Flagship

Israel surrounds Gaza’s second city

Israeli forces surrounded Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city, and launched attacks into the city center. A spokesperson said the military had captured Hamas strongholds and tunnels and killed “many” operatives, saying the “entire leadership of the Hamas terror organization” grew up in the area. Since the ceasefire ended, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened: The United Nations said that its aid program was “no longer a functioning one,” and that public order would soon “completely break down,” while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his strongest criticism of Israel so far, saying that it must “put a premium on civilian protection.” Israel said Hamas had embedded itself in designated humanitarian zones, “using the civilians as a human shield.”

US unis face antisemitism probe

U.S. Republicans said they would launch an investigation into three elite universities after accusing their leaders of failing to forcefully condemn campus antisemitism. Top members of the University of Pennsylvania’s business school called on the institution’s president to resign and a donor pulled a $100 million donation, Axios reported, after a much-criticized congressional hearing also attended by the presidents of Harvard and MIT. The controversy pointed to the U.S. domestic political fallout over the Israel-Hamas war, which has largely united Republicans around Israel but fractured Democrats, with President Joe Biden’s backing of Israel hitting his approval ratings among key voters.

Hunter Biden charged again

U.S. President Joe Biden’s son faces a second indictment, this time on tax charges. The indictment alleges that Hunter Biden earned millions of dollars from overseas firms, and avoided paying at least $1.4 million in federal taxes on those earnings between 2016 and 2019, spending them instead on “drugs, escorts and girlfriends … in short, everything but his taxes.” If convicted, he could face 17 years in prison. The indictment makes no reference to the president, but congressional Republicans are trying to make Hunter’s legal troubles salient as his father seeks reelection next year. The younger Biden already faces indictment on firearms charges after a plea deal fell apart in September.

Academic scores fell during pandemic

A global test showed an “unprecedented” decline in academic scores across the world due largely to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of the PISA test, which is carried out every three years by the OECD, a club of mostly rich nations, showed that global average math scores fell by 15 points — equivalent roughly to the loss of three quarters of an academic year. Reading and science scores fell by the equivalent of half a year. Although test scores fell sharply in Europe and the U.S., overall students in Asia continued to make progress: Singapore led the overall rankings.

China economy piles on social pressures

China’s slowing economy is raising concerns over the prospect for key reforms and the potential for social instability. Chinese leader Xi Jinping acknowledged today that the country’s economic recovery was at a “critical stage,” underlining sluggish growth. A record 11.79 million university students will graduate next year but likely struggle finding work: Youth unemployment was a whopping 21.3% before officials stopped publishing data this year. And efforts to reform China’s Mao-era residency permit system — which restricts a person’s access to state services such as health and education to their place of birth — are running into roadblocks, Reuters reported, “with Chinese officials acknowledging a strong economic rationale for change but hesitant to take decisive moves that might disrupt social stability.”

EU adds nuclear to green tech list

The European Union said nuclear power was part of its strategy to achieve net zero. The Net-Zero Industry Act lays out which technologies, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and heat pumps, count towards the EU’s climate targets. France and other countries have long advocated that nuclear power be included, but another group, led by Germany, has resisted. The vote on Thursday went emphatically France’s way, meaning that nuclear — and e-fuels, which were also termed a “strategic technology” — would be eligible for funding and subsidies intended for renewable energy. The decision came as 22 countries agreed during the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to target a tripling of nuclear power capacity by 2050 as part of efforts to curb emissions.

US pressure on Venezuela increases

The U.S. said it would conduct flight operations with Guyana’s armed forces amid rising tensions at the South American country’s border with Venezuela. The move is the regional equivalent of deploying two “U.S. aircraft carriers in the Med,” an expert on Latin America said. Caracas began amassing troops at the border following last weekend’s much-questioned referendum to annex swaths of resource-rich Guyana. The referendum was little more than “political maneuvering” by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, El País’ editorial board wrote: By stoking a military crisis, Maduro would be able to declare a state of emergency, giving him “the perfect excuse” to delay next year’s presidential election, which he is widely forecast to lose.

January 14-19, 2024 | Switzerland

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Rwanda’s soft-power push

U.S. rapper Kendrick Lamar played a sold-out show in Rwanda, a performance seen as part of a wider move by Kigali to burnish the reputation of the country’s autocratic government. Rwanda has invested heavily in hosting sports and entertainment stars to draw tourists and investment, but also as “an exercise in gaining soft power,” the BBC reported. Paul Kagame, the country’s leader since 2000, has long been criticized for silencing critics and stifling press freedoms. Meanwhile the U.K. Supreme Court ruled last month that the British government’s plans to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda were unlawful as those sent there were liable to human rights abuses.

Masters winner joins LIV Golf

The Masters champion announced he was leaving the PGA Tour and joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, casting doubt on the two competitions’ merger. Spain’s Jon Rahm, who was crucial to Europe’s Ryder Cup win this year, had ruled out joining LIV, but said that “as a husband, as a father,” he had a “duty” to accept the offer, reported to be in the region of $560 million. The PGA Tour and LIV had agreed to merge by Dec. 31, but LIV’s continued efforts to lure PGA players with lucrative contracts complicate those efforts. LIV is frustrated at the slow pace of negotiations, Front Office Sports reported, while Tiger Woods, a PGA board member, said: “Our deadline is coming up … We don’t have a whole lot of time.”

Fortnite and Lego take on Minecraft

Lego and Fortnite launched a Minecraft rival. Minecraft, where players build things out of blocks, is the most popular game in the world: 140 million people play every month. Fortnite, an online shoot-em-up, wants to challenge its dominance: Its Lego collaboration allows players to build things in Minecraft-like ways, using Lego bricks and characters, before fighting off Lego skeletons and wolves. It’s one of several recent ways in which Fortnite has tried to expand its appeal, including hosting concerts inside its universe by artists such as Eminem and Ariana Grande. The president of Epic, which makes Fortnite, admitted the collaboration was “absolutely about expansion,” beyond its mere 70 million monthly players.

Last weekend, we ran our inaugural Best of 2023 coverage. But more is coming!

Send in your suggestions for the best books, TV, movies, podcasts, music, and video games of the year and we’ll feature the most-recommended ideas.

Just hit reply, or email flagship@semafor.com.

• The national security advisers of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan meet in Seoul amid high tensions with Pyongyang.
• Hong Kong holds heavily curtailed local elections on Sunday in which only a fifth of the 470 seats available will be decided by direct public vote.
• Rebel Diamonds, a new greatest hits album by The Killers, is released.

The estimated wealth of the Abu Dhabi royal family, making it the richest clan in the world, according to a Bloomberg index. The true figure — as with those of other Gulf Arab royal families — is likely to be much higher. These fortunes “are reshaping global business as never before,” Bloomberg said, representing a barrage of “financial firepower” which “points to the region’s growing influence.” Also in Bloomberg’s top 25 list: The ruling Al-Thani family of Qatar, and the Al-Sauds of Saudi Arabia.

The Americas dominated a list of the year’s best skyscrapers. The 325-meter-high Brooklyn Tower in New York City was among architecture magazine Dezeen’s pick of high-rises completed in 2023. The curved-glass Mitikah, the tallest building in Mexico City, and POD Pinheiros in São Paulo, a 24-story tower organized around an open-air atrium, also featured. Three buildings were renovations of existing structures, Dezeen noted, highlighting “how outdated skyscrapers can be updated to meet today’s standards.”

• Is TikTok driving antisemitism? The firm that ran a viral survey didn’t reach that conclusion.
• Russia and China are getting closer than ever, new data from Gallup shows.
• India dominated Wikipedia in 2023, showcasing the growing prominence of the country’s English-speaking population.