Donald Trump signed an executive order granting “full pardons” to some 1,500 January 6th rioters. Among the other orders the president signed at a rally after his inauguration were directives to withdraw America from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organisation, as well as to freeze hires of most federal workers and delay the ban on TikTok for 75 days. He also declared a border emergency and issued ten executive orders on immigration “to repel the disastrous invasion of our country”.
Eighteen states, including California and New Jersey, sued to block Mr Trump’s attempt to end “birthright citizenship”, arguing his executive order is unconstitutional. Civil-rights groups filed separate lawsuits. The president’s order seeks to deter immigration by stopping the practice of automatically recognising the citizenship of children born to noncitizen parents in America, including those on temporary visas.
The chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said he would leave his post in March. General Halevi wrote that he took responsibility for the IDF’s failure to prevent the Hamas attacks on October 7th 2023. The head of the IDF’s southern command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, also said he would resign.
One day after Mr Trump assumed office Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, spoke to Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart, in a video call lasting over 90 minutes, according to Russian state media. They “indicated a willingness to build relations” with America, a Kremlin aide said, adding that Russia was “ready for dialogue” over Ukraine. In 2022 Messrs Putin and Xi declared a “no-limits” partnership.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said that the global economy was “fracturing along new lines” and warned against a “race to the bottom” on trade in the face of Mr Trump’s tariff threats. China’s vice-premier, Ding Xuexiang, also spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He too cautioned against tariffs and said his country was open to foreign investment.
Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s suspended president, appeared at his impeachment trial at the country’s constitutional court for the first time. He denied all wrongdoing over his declaration of martial law on December 3rd, and said he was a believer in “free democracy”. Mr Yoon has been arrested on separate insurrection charges, and on Monday again refused to be questioned by investigators.
A fire at a ski resort in Turkey killed at least 66 people and injured over 50 more, according to the interior ministry. The blaze broke out at a hotel in Kartalkaya, a popular resort in Bolu, a north-western region; it is thought to have started in the hotel’s restaurant. The justice ministry said it was investigating the cause of the fire.
Figure of the day: 25%, the share of the global population living in cities of over a million people, up from 15% six decades ago. Read the full story.
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Correction: A previous edition of The World in Brief included a quotation that we incorrectly attributed to George Orwell. Sorry.