Today's World News Headlines, February 23, 2025

• Italy's Prime Minister Criticizes Left, Praises Global Conservative Leaders: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, criticized leftist double standards and highlighted the roles of leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a new conservative movement.

• France Market Attack Leaves One Dead, Three Police Officers Injured: In eastern France, an extremist shouting "Allahu akbar" fatally stabbed a passerby and injured three police officers. The suspect, an Algerian man with a history of glorifying terrorism, was arrested during the attack.

• U.S. Justice Department Staff Advised Against Responding to Elon Musk's Productivity Email: Ed Martin, leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, instructed his staff not to reply to Elon Musk's directive demanding work logs, following Musk's recent order requiring federal employees to justify their work or resign.

• Thousands Attend Funeral of Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah: Five months after his death in an Israeli airstrike, a massive funeral procession is held in Beirut for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

• Germany Holds Federal Election Amid Economic and Migration Debates: German voters head to the polls with the center-right opposition favored to win. Polls indicate a potential strong result for a far-right party, the most significant since World War II.

• China Accuses Australia of 'Hyping' Chinese Naval Drills: China criticizes Australia for allegedly exaggerating the significance of Chinese naval exercises, calling for a more measured response to routine military activities.

Meghan Markle Faces Trademark Setback with 'As Ever' Brand: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office partially rejects Meghan Markle's 'As Ever' trademark application due to similarities with an existing brand, ASEVER, posing challenges for her new clothing line.

• Researchers Advocate for Open Access to Social Media Data: Academics call for legislation to ensure access to social network data for research purposes, following restrictions imposed by platforms like X (formerly Twitter) under Elon Musk's ownership.

• Indonesia Cancels Nusantara Study Visits Due to Budget Constraints: The Indonesian Public Works Ministry cancels planned study visits to Egypt, Turkey, and India for the development of the new capital, Nusantara, citing budget efficiency measures.

• Pope Francis in Critical Condition After Respiratory Crisis: The Vatican reports that Pope Francis remains in critical condition following a severe respiratory episode linked to pneumonia. Medical staff have noted low platelet counts and the risk of sepsis