Morning Briefing, Jan. 28, 2025

ISTANBUL

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday with, including hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returning to northern Gaza, US President Trump signing orders to reshape the US military, and EU easing sanctions on Syria.

TOP STORIES

• 300,000 displaced Palestinians return to northern Gaza after ceasefire

Over 300,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza Media Office said Monday.

“More than 300,000 displaced people from the southern and central Gaza governorates returned to Gaza and Northern governorates today via the Rashid (west) and Salah al-Din (east) streets, after 470 days,” the office reported in a statement.

Hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians began returning to northern Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel.

• Trump signs executive orders to reshape US military

US President Donald Trump signed five executive orders Monday that will reshape the military, according to the White House.

One executive order will remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, while another is eliminating "gender radicalism in the military."

Addressing House Republicans in Miami, Florida earlier, Trump announced that he would sign the executive orders, including one barring transgender people from serving openly in the military.

He also mandated a process to develop an “Iron Dome” missile defense shield to protect Americans.

• EU agrees to roadmap to ease sanctions on Syria

The EU has agreed to a roadmap to ease the EU sanctions on Syria, the bloc's foreign policy chief announced on Monday.

"EU Foreign Ministers just agreed on a roadmap to ease the EU sanctions on Syria," Kaja Kallas wrote on X.

Kallas added: "While we aim to move fast, the lifting of sanctions can be reversed if wrong steps are taken."

Western nations imposed severe economic sanctions on Syria after Assad's brutal crackdown on protesters in 2011.

The sanctions included trade and commerce, an import ban on crude oil and petroleum products from Syria, the freezing of Syrian government assets abroad, and export restrictions on certain equipment, goods, and technology.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Hundreds of UN staffers and civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo fled to neighboring Rwanda, while dozens of Congolese troops "surrendered" to Rwandan security forces on Monday after M23 rebels seized the key Congo city of Goma.
• The US Senate approved the nomination of Scott Bessent on Monday to be the secretary of the Department of Treasury.
• A Palestinian was killed and another injured in an Israeli drone strike in the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Monday, the Health Ministry said
• The EU agreed on Monday to extend its existing sanctions on Russia, the bloc's foreign policy chief said.
• US President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated his suggestion of moving Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.
• Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo have become embroiled in a diplomatic spat after a court in Kinshasa upheld a death sentence Monday for a Belgian-Congolese military expert.
• A group of UN experts expressed concern Monday over Israel’s ongoing attacks in the occupied West Bank, warning that the intensified campaign marks a "dangerous escalation" against Palestinians.
• International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan announced plans Monday to seek arrest warrants for individuals linked to alleged war crimes in Darfur, Sudan.
• A Colombian Air Force plane was scheduled to depart from Bogota's CATAM military airport Monday for San Diego, California to repatriate 110 Colombian citizens awaiting deportation from the US.
• Germany has turned away 43,500 people during border checks over the past 15 months, authorities said Monday.
• Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said his country is considering buying more arms from South Korea, local media reported Tuesday.

SPORTS

• 5 years since tragic death of the 'Black Mamba,' NBA legend Kobe Bryant

Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

The sports world continues to mourn the devastating morning of Jan. 26, 2020. Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna were among those who perished in the crash, leaving an indelible impact on basketball fans and sports enthusiasts worldwide.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• India, China to resume flight services after 5-year hiatus

India and China on Monday agreed to resume direct air services between the two countries after nearly five years of hiatus, a statement from New Delhi said.

The agreement was reached during a meeting between Indian and Chinese officials in Beijing.

The direct air services between the two Himalayan neighbors were stopped five years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• China’s DeepSeek AI challenges ChatGPT, Google

China’s newly unveiled AI chatbot, DeepSeek, has raised alarms among Western tech giants, offering a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Supported by the Chinese hedge fund High-Flyer, DeepSeek launched its DeepSeek-R1 large language model (LLM) on Jan. 20.

Unlike ChatGPT’s subscription-based and closed-source platform, priced at $200 per month, DeepSeek-R1 is entirely open-source and free, allowing users to access, compile, and operate it on native hardware without limitations.