THE NEW YORK TIMES

Merkel Hands Over German Chancellery to Scholz: Live Updates

An era of German politics ended on Wednesday as Angela Merkel handed over the chancellery to her successor, opening a new chapter for Europe’s biggest democracy. For the first time in 16 years, Germany will now have a center-left government led by a new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who finds himself in the difficult spot of trying to live up to the high expectations set by Ms. Merkel.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Live Updates on Biden and Putin's Virtual Summit

President Biden will speak with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday morning in a high-stakes diplomatic effort to de-escalate a crisis over Ukraine as tens of thousands of Russian troops amass along the Ukrainian border, raising fears of an invasion.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Myanmar Court Sentences Aung San Suu Kyi in Initial Verdicts

The leader of Myanmar’s junta, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, reduced the sentence meted out to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday to two years, hours after a court handed down a four-year term to the country’s ousted civilian leader.

THE GUARDIAN

Omicron variant fuelling ‘exponential’ rise in Covid cases, say South Africa officials.

The Omicron variant has fuelled a “worrying” surge in coronavirus cases in South Africa and is rapidly becoming the dominant strain, local health officials have said, as more countries including the US detected their first cases.

THE GUARDIAN

Ilhan Omar airs death threat and presses Republicans on ‘anti-Muslim hatred’.

The US politician Ilhan Omar played a harrowing death threat left recently on her voicemail, as she implored House Republican leaders to do more to tamp down “anti-Muslim hatred” in their ranks and “hold those who perpetuate it accountable”.

THE GUARDIAN

Praise for Prince Charles after ‘historic’ slavery condemnation.

The Prince of Wales’s acknowledgment of the “appalling atrocity of slavery” that “forever stains our history” as Barbados became a republic was brave, historic, and the start of a “grown-up conversation led by a future king”, equality campaigners have said.

THE GUARDIAN

Trump challenges media and Democrats to debate his electoral fraud lie.

Donald Trump has challenged leading editors and politicians to debate him in public over his lie that Joe Biden beat him in 2020 through electoral fraud.