Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israelis see chance to remake Middle East in war’s wake Israeli military intercepts missile launched from Yemen, army says Jerusalem Post’s Ami H. Orkaby: UNRWA is a persistent challenge, not a solution Iran lifts ban on WhatsApp and Google Play, state media says After Israel confirms killing Haniyeh, Iran says October missile attack was justified Released from a Russian prison, this activist got right to work Fourteen Syrian police killed in ambush as unrest spreads South Korea opposition says it will vote to impeach acting President Han Claremont McKenna College’s Minxin Pei: Xi may be facing a no good, very bad 2025 WaPo Editorial: Activists’ trial leaves a stain on Hong Kong. It can’t be business as usual. Finland police investigate role of foreign ship after power cable outage At least 56 killed in clashes over Mozambique’s disputed election rulingIn The News
Israel
Since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has dealt a series of damaging setbacks to its most dangerous regional adversaries. It has hobbled Hamas in Gaza, severely damaged Shiite militia Hezbollah in Lebanon and fended off missile salvos from Tehran while landing its own blows in Iran. – Wall Street Journal
Five journalists were killed early Thursday when their vehicle was hit by an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat area of Gaza, according to Palestinian news media reports. – New York Times
A U.S. diplomat on Tuesday slammed a new report on food security in the Gaza Strip that said famine was “highly likely” in part of the enclave, with the criticism fueling confusion and controversy over a humanitarian crisis that has drawn significant international attention. – New York Times
The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel traded blame on Wednesday over their failure to conclude a ceasefire agreement despite progress reported by both sides in past days. – Reuters
Israel’s military intercepted a missile early on Wednesday that was launched from Yemen and crossed into Israeli territory, the army said. – Reuters
The director general of Israel’s Finance Ministry, Shlomi Heisler, will step down following the 2025 state budget next month after two years in the post, citing “urgent personal reasons”, the ministry said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Al Jazeera television has clashed with the Palestinian Authority over its coverage of the weeks-long standoff between Palestinian security forces and militant fighters in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. – Reuters
Israel has instructed its diplomatic missions in Europe to try to get the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen designated as a terrorist organisation. –Reuters
Gunfire has rung out for days from the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp. But this time, it’s not Israeli forces that are facing off against armed groups. It is the forces of the Palestinian Authority clashing with Palestinian gunmen. – Associated Press
Days later, the Israeli government approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s $11 million plan of financial incentives to double the population of Israeli settlers in the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. – Associated Press
Foreign investments in Israel picked up in the first half of 2024, even as the country was engulfed in a multifront war in Gaza and Lebanon and traded direct fire with Iran. – Bloomberg
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Christians worldwide a merry Christmas and thanked the Christian community for its support amid the Jewish state’s ongoing conflicts with terror groups. – Fox News
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi stated that Israel was ready to strike Iran “at any time” during a Wednesday speech at the 189th IAF Pilots Course Graduation Ceremony. – Jerusalem Post
The Vatican ambassador was summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry for a conversation with the director general following Pope Francis’s recent comment on Israeli “cruelty” in Gaza, an Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post. – Jerusalem Post
The Health Ministry has completed a draft report on the abuse that Israeli hostages suffered while held in the Gaza Strip, cataloging the physical and mental suffering they experienced and the lasting effects it has had on them, some of whom are children. Israel plans to submit the report to the United Nations. – Times of Israel
The Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen launched a drone at Israel on Wednesday, which the Israel Defense Forces said crashed in an open area near the southern city of Ashkelon. – Times of Israel
The Israel Defense Forces has established a massive display of Hezbollah weapons captured by troops in southern Lebanon and shared new estimates of the terror group’s casualties during the fighting, as well as offered new details on the “pager operation” some three months ago that kicked off Israel’s offensive against the Iranian proxy. – Times of Israel
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi instructed the military on Wednesday to “accelerate the timetables” for the conclusion of its investigations into the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, which started the ongoing multifront war more than a year ago. – Times of Israel
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday morning that an airstrike in the vicinity of Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza’s Nuseirat had targeted “a vehicle with an Islamic Jihad terror cell inside,” following overnight reports from Hamas-run Gaza health authorities that said five people had been killed there. – Times of Israel
Editorial: The penalty for not doing so is not the Gulag, and those who feel pressured are not physically constrained from walking away. Instead, the penalty is subtler: being canceled, ostracized, or made to feel uncomfortable for holding such beliefs. Kuznetsov’s example – and that of his peers – was to resist these pressures, not to accept these dictates quietly but to fight back hard. It’s a timely message, and – given that today is the first day of Hanukkah – also a seasonal one. – Jerusalem Post
Ami H. Orkaby writes: When a turning point in history is reached, it is reasonable to assume that long-standing assumptions will be reexamined and changes made to institutions that are incompatible with the new reality. However, in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, the UN chose not to change UNRWA. Clearly, it is past time to replace UNRWA – which has done less to help the Palestinians than to perpetuate the conflict – with organizations that are not rife with terrorists and terrorist enablers. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
Syria’s newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, told Iran on Tuesday not to spread chaos in Syria but to respect the Syrian people’s will and the country’s sovereignty. – Reuters
Iranian authorities have lifted a ban on Meta’s instant messaging platform WhatsApp and Google Play as a first step to scale back internet restrictions, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
Following Israel’s confirmation Monday that it was behind the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, Iran sent a letter to the UN secretary-general Tuesday calling on it to condemn the act and claiming that it justified Iran’s massive ballistic missile attack on Israel in October. – Times of Israel
Mossad chief David Barnea has been pushing Israel’s leadership to concentrate on attacking Iran as a way to stem attacks from the Houthi rebels, according to reports Wednesday, as senior officials hinted that strikes against the Iran-backed Yemeni group were set to escalate in the near future. – Times of Israel
Michael Knights and Hamdi Malik write: Khazali’s move is reminiscent of Moqtada al-Sadr’s decision in 2008 to relocate to Iran for “religious studies.” (In this case, and later in 2012, Moqtada was warned by the Iranians that he might be targeted (in 2008 by the Americans, in 2012 by AAH) and was offered sanctuary in Iran.) At that time, Sadr announced his withdrawal from politics, yet Moqtada returned from Iran on multiple occasions after breaks in Iran, and he played critical roles in both the 2018 and 2021 elections. Moqtada never studied for long enough to increase his clerical rank. – Washington Institute
Brandon J. Weichert writes: Iran’s Simorgh, though, would be more akin to an inter-range ballistic missile (IRBM) than an ICBM. The farthest many experts believe the Simorgh could reach is Europe. The United States would remain insulated from the Simorgh. The Middle East has been completely destabilized. Iran now finds itself on the back foot, with the U.S.-Israeli coalition riding high after Assad’s ouster. Tehran will next seek to expand its nuclear weapons capabilities, which, in turn, would bring about the ire of much of the rest of the world. America is on notice, but it has not noticed. – National Interest
Russia & Ukraine
Air-raid alarms and explosions sounded on Christmas Day in Ukraine as Russian missiles and drones targeted the nation’s energy infrastructure. – New York Times
For much of the last two years, Vladimir Kara-Murza barely used his voice. A political activist and vehement critic of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, he was confined to a harsh isolation cell in a Siberian penal colony. – New York Times
Russia sees no point in a weak ceasefire to freeze the war in Ukraine but Moscow wants a legally binding deal for a lasting peace that would ensure the security of both Russia and its neighbours, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday. – Reuters
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday that it had foiled several plots by Ukrainian intelligence services to kill high-ranking Russian officers and their families in Moscow using bombs disguised as power banks or document folders. – Reuters
Russian companies have begun using bitcoin and other digital currencies in international payments following legislative changes that allowed such use in order to counter Western sanctions, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Wednesday – Reuters
Authorities in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region on Wednesday declared a region-wide emergency, saying that oil was still washing up on the coastline 10 days after two ageing tankers ran into trouble. – Reuters
A Russian court has sentenced U.S. citizen Eugene Spector to a total of 15 years in jail after convicting him of espionage in a closed-door trial, Russian state news agencies reported on Tuesday. – Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he had asked the Defense Department to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, after condemning Russia’s Christmas Day attack on Ukraine’s energy system and some of its cities. – Reuters
A Russian cargo ship that ran into trouble on Monday in the Mediterranean Sea and later sank was rocked by a series of three explosions in “an act of terrorism,” state news agency RIA cited the vessel’s owner as saying on Wednesday. – Reuters
Falling debris from a Ukrainian drone that was shot down caused an explosion and a fatal fire in a shopping centre in the city of Vladikavkaz in Russia’s North Ossetia region, the local governor said on Wednesday. – Reuters
A ballistic missile struck an apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring 15, four of them seriously, officials said. – Reuters
A Russian court sentenced a Dutch citizen to three years in prison Wednesday after he was found guilty of punching a police officer. – Associated Press
Stavros Atlamazoglou writes: The Russian military, paramilitary units, and pro-Russian separatist forces keep taking extremely heavy casualties. For example, over the past twenty-four hours, the Russian forces took almost 2,000 losses […]Overall, the Russian forces have suffered over 775,000 personnel killed or wounded in over 1,000 days of fighting. Despite the extremely heavy losses, the Russian military is persisting with its attritional strategy. And, notwithstanding the casualty rate, the strategy seems to be working for a Kremlin devoid of quality troops and officers who can fight a more modern type of warfare. – National Interest
Syria
This Christmas morning in Syria’s capital, Christians dressed in their finest clothes, attended church and participated in the annual parade through the ancient part of the city. Yet beneath the holiday cheer lay a heavy sense of anxiety. – Washington Post
As Syria’s new leaders consolidate control and merge rebel factions under the auspices of the country’s defense department, the reins of which they seized from ousted President Bashar al-Assad, the fate of the United States’ Kurdish allies in Syria remains in question. – Washington Post
Since armed rebels entered Damascus, Syria, and overthrew the reign of President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, U.S. government officials have been waiting to see if any remnants of the former regime’s stockpiles of chemical weapons would be found. – New York Times
Syria’s new leadership has taken steps to try to unite disparate rebel factions under a single government, the latest move to try to assert authority over the country in the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. – New York Times
Syrian refugees and residents in Egypt face an uncertain future as new regulations may jeopardise their right to remain in the country after Bashar al-Assad’s ouster earlier this month. – Reuters
Fourteen members of the Syrian police were killed in an “ambush” by forces loyal to the ousted government in the Tartous countryside, the transitional administration said early on Thursday, as demonstrations and an overnight curfew elsewhere marked the most widespread unrest since Bashar al-Assad’s removal more than two weeks ago. – Reuters
Clashes between Islamists who took over Syria and supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad’s government killed six Islamic fighters on Wednesday and wounded others, according to a British-based war monitor. – Associated Press
A Syrian family that survived a 2013 chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people near the country’s capital, Damascus, says the ordeal they experienced haunts them to this day. – Associated Press
Eric R. Mandel writes: So, while the press reinvents HTS leader Julani, giving him the benefit of the doubt, or the Biden administration prematurely takes the terrorist tag off him, I hope the next administration formulates a plan to help Syria with both carrots and sticks, rewarding tangible moves toward the US position, and continuing the stick of sanctions until it does so. Therefore, our approach should be humanitarian aid, yes, but no to US reconstruction aid or sanctions relief until Syria is unambiguously not jihadist. – Jerusalem Post
Moshe Fuzaylov writes: Having spent over 30 years in interrogation rooms with some of the most notorious Arab terrorists and spies, my conclusion is clear: The West must view the Middle East and its leaders through a realistic lens. Julani is not pragmatic in the Western sense but a sophisticated strategist who uses diplomacy, religious history, and Western misconceptions to achieve his goals. Only by understanding the cultural and religious context can the West formulate a realistic and informed policy toward leaders such as Julani and his mentor, Erdogan. – Jerusalem Post
Turkey
Turkey has decided to allow parliament’s pro-Kurdish party to hold talks with militant leader Abdullah Ocalan on his island prison, the pro-government Sabah newspaper reported on Thursday, setting up the first such visit in nearly a decade. – Reuters
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Kurdish militants in Syria will either lay down their weapons or “be buried”, amid hostilities between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and the militants since the fall of Bashar al-Assad this month. – Reuters
The Turkish military killed 21 Kurdish militants in northern Syria and Iraq, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Turkey is aiming to strike a maritime demarcation agreement with Syria after a permanent government is formed in Damascus, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Andrew Latham writes: Internationally, Turkey risks alienating Western partners, including America and NATO, due to concerns over Ankara’s authoritarian tendencies and its cooperation with non-Western actors like Russia. Furthermore, resentment against Turkish control in northern Syria could provoke local resistance, threatening the stability Ankara seeks to establish. Turkey has carved out a new role for itself as the successor to the Ottoman Empire. Whether neo-Ottomanism represents a viable framework for regional stability or a new form of imperialism remains uncertain. What is clear is that Syria, once again, stands at the crossroads of history, its fate intertwined with the ambitions of an ascendant Turkey. – The Hill
Middle East & North Africa
The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it reached a staff-level agreement with Egypt on the fourth review under its Extended Fund Facility arrangement, potentially unlocking a $1.2 billion disbursement under the programme. – Reuters
Morocco aims to grant women more rights over child custody and guardianship as well as a veto over polygamous marriage, in the first review of its family code in 20 years, the justice and Islamic affairs ministers said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Libya’s eastern-based government said in a statement on Wednesday that it had agreed on a proposal to end fuel subsidies and would prepare a mechanism to implement the agreement. – Reuters
Saudi Arabia executed 330 people this year, the highest number in decades, despite de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman’s 2022 assertion that the death penalty had been eliminated except for murder cases under his vision for a new open kingdom. – Reuters
Zina Rakhamilova writes: The crimes of the Assad regime demand accountability. Sednaya Prison and the broader network of atrocities have exposed a brutal chapter in Syria’s history, one that the international community has largely chosen to ignore. If social justice warriors truly care about justice, they must broaden their focus beyond selective targets and confront the brutal realities of regimes like Assad’s. Anything less is moral bankruptcy. – Jerusalem Post
Korean Peninsula
South Korea’s main opposition party said it will introduce a bill to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo on Thursday and hold a vote on Friday, a move that could deepen the country’s constitutional crisis triggered by a short-lived martial law. – Reuters
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became South Korea’s acting president after Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, is a career technocrat whose wide-ranging experience and reputation for rationality may not be enough to stem the country’s deepening political crisis. – Reuters
South Korea’s suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol did not respond on Wednesday to a second summons by anti-corruption authorities who, along with prosecutors, are investigating his short-lived martial law decree issued early this month. – Reuters
South Korea’s Constitutional Court will hold its first hearing on Friday in the case of President Yoon Suk Yeol, after parliament impeached him over his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3. – Reuters
The fate of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is in the hands of the country’s Constitutional Court after parliament impeached him on Dec. 14 and suspended his powers over his short-lived martial law on Dec. 3. – Reuters
Riccardo Villa writes: Beyond the direct benefits for Pyongyang, North Korea’s troop deployment indelibly connects the European and Indo-Pacific theaters testifying to the rapid worsening of the ongoing great power competition. North Korea’s deployment of troops in concomitance with the escalation of military action on both Russia’s and Ukraine’s side, and possible direct involvement of South Korea in the conflict through direct lethal aid support to Kyiv potentially prolong the continuation of the War in Ukraine, beyond the mandate of the incoming Trump administration. – National Interest
China
China has approved the construction of what will be the world’s largest hydropower dam, kicking off an ambitious project on the eastern rim of the Tibetan plateau that could affect millions downstream in India and Bangladesh. – Reuters
In China’s take on Squid Game, fraudsters are preying on the financially distressed in a slumping economy with promises of prize money, debt restructuring and other schemes that are not always what is promised. – Reuters
China on Wednesday condemned comments by the Philippine defence minister about China, calling them “baseless accusations” that “maliciously attacked” China’s ruling Communist Party. – Reuters
China’s commerce ministry said on Wednesday it would extend its anti-dumping investigation into brandy originating from the European Union by three months, less than the full extension allowed under its previous guidance. – Reuters
China abruptly ousted two military lawmakers from its national parliament without explanation, as a purge of key personnel in the upper echelons of the nation’s defense establishment shows no sign of easing. – Bloomberg
Minxin Pei writes: A potential rapprochement engineered by Trump could be a double blow to Beijing. The strategic partnership Xi has struck with Putin would be seriously undermined. At the same time, the US could free up enormous resources and energy to intensify its rivalry with China. Whether Xi can block such an outcome — either by stiffening Putin’s spine or by making his own effort to strike a big deal with Trump — is an open question. The only certainty is that after more than a decade in power, the Chinese leader’s decisions next year could well turn out to be the most critical of his tenure. – Bloomberg
South Asia
Pakistan on Tuesday rejected Biden administration officials’ assertions that it is developing ballistic-missile technology that could eventually give it the capability to strike the U.S., but geopolitical experts say long-range weapons would be in step with Islamabad’s shifting national security concerns as India and the U.S. draw closer. – Wall Street Journal
Bombardment by Pakistani military aircraft in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province on Tuesday killed at least 46 people, most of whom were children and women, the Afghan Taliban said, adding it would retaliate. – Reuters
Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son and adviser on Tuesday described allegations of corruption involving the family in the 2015 awarding of a $12.65 billion nuclear power contract as “completely bogus” and a “smear campaign”. – Reuters
The United States and the United Kingdom have expressed concern over convictions imposed by Pakistani military courts to 25 civilian supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan over their alleged involvement in riots last year. – Associated Press
Brahma Chellaney writes: Against this backdrop, Xi and Modi have sought to defuse the Himalayan military crisis without losing face. While deescalating tensions along the frontier makes eminent sense for both leaders, the Sino-Indian rivalry is unlikely to weaken. In fact, this rivalry promises to shape the Asian and global balance of power. India’s military edge in the high-altitude Himalayan environment, however, could be blunted by China’s superior air power capabilities, including missile prowess. – The Hill
Asia
At least 38 people were killed when a passenger jet headed for Russia crashed in Kazakhstan in an incident that Ukraine officials and aviation experts said was likely caused by Russian antiaircraft fire. – Wall Street Journal
In an indictment released on Thursday, prosecutors in Taiwan accused the former presidential candidate, Ko Wen-je, of having taken bribes related to a property development while he was mayor of Taipei. – New York Times
Hong Kong offered bounties of HK$1 million ($128,728) on Tuesday for six more pro-democracy campaigners deemed to have violated national security laws, and revoked the passports of seven more, as the Asian financial hub keeps up a security campaign. – Reuters
Taiwan’s Presidential Office conducted its first ever tabletop exercise simulating a military escalation with China, several officials briefed on the matter said, at a time when the island is facing renewed Chinese military threats. – Reuters
Taiwan’s defence ministry warned of “serious impact” to security after opposition parties passed laws that will require a cut in defence spending of some T$80 billion ($2.45 billion) at a time when the island is facing elevated Chinese military threat. – Reuters
Talks between China and Japan’s foreign ministers in Beijing have paved way for Japan to host China’s foreign affairs chief next year, and mutual agreement to hold a security dialogue as soon as possible, Japan said on Wednesday. – Reuters
China’s foreign ministry on Thursday urged the Philippines to return to “peaceful development”, saying Manila’s decision to deploy a U.S. medium-range missile system in military exercises would only bring the risks of an arms race in the region. – Reuters
Editorial: China’s ruling Communists, knowing they could not win a free election in Hong Kong, created a puppet version, with rules drawn to exclude opposition candidates. They then arrested most of the city’s legitimate politicians, charging them with subversion as a clear message to the rest of the population: Challenge Beijing’s rule at your own risk. The trial was a charade and the guilty verdicts a foregone conclusion; many of the 45 pleaded guilty hoping to get a slightly reduced sentence. The judiciary has long ago proved that when national security cases are concerned, it is there only to do Beijing’s bidding. – Washington Post
Europe
A Dutch court convicted five men Tuesday on charges that they encouraged or took part in attacks on Israeli soccer fans during a spasm of violence in the Dutch capital last month. – Wall Street Journal
Finnish police said on Thursday they are investigating whether a foreign ship was involved in the damage of an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia following a sudden outage on Wednesday. – Reuters
Hundreds of university students rallied in Belgrade on Wednesday to protest the policies of President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), whom they blame for a railway disaster last month in which 15 people died. – Reuters
Lawmakers in Bosnia’s Serb Republic regional parliament ordered Serb representatives in state institutions on Wednesday to block decision-making and law changes needed for the Balkan country’s integration into the European Union. – Reuters
Friday’s deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg has prompted renewed scrutiny in a number of European countries of security arrangements for the seasonal markets, which draw large crowds. – Reuters
Moldova faces a harsh winter but will overcome the challenge, President Maia Sandu said at the inauguration for her second term on Tuesday. – Reuters
When German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government fell last week and new elections were announced, the question was not if parties on the fringes of the Bundestag — Germany’s federal lower chamber of parliament housed in Berlin’s former Reichstag — would win, but how badly they would maul the traditional center parties. It’s a question that affects the Jewish community in the European Union’s most populous country like no other. – Times of Israel
Denmark’s government announced a defense package for Greenland worth at least $1.5 billion after President-elect Donald Trump reiterated that he wanted the US to purchase the Arctic territory. – Business Insider
Imran Khalid writes: The resurgence of European populism, likely buoyed by the return of Trump or Trumpian rhetoric to the global stage in 2025, poses a grave challenge to the cohesion of the EU. Without decisive action, populist-led governments will dismantle the EU’s liberal democratic pillars, leaving behind fractured institutions unable to preserve peace, security and prosperity. Europe needs a new entente cordiale — not just between its states, but within its societies — to stem this tide. For the enemy is no longer just at the gate; it is inside, sowing divisions that could unravel the European experiment in unity and progress. Time is short, and the stakes could scarcely be higher. – The Hill
Africa
At least 56 people have been killed in Mozambique since Monday, a nongovernmental organization said on Wednesday, as police officers and protesters clashed in the latest wave of unrest over a presidential election that demonstrators claim was rigged by the governing party. – New York Times
A prison riot in Mozambique’s capital Maputo left 33 people dead and 15 injured, the country’s police general commander Bernardino Rafael said on Wednesday, as civil unrest linked to October’s disputed election continues. – Reuters
Democratic Republic of Congo has freed 14 of the 17 Chinese men arrested on suspicion of running an illegal gold mine in the country, authorities said late on Tuesday. – Reuters
Famine in Sudan has expanded to five areas and will likely spread to another five by May, the global hunger monitor reported Tuesday, while warring parties continue to disrupt humanitarian aid needed to alleviate one of the worst starvation crises in modern times. – Reuters
Mesfin Tegenu writes: Throughout the last century, strong ties between Washington and Addis Ababa have greatly benefitted both nations. In the second half of the 2020s, a new focus from the second Trump administration can not only become a “win-win” for both nations by maintaining close economic ties but also lessening the allure of anti-democratic rivals like China and the UAE. – The Hill
The Americas
The initiative is part of a broad push by Panama’s pro-American president, José Raúl Mulino, to tackle border security and mass migration since he was elected last summer. – Wall Street Journal
Desi Bouterse, the brutal former dictator turned populist president of Suriname who was convicted of murdering some of his political opponents, has died. He was 79. – New York Times
The Canadian government condemned China on Tuesday for taking steps against two Canadian institutions and 20 people involved in human rights issues concerning the Uyghurs and Tibet. – ReutersEcuador’s attorney general’s office will seek charges against 16 military personnel over their suspected involvement in the forced disappearance of four minors, it said in a message on Tuesday. – Reuters
Amid a fresh wave of violence, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has sent her security chief and thousands of troops to stem a bloody escalation of drug cartel crime in Sinaloa state, signaling a shift in security strategy in the Latin American nation. – Reuters
Brazilian officials found 163 Chinese nationals working in “slavery-like conditions” at a construction site for a factory owned by Chinese electric vehicle producer BYD (002594.SZ), in Brazil’s Bahia state, the local labor prosecutor’s office said on Monday. – Reuters
At least three people were killed and others injured on Tuesday when armed men opened fire on a group of journalists gathered for a government press conference set to announce the reopening of Haiti’s largest public hospital, a witness to the attack told Reuters. – Reuters
United States
A car and driver had been readied to whisk Jason Bannan from FBI headquarters early one morning in August 2021 to brief the White House on a novel virus that was killing hundreds of thousands of Americans and had stopped the world in its tracks. – Wall Street Journal
President-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday named a Florida county commissioner to serve as his ambassador to Panama, a few days after Mr. Trump called for the United States to assert control over the Panama Canal. – New York Times
Toyota Motor of North America is donating $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, a company spokesman said on Tuesday, a day after Detroit’s Ford Motor and General Motors said they would give the same amount. – Reuters
President Joe Biden signed 50 bills into law on Tuesday that include making the bald eagle the country’s official bird and one that stops members of Congress from collecting their pensions if convicted of crimes. – Reuters
A man accused of attempting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump in South Florida won’t be tried until September 2025, a federal judge ruled this week. – Associated Press
Cybersecurity
Several Japan Airlines flights have been delayed following a cyberattack that disrupted its network, the carrier said Thursday. – Wall Street Journal
The biggest crypto heist of 2024 was conducted by seasoned cybercriminals working on behalf of North Korea’s government, according to the FBI. – The Record
The annual defense policy bill signed by President Joe Biden Monday evening allocates $3 billion to help telecom firms remove and replace insecure equipment in response to recent incursions by Chinese-linked hackers. – The Record
Defense
The Arctic is “where the confrontation of the world’s leading states is unfolding,” the head of the Russian Navy said at a recent forum in St. Petersburg where regional cooperation had traditionally dominated the agenda. – USNI News
An AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar spun on its trailer on a shrubby hilltop earlier this month, sending contact tracks through encryptors to a small 5G router tied into a cellular network to support air defense. – USNI News