World News in Brief: March 12

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that "hopefully Russia will agree to" a 30-day ceasefire after a high-level meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city, U.S. news outlets reported.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro lost a confidence vote on Tuesday, forcing his government to resign after less than a year in office.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro lost a confidence vote on Tuesday, forcing his government to resign after less than a year in office.

* Greenland's opposition Demokraatit (Democrats) party won Tuesday's parliamentary election, according to preliminary data released by the Central Election Committee on Wednesday.

* Romania's Constitutional Court (CCR) on Tuesday upheld the Central Electoral Bureau's (BEC) decision to invalidate Calin Georgescu's candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections in May.

* China will hold the Beijing meeting between China, Russia and Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue on March 14, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Wednesday.

* Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal for an immediate interim 30-day ceasefire, according to the joint statement issued by the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations following their meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday described the meeting between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations in Saudi Arabia as "good and constructive."

* Russia does not rule out contact with the United States in the coming days, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

* China hopes all parties involved in the Ukraine crisis will engage in dialogue and negotiation, and find a sustainable and lasting peace plan that accommodates their respective concerns, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

* Representatives from the governments of Laos and Thailand met in Lao capital Vientiane to discuss strategies to combat human trafficking.

* Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos confirmed that a chartered jet carrying former President Rodrigo Duterte to the Netherlands took off on Tuesday night.

* Belarus would like to bring its relations with India to a strategic level, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday while accepting the credentials of the Indian ambassador in Minsk, the press service of the Belarusian leader said.

* Thailand's participation as a partner of the BRICS group aligns with the country's economic diplomacy strategy to enhance national interests, competitiveness, and global presence, local media quoted Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa as saying on Tuesday.

* The European Commission on Wednesday announced it will impose retaliatory tariffs on 26 billion euros (28 billion USD) worth of U.S. goods from next month in response to U.S. tariffs of 25 percent on steel and aluminium imports.

* The United States on Tuesday reversed its plan to impose extra 25 percent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, after the Canadian province of Ontario dropped tariffs on electricity exports to three U.S. states.

* Australia will not impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States, despite its failure to secure an exemption from Trump administration's import taxes on Australian steel and aluminium, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who described the tariffs as "entirely unjustified."

* Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that she will send a diplomatic note to the United States after a U.S. envoy criticized her at a UN conference for holding a political rally Sunday in Mexico's capital.

* Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday that by 2027, Poland will have the capacity to provide military training to 100,000 individuals each year.

* Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Wednesday emphasized her government's dedication to an investor-friendly environment to strengthen confidence as an effort to drive Thailand's economic expansion.

* Singapore's authorities have issued a warning about scams involving artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital manipulation, where fraudsters use synthetic media to impersonate high-ranking executives and deceive employees into transferring company funds.

* Indonesia's tourism authorities on Tuesday reminded various parties organizing events in the country to pay closer attention to waste management to maintain a clean and sustainable environment.

* Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Brunei has created spin-off opportunities for hundreds of local businesses, a government minister said on Tuesday.

* The United Nations welcomed an agreement reached by the Syrian interim government and the Kurdish-led forces after the violent escalation in the country's coastal region last week, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

* Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi reaffirmed on Tuesday that the establishment of a Palestinian state is the only solution to the ongoing conflict, rejecting any attempts to displace Palestinians from their land.

* Israeli forces have killed at least 137 Palestinians since the ceasefire agreement with Hamas took effect in Gaza, Salama Maarouf, head of the Hamas-run government media office, said on Tuesday.

* Hamas said on Tuesday that Egyptian and Qatari mediators are continuing efforts to finalize the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and initiate the second phase of negotiations.

* The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate as Israel has kept all border crossings closed and blocked the entry of essential aid for the 10th consecutive day, Hamas said Tuesday.

* Yemen's Houthi group announced Tuesday night the resumption of attacks against Israeli ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

* Angola's presidency said on Tuesday it will contact the M23 rebels to facilitate direct negotiations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government to pursue peace in eastern DRC.

* Pakistani security forces have killed 27 terrorists and rescued 155 passengers during an ongoing operation to rescue hostages following a train attack in the country's southwest Balochistan province, security sources said on Wednesday morning.

* Kazakhstan plans to increase cargo shipments through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or the Middle Corridor, to 10 million tons a year, Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu announced, Kazinform news agency reported on Tuesday.

* Italy has proposed a public guarantee scheme to attract up to 200 billion euros (218.5 billion USD) in private investment to strengthen EU defense, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Tuesday.

* Cambodia made a total of 211 million USD from the exports of milled rice and rubber latex during the first two months of 2025, according to official reports on Wednesday.

* Kyrgyzstan's gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to 2.3 billion USD in the first two months of 2025, marking a 10.7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, the National Statistics Committee reported on Tuesday.

* The Bank of Spain on Tuesday raised its economic growth forecast for the country but cautioned about uncertainty stemming from the Trump administration's tariff policies.

* Argentina's government has included the terms of its proposed loan agreement with the IMF into a Necessity and Urgency Decree, officials said Tuesday.

* Mongolia has exported goods and raw materials worth a total of 2 billion USD since the beginning of 2025, official data released by the Mongolian Customs General Administration showed on Wednesday. The figure decreased by 10.5 percent compared with the same period of 2024, the data said.

Xinhua