AnewZ Morning Brief - March 7th, 2025

Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for March 7th, covering the latest developments you need to know.

1. Fire breaks out at oil well in Kazakhstan’s Atyrau region

A fire has broken out at an oil well in Kazakhstan's Atyrau region, according to Kazakh media, citing the press service of JSC "Embamunaigas" (EMG).

The incident occurred on March 6, 2025, at well N437 in the Western Prorva field, operated by NGDU "Zhylyoimunaigaz." The fire started after perforation work, when a gas release took place during the lowering of the tubing string, causing it to be ejected. Authorities report that no injuries or casualties have been recorded.

2. U.S. pauses tariffs on some Canadian, Mexican imports until April 2

President Donald Trump on Thursday postponed 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada for a month amid widespread fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war.

The White House insists its tariffs are about stopping the smuggling of fentanyl, but the taxes proposed by Trump have caused a gaping wound in the decades-old North American trade partnership. Trump’s tariff plans have also caused the stock market to sink and alarmed U.S. consumers.

3. President Trump signs executive order officially creating a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve, a day before meeting with executives from the cryptocurrency industry at the White House.

The reserve will be capitalized with bitcoin owned by the federal government that was forfeited as part of criminal or civil asset forfeiture proceedings, the White House crypto czar, billionaire David Sacks, said in a post on social media platform X.

4. CIA fires an unspecified number of new officers

The Central Intelligence Agency fired a slew of recent hires this week, three people familiar with the matter said, cuts that current and former U.S. intelligence officers warned would risk damaging U.S. national security.

The firings under U.S. President Donald Trump's new CIA director, John Ratcliffe, come as Trump presides over massive federal workforce reductions overseen by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

5. South Korea air force jets accidentally drop bombs on homes, injuring 15

South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a civilian district on Thursday, injuring 15 people and damaging houses and a church during military exercises in Pocheon, the Air Force and fire agency said.

The fire agency said in a statement that 15 people were wounded, including two who were seriously hurt.

6. Trump says he’ll visit Saudi Arabia this spring after Riyadh agreed to invest $1 trillion in US

US President Donald Trump says he will travel to Saudi Arabia in the spring after Riyadh agreed to invest $1 trillion in American companies over the next four years.

Speaking to reporters in the White House, Trump says Saudi Arabia agreed to invest $450 billion in US companies during his first term

“They’ve gotten richer, we’ve all gotten older. So I said, ‘I’ll go if you pay a $1 trillion to American companies… over a four-year period,” Trump says.

7. Pope Francis, in stable condition, sends first audio message from hospital

Pope Francis on Thursday sent his first audio message since being hospitalized for double pneumonia nearly three weeks ago, expressing thanks "from the bottom of my heart" to well-wishers around the world who have offered their support.

A brief, two-line message recorded by Francis from Rome's Gemelli hospital earlier on Thursday was played during a nightly prayer service for the pope in St Peter's Square at the Vatican.

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