Morning Briefing: Nov. 14, 2024

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start Thursday with, including the US, Japan, and South Korea launching a massive military drill, Donald Trump tapping "unapologetic Zionist" Mike Huckabee as the next ambassador to Israel, and the NATO chief and US secretary of state discussing Ukraine amid rising global challenges.

TOP STORIES

• US, Japan, South Korea launch massive military drill

South Korea, the US, and Japan launched their second trilateral multidomain exercise in international waters off the East Asian country, local media reported.

According to KBS World, the three-day exercise is taking place in international waters around South Korea's southern island of Jeju.

This is the second trilateral multidomain military drill around the Korean Peninsula. The first, Freedom Edge, was held this June.

• Trump taps 'unapologetic Zionist' Mike Huckabee as next ambassador to Israel

In a move underscoring the incoming administration's stance on Israel and Palestine, US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced his selection of Mike Huckabee, a self-declared “unapologetic” Zionist, as the next US ambassador to Israel.

"I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, has been nominated to be The United States Ambassador to Israel," Trump said in a statement, making his latest Cabinet pick since winning last week’s presidential election.

Huckabee, 69, has been a "great" public servant and governor for many years, Trump added.

• NATO chief, US secretary of state discuss Ukraine amid rising global challenges

The chief of NATO and the US’ top diplomat met and reaffirmed the alliance’s dedication to supporting Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing war, with growing concerns over the involvement of North Korean forces, and a new US administration waiting in the wings.

Highlighting NATO’s recent addition of two new members, Finland and Sweden, the alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte underscored the role of US leadership in Ukraine's resistance.

"Thanks to American leadership, Ukraine has prevailed and Russia has not won," Rutte told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was visiting NATO headquarters in Brussels, in likely one of his last trips in the post.

But he is in the post only until Jan. 6, when the second Trump administration, with reportedly very different ideas about both NATO and Ukraine, is set to take office.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• President Joe Biden will make a historic visit to the Amazon rainforest as part of a South America trip, marking the first time a sitting US president has traveled to the region, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced.

• US President-elect Donald Trump nominated Florida Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state.

• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned France that long-range missiles from Paris that were sent to Ukraine may hit the French Embassy in Moscow.

• The UN Security Council issued a statement voicing concerns about recent attacks affecting UN peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon, as Israeli strikes have intensified.

• The United Nations said that separate UN attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to areas in northern Gaza had been thwarted by Israel in the past two days.

• Trump and outgoing US President Joe Biden met at the White House for transition talks.

• It is “time to end the war” in Gaza, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that any agreement with Lebanon must include Hezbollah’s disarmament and withdrawal to north of the Litani River.

• US Senator John Thune was elected Senate majority leader for the next two years.

• In a phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the state of global oil markets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the Kremlin said.

• Hezbollah said that it had targeted the headquarters of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv with a squadron of drones, in the first such attack since the outbreak of cross-border warfare between the two sides last year.

• Russia claimed that its forces had taken control of the village of Rivnopil in Ukraine's Donetsk region.

• Two security personnel and a pedestrian were killed and three others wounded in a roadside bomb blast targeting military vehicles in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

• Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said his country plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

• Ukraine said a Russian drone attack cut heating in parts of the country’s northeastern Sumy region.

• China’s President Xi Jinping left for a five-day visit to Latin America to attend major summits, state media reported.

SPORTS

• UCI Nirvana Gran Fondo World Series cycling event to begin Friday

The UCI Nirvana Gran Fondo World Series cycling event is set to kick off on Friday, in Antalya, a resort city on the Turkish Riviera, attracting 880 cyclists from 35 countries.

The UCI Nirvana Gran Fondo World Series, now in its fourth year, is held with the main sponsorship of Nirvana Hotels.

The event also receives substantial support from the Republic of Türkiye Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, the Youth and Sports Ministry, and the Turkish Bicycle Federation.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• BioNTech to buy Chinese biotech firm to boost oncology strategy

BioNTech inked a deal to buy Biotheus, a Chinese biotechnology company, for $800 million to further boost its treatment of tumors, the German drugmaker said in a statement.

BioNTech will pay up to an additional $150 million if certain milestones are met, while the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of next year, pending approval.

Biotheus discovers and develops antibody solutions for patients with unique medical needs and diseases.