World News at a Glance

Chancellor Plans Exit, Jolting Germany, Europe and the Globe

In office 13 years, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been a seemingly invincible figure in German politics. But on Monday, the chancellor said she would step down as leader of her conservative party in December and would not seek re-election in 2021. That means Merkel may remain on the political scene for months. But few observers believe she could hang on until the end of her term, speculating that new elections could be held as early as next year. The announcement underscored the new fragility of German politics and the great uncertainty for a Europe without Merkel at the helm.

Indonesia Plane Crash Adds to Country’s Troubling Safety Record

A jetliner carrying 189 people from Jakarta crashed into the Java Sea on Monday, renewing concerns about air safety in an island nation dependent on air travel and raising questions about how a brand-new plane fell from the sky. Minutes after takeoff, with the skies clear, the crew of Lion Air Flight 610 contacted air traffic controllers and asked permission to return to the airport. “The request was permitted,” said a spokesman for the Indonesian air navigation authorities. “Then we lost contact. It was very quick, maybe around one minute.” Officials appeared to have given up any hope of survivors.

American ISIS Suspect Is Freed After Being Held More Than a Year

The Trump administration has freed a U.S. citizen whom the military imprisoned without trial for more than 13 months as a suspected Islamic State group member, U.S. officials said Monday. The man, a dual U.S. and Saudi citizen, was captured in September 2017 by a Kurdish militia in Syria. The Kurds turned him over to the U.S. military, which held him as a wartime detainee at a base in Iraq while a court battle over his fate played out. The officials said he was released in Bahrain. The man’s real name is Abdulrahman Ahmad Alsheikh, The New York Times learned.

U.S. to Block Sales to Chinese Tech Company Over Security Concerns

The United States said Monday that it would block a Chinese state-owned technology company from buying U.S. components because it posed a national security threat, the latest volley in a dispute between the world’s two largest economies. Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit, a manufacturer of semiconductors, “poses a significant risk” of becoming involved in activities that might infringe on national security, the Commerce Department said. The move could cripple Jinhua, which relies on U.S. components for its semiconductors, and followed similar action taken by the Commerce Department this year to block sales of components to ZTE, a Chinese telecom company.

Mexico May Shelve New Airport Project

Mexico’s president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that he would cancel construction of an expensive new airport in the capital after voters rejected it in an informal voting procedure involving a small fraction of the population. The decision to scrap the airport, a $13 billion project that is one-third complete, met with swift protests from Mexico’s business community, which warned that the cancellation could threaten the country’s economic stability by sending a message that investments may not be guaranteed under the López Obrador administration. López Obrador, a leftist, takes office on Dec. 1.

Champion in Scrabble Masters Tiles in 2 Tongues

Groutier. Zonular. Those were two of the highly obscure words that helped Nigel Richards clinch the finals of the World Scrabble Championships in London on Sunday. Richards, 51, who is from New Zealand and lives in Malaysia, was the world Scrabble champion in 2007, 2011 and 2013. He also won the French edition of the championship in 2015 and again this year — apparently without actually speaking that language. As of Sunday night, Richards’ competitive Scrabble record stood at 2,758 wins, 833 losses and 11 draws, making him the world’s second-best Scrabble player in the global rankings.

Ending Ban, China Allows Rhino Horns for ‘Healing’

The Chinese government, reversing a 25-year ban, announced Monday that it would allow the use of rhinoceros horns and tiger bones in medicine, a move that environmentalists described as a significant setback for efforts to protect the animals. The State Council said that it would legalize the use of rhino horns and tiger bones for “medical research or in healing,” but only by certified hospitals and doctors, and only from rhinos and tigers raised in captivity, excluding zoo animals. Still, environmentalists said the decision would likely help fuel a black market for wild rhino and tiger parts.

Cornell Cuts Ties With Chinese School After Crackdown

Faculty members at Cornell University said Monday that they were cutting ties with a leading Chinese university after reports that it was harassing and intimidating students leading a campaign for workers’ rights. Scholars at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations said they were suspending a 6-year-old research and exchange program with Renmin University in Beijing after the school punished at least a dozen students who joined a nationwide call for better protections for low-income workers in China. The student activists say they are fighting to defend the working class and the legacy of communism.