Nicaragua Ends Visa-Free Entry for Cubans, Disrupting Key Migration Route to the U.S. 
Sydney Braces for Pro-Palestine Protests During Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s Visit 
Trump Signs “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” to Prioritize U.S. Weapons Sales 
Trump Congratulates Japan’s First Female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi After Historic Election Victory 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
Trump Administration Appeals Court Order to Release Hudson Tunnel Project Funding 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
TrumpRx.gov Highlights GLP-1 Drug Discounts but Offers Limited Savings for Most Americans 
US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks 
Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party Wins Thai Election, Signals Shift Toward Political Stability 
Trump Allows Commercial Fishing in Protected New England Waters 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Federal Judge Restores Funding for Gateway Rail Tunnel Project 
Japan Election 2026: Sanae Takaichi Poised for Landslide Win Despite Record Snowfall 
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify 
New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients 
A campaign group in the United Kingdom is calling on the government to address how systemic racism affected the country’s death toll during the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue should be addressed in all probes by the British government in response to the pandemic.
In an open letter to Baroness Heather Hallett, who is leading the probe, the campaign group COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice on Tuesday said the new data released by the government last week showed that Black and minority ethnic people were “overrepresented” in the death toll confirmed that racism played a role. During the pandemic, Black and minorities had a higher death rate than white Britons.
“The most recent data shows that almost all minority ethnic groups died disproportionately from COVID-19. For Bangladeshi men, the death rate was 3.1 times greater than that of White British men, followed by Pakistani men (2.3 times), and Black Caribbean men (1.8 times),” said the group in the letter. “COVID-19 is not just a health crisis; it’s also a social and economic crisis.”
The probe was set up following criticism of the government’s response to the pandemic. The letter was co-signed by the Runnymede Trust, Action for Race Equality, and Asylum Matters. The group has since called for the probe to address the systemic racism in each part of the process, bring in an expert witness, rethink the listening exercise after it was revealed that the exercise was done by PR firms with ties to the government, and ensure the representation of refugee and migrant rights groups as participants.
On the same day, the Public and Commercial Services Union announced an additional 33,000 civil servants in the UK will be taking part in the upcoming strike that will take place on March 15, including workers in the country’s tax service. The upcoming strike is part of a long-running industrial dispute with the government over pay, pensions, and job security.
The union said that the additional thousands would be joining the 100,000 civil servants across government agencies that were already scheduled to strike on that day.
