The far right-wing at the doorstep of the Italian government
On Sunday 25th of September 2022, the post-fascist party Fratelli d'Italia (“Brothers of Italy”) won the parliamentary elections. Giorgia Meloni, the party's leader, is claiming the leadership of the next government. A period of uncertainty is opening up in Italy and in the European Union, as the right-wing and far-right coalition faces considerable challenges.
Commonwealth expansion: Gabon and Togo as new members
On 25 June 2022, the Commonwealth organisation accepted the Togo and Gabon membership, two French-speaking West African countries…
The death of Shireen Abu Akleh, another threat to press freedom in Israel
Shireen Abu Akleh, a journalist with the Qatari TV station Al-Jazeera, was shot dead in a refugee camp in Jenin in the northern West Bank on 11 May 2022 while covering an Israeli army raid. Aged 51 and in office since 1997, her death aroused a deep popular infatuation in Israel and Palestine. A Christian from Jerusalem, she became known as the face of the West Bank through her coverage of the second intifada. A few days after her death, the images of her funeral disrupted by Israeli police violence shocked the whole world. These events show the Israeli authorities' desire to control the press, to the detriment of their image on the international scene.
Georgian position in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, between supporting the Ukrainian people and managing their economic dependence on Russia
Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 25 February 2022 is stirring up trauma in Georgia, a Caucasian country that experienced a similar situation to Ukraine in 2008. As a result of this conflict, two northern regions of the country (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) are recognised as independent by Russia. While this war is still fresh in people's minds, the challenge for this small country of 4 million people is to adopt a position on the international stage that is firm towards Russia and supportive of Ukraine, while at the same time managing their economic dependence on Russia, which creates disagreements between the citizens and their government.