Ukraine reports Chinese fighters. Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said today that Beijing “asks its nationals to stay away from areas of armed conflict,” while unnamed Western officials told CNN they did not see “evidence of state sponsorship.” Also yesterday, the United States said it would pull troops and equipment from a logistics hub in Poland used to supply Ukraine. Poland said other NATO allies would fill the United States’ role.
Senior U.S. official at NATO fired. Defense Secretary Hegseth removed Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield “due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead,” a spokesperson for Hegseth said. Four of the nine senior military officers dismissed during the Trump administration have been women; the percentage of women who become U.S. generals or admirals is in the single digits. Chatfield did not immediately comment publicly.
Rare-earth plant expansion. Belgian chemical company Solvay inaugurated a plant expansion of their La Rochelle, France, facility yesterday that will be devoted to rare earth processing. China has recently restricted its exports of rare earths, and Solvay says it aims to provide 30 percent of processed rare earths for magnets in Europe by 2030.
U.S. pullback of migration parole. Some migrants allowed into the United States during the Joe Biden administration under a policy called humanitarian parole received notification that their legal status was terminated yesterday and were told “to leave the United States.” The messages went out to people who had obtained appointments at the U.S.-Mexico border via a Customs and Border Protection app. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have entered the United States using the app since January 2023. It was not immediately clear how many received the termination notice.
Clean power’s global growth. More than 40 percent of worldwide electricity was generated from renewable or nuclear energy in 2024, think tank Ember said in a new report. Solar is the fastest-growing energy source; the amount of power it produces has doubled in the last three years. Even so, the report cautioned, factors including the increased demand for air conditioning meant that fossil fuel generation rose, too.
U.S. relations with Panama. Hegseth said the two countries would work in “partnership” on a visit to Panama yesterday. While in recent months Trump has threatened to “take back” the Panama Canal, Hegseth praised Panama’s security cooperation and said that “together we will take back the canal from China’s influence.” Also yesterday, the country’s top auditor said the Hong Kong company that owns two ports on the canal owes hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid fees.
Zimbabwe’s land compensation. Zimbabwe issued more than $300 million in bonds as part of measures to repay farmers whose land was seized twenty-five years ago in a land reform program. The program sparked violent land evictions in 2000 and prompted Western sanctions in the past.
Argentina’s new IMF deal. Argentina reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $20 billion loan, the fund said yesterday. Details are due to be confirmed at an upcoming IMF board meeting. Buenos Aires has been negotiating a new agreement with the IMF for months as part of President Javier Milei’s economic reforms.
