Donald Trump repeated his threat to impose tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China from Saturday, and added that he would also tax goods from the European Union. He insisted that the levies were not merely “a negotiating tool”, and said he would “eventually” put tariffs on goods ranging from semiconductors to aluminium. Earlier the White House press secretary denied a report by Reuters that the president would delay the tariffs.
Hamas released three more Israeli hostages as the fragile ceasefire signed on January 15th continued to hold. Israel is also due to release more than 180 Palestinian prisoners as part of this fourth round of exchanges. Imminent talks will focus on the next stage of the ceasefire, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all of Gaza and the release of more hostages.
Several Arab governments released a joint statement condemning a suggestion made by Mr Trump about the future of Gaza. Mr Trump had spoken of the potential displacement of the strip’s population to Egypt and Jordan. Those countries, plus Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League, said they rejected any effort “to compromise Palestinians’ unalienable rights, whether through settlement activities, or evictions or annex of land”.
Eighteen Pakistani soldiers were killed during fighting with rebels in Balochistan, a province in the south-west. The militants from the Baloch National Army separatist group, many of whom also died in the confrontation, had put up a roadblock. Baloch nationalists in Pakistan—who feel that the Punjabi, the country’s largest ethnic group, has sidelined and impoverished them—have sporadically fought against the government since 1947.
Five political parties in Belgium struck a deal to form a new right-leaning government after nearly eight months of negotiations. Bart De Wever, a Flemish nationalist leader, is expected to become the prime minister. Talks had dragged on as parties could not agree on budget-related issues. Mr De Wever has vowed to improve Belgium’s public finances.
A former adviser to America’s Federal Reserve was arrested for sharing economic secrets with China. John Rogers worked in the Fed’s international finance division between 2010 and 2021. From at least 2018 Mr Rogers allegedly began supplying sensitive information to Chinese officials under the “guise of teaching”. The Chinese embassy in Washington said it was “not familiar” with the case.
Russian missiles damaged several historic buildings, including a concert hall and a luxury hotel, in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, called the attack “a deliberate strike” on the district, which the UN has classified as a world heritage site. At least seven people were injured.
Word of the week: wu nu, or “housing slave”, slang for young Taiwanese homebuyers who feel trapped by their expensive mortgages. 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.