Germany’s new power map. The country saw its highest voter turnout since its 1990 unification in yesterday’s election. Merz’s center-right alliance won almost 29 percent of votes, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won around 21 percent, followed by outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left party with 16.4 percent and the Greens with 11.6 percent. While the AfD received the highest support for a German far-right party since World War II, Merz ruled out a coalition with them.
EU eases Syria sanctions. The bloc announced it is suspending transportation, energy, and banking sanctions on Syria as part of efforts to support “an inclusive political transition” and “swift economic recovery, reconstruction, and stabilization” in the country. The Council of the European Union said it would monitor the steps and continue to assess its sanctions policy.
Prisoner release delay. Hamas handed over six hostages over the weekend as planned in the cease-fire deal with Israel. But Israel did not release the more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as scheduled, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Hamas had repeatedly violated the truce and made hostage releases into “humiliating ceremonies.” Yesterday, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said that he expects phase two of the cease-fire deal to move forward and that he will visit the Middle East in the coming week.
Indonesia’s sovereign fund. The Indonesian government launched its second sovereign wealth fund today. Such funds have multiplied in emerging Asian economies in recent years as governments have sought more control over state assets. But Indonesia’s new fund is already controversial; President Prabowo Subianto is funding it in part through public spending cuts that prompted anti-austerity protests in recent days.
Restrictions on Afghan radio. The Taliban information ministry said on Saturday it would lift a suspension on Radio Begum, a women’s station that government authorities raided and closed down on February 4. It said the radio could resume broadcasts that were in accordance with the “regulations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.” Still, yesterday the Afghan Journalists Center said the outlets remained closed and two detained journalists had not yet been released.
India-UK trade talks. The countries agreed to accelerate talks on bilateral trade and investment deals, India’s trade minister said. The UK trade secretary is in India to restart negotiations, which he has called a “top priority” for the Labour government. More than a dozen rounds of bilateral trade talks have been held since 2022, but they were paused last year ahead of elections in both countries.
Firings at U.S. military, USAID. The Trump administration dismissed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown, Jr. and other top military officers including the navy chief and senior military lawyers in a surprise shakeup that began last Friday. In a social media post, Trump praised General Brown and did not give an official reason for firing him. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Brown was “not the right man for the moment.” Hegseth had previously said Brown should be fired for “woke” military programs and had described Lisa Franchetti, the dismissed navy head, as a “DEI hire.” Franchetti was the first woman to hold the position and to sit on the Joint Chiefs; Brown was the second Black Joint Chiefs of Staff head. Separately, yesterday the Trump administration said it was firing two thousand employees of USAID and placing thousands more on leave.
Fading U.S. counternarcotics support. The current U.S. freeze on foreign aid has stalled a program in Mexico that aimed to block imported fentanyl materials from the country’s drug cartels, eight unnamed sources told Reuters. The program provided training and equipment to screen cargo at Mexican ports. A White House press official did not answer Reuters questions about the funding halt, saying Trump is working to secure the border.
