Why the Kurdish community blames Turkey for the Paris killings
On the 23rd of December 2022, 3 Kurds were shot dead in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, in Rue d'Enghien. The suspect admitted to the crime and has been charged and remanded in custody. He claims to have acted for racist reasons. Kurdish activists reject this theory and see Turkey behind the attack.
China and India fight over the Himalayas
While the border between China and India has been a source of tension for decades, deadly clashes took place there in June 2020. Since then, the Indian and Chinese armies have been fighting over 3,500 kilometres of border in the Himalayan region. On the 9th of December 2022, Beijing and New Delhi clashed again. The death toll was reportedly around twenty Indian soldiers and an unknown number on the Chinese side.
Israeli parliamentary elections, the right wing back in power
Israel had its fourth legislative elections in 5 years on the 1st of November 2022. Benyamin Netanyahu is thus back on the political stage, promised to the post of Prime Minister of Israel. The victory of his party and its allies in Parliament has caused great concern on the international scene. The future of the rule of law and human rights in the country appear to be threatened.
8 months after the overthrow of the President of Burkina Faso, a new military putsch
On January 23rd, 2022, Burkina Faso experienced a military putsch that deposed President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba takes over the country. On the 30th of September, eight months later, army units rose up against the leader who was replaced. This final overthrow of power comes against a backdrop of security crisis in this Sahelian country vulnerable to terrorist attacks. After the withdrawal of French forces from Mali, this umpteenth regional instability echoes the rivalries between Russia and the West.
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.