Russian President Vladimir Putin named a new prime minister, who was confirmed (Reuters) one day after his predecessor resigned along with Russia’s entire cabinet. Putin also proposed changes (FT) in responsibilities allocated between top political posts, a move seen as a gambit to let him remain in power after his presidency.
 
In Putin’s annual address, he proposed weakening presidential power and boosting that of Russia’s legislature and State Council, both groups he could head after his current and final term ends in 2024. Former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who had an approval rating (NYT) of 38 percent when he resigned on Wednesday, will take a new position on the Kremlin’s security council. Mikhail Mishustin, the former head of Russia’s federal tax service, replaced Medvedev. In recent months, Russia experienced its largest street protests since 2012. Putin said Russians were “calling for change.”

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, in New Delhi, pledged to spend $1 billion (Mint) to put as many as ten million Indian small businesses online. Amazon has reportedly committed to $5.5 billion worth of investments in India since 2013, and is currently battling an antitrust probe in the country.
 
Afghanistan: The Taliban offered (AP) a U.S. envoy a cease-fire of seven to ten days, Taliban officials said. Such a cease-fire could lead to a peace deal in Afghanistan, but the Taliban has resisted U.S. efforts to include Afghan officials in peace talks.

Turkey is facilitating the deployment of two thousand Syrian fighters to support the internationally backed government in Libya’s civil war, according to a Guardian report. The fighters have reportedly signed six-month contracts and been promised Turkish nationality.
 
CFR’s Global Conflict Tracker looks at Libya’s civil war.
 
Egypt: The country began importing natural gas (Al Jazeera) from Israel’s largest offshore field after a long-idle pipeline was reactivated. The gas is intended for domestic Egyptian consumption and export to other countries, and is predicted to decrease European dependence on Russian gas.

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reached a draft agreement (AFP) in a dispute over a new Nile River dam in which the dam would only be filled during the wet season that lasts from July until August or September. The countries are set to meet in Washington later this month to finalize the deal.
 
Kenya: New Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani announced he would implement (Bloomberg) a more austere fiscal policy that aims to spend 23 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next three years instead of the current 28 percent.

The White House threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on European automobiles if France, Germany, and the United Kingdom did not trigger a dispute resolution mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, the Washington Post reported. The three European countries triggered the provision on Tuesday.
 
This CFR Backgrounder looks at the Iran nuclear deal.

Officials presented a reform proposal (Reuters) that includes new permissions to allow the use of private communications as evidence in trials and to help prevent extradition delays.
 
Argentina, Brazil: Washington informed the board of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that it plans to prioritize Brazil’s bid to enter the group ahead of its former preference to include Argentina, according to a Bloomberg report.

The House of Representatives voted to send two articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump to the Senate for trial and approved (NYT) seven representatives to present the charges. New evidence about Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine, the subject of the impeachment charges, includes correspondence about efforts to oust (Politico) former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.