Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party is projected to win the most seats in Israel's election, according to exit polls. All three updated polls show his right-wing bloc with 59 seats, two short of a majority.
Why it matters: The exit polls are not official results, but they project a strong performance from Netanyahu in Israel's third elections in 10 months despite a looming corruption trial. Both Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, his centrist rival, failed to form coalition governments following elections in April and September.
In a briefing to reporters on Monday, senior Trump administration officials announced a set of restrictions to be placed on Chinese journalists operating in the United States.
Why it matters: The unprecedented restrictions are aimed at upholding "reciprocity" in U.S.-China relations amid a deteriorating media environment in China, the officials said.
North Korea "fired two unidentified projectiles into the East Sea" near the city of Wonsan Monday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, per Yonhap News Agency.
Why it matters: It's the first such launch by North Korea this year and comes two months after White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien told Axios that President Trump had "reached out" to Pyongyang to ask them to resume stalled diplomatic talks.
Syrian state media said on Sunday that Turkish forces downed two of its warplanes over Idlib, after Syria destroyed a Turkish drone and announced it was closing its airspace over the northwest region, AP reports.
Why it matters: Tensions are continuing to escalate between NATO ally Turkey and the Syrian regime, which is backed by Russia and has been conducting a deadly offensive in the last rebel-held areas of Idlib.
Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said on Sunday that he will not release 5,000 Taliban prisoners ahead of peace talks next week, as laid out in a peace agreement that the U.S. signed with the Taliban on Saturday, according to AP.
Why it matters: Ghani’s public disagreement with the contents of the agreement presents the first major hurdle in its implementation, which is crucial to ending America’s longest war.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon tore into Sen. Bernie Sanders during his speech at the pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC Sunday morning, calling the 2020 front-runner an "ignorant fool” and “a liar” and telling the audience, “We don’t want Sanders in Israel."
Why it matters: AIPAC, which has faced increasing difficulty in recent years maintaining American bipartisan relations with Israel, was hoping to avoid partisan politics at this year's conference. Danon’s remarks are not going to make this any easier.
France’s Louvre Museum in Paris closed its doors on Sunday amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, AP reports.
Why it matters: The museum's 2,300 workers are fearful of contracting the virus from the museum’s visitors, who come from all around the world to visit.
