Flagship

Netanyahu testifies in graft trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand over corruption charges — the first time a sitting Israeli leader has appeared as a defendant in a criminal trial. Investigations into Netanyahu began eight years ago, and the trial itself started four years ago. The proceedings underscore the link between Israel’s domestic politics and the array of conflicts it is fighting: Critics argue that Netanyahu has sought to cling to power not, as he argues, to defend Israel from threats along its borders and beyond, but to evade his legal troubles. Netanyahu dismissed the allegations as an “ocean of absurdity.”

New normal in Iran-Israel relations

Regional friction since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack has normalized military confrontation between Israel and Iran, creating a “profoundly unstable equilibrium,” a prominent analyst warned in Foreign Affairs. Tit-for-tat strikes between the two countries in recent months have lowered the threshold for direct conflict, and preventing a weakened Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon will be a key challenge for US President-elect Donald Trump, Suzanne Maloney, the director of the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution, wrote. However, Trump’s signature muscular approach — combined with a diplomatic offensive in the Gulf — could make all the difference in the Middle East’s trajectory, she argued.

Dems may aid Trump on diplomatic picks

New foreign-policy leadership in Congress suggests US President-elect Donald Trump may be able to break with precedent and make timely diplomatic appointments. The incoming senior Democrat on the Senate’s foreign relations committee told Semafor she was already negotiating with Republicans to avoid delays to confirming Trump’s foreign-policy team: “That’s in the best interest of the country,” she said. The likely next head of the House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee, meanwhile, largely supports Trump’s proposal to reduce aid to Ukraine, Axios noted. More broadly, because Republicans only hold a narrow majority in the House in particular, there are “grounds for guarded optimism as to the overall foreign policy direction and priorities,” an expert wrote for the Atlantic Council.

SK arrests ex-defense minister

South Korean authorities arrested the country’s former defense minister over his role in the president’s declaration of martial law. Prosecutors are investigating whether Kim Yong Hyun, who resigned Thursday, committed an act of rebellion and colluded with President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon, meanwhile, has been banned from leaving the country, a first for a sitting South Korean leader. Amid mass protests calling on Yoon to resign or be impeached, the country’s “vegetative presidency” is hurting Seoul’s diplomatic standing, The Korea Herald wrote. “Partners know that dealing with him will impact their reputation with the Korean people and likely hinder their capacity to deal with the next administration,” one Seoul-based expert said.

US-China tensions impact drone makers

China’s trade war with the US could have ramifications for Ukraine’s actual war. Some Chinese firms are preemptively limiting foreign sales of materials used to make drones like those Kyiv deploys against Russia, ahead of expected restrictions from Beijing, Bloomberg reported. The curbs underscore the far-reaching effects of US-China trade tensions, and Beijing’s dominance over the global drone market, of which it controls almost 80%. Many Ukrainian manufacturers rely on Chinese parts and drones, and had already been trying to reduce their reliance on the former. Kyiv’s strategy of mass-producing drones has also spilled over to Syria, where Ukraine reportedly trained rebel forces to make the weapons, the Counteroffensive.Pro newsletter wrote.

China particle detector nears finish

A huge spherical particle detector is nearing completion — 2,300 feet underground in China. The $300 million Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory is designed to detect subatomic particles called neutrinos that have no charge and virtually no mass, making them incredibly elusive: Billions pass through your body every second. JUNO is deep underground to avoid interference from cosmic rays, and its sphere will be filled with a liquid that lights up when high-energy particles pass through it. Scientists from 74 countries are part of the project, but the US has cut funding significantly, and has its own Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, aimed to come online in the 2030s. JUNO should start scientific work next year.

AI drives second ‘green revolution’

Artificial intelligence is driving a new “green revolution” in India. Advances in developing crop varieties and fertilizers drove the country’s first leap forward in the 1960s, staving off famine and making India self-sufficient for food. India remains an agrarian society, IEEE Spectrum reported, and many farmers are smallholders who struggle to invest in equipment and services. New startups, though, provide AI-powered weather forecasts and tailored advice for individual farms, helping them apply fertilizer, manage water, and control pests more efficiently, saving money. Farmers are often cautious about new technology, but the startups work with existing agencies to gain trust. One farm reported it had cut back on water by 30% using an AI system.

Somaliland, a self-governing region within Somalia, could move closer to gaining recognition as an independent nation when Donald Trump returns to the White House in January, Semafor’s Yinka Adegoke scooped. The potential recognition is not only about building relationships, but also “about strategic military and shipping interests in the region, as well as countering China,” Adegoke wrote.

High-end whisky trade weakens

The rare whisky market is having a rough year. The sector is typically considered a safe, stable investment, but has seen sharper-than-expected drops in both the volume of whisky at auction and their sale prices, The Drinks Business wrote. Broader economic factors are at play, with connoisseurs increasingly opting for slightly cheaper whisky: Bottles priced below £1,000 ($1,270) now account for more than half of the total sales, up from 43% last year. Bottles costing more than £10,000, meanwhile, saw a 91% drop in sales volume. “The bubble in which fine and rare Scotch whisky has been traded for so long may have finally burst,” an industry analyst said.

Arctic emitting greenhouse gas

The Arctic, once one of the world’s greatest carbon sinks, is becoming a greenhouse gas emitter. The Arctic tundra, which is experiencing increased wildfires, warmed faster than the global average for the 11th consecutive year, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. About 1.5 trillion tons of carbon are stored in the permafrost — more than in all the world’s forests — and unleashing that carbon would significantly accelerate the effects of climate change. The problem extends beyond carbon dioxide: The melting tundra gives way to plants, which bacteria in the soil eat, producing methane, another greenhouse gas, exacerbating the problem.

Welcome to Muskville, USA

Elon Musk is building his own company town near Austin, Texas. Just a few minutes drive from the headquarters of SpaceX and The Boring Company, Musk has bought a plot and plans to build 110 homes for his employees. Company towns are a US tradition, Sherwood noted: Many early industrial centers sprung up in remote locations, and employers built homes, schools, and stores for workers. Several, like Hershey, Pennsylvania — where Semafor’s own Liz Hoffman is from — still exist, but many have declined as heavy industry moved away. The towns have a mixed history: Many were built with philanthropic, if paternalistic, intent, but were subject to abuse, as workers were expected to live according to their employers’ rules.

Dec. 11:

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opens the 7th German-Ukrainian economic forum.
• Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra gives a speech on her first 100 days in office.
• Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the Disney classic, premieres in London.

A Japanese artist used artificial intelligence to reimagine the country’s aesthetic history. Takashi Murakami’s work, on display at a new exhibition in London, blends “tradition and innovation,” Artnet wrote, overlaying contemporary imagery and bold, neon colors on top of works by 16th century Japanese painter Iwasa Matabei. In some cases, Murakami used AI to refine his sketches of animals he hadn’t drawn before, tweaking the inputs until he was happy with the result. Murakami also leaned on anime-style aesthetics to produce his final designs. “Anime, with its bright colors, exaggerated characters, and surreal worlds, appears playful on the surface,” he told Artnet. “But… there’s often a deep sadness or existential anxiety running underneath.”