Without a slight less doubt, one of the greatest challenges related to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic is the economy. The disruption caused by Coronavirus has caused a large global recession and has virtually paralysed several economic sectors, especially those related to tourism and leisure.

The economic crisis has forced several countries and supranational organizations to create recovery plans intending to revitalise the economy. On this 29th of April, President Joe Biden addressed the Congress to present his investment plan, a plan that he qualified as “once in a generation”.

What is Biden proposing?

Biden chose the eve of his 100th day in office to deliver his plan to the US Legislative Power. Standing in front of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms Nancy Pelosi, and the Speaker of the Senate and Vice President, Ms Kamala Harris, President Biden presented his project, which includes a tax increase and a greater government investment. The vaccination campaign has helped to revitalise the economy, but it is far from normal, with a job market that has not got off the ground yet.

Biden has presented two joint plans: the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. He has stated that these plans will be funded by increasing taxes on the wealthiest and greatest corporations: “It is time for corporate and the wealthiest 1% to pay their fair share”.

The American Jobs Plan will consist of investing in public infrastructure to boost the job market. This will include renewing highways, railroads, bridges, ports and airports. Biden’s plan projects to stimulate the creation of employment and to concede benefits to essential home care workers as well. It also pretends to ensure the quality of the jobs created.

The American Families Plan is intended to boost the families’ economies, which are damaged as a result of Coronavirus. This plan will provide free pre-school for children aged 3-4, tuition-free community college, tax breaks and paid medical and family leave.

Biden projects a public expenditure of $4 trillion, following the $1,9 trillion stimulus package that was signed last month.

The economic plan was not the only issue treated by President Biden. He also urged Congress for gun control, immigration and criminal justice reform.

The Republican reaction

The Republican Party has criticised Biden’s first 100 days in office. Chairwoman of the Republican National Committee Ronna McDaniel has stated that Biden had failed and that “our nation is worse-off and more divided”. The only African-American Republican senator Tim Scott said that this plan will “lower wages”, and it is all a “liberal wish list of big government waste”.

However, Democrats have a very comfortable position within the Legislative Power, with the majority in the House of Representatives and a 50-50 in the Senate (in case of a tie, the Speaker’s vote decides, and the person in the office is the US Vice-President, Kamala Harris).

This ambitious plan wants to boost America’s damaged economy and to leave behind the economic nightmare caused by Coronavirus. Will it be the XXI Century’s New Deal? We will have to wait to see the results.

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Last 20th of April, Chadian President Idriss Déby died from the wounds suffered during clashes with rebel factions in the northern part of the country. The African head of State had been ruling the fate of the country since he took power after a military coup in 1990.

He had been reelected only a few hours before, for the sixth mandate in a row. After his death, the power has been assumed by a military junta headed by his son Mahamat Idriss Déby. However, the succession of the deceased leader is going to be far from easy: family rivalries, civilian demands for a real and greater democracy and an armed conflict ongoing, in one of the impoverished nations in Africa.

A difficult history

Chad has had a very troubled history since its independence in 1960, from France. The country suffered several armed conflicts and coups during the second half of the XX century. A long and bloody civil war erupted in 1965 after a Muslim rebellion, and the collapse of the country in 1975 led to an invasion by Libya. Backed by France, Chadians could leave apart their differences and unite against a common enemy, defeating Gaddafi’s Army in 1987.

However, General Hissene Habré’s rule was far from peaceful, with multiple violations of Human Rights. Habré was deposed in 1990, by his former chief military advisor, Idriss Déby, who had headed a rebellion against his dictatorship. Déby assumed power and was elected in 1991.

With an authoritarian style and backed by France (Chad has been a key ally in French military operations against jihadism), Déby has faced several armed rebellions and attempted coups, but had managed to stay in power for almost 31 years.

This week was re-elected for the sixth time, but only a few hours of being confirmed as the victor of the elections (that were boycotted by the majority of the opposition, accusing him of fraud), President Déby was deadly wounded while he was leading Chadian troops against the rebel army Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT).

The future

Déby has been succeeded by a military junta known as Transitional Military Council, headed by Déby’s son, general Mahamat Idriss Déby. The Council’s goal is to lead the country through a transitional period of 18 months. However, he will have to face several divisions and feuds with factions of the military, and even inside his family. Mahamat has a long rivalry with his step-brother, Zakaria, ambassador to the UAE.

Their rivalry is well-known among the Chadians: in 2020, their father appointed her wife to take care of the presidency while recovering from an illness, instead of choosing one of his sons. There are also rumours of a shoot-out taking place inside the presidential palace between both brothers last week.

Zakaria is not the only family member that could challenge Mahamat’s power, but the internal fight for the presidency is not only a family issue: Veteran General Abderamane Dicko has denounced the new Council and has urged for a strong and inclusive executive power.

Apart from that, the conflict against rebel FACT is still ongoing. FACT have been endorsed by another rebel group but offered a ceasefire for a dialogue. However, the talks were rejected by Mahamat, and the fight will continue.

Meanwhile, protests against the new council erupted last Tuesday. Thousands of civilians marched through the country’s capital, N’Djamena, demanding democracy and freedoms. French flags were burnt and civilians clashed with the police, leaving at least two dead and several wounded.

Chadian civil associations and the Lawyer Bar Council of Chad have rejected the new council. Civil groups of Chad have also asked the United Nations and the African Union to take charge of the transitional period. The situation is worsening in a country that, unfortunately, has a long history of conflict and tension And, as usual, the civilians will be those who suffer the consequences.

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The 12 founding teams will also invite three top European teams until reaching the number of 15 squads. The Super League is thought to be comprised of 20 teams, so the last five would be elected between the development reached by the teams in other competitions. The teams will be divided into two groups, and after this preliminary stage, the first three teams in each group will qualify for a knock-out stage that will decide the winners of the tournament.

The announcement has provoked a mixture of reactions and a complete earthquake in the world of football. The “founding fathers” of this new competition are England’s “Big Six” (Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal), Italy’s Internazionale, AC Milan and Juventus and Spain’s Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid. This new league will be headed by Real Madrid’s president Florentino Pérez.

Pérez justified this movement on Monday, during a televised interview on Spanish TV. According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic and the young generation’s lack of interest in football are leaving this sport in a critical situation. He stated that there are lots of matches of “poor quality”. “Between all major clubs we have lost over 5.000 million euros. (…) We want to save football. We are ruined,” he said.

However, reactions have been mostly against this new project. The increasing criticism towards this new Super League has come even from other major teams. Most of the fans are opposed to the project because they feel that football is increasingly ignoring them and that it is becoming more a business rather than a sport.

Thousands of fans from the founding teams have expressed their disapproval. For the past 30 years, fans have seen how football is increasingly turning its back to them. More expensive tickets, absurd schedules (so matches can be seen in China or Gulf countries), competitions taking place thousands of miles away from where they should be played (the Spanish Super Cup was celebrated in Saudi Arabia, the Italian Super Cup has been held in China, Qatar or the USA; in 2019 there was even an attempt to hold the Spanish Clásico in Miami).

They also criticise that this will be a “league for the rich”, where the most powerful and wealthy teams can play only against each other and not against weaker teams, as they currently do in their domestic competitions. This has been felt like a slap in the face for the modest teams, making them feel despised.

As Leeds United’s coach Marcelo Bielsa said, “what gives health to the competition is the possibility of development of the weaker, not the excessive growth of the stronger. The logic that rules the world is that powerful get richer at the expense of the weaker get poorer”.

This Monday, before the match against Liverpool, his team wore a T-shirt with the Champions League logo that said “Earn It”, about this team creating a new league out of nowhere. This will be emulated by Cádiz this week, in their match against Real Madrid.

Major European teams like Germans Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and French Paris Saint-Germain have also rejected the idea of joining this new competition. In a press release, the Bavarian team stated “Our members and fans reject the Super League. (…) FC Bayern says no to the Super League”.

Top sports federation and organizations have also expressed their disapproval. From FIFA to the International Olympic Committee, the biggest sports bodies are opposed to this new competition. UEFA went further and has announced that is planning to start legal actions against the 12 founding teams, but a Spanish court stated in a preliminary ruling that neither UEFA nor FIFA can stop the plans.

There is criticism even inside the founding teams. Manchester City’s coach, Josep Guardiola shared his opinions: “There is no sport when there is no correlation between effort and success.” Manchester United’s star Marcus Rashford shared a picture on Twitter which showed a quote from Sir Matt Busby: “Football is nothing without fans.”. Last night, Liverpool players refused the idea of playing this new tournament, led by captain Jordan Henderson.

Top retired stars that played for some of the founding teams are also opposed to this new tournament. Former players like David Beckham, Luís Figo, Gary Lineker or Éric Cantona showed their dissatisfaction. Alan Shearer (who has the scoring record in Premier League) went further and asked for sanctions against the six English participating teams participating in this project.

This crisis has caused even governments wanting to intervene. Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Tuesday, the 20th with representatives from the Football Association and the Premier League. After the meeting, the government announced that will take measures to stop the plan. French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez have also expressed their objections against the new competition.

UPDATE: Last night, due to the high pressure and protests from the fans, the six English teams decided to withdraw, while they were reports that Internazionale, AC Milan, Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona were hesitating. Super Liga stated in a press release that the competition is suspended, and the project has to be “redesigned”. For this time, fans, players and the sport itself have won. However, this is not going to be the wealthiest team’s last attempt.

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The two senior aides were not the only ones arrested during the day, and the number of detainees rose to 16, accused of attempting to destabilize the country. Among those under arrest, there are former Jordan top officials, including Bassem Awadallah, former finance minister and head of the royal court.

At the moment, Prince Hamzah is under house arrest. In two videotapes released to the BBC, the alleged conspirer denounced his home arrest and denied any involvement in conspiracies against the current King. However, the royalty accused Jordan’s officials of being corrupt and incompetent and asserted that he has been detained for participating in meetings where the King was criticised.

On the other hand, Major General Yousef Huneiti, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, assured that Prince Hamzah has only been asked to stay home and “stop some activities that could shake the stability of Jordan”.

Former heir

Prince Hamzah bin Hussein is King Abdullah’s half-brother, and for five years, the Crown Prince of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Hamzah was appointed according to his father’s wish, King Hussein II. Hussein replaced his brother Hassan bin Talal as the Crown Prince only three weeks before his death and appointed his son Abdullah as his legitimate heir. As a condition to accessing the throne, Hussein asked his newly appointed successor to be awarded as the new inheritor.

Son of King Hussein and American-born Queen Noor, Hamzah was removed from his position during a television statement made by the King, who placed his son Hussein in 2009 in his replacement.

Nevertheless, Hamzah still had some popularity, especially among local tribes. He was a favourite of his father but was too young and inexperienced when King Hussein died.

Reasons for his arrest?

The details of his alleged conspiracy remain unclear. Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Ayman Safadi, accused Prince Hamzah of being in touch with foreign elements to destabilize the country, by creating alliances and looking for mobilising local tribes against the King.

Safadi said that the intelligence services of the Kingdom, the GID (which has been awarded greater powers during the COVID pandemic) had been following him. In addition to these accusations, Mr Safadi assured that Prince Hamzah’s wife, Princess Basmah, was offered a flight outside Jordan by a man working for a foreign intelligence agency.

He also stated that the videos leaked to the BBC only tried to seek sympathy among the population, and what Prince Hamzah said in those tapes were not true.

Prince Hamzah’s mother, Queen Noor, denounced on Twitter that these accusations against his son are completely false, and hoped that truth will prevail. Princess Firyal went further and stated in the same platform (but later deleted it) that it was a succession problem, finishing his tweet with a laconic “Grow up, boys”.

A key Western ally

Jordan has kept a closer alliance with the West since the country’s independence in 1946. Designated by the US as a major non-NATO ally since 1996, Jordan has been also a very important party in the fight against ISIS. Also, Jordan has been hosting thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing from war, The United States and several neighbouring countries (including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain) have shown their support to King Abdullah. The Arab League, the most important organization of the Arab world, has also endorsed the Hashemite sovereign.

Despite there are no charges yet against the alleged conspirers, according to Petra (Jordan’s state press agency), there is an investigation ongoing.

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One week after the fourth election in only two years, Israel is facing a déjà vu. The final results of the elections, despite current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new victory, left an unclear scenario. The successful vaccination campaign against COVID-19 allowed Netanyahu, from the Likud party, to finish again in the first position, but the composition of the new Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) reduces his possibilities of still living in the Beit Aghion, the Prime Minister’s official residence.

The new Israeli House of Representatives (which has only 120 seats) has now a chaotic composition. The Legislative power now counts with 13 different parties, which makes more difficult the task of achieving the needed majority to form a government.

The last election was a result of the lack of agreement between Israeli parties. The political crisis inside the coalition government, which was unable to pass the State budget, and Netanyahu’s legal problems (he is standing trial on alleged corruption charges: the process, which involves three separate cases, was postponed because of the elections. The charges go from accepting $300,000 in gifts to fraud) marked the last (and brief) Israeli government. The Israeli’s executive fell the past 23rd of December, after only seven months of rule and eight parties composing the coalition.

The constant situation of deadlock

The definitive electoral results were submitted last 31 of March. Aware of the unclear situation, the Head of State, Mr Reuven Rivlin, made a call to solve the deadlock and create new alliances. The new Knesset composition forces Netanyahu to reach agreements with orthodox and far-right parties if he wants to continue in power. One of these formations, the far-right anti-LGBT Noam Party has demanded the amendment of Resolution 2331 (based on UN Resolution 1325, which urged countries for greater participation of women in politics), to make it reflect more “the Jewish values”.

However, Bibi (nickname of Netanyahu) will also have to negotiate with an unexpected potential ally: the Ra’am, the United Arab List. This party, led by Mansour Abbas and representative of the Arab population of Israel, may have the key for the new Israeli government. After several episodes of vilifying them, Netanyahu will have to start talks with this formation if he wants to renew his mandate.

If assent is made, there will be an unprecedented religious-based government, supported by the least expected actor: the Arabs. In the meantime, Abbas has assured that his formation is ready to “create a different reality”, and made a statement in favour of Arab-Israeli coexistence. Abbas did not endorse any candidate and remains open to cooperating with either Netanyahu or the parties opposed to the current Prime Minister.

On the other hand, the anti-Netanyahu bloc (composed of a series of different parties which, in most cases, the only thing they have in common is their ambition of putting an end to Netanyahu’s 12 years-rule) is trying to create an alternative to the Likud leader. However, this task is getting more difficult than expected. Negotiations are stuck, and by the moment, there is not a solid plan to reach power The path to the head of the government for the anti-Netanyahu bloc also passes by reaching an agreement with the United Arab List.

An uncertain future

Meanwhile, Israel is currently without a ministry of Justice. Former Justice principal, Avi Nissenkorn, resigned, and for the past three months, his functions were assumed by Benny Gantz, ministry of Defense. However, according to Israeli law, interim ministers can only exercise their powers for a term of three months, but Gantz’s period finished on the 1st of April at midnight.

This coincides with the start of Netanyahu’s trial (the first Israeli Prime Minister facing a criminal process while being in charge) which begins on Monday 5th. The future for Israel remains uncertain. If the country wants to avoid the fifth electoral call in two years, its politicians will have to reach an agreement. However, it looks like almost a miracle will be necessary to get an understanding.

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