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PA via Reuters Screen grab of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appearing before the Liaison Committee at the Houses of Parliament in London.
The news comes on the heels of a report from the Interior Ministry showing that the number of illegal crossings of the English Channel rose 25% in 2024 compared to 2023 (although still considerably below the peak in 2022). Sadly, it was also the deadliest year for migrants attempting to land in the UK, with at least 76 deaths.
A recent YouGov poll shows that immigration is tied with the economy as the issue British voters say the government is handling most poorly, with 71% ranking each “fairly badly” or “very badly,” putting pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The PM canceled an admittedly rather quixotic Tory scheme to send migrants to Rwanda while their cases are processed but has struggled to replace the policy with his own plans to get tougher. That’s exposed Starmer to attacks from the far-right Reform UK party, and the government is eager to show progress.
We’re watching whether the communications disruptions ameliorate the problem, and how migration continues to reinforce right-wing parties in Europe.
U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD) speaks during an interview with Reuters in his office at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., September 13, 2023.
John Thune has ascended to the top position in the Senate, replacing Mitch McConnell, who held the position for 18 years. In the position, Thune will be tasked with managing Donald Trump's demands, keeping 53 Republican senators in line, and advancing a complex legislative agenda.
In the near term, he will need to oversee the confirmation of Trump nominees – many of which are cloaked in controversy – through a tightly divided Senate, where he can only afford to lose three Republican votes assuming Democrats remain united in opposition.
Thune also plans to pass a comprehensive bill combining border security, military spending, and energy production in the first month or so of the Senate’s term, which convenes on Friday. Doing so will require procedural maneuvers to avoid the filibuster, while simultaneously working to reform Senate operations.
But Thune’s greatest challenge will likely be pleasing Trump, who he has crossed in the past. During his term as the Senate’s second-most powerful Republican, Thune chose not to back Trump’s challenge to the 2020 election outcome and voted to certify the results.
A logo of Nippon Steel is pictured in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo on March 15, 2024. US President Joe Biden opposed planned sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, a Japanese Firm, on March 14th.
President Biden is expected to block Nippon Steel's $14 billion acquisition of US Steel on national security grounds, with his decision expected as early as Friday. This expansion of executive authority could significantly impact US foreign investment practices and strain relations with Japan, a key ally and major investor in the US.
Background: The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States expressed concerns that the deal could threaten national security by potentially diminishing American steel production. While CFIUS did not make a formal recommendation, they questioned whether Nippon's global business interests might override their commitments to invest in US Steel.
Nippon Steel has strongly contested these concerns, accusing the White House of overreach in the process and arguing that CFIUS's concerns were based on inaccuracies and unfounded hypotheticals. The Japanese company has threatened to pursue legal action if the deal is blocked. US Steel continues to support the acquisition.
The decision comes after the deal has been swept up in election year politics and marks a departure from America's traditionally open investment environment, potentially affecting future foreign investments in sensitive US industries.
Police vans are lined up in front of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's official residence in Seoul on Jan. 3, 2025.
While reports indicated that officers were able to enter the building, they were stopped from executing the warrant by a military unit.
South Korea has sent multiple presidents to jail following their terms — in fact, two of the three presidents immediately before Yoon served time. But this arrest is unorthodox, says Eurasia Groupexpert Jeremy Chan. Usually, presidents have left office, either through impeachment or the end of their terms, before they are investigated on criminal charges.
“Yoon is a former public prosecutor who knows how to use the legal system,” says Chan. “His supporters are also rallying behind his claims that the insurrection investigation is invalid, further complicating efforts to seek his arrest.”
“The urgency with which the investigators have sought a warrant for Yoon's detention has also fed perceptions that politics rather than legal processes are to blame,” Chan adds.
Yoon has not yet been removed by the court because three of its seats were vacant. Former acting President Han Duck-soo refused to confirm their replacements, which led to him being impeached too, and his replacement agreed earlier this week to nominate for two of the three vacancies.
“Yoon will likely live to fight another day,” says Chan. But the Constitutional Court is also holding its second preparatory hearing for Yoon's impeachment trial on Friday. With eight justices, it is only a matter of time before the court rules to uphold the impeachment motion and formally remove Yoon from office.
“Today's standoff will likely only accelerate the urgency with which the court will proceed in making a ruling on the impeachment motion.”
Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman meets Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 2, 2025.
The Saudis welcome a government in Syria that is no longer an Iranian ally and a transit route that allows Tehran to rearm Hezbollah, its proxy in Lebanon. The Saudis would also like to see an end to the smuggling into the kingdom of dangerous narcotics from Syria. For Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, these are developments that can help stabilize the region after more than a year of expanding war and decades of a delicate balance between Iran and the Gulf Arab states.
The new leaders in Damascus hope the Saudis and other deep-pocketed Gulf Arab states will see the new Syria as a “big investment opportunity,” in the words of the country’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, until recently known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Golani. Rebuilding civil war-torn Syria and welcoming back large numbers of Syrian refugees from abroad will be an enormously expensive project, and the Gulf Arabs are by far the likeliest potential donors to see self-interest in major investments.
Hard Numbers: Israel strikes “safe zone,” Biden awards Jan. 6 committee, Gunman rampages in Montenegro, Can Giuliani save World Series rings?
Relatives of Palestinians, who lost their lives following the Israeli attack on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis, mourn as the bodies are brought to Nasser Hospital for burial process.
37: At least 37 Palestinians died in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including at least 11 in the al-Mawasi district, which Israeli forces designated a “safe zone” last month. Despite assuring civilians they would not be targeted there, Israeli warplanes bombed a tent encampment for civilians whose homes had been destroyed earlier in the war.
2: President Joe Bidenawarded the nation’s highest civilian medal to Reps. Liz Cheney and Benny Thompson on Thursday for their efforts in leading the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on Congress. Incoming President Donald Trump is less keen to honor them: He has said the two should be jailed for their roles after the committee’s report found he engaged in a conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 election.
12: The Montenegrin town of Cetinje is reeling from the brutal murder of a dozen residents after a bar brawl escalated into a rampage on Wednesday. A 45-year-old man shot the bar’s owner, the owner’s family members, and then members of his own family before fleeing. He shot himself in the head after being surrounded by police.
148 million: Disgraced former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is attempting to prevent courts from taking his commemorative Yankees World Series rings as part of his $148 million penalty for defaming two former election workers in Georgia. He claims the four rings actually belong to his son and that they have a tradition of each wearing one on special Yankees occasions.Friedrich Merz
As US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, leaders in the world’s two largest trading blocs — China and the EU — are revealing their starkly different strategies for dealing with his “America First” trade policies.
In Europe, Friedrich Merz, the German opposition leader and leading contender for chancellor in next month’s national elections, is advocating for the negotiation ofan EU–US free trade agreement. Instead of retaliatory tariffs, Merz argues the EU should reignite its competitiveness, starting with lower taxes, and then tell the Americans: “Yes, we are prepared to face this competition with you, too.”
“This competition,” of course, includes China, which is taking a polar opposite approach anddoubling down on its trade war with the US. This week, Beijing added 28 American defense-related companies, including Raytheon, Boeing Defense, and Lockheed Martin, to its export control list, effectively banning exports of dual-use items. The move coincides with a ban on rare earth minerals to the US to “safeguard national security and interests.”
What both Bonn and Beijing agree on, however, is the need to act before Trump takes office — and in Merz’s case, before he does as well. We’ll be watching for the follow-through — and whether talk or tariffs proves the more successful strategy.