Here is todayxe2x80x99s Foreign Policy brief: Olaf Scholz becomes Germanyxe2x80x99s new chancellor, U.S. President Joe Biden warns Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine in tense video summit, and a British whistleblower on Afghanistan speaks out.

If you would like to receive Morning Brief in your inbox every weekday, please sign upxc2xa0here.

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Scholz Sworn in as German Chancellorxc2xa0

Here is todayxe2x80x99s Foreign Policy brief: Olaf Scholz becomes Germanyxe2x80x99s new chancellor, U.S. President Joe Biden warns Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine in tense video summit, and a British whistleblower on Afghanistan speaks out.

If you would like to receive Morning Brief in your inbox every weekday, please sign upxc2xa0here.

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Olaf Scholz is expected to be sworn in as German chancellor today, officially bringing an end to Angela Merkelxe2x80x99s 16-year reign.xc2xa0

A Social Democrat who served as Merkelxe2x80x99s finance minister, Scholz consistently presented himself as her natural successor while also forging his own political path. He xe2x80x9ccast himself very much in the same leadership style that Angela Merkel put forward tooxe2x80x94a sort of very pragmatic, sometimes a bit dry, austere style of leadership,xe2x80x9d said Sophia Besch, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.

Scholz will have a lot on his plate. From confronting surging COVID-19 cases to countering China and Russia, Germany is facing mounting crises. xe2x80x9cHexe2x80x99s going to have to find his footing, but hexe2x80x99s an experienced politician and a good manager,xe2x80x9d Besch said. xe2x80x9cIxe2x80x99m optimistic.xe2x80x9d

Once in power, Scholz will head a three-way coalition consisting of his center-left Social Democratic Party, the progressive Greens, and the pro-business Free Democratsxe2x80x94a grouping of parties that has never ruled together before. The coalition is set to focus on raising the minimum wage and combating climate change, among other goals.xc2xa0

Under Scholz, the German cabinet will also reach a major milestone: achieving gender parity for the first time. xe2x80x9cSecurity will lie in the hands of strong women in this government,xe2x80x9d Scholz said. xe2x80x9cIxe2x80x99m very proud that we have succeeded in realizing this.xe2x80x9d

With Scholzxe2x80x99s promises of xe2x80x9ccontinuity,xe2x80x9d radical foreign-policy shifts are unlikely. Like Merkel, Scholz has signaled his commitment to bolstering the European Union and deepening trans-Atlantic ties. xe2x80x9cHe has been clear on the campaign trail that he believes in a fundamentally strong trans-Atlantic relationship and also that Germany is fully embedded in the idea of Europe,xe2x80x9d said Sudha David-Wilp, a senior trans-Atlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund.

One of his most pressing challenges will be the pandemic. As Germany faces skyrocketing infection rates, Scholz has advocated for mandatory vaccines. Last week, officials also announced plans to bar unvaccinated Germans from certain restaurants, stores, and public venues. xe2x80x9cYou canxe2x80x99t callously watch the situation as it is right now,xe2x80x9d Scholz said. xe2x80x9cIf we had a higher vaccination rate, we would have a different situation.xe2x80x9d

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Biden warns Putin on Ukraine. In a two-hour video summit, U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin that invading Ukraine would lead to major economic sanctions on Russia and prompt NATO to reposition forces in Europe. As Russian troops mass on the Ukrainian border, Biden also warned that Moscowxe2x80x99s goal of completing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, expected to be a major source of revenue, would be jeopardized.

xe2x80x9cI will look you in the eye and tell you, as President Biden looked President Putin in the eye and told him today, that things we did not do in 2014, we are prepared to do now,xe2x80x9d National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told the New York Times, referring to Russiaxe2x80x99s annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

U.K. prioritized pets over people during Kabul evacuation. Britainxe2x80x99s xe2x80x9cdysfunctional and arbitraryxe2x80x9d response to the Taliban takeover abandoned thousands of Afghans and prioritized animals over people, a British whistleblower told Parliamentxe2x80x99s Foreign Affairs Committee.

In his searing testimony, Raphael Marshall, a desk officer on the Afghan Special Cases team, detailed how the government ignored thousands of xe2x80x9cdesperate and urgentxe2x80x9d emails pleading for helpxe2x80x94and then claimed it had logged them. As Kabul fell, officials used limited resources and personnel to airlift almost 200 pets at the expense of evacuating people. Although between 75,000 and 150,000 people applied for evacuation, Marshall said, fewer than 5 percent of the applicants received assistance. xe2x80x9cIt is clear that some of those left behind have since been murdered by the Taliban,xe2x80x9d he said.xc2xa0

Chilexe2x80x99s landmark vote. Chilean lawmakers have voted to legalize same-sex marriage in a historic decision that passed with broad support across both congressional chambers. Although Chilean President Sebastixc3xa1n Pixc3xb1era previously opposed the law, he reversed course in June and has agreed to sign it into law.xc2xa0

The vote comes during a critical period. Later this month, Chileans will head to the polls to vote in a contentious presidential runoff that pits Josxc3xa9 Antonio Kast, a far-right populist, against Gabriel Boric, a left-wing former student leader.xc2xa0

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Mistaken identity? French authorities have arrested and detained a Saudi man they believe was involved in the 2016 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Itxe2x80x99s unclear, however, if they caught the right person or if he just shares a name with their targetxe2x80x94especially after a Saudi official insisted they arrested the wrong man.

xe2x80x9cItxe2x80x99s still possible that this is the right person, just as itxe2x80x99s still possible that itxe2x80x99s the wrong person,xe2x80x9d a French police spokesperson said. xe2x80x9cAt this point, we donxe2x80x99t know.xe2x80x9d

Territorial advances. The Ethiopian government said it has retaken two key towns, Dessie and Kombolcha, from rebel forcesxe2x80x94the latest signal it has been slowly regaining ground in the countryxe2x80x99s ongoing civil war. Ethiopian forcesxe2x80x99 advances come as thousands of civilians have reportedly left their jobs to enlist in the war effort. xe2x80x9cSaving my country is my highest priority right now,xe2x80x9d Bilet Alamrew, a former librarian, told the Wall Street Journal. xe2x80x9cIt is the main reason I left my job to join the army.xe2x80x9d

Deadly prison fire. At least 38 people were killedxe2x80x94and 69 more seriously injuredxe2x80x94after a fire engulfed an overcrowded Burundi prison. Authorities said the blaze was caused by electrical problems, which also sparked a fire at the same prison in August.xc2xa0

Even though the prison was only designed to accommodate 400 people, it held almost quadruple that many people last month. Survivors said guards refused to release them from their cells, even after flames began consuming the building. xe2x80x9cWe started shouting that we were going to be burned alive when we saw the flames rising very high,xe2x80x9d one inmate said. xe2x80x9cBut the police refused to open the doors of our quarters.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0

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U.S. authorities have banned Michael Steinhardt, a hedge fund billionaire and U.S. art collector, from ever purchasing antiquities again after a multiyear investigation found that his collection contained stolen artifacts. xe2x80x9cSteinhardt displayed a rapacious appetite for plundered artifacts,xe2x80x9d said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. xe2x80x9cHis pursuit of xe2x80x98newxe2x80x99 additions to showcase and sell knew no geographic or moral boundaries.xe2x80x9d

Authorities plan to return the 180 looted artifacts, which are valued at $70 million, to their original countries. In exchange for surrendering the antiquities and agreeing to the lifetime ban, Steinhardt will escape criminal charges.xc2xa0