In today’s newsletter: When ISS astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore touched down in a SpaceX capsule they entered a politically charged atmosphere

Good morning. Last June, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore embarked on a 25-hour journey to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, as part of its first crewed test flight. Originally scheduled to spend eight days in space, their mission was dramatically extended due to technical issues with the spacecraft, which was deemed unsafe for their return journey.

After an astonishing 270 days in orbit, accusations that Joe Biden had abandoned them and to much fanfare, Williams and Wilmore finally returned to Earth in Elon Musk’s SpaceX Dragon capsule, which splashed down off the coast of Florida on Tuesday – where a pod of curious dolphins circled the craft. After routine medical checks to confirm their wellbeing, both astronauts were finally reunited with their families.

Ukraine | Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “very good telephone call” on Wednesday, according to Trump, in the first conversation between the US president and his Ukrainian counterpart since their disastrous showdown in the White House three weeks ago.

Middle East | Israeli forces have launched a “limited ground operation” to retake the Netzarim corridor, a newly widened road protected by fortified bunkers that divides Gaza and is seen as essential to controlling the devastated Palestinian territory.

Politics | Rachel Reeves will announce the biggest spending cuts since austerity at next week’s spring statement after ruling out tax rises as a way to close her budget deficit. The chancellor will tell MPs next Wednesday that she intends to cut Whitehall budgets by billions of pounds more than previously expected in a move which could mean reductions of as much as 7% for certain departments over the next four years.

UK news | A “truly evil” 19-year-old who murdered his mother and two younger siblings as part of a failed plot to become the worst mass murderer in British history has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 49 years. Nicholas Prosper admitted to murdering Juliana Falcon, 48, Kyle Falcon, 16, and Giselle Falcon, 13, last month.

Internet | UK police forces are receiving more than 110 reports of child sextortion attempts every month, according to the National Crime Agency, as a new awareness campaign is launched about the online scourge. The NCA said the use of artificial intelligence in sextortion attacks had also increased “substantially” over the past three years as criminals adapted their methods.