The Week of March 16, 2025 by CoenM

Israel renewed its war against Gaza, while Benjamin Netanyahu fired Ronen Bar as head of what DOMESTIC SECURITY SERVICE, citing its failure to anticipate the October 7 attack by Hamas? Israel's Supreme Court stayed the firing so a hearing could be held on the matter.

Donald Trump signed an executive order to eliminate what CABINET DEPARTMENT? The order will move most of its functions - and funding - the states, while some core services will be assigned to other federal agencies.

Name EITHER OF THE ASTRONAUTS who returned to Earth after an impromptu 9 month mission to the International Space Station? They remained on the ISS after the capsule that brought them there was not deemed safe enough for them to return in.

Hundreds of thousands of residents of what CITY took to the streets to protest the arrest of mayor Ekram Imamoglu on corruption charges? The arrest is seen as politically motivated, as Imamoglu was expected to run for president in 2028.

What EUROPEAN COUNTRY put aside its recent aversion to defecits and militarism to approve nearly 1 trillion Euros in borrowing and spending to beef up its military and fix its infrastructure? The changes were passed by its lame duck parliament in order to avoid putting the matter before an influx of new, right-wing legislators.

What SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY agreed to resume taking flights of deportees from the United States? The country stopped taking flights after the US cancelled Chevron's license to export oil out of the country.

While a lawsuit was filed to restore its funding, Czech officials floated a Continental plan to save what BROADCASTER, which provides news and programming to counter state-run news agencies in Russia, Iran, and China? It was marked to shut down after the US Agency for Global Media was defunded.

A North Dakota court ordered what ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST GROUP to pay $660 million to oil companies for damages incurred during protests over the Dakota Access pipeline?

The Federal Reserve published their economic outlook for 2025, saying that the US could be headed toward what CONDITION where prices continue to rise while growth slows? The term, coined in the UK in the 1960s, was used to describe economic conditions in the US in the following decade.

Your HallR Memorial Mini-Theme of the Week: Fly (or Don't Fly) the Friendly (or Not So Friendly) Skies. What AIRPORT, Europe's busiest, was closed for most of a day after losing power due to a fire at an electricity substation?

Donald Trump and defense secretary Pete Hegseth announced from the Oval Office that what AEROSPACE COMPANY would build the next generation of US fighter jets? The company's military expertise is mostly in bombers, but acquired the maker of the F-15, F-18, and F-22 in a merger.

For the 8th year in a row, what SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRY took the top spot in the World Happiness Report rakings? The US marked an all-time low, finishing 24th.