Monday Briefing: Cease-fires under pressure

Plus, tensions flare between Colombia and the U.S.

View in browser|nytimes.com January 27, 2025 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering the latest from cease-fires in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, and a diplomatic spat between Colombia and the U.S. Plus: She tried to quit sugar. It was torturous. Lebanese carry an injured man to safety after Israeli forces fired on crowds in Burj al-Muluk, southern Lebanon, on Sunday. Rabih Daher/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 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 people, Lebanese officials said, and in Gaza, Israel prevented thousands of uprooted Palestinians from moving back to their homes, saying Hamas had violated the terms of their truce, including by not adhering to the agreed order of hostage releases. By the end of the day, however, Israel and Hamas said understandings had been reached via mediators to resolve their dispute, and the White House issued a statement indicating that in Lebanon, an arrangement for an initial 60-day truce would be extended until Feb. 18. Negotiators had hoped that the cease-fire in Lebanon would become permanent by now, securing a measure of calm in a turbulent region. Thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war have poured onto roads leading south as they aim to return home. The latest: Displaced Gazans in the enclave's south can start returning on foot to their homes in the north starting at 7 a.m. local time this morning, followed by vehicles via a different route two hours later, according to an Israeli military spokesman. Diplomacy: President Trump has pushed to "clean out" the Gaza Strip, including by asking Egypt and Jordan to take in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. His suggestion drew flat rejections from those countries, two of the most important U.S. allies in the Middle East. Related: A sudden halt to U.S. foreign aid will not apply to emergency food aid and weapons support to Israel and Egypt. Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo of Colombia at a news conference on Sunday. Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters A Colombia-U.S. feud comes to an end 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 last night, Petro backed down and agreed to receive all deportees from the U.S., including those on military planes. Trump had threatened to impose steep tariffs and a raft of other penalties in response to Petro's announcement that he had turned back military planes carrying deportees to Colombia. In a statement yesterday, the White House said Petro had agreed to all of its terms. It said tariffs and sanctions would be "held in reserve" and that other penalties would remain in effect until the first planeload of deportees had arrived in Colombia. Colombia's foreign ministry also released a statement, saying that it would accept deportation flights and "guarantee dignified conditions" for those Colombians on board. In other Trump administration news: The State Department asked humanitarian mine-clearance organizations that it funds to cease operations "effective immediately." As Trump moved to upend federal bureaucracy, all new hiring was frozen, job offers were rescinded and scientific meetings were canceled. Here's how Trump has already shifted U.S. policies. Belarus's president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, cast his ballot at a polling station in Minsk on Sunday. Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters Lukashenko wins re-election — again In an election that was widely dismissed as rigged, Europe's longest-serving leader, President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, cruised to his seventh election victory in a row yesterday. A survey of voters leaving polling places that was released by state media yesterday evening showed the president getting 87.6 percent of the vote, more than the 81 percent he claimed to have won in 2020. Exit polls are controlled by the state, like all aspects of elections in Belarus, and generally reflect the ultimate outcome. MORE TOP NEWS Emil Stach/Ritzau Scanpix Denmark, via Reuters Greenland: In a heated phone call with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark last week, President Trump doubled down on his desire to take the autonomous island for the U.S. Italy: The country restarted its much-debated program of sending asylum seekers to Albania, months after judges blocked the first transfers. South Korea: President Yoon Suk Yeol was formally indicted yesterday, making him the first president in South Korean history to face criminal charges while in office. Russia: Vast stretches of its Black Sea coast have been tarred by heavy fuel oil from two freighters that foundered in a storm. Australia: Protesters vandalized statues commemorating British settlers and an English king in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra on Australia Day. Netherlands: In an elaborate heist, thieves broke into the Drents Museum, an art and history museum in Assen. China: The government has sent a chilling message to panda fans to watch what they say online, as Xi Jinping, the country's leader, cracks down on internet fan culture. SPORTS NEWS Soccer: Naomi Girma has completed her move to Chelsea in a record transfer fee for women's soccer. Tennis: In the Australian Open finals, Madison Keys beat Aryna Sabalenka to win the women's title, and Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev to win the men's title. American football: For the third straight season and for the fifth time in six years, the Kansas City Chiefs are returning to the Super Bowl. Golf: Harris English won the Farmers Insurance Open to record his fifth PGA Tour victory. MORNING READ Photo illustration by Hannah Whitaker Caity Weaver, a Times magazine writer, loves sugar. Like, really loves it. Her home contains stashes of Dunkaroos, pouches of Gushers and packs of Strawberry Sensation Fruit Roll-Ups, auto-delivered from Amazon. Determined to kick the habit and learn about sugar dependence, Weaver traveled to a food therapy facility in Austria to try to change her ways. It was, she says, a journey into hell. Lives lived: Carol Downer, a leader in the feminist women's health movement who drew national fame for her role in a case known as the Great Yogurt Conspiracy, has died at 91. CONVERSATION STARTERS Gamergate: Is Elon Musk as skilled on the console as he claims to be? Office etiquette: A reader struggling with a rude colleague wonders whether neurodiversity is really an excuse. Tinkering with tradition: A group of Italian physicists claims to have "scientifically optimized" the recipe for cacio e pepe with a controversial add-in. ARTS AND IDEAS Art fraud, on a grand scale Two art fraud rings in a remote Canadian city produced thousands of paintings that were peddled as works by Norval Morrisseau, Canada's most celebrated Indigenous artist. By the time it all came out — decades later — the works had collectively fetched millions of dollars across Canada, making it onto the walls of the country's top galleries and universities. They were purchased by retired schoolteachers, billionaire art collectors and even a rock star. "None of us knew anything about art," said one of the hard-boiled homicide detectives who helped crack the case. They carried out their investigation by reconstructing Morrisseau's life so they could understand how and what he painted, and how he signed his works. Read about the saga here. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS David Malosh for The New York Times Cook: This classic dish of spice-scented lentils and rice, strewn with fried onions, has infinite variations. Snuggle: For heavy times, wear hefty knitwear, our columnist writes. Understand: Here's what to keep in mind if you're considering testosterone therapy. Watch: Our critic recommends "Presence," a new chiller by Steven Soderbergh. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. It's great to be back. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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