Tensions flare in Lebanon and Gaza
Fragile cease-fires in Lebanon and Gaza were put to the test yesterday.
In Southern Lebanon, Israeli forces killed or injured scores of individuals, Lebanese officers mentioned, and in Gaza, Israel prevented hundreds of uprooted Palestinians from shifting again to their properties, saying Hamas had violated the phrases of their truce, together with by not adhering to the agreed order of hostage releases.
By the tip of the day, nonetheless, Israel and Hamas mentioned understandings had been reached through mediators to resolve their dispute, and the White Home issued an announcement indicating that in Lebanon, an association for an preliminary 60-day truce could be prolonged till Feb. 18.
Negotiators had hoped that the cease-fire in Lebanon would grow to be everlasting by now, securing a measure of calm in a turbulent area. 1000’s of Lebanese displaced by the warfare have poured onto roads main south as they intention to return house.
The newest: Displaced Gazans within the enclave’s south can start returning on foot to their properties within the north beginning at 7 a.m. native time this morning, adopted by automobiles through a special route two hours later, in keeping with an Israeli navy spokesman.
Diplomacy: President Trump has pushed to “clean out” the Gaza Strip, together with by asking Egypt and Jordan to soak up lots of of hundreds of Palestinians. His suggestion drew flat rejections from these international locations, two of crucial U.S. allies within the Center East.
Associated: A sudden halt to U.S. overseas support won’t apply to emergency meals support and weapons support to Israel and Egypt.
A Colombia-U.S. feud involves an finish
The U.S. and Colombia narrowly avoided a trade war yesterday, with President Gustavo Petro of Colombia and President Trump sparring over the deportation of Colombian migrants from the U.S.
Late final night time, Petro backed down and agreed to obtain all deportees from the U.S., together with these on navy planes. Trump had threatened to impose steep tariffs and a raft of different penalties in response to Petro’s announcement that he had turned again navy planes carrying deportees to Colombia.
In an announcement yesterday, the White Home mentioned Petro had agreed to all of its phrases. It mentioned tariffs and sanctions could be “held in reserve” and that different penalties would stay in impact till the primary planeload of deportees had arrived in Colombia. Colombia’s overseas ministry additionally launched an announcement, saying that it might settle for deportation flights and “assure dignified situations” for these Colombians on board.
In different Trump administration information:
Lukashenko wins re-election — once more
In an election that was extensively dismissed as rigged, Europe’s longest-serving chief, President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, cruised to his seventh election victory in a row yesterday.
A survey of voters leaving polling locations that was launched by state media yesterday night confirmed the president getting 87.6 p.c of the vote, greater than the 81 p.c he claimed to have received in 2020. Exit polls are managed by the state, like all points of elections in Belarus, and customarily replicate the final word end result.
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Caity Weaver, a Occasions journal author, loves sugar. Like, actually loves it. Her house comprises stashes of Dunkaroos, pouches of Gushers and packs of Strawberry Sensation Fruit Roll-Ups, auto-delivered from Amazon.
Decided to kick the behavior and find out about sugar dependence, Weaver traveled to a meals remedy facility in Austria to attempt to change her methods. It was, she says, a journey into hell.
Lives lived: Carol Downer, a pacesetter within the feminist girls’s well being motion who drew nationwide fame for her position in a case referred to as the Nice Yogurt Conspiracy, has died at 91.
Artwork fraud, on a grand scale
Two artwork fraud rings in a distant Canadian metropolis produced hundreds of work that have been peddled as works by Norval Morrisseau, Canada’s most celebrated Indigenous artist.
By the point all of it got here out — a long time later — the works had collectively fetched tens of millions of {dollars} throughout Canada, making it onto the partitions of the nation’s prime galleries and universities. They have been bought by retired schoolteachers, billionaire artwork collectors and even a rock star.
“None of us knew something about artwork,” mentioned one of many hard-boiled murder detectives who helped crack the case. They carried out their investigation by reconstructing Morrisseau’s life so they might perceive how and what he painted, and the way he signed his works.
That’s it for at present’s briefing. It’s nice to be again. — Natasha
Attain Natasha and the staff at briefing@nytimes.com.
