Ukraine on the verge of blackout, farmers mobilized, the victory of the Blues in Rugby… The 5 news you shouldn't miss this weekend

Ukraine's energy system on the verge of collapse after hundreds of Russian strikes

On the night of November 16 to 17, the Ukrainian populations suffered one of the most massive Russian air attacks targeting its energy network. More than a hundred missiles and drones hit the country. Victims are reported in Lviv, Kherson, Zaporizhia, the suburbs of kyiv and Odessa. Concern is growing among populations on the eve of winter, as power and heating have had to be cut off in several regions.

The increase in attacks by the Russian army on thermal power plants and essential crossing points of the electricity network has in fact already seriously weakened the country's energy capacity. According to Ukrainian journalistic sources, half of the electricity production sites are now out of use.

Rugby: the French team wins against the All Blacks

The French Rugby team faced the All Blacks on Saturday November 17 at the Stade de France. After a first period marked by the domination of New Zealand, the French team, more united than ever, was able to find the resources to win a third consecutive time (30-29) against their best enemy.

For this shock against the last finalists of the World Cup, beaten by the Springboks, the French coach had to deal with the forces present. For the occasion, Fabien Galthié made four changes. Boudehent replaces the injured Cros in the third row, Fickou comes in in place of Gailleton, Attissogbe and Barré are respectively replaced by Villière and Buros. As a reminder, in this North-South duel, the All Blacks have 49 victories for only 14 defeats. 22% of matches won for the Blues, but two successes in their last two confrontations.

Farmers resume mobilizations

Again? Almost everywhere in France, since this Sunday, November 17, farmers on tractors have started to gather in front of the prefectures of their department, covering up or taking down city signs as they go. All over France, producers seem to be taking advantage of the end of agricultural work to once again express their anger.

Unlike last winter, when the fed-up had emerged from the base before being organized by the agricultural unions, it is the FNSEA and the Young Farmers (JA), two majority productivist unions, which this time are this is the initiative of the actions. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen this much anticipation and heat on the field. We can clearly see that the Barnier government is not going fast enough and far enough”noted Pierrick Horel, president of the JA, during a press conference held on November 13 alongside the FNSEA.

Hand in hand, the two unions called on all their departmental bases to take action on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 November, to derail the agreement between the EU and Mercosur, and to demand “simplification measures”.

In Brazil, before the G20, civil society makes itself heard

Before the G20 opens in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro, a self-managed summit by activists from all backgrounds was organized in the Brazilian city with the desire to influence the directions that will be proposed by President Lula.

In three days, more than 15,000 people have set foot on Rio's Olympic Boulevard, once a drifting port area, rehabilitated for the 2016 Games. Its old converted warehouses hosted more than 270 self-organized debates, from 14 to November 16, on the occasion of the “social G20”. This patchwork of the Brazilian associative and activist fabric is the initiative of Lula da Silva, who inherited the presidency of the summit this year. And for the first time, civil society is – almost – invited to the discussion table. Rio de Janeiro has thus transformed into a major political-social festival. Unions, student movements, indigenous people, anti-racist and LGBTQIA+ collectives…

At COP 29 in Baku, Total and fossil fuel lobbyists interfere en masse

This is the home stretch for the negotiations at COP 29 in Baku, which are due to end on November 22. At the heart of this 29th Conference of the Parties, the establishment of a new financing objective for climate action and support for countries to strengthen their climate efforts.

But this year again, a coalition of NGOs counted no less than 1,700 people directly or indirectly affiliated with the oil and gas industry who were present at the big climate rally. Among them is Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of the French oil major. Enough to interfere with the negotiations.