Donald Trump signed an executive order that places tariffs of 25% on goods entering America from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on those from China. Canadian oil faces a lower levy of 10%. The duties, which come in on Tuesday, will stoke fears of a trade war with America’s three biggest trading partners. Mr Trump’s decision was touted by the White House as a response to the other countries’ failures to stop flows of drugs and migrants.
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.
Ken Martin was elected as the new chair of the Democratic National Committee, the American party’s leadership group. Mr Martin, Minnesota’s state party chairman, has a long history of working on presidential campaigns. The Democrats are in disarray after Republicans won the White House and both houses of Congress in November. Mr Martin will be instrumental in helping the Democrats to rebuild their support.
Mr Trump said that America had carried out air strikes on members of Islamic State in Somalia. On social media the president claimed that the strikes “killed many terrorists” without harming civilians. The action was confirmed by an official in the Somali government, but was not independently verified. Pete Hegseth, America’s defence secretary, said it happened in the Golis Mountains in the north of Somalia.
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.
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