The World at a Glance
Updated 12:17pm EST
1
The New Orleans attacker appeared to have acted alone, US authorities said, in an assault apparently inspired by the Islamic State group.
2Syria’s foreign and defense ministers visited Saudi Arabia, as the country tries to reset regional ties by moving closer to Riyadh.
3Police in South Korea raided Jeju Air and Muan International Airport’s operator, as authorities probe the cause of a deadly Dec. 29 crash.
4Tesla reported its first annual drop in EV sales in years, underscoring industry challenges as Trump mulls rolling back EV incentives and consumer enthusiasm wanes.
5Russian gas stopped flowing through Ukraine for the first time in decades, halting exports to the EU via the country after Kyiv refused to renew a transit deal.
6The US debt ceiling was reinstated, again raising the specter of the world’s biggest economy defaulting on its borrowing.
US-China tensions set to hit corporate boardrooms hard in 2025
Escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington have put multinational corporations on high alert at the start of the new year.
Florence Lo/ReutersCompetition for power will define the climate beat in 2025
US President-elect Donald Trump will encounter a very different energy market than his last time in office.
Brian Snyder/ReutersFrance to withdraw troops from Ivory Coast amid broader pull back from Africa
French forces have also left Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria in recent months after a series of military coups.
Marvellous Durowaiye/File Photo/ReutersUkraine halts Russian gas exports to the EU
The expiry of a transit deal marked the suspension of cheap Russian gas flows to Europe.
Sergei Karpukhin//File Photo/ReutersAD
Syrian ministers visit Saudi to reset regional ties
Syria’s new rulers are courting investment and support that will be key to the nation’s reconstruction.
Saudi Press Agency/Handout via ReutersUS crackdown leads Chinese firms to set their sights overseas
As President-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs loom over China’s flagging economy, companies are ramping up research and investment elsewhere.
BYD’s new EV construction site in Brazil. Joa Souza/ReutersTrump’s plans to label Mexico’s cartels ‘terrorists’ stokes concern
The move could provide the legal framework for the US to conduct unilateral attacks on Mexican soil.
Luis Cortes/Reuters
politics
GetArchive
Leah Millis/Reuters
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
The media competes for Washington
Politico’s once-dominant Playbook franchise, facing competition from the field of morning newsletters, is considering bringing UK editor Jack Blanchard over from London.
GetArchiveWhere Democrats go from here
The race for DNC chair is split between those who expect the new GOP trifecta to fumble its power away to them, and those who think they can’t win the next election without serious changes.
Leah Millis/ReutersRepublicans’ real immigration dilemma: How big to go in Congress
Donald Trump is wading into a fight over highly-skilled worker visas, but there’s a bigger debate already underway.
Elizabeth Frantz/ReutersElon Musk’s influence on spending, immigration spans political spectrum
Some of the tech billionaire’s proposals drawing positive attention from key Democrat and leftist lawmakers.
Trump offers strategic endorsement of Mike Johnson
The House’s successful election of a speaker on Friday is critical to certifying the president-elect’s victory.
Former US President Jimmy Carter dies at 100
Tributes poured in for Carter, who was the longest living president in US history.
Trump weighs in on H-1B visas amid legal immigration fight
The president-elect for years has failed to give a clear answer on his stance on legal migration visas.
Trump’s second-term foreign policy approach is coming into focus
World leaders are preparing for greater US protectionism and unpredictability.
GOP Congress looks to move in January
Senate Republicans are preparing to launch a quick party-line border funding bill in the new year.
2024 in interviews: Semafor’s quotes of the year
Words from Donald Trump, John Fetterman, and Joe Manchin.
Ten Good Texts: What Washington’s power players wrote to us in 2024
Our best ‘one good texts’ feature Mike Johnson, Tom Emmer, Nancy Pelosi, Bill de Blasio, and more.
business
Patrick Pleul/File Photo/Pool via Reuters
Tesla saw first annual decline in EV sales in more than a decade
Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company is projecting strong growth in 2025, but the results underscore the challenges ahead.
Patrick Pleul/File Photo/Pool via ReutersWhy 2025 could be a pivotal year for cryptocurrencies
Donald Trump’s reelection has cemented cryptocurrency as a backbone of the global financial system.
US crackdown leads Chinese firms to set their sights overseas
As President-elect Donald Trump’s tariffs loom over China’s flagging economy, companies are ramping up research and investment elsewhere.
Montenegro extradites crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon to US
The South Korean co-founder of Terraform Labs had been on the run following fraud allegations over the cryptocurrencies he developed.
India’s upbeat IPO market
The South Asian nation had almost as many public debuts in 2024 as the US and China combined.
technology
Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters
Talia Sprague/Imagn Images via Reuters
Meta will appoint Republican Joel Kaplan to lead global policy team, as Nick Clegg steps down
Big tech shifts right to meet Donald Trump’s Washington.
Manuel Orbegozo/ReutersAI brings better odds and betting concerns to sports gambling
Statistical analysis has long been a factor in predicting the outcomes of sporting events, but the rapid development of predictive AI brings a new granularity to the data.
Talia Sprague/Imagn Images via ReutersSemafor Tech predictions that came true, and what we didn’t see coming, in 2024
As forecast, AI agents became a trendy topic but we missed the biggest story of the year.
New Congress members own more than $3.8 million in tech stocks
At a critical time for tech regulation, elected leaders collectively own portfolios worth millions in the industries they will oversee.
Japan antitrust watchdog expected to find Google operates illegal monopoly over search: Report
The anticipated ruling, Nikkei reported, comes months after a US court found Google’s search business was an illegal monopoly.
YouTube launching new tools to help celebrities manage AI copycats
The tools will allow celebrities to manage videos that use technology to recreate their appearance, and request its removal.
net zeroBrian Snyder/Reuters 
Chad Davis/Wikimedia Commons
Eva Manez/Reuters
Competition for electricity will define the climate beat in 2025
US President-elect Donald Trump will encounter a very different energy market than his last time in office.
Brian Snyder/ReutersAI data centers exacerbate US domestic power issues
The growing electricity demand from data centers is adding pressure on grids.
Chad Davis/Wikimedia CommonsExtreme weather cost the world billions in 2024
The hottest year on record also saw deadly floods in Africa and Europe, wildfires and hurricanes in North America, and heatwaves in Southeast Asia.
Eva Manez/Reutersgulf
puamelia/Flickr
Saudi Arabia launches largest regional salmon production center
The kingdom currently imports 23,000 tons of salmon per year, with the farm hoping to produce almost half of that number annually.
puamelia/FlickrQatari negotiators up efforts to reach Gaza deal as Trump pressure looms
The incoming US president earlier said there would be “hell to pay in the Middle East” if the hostages weren’t released by the time he takes office.
Abu Dhabi opens new visa program for yacht owners
Owners of 40-meter yachts will have the opportunity to obtain a 10-year golden visa in Abu Dhabi under a newly launched program.
Gulf countries recalibrate strategies to figure out the new Syria
The Gulf Cooperation Council held an extraordinary meeting Thursday to discuss Syria.
Nadal adds more star power to Saudi sports boom
Retired tennis great joins aging soccer stars participating in Saudi Arabia’s booming sports sector.
africa
Joey Pfeifer/Semafor 
WFP/Abubakar Garelnabei/File Photo/Handout via Reuters
Predictions for Africa in 2025
Thought leaders told Semafor Africa what they expect to be the dominant issues across the continent this year.
Joey Pfeifer/Semafor Sudan capital receives first aid convoy since war began
The country is in the grip of the world’s worst hunger crisis but security threats have hampered the delivery of food.
WFP/Abubakar Garelnabei/File Photo/Handout via ReutersWho cares about African unicorns?
The fourth quarter has given us two new African unicorns — privately funded companies valued at more than a billion dollars: Nigeria’s Moniepoint and South Africa’s Tyme.
DR Congo lodges criminal complaint against Apple
DR Congo has filed a criminal complaint against Apple in France and Belgium over the tech giant’s alleged use of conflict minerals in its supply chain.
Kenya to review visa-free policy
Kenya’s government will review its visa-free policy after the country plummeted in an index that measures accessibility to visitors.
Nigeria’s Tinubu unveils “ambitious” budget
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu presented a 47.9 trillion naira ($30 billion) budget for 2025.
media
The things we got wrong in 2024
From Joe Biden’s mental acuity to the influence of X on the US presidential election.
Trump relitigates Russia ‘collusion’: Can you sue a narrative?
The president-elect has sued the Pulitzer Prize board in a case that clarifies the legacy of battles between president and press.
Analysis: Media’s return to the past
A deeply partisan media landscape is in many ways a return to business as usual.
Mixed Signals: What digital media’s most notorious scandal says about the business
On Monday, Carlos Watson, the founder of Ozy Media, was sentenced to nearly 10 years —116 months — in prison for fraud.
Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’
Deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty discusses Harris’ 2024 media strategy.
security
Flickr
L. G. Images/Flickr
SANA/Handout via Reuters
US Treasury says China-backed hackers breached its systems
Beijing said the claims were “groundless” and that it “has always opposed all forms of hacker attacks”.
FlickrChina unveils cutting-edge aerial and maritime military equipment
The new technology includes advanced fighter jets and a new amphibious assault ship.
L. G. Images/FlickrSyria’s political transition will take years, de facto leadership warns
The long transition timeline could exacerbate concern among Western officials over the rights of women and religious minorities.
SANA/Handout via ReutersAD