Conservatives win German election but far-right AfD doubles support

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Preliminary results show CDU/CSU will be largest party but success of Alternative für Deutschland likely to complicate formation of a government

The conservative opposition has won the most votes in Germany’s general election, preliminary results indicated, but a dramatic surge by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is likely to complicate the formation of a government to help spearhead a European response to growing global threats.

The CDU/CSU candidate, Friedrich Merz, was preparing on Sunday night to try to form a ruling coalition after clinching roughly 29% of the vote from a high turnout.

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EU plans extraordinary summit on defence, Ukraine on March 6 – Reuters

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  1. EU plans extraordinary summit on defence, Ukraine on March 6  Reuters
  2. EU leaders will hold an emergency summit on Ukraine and European security  The Associated Press
  3. Meeting Again in Paris, European Leaders Try to Recalibrate After Trump Sides With Russia  The New York Times
  4. EU leaders to hold special meeting on defense and Ukraine on March 6  POLITICO Europe
  5. European leaders gather for emergency meeting after Trump shuts them out of Ukraine talks  NBC News
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Bomb threat sent to anti-Trump conference singles out officer who tangled with ex-Proud Boys leader

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Enrique Tarrio denies involvement despite organizers attributing threat to someone claiming to be ‘Enrique T’

Attendees of a center-right political conference in Washington DC were forced to evacuate on Sunday, after someone claiming to be Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys group who was convicted and then pardoned for his role in the January 6 insurrection, allegedly emailed in a bomb threat against the event. Tarrio denied any involvement in the incident.

Organizers of the Principles First summit, which is considered a center-right alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), confirmed the bomb threat after they abruptly asked attendees to clear the room hosting the conference.

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Zelenskyy says he would ‘quit for peace’ as he refuses US demand for Ukraine minerals

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Ukrainian president says US military aid was a ‘grant’ rather than a debt but adds that he wants Trump to be ‘on our side’

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is not willing to cave in to intense US pressure to sign a $500bn minerals deal and that he wants Donald Trump to be “on our side” in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv ahead of the third anniversary on Monday of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy said he did not recognise the sum demanded by the White House as apparent “payback” for previous US military assistance.

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Germany has voted. But what kind of government will it have?

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The country faces weeks or even months of coalition negotiations after no party won a majority

It has been a extraordinary election in Germany, and the result has been keenly awaited around the world to see what new government might emerge in Europe’s largest but ailing economy.

Results show a clear win for the CDU/CSU centre-right alliance, followed by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) – an anti-Islam party that has advocated “remigration” for migrants as well as German citizens deemed to have integrated poorly – in second place.

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Ukraine is too powerful to be sold out, Polish official says – POLITICO

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  1. Ukraine is too powerful to be sold out, Polish official says  POLITICO
  2. Ukraine can fight until end-2025 with European support, Poland says  Reuters
  3. On GPS: Poland’s foreign minister says Ukraine can fight ‘for the rest of this year’ with Europe’s support  CNN
  4. Poland should have received a guarantee of repayment from Ukraine, MEP says  Ukrainska Pravda
  5. Polish EU Presidency and MEPs: No peace without backing of the Ukrainian people  Euronews
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Israel Says It Won’t Release Prisoners Until Hamas Stops ‘Humiliating’ Hostage Handovers – The Wall Street Journal

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  1. Israel Says It Won’t Release Prisoners Until Hamas Stops ‘Humiliating’ Hostage Handovers  The Wall Street Journal
  2. Shackled, starved, alone in tunnels: Families of freed hostages share new details  The Times of Israel
  3. Israel delays Palestinian prisoner release; moves tanks into West Bank  NPR
  4. Updates: Hamas shuts down Gaza talks until 620 Palestinians freed by Israel  Al Jazeera English
  5. Israel and Hamas Trade Accusations of Violating Fragile Cease-Fire  The New York Times
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EU leaders will hold an emergency summit on Ukraine and European security – The Associated Press

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  1. EU leaders will hold an emergency summit on Ukraine and European security  The Associated Press
  2. European leaders gather for emergency meeting after Trump shuts them out of Ukraine talks  NBC News
  3. EU to Hold Special Summit on March 6 to Discuss Ukraine, Defense  Bloomberg
  4. Watch: Why European leaders held emergency Ukraine summit  BBC.com
  5. Meeting Again in Paris, European Leaders Try to Recalibrate After Trump Sides With Russia  The New York Times
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After 9 months on the run, a French fugitive who staged a deadly escape faced court in Romania – The Associated Press

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  1. After 9 months on the run, a French fugitive who staged a deadly escape faced court in Romania  The Associated Press
  2. Notorious fugitive known as "The Fly" arrested after deadly prison escape in France and 9-month manhunt  CBS News
  3. Nine-Month Manhunt for French Fugitive Finally Produces an Arrest  The New York Times
  4. France says gangster ‘The Fly’ was arrested in Romania  Voice of America
  5. Mohamed Amra: 'The Fly' recaptured in Romania nine months after escape that killed two French prison officers  Sky News
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American troops pack more punch than European ones, and fighting Russia without the US would require adding more than 300,000, think tank says – Fortune

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  1. American troops pack more punch than European ones, and fighting Russia without the US would require adding more than 300,000, think tank says  Fortune
  2. Opinion | A U.S. Betrayal Is Surreal for Europeans  The New York Times
  3. Can Europe withstand four years of Trumpian assault?  The Economist
  4. What Could Happen if the U.S. Abandons Europe  The New Yorker
  5. Europe can’t count on the US to be its bodyguard. That’s great for its defense companies  CNN
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White House envoy to travel to the Middle East in effort to extend Gaza deal – Axios

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  1. White House envoy to travel to the Middle East in effort to extend Gaza deal  Axios
  2. Gaza ceasefire’s future uncertain as Netanyahu sidelines security chiefs in negotiations  CNN
  3. Trump envoy says US expects second phase of Israel-Hamas deal to proceed – as it happened  The Guardian
  4. Witkoff says he expects second stage of ceasefire-hostage deal, is working on phase one 'extension'  The Times of Israel
  5. U.S. envoy Witkoff, ahead of Mideast visit, says Hamas must physically leave Gaza  Haaretz
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The leaders of France and Britain head to Washington to urge Trump not to abandon Ukraine – The Associated Press

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  1. The leaders of France and Britain head to Washington to urge Trump not to abandon Ukraine  The Associated Press
  2. Trump set to meet with world leaders in DC during busy week as Russia-Ukraine peace talks continue  Fox News
  3. Macron meets Trump, Europeans head to Kyiv in two-pronged effort to save Ukraine  POLITICO Europe
  4. Macron and Starmer Have Played Trump’s Game Before, but the Rules Are Changing  The New York Times
  5. Starmer and Macron agree to show ‘united leadership in support of Ukraine’  The Guardian
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Roksanda channels sculptor Phyllida Barlow at London fashion week show

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Teetering designs, upside-down fabrics and garments made from offcuts created a feel of topsy-turvy drama

Where can you find the author Daphne du Maurier and the sculptor Phyllida Barlow, along with the actor Tippi Hedren and the costume designer Edith Head? Only at London fashion week.

All four women were muses for designers on the third day of catwalks. Barlow’s uncompromising art was the inspiration at Roksanda, where vast ballgowns in bright felt wobbled perilously on the 16th floor of an empty brutalist office block, channeling the audacious spirit of Barlow’s teetering towers of fabric, rope, chicken wire or papier-mache.

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