Israel Recognizes Somaliland, Spawns Pushback from African States

Israel’s decision to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state has thrust the territory in Somalia’s north into the center of a geopolitical contest, centered on the Horn of Africa.

Somaliland, which broke from Somalia in 1991, has built relatively functioning democratic institutions and security forces, contrasting sharply with Somalia’s chronic instability and aid dependence. Somaliland, in contrast to the rest of Somalia, was colonized by the British rather than the Italians.

Somalia condemned the move as a violation of its sovereignty, along with most African states, which warned it could destabilize a region already strained by conflict and shipping disruptions in the Red Sea. Taiwan, in contrast, welcomed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. Somaliland is seen as a rare Taiwanese ally on the continent, and Taiwan opened reciprocal representative offices with Somaliland in 2020.

US President Donald Trump, in response to Israel’s decision, has said the US will not recognize Somaliland’s independence.

 

Frank Gehry, Noted Architect of the Past Half Century, Dies at 96

Frank Gehry, boundary-pushing architect whose sculptural buildings reshaped skylines worldwide, died at 96 earlier this month at his home in Santa Monica, California, after a brief respiratory illness.

The Canadian-born American architect was known for his unconventional building designs. His signature works include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. He won architecture’s top honor, the Pritzker Prize, in 1989.

 

Winter Storm Paralyzes Midwest, Great Lakes Ahead of New Year

The National Weather Service placed at least 15 states under winter storm warnings or advisories as a deep low-pressure system swept east, bringing heavy snow, damaging winds and dangerous wind chills from Montana through the Great Lakes into the Northeast. Forecasters warned of treacherous travel, with gusts topping 50 miles an hour in parts of Minnesota and whiteout conditions forcing closures along key interstate corridors during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.​

Farther south, the same sprawling system fueled severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes across portions of the Midwest and the South, with authorities reporting pockets of structural damage, downed power lines and scattered outages. In Texas, where some areas saw freezing temperatures and sleet, forecasters cautioned that even minor accumulations could slick roads ill-prepared for wintry precipitation.​

The West Coast was also not spared from destructive weather this past month. An intense atmospheric river lashed California both just before and during the holiday week, delivering some of the wettest conditions in years to parts of the state and triggering floods, debris flows and mudslides, particularly near recent wildfire burn scars. Emergency crews conducted evacuations in vulnerable canyons as saturated hillsides gave way, while officials warned that additional rounds of rain, on already soaked ground, could prolong the risk well into the new year.

 

Trump Declares Venezuela Airspace Closed as Tensions Mount

President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post declaring Venezuela’s airspace “closed in its entirety” has escalated the standoff with Nicolás Maduro’s government, which denounced it as a “colonialist threat” to its sovereignty. The statement follows U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warnings of heightened risks from military activity and GPS interference, prompting airlines to cancel flights.

In retaliation, Venezuela revoked operating permits for six foreign carriers, accusing them of aiding U.S. “state terrorism.” This comes amid a major U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group and additional warships, aircraft, and troops to interdict drug shipments and pressure Maduro over alleged “narco-terrorist” ties.

Officials describe an upcoming “phase” blending covert and overt actions against drug networks, while avoiding explicit regime-change rhetoric. The operations have involved lethal strikes on suspected drug vessels, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirming three attacks in the Eastern Pacific that killed 14 people, leaving one survivor. Reports of earlier Caribbean strikes, including a second hit on survivors, have drawn human rights scrutiny and congressional probes over legality and targeting.

Maduro frames the pressure as a prelude to invasion but has signaled willingness for direct talks with Trump to de-escalate. Regional neighbors, strained by Venezuelan migration, now grapple with potential U.S.-Venezuelan conflict.

 

Dick Cheney, Architect of Post-9/11 Wars, Dies at 84

Dick Cheney, a dominant force in Republican politics and vice president under George W. Bush, died on November 3rd in Virginia at 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiovascular disease, his family said. A former congressman from Wyoming, White House chief of staff, defense secretary and Halliburton chief executive, he helped steer the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and expanded the reach of the modern national security state. Supporters credited him with a hard-line approach they argued kept the US safe after the 9/11 attacks, while critics faulted him for championing intelligence practices and war policies they said led to abuses and a protracted conflict in Iraq.​

At a funeral service at Washington National Cathedral, former President Bush and Cheney’s daughter Liz were among those delivering eulogies to an audience that included Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle, senior lawmakers of both parties and several Supreme Court justices. Trump administration officials, including President Donald Trump, were largely absent following years of Cheney’s public break with his party over the January 6 attack and the 2024 election. Cheney is survived by his wife, Lynne, their daughters, Liz and Mary, and seven grandchildren.