GERMANY
Defense Minister resigns
In the midst of the war in Ukraine, the German Minister of Defense leaves her post. Criticized for her numerous blunders and her inability to reform the army, Christine Lambrecht (SPD) resigned on January 16, embarrassing Chancellor Olaf Scholz. To succeed him, the latter chose Boris Pistorius, a little-known but experienced regional elected official. According to the German weekly Der Spiegelthe period promises to be delicate for the government: “The task awaiting the replacement of Lambrecht is immense because our troops are in a deplorable state and, because of the war in Ukraine, it seems urgent to restructure our army.”
ISRAEL
The street faced with justice reforms
In a country not used to demonstrations, more than 80,000 people marched on January 14 against the justice reform envisaged by the new Israeli government. The coalition led by Binyamin Netanyahu wants to weaken the Supreme Court and offer judicial immunity to ministers. “This protest movement is already one of the most massive in recent Israeli history,” he said. Haretz. But it is still too early to say where this wave will take us.” The processions will however “probably not be enough to push back the leaders of the far-right coalition in power”, continues the center-left daily.
UNITED STATES
An embarrassing discovery at Biden
Confidential classified documents archived in Joe Biden’s Wilmington garage next to his 1967 Corvette! This unusual detail does not detract from the seriousness of the facts, revealed on January 12, after the discovery of a first salvo of documents in November. All date from the time when Biden was vice-president, but their illegal detention exposes him to prosecution. It echoes the investigation against ex-President Donald Trump for possession of confidential notes. The case “threatens to cripple Biden’s plans and blunt his momentum after the midterm elections”, comment on it washington post.
PERU
State of emergency and social malaise
More than a month after the dismissal and arrest of ex-president Pedro Castillo – accused of having tried to dissolve the Congress which wanted to try him for corruption – the toll of the demonstrations is still heavier: at least 48 dead and 500 wounded. On January 14, the government declared a state of emergency for thirty days. Dina Boluarte, the former vice-president from the same party as Pedro Castillo and who replaced the latter as president, “failed to preserve the confidence of his predecessor’s supporters and the clashes between demonstrators and forces of order only increase tensions,” notes El Nuevo Herald, who observes that “in the Andean country, however accustomed to political turmoil, social unrest is reaching unprecedented levels”.
RUSSIA
The Waltz of the Generals
General Sergei Surovikin did not last more than three months as commander of Russian forces in Ukraine. Chief of the Defense Staff Valeri Guerasimov replaced him on January 11. “Several Western experts believe that this change signals internal struggles at the top of the military hierarchy and a possible new phase of the Russian offensive”, note it Moscow Times. The strategy of systematic shelling, including civilian buildings, however, seems unchanged. On January 14, a missile hit a residential building in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine, killing at least 40 people.
BURKINA FASO
Mass kidnappings
They had gone to pick fruit and leaves to feed their families. At least sixty women were kidnapped between January 12 and 13 by armed men near the town of Arbinda, in the north of the country. In this area under blockade by jihadist groups, where supplies are increasingly difficult, insecurity exposes thousands of people to starvation. “Since the beginning of terrorist violence in 2015 in Burkina Faso, this is the first time that several women have been victims of kidnappings”, points out information site Today in Faso.
CHINA
The Middle Kingdom began to shrink
The population fell in 2022 – by 850,000 people – for the first time in sixty years, according to official figures, to reach 1.41 billion people. Only 9.56 million births last year, compared to 10.62 million in 2021, despite the end of the one-child policy in 2016. This will have consequences for the economy, while growth has fallen to 3% in 2022. “The country’s social and medical protection infrastructures are ill-prepared for the aging of the population”, indicates the FinancialTimes.