WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
An Arab-led Gaza plan, fury at Vance, and Greggs' sales top £2bn

 
today's international story

Arab leaders back $53bn Gaza reconstruction plan

What happened
Arab leaders adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion (£41.5 billion) and allow its residents to remain in the territory.

The solution, which was accepted unanimously, presents an alternative to Donald Trump's widely condemned proposal to take over the enclave, expel its people and build a "Riviera of the Middle East".

Who said what
"The Egypt plan is now an Arab plan," announced the secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, at the end of the gathering in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Egypt had produced a detailed blueprint – "with a 91-page glossy document including images of leafy neighbourhoods and grand public buildings" – to counter Trump's scheme, which "shocked the Arab world and beyond", said the BBC.

Hamas, which has said it rejects any solution imposed on the Gaza Strip by outsiders, welcomed the plan. "We look forward to an effective Arab role that ends the humanitarian tragedy created by the occupation in the Gaza Strip," said the group in a statement yesterday.

Meanwhile, Israel's foreign ministry dismissed the proposal on social media, calling its ideas "outdated".

What next?
The plan comes at a time when "the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is teetering", said The New York Times, and "Israel, buoyed by Mr Trump's backing, increasingly appears to hold the upper hand in negotiations". It also "sidesteps one of the thorniest questions of all: whether and how to disarm Hamas".

There was no immediate response from the Trump administration.

 
 
today's diplomacy story

MPs condemn 'disrespectful' Vance comments

What happened
British MPs have reacted with fury after JD Vance appeared to describe a proposed Anglo-French peace deployment to Ukraine as "20,000 troops from some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years".

Who said what
James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, said: "Britain and France came to their (the US's) aid, deploying thousands of personnel to Afghanistan, including my own brother and numerous parliamentary colleagues, past and present. It's deeply disrespectful to ignore such service and sacrifice."

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader who is close to Donald Trump and Vance, told GB News: "JD Vance is wrong – wrong, wrong, wrong."

What next?
Vance tried to clarify his comments via posts on social media, saying it was "absurdly dishonest" to say he had been referring to the UK or France. Rather, he was talking about other countries "who are volunteering (privately or publicly)" to deploy in Ukraine.

Former foreign secretary James Cleverly said: "I understand that he has explained his position," before adding "I think it was a hurtful and thoughtless remark."

 
 
Today's retail story

Pizza pushes Greggs' sales above £2bn

What happened
Greggs' revenue exceeded £2 billion last year, with pre-tax profits hitting £204 million: an 8.3% increase on the year before. The rise was partly driven by the popularity of its pizza.

The baked goods chain opened a net total of 145 new shops last year, moving away from high streets towards train and bus stations.

Who said what
"Our hot food menu is proving increasingly popular, with pizza deals driving strong growth," said chief executive Roisin Currie. The menu expansion shows growth ambition, but would "absolutely not" mean abandoning its core products, she told the BBC.

Baked goods still made up a third of Greggs' sales, while its beloved sausage roll remains the top seller.

What next?
Sales are still lower than forecast as cost of living concerns continue to dent consumer appetite, and Greggs' shares slumped 12% yesterday. But the company "remains in a strong position", said an analyst at Quilter Cheviot.

 
 

It's not all bad

Across four days of commemorations beginning on the bank holiday of Monday, 5 May, the UK will mark 80 years since Victory in Europe Day (8 May, 1945). The VE Day celebrations, which were announced yesterday, will include a new installation of 30,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, a military procession, a Red Arrows flypast and nationwide street parties. The Cenotaph will be draped in Union flags and a Horse Guards Parade concert will commemorate the war's legacy. More events are planned to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day on Friday, 15 August.

 
 
under the radar

Mennonites in the spotlight over Texas measles outbreak

The worst measles outbreak in Texas in 30 years has been linked to an isolated Mennonite community.

Last week authorities announced that an unvaccinated six-year-old had become the first casualty of the outbreak and the first measles-related death in the US since 2015. The death of the "otherwise healthy" child "starkly illustrates the stakes of slipping immunisation rates", said The Washington Post.

The child was from Gaines County, a rural area in West Texas at the "epicentre" of the wave. Infections have quickly spread within the county's Mennonites, a "diverse religious sect of thousands". The origins of the outbreak are unclear, but a Texas Health Department spokesperson said the "close-knit and under-vaccinated" nature of the Mennonite community were likely key factors in its spread.

The spotlight on Mennonites has "bred resentment in the community that they are being unfairly blamed" for the outbreak, added The Washington Post.

Health officials have said they weren't trying to point the finger. "The real issue is that there's a lot of people in that area – Mennonites and people who are not Mennonites – who are not vaccinated," said a Texas Health Department spokesperson.

All 50 US states require children to be vaccinated before they can attend school, but most – including Texas – allow exemptions for religious or personal beliefs. Across the US, the proportion of exempted children has risen to an all-time high, according to federal data from last year.

Alarmingly, the measles outbreak has already started to spread to other under-vaccinated communities in the region, said FirstPost. "Experts warn that low immunisation rates in these communities create the conditions for measles to spread rapidly."

 
 
on this day

5 March 2013

Hugo Chávez died after 14 years as president of Venezuela, and his deputy Nicolás Maduro assumed power. Maduro has followed in Chávez's authoritarian footsteps and recently began a third term in office after an election widely considered to be fraudulent. He is still under a US arrest warrant for narco-terrorism, a charge that he denies.

 
 
Today's newspapers

The Daily Star leads on JD Vance's "vile slur on Brit heroes" despite "636 of our troops dying in Afghanistan and Iraq alongside the US. The Mirror has a one word headline summing up the story: "Disgrace". Meanwhile, The Telegraph says Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bowed to pressure from Donald Trump in a bid to restore a peace initiative for Ukraine. He is "on the brink" of signing a minerals deal with the US, says the Daily Mail.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Mammoth ambition, mini results

Scientists working on a project to "de-extinct" the woolly mammoth have created a "woolly mouse". As part of a quest with the ultimate goal of genetically modifying Asian elephants by introducing mammoth traits, US biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences has successfully produced healthy, genetically modified mice with traits designed for low temperatures, including a woolly coat. Ben Lamm, co-founder of Colossal, said the research – which is yet to be peer reviewed – was "a massive starting point".

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Ross Couzens, and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images; Ian Forsyth / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.