Daily World Briefing, Nov. 8
China's commerce ministry suspends some export control measures announced on Oct. 9
China's commerce ministry on Friday announced the suspension of some of the export control measures that were announced on Oct. 9, with the suspension effective immediately and set to remain in place until Nov. 10, 2026.
The suspension applies to measures released over six specific announcements, most of which are related to rare-earth export controls.
Four were issued jointly by the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs, namely announcements No. 55 of 2025, No. 56 of 2025, No. 57 of 2025 and No. 58 of 2025. They cover export controls on superhard materials, lithium batteries, synthetic graphite anode materials, equipment and raw materials related to rare earths, and five medium and heavy rare-earth elements, including holmium.
Over 1,000 U.S. flights canceled as air traffic reduction takes effect amid gov't shutdown
Over 1,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Friday as a reduction in air traffic took effect amid an air traffic controller staffing shortage during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.
U.S. flight-tracking website FlightAware showed that as of 5 p.m. Friday, 4,309 flights had been delayed and 1,002 canceled.
This came after the U.S. Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday that the federal government will reduce airline traffic at 40 locations beginning on Friday.
The FAA-mandated flight cancellation plan calls for a 4-percent reduction in operations on Friday. It will ramp up to 6 percent by next Tuesday, 8 percent by next Thursday, and up to 10 percent by next Friday.
Indonesian mosque explosion injures 54 people
An explosion at a mosque inside a school in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, during Friday prayers injured 54 people, the city's police chief Asep Edi Suheri said.
The blast occurred around noon on Friday in the mosque, which is located within a Navy compound in North Jakarta. Police said the cause of the incident is still under investigation.
Witnesses said the explosion came from the rear section of the mosque's main hall. Police and navy personnel immediately cordoned off the area, and a bomb squad has conducted a full inspection of the site.
Initial investigations suggested that an electrical short circuit or a malfunctioning electronic device might have caused the explosion.
Türkiye issues arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over Gaza
Türkiye's Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on Friday issued arrest warrants for 37 people, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on charges of "genocide" and "crimes against humanity."
The prosecutor's office said in a statement that the warrants followed an investigation into what it called Israel's "systematic" attacks on civilians in Gaza, adding that the investigation began after complaints from victims and members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian aid mission intercepted by Israeli naval forces while trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar denounced the warrants in a post on the social media platform X, calling them a "PR stunt" by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He said Israel "firmly rejects" the move.
Israeli army kills 2 Palestinians in West Bank
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Friday that it had killed two Palestinians who threw Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles on a West Bank highway overnight.
According to the IDF, the incident occurred near the village of Al-Judeira, north of Jerusalem, when soldiers spotted and killed the two Palestinians.
On Thursday, two other Palestinians, a teenager and an elderly woman, were killed in separate incidents involving the Israeli army in the West Bank, according to Palestinian sources.
The two were 15-year-old Murad Fawzi Abu Seifen, killed by Israeli army gunfire in the northern West Bank, and 80-year-old Haniya Hanoun, killed after being assaulted by Israeli forces inside her home in the town of Al-Mazra'a Al-Gharbiya, the central West Bank.
Hurricane Melissa claims at least 75 lives, impacts nearly 5 mln people in Caribbean
Hurricane Melissa has claimed at least 75 lives and impacted nearly 5 million people in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, one week after landfall in the Caribbean, a UN spokesperson said Friday.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said in a daily briefing that the hurricane has also displaced more than 770,000 people and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes, schools and healthcare facilities.
"We and our partners continue to support authorities across all three countries," he said.
In Jamaica, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has deployed additional staff to help the government with humanitarian issues and strengthen operations, Haq said.
Israel receives body of hostage from Gaza via Red Cross
Israel on Friday received the body of a hostage from the Gaza Strip through the Red Cross, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the military said.
The coffin, escorted by Israeli troops, was brought into Israel and transferred to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for identification, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
"Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages," the IDF added.■