World Briefing: March 16, 2025

The Trump administration is brushing aside decades of precedent by ordering Columbia University in New York City to oust the leadership of an academic department, a demand seen as a direct attack on academic freedom and a warning of what’s to come for other colleges facing federal scrutiny. Federal officials told the university it must immediately place its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under “academic receivership for a minimum of five years.” The demand was among several described as conditions for receiving federal funding, including $400 million already pulled over allegations of antisemitism. Across academia, it was seen as a stunning intrusion. “It’s an escalation of a kind that is unheard of,” said Joan Scott, a historian and member of the academic freedom committee of the American Association of University Professors. “Even during the McCarthy period in the United States, this was not done.” President Donald Trump has been threatening to withhold federal funding from colleges that do not get in line with his agenda, from transgender athletes’ participating in women’s sports to diversity, equity and inclusion programs. On Friday, his administration announced investigations into 52 universities as part of his DEI crackdown - AP

U.S. attempts to bring peace to Ukraine appears to be hitting the walls of the Kremlin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of trying to slow down the process and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of manipulative tactics. “The onus is now on Russia to accept or refuse the U.S. proposal for an 30-day ceasefire- and show the world who is truly the barrier to peace,” I told BBC World Television early this morning. In London, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to convene a second summit, this time virtually, of leaders belonging to a western “coalition of the willing” - which has now grown to around 25 to include Australia and New Zealand. It’ll also mark the first time newly sworn-in Mark Carney takes part as Canadian prime minister. US President Donald Trump has praised talks held with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the US-proposed ceasefire deal in Ukraine as “good and productive”. He said in a Truth Social post that the talks provided “a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end”. Absent from his recent remarks were earlier threats to “arm Ukraine to the teeth” should Moscow not offer concessions that will lead to peace.

Bloomberg reported on March 12 that sources familiar with the Kremlin’s thinking and the situation stated that Putin will “stretch the timeline” for agreeing to the temporary ceasefire in order to ensure that his stipulations “are taken into account.” A source close to the Kremlin stated that Russia may demand a halt to weapons supplies to Ukraine as a condition of the temporary ceasefire. Meanwhile, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that Ukrainian troops remaining in the Kursk region of Russia will be ruthlessly destroyed if they continue to fight.

Hungary has agreed to drop its veto and allow the renewal of the sanctions that the European Union has imposed on more than 2,400 individuals and entities, mainly from Russia, in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The resolution happened on Friday, less than 48 hours before the measures were set to expire, a risky deadlock that had put the bloc in a situation of extraordinary suspense. Sanctions have to be renewed every six months by unanimity, meaning one member state can single-handedly derail the entire process. Budapest demanded several names be removed from the blacklist, several diplomats told Euronews. Following intense discussions behind the scenes, a compromise was eventually reached to release four people, three of whom Hungary wanted. They were: Russian businessman Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor; Russia’s sports minister, Mikhail Degtyaryov; and Gulbahor Ismailova, the sister of oligarch Alisher Usmanov; and, Vladimir Rashevsky, businessman (removed over “weak legal case”) - Euronews

Cuba’s national electrical grid collapsed late on Friday, leading to widespread blackouts in the capital Havana and across the Caribbean island nation. Energy ministry officials said an electrical substation in Havana failed around 8:15 p.m. (0015 GMT), knocking out power to a large swath of western Cuba, including the capital. The lights were out across all of Havana’s waterfront skyline, a Reuters witness observed, with only a scattered few tourist hotels operating on fuel-fired generators. Reports on social media from outlying provinces both east and west of the capital city suggested much of the country of 10 million people was without power - Reuters

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States “is no longer welcome” in the country, in the latest Trump administration move targeting the African nation. Rubio, in a post on X, accused Ebrahim Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who hates President Donald Trump. Rubio declared the South African diplomat “persona non grata. Neither Rubio, who posted as he was flying back to Washington from a Group of 7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada, nor the State Department gave any immediate explanation for the decision. But Rubio linked to a Breitbart story about a talk Rasool gave earlier Friday as part of a South African think tank’s webinar in which he spoke about actions taken by the Trump administration in the context of a United States where white people soon would no longer be in the majority - AP

The United States has restricted visas to current and former Thai officials involved in the return of 40 Uyghurs to China last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. The visa curbs are part of a new US policy to combat China’s efforts to pressure governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, the secretary of state said in a statement. Members of the Chinese minority group are subject to torture and enforced disappearances and the new visa restriction policy will apply to any government officials who deport Uyghurs back to the Asian country, Mr Rubio said “In light of China’s longstanding acts of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Uyghurs, we call on governments around the world not to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China,” he said. The US did not identify the Thai officials who will face visa restrictions. It said certain family members of the targeted individuals might also be subject to the measures - Bangkok Post

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