In May, the news was still marked by the war in Ukraine, but also by the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, a US Supreme Court project aimed at eliminating the right to abortion, a mass shooting in a Texas school or even, in the Philippines, by the victory in the presidential election of the son of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. “La Matinale” offers you an overview in thirteen drawings, classified according to the country of origin of the designers.
In China, the zero Covid policy is accentuating the slowdown in the economy. At the beginning of May, Beijing confirmed its strategy which consists in particular of confining the population, despite its impact on activity in the country. The maintenance of drastic measures has also pushed part of the population to seek exile.
US President Joe Biden made his first tour of Asia from May 20 to 22 since taking office. His trips to South Korea and Japan had two purposes: to show the intensity of relations between the United States and its allies in the region, and to prove Washington’s determination to counter Chinese ambitions, including military ones.
The spread of Covid-19 in North Korea angers Kim Jong-un. The leader castigated the negligence and laziness of officials, accusing them of worsening the epidemic in the country, where in mid-May there were 1.7 million cases and 62 deaths.
At the beginning of May, the appointment of a prime minister was long overdue, while the presidential election had been won at the end of April by the outgoing head of state, Emmanuel Macron. Elisabeth Borne, until then Minister of Labor of the Castex government, was finally appointed on May 16 at Matignon.
For the May 9 ceremonies, Russian President Vladimir Putin devoted most of his speech to justifying the offensive in Ukraine, a country whose name he did not once mention. The hostilities have now lasted for three months and have deeply marked Russia, their stretching over time pushing the power to a permanent internal escalation.
In France, at least 120 emergency services are facing serious difficulties before the summer, i.e. almost 20% of these structures. Lack of doctors, nurses, caregivers or beds… No region is spared, with 60 departments affected.
Thanks to the public vote, the Ukrainian group Kalush Orchestra won the 66ᵉ edition of Eurovision. A coronation testifying to the surge of solidarity that the tragedy continues to arouse in their country, nearly three months after the Russian invasion.
On May 2, Politico released a US Supreme Court bill that would remove the right to abortion in the United States. The leaked text, still under discussion, would overwrite the so-called Roe v. Wade, who had granted the right to abortion in 1973, and would leave it to each state to choose whether or not to grant this right.
In ten years, Ukraine has become one of the world’s leading grain exporters. A formidable agricultural logistics seized by the Russian invasion launched on February 24. The blockade of the Black Sea threatens the food security of many countries that buy wheat, corn, rapeseed, sunflower, barley from kyiv…
Ferdinand Marcos Junior, known as “Bongbong”, the son of the former dictator, won the presidential election on May 9 in the Philippines. His victory is the culmination of a clan’s long-term efforts to regain its place among the dynasties that make politics in the Asian archipelago.
In Afghanistan on May 22, female presenters from major television channels, who initially defied a Taliban order to cover their faces, eventually complied, leaving only their eyes visible. ‘antenna. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have gradually imposed a series of restrictions on civil society, many of which are aimed at limiting women’s rights.
Salvador Ramos, 18, opened fire on May 24 at an elementary school in the town of Uvalde, Texas, killing 21 people, including 19 children. The drama unfolded according to the usual scenario of mass shootings in the United States: a young shooter with a chaotic background, his radicalization on social networks and extremely easy access to firearms.
