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Overnight News Digest: It's official. 83% of USAID programs cancelled [1]
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Date: 2025-03-10
Deutsche Welle
The cuts come as the Trump administration seeks to reorient its approach to foreign policy and government spending. A freeze on foreign aid funds has already left groups around the world at a critical point. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the Trump administration's purge of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is now finished. In a post on X, Rubio said "after a 6 week review, we are officially cancelling 83% of the programs at USAID." "The 5,200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States." [...] The cuts are considered by experts to be an historic departure from how the US carries out foreign policy, moving away from strengthening alliances through aid to instead doubling down on Trump's "America First" ideology. The Musk-led DOGE project is seen as key to advancing the ideology and it has been open about its intentions to gut government spending while consolidating agencies under the Executive Branch.
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BBC
A Welsh woman has spoken about being held in "horrendous" conditions after she was accused of "violating" her visa and was stopped at the US border. Becky Burke, 28, has spent 11 days in a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing centre in Washington State and was also denied entry into Canada, over a "visa mix-up". Her father, Paul Burke, has urged travellers to be "very careful" about their visa requirements. Speaking to the BBC, Ms Burke said: "They keep saying in all their booklets that this is not a prison. It's hard to distinguish from my conception of a prison." US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it could not comment on specific cases for privacy reasons, but added: "All persons arriving at a port-of-entry to the United States are subject to inspection.
BBC
The Los Angeles District Attorney has announced his opposition to the resentencing of the notorious Menendez brothers, a move that could have paved the way for their freedom. District Attorney Nathan Hochman's decision marks a departure from his predecessor who had sought to have the brothers resentenced and considered for parole. Both brothers are serving life sentences. Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted of killing their parents in 1989, have long maintained that the murders were driven by years of sexual and physical abuse, rather than financial gain. Hochman argued that the brothers' claims of self-defence was part of a litany of "lies". A California judge is set to consider the option of resentencing the brothers on 20 and 21 March. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Hochman outlined much of the criminal case, the defences the brothers had taken and the alleged lies he said they continued to stand by.
x Scientists say they witnessed a "Humpback Palooza" in the Arctic. Local hunters worry about what that could mean for subsistence.
[image or embed] — Alaska Public Media (@alaskapublic.org) March 10, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Al Jazeera
Pope Francis is responding well to hospital treatment for double pneumonia and his doctors no longer fear for his life, the Vatican says. The Vatican added on Monday that the 88-year-old pontiff’s condition was “stable” with doctors lifting their earlier prognosis of “guarded”, indicating he is now out of danger and could soon leave hospital. Francis has been in Rome’s Gemelli University Hospital for more than three weeks. He was admitted on February 14 with a severe respiratory infection that has required evolving treatment. The pope’s doctors said they had recorded “improvements” in previous days, which had been “consolidated” by “blood tests and clinical assessments, as well as a good response to his drug treatments”, the Vatican said. It added that doctors expected Francis “to continue medical drug treatment in a hospital setting for further days”.
Al Jazeera
Argentina’s President Javier Milei has declared a period of mourning after a flash flood in the port city of Bahia Blanca killed at least 16 people, with more still missing. The president’s office announced late on Sunday that the country would mark three days of national mourning over the tragedy, which came after heavy rains lashed the port city of Bahia Blanca. The statement did not say when the mourning period would begin. “All areas of the national government will remain dedicated… to assisting the victims in this moment of sorrow for all Argentines,” the presidency announced. The deadly floods struck on Friday when a year’s worth of rain, estimated to be 260 millimeters (10 inches), fell in a matter of hours in and around Bahia Blanca, a major port city south of Buenos Aires.
Deutsche Welle
What you need to know Zelenskyy set for meeting with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler before his team takes over negotiations with US officials toward the next steps for a peace deal
Paris will reportedly gather military officials from more than 30 nations on Tuesday to discuss a new force for upholding security in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire
Russia expels two British diplomats over alleged spying claims as relations between the countries continue to be strained
US President Donald Trump told reporters early Monday that his administration has "just about" lifted a pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine Here is a roundup of the significant developments concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Monday, March 10. Refresh for updates.
x Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire is erupting, and authorities have evacuated nearly 300 families while warning that another 30,000 people in the area could be at risk. cnn.it/3QYobi9
[image or embed] — CNN (@cnn.com) March 10, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Deutsche Welle
A large fire erupted after a container ship collided with a tanker that was carrying jet fuel for the US military. A large rescue operation saw dozens of crew members rushed to shore. A cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel for the US government off the eastern coast of the United Kingdom on Monday, causing a large fire on both vessels and triggering a rescue operation. The incident occurred in the North Sea near the city of Hull, and the alarm was first raised at 9:48 a.m. (UTC/GMT). Local lawmaker Graham Stuart said 37 crew members aboard the two ships had been brought to shore and assessed by ambulances. According to the owner of the cargo ship, one of its crew is missing. The office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said details surrounding the cause of the collision "are still becoming clear."
The Guardian, Science
The pollution of the planet by microplastics is significantly cutting food supplies by damaging the ability of plants to photosynthesise, according to a new assessment. The analysis estimates that between 4% and 14% of the world’s staple crops of wheat, rice and maize is being lost due to the pervasive particles. It could get even worse, the scientists said, as more microplastics pour into the environment. About 700 million people were affected by hunger in 2022. The researchers estimated that microplastic pollution could increase the number at risk of starvation by another 400 million in the next two decades, calling that an “alarming scenario” for global food security. Other scientists called the research useful and timely but cautioned that this first attempt to quantify the impact of microplastics on food production would need to be confirmed and refined by further data-gathering and research.
The Guardian, UK
Britain’s benefits system is the “worst of all worlds”, with the number of people out of work or training “indefensible and unfair”, the prime minister has said as he prepares for deep cuts to disability payments. Addressing a private meeting of Labour MPs on Monday evening, Keir Starmer said he would take tough decisions to cut the bill for working age health and disability benefits, which is expected to hit £70bn by 2030. The government has already vowed to cut £3bn over the next three years and is expected to announce billions more in savings from the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is preparing to publish a green paper on sickness and disability benefit reform in the next few days ahead of the chancellor’s spring statement at the end of the month.
The Guardian, International
Greenland’s prime minister said voters face a “fateful choice” as the Arctic island prepares to go to the polls in a pivotal election closely watched by Europe and the US.
The vote on Tuesday has attracted global attention after Donald Trump’s repeated assertions about acquiring the autonomous territory, using military and economic force if necessary. The poll, which takes place against a backdrop of growing calls for independence, is also being closely scrutinised by Denmark , which ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953 and continues to control its foreign and security policy. Greenland, along with the Faroe Islands, remains part of the Danish kingdom. However, Copenhagen fears that if voters give strong backing to the largest opposition party, Naleraq, a prominent pro-independence voice and supporter of US collaboration, Greenland could instead strengthen its ties with the US. On Monday the territory’s prime minister and chair of the Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party, Múte B Egede, accused Trump of being “unpredictable” and said he had failed to treat Greenlanders with respect.
x The cost of child care now exceeds the price of college tuition in 38 states and the D.C., according to a new analysis. In Ohio, the average annual cost of child care is $17,071, or $1,423 per month, making Ohio the 16th most expensive out of 50 states
[image or embed] — Ohio Capital Journal (@ohiocapitaljournal.com) March 10, 2025 at 5:20 PM
The Guardian, US
Elon Musk claimed on Monday afternoon that X was targeted in a “massive cyber-attack” that resulted in the intermittent service outages that had brought down his social network throughout the day. The platform, formerly known as Twitter, had been unresponsive for many users as posts failed to load. “We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources,” the platform’s CEO posted. “Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved.” Downdetector, a website that monitors outages on various sites and platforms, showed thousands of reports of outages that initially spiked at about 5.45am before returning to normal for a few hours. A second surge in reported outages carried on throughout midday, with the majority of them occurring on the company’s mobile app. Tweets that failed to appear displayed a message that “something went wrong” and told users to try reloading.
NPR
Media Matters, the liberal watchdog organization that billionaire Elon Musk has sued in multiple lawsuits around the world, is going on the offensive. The group on Monday sued Musk's social media platform X for breach of contract over Musk bringing suits against the nonprofit in Texas, Ireland and Singapore in a legal maneuver Media Matters calls "a vendetta-driven campaign of libel tourism." Lawyers for the advocacy group are challenging Musk on technical grounds, arguing that since X's terms of service at the time of the suits required the complaints to be filed in San Francisco, the actions violate Musk's own policies, which were changed months after after the suits were brought. Media Matters' legal team says defending against Musk's suits have crushed the organization, which monitors conservative media, costing millions of dollars and leading to the group laying off more than a dozen employees. The suit seeks damages for breach of contract and an order forcing Musk to drop his litigation in Ireland and Singapore.
x Prominent Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, who is a legal permanent resident, was arrested by Department of Homeland Security agents over the weekend. Today, scores of protesters took to the streets of New York in protest. Our @hurwitz.bsky.social and Najib Aminy were there ⬇️
[image or embed] — Mother Jones (@motherjones.com) March 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM
NPR
A single-engine airplane carrying five people crashed and burst into flames Sunday in the parking lot of a retirement community near a small airport in suburban Pennsylvania, and everyone on board survived, officials and witnesses said. The fiery crash happened around 3 p.m. just south of Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township, police chief Duane Fisher told reporters at an evening briefing. All five victims were taken to hospitals in unknown condition. Nobody on the ground was hurt, the chief said. Brian Pipkin was driving nearby when he noticed the small plane climbing before it suddenly veered to the left. "And then it went down nose first," he told The Associated Press. "There was an immediate fireball." [...] The crash comes about a month after seven people were killed when an air ambulance burst into flames after crashing onto a busy Philadelphia street.
Reuters
NEW YORK, March 10 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s tariffs have spooked investors, with fears of an economic downturn driving a stock market sell-off that has wiped out $4 trillion from the S&P 500’s peak last month, when Wall Street was cheering much of Trump's agenda. A barrage of new Trump policies has increased uncertainty for businesses, consumers and investors, notably back-and-forth tariff moves against major trading partners like Canada, Mexico and China. "We've seen clearly a big sentiment shift," said Ayako Yoshioka, senior investment strategist at Wealth Enhancement. "A lot of what has worked is not working now." The stock market selloff deepened on Monday. The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) , opens new tab fell 2.7%, its biggest daily drop of the year. The Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) , opens new tab slid 4%, its largest one-day decline since September 2022. The S&P 500 on Monday closed down 8.6% from its February 19 record high, shedding over $4 trillion in market value since then and nearing a 10% decline that would represent a correction for the index. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ended Thursday down more than 10% from its December high.
Reuters
OTTAWA, March 10 (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Ontario is imposing a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to New York state, Michigan and Minnesota to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada, Premier Doug Ford said on Monday. "President Trump's tariffs are a disaster for the U.S. economy. They're making life more expensive for American families and businesses," Ford said in a statement. Ford said the government had told the province's Independent Electricity System Operator that any generator selling electricity to the U.S. was now required to add a 25% surcharge valued at $10 per megawatt-hour to the cost of power. "Until the threat of tariffs is gone for good, Ontario won't back down. We'll stand strong, use every tool in our toolkit and do whatever it takes to protect Ontario."
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