Strikes and demonstrations in France against the government’s bill to reform the pension system, announcements of tank deliveries to Ukraine by its Western allies, attempted insurrection in Brazil… “La Matinale” offers you a tour of horizon in twelve cartoons from the news of January.
Mobilization against the pension reform
A new day of demonstrations and strike against the pension reform project is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31, while the CGT-Cheminots and SUD-Rail have proposed a renewable strike “from mid-February” at the SNCF if the government does not did not withdraw his text. The first day of national mobilization, Thursday January 19, had been very well attended, with 1.12 million people in processions in France, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Presented on Tuesday January 10 by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, the bill aims to gradually raise the retirement age, from 62 today to 64 in 2030, by three months a year from from September 1. The reform must also accelerate the extension of the contribution period provided for by the Touraine law of 2014, from forty-two years today to forty-three years (or 172 quarters) in 2027 (instead of 2035).
Tank deliveries to Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday January 25 that Germany would send fourteen Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. This decision, eagerly awaited by kyiv, comes after several weeks of hesitation within the German government and negotiations between Berlin and its allies. A few hours later, US President Joe Biden also confirmed the delivery of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, a number equivalent to a full Ukrainian battalion.
China after emerging from zero Covid
The Chinese authorities acknowledged on Saturday January 14 that the number of deaths linked to Covid-19 was much higher than that indicated until then. Between December 8, 2022, the first day of post-zero Covid, and January 12, the number of deaths in Chinese hospitals would thus have amounted to around 60,000, a figure which could still be very underestimated. British epidemiology experts estimate that the lifting of anti-Covid measures in the country could lead to between 1.3 million and 2.1 million deaths.
The announcement of the resumption of overseas travel from China from January 8, as the Covid-19 epidemic exploded in the country, pushed some nations – such as Japan, South Korea or the United States – to make it mandatory for Chinese nationals to present a negative test within forty-eight hours of arrival. The European Union, for its part, “strongly encourages” its member states to do the same. Beijing has condemned these restrictive measures and threatened retaliation.
Assault of Bolsonarists in Brasilia
Sunday, January 8, in Brasilia, thousands of far-right activists, supporters of the former head of state Jair Bolsonaro – beaten by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the presidential election – invaded for several hours the main places of power, ransacking Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace. It took nearly four hours for ill-prepared law enforcement to evacuate them. A Brazilian copy of the invasion of the Capitol, in Washington, on January 6, 2021, by sympathizers of the defeated ex-president Donald Trump, ally and model of Bolsonaro.
“Qatargate” in the European Parliament
The revelations of alleged corruption attempts by Morocco and Qatar in the European Parliament, carried out with wads of banknotes – 1.5 million euros have been discovered so far –, presents and plane tickets, have revealed the lack of transparency within the institution and loosened the tongues on the practices of many elected officials.
The emergence of ChatGPT
Since going live in November 2022, ChatGPT, OpenAI’s artificial intelligence (AI) tool, has attracted millions of users around the world. This software, capable of providing good quality texts in response to questions and simulating conversations, has sparked a new debate on the role of AI in business and education.
The humiliating election of Kevin McCarthy in the United States
It took four days of debate, three nights of negotiations and fifteen ballots for Kevin McCarthy to become Speaker of the House of Representatives on Friday, January 6. The elected members of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, although in a minority within the Republican Party, imposed their law and their methods on the new majority, inflicting historic humiliation on the new speaker.
Afghan women removed from public life
The Taliban continue to restrict the rights of Afghan women. At the end of 2022, they banned them from working for international and local non-governmental organizations. A decree came just four days after universities closed to women. From now on, Afghan women only have access to primary school, colleges and high schools having been banned from September 2021. As is access to gardens and public baths. On Friday, January 20, the UN highlighted the “tremendous setback” in their rights following a visit by senior officials to Kabul.
Repression in Iran
Iran announced on Saturday January 14 the hanging of Alireza Akbari, an Iranian-British accused of espionage, as the country is rocked by protests sparked by the death on September 16, 2022, of Mahsa Amini. The justice of the country has also confirmed the death sentence of eighteen people in connection with this revolt. Among them, four have already been executed.