The EconomistNovember 30th 2019 The world this week 112 underitspresident,Ursulavon
derLeyen.Britaindeclinedto
nominatea commissioner,but
theprocessmovedahead
anyway.
Clinging on
Israel’sprime minister, Binya-
min Netanyahu, faced a chal-
lenge to his leadership after
being charged with bribery,
fraud and breach of trust in
three corruption cases. Mr
Netanyahu called the indict-
ment an “attempted coup”. But
Gideon Saar, a high-ranking
member of Mr Netanyahu’s
own Likud party, said the
prime minister should go.The authorities in Egyptraided
the offices of Mada Masr, the
last big independent media
voice in the country. Since
taking power in a coup in 2013,
President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi
has cracked down on dissent
and free speech. Mada Masr, an
online publication, had recent-
ly published an article criticis-ing Mr Sisi’s son, who is a
senior intelligence official.Several people, including
health workers combating the
Ebola virus, were killed in
protests in the Democratic
Republic of Congoamid rising
public anger directed at the
un’s peacekeeping mission
over its inability to protect
civilians from Islamist rebels.
Their latest attack killed at
least 19 people.Tanzania’sruling party won
99% of the seats it contested in
local elections that were boy-
cotted by the opposition,
which accused the government
of manipulation. The local poll
is a worrying prelude to na-
tional elections next year. The
government has locked up
members of the opposition
and journalists.A collision between two
helicopters in Malikilled 13
Frenchtroops fighting jiha-
dists in the Sahel. The incidentwasthesinglebiggestlossof
lifesufferedbytheFrench
armedforcessincethe1980s.Money can’t buy you loveMichael Bloombergbelatedly
entered the race to be the
Democrats’ presidential candi-
date, joining a contest that has
been hostile to billionaires. He
spent $31m on tvads in just
one week, a record. Although
Mr Bloomberg has toyed with
running for president before,
this is his first official cam-
paign. He is pursuing a risky
strategy, not campaigning in
the early primary states inorder to focus on delegate-rich
Super Tuesday in March.The Trump administration
ousted the secretary of the
navy, Richard Spencer, in a row
over a navy sealwho had been
convicted of taking a picture
next to a dead jihadist in Iraq
and threatened with expulsion
from the service. Ostensibly,
Mr Spencer was fired for not
telling Mark Esper, the defence
secretary, about his dealings
with the White House. But the
top brass are furious with
Donald Trump for reinstating
the disgraced seal’s rank.A federal judge ruled that
senior advisers to Mr Trump
must comply with subpoenas
issued by committees conduct-
ing an impeachment inquiry
into the president, and ordered
Don McGahn, a former White
House counsel, to testify to
Congress. “Presidents are not
kings,” said the judge. The
administration is to appeal
against the ruling.