Threats of expanding the war in Iran
Following threats from both the United States and Iran to expand their targets, Iran and its ally, Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, have escalated attacks on Israel. According to AP News, these included several strikes near Israeli nuclear sites on Sunday, March 22. While a large number of workers were wounded in the strikes, no fatalities were reported. Prime Minister Netanyahu maintains that Israel and the U.S. are nearing their strategic goals and continues to call for international support. However, as the war enters its fourth week, the effects are being felt globally; gas prices have spiked to a nationwide average of $3.94 a gallon in the U.S.
Justice referendum in Italy
Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s conservative premier, faces a pivotal political test in a two-day referendum on judicial reform that began Sunday March 22, according to AP News. Originally presented as a technical overhaul of the justice system, the reform has since sharpened political divisions and unified the center-left opposition, turning the vote into a symbolic showdown on Meloni’s strength a year ahead of the national election. Current polls indicate that, as of now, the race is too close to call, with the group voting against the referendum gaining momentum. On the first day, after five hours of voting, according to Italy’s Interior Minister, turnout for the vote totaled almost 15% of eligible voters.
Cuba begins restoring power after the third consecutive outage
Following its third nationwide power outage this month, Cuba began restoring its energy system on Sunday, March 22. By early Sunday morning, approximately 72,000 customers, including five hospitals, had regained electricity; however, this represents only a fraction of Havana’s 2 million residents. While Cuba faces a severe energy crisis due to aging and eroding power grids, the Cuban government also attributes the outages to a U.S. energy blockade. This follows warnings from the Trump administration in January regarding tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba. The U.S. is reportedly demanding the release of political prisoners and a move toward liberalization in exchange for lifting sanctions, with President Trump even suggesting the possibility of a ‘friendly takeover of Cuba,’ according to AP News.
