In Germany, thousands protest far-right immigration bill
On Sunday, around 160,000 protesters took to the streets of Berlin after center-right leader Friedrich Merz proposed harsh immigration policy supported by far-right nationalist groups in parliament.
Protesters and left-wing politicians accused Merz of breaking the “firewall,” an unwritten consensus among German democratic parties to never collaborate with known far-right parties, such as the Alternative for Germany — one of the groups that supported Merz’s resolution.
In the months-old legislation, Merz called for Germany to defer substantially more migrants at its borders, regardless of their sponsorship. The country’s parliament rejected the proposal, arguing that its historical implications were too significant and calling for a less extreme approach to border control.
“Merz comes across as a politician without vision: capricious, impatient and emotion driven,” Stefan Reinecke, a parliamentary office correspondent, wrote. “He behaves like someone who is being driven by the AfD.”
In the resolution, Merz advocated for ending family reunions for migrants with a protection status and authorizing federal police to scale their deportations. He said the policy was a necessary response to a string of high-profile killings, including the deaths of two individuals killed by a rejected asylum-seeker last month.
In Argentina, president announces WHO withdrawal
Argentine President Javier Milei announced Wednesday that the country will withdraw from the World Health Organization due to “profound differences” in managerial policy, specifically with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We Argentinians will not allow an international organization to intervene in our sovereignty, much less in our health,” presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Adorni said WHO does not provide Argentina with funding for health management and that the decision will not affect the quality of the country’s health care. Out of WHO’s $6.9 billion in funding — used to strengthen its governance and support emergency responses — Argentina contributes $8 million.
This decision comes weeks after President Donald Trump — one of Milei’s closest allies — withdrew the United States from several United Nations organizations such as WHO, citing its “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic” and “other global health crises.”
In March 2020, Argentina’s former leftist president, Alberto Fernández, issued one of the longest lockdowns in response to WHO’s recommendations to combat COVID-19. However, Milei criticized the strict lockdown, arguing that it was a repressive stall on the economy. While WHO offers widely used guidelines, they are not requirements and are frequently disregarded by member countries.
In the UK, prime minister denies owing billions of pounds for Chagos Islands deal
A U.K. foreign minister denied reports that the government might owe Mauritius billions of pounds more than previously expected, following a renegotiation to keep the U.S.-British military base on the Chagos Islands.
Mauritius’ newly elected prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, said on Tuesday that Britain had agreed to several changes in the lease for the military base on Diego Garcia — the largest island of the Chagos Islands. Stephen Doughty, a U.K. foreign office minister, said that among the changes was a clause requiring the United Kingdom to adjust its agreement for inflation, doubling the rate from £9 billion to £18 billion.
“There is no change to the substance or the quantum in relation to the agreement,” Doughty told Reuters on Wednesday. “There is a huge amount of speculation, I would take the vast majority of it with a pinch of salt.”
This proposed agreement is currently paused as the United Kingdom discusses it with Trump. Both countries have said that China’s influence in the British Indian Ocean and Mauritius’ economic relationship with China could pose security threats.
Last year, the British government agreed to return Chagos Islands sovereignty back to Mauritius after more than 50 years of British control. This decision followed a 2019 ruling by the International Court of Justice, which declared that Britain’s continued occupation of the islands after it ended colonial rule in 1968 was unlawful. Under the agreement, the United Kingdom will maintain sovereignty of Diego Garcia under a 99-year lease, and then pay Mauritius an undisclosed rent to retain the military base.
Contact Amanda Chen at [email protected].
