• U.S. tariffs announced: President Donald Trump is imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States. Mr. Trump has said factory jobs will return to the U.S. as a result, but his policies risk a sudden economic slowdown and price hikes. The announcement brought threats of countermeasures and calls for further negotiations. But early responses were measured, highlighting a lack of appetite among key trading partners for an outright trade war. – The Associated Press
  • Related Monitor story: The president hopes to use reciprocal tariffs to boost national self-sufficiency. What’s less clear is whether they can work.
• Israel to expand Gaza operations: Israel announced plans for large areas of Gaza to be seized and added to its security zones. The move would be accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population. Defense Minister Israel Katz did not make clear how much land Israel intended to seize or whether the move represented a permanent annexation. Israeli strikes overnight killed more than 50 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, hospital officials said. – Reuters, AP
  • Related Monitor story: In October, our Gazan reporter spoke on our podcast about what has kept her going.
• Judge ends Adams case: A federal judge dismissed New York Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case. Judge Dale Ho granted the Justice Department’s request to set aside criminal charges so the mayor could aid Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown. The judge denied prosecutors the ability to bring the criminal case back after the mayoral election. – AP
• Troubling signal: Fallout from the use of the encrypted messaging service Signal to discuss a U.S. strike in Yemen March 15 has widened. U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and his team have “regularly set up” chats on the app to facilitate work on issues concerning China, Gaza, Europe, and Mideast policy, Politico reported, citing four individuals who were added to Signal chats. They said sensitive information had been discussed. Two said they knew of at least 20 chats. – Staff 
• Amazon vies for TikTok: Amazon put in a last-minute bid to buy TikTok, a U.S. administration official said Wednesday, ahead of a Saturday deadline for the app to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the country. Mr. Trump was expected to consider a final proposal related to the app, a White House official said. – Reuters
  • Related Monitor story: In January we looked at some of the concerns around TikTok in the U.S., and at user responses to talk of a ban.
• Trust grows in Cyprus: The rival leaders of divided Cyprus made progress Wednesday on fostering trust between their Greek- and Turkish-speaking communities. They agreed to delve into the dangers posed by minefields and work together on environmental initiatives. But the two sides still have a long way to go to formally restart moribund peace talks. The Mediterranean island was divided when Turkey invaded the northern part in 1974 following a failed coup by supporters of a union with Greece. – AP

Since before the Revolutionary War, America has had a bedrock legal principle: Every defendant has the right to a lawyer, and every lawyer has the freedom to represent whom they choose. That ideal is now being tested by a series of executive orders and memos targeting law firms. The Trump administration says it is seeking accountability to protect national security, public safety, and election integrity. Legal scholars see an attack on the rule of law.

A few months ago, most Canadians could not have put a face to the name. Mark Carney, the first non-Brit to helm the Bank of England in its history, led the British economy through Brexit. Prior to his overseas post, he governed the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis. Now, just weeks after becoming prime minister, he is rallying his fellow citizens amid threats from an American president questioning their sovereignty.

The wildfires that swept through the Los Angeles area in January left residents with a crisis of confidence in their elected leaders. But long-term recovery after disasters includes civic renewal. Coordinated responses by churches and grassroots organizations can plant seeds of new leadership and restored faith in government, starting with initiatives based on caring and innovation.

Papier-mâché dates back hundreds of years in Kashmir. It flourished under a succession of sultans, becoming a symbol of Kashmir’s cultural identity. A creative renaissance in the art is now reaching a wider international clientele, driving a handicraft export goal that may be a key to economic growth in the mountainous region claimed by both India and Pakistan.

Did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart do some amateur sleuthing between concertos? Was the great Jay Gatsby an assassin? Mysteries offer diversion, and it never hurts if you can learn a little something along with the crime-solving. Six books offer readers armchair travel, amusing characters, diverting plot twists, and a dash of history.

One daughter is off to college. In the fall, another will leave. And the third won’t be far behind. A wistful New York father ponders the mundane preoccupations and all-too-brief wonder of parenthood over solitary meals at the family table.

Nahid Islam faced a conundrum. Last year, when the sociology student protested the autocratic rule of Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, he had one clear complaint: The system of handing out government jobs was massively unfair.

Under the then-prime minister’s watch, more than half of civil service jobs were reserved for specific groups. The largest share (35%) went to the children and grandchildren of those who fought in the country’s 1971 war of independence. That hiring bias helped kindle one of the slogans in the 2024 uprising that forced Ms. Hasina out of office: “Equality of opportunity is the essence of the constitution.” 

Yet earlier this year, Mr. Islam found the roles reversed. The revolution against an autocratic leader had succeeded, and he was now a part of the interim government. Shouldn’t the families of those killed and wounded during the protests – like those in 1971 – be given some quota in civil service jobs as thanks?

No, he announced in February. They would be cared for, but more quotas was not the answer.

The effort to put Bangladesh’s government and society on fairer foundations is a daunting one. Last July’s revolution grew because it tapped into a deep-seated sense that coups and corruption had derailed the country’s founding ideals of communal peace and opportunity.

Mr. Islam is now addressing that larger problem as the leader of a new party, the National Citizen Party. “The party’s anti-quota stance, which originally sparked the July movement, has evolved into a broader demand for equal rights and opportunities for all citizens,” writes Shafi Mostofa, a religion professor at the University of Dhaka, in The Diplomat.

Many challenges lie ahead as Bangladesh moves toward making government reforms and ultimately holding elections. In a society where women are often expected to fulfill traditional roles, the presence of three women in the National Citizen Party’s 10-person leadership team is seen by some as a sign of progress. But including an openly gay man who was a leader of the student protests caused a backlash and backtracking.

Perhaps the biggest test will be in Bangladesh’s Muslim majority embracing the Hindu minority. Tensions are high and misinformation is rife about acts of violence against that group. Last October, the nation’s largest Hindu festival, Durga Puja, was a test. And the interim government, with Mr. Islam playing a key role, prevented any major violence.

“Our government has engaged with the minority communities and assured them of their safety,” Mr. Islam told The Daily Star.

For one Hindu attendee at the festival, this sense of equality shone through: “People who thronged here are jubilant,” university student Arpita Barman told The Associated Press. “I feel happy to see people irrespective of their religions here. We want to see such scenes in the future and a harmonious Bangladesh.”