GERMANY
Pedophilia: the inaction of Benedict XVI
It is a shocking report, made public on January 20 and which risks permanently tarnishing the reputation of Pope Benedict XVI. While he was archbishop of Munich and Freising, from 1977 to 1982, Joseph Ratzinger did nothing to dismiss, as he could have done, four clergymen accused of sexual assaults on minors. Culpable negligence that continued long after his departure: “For decades, the leadership of the diocese has shown a lot of understanding for the perpetrators of child abuse, but unfortunately not for the victims”, notes the Suddeutsche Zeitung.
UNITED STATES
These voting machines that Trump coveted
Have the country’s voting machines seized by the Pentagon. That’s what the former president was planning to do, in late 2020, when he claimed Joe Biden’s victory was the result of fraud. Discovered by a House of Representatives commission of inquiry, this draft executive order was never signed by Donald Trump, but it reveals how far the Republican planned to go to overturn the result. “The weeks between Election Day and the attack on the Capitol could have been even more chaotic than they were,” he said. Politico.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Houthis target Abu Dhabi
A week after attacks that killed three, Yemeni rebels, backed by Iran, launched new ballistic missiles against the Emirati city, all intercepted, on January 24. “This highlights the growing threat from the Houthis, who have already been targeting neighboring Saudi Arabia for years with missile and drone strikes,” the report said. FinancialTimes. Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have been intervening militarily in Yemen since 2015 to support government forces against the Shiite militia, master of the capital, Sanaa, and the west of the country.
SYRIA
The return of the Daesh threat
With truck bombs and heavy weapons, dozens of jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group stormed, on January 20, the prison of Hassaké, in northeastern Syria, where more than 3,500 of the their. Several days of intense fighting followed with Kurdish forces, who control the region, killing at least 150 people and driving nearly 45,000 people to flee the city. “Kurdish authorities have long warned that they lack the capacity to detain, let alone try, the thousands of IS fighters captured over years of operations,” the news site recalls. Middle East Eye.
BURKINA FASO
President Kaboré overthrown
Like its neighbor Mali, the country was taken over by the army after the arrest of President Kaboré on January 24, following a mutiny in several military camps. According to the daily Today in Faso, this coup “is a sign of weariness” while, in recent years, “civilians facing jihadism have paid a heavy price, the military as well”. The head of state, when re-elected in 2020, promised results in the fight against terrorism, but proved powerless to reduce a threat that concerns a large part of the Sahel.
UKRAINE
Washington repatriates nationals
While the sounds of Russian boots are becoming more pressing every day, the United States ordered the evacuation of the families of their diplomats in Kiev on January 23, and advises against any trip to Ukraine and Russia to their nationals. “If it was expected, this American decision poses a real diplomatic problem, valued The Wall Street Journal. Privately, Ukrainian diplomats see the evacuation of the American embassy as a bad signal, indicating that the United States recognizes the imminence of an armed conflict.” The British embassy has also begun the evacuation of its personnel. .
AFGHANISTAN
Taliban attempt diplomacy
For the first time, a Taliban delegation went to Europe to discuss the humanitarian crisis raging in Afghanistan. In Oslo, on January 24, the Afghan Foreign Minister discussed compromises with Western diplomats, while famine threatens 23 million Afghans. According to Al Jazeera, “the Afghan delegation is reminded of its promises to respect human rights, an imperative to unfreeze billions of dollars in humanitarian aid”. This international support, which represented 80% of Afghanistan’s resources, has been interrupted since the return of the Taliban.
Clement Daniez and Corentin Pennarcarear