The United Nations’ secretary-general warned Donald Trump “to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing” after the president proposed that America take over Gaza and relocate its Palestinian inhabitants abroad. As countries around the world rejected the idea—including, importantly, Saudi Arabia—the White House tried to walk back Mr Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians be “permanently” resettled and that American troops would be deployed “if it’s necessary”.
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels began a new offensive in the Democratic Republic of Congo, days after capturing the eastern city of Goma. On Wednesday they took control of a town while advancing towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province. The rebels had said a ceasefire would begin on Tuesday, but Congo’s government described that as a “false communication”.
Qualcomm and Arm, two chipmakers, reported better-than-expected revenues of $11.7bn and $983m respectively for the final quarter of 2024. Both firms have benefitted from growing demand for smartphones with artificial-intelligence features, such as virtual assistants. Still, the chipmakers’ shares slumped in after-hours trading, in Arm’s case because it cut its revenue projections for 2025.
Javier Milei, Argentina’s president, said that the country would withdraw from the World Health Organisation. A government spokesman cited “deep differences” over health management, particularly during the covid-19 pandemic, and said that Argentina would not allow an international body to “interfere” in its sovereignty. The move follows America’s notification last month that it would exit the WHO next year.
China said that Mr Trump’s decision to impose additional 10% tariffs on its imports were “discriminatory and protectionist in nature” and began dispute proceedings at the World Trade Organisation (a largely symbolic move). Earlier the US Postal Service briefly stopped accepting parcels from China and Hong Kong after Mr Trump scrapped a rule allowing duty-free imports under $800, known as de minimis exemptions.
Mr Trump signed an executive order that seeks to bar transgender women from competing in women’s sports, in line with a promise that was prominent in his presidential campaign. The directive denies funding to schools that do not comply and will be enforced by the Department of Education. It draws authority from Title IX, a sex-discrimination law that the Biden administration tried unsuccessfully to revise to include trans students.
Nissan suspended merger talks with Honda, according to Nikkei. The newspaper said the two Japanese carmakers had failed to agree on a valuation. Both firms have struggled to compete with Chinese rivals in the production of electric cars. The merger would have created the world’s third-largest carmaker by sales.
Figure of the day: $12m, the amount Deloitte has earned since 2020 from DEI-related work for America’s Department of Health and Human Services. Read the full story.
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