Politics
In France the National Assembly voted out the centrist government led by Michel Barnier, who was appointed prime minister by Emmanuel Macron, the president, in September following an inconclusive parliamentary election in July. Marine Le Pen’s hard-right National Rally joined forces with parties on the left to oust Mr Barnier after he forced his budget through parliament without a vote. The last time the assembly voted a government out of office was 1962.
The Pentagon announced that it was sending more weapons to Ukraine using a “drawdown” facility that allows it to transfer arms from American stockpiles. The weapons include drones and anti-tank missiles. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign minister said that “the only real security guarantee for Ukraine” is full membership of NATO, pointing out that past agreements on his country’s security had turned out to be useless.
The crisis in Georgia intensified, as the pro-Russian prime minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, insisted that the pro-democracy president, Salome Zourabichvili, leave office. Opposition demonstrations were held over consecutive nights after the Georgian Dream government said it would suspend accession talks with the EU. Police fired tear-gas and water cannon at the protesters and detained opposition leaders. Mr Kobakhidze warned that the opposition’s attempted “revolution” was over.
Fianna Fáil took the most seats in Ireland’s general election. It will govern in a new coalition with Fine Gael; the two parties have been in an alliance since 2020. Negotiations over forming a government are expected to last a month, with Micheál Martin, Fianna Fáil’s leader, tipped to be prime minister.
British MPs voted by 330 to 275 in favour of legalising assisted dying for terminally ill patients in England and Wales who have no more than six months to live. The vote was for the crucial second reading of the bill in the House of Commons. Some MPs who voted “yes” have suggested they could switch to “no” if the concerns they raised about safeguards are not tackled before the bill’s final reading.
Glad to be out of Washington
Joe Biden visited Angola, the first trip to sub-Saharan Africa by an American president since 2015 and the first by any to Angola, which has recently moved closer to America after years of dependency on China. In a speech in Luanda, the capital, he talked about slavery, calling it “our nation’s original sin”, and claimed that America was “all in on Africa” regarding investment on the continent.
At least 56 people, many of them children, were killed in a crush at a football stadium in Guinea as they tried to escape from police firing tear gas to stop violence during a match. Local groups put the death toll at 135, with 50 still missing. They blamed the deaths on Guinea’s military junta, which organised the tournament.
After years of stalemate rebels in Syria swept into Aleppo, taking control of the city. The rebels were led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group formerly aligned with al-Qaeda. Their offensive was supported by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army. The rebels’ leaders assured Aleppo’s remaining Christians and other minorities that they had nothing to fear, though there are many Islamist militants among the ranks of HTS fighters.
Tensions increased between Bangladesh and India over the alleged mistreatment of Hindu minorities in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Indian protesters vandalised the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala, a city on the border, which prompted anti-India demonstrations in Bangladesh.
The death toll from sectarian fighting between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Pakistan’s north-west rose to at least 133. The government is attempting to maintain a ceasefire.
South Korea’s National Assembly took steps to impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, after the conservative president rocked the country by ordering martial law. Resorting to measures not used since the military dictatorship that ended in the 1980s, Mr Yoon accused politicians in the parliament, which is controlled by the left-wing opposition, of collaborating with North Korea. As armed soldiers stormed the assembly building, protesters took to the streets calling for Mr Yoon to be arrested. He soon withdrew his order. America urged South Korea to resolve its issues “democratically and constitutionally”.
A court in Vietnam confirmed the death sentence given to Truong My Lan, a property developer, for embezzling $12bn from a bank. But the court said Ms Lan could avoid execution if she repaid 75% of the funds. She is scrambling to raise the cash.
A month after America’s general election, California at last finished counting its vote, with a Republican district switching to the Democrats. The new House of Representatives will now have 220 Republicans and 215 Democrats when it convenes in the new year.
Joe Biden was roundly criticised, including from within the Democratic Party, for pardoning his son, Hunter, for various convictions, including tax evasion. The president had previously said he would not issue a pardon. His decision diminishes the Democrats’ efforts to take the high ground against Donald Trump, who will issue some weighty pardons of his own when he enters office in January.
Part of Mr Biden’s motivation for the pardon may have been Mr Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as director of the FBI. Mr Patel is a firm believer in the deep-state conspiracy. He has called for America’s national-security establishment to be overhauled and for officials who are biased against Mr Trump to be purged.
Keeping it in the family
In other controversial appointments Mr Trump chose Massad Boulos, the father-in-law of his daughter Tiffany, to be a senior adviser on the Middle East and Charles Kushner, the father-in-law of his daughter Ivanka, to be ambassador to France. In his first term as president Mr Trump pardoned Mr Kushner for tax evasion.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, visited Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida following the president-elect’s threat to impose stiff tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Mr Trudeau has little choice but to soothe Mr Trump, as Canada sends over 75% of its exports to the United States. To allay Mr Trump’s concerns about fentanyl and illegal migration coming across their border, Mr Trudeau has mustered more helicopters, drones and Mounties to stop the illicit flows. Mr Trump said their meeting was productive.