World Briefing: November 13, 2024
The Netherlands will impose controls on its land borders, all of which are with fellow countries in the EU's Schengen border-free zone, and some flights from within the Schengen zone from Dec. 9, the Migration Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The controls are set to last six months, part of a wider crackdown on migration proposed by the right-wing coalition led by the anti-Muslim nationalist PVV party of Geert Wilders. They follow a similar move by neighbouring Germany - Reuters
Susie Wiles, the next White House chief of staff, privately told a group of Republican donors on Monday that President-elect Donald J. Trump would move on his first day in office to reinstate several executive orders from Mr. Trump’s first term that President Biden had revoked, according to two people in the room who insisted on anonymity to describe the closed-door remarks. It is common for presidents to immediately issue a series of executive orders upon taking office, and Ms. Wiles did not specify which orders from Mr. Trump’s first term would be reinstated. Some of the actions that Mr. Biden revoked included Mr. Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization; his ban on entry to the country from several predominantly Muslim nations; and his exit from the Paris climate accord. Ms. Wiles emphasized to the group that the window for Mr. Trump to revolutionize government was more like two years, rather than four. So being prepared on Day 1, she said, was critical. It appeared to be an acknowledgment that most presidents face a difficult midterm election cycle after two years in office - NYT
Donald Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as his ambassador to Israel, he announced Tuesday. Huckabee, who spent 12 years as a Baptist minister before shifting to politics, has been a staunch supporter of Israel throughout his career. He will be the first non-Jewish ambassador since 2011. “Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” the president-elect said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!” Huckabee’s nomination comes as Israel wages war in Gaza and Lebanon. The former governor, who has led tour groups in Israel, has endorsed its claim to the West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long sought to strengthen Israel’s ties to American Evangelical Christians, and Huckabee’s nomination could support that endeavor. Huckabee’s daughter, current Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as Trump’s press secretary from 2017 to 2019, during his first stint in the White House - Daily Beast
The US president-elect has also named Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to head the CIA. Trump has also picked Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and combat veteran, to be defence secretary - BBC
Russian President Vladimir Putin was feared to be so close to using nuclear weapons in Ukraine that the famously short-serving British prime minister, Liz Truss, spent the last of her 50 days in office studying weather maps and preparing for cases of radiation poisoning, according to a new book about Truss entitled Out of the Blue. The Sun reports that Truss spent “numerous hours studying satellite weather data and wind directions” over fears the “wrong weather patterns” could have a “direct fallout effect on Britain.” The concerns were triggered by U.S. intelligence analysis that there was a 50 per cent chance Putin could detonate a nuclear device. In October 2022, Joe Biden warned Russia could use nuclear weapons if “things continue down the path they are going.” - Daily Beast
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken traveled to Brussels on Tuesday to attend meetings with NATO and European officials to discuss Ukraine’s war against Russia, the State Department announced. Mr. Blinken’s trip, a late addition to his schedule before a trip to Latin America, comes amid grave concern among Ukraine’s supporters that the new Trump administration will slash U.S. support for Kyiv. The Biden administration and NATO officials also fear that President-elect Donald J. Trump may try to undermine the military alliance and even seek to withdraw the United States from it. The State Department said Mr. Blinken would meet NATO and E.U. counterparts “to discuss support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s aggression.” - NYT
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England, resigned on Tuesday amid the fallout from a long-running sexual abuse scandal. Mr Welby stepped down after an independent investigation found he had failed to inform police about serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps as soon as he became aware of it - ABC News
A new FAA notice prohibits U.S. civil aviation operations in Haiti airspace below 10,000 feet for next 30 days after reports of three jets were fired upon. It was first reported Monday a Spirit Airlines flight was apparently struck by gunfire while attempting to land at Port-au-Prince. Then it was learned two other jets were fired upon from Port-au-Prince in Haiti: a JetBlue heading to New York's JFK Airport and an American Airlines flight bound for Miami International Airport. The FBI is now investigating all three incidents. Toussaint Louverture International Airport is now closed, and flights to and from Haiti have been canceled for the foreseeable future - CBS News
A car attack that killed 35 people in China has sparked questions about a recent spate of public violence, as officials continue to censor discussion on the incident. On social media, many are discussing the social phenomenon of "taking revenge on society", where individuals act on personal grievances by attacking strangers. Police said the driver who ploughed into crowds at a stadium in the southern city of Zhuhai on Monday night acted out of unhappiness over a divorce settlement. While it is believed to be the deadliest known act of violence in decades, it is also the latest in a series of attacks in recent months - BBC
