The Israel Defence Forces announced a resumption of “focused” ground operations in the Gaza Strip, particularly around the Netzarim corridor, which cuts the territory in two. Palestinian health officials said that Israeli strikes had also killed 20 people, including a UN worker. On Tuesday a large Israeli aerial attack killed at least 400 people, shattering hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire with Hamas.
Donald Trump said he had a “very good” call with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and that the process of ending the war with Russia was “very much on track”. Mr Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, when Russia’s president rejected the idea of an immediate 30-day ceasefire, but said he would pause attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Hours later, Russia bombarded Ukrainian cities.
Police in Turkey arrested Ekrem Imamoglu, Istanbul’s mayor, days before he was set to be named as an opposition candidate to rival President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. State media reported the arrest was related to corruption and terrorism; Mr Imamoglu’s party called it a “coup”. The next presidential election is not scheduled until 2028, but the opposition hopes to force an early vote.
The European Commission charged Alphabet, Google’s parent company, for breaching the Digital Markets Act. The EU’s executive branch said Google’s search engine gave preference to Alphabet’s services and that its app marketplace limited competition. Separately, the commission told Apple to give other firms’ devices greater scope to connect to its systems. The move may anger the Trump administration, which favours lighter regulation of Big Tech.
Japan’s central bank left its short-term policy interest rate unchanged at 0.5%. The Bank of Japan warned of “high uncertainties”, saying rising rice costs would push up inflation while the “evolving situation regarding trade” could hurt the economy. Japan’s rates are at their highest level in 17 years.
Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to reopen one of their main border crossings after its closure for almost one month. A disagreement over Afghanistan’s construction of a border post at the Torkham crossing sparked the dispute, which led to several clashes between Pakistani and Taliban forces. Trade across the border has now resumed; people are expected to be allowed to cross later this week.
Ben & Jerry’s, an ice-cream brand, claimed that Unilever, the conglomerate that owns it, ousted its chief executive because of his political activism. In a court filing in New York it alleged that David Stever was fired not for poor performance, but for failing to bend to demands that Ben & Jerry’s “silence the social mission”. Unilever has not commented.
Figure of the day: Nearly 3m, the number of Britons aged between 16 and 64 who are not working because of poor health. Read the full story.
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency has brought exceptional changes to American politics—with consequences for the rest of the world, too. Read The US in brief, a daily update of the domestic political stories that matter. Sign up here to receive it as a newsletter, each weekday, in your inbox.