Starmer’s defense spending pledge. The United Kingdom (UK) will spend 2.5 percent of its national income on defense by 2027, up from 2.3 percent at present, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday. Part of the money would come from cuts to international aid, he added. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the announcement “a strong step from an enduring partner.”
Convergence on U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal. Washington and Kyiv have agreed on the terms of a deal regarding Ukraine’s mineral wealth, multiple outlets reported. According to a version dated February 25 and seen by the Financial Times, the deal would establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50 percent of proceeds from “future monetization” of state-owned resources, including oil and gas. The fund would invest in projects in Ukraine; the U.S. stake in it remained unclear.
WHO flags mysterious DRC disease. An unknown illness has killed fifty-three people in the northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a bulletin. Individuals reported fever, vomiting, body aches, and fatigue; the WHO said the disease has a fatality rate of 12.3 percent. Health officials called for high-level intervention to contain the disease in an area with weak health infrastructure.
Detainees freed in Saudi Arabia. Authorities have freed dozens of people in recent weeks who activists identified as political prisoners. They include a teacher and PhD student who were sentenced over social media posts, advocacy groups said. A Human Rights Watch researcher said that while campaigns for their release may have played a role, other “political calculations” may also be at play. The government’s information office did not comment.
Judge blocks Trump refugee ban. A federal judge temporarily blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending refugee admissions, saying it overstepped congressional authority. The move effectively requires the administration to restart admissions and funding to refugee assistance programs. The White House and Justice Department did not immediately comment.
Hamas-Israel swap announced. Hamas will release four bodies of Israeli hostages, and Israel will release around six hundred Palestinian prisoners, Hamas and an unnamed Israeli official said. Israel had delayed the prisoner release, which was originally scheduled for last Saturday, saying Hamas violated the truce agreement and mistreated hostages. The first phase of the cease-fire deal is due to expire this weekend.
South Korea’s baby bump. The country’s fertility rate rose to 0.75 children per woman last year for the first time in almost a decade, the government reported. Most other Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation countries have fertility rates well below the replacement level of 2.1, but South Korea’s is one of the lowest in the world. Its government for years has tried to incentivize parenthood through new policies on parental leave, childcare, and housing.
Chile probes massive blackout. The failure of a transmission line in Chile plunged some 90 percent of the country into a power outage yesterday afternoon. By late last night, power had been restored to around half of the affected households, the president said; authorities are investigating what happened but ruled out an attack on the grid. While backup generators kept hospitals and government offices functioning, “the electric system did not operate the way it should have,” Chile’s national grid operator president said.
