UNITED STATES

The return of the mega-fires in the West

A state of emergency was declared on July 23 in the face of a gigantic fire, dubbed “Oak Fire”, which is raging in eastern California. Authorities expect devastation from “extreme drought”, wind and a heat wave, which threaten the century-old trees in Yosemite National Park. “About a fifth of all giant sequoias have been destroyed in the past two years,” worries the New York Times, adding that the United States Forest Service will accelerate its clearing plan to protect them.

UK

Holidaymakers victims of Brexit

It took tourists more than six hours on July 23 to cross the border at the undersized Port of Dover to reach the mainland. London blamed the French authorities for a lack of agents to check passports, while Paris recalled “not being responsible for Brexit” and the more extensive checks it has generated. In the future, “delays could become even longer with biometric checks, as part of the European Union’s new entry and exit system” and lead to “27 kilometer queues” if nothing is done, points the Guardian.

BURMA

Opponents executed

Four prisoners were hanged on July 25 in Burma, where the United Nations has counted 114 death sentences since the February 2021 coup. Among them: Phyo Zeya Thaw, hip-hop star turned pro-democracy MP, and Kyaw Min Yu , says Ko Jimmy, writer and activist. These executions – the first since 1988 – “come at a time when the junta is struggling to control the country in the face of widespread armed resistance, and appear both as an act of retaliation and an attempt to instill fear in anyone s ‘would oppose his regime,’ says The Irrawaddy.

EGYPT

Al-Sisi in Paris

Lunch was announced at the last minute – perhaps to limit criticism. Emmanuel Macron received the Egyptian autocrat Abdel Fattah al-Sissi on July 22. On the menu of discussions, the food crisis linked to the war in Ukraine, the Iranian nuclear or the situation in Libya. For the French president, it was a question of “nurturing a strategic link, above all commercial, with his partner”, who has become one of the main customers of the French arms industry, analyzes L’Orient-Le Jour. The two presidents “also addressed the issue of human rights,” Paris said. Without further details.

UKRAINE 

Moscow jeopardizes the grain agreement

Less than 24 hours after the signing by Russia and Ukraine of an agreement aimed at securing the transit of grain in the Black Sea, Moscow on July 23 bombed the Ukrainian port of Odessa. The attack “aroused international condemnation” and “raised doubts as to the will” Russian to respect its commitment “to unblock Ukrainian seaports”, points out Politico. “This only proves one thing: whatever Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

TAIWAN

Growing threats from Beijing

“In the air and at sea, the Chinese military has become much more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years,” US General Mark Milley said July 25 during a trip to the Indo-Pacific, reports the Guardian. Thus, the number of “dangerous interactions” has increased significantly. These statements come at a very tense moment between the two superpowers. The announcement of the visit to Taiwan in August by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, provoked very strong reactions from Beijing, which promised a “vigorous” response.

BRAZIL

Bolsonaro launches his campaign

Let’s go ! President Jair Bolsonaro launched his campaign for the presidential election, scheduled for October, on Sunday July 24, in front of thousands of green and yellow supporters. Badly placed in the polls, the leader at the end of his term of office targets two populations: women, “who do not like his manifest machismo”, relates the Financial Times, but also the poor. Recently, Bolsonaro passed a social aid program of more than 7 billion dollars in order, the daily notes, to “strengthen his notoriety” and “try to buy votes”.