Israel said it had launched “extensive strikes” on Hamas “terror targets” in Gaza, shattering a fragile ceasefire that began on January 19th and killing at least 400 people, according to Palestinian health officials. Hamas said that four government officials were among those killed. Israel said it had ordered the strikes following “Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages” and its “rejection” of American ceasefire proposals.
Vladimir Putin allowed some Western funds to sell Russian securities, a day before his planned talks with Donald Trump about a possible ceasefire in Ukraine. Russia’s president banned such deals in 2022, unless they had authorities’ sign-off. Earlier Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign-policy chief, said that Russia’s strict terms for signing the ceasefire proved it “doesn’t want peace”.
Britain’s Labour government said it would introduce large reforms to the benefits system with a view to cutting at least £5bn ($6.5bn) a year from the welfare budget by 2030. The plans include narrowing the eligibility criteria for the main disability benefit. Ministers argue the changes will help people return to the workforce. But the government faces a large rebellion on the issue from Labour MPs.
In a joint statement Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland said they will withdraw from an international convention banning the use of antipersonnel landmines. The countries said they needed the “flexibility and freedom of choice” to use such weapons to defend NATO’s eastern border with Russia. Europe is rushing to bolster its security as America pursues a rapprochement with the Kremlin.
Alphabet, Google’s parent firm, is in advanced talks to buy Wiz, an Israeli cybersecurity start-up, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper said the deal would be worth $30bn, which would make it Alphabet’s largest-ever acquisition. Wiz rejected a $23bn bid from Alphabet last year. The deal—which Alphabet hopes will bolster its cloud-computing business—would almost certainly attract antitrust scrutiny.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to explain its refusal to turn around planes deporting 261 Venezuelans to El Salvador, despite a court order blocking the flights. Mr Trump cited the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as justification for the removals. The administration has until the end of Tuesday to formally reply, but has claimed the judge lacked the necessary authority.
The last of “the few” has died, at the age of 105. John Hemingway was a fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain, fought by the Royal Air Force to stave off an aerial assault by Nazi Germany in 1940. The then prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill, said of the British victory that “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.
Figure of the day: 40%, the amount that American homelessness has risen by since 2018. Read the full story.
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