Israel’s government delayed a cabinet vote on the Gaza ceasefire deal. Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, accused Hamas of making last-minute demands. The militant group denied the claim. Mr Netanyahu’s far-right allies oppose the deal, which includes a six-week truce and the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli air strikes killed at least 77 people in Gaza on Thursday.
Morgan Stanley and Bank of America reported strong fourth-quarter earnings, driven by a revival in investment banking and trading activities. Morgan Stanley’s profits more than doubled from the previous year to $3.7bn; Bank of America’s jumped by 112% to $6.7bn. The latter outperformed rivals on loan growth, with lending rising 3% to nearly $1.1tn.
BP will cut over 4,700 jobs—5% of its global workforce—and 3,000 contractors. The British oil giant is struggling with weak share performance and the high costs of transitioning away from fossil fuels. Murray Auchincloss, the chief executive, said the cuts form part of a plan to save at least $2bn by 2026. He has already scaled back BP’s push into renewables.
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 the Sudanese Armed Forces, the country’s national army, of using chemical weapons at least twice against the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force. The government will sanction Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the general who leads the SAF, for alleged war crimes. Last week America concluded that the RSF had committed genocide in the western region of Darfur.
Romania introduced stricter social-media campaigning rules ahead of a re-run of its presidential election. Platforms must clearly label political ads and remove content that violates election rules within five hours of a request from Romanian officials. The government confirmed the election will take place on May 4th and May 18th. The first round was annulled owing to allegations of Russian interference.
David Lynch, an award-winning American filmmaker, died aged 78. The creator of “Twin Peaks”, a hugely popular surrealist murder mystery released in 1990, has been credited for influencing a generation of television. 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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