The Israeli Security Cabinet decided Wednesday to form a committee to monitor Chinese investments — a decision Israeli officials say came after strong pressure from the Trump administration.
The state of play: The Trump administration first raised the issue of limiting Chinese investments in Israel two years ago, and President Trump himself raised it with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times.
Russia's defense ministry said Wednesday that the country's newest nuclear-powered submarine successfully test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time, according to Reuters.
Facebook removed three networks of accounts and groups backed by Russia and linked with political interference in eight African countries, the social network said Wednesday.
Why it matters: "Russia is continuing to aggressively try different disinformation techniques, even as it has come under scrutiny for its online interference methods" ahead of the U.S. 2020 election, writes the New York Times.
Israel asked the U.S. and other Western countries to condition aid to Lebanon on its government's action against Hezbollah's precision missiles project, Israeli officials told me.
Why it matters: The U.S. has had a close relationship with the Lebanese government for many years, prompting a debate inside the Trump administration on whether aid should be frozen.
The era of American dominance is "definitively over," war with China is growing more likely, and world leaders are risking long-term security by refusing to face challenges like climate change, according to a new Atlantic Council report titled "Global Risks 2035."
The big picture: Author Mathew Burrows, a CIA veteran who previously steered long-term risk forecasts for the U.S. intelligence community, writes that the world is slipping into a "new bipolarity" defined by competition between the U.S. and China.
President Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner told me in an exclusive interview for Channel 13 News in Israel that he hopes the leader of the Blue and White party Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will work together to form a new government.
Why it matters: The fact that Kushner chose to make an unusual move and publicly convey the message — regardless that it has to do with domestic politics in Israel — shows the White House's wish to see a unity government.
On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom shocked the world and voted to “Brexit,” or leave the European Union. After more than three years of uncertainty and fractured politics, the U.K. officially exited the EU on Jan. 31, 2020.
LONDON — The U.K. will go to the polls with Brexit still in the balance, as Parliament cleared the way Tuesday evening for a snap general election on Dec. 12.
Why it matters: Prime Minister Boris Johnson stormed into office three months ago vowing to deliver Brexit by Oct. 31, but was thwarted by a Parliament that remains hopelessly deadlocked amid the current political crisis. Johnson believes he can break that deadlock by winning a majority in December, but a loss could render him one of the shortest-serving prime ministers in history.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri announced Tuesday that he will resign after two weeks of protests against the country's ruling elite, reports Al Jazeera.
Why it matters: Hariri's resignation was a key demand of the protest movement, which has upended the country.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley plans to spotlight risks to consumer data posed by foreign governments and cyberattacks in a hearing next month, amid rising concerns about Chinese social media firm TikTok.
Driving the news: Hawley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary crime and terrorism subcommittee, will explore security concerns raised by social platforms that collect vast amounts of user data in a Nov. 5 hearing called “How Corporations and Big Tech Leave Our Data Exposed to Criminals, China, and Other Bad Actors,” according to his office.
Why it matters: The decision by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn all but guarantees that Britain will be heading to the polls for the third time in under five years.
The mystery of who's funding Steve Bannon's work has been at least partly solved: Guo Media, a company linked to a controversial Chinese billionaire, has contracted Bannon for at least $1 million for “strategic consulting services,” according to contracts obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The billionaire fugitive — a man named Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Kwok — is embroiled in the U.S.-China conflict. He’s a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party and is reportedly a member at Mar-a-Lago. He’s on China’s most-wanted list for alleged bribery, fraud and money laundering, per the New York Times (he strongly denies the allegations).
