Top 5 news stories of the last 15 days

1. The World Cup in Qatar has started

We suppose you must be living under a rock if you didn't notice this fact, but what is probably the most important sporting event in the world (rivalled only by the Olympics) has kicked off.
Surrounded by controversy, the World Cup will be played for the first time in its history in the winter months, far from the traditional summer dates. The lack of LGBT and women's rights in the country of Qatar, as well as the labour situation of the workers who have built the infrastructures for this World Cup to take place, have made this World Cup surrounded by controversy.
On the more sporting side, there are a number of attractions:
- On the one hand, to see the (more than likely) last World Cup of two legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and to see if either of them can become champions for the first time.
- On the other hand, we must keep a close eye on the most powerful teams competing for the championship: Brazil is the favourite on the South American continent, while in Europe we could highlight the reigning champions, the French team.
- Finally, we must not forget the role of our players. The Spanish national team, coached by Luis Enrique, arrives with a squad full of young players, who aspire to continue improving, and who have been playing well in recent months, although without sufficient quality to be considered favourites a priori.

2. The controversy over the "yes is yes" law

The Law of Integral Guarantee of Sexual Freedom, better known as the "yes is yes law", came into force just a few days ago, creating a situation of confusion both within the judiciary and the political power. This law was formulated from the controversy with the case of the well-known "manada" that occurred in the San Fermines of 2016, with the aim of toughening the penalties in the type of crimes linked to sexual aggression.
In the judicial sphere, the law has left open different loopholes that are allowing the exact opposite of what the law intended; by combining the crimes of sexual abuse and sexual assault, the minimum sentence for the latter has been reduced, creating a situation where they can ask for a retroactive review of the sentence. After numerous convicts wanted to use this formula to reduce their sentences, appeals to higher courts were not long in coming. At the moment, 7 provincial courts have already fixed the review of sentences, while others have dismissed them, creating judicial uncertainty as to how to operate in such cases.
In the political sphere, the controversy was not long in coming. On the right, the Minister for Equality is blamed for the new legislation and is accused of being responsible for the fact that sexual offenders are on the streets. The PSOE seems to maintain a more neutral position, and calls for respect for the internal workings of the judiciary. Finally, PODEMOS has even labelled judges as "macho" and pointed out the lack of courses on gender issues in the judiciary, as well as defending the fact that the wording of the law has no holes or flaws, but that the controversial element lies in the profile or ideological tendencies of the magistrates themselves.

3. Protests in China due to COVID-19 restrictive measures

Although in most Western societies, the restrictive measures derived from Covid have been gradually diminishing in recent months, the case of the Asian giant has been different.
Following the proposed "Covid 0 policy" implemented since the beginning of the pandemic, and recently defended by President Xi Jinping at the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress, the Eastern superpower continues to pursue a highly restrictive policy to prevent the spread of the virus. The strictest measures range from the confinement of entire neighbourhoods in the event of the appearance of a case, to restrictions on people's homes and timetables.
The protests were sparked off when last Thursday, in the city of Uruqumti (population 3.5 million) a fire ended in disgrace. Due to the restrictions, the doors of the building were closed, making it difficult for people to leave the building and for the fire brigade to enter it. The final result was 10 dead. This event outraged the Chinese population, who coordinated through the networks to carry out protests (sometimes defying the restrictions of the government already with the simple fact of meeting) in some cities such as Shanghai, Pekin, Nanjijng, Chengdu o Wuhán.
It is worth noting that these demonstrations bring together several factors, such as demands for greater freedom, the claims of some minority or ethnic communities, who believe that confinement is becoming more restrictive in their areas, or even, in some cases, the protests have taken on a clear anti-Communist Party hue.
These unusual demonstrations, which are not typical of China, have been responded to by the government with a two-pronged approach: Media silence to prevent their propagation and censorship on social networks.
Finally, it is worth noting how challenging it can be for the Chinese government to deal with such protests. The inusualidad of these leaves open the question of how Beijing will respond to this issue, while also calling into question the regime's proposed policy for dealing with the pandemic.

4. Economic situation: Inflation is stagnating, but food prices continue to rise.

While some government measures seem to have been effective in curbing inflation, especially in the area of bills (with the exception of gas, which has risen by 13%, the price of electricity seems to have stabilised and even decreased), inflation has shifted sideways, especially in the price of the shopping basket. Thus, in October this year, inflation moderated by 7.3%, but food prices rose by almost 16% (15.8%). Another of the services that rose the most was accommodation.
Within food prices, the following prices have risen:
- Sugar, up 42.8%.
- Flour and other cereals, which has increased by 37.8%.
- Butter, which soared by 34.1%.
- Sauces and condiments up 29.2%.
In summary, although inflation seems to be easing, this Christmas we will have to keep an eye on our shopping basket and avoid buying the foods that have increased the most in price.

5. The war in Ukraine does not stop. Russia is targeting the Ukrainian power grid

The war in Ukraine seems to have taken a turn. After Russian troops retreated eastwards, losing much of the conquered territory, the Kremlin's strategy is shifting to different terrains.
It seems that Moscow wants to play on the climate factor; aware of the low temperatures during the winter in Eastern Europe, Russia is now using its war efforts to disable the Ukrainian power grid. Missiles are being launched at cities all over Ukraine (via the capital, Kiev, or even the most important city in the country). Or even reaching the most important city in the far west of Ukraine, Lvivwhich is practically on the border with Poland) have caused power outages across the whole of Ukraine. The targets are not only limited to electricity, but internet connectivity also appears to be critically affected.
Such is the intensity of the shelling that the effects have spread beyond Ukraine's borders. Blackouts have even been replicated in several cities in Moldova, such as Baltsiand even in its capital city, Chisinau.
The Russian attacks have reached such an extent that last Thursday, the mayor of Kiev, Vitali KlichkóThe city's electricity was out for 80 per cent of the city, he confirmed, as well as serious problems with heating and water supply.
In response to this situation, ZelenskyThe Ukrainian president has announced a nationwide campaign aimed at minimising the effects of the shelling. The president has said he will set up makeshift centres to provide shelter for people suffering from prolonged power outages.
Moreover, it seems that the low military profile adopted by the Russians is aimed at prolonging the conflict in order to wear down the strategic unity of the NATO allies; in this sense, it seems that the alliance states are slowly beginning to deplete the arms reserves destined for the Ukrainian conflict (according to a recent NY Times report, this situation is already present in 20 of the alliance's 30 partners).
Russia's strategy seems clear: to tighten the noose between NATO partners, while the disabling of the electricity grid, coupled with the difficulty of receiving gas and other logistical difficulties, seems to augur a fatal winter for the Ukrainian population. It remains to be seen whether the Kremlin will make another move in the coming months and intensify a military campaign in a country with a critical logistical network and inoperable material resources.

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