After Hamas released four more Israeli hostages, all of them female soldiers, held in Gaza since October 2023, Israel freed 200 Palestinian prisoners. Most of the latter were sent to the West Bank, but others will be deported. Israel said it would not allow Palestinians to return to northern Gaza until a female civilian, whose release had been expected on Saturday, was also freed. The exchange forms part of a six-week ceasefire between Israel and the militant group, which began on January 19th.
America’s Senate confirmed Kristi Noem, governor of South Dakota, as homeland-security secretary—overseeing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, among other agencies. Meanwhile Donald Trump reportedly dismissed more than a dozen inspectors-general of federal agencies as the president seeks to reshape America’s civil service. Inspectors-general monitor agencies’ efficiency, as well as investigating instances of fraud; Congress is supposed to receive 30 days’ notice before any are sacked.
Prosecutors in South Korea charged the suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, for insurrection following his brief imposition of martial law on December 3rd. Mr Yoon has refused to co-operate with the prosecutors, arguing that they have no legal authority over him. Separately, the Constitutional Court will decide whether to uphold his impeachment, which would remove him from office.
Donald Trump’s administration will renew sending powerful 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. The president’s predecessor, Joe Biden, paused the delivery of these weapons last year for fear of the toll they could take on civilians in Gaza during Israel’s assault on the enclave. Asked why he had taken this decision, Mr Trump replied: “Because they bought them.”
America’s Central Intelligence Agency concluded “with low confidence” that covid-19 was more likely to have emerged from a lab than from “a natural origin”. The CIA had previously said that there was not enough information to reach a conclusion. The assessment was reportedly revised before John Ratcliffe was sworn as the CIA’s new director on Thursday.
Congo cut all diplomatic ties with Rwanda after fighting continued between Congolese troops, their allies and M23, a Rwandan-backed rebel group that is advancing on Goma, a city in eastern Congo. Some 13 UN peacekeepers were killed in the attacks on Saturday, nine of them from South Africa. The UN Security Council will discuss the crisis on Sunday.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner, the defending champion and world number one, won the men’s singles at the Australian Open tennis championship. He beat Alexander Zverev of Germany in straight sets to claim his third grand-slam title. Mr Zverev, ranked second in the world, is yet to win a grand slam—and has now lost three finals.
Word of the week: shunto, annual wage negotiations between firms and unions in Japan. Read the full story.
American politics matters intensely to the rest of the world. Read The US in brief—a daily update to help you keep on top of the political stories that matter. Sign up here to receive it as a newsletter, each weekday, in your inbox.