UKRAINE
Shoigu’s Threats
For the first time since May, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on 23 October. He spoke of a possible provocation by kyiv through the use of a “dirty bomb” by Ukraine on its own territory. A false allegation, reiterated the same day with the French, English and Turkish Defense Ministers. “The lack of dialogue with Moscow has become a source of concern as Putin has shown himself to be more and more open to the use of a nuclear weapon”, notes the washington post.
UNITED STATES
Salman Rushdie, fragile but alive
“Salman Rushdie has lost sight in one eye. He has received three serious neck injuries. He is disabled in one hand because the nerves in his arm were severed,” US agent Andrew Wylie revealed in a statement. interview with the Spanish daily El País on the sidelines of the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 22. “He has about 15 other injuries to his chest and torso, but he will live, that’s what matters,” added the agent. Threatened with a fatwa since the publication of the Satanic Verses (1988), the Anglo-American author of Indian origin was stabbed on August 12 in New York State as he prepared to give a lecture.
CHINA
Xi Jinping, the Almighty
Unsurprisingly, Xi Jinping was reappointed for a third term as head of China on October 23. The Chinese president introduced the other six members of the Communist Party’s standing committee, the country’s true leaders. He also ousted his rivals and more moderate party cadres, including former President Hu Jintao. “Like a huge ship, China will move forward with Comrade Xi Jinping at the helm, rejoices the official newspaper GlobalTimes. The party’s composition shows its maturity and stability, but also brings security in a world struggling with change and turmoil.”
UK
Rishi Sunak becomes Prime Minister
Liz Truss only lasted forty-four days at the head of the United Kingdom. And, after her fall, she was replaced in less than a week. On October 24, former finance minister Rishi Sunak, 42, replaced her at 10 Downing Street. “Good luck Rishi, you will need it, quips the conservative weekly The Spectator. The job of prime minister has become impossible, subject to too many demands and too many reproaches, as soon as people feel that their lives are not living up to their expectations.” Fiscal austerity supporter Sunak is also known for his immense fortune, estimated at more than 800 million euros.
ITALY
Macron and Meloni, the (little) cordial agreement
The “post-fascist” Giorgia Meloni was officially appointed President of the Council on October 22 at the head of a government bringing together the right and the extreme right in Italy. The next day, she received Emmanuel Macron in Rome for a visit “prepared in the greatest secrecy”, reports La Republica. The Italian daily evokes “a forced thaw” between the two leaders, who share few values and are wary of each other. “Opponents until yesterday, they will have no choice but to work together tomorrow,” said the Rome newspaper. The French president said he would judge Meloni ‘on deeds’.
SAUDI ARABIA
In Algiers, “MBS” to absent subscribers
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Salman canceled at the last minute before his official trip to Algeria on October 23. Reason given? Doctors advise the 37-year-old prince not to take long plane flights, which disturb his middle ear… “An absence that observers will not fail to scrutinize to find out if the Saudi monarch has not called in sick in order to express its distrust of the holding of the Algiers summit, while avoiding offending the Algerian authorities”, Express The Morning of Algeria. This summit of Arab countries, on November 1, should mark the return of Algiers to the diplomatic scene of the region.
CHAD
Anger and repression: 50 dead in N’Djamena
Demonstrations against Mahamat Déby’s continued presidency for two more years, without popular consultation, ignited several towns in Chad on October 20. Police responded to live ammunition and killed over 50 protesters. “This date deserves to be inscribed in the black pages of the history of Chad, writes the Burkinabé daily The country. We can admit that the responsibilities are shared, but let’s not be afraid of words, the main culprit is the regime. It’s Déby son.” The latter was only to remain president for eighteen months after the death of his father, Idriss Déby, who was killed a year and a half ago.
Corentin Pennarguear and Axel Gyldén