News from April 1, 2025 at 2 AM

US President Donald Trump has expressed his discontent with the statements from both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump is working hard to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine and has shown his displeasure with the comments made by leaders on both sides. During an interview with NBC on March 30, Trump stated that he would impose 'secondary tariffs' on Russian oil if Moscow fails to reach a peace deal on Ukraine. Trump also expressed his anger over Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and officials in Kiev. Putin, speaking in the Russian northern port city of Murmansk on March 27, suggested that external governance of countries had been practiced in international affairs before and could pave the way for legitimate talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the reports that Trump was angered by Putin's words about Zelensky, stating that the stories were based on paraphrased remarks and lacked direct quotes to support them.

US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Iran and impose secondary tariffs if it fails to reach a nuclear agreement. The Tehran Times responded that Iran's missiles are ready to launch, warning the US of severe consequences. Trump mentioned ongoing dialogues with Iran but provided no details. He previously sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei proposing new nuclear negotiations with a two-month deadline. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani confirmed a reply rejecting direct talks but said indirect dialogues could continue. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif emphasized that Iran will not engage in direct negotiations under threats.

On March 31, 2025, Israeli officials proposed an extended ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of about half of the remaining hostages. The new proposals leave unresolved the final agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023, which has devastated large areas of Gaza, killed tens of thousands of people, and displaced almost the entire population. Israeli officials stated that during a 40 to 50-day ceasefire, approximately half of the 24 hostages believed to be alive in Gaza, and about half of the 35 assumed to be dead, would be released. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would continue to pressure Hamas and would negotiate 'under fire'. He also reiterated the demand for Hamas to disarm, which the Palestinian militant group has refused to do. Additionally, the Israeli military ordered Palestinians living near the southern city of Rafah to relocate to Al Mawasi on the shoreline. Hamas has accepted proposals by Qatari and Egyptian mediators to release five hostages per week in exchange for a ceasefire. Efforts to move to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement signed with US backing in January have stalled due to fundamental differences between the two sides over the postwar future. The military campaign, launched after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Palestinian Red Crescent Society and the Gaza Strip Health Ministry reported on March 30 that the bodies of 14 missing paramedics were found in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. The Palestinians accused Israeli forces of killing the paramedics. The Israeli military admitted firing on some ambulances, claiming they were disguised as Hamas vehicles. The victims included 8 ambulance paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and 6 members of the Gaza Strip Civil Defense. A UN employee's body was also found. Jonathan Whittal, the director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stated that all 5 ambulances, a fire truck, and a UN vehicle were attacked. The Israeli forces allowed UN personnel to enter the site only 5 days after the incident. The Palestinians claimed the victims were executed by the Israeli military, with their bodies buried in a pit to prevent discovery. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society released the names of 8 of the deceased and one paramedic is still missing. Since the current conflict between Israel and Palestine began, 30 staff and volunteers of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society have been killed. Since March 18, at least 921 Palestinians have died.

On March 31st, the Trump administration announced a review of $9 billion in federal funding and contracts with Harvard University due to unresolved anti-Semitism on campus. The administration's special task force is investigating a $2.556 billion contract and a $8.7 billion multi-year funding commitment between the government and Harvard. Insiders revealed that if Harvard fails to address the task force's concerns about anti-Semitism by this week, the university will begin to lose financial support. This review will affect various affiliated institutions of Harvard.

National security adviser Mike Waltz revealed last month that Panama's leadership is in negotiations regarding the Balboa and Cristobal ports on either side of the canal. An American conglomerate's plan to purchase these facilities from Hong Kong's CK Hutchison is under review by China's antitrust regulator, which stated it will scrutinize the deal according to law to protect market fairness and public interest. Chinese state media has labeled the potential acquisition a national security threat, leading to the postponement of the signing initially scheduled for April 2. This deal is part of a $22.8 billion agreement where CK Hutchison agreed to sell an 80% stake in subsidiaries managing 43 ports across 23 countries to a consortium led by BlackRock and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). BlackRock CEO Larry Fink stated in March that these world-class ports facilitate global growth and expressed excitement for client participation in this investment.

Billionaire Elon Musk distributed $100,000 checks to voters in Wisconsin, promising a $20 reward to those who recruit voters for the conservative candidate. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hold an election on April 1, which will influence the court's ideological tendency. Musk aims to raise public awareness of the election and suggests that a conservative-dominated court would help the Republican Party control districting and election rules. Liberal candidate Crawford accuses Musk of trying to secure favorable rulings for Tesla in legal disputes. Musk-affiliated groups have already invested at least $17.5 million in support of the conservative candidate.

Russia's special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, told the Izvestia media outlet on Monday that Moscow and Washington have initiated talks on rare earth metals and other projects in Russia. Dmitriev, who also serves as the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, emphasized the importance of rare earth metals for cooperation. Following negotiations between the U.S. and Ukraine over a draft minerals deal, Putin offered the U.S. a joint exploration of Russia's rare earth metal deposits under a future economic agreement. Dmitriev, who was part of Russia's negotiating team in talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia in February, mentioned that some companies have shown interest in the projects but did not provide further details. Izvestia reported that the cooperation could be discussed further at the next round of Russia-U.S. talks, potentially in mid-April in Saudi Arabia. Rare earths and other critical metals, vital for high-tech industries, have recently gained global attention as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to counter China's dominance in the sector.

The Trump administration in the United States continues to crack down on international students supporting Palestine, detaining Turkish PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk in Massachusetts last week and revoking her visa. Ozturk was arrested by federal agents on March 25 and subsequently transferred to an immigration processing center in Louisiana. The US Department of Homeland Security alleges she supported Hamas, potentially impacting US foreign policy. Ozturk's student visa was revoked on March 21, but she was unaware until her arrest. A Boston judge temporarily barred her deportation and urged the government to respond to her appeal by April 1. The Trump administration has revoked over 300 visas, rigorously targeting campus anti-Israel activities.

The Houthis claim to have struck the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman three times within a 24-hour period near the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily. The attacks, which also targeted other ships in the Red Sea, employed missiles, naval forces, cruise missiles, and drones, according to Yemen's Ansar Allah movement. The American strikes in Yemen have been ongoing since the evening of March 15, when US President Donald Trump ordered the US military to take decisive action against the Houthis. This followed the Houthis' announcement of resuming attacks on Israeli ships in the Red and Arabian Seas in response to the ban on humanitarian aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.