UK
Harry, the explosive confessions
Prince Harry (d) and his wife Meghan, December 6, 2022 in New York
© / afp.com/ANGELA WEISS
King Charles III faces the first major crisis in the royal family under his reign. His son Harry publishes a titled autobiography on January 10 The Substitute, full of scandals: fights with his brother William, first sexual experience or, again, the 25 Taliban he claims to have killed in combat in Afghanistan. “Encouraged by his wife, Harry seems to have become addicted to the truth and he confuses the whole world with his shrink’s couch”, writing The Observer, before wondering: “Can the monarchy, with its chronic allergy to transparency, survive such an attack from within?”
IRAN
Charlie Hebdo Ulcer the mullahs
The satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo published a cartoon contest of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on January 4 in support of those protesting against the Islamic Republic. In retaliation, the Iranian regime closed the French Research Institute in Tehran. “This is not the first time that France and Iran have been at loggerheads,” highlighted The National, which recalls that Emmanuel Macron had been bitten into the devil by the Iranian government press and attacked by Ayatollah Khamenei in 2020 after defending the right to caricature Muhammad.
BRAZIL
Bolsonarists ransack Brasilia
The headquarters of Congress in Brasilia stormed on January 8, 2023 by supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro
© / afp.com/EVARISTO SA
More than 300 people were arrested on January 8, after supporters of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Brasilia. The work of “putschists”, reacted strongly President Lula. “Everything can be said about the terrorist acts of this Sunday, except that they were unexpected, is indignant the daily O Globo. The Bolsonarists have always warned that they would attempt a coup, starting with their supreme leader, who did not recognize his defeat and fled the country to boycott the inauguration of his successor.
AUSTRALIA
Climate disaster in the Kimberley
It is the worst flooding Western Australia has seen “in its history”, authorities say. Torrential rains hit the Kimberley region, in the north-west of the island-continent, where hundreds of people, isolated, had to be evacuated on January 9. Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen reacted by recalling that there was “absolutely” a link between global warming and the latest wave of record flooding to hit the country, reports The Guardianadding that “natural disasters are less and less”.
UNITED STATES
Mayhem in the House of Representatives
Republican Kevin McCarthy is sworn in as Speaker of the House of Representatives early Saturday morning, January 7, 2023, in Washington
© / afp.com/OLIVIER DOULIERY
After four chaotic days and 15 ballots, Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected on January 7 as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. To obtain the perch, the elected official had no choice but to make a series of concessions to the Trumpist wing of the party, which had until then blocked his nomination. “As Republicans grapple with their agenda, the struggle McCarthy has faced to secure votes is a taste of the kind of challenges he will face in trying to unite his members in the future”, note the channel CNN.
CHINA
China reopens its borders
After three years of isolation, China has lifted quarantine obligations for travelers coming from abroad, sealing the total disappearance of its “zero Covid” policy, in the midst of a wave of contamination. At the same time, the most populous country in the world reopened its border with Hong Kong on January 8. “Countries around the world are eager to welcome the return of Chinese tourists,” notes the New York Times, which specifies that the latter spent 250 billion dollars a year abroad before the pandemic. Worried about the health risks, dozens of states, including France, however require Covid tests for travelers from China.
UKRAINE
The Fake Russian Ceasefire
Announced by Vladimir Putin, the 36-hour ceasefire, which would have made it possible to celebrate Orthodox Christmas, ultimately did not take place. Moscow accused kyiv of hitting two power plants in the Donetsk region. For their part, the Ukrainians said their enemies were taking advantage of the truce to launch attacks around the disputed town of Bakhmut. For Westerners, this call was above all “a propaganda ploy by the Russians to allow their forces to regroup after a series of setbacks on the battlefield”, reports the FinancialTimes.