Once the rubbish, the bureaucracy and all the clichés of surrealism have been overcome, anyone who has been in Belgium for a while inevitably falls into the national question.. On whether it is one real country or two, the enormous wall that separates Flemish and Walloons. The lack of a common identity, at least in appearance. The ravages of nationalism, indifference. Faith was placed in football as a unifying element, but the one that has ended up being successful, as incredible as it may seem, is Netflix.

“What is the shortest path between Flemish and French speakers? An American streaming platform specialized in series and movies. Yes, the Belgian glue of the moment is called Netflix,” writes Béatrice Delvaux, its chief editorialist, in Le Soir.

It is true that sport, in the last decade, has managed to go further than any previous symbol.. The Belgian does not get too excited with his flag (the Flemish do with theirs) or singing his anthem. Nor is it especially proud of its history or leaders. But the emergence of a unique generation of footballers managed to generate hope and passion. In the last five years it really seemed like they could win a Euro Cup or a World Cup, and the brands filled the streets and supermarkets with red merchandising.. But the balances make everything artificial. They call the team The Red Devils, in English. And the songs are almost all in Shakespeare's language, which is absurd. This Sunday I saw a Belgium-Spain basketball game and they only shouted Belgium, Belgium or Defense, like in the NBA. An intimate connection doesn't even win everything.

But Netflix is something else.. “Even those who did not study Dutch as a second language at school have become addicted to the Vlaanderen series with stories anchored in the north of the country and performed by local actors and actresses,” explains Delvaux.. There is an extraordinary batch. First there was Undercover, a series about drug trafficking between Flanders and the Netherlands with a rebel police officer (Tom Waes, Flemish TV star) infiltrated with the drug traffickers.. Then came De Twaalf, a kind of 12 merciless men. And above all Diamonds in the Rough, a thriller set in the world of the Orthodox Jewish diamond merchants of Antwerp.

Of all of them, I would highlight Knokke, a not particularly brilliant drama that portrays the summer of a group of children in the posh coastal town: they go out, drink, take drugs, hook up with each other.. The photography and music are good, but above all it allows for a more normal approach, without shots or crimes. There is nothing to hide behind. The Walloon discovers what until now he only saw in North American or French productions, and can feel identified. And that's a big step forward.

Half the country is discovering regional celebrities. Among all of them, Pommelien Thijs perhaps stands out, protagonist of Knokke and established artist, one of the most listened to in Flanders last year and an iconic face since #LikeMe, a cult series for teenagers. Their kick-off concert of the new tour, at the legendary Ancienne Belgique hall in Brussels, sold out in minutes. It is the hope of reconciliation with the new generations. Distant but perhaps less loaded with prejudices.

Once the rubbish, the bureaucracy and all the clichés of surrealism have been overcome, anyone who has been in Belgium for a while inevitably falls into the national question.. On whether it is one real country or two, the enormous wall that separates Flemish and Walloons. The lack of a common identity, at least in appearance. The ravages of nationalism, indifference. Faith was placed in football as a unifying element, but the one that has ended up being successful, as incredible as it may seem, is Netflix.

“What is the shortest path between Flemish and French speakers? An American streaming platform specialized in series and movies. Yes, the Belgian glue of the moment is called Netflix,” writes Béatrice Delvaux, its chief editorialist, in Le Soir.

It is true that sport, in the last decade, has managed to go further than any previous symbol.. The Belgian does not get too excited with his flag (the Flemish do with theirs) or singing his anthem. Nor is it especially proud of its history or leaders. But the emergence of a unique generation of footballers managed to generate hope and passion. In the last five years it really seemed like they could win a Euro Cup or a World Cup, and the brands filled the streets and supermarkets with red merchandising.. But the balances make everything artificial. They call the team The Red Devils, in English. And the songs are almost all in Shakespeare's language, which is absurd. This Sunday I saw a Belgium-Spain basketball game and they only shouted Belgium, Belgium or Defense, like in the NBA. An intimate connection doesn't even win everything.

But Netflix is something else.. “Even those who did not study Dutch as a second language at school have become addicted to the Vlaanderen series with stories anchored in the north of the country and performed by local actors and actresses,” explains Delvaux.. There is an extraordinary batch. First there was Undercover, a series about drug trafficking between Flanders and the Netherlands with a rebellious police officer (Tom Waes, Flemish TV star) infiltrated with the drug traffickers.. Then came De Twaalf, a kind of 12 merciless men. And above all Diamonds in the Rough, a thriller set in the world of the Orthodox Jewish diamond merchants of Antwerp.

Of all of them, I would highlight Knokke, a not particularly brilliant drama that portrays the summer of a group of children in the posh coastal town: they go out, drink, take drugs, hook up with each other.. The photography and music are good, but above all it allows for a more normal approach, without shots or crimes. There is nothing to hide behind. The Walloon discovers what until now he only saw in North American or French productions, and can feel identified. And that's a big step forward.

Half the country is discovering regional celebrities. Among all, perhaps Pommelien Thijs stands out, protagonist of Knokke and established artist, one of the most listened to in Flanders last year and an iconic face since #LikeMe, a cult series for teenagers. Their kick-off concert of the new tour, at the legendary Ancienne Belgique hall in Brussels, sold out in minutes. It is the hope of reconciliation with the new generations. Distant but perhaps less loaded with prejudices.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, gathered this Monday the allied countries against Russia in the war in Ukraine, taking advantage of the second anniversary of the start of the invasion, to send the message to Moscow that Europe will continue to support Kiev and to explore how this aid can be advanced, especially now that Russia “is hardening its positions”. Given this, he has launched two messages. The first is that there is fear that Moscow could attack other countries in the future.. The second, that the alliance does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, “although there is still no consensus on it,” he said at the press conference, almost at midnight, after the conference..

The French president warned, at the beginning of the conference, of the “hardening of Russia's position”, both on a military and political level: “We have suffered cyber attacks and, in parallel, the collective consensus of the countries present in this conference is that, in a few years, we must prepare in case Russia attacks these countries.

Macron did not want to be left out of the second anniversary and organized last week and at the last minute this conference in support of Ukraine, which was attended by heads of state and government from around twenty countries, most of them European, including the president Spanish, Pedro Sánchez; the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz; or the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, in addition to the Baltic countries. The head of British diplomacy, David Cameron, and representatives from the US and Canada also attended.

The Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, who was already in Paris a week and a half ago, did not participate and sent a message in which he thanked France and the rest of its allies for their support in this “terrible war.”. “Thanks to Europe's support we have saved millions of lives, we knew that Putin can expand his aggression to other countries,” said Zelensky, who warned this weekend that Ukraine's victory or defeat “depends on you.”

Emmanuel Macron also plans to visit kyiv in mid-March. “What we are at stake today is the security, not only of Ukraine, but of Europe,” he said in his opening speech at the conference.

Paris considers that Moscow has crossed a new red line in the war: it has escalated in aggressiveness, not only on the military level.. The example is the death of the Russian opponent Alexei Navalny. “On the Ukrainian front the positions are increasingly tougher and Russia is preparing attacks and hardening its position,” warned Macron, who believes that “a push” from the allies is necessary and that implies “stronger decisions” in support to Kiev.

In this context of escalation, Paris wants to convey the message to Moscow that the European alliance is strengthening, “not faltering”: “We are not tired and we are determined to stop Russia's aggression; Putin will not achieve a victory in Ukraine,” they point out. from the Elysée.

In these two years of war, “Ukraine has already achieved a victory thanks to the resistance of the soldiers, our help and the decisions we have made from day one,” Macron said at the opening of the conference.. “Unity continues to be our best weapon to stop Putin,” Pedro Sánchez said on X (formerly Twitter).

One of the objectives of this conference is to explore formulas to see how we can help more, but above all “more effectively” to Ukraine.. “Not all millions are weapons and not all weapons are a victory,” they point out from the Elysée. kyiv, which is short of ammunition, has regretted the delay in the shipment of weapons promised by the allies.

Therefore, what Paris seeks with the conference is to be able to explore ways so that aid arrives more effectively, so that it “is coherent.”. That is, the weapons can reach the ground and can be used. “It's not just a question of money, but of efficiency,” they insist.. Several countries, including France, Germany and Italy, have signed bilateral agreements with kyiv in recent weeks.

The EU has provided 28 billion euros in aid since the start of the war. In the specific case of France, it plans to give Ukraine 3,000 million euros this year in aid, which is added to the 2,000 billion last year and 1.7 the previous year.

Paris also insists on the need for there to be its own arms production in Europe, not only because of the current situation on the ground in Ukraine, but also for the “defense of European sovereignty”, so that it does not depend on the US.. 60% of the funds disbursed in the European peace fund were to purchase American equipment.

The electoral campaign in Mexico begins to heat up. After several months of soft exchanges, the ruling party and opposition raise the tone and multiply the 'low blows' to guarantee their victory in the elections on June 2. The controversy of recent days has been marked by the leak of the telephone numbers of the main actors in the electoral contest, among which are the two favorite presidential candidates to succeed López Obrador, as well as the president's eldest son, José Ramón López Beltrán, and the New York Times correspondent in the Aztec country, who was completing an investigation into alleged payments made by various criminal groups to the Mexican president's entourage.

The trigger for this 'war of leaks' was the publication of a report titled: 'The US investigated accusations of drug ties with allies of the president of Mexico', a work that reveals that Washington obtained compelling evidence about these payments, but that it decided to abandon the investigation for fear of the diplomatic repercussions it could generate. As is usual in these cases, the authors of the text sent a list of questions to López Obrador's office to give him the right to reply, but the president rejected the invitation and decided to counterattack by showing the media the list of questions and the number. telephone number of one of the signatories of the report.

“The New York Times correspondent sends a questionnaire, but it is a threatening, arrogant tone,” said López Obrador at a press conference while projecting a screenshot showing the phone number of journalist Natalie Kitroeff.. The Mexican president called the New York newspaper a “filthy pasquín” and “world-famous professional slanderers” and accused the United States of interference, “what authorizes a country to interfere in the internal life of another?”.

The next day, the North American media denounced that the dissemination of its correspondent's data is “a worrying and unacceptable tactic on the part of a world leader at a time when threats to journalists are on the rise.”. According to figures from the NGO 'Propuesta Cívica', at least 69 journalists have been murdered in Mexico during López Obrador's mandate.

Most of the union has expressed solidarity with the North American correspondent, one more victim of the campaign against the critical press unleashed by López Obrador during his six-year term.. Far from repenting, the Mexican president assured that “he would do it again,” since his right to defend himself against “slander” is “above any regulation.”. He also suggested that “if the colleague is worried because her phone number was revealed, she should change her phone number, another number, and that's it.”. The National Transparency Institute has initiated an investigation against the Mexican president, which could lead to administrative sanctions and even a possible disqualification from holding public office.

After the controversy with the New York newspaper, several social media accounts have spread the phone numbers of the opposition coalition candidate, Xóchitl Gálvez, who has decided not to change it, claiming that she is receiving many messages of support “no one can stop this anymore.” , and the ruling party's candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, who continues to be the top favorite to succeed López Obrador with 59% of the votes, according to the latest survey released yesterday by 'El Universal'. Another of those affected by this 'war of leaks' has been José Ramón López, the president's first-born son also identified by the New York Times investigations, who has interpreted the publication of his phone number as “a form of revenge that endangers my family”.

As optimism grows over the chances of a ceasefire agreement that would put an end – or, as leaks suggest, a six-week pause – to the war between Israel and the fundamentalist group Hamas, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has announced his resignation and the dissolution of his Government.

His decision – announced this Monday in Ramallah – is the result of pressure from Palestinian President Abu Mazen, who in turn is pressured by several Arab countries and especially the United States to carry out a profound reform of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). facing the so-called “Day After” in the Gaza Strip in case, as it seems and after 17 years, it is no longer under the control of Hamas.

“I presented the resignation of the Government to the president on February 20 and I am submitting it in writing this Monday,” Shtayyeh declared at the beginning of his executive meeting.. “The next stage and its challenges require new governmental and political arrangements that take into account the emerging reality in the Gaza Strip, the national unity talks and the urgent need for an internal Palestinian consensus based on a national basis, broad participation, the unity and extension of the sovereignty of the Palestinian Authority over the entire land of Palestine,” he said.

The leader, who took office in 2019, noted that his decision is linked to “the political, economic and security developments in relation to the aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip and the unprecedented escalation in the West Bank, including the city of Jerusalem.”

The forecast is that Abu Mazen will ask one of his advisors, the economist Mohammad Mustafa (with 15 years of experience at the World Bank) to form a government of technocrats.. If so and until then, Shtayye will remain in power during the transition. With this measure, Abu Mazen moves a piece on the local and regional board shaken by the jihadist attack on October 7 and the massive Israeli military response and sends a message to three key actors: Hamas, Israel and the United States.

In their meetings in Ramallah on the occasion of the war, the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, told the veteran Rais that his country is in favor of the ANP taking back the reins of the Gaza Strip, after being expelled by the Islamist militia. in 2007, as long as it carries out reform at all levels. What the US calls “Renewed Authority” would first seek to rescue an entity created in the mid-90s as a result of the Oslo Accords and highly criticized among the Palestinians themselves in the West Bank, among other reasons because it did not end the occupation in the war of '67 and because its president was elected for the last time in 2005. According to a poll conducted by Palestinian expert Khalil Shikaki in December, almost 90% of Palestinians demand the resignation of Abu Mazen while more than 60% support the dissolution of the PNA that last held elections in 2006 when Hamas won the victory.

Secondly, the US and several countries in the Persian Gulf want the ANP to have a more professional and less political or partisan dimension and to be capable of managing, or at least being an important part, of the management of the Gaza Strip.. This is a very complex mission taking into account the internal Palestinian division and above all the unprecedented destruction in the coastal enclave after 143 days of Israeli military operation against Hamas.. Reconstruction, which appears to be very expensive (probably carried out by Arab countries), requires having an effective Government that is free from any signs of corruption.

Abu Mazen demands an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and negotiations based on the two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of his country. Until then, he will continue to lead the international diplomatic campaign against Israel that was increased during the war.

The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip requires a new Palestinian Government that unites it with the West Bank governed by Abu Mazen's Fatah, putting an end to the geographical and political split.. “The resignation of the Shtayyeh government only makes sense if it occurs in the context of a national consensus on the agreements for the next phase,” reacted Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri, quoted by Reuters.. This group does not renounce being part of the new power in Gaza.

The “day after” also depends on what Israel does or does not do. The Israeli authorities point out that their Army “will maintain operational security freedom in the Gaza Strip after eliminating the Hamas terrorist group to avoid a new 7-O.”

From the point of view of the civilian management of the Gaza Strip, there is a division of opinion in Israel. After repeatedly and publicly ruling out control of the ANP, alleging that it “pays salaries to terrorists, incites and educates violence and does not condemn the massacre of October 7,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has qualified his opposition in recent weeks.. In fact, in the document he presented to his cabinet a few days ago on the post-Hamas Gaza Strip, Netanyahu did not explicitly rule out the return of Abu Mazen's entity.. He did not mention it but he did not rule out this scenario either..

Beyond accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and clarifying that the ANP “will continue to fight to establish the State in the lands of Palestine,” Shtayye pointed out this Monday that since taking power his Government has had to face numerous challenges such as increased settlement construction, the pandemic, US President Donald Trump's peace initiative (“The Deal of the Century sought to end the Palestinian cause”), the war in Ukraine that reduced media/diplomatic attention and economic investment of the international community in his town and, finally, the war between Israel and Hamas.

In this sense, an Israeli delegation was in Qatar this Monday to continue the negotiations after the important progress made last Friday at the summit held in Paris between the US, Qatar, Egypt and Israel.. The objective of the mediation is to achieve a truce before the start of the month of Ramadan, in two weeks, which returns home a large part of the 134 people still in captivity after being kidnapped by Hamas almost five months ago and alleviates the dramatic humanitarian crisis. that Gazans suffer.

The ceasefire in March would postpone the announced Israeli ground incursion in the Rafah area where the last organized stronghold of the armed wing of Hamas is located as well as 1.3 million inhabitants, most of them displaced, in terrible conditions.. Before this operation, Israel plans to present to the US and Egypt the evacuation plan prepared by the Army of civilians from combat zones.

And in the seventeenth year he rose again. Alberto Fujimori has returned to the Peruvian arena with thunderous statements that have shaken the country. The worst dictator in the history of Peru, who benefited from a controversial pardon based on humanitarian reasons at the beginning of December, spoke for a local media with remote-directed messages to the government, the opposition, Fujimorism and his own daughter Keiko..

“The government of President Dina Boluarte will continue until 2026, at least Fuerza Popular and Fujimori have agreed,” recited the former president, sentenced for crimes against humanity to 25 years in prison, which he began serving in 2007.

It's hard to make so much fuss with so few words.. First within the official alliance, which keeps the former vice president of Pedro Castillo sitting against all odds in Pizarro's Chair, despite the fact that her unpopularity is close to 90%, according to different surveys..

Boluarte's year at the head of the country has traveled between accusations, scandals and more than fifty victims of the protests in the south of the Andes, young people mostly murdered by soldiers and police in the midst of repression.. The presidential version is that the fatalities were 61 civilians (50 in clashes, a good part in taking over airports, and 11 in road blockades) and seven uniformed personnel.. The acts of violence and repression cost the country 1,385 million euros.

All attempts to advance an agreement in Congress for presidential and parliamentary advancement, desired by the vast majority of the country, have collided with the political interests of those who make up this alliance, made up of conservative and center-right parties, along with populism. Fujimori, despite the fact that Boluarte comes from the ranks of the radical left. A Frankenstein pact supported precisely by the pardon for Fujimori, 85, and by the leadership of the all-powerful César Acuña, leader of the Alliance for Progress (APP) and the mayor of Lima, the Trumpist Rafael López Aliaga.

Fujimori left the Barbadillo prison in Lima in the midst of national and international controversy, just one year after the failed coup d'état of Castillo, one of the two former leaders, along with Alejandro Toledo, who remain in the presidents' jail.. The Constitutional Court ordered his release for humanitarian reasons despite the remaining years of his sentence and despite the frontal opposition of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).. The government, which is in charge of granting pardons, took a few hours to carry it out, after weighing the pros and cons..

Fujimori's resurrection calls into question the government itself, not only because of the good physical condition demonstrated in his various public appearances.. Fujimori was seen smiling and happy before the entertainment of his followers in a shopping center in the capital and also at a meal with friends, with his son Kenji.

Boluarte's cabinet must also face an extradition request from Chile in the coming months.. “We do not have any agreement with Fujimori,” the Prime Minister, Alberto Otárola, responded angrily, despite the obvious. And he went further by issuing a warning to the Fujimori patriarch: “What we would like from the executive branch is for you to continue taking care of your health.”. The Fujimori Popular Force has 22 of the 130 congressmen, essential to maintain the official majority.

But Fujimori has also sown doubts within her movement, since leader Keiko has lost three elections and is also being prosecuted for corruption.. The current leader of Fuerza Popular faces a trial for money laundering and a request for a sentence, made by the Prosecutor's Office, of 30 years in prison.

Fujimori Sr. advanced the obvious: that Fuerza Popular will run in those elections currently scheduled for 2026, although he avoided speaking out in favor of his daughter being the candidate for the fourth time.. “Fujimorism is present, there is an audience,” recited the former dictator, knowing that in a country fed up with its politicians he still has some popular support.