China on Friday named Qin Gang, its ambassador to the United States, as its new foreign minister.
The big picture: The appointment of Qin, widely considered a trusted aide of President Xi Jinping, comes as Beijing appears to be softening its tone and offering some concessions to the international community, Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian reports.
The Biden administration plans to send national security adviser Jake Sullivan to Israel in mid-January for talks with newly sworn-in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government's policies, according to five Israeli and U.S. officials.
Why it matters: The White House is concerned about the new Israeli government's policies on the occupied West Bank — including plans to expand settlements and legalize outposts.
A Myanmar military court found Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of five counts of corruption on Friday, per AP.
The big picture: It's the final of a series of cases that the court has convicted Suu Kyi of in closed-door trials denounced as shams by rights groups since the military overthrew her democratically elected government in February 2021.
American forces and their allies killed a total of 686 ISIS suspects operating in Syria and Iraq this year, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday.
President Biden congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the swearing-in of his new government in a statement on Thursday, while stressing that the U.S. will "oppose policies that endanger" the two-state solution or "contradict our mutual interests and values."
Why it matters: Biden's congratulatory statement sets out terms for relations with the most right-wing government in Israel's history, which was sworn in Thursday with Netanyahu returning to the prime minister's post 18 months after he was ousted.
Russia on Thursday launched its "most massive" missile barrage against Ukrainian cities since the beginning of its invasion earlier this year, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
Why it matters: Preliminary data released by the Ukrainian Air Force indicated Russia launched a total of 69 air- and sea-based cruise missiles and anti-aircraft-guided missiles.
Israel's new government was sworn in Thursday, with Benjamin Netanyahu returning to the prime minister’s post 18 months after he was ousted.
Why it matters: It's the most right-wing and religious government Israel has had since its establishment, and its expected policies could significantly change the country.
