News from March 4, 2025 at 2 AM

On March 2, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended a summit on Ukraine. On March 3, US President Donald Trump warned that he would 'not put up' much longer with Zelensky's stance on the war with Russia, calling his assertion that an agreement to end the war remained distant 'the worst statement that could have been made.' Trump stated on social media that America would not tolerate it for much longer. Zelensky accused Russia of not being serious about peace, emphasizing that tough security guarantees were the only way to end the conflict. Trump's attacks have shaken US support for Ukraine, raising concerns about a pivot to Russia. Trump threatened at a White House event that Zelensky 'won't be around very long' without a ceasefire deal with Moscow, urging him to be 'more appreciative' of the billions in military aid from Washington. Britain and France, after crisis talks in London, are exploring a one-month truce proposal. Zelensky stated that an agreement to end the war is very far away and stressed the need for security guarantees for real peace. Russia dismissed his comments, accusing him of not wanting peace. Ukrainian officials reported a Russian missile strike on a military training facility, killing 30-40 soldiers and wounding 90.

On March 3, a car ramming incident occurred in Mannheim, southwestern Germany's Baden-Wurttemberg state. The suspect, a 40-year-old German man from the neighboring state of Rhineland-Palatinate, was identified. Thomas Strobl, the state interior minister of Baden-Wuerttemberg, stated that the man has been detained and is currently hospitalized with injuries. Police believe he acted alone. The incident took place around noon on Monday when a car plowed into a crowd in downtown Mannheim. According to the Bild newspaper, at least two people died and 14 were injured. It remains unclear whether the incident was an accident or an attack. Witnesses reported that the car drove into the main pedestrian street near the water tower and struck a group of people near the Galeria Kaufhof shopping mall, where a carnival market was being held. The police are conducting an investigation, but no further details about the driver have been disclosed yet.

On March 3, the Vatican reported that Pope Francis, on the 18th day of hospitalization for double pneumonia at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, had rested well overnight and was in stable condition. The 88-year-old pontiff no longer requires mechanical ventilation and has been fever-free. He was admitted on February 14 with severe respiratory issues that quickly escalated to double pneumonia. Since February 28, when the pope experienced a respiratory constriction similar to an asthma attack, the Vatican's updates have become more positive. However, doctors maintain a 'guarded' prognosis due to the complexity of his condition, indicating he is not out of danger. Pope Francis has faced several health issues in the last two years and is prone to lung infections, having had pleurisy and part of a lung removed in his youth. He has not been seen in public since his hospitalization, marking his longest absence since assuming the papacy in March 2013.

On March 3, 2025, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen presided over the swearing-in ceremony of a new government at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, appointing Christian Stocker, leader of the People's Party (OeVP), as the new Chancellor. The new government, comprising the People's Party, Social Democrats (SPO), and the liberal Neos, marks the first three-party coalition since World War Two, ending Austria's longest-ever wait for a new administration. Despite the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) winning about 29% of the vote in September's parliamentary election, it failed to form a coalition. The new government faces challenges in policy negotiations, with the FPO expected to continue exerting pressure.

On March 2, 2025, the Academy Awards ceremony took place in Los Angeles. The film 'Anora' swept the most honors, including Best Picture and Best Director. Mikey Madison won Best Actress for 'Anora', while Adrien Brody took home Best Actor for 'The Brutalist'. Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin won Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Other award-winning films included 'Conclave', 'Wicked', and 'Emilia Pérez'. The Brazilian film 'I'm Still Here' won Best International Feature.

On March 3rd local time, a severe car accident occurred in Potosí Province, Bolivia. A pickup truck traveling from Potosí City to Oruro City collided with a long-distance bus carrying over 50 passengers, causing the bus to lose control and plunge off a cliff. The accident has resulted in 31 deaths, and the difficulty of rescue operations suggests the death toll may rise. The injured pickup truck driver has been detained by the police.

On Monday, a bitcoin rally faded as traders grappled with concerns over proposed tariffs set to take effect. The announcement of a U.S. strategic crypto reserve by President Donald Trump failed to offset economic impact worries. Bitcoin fell 8% to $86,000, while Ether dropped 15% to $2,100. Cryptocurrency-related stocks like Coinbase and Robinhood fell 4.6% and 6.4%, respectively. Over the weekend, Trump announced the strategic crypto reserve, which briefly pushed bitcoin to $95,000. However, analysts believe the impact of the announcement is limited, with the market still digesting the news. Investors are looking forward to the White House Crypto Summit on Friday for clues on the reserve plans.

According to sources, Iran's Vice President for Strategic Issues, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tendered his resignation following the parliament's vote to remove Economy and Finance Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati. However, President Massoud Pezeshkian has not yet accepted Zarif's resignation. This marks the second time Zarif has sought to resign since the formation of Iran's current government. He first submitted his resignation on August 11, after only 10 days in office, citing dissatisfaction with his performance as head of the advisory council established post-Pezeshkian's election as prime minister. His resignation was not accepted at that time.

In 2024, Singapore unexpectedly became Nvidia's second-largest revenue source, sparking speculation that its AI chips were being funneled to China. In January 2025, China's DeepSeek gained international attention for its sophisticated and cost-effective AI model, trained on Nvidia's GPUs despite export restrictions. Last week, Singapore authorities arrested three individuals for misrepresenting the final destination of U.S.-manufactured servers, likely containing Nvidia chips. Singapore's Home Affairs and Law Minister revealed that Dell and Super Micro Computer servers were shipped to Malaysia, raising questions about the true final destination. Nvidia's shares fell nearly 8% on Monday, down 14% in 2025, with its market cap dropping below $3 trillion. Nvidia's annual report indicated that Singapore accounted for 18% of its revenue but only 2% in actual shipments. Analysts at Mizuho warn that a comprehensive ban on Nvidia chip exports to China could reduce the company's projected revenue by $4 billion to $5 billion this fiscal year.

U.S. space startup Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its unmanned probe, Blue Ghost, on the Moon for the first time, aiming to explore the lunar environment and prepare for future human landings. Blue Ghost landed in the Mare Crisium basin on the northeastern part of the Moon's near side at 3:34 AM EDT on March 2, transmitting the first lunar image post-landing. The probe, about the size of a small car, carries 10 scientific instruments from NASA and is set to complete various scientific tasks within 14 days. Firefly Aerospace became the first commercial company to achieve a fully successful lunar landing, marking a significant milestone in commercial space exploration. In February last year, another U.S. private firm's lunar lander mission ended prematurely due to a landing mishap.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated in Ankara that any peace process in Ukraine requires the participation of both Kiev and Moscow. He emphasized that while Turkey supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, a solution is impossible without the involvement of Ukraine or Russia. Erdogan noted that over the past three years, Turkey has been striving to find a solution without escalating the situation. He reiterated that a peace process is only feasible with the participation of both sides.