Plus, commodities slump rattles global markets.

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Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing

By Claire Beers

Hello. Israel reopened Gaza's Rafah border crossing for a limited number of people, a slump in commodities rattled global markets, and the five-year-old boy detained by ICE has returned to Minnesota. 

Plus, Bad Bunny wins the top Grammy prize. 

Today's Top News

 

People stand near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt. REUTERS

  • Israel reopened the border between Gaza and Egypt for people on foot, a move that would allow Palestinians to leave the enclave and let back in those who want to return after fleeing Israel's war.
  • Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father have returned to their home in Minneapolis after being detained by US immigration officers and held at a detention facility in Texas, a lawmaker said. Christophe Van Der Perre is on the Reuters World News podcast with the latest.
  • Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Kremlin security official, said that the world was getting very dangerous, but that Russia did not want a global conflict.
  • A Democratic candidate won a special election for the Texas state senate, taking control from Republicans for the first time in decades in a result the losing candidate called "a wake-up call" for the midterm elections.
  • Details of various diplomatic processes to manage tensions with the US are being examined by Iran, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said, adding that Tehran hoped for results in the coming days.
  • Top US and Israeli generals held talks at the Pentagon on Friday amid soaring tensions with Iran, two US officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
  • Photos released by the US Justice Department related to Jeffrey Epstein over the weekend featured some of the world's most famous people. 
 

Business & Markets

 
  • Commodities markets slumped, led by deep losses in gold, silver, oil and industrial metals as the choice of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair set off a wave of selling in risk assets that sent precious metals tumbling for a second session.
  • Asia's factory activity expanded in January as solid global demand lifted export orders, private-sector surveys showed, offering policymakers some assurance that the hit from higher US tariffs has run its course for now.
  • From Japan to Brazil, elections could add yet more uncertainty this year to markets already whipped by US policy gyrations and heightened geopolitical tension. Here are some of the year's most significant elections for markets.
  • China's embattled property market has had a recent run of positive headlines, but private real estate developers and analysts alike caution that the sector remains beset by funding challenges and long-declining prices amid soft demand.
  • Skills shortages, laborious bureaucracy and uncertain long-term funding mean the European Union's $955-billion "Next Generation" fund has struggled to break through the bottlenecks that have repeatedly stalled Europe's attempts at economic transformation.
  • Barry Callebaut and its former CEO Peter Feld parted ways last month after a previously unreported clash at the top of the world's largest chocolate maker over a proposal to separate its cocoa business, two sources told Reuters.
 

Winners at the 68th Grammy Awards

 

Olivia Dean poses with the Best New Artist award during the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. REUTERS/Mike Blake

The 2026 Grammys, the highest honors in the music industry, were handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles, California. 

Bad Bunny, the Latino rap star whose forthcoming Super Bowl gig has ignited a culture wars controversy, won the top prize, a first for a Spanish-language album, with "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," a celebration of his Puerto Rican roots.

Olivia Dean capped her rapid ascent from London busker to breakout global star by winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. This career‑defining honor has historically signaled the industry’s next major voices.

Read the full winners list
 

And Finally...

A view looking towards the United States of the partially frozen Niagara Falls. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

Tourists are flocking to view the partially frozen Niagara Falls, despite frigid temperatures, with visitors praising the winter spectacle as a striking sight. 

View gallery