Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said that the Gaza ceasefire deal would be approved in a meeting of his security cabinet on Friday. The vote had been delayed after Mr Netanyahu accused Hamas of making last-minute demands. Mr Netanyahu’s far-right allies oppose the deal and have threatened to withdraw from his ruling coalition if it goes ahead.
China reported that its economy grew by 5% in 2024, meeting the government’s ambitious target for the year. Recent stimulus measures and a surge in export orders helped push the annual growth rate in the fourth quarter up to 5.4%, from 4.6% in the third quarter. Some economists, however, doubt whether growth is as strong as official numbers suggest.
Scott Bessent, Donald Trump’s nominee for treasury secretary, told American senators that renewing tax cuts introduced by the president-elect was the “most important economic issue of the day”. At a confirmation hearing he also backed tougher sanctions on Russian oil; his comments pushed up crude prices. Mr Bessent, a hedge-fund titan, is a sensible choice for treasury secretary, but he faces a gruelling job.
Rio Tinto and Glencore, two mining giants, reportedly held recent talks about a possible merger. According to Bloomberg, it is unclear if the discussions are still ongoing. Should the merger go through, it would probably be the biggest-ever deal in the industry. There has been a spate of mergers and acquisitions in mining as firms look to secure the metals needed to harness renewable energy.
Mark Carney, Canada’s former central-bank governor, will run to replace Justin Trudeau as leader of the country’s ruling Liberal Party. Mr Trudeau resigned this month amid a mounting political crisis. His successor, to be elected in March, will probably have only a short time as prime minister. Canada’s next election must be held by October, but is expected to be sooner.
America accused Sudan’s army of using chemical weapons at least twice against the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group. America’s government will sanction Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the general who leads the Sudanese Armed Forces, for alleged war crimes. Last week America concluded that the RSF had committed genocide in the western region of Darfur.
David Lynch, an award-winning American filmmaker, died aged 78. The creator of the television series “Twin Peaks”, a surrealist murder mystery released in 1990, influenced a generation of television programmes. Last year Mr Lynch, whose films include “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive”, revealed an emphysema diagnosis following “many years of smoking”.
Figure of the day: 61%, the share of Americans who say astrology provides comfort in uncertain times. Read the full story.
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