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Thursday

World

US approves sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia

The United States has approved a $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 stealth warplanes to Saudi Arabia, the State Department said Thursday, the kingdom's latest major arms purchase since the start of the Iran war. Saudi Arabia has been repeatedly targeted with drone and missile strikes by Tehran's forces since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February, and has also been hit by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

World

Prized Aztec codex returns to Mexico on loan

A cherished 16th-century Mexican manuscript that tells the history of the Aztecs in pictograms went on display Thursday in Mexico City, nearly two centuries after it was whisked off to France. France's National Library, which has maintained possession of it for over a century, loaned it to Mexico to commemorate 200 years of relations between the two countries, although Mexico is pushing for its permanent return.

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Politics

French PM vows to cut public spending by €54 billion to reduce deficit

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday that France will cut public spending by €54 billion next year to reduce the country's deficit. The announcement comes seven months ahead of the country's presidential election, and the government is wary of a new wave of demonstrations with a jump in global oil prices sparking concerns over the rising cost of living.

Politics

Russia seizes assets of Swiss food giant Nestle and three French firms

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday to transfer assets of Swiss food giant Nestle and three French groups to a company called LEV Management. Most Western companies quickly sold their Russian operations and holdings after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the Kremlin has since made it difficult for firms to leave the country.

World

UN mission says grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran

A UN fact-finding mission on Iran said on Thursday it had reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. France 24’s Kethevane Gorjestani takes a closer look at the report’s findings.

World

Venezuela lifts block on some news sites as transition talks resume

Venezuela has unblocked some news sites that had been censored for years, its telecom regulator said Thursday, as US-backed political transition talks were set to resume. Digital rights group VE Sin Filtro verified access to 17 news sites through several internet providers. However, at least 188 websites remain blocked, it said, including 79 news outlets.

Politics

Judge orders Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired government workers

A California federal judge on Thursday ordered six U.S. agencies to reinstate thousands of recently hired employees who were fired as part of President Donald Trump's purge of the federal workforce. The ruling made by U.S. District Judge William Alsup during a hearing in San Francisco applies to the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Interior and the Treasury Department. Alsup last month temporarily blocked the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the human resources department for federal agencies, from or

Politics

US lawmakers running out of time to fund government

U.S. lawmakers are running out of time to pass a short-term continuing resolution, or CR, that will fund the government past a March 14 deadline. "Democrats need to decide if they're going to support funding legislation that came over from the House, or if they're going to shut down the government. So far, it's looking like they plan to shut it down," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the Senate floor Thursday. Appropriations bills require a 60-vote threshold for passage in the Senate, which means Republicans need to secure at least eight Democratic votes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck

Politics

Trump asks Supreme Court to intervene in bid to curb birthright citizenship

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump took the fight over his attempt to restrict automatic U.S. birthright citizenship to the Supreme Court on Thursday as the Republican president's administration asked the justices to narrow a judicial block imposed on this key element of his hardline approach toward immigration. The Justice Department made the request challenging the scope of three nationwide injunctions issued against Trump's order by federal courts in Washington state, Massachusetts and Maryland. The administration said the injunctions should be scaled back from applying universally and limited to ju

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Business

Wall Street tumbles 10% below its record after Trump escalates trade war

NEW YORK — Wall Street's sell-off hit a new low Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating trade war dragged the S&P 500 more than 10% below its record, which was set just last month. A 10% drop is deemed a correction by professional investors, and the S&P 500's 1.4% slide on Thursday sent the index to its first since 2023. The losses came after Trump upped the stakes in his trade war by threatening huge taxes on European wines and alcohol. Not even a double-shot of good news on the U.S. economy could stop the bleeding. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 537 points,

Science

Report: US bird population is declining

The U.S. bird population is declining at an alarming rate, according to a report published Thursday by an alliance of science and conservation groups. Habitat loss and climate change are among the key contributing factors to the bird population losses, according to the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report. More than 100 of the species studied, have reached a "tipping point," losing more than half their populations in the last 50 years. The report revealed that the avian population in all habitats is declining, including the duck population, previously considered a triumph of conservation. "The

Topic: Thursday | RocksNews