The edition of
Wednesday 5 March 2025
17 stories, section by section, the most important first.
International
The United States begins direct negotiations with Hamas over the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. President of the United States Donald Trump later threatens on Truth Social and X that the people of Gaza "are dead" unless they return the hostages "immediately".
Security forces in South Sudan arrest Puot Kang Chol, a senior member of the parliamentary opposition, minister of petroleum and mining, and army general, as well as multiple other opposition-aligned military officers. South Sudanese soldiers also surround vice president Riek Machar's house overnight before later withdrawing.
A Russian missile strikes a hotel in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, killing four people and injuring seven others.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency director John Ratcliffe announces that the United States has suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Russia's Federal Security Service says that it killed four Islamic State militants in Dagestan during a counterterrorism operation.
The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu warns of imminent attack threats in Somalia, including at Aden Adde International Airport. Embassy personnel movements are suspended.
Somali military officials confirm that the Trump administration has halted all funding for Somalia's Danab Brigade special forces and cut billions in USAID grants to the country.
The United States Department of Defense denies previous media reports that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had ordered a halt to offensive cyber operations and information operations against Russia by U.S. Cyber Command.
Business
United States president Donald Trump announces a one-month temporary reprieve from tariffs for American automakers after receiving complaints from the Big Three: Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.
The United States Department of Veteran Affairs announces it will lay off over 80,000 jobs to comply with the Trump administration's plans under the Department of Government Efficiency.
The Law
In the U.S., Los Angeles County files a lawsuit against Southern California Edison, the electric utility company servicing most of Southern California, and alleges that the company's power system started the Eaton Fire, seeking to recover costs and damages sustained from the fire that damaged over 9,400 buildings and killed 17 people.
Mexican law enforcement announces the seizure of 275,000 fentanyl pills stored in boxes of nopales in Sonora. A man is arrested in connection to the seizure.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District Court of Vermont indicts and charges 25 Canadians for conspiracy to defraud elderly people in the United States out of US$21 million and charges five of those 25 with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Around 200 pairs of shoes and other personal items are found at an extermination camp in Teuchitlán, Jalisco.
Environment
Three skiers are suspected to be killed after an avalanche trapped them under more than 30 feet of snow in the Chugach Mountains, Alaska, United States.
One person is killed and sixteen others are injured when a bridge collapses on the E42 highway in La Louvière, Hainaut Province, Belgium.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli announces the suspension of public transport services and the closure of 640 schools in South East Queensland, Australia, as Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall early Friday morning local time.
Stories adapted from Wikipedia’s Current events portal for 5 March 2025, by Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.