UNITED STATES
Shock search at Donald Trump’s home
FBI agents landed on August 8 in Mar-a-Lago (Florida) to search the luxurious residence of the former president. “They even broke into my safe!”, indignant Donald Trump, comparing this raid to Watergate. The police are investigating a possible violation of the Espionage Act, the billionaire having seized on classified documents.
Some would relate to nuclear weapons, according to washington post. This unusual search “underlines the deep concern of government officials about the types of information” that Donald Trump could still hold, underlines the daily.
TAIWAN
Beijing hardens the tone
A first for 22 years. Beijing published a white paper on Taiwan on August 10, reiterating the necessary “reunification” of China and the island, which the communist regime considers to be one of its provinces. The authorities affirm that this takeover is “essential to the regeneration of China” and indicate “not to renounce the use of force”, notes the site. Asian Times which insists on the “radicalization” of the discourse. The Chinese military has conducted unprecedented military exercises in response to the August 4 visit to Taipei by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
RWANDA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, SOUTH AFRICA
Blinken’s tour of Africa
After Emmanuel Macron and Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, the head of American diplomacy went to Africa from August 7 to 11. In addition to South Africa, Antony Blinken visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, at loggerheads. He notably mentioned the suspicions hanging over Rwanda, suspected of supporting an armed rebellion in eastern DRC. “After ignoring Africa for a time, the United States is seeking to catch up and counter the growing influence of Beijing and Moscow in the region”, analyzes public radio website Voice of America.
TURKEY
First deliveries of Ukrainian wheat
Several ships loaded with grain have left Ukrainian ports for the Middle East, hit hard by the shortage of wheat and the inflation it causes. The first freighter, the Razoni, docked on August 11 in Turkey and was to head for Egypt. Since the agreement negotiated by the UN between kyiv and Moscow to open a humanitarian corridor, around fifteen boats have left Ukraine, the world’s fifth largest exporter of wheat. “Grain prices, including maize and wheat, have now fallen to pre-war levels, partly in anticipation of increased supplies,” specify the FinancialTimes.
UKRAINE
Zaporizhia power plant worries
The International Atomic Energy Agency judged “the serious hour” on August 11, after bombings on the Zaporijia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe. Russia, whose army has occupied the area since early March, has rejected UN calls for a demilitarized zone. Moscow and kyiv accuse each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe.
The concern is all the stronger as the region could soon become a new frontline. “Fighting has intensified in recent days in anticipation of what Ukraine calls a planned counter-offensive in the south,” remind him Guardian.
UK
The social unrest lasts
Strike notices keep falling across the country, strangled by inflation, which exceeds 9%. In trains, the metro, at the post office, in telecoms, or even among lawyers… Social movements are multiplying in the United Kingdom. After a historic strike by railway workers in June, train drivers stopped work on August 13, causing major disruption. The black summer is not over, since the dockers of Port Peel in Liverpool voted on August 15 to call a strike. It is “Britain’s fourth largest port by volume”, remember Politico.
BRAZIL
Pro-democracies are mobilizing
Two months before the presidential election, thousands of Brazilians demonstrated in several large cities on August 11 to defend democracy. They fear that the far-right head of state, ahead in the polls by his left-wing rival Lula, will cling to power.
Jair Bolsonaro insists that a fraud is brewing, inspired by his idol, former US President Donald Trump. Nearly a million citizens have also signed a manifesto against its authoritarian drift. “The letter, read at the Faculty of Law of the University of São Paulo, recalls another similar one issued in 1977 against the dictatorship”, note El País.