“The Houthis have launched a hypersonic missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, days after the Israeli army broke a ceasefire in Gaza, the Yemeni group said. ‘The Yemeni armed forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Ben Gurion airport in the occupied Jaffa region with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile,’ Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Thursday. … The Israeli military said it intercepted the missile before it entered the country’s territory early on Thursday. Sirens sounded in several areas in Israel after the projectile was fired, the military said in a post on Telegram. The Israeli police said sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel’s ambulance service said no serious injuries were reported.” (03/20/25)
“An experimental treatment appears to delay Alzheimer’s symptoms in some people genetically destined to get the disease in their 40s or 50s, according to new findings from ongoing research now caught up in Trump administration funding delays. The early results — a scientific first — were published Wednesday even as study participants worried that politics could cut their access to a possible lifeline. ‘It’s still a study but it has given me an extension to my life that I never banked on having,’ said Jake Heinrichs of New York City. Now 50, Heinrichs has been treated in that study for more than a decade and remains symptom-free despite inheriting an Alzheimer’s-causing gene that killed his father and brother around the same age. If blocked funding stops Heinrichs’ doses, ‘how much time do we have?’ asked his wife, Rachel Chavkin. ‘This trial is life.'” (03/20/25)
“Elon Musk’s X has raised about $1bn in a new equity funding round that values the social media company at $44bn, bringing its valuation back in line with the price the billionaire paid in 2022. Musk, X’s majority shareholder, was among those who purchased the shares, according to several people familiar with the matter. Darsana Capital, an investor that has bought debt tied to Musk’s X buyout, and 1789 Capital, a venture firm whose partners include Donald Trump Jr and has invested in other Musk companies, also participated.” (03/19/25)
“Israel has resumed ‘focused ground operations’ in the ‘center of the Gaza Strip’ over the past 24 hours, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Israeli forces have also taken control and ‘re-expanded their control to the center of the Netzarim’ corridor — the line that separates northern Gaza from the south — an IDF spokesperson said. … Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the residents of Gaza that ‘the evacuation of the population from the battle zones’ in Gaza will ‘begin again soon,’ in a video message in Hebrew on Wednesday. Katz encouraged Gaza residents to go to ‘other places in the world for those who wish.'” (03/19/25)
“Indonesia has ratified controversial changes to its military law allowing armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts, a move that analysts fear could usher in a resurgence of the military in government affairs. Activists in the world’s third-largest democracy have criticised the revisions, warning they signal a return to Indonesia’s ‘New Order’ era, when the country was led by former authoritarian ruler Suharto, who stepped down in 1998. The country is now led by President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-special forces general and former Suharto son-in-law, who was inaugurated in October. Indonesia’s law minister, Supratman Andi Agtas, has denied the law was a return to the military dominance that characterised the Suharto dictatorship, saying instead it was necessary due to domestic and geopolitical challenges.” (03/20/25)
“The Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest rate steady on Wednesday, with investors now waiting to hear from Chair Jerome Powell for further clues on the direction of monetary policy and the state of the U.S. economy. ‘Uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased,’ the Fed stated in its announcement. ‘The committee would be prepared to adjust the stance of monetary policy as appropriate if risks emerge that could impede the attainment of the committee’s goals.’ The Fed now expects the economy to grow more slowly this year than it did three months ago, with unemployment around the U.S. projected to hit 4.4%, up from 4.1% in February, according to economic projections also released Wednesday. The central bank forecasts inflation to edge up to 2.7%, up from from its current level of 2.5%.” (03/19/25)
“President Trump spoke on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an effort to reach an agreement on a partial 30-day ceasefire with Russia, the White House said. The call took place one day after Trump spoke for more than two hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin and tried to convince him to agree to a full and immediate 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine. … Trump on Truth Social said much of his call with Zelensky was ‘based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs.’ ‘We are very much on track,’ Trump said after the call, which lasted about one hour.” (03/19/25)
“A failed Republican candidate was found guilty Wednesday of hiring people to shoot at the homes of local Democratic leaders after he lost an election for the New Mexico House of Representatives, according to his attorney. Solomon Peña, 41, was charged with multiple felonies, including three counts of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, three counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and discharging the firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm and conspiracy, according to a federal superseding indictment filed against him in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque. … Federal prosecutors said that Peña, ‘refusing to accept his electoral defeat,’ organized a “shooting spree that targeted the homes of four elected officials and their families” from Dec. 4, 2022, to Jan. 3, 2023, according to court records.” (03/19/25)
“A federal court in the United States has dismissed an effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to dismiss Palestinian rights activist Mahmoud Khalil’s legal challenge against his detention and deportation. Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and legal permanent resident, has been held by the government since March 8 in a push to deport him over his participation in campus protests for Gaza last year. On Wednesday, Judge Jesse Furman ruled that Khalil’s legal request for a judicial review against his detention, known as a habeas corpus petition, must proceed. The Trump administration had asked the court to reject the challenge. Furman noted that Khalil is arguing that the effort to deport him violates his rights to free speech and due process, which are guaranteed under the US Constitution.” (03/19/25)
“Hungary’s president has signed a law proposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling party that will ban LGBTQ+ communities from holding their annual Pride march, defying criticism by human rights organisations that it restricts freedom of assembly. Protesters blocked a bridge in central Budapest on Tuesday evening after parliament passed the measure, fast-tracking a law proposed by Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party on Monday. President Tamas Sulyok, a former Constitutional Court chief who was elected to the largely ceremonial position a year ago by the Fidesz parliamentary majority, signed the law. His office did not reply to Reuters questions on Wednesday. The law bans Pride on the grounds that it could be considered harmful to children. It also says police can use face recognition cameras to identify people who attend the event, and impose fines on participants.” (03/19/25)
