hills, a densely-populated area in central Manila, Philippines, have introduced a cash reward program for mosquitoes to combat the spread of dengue. Village chief Carlito Cernal announced a bounty of one peso for every five mosquitoes, following a recent spike in dengue cases, including two student deaths. The month-long program has already seen 21 people claim rewards for 700 mosquitoes and larvae. While the Philippines Department of Health appreciates the initiative, it advises consulting local health officers for evidence-based practices. Cernal emphasized the bounty as a supplement to existing anti-dengue measures.

Argentine President Javier Milei is facing calls for impeachment and legal action accusing him of fraud over his promotion of cryptocurrency on social media. On Friday, Milei posted about the $LIBRA coin on X, formerly Twitter, claiming it would fund small businesses and start-ups, and shared a purchase link, causing its price to surge. However, within hours, he deleted the post, leading to a nosedive in the cryptocurrency's value and significant losses for investors. Some opposition members of Congress plan to initiate impeachment proceedings, while lawyers filed fraud complaints in Argentina's criminal court on Sunday. Milei is accused of a 'rug pull,' where cryptocurrency promoters attract buyers and then cease trading to abscond with the funds. The presidential office stated that the post was removed to avoid speculation and that Milei was not involved in the cryptocurrency's development, with the Anti-Corruption Office set to investigate any impropriety. Former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner criticized Milei as a 'crypto scammer,' and the main opposition coalition vowed to file an impeachment request, calling it an 'unprecedented scandal.' Esteban Paulón, a member of the opposition Socialist Party, also pledged to seek the start of impeachment proceedings.

Last night, Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station in Russia's Krasnodar region. The station is owned by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which is not subject to US sanctions and has a significant portion of its stock owned by American shareholders. This attack could be seen as a blow to US business interests and a personal insult to US President Donald Trump, who has been working to lower oil prices for the benefit of the United States and its people. The drone attack, along with other strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure, may help maintain or even increase oil prices by reducing supply. Speculation arises that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might be attempting to assert leverage over the US by threatening American business interests.