UNITED STATES
Immigration: risk of tension at the border
Named “Title 42”, the health measure which allowed the United States to lock access to their territory since the start of the pandemic, was lifted on May 11. Intended to limit the spread of Covid-19, the legislation gave the American authorities the possibility of immediately turning back all migrants entering the country, including asylum seekers. In three years, it has been used 2.8 million times at the Mexican border. Its suspension raises fears of an unprecedented influx of refugees. “Political tensions are growing around a long-failing immigration system facing one of its biggest challenges yet,” the site reads. CNN.
Türkiye
Second round in sight for the presidential election
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exits a voting booth at a polling station in Istanbul on May 14, 2023.
© / afp.com/UMIT BEKTAS
None of them having reached the fateful threshold of 50%, the two candidates for the presidential election, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, will meet in the second round, set for May 28. The next two weeks promise to be very tense. The opposition fears that the outgoing president, “who controls the institutions of the Turkish state and most of its media, will deploy all the tools at his disposal to stay in power”, comments the washington post.
SOUTH AFRICA
Pretoria accused of supplying weapons to Moscow
Did the South African government support Russia militarily? This is the accusation made on May 11 by the American ambassador in Pretoria. According to him, “weapons and ammunition were loaded” on board the Russian freighter Lady R in the naval port of Simon’s Town, near Cape Town. If these deliveries are proven, they would contradict the status of “non-aligned” of this country. “The accusation took the rand to a three-year low against the US dollar and heightened US sanctions concerns over South Africa,” underlines the Daily Maverick.
TUNISIA
Attack in Djerba
Soldiers secure a perimeter near the Ghriba Synagogue after an attack on May 10, 2023 in Djerba, Tunisia.
© / afp.com/ FETHI BELAID
Twenty-one years after a truck bomb attack that killed 21 people, the Ghriba synagogue is once again in mourning. On May 9, a man, a member of the national guard, killed five people – including 3 colleagues – in the middle of a Jewish pilgrimage. Among the victims, a 42-year-old Franco-Tunisian. “This attack comes at a time when tourism is recording a strong recovery, depending on the website Middle East Eye. After several years of deterioration due to the instability that followed the revolution in 2011, this key sector for the Tunisian economy had been seriously affected by the 2015 attacks against the Bardo museum in Tunis and a hotel in Sousse.
UKRAINE
New weapons for Zelensky
After Rome, Aix-la-Chapelle and Paris, London. From May 13 to 15, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accumulated promises of arms deliveries, while a major counter-offensive targeting Russian forces is expected. By pledging to provide attack drones with a range of more than 200 km – in addition to anti-aircraft missiles – the British continue to be at the forefront: “Last week, Britain became the first country to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, which will allow its forces to target Russian troops and logistics depots far behind the front lines,” he said. The Guardian.
ISRAEL
Heavy human toll in Gaza
The human toll of the new outbreak of violence between Israel and armed groups in Gaza continues to grow. On May 12, at least 31 people had lost their lives in these clashes which began three days earlier after Israeli strikes targeting Islamic Jihad, an organization considered terrorist by Israel, the United States and the European Union. “This year is already the deadliest for more than two decades for Palestinians and Israelis,” notes the New York Times. More than 110 Palestinians and 19 Israelis have been killed in recent months, according to the American daily.
PAKISTAN
Imran Kahn on probation
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was granted bail by an Islamabad court on Friday (May 12th) after the Supreme Court overturned his arrest, which sparked riots across the country. . But he could be prosecuted in other cases, warned the party of his successor, Shehbaz Sharif. Ousted last year by parliament, Kahn remains the country’s most popular politician. “He should emerge as the favorite in this year’s election if he is allowed to stand in a fair ballot,” said the FinancialTimes, who adds that the rivalry between Khan and Sharif “has become increasingly hostile” in recent months.