👋 Haia!*
Welcome to Monday, where Israel’s government approves the expansion of settlements in the occupied Golan Heights, thousands are feared dead after a cyclone hits the French island of Mayotte near Madagascar, and an English vicar steals Christmas. Meanwhile, Paul Turban for Les Echos looks beyond the celebrations for the reopening of Notre-Dame — and asks what will France do about some 8,000 other churches in dire need of repair.
[*Welsch]
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Georgian weekly Kviris Palitra wonders "who is going to save us, Georgians ?" as the country is going through an ongoing turmoil following disputed elections in October and the victory of the far-right Georgian Dream party. French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken to Bidzina Ivanishvili — the billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream ruling party picked as the country’s next president by Georgian lawmakers over the weekend — urging the release of protesters "arbitrarily" arrested in a crackdown on pro-EU demonstrations, and calling for an inclusive dialogue with all political parties and representatives of civil society. Macron also addressed the people of Georgia to express his support to their fight and demands.
🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
• Israel plans to expand Golan settlements, citing threats from Syria. The country’s government approved a plan on Sunday to double its population on the occupied Golan Heights, days after seizing more Syrian territory following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad a week ago. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was necessary as a “new front” had opened on the country’s border with Syria, saying “strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel.” Read more about Syria’s future in this Al-Manassa analysis translated from Arabic by Worldcrunch.
• Death toll from Israel-Hamas war tops 45,000, Palestinians say. At least 53 Palestinians, including a video journalist for Al Jazeera TV, and rescue workers, were killed after an Israeli airstrike hit a civil emergency centre in the Nuseirat market area in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday. Palestinian health officials announced on Monday that 45,028 people have been killed and 106,962 have been wounded in the Gaza Strip from the 14-month war, with more than half of the fatalities being women and children.
• South Korea court begins President Yoon's impeachment trial. The country’s constitutional court has begun proceedings for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after the members of parliament in Seoul voted to oust the leader on Saturday for declaring martial law and plunging his country into political turmoil. The court has six months to decide if Yoon should be removed from his position or reinstated. The leader of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP), Han Dong-hun, announced his resignation on Monday.
• At least 1,000 feared dead after Cyclone Chido hits France’s Mayotte. Rescue operations are underway to find survivors and restore services to the French overseas territory, where the final death toll is expected to reach “close to a thousand or even several thousand” after the Indian Ocean islands were hit by the worst cyclone in 90 years. At least one-third of Mayotte’s 320,000 residents live in shantytowns, where homes were flattened by the winds of more than 200 kmh (124 mph).
• West African military states promise visa-free travel amid ECOWAS split. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced visa-free travel and residency rights for citizens in the 15-member regional bloc ECOWAS, ahead of the three junta-led African countries leaving the group. The trio’s decision to leave in January follows the bloc’s insistence on restoring democratic governance, which the military-led governments have resisted. Many fears this withdrawal could be a major blow to regional unity and efforts to boost economic and security cooperation.
• India’s legendary classical musician Zakir Hussain dies at 73. The music icon, who’s considered one of the world’s greatest tabla players, died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco on Sunday. The four-time Grammy award winner had a career that spanned six decades, collaborating with several artists including singer-songwriter George Harrison and jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd.
• Vicar apologizes after telling pupils Santa wasn’t real. The Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth said Rev Dr. Paul Chamberlain accepted it was an “error of judgement” after the vicar discussed the existence of Santa with a group of schoolchildren aged 10 and 11 during a religious education lesson in Hampshire, in the UK. Pupils reportedly began to sob during the lesson, prompting anger from parents, with some saying it was “absolutely disgusting.” From the Worldcrunch vault, we offer this analysis: Does Santa Exist? A Case For Telling Kids The Truth — And Keeping The Lie.
#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS
5,862
The Spanish government has begun returning to their rightful owners the 5,862 works of art seized by the Franco regime 84 years ago. In June, the culture ministry had published a list of items plundered by the dictatorship – including paintings, sculptures, jewellery, furniture and religious ornaments — to help people reclaim their family property. Most of these pieces had originally been gathered and safely stored by the Republican government after Franco’s military coup in July 1936 triggered the Spanish civil war. After the war, many were seized and scattered among different museums, collections and institutions. The first of the looted items — a painting of the Spanish educator and philosopher Francisco Giner de los Ríos — was finally returned to its owners a few days ago during a ceremony at the National Library of Spain. Read more about the worldwide efforts pushing Western powers to give back looted artistic and historical artifacts in this Worldcrunch original.
📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS
➡️ Watch the video: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
📰 IN OTHER NEWS
🇸🇾 Amid the chaos of the collapsing Assad regime, the businessmen who were close to power know they are at risk.
— DARAJ
♀️ “No sex with men. No public or private relationships with men. No giving birth to children. No marriage.” In South Korea, the feminist 4B movement has been causing a stir for years. What kind of feminism is it, anyway?
— DIE ZEIT
⛪ While the doors of Notre-Dame cathedral reopened in Paris, France is struggling to keep its numerous historic churches standing due to strained budgets and years of neglect.
— LES ECHOS
📣 VERBATIM
“You’re not going anywhere, kid.”
— During the holiday reception of the Democratic National Committee, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took turns to thank the generous donors for their presidential campaign and asked for them to stay politically engaged despite their blow in last month’s election. Biden announced his intention to remain active in the party once he leaves office on Jan. 20, and predicted that Harris would continue being a central figure for the Democrats: “You’re not going anywhere, kid. We aren’t letting you.”
✍️ Newsletter by Anne-Sophie Goninet & Laure Gautherin
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