A personality left us this weekend: it is Claude Allègre, former Minister of National Education under Lionel Jospin, he was 87 years old. In the Middle East, while negotiations continue around a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Hamas says it is ready to release around thirty Israeli hostages. In eastern Europe, kyiv launched a counterattack on the Russian region of Kursk on Sunday January 5. Elsewhere in the world, the United States is preparing for a major snowstorm that affects nearly sixty million residents. Finally, the ranking of the French’s favorite personalities has been published and number one should not surprise you.
Claude Allègre is dead
The former Minister of National Education, Claude Allègre, is dead. A renowned geologist, he is described as a character “peremptory and funny, as annoying as endearing, reformer as blunderer”, par The World. The news of his death was announced by his son to AFP. Claude Allègre was 87 years old and suffered from health problems since a cardiac arrest in 2013, reports The Dispatch. He was a minister in the Jospin government from 1997 to 2000.
Hamas ready to release several Israeli hostages
On Sunday January 5, Hamas told AFP that it was ready to release thirty-four Israeli hostages, held captive in the Gaza Strip. Information confirmed by AFP via a Hamas official, reports The World. The hostages in question would be included on a list “provided by Israel” and could be released “in the first phase of a prisoner exchange agreement”said the official. For its part, Israel denies the idea of a list of names. These discussions via media take place on the sidelines of negotiations around a ceasefire between the two camps organized on neutral ground, in Doha (Qatar).
Ukraine counterattacks in Russia’s Kursk region
In eastern Europe, the war continues. On Sunday January 5, Moscow announced that Ukraine had launched “ a counterattack » in the Russian region of Kursk. “The enemy launched a counterattack in order to stop the advance of Russian troops in the Kursk zone”confirmed the Russian army in a press release. On the social network Telegram, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriï Yermak, apparently confirmed the offensive of his troops: “Kursk region, good news. Russia gets what it deserves ». Since the summer of 2024, several hundred square kilometers of this region have been under the control of kyiv, specifies the HuffPost.
Snowstorm in the United States
As is often the case during winter, the United States finds itself under a snow storm alert. This time, the center and east of the country are concerned. Nearly sixty centimeters of new snow are expected in the states of New York and Pennsylvania, according to the National Weather Service, reports franceinfo. Some states like Virginia, Missouri and Kentucky have declared a state of emergency in the face of the weather threat. In total, nearly sixty million Americans are affected by this phenomenon, as well as around forty airports of the national company American Airlines.
The French’s favorite personalities
Once again, the singer and composer Jean-Jacques Goldman is named the favorite personality of the French by Ipsos and The JDD. A distinction that he obtains for the fourteenth time. The podium is completed by the judoka and standard bearer of the French Olympic team, Teddy Riner, and the actor Omar Sy. The first woman in this ranking is Marine Le Pen (11th), followed by Sophie Marceau (14th) and Karine Le Marchand (15th) in the top 15. Note the 5th place of the multi-medalist swimmer at Paris 2024, Léon Marchand, who enters this ranking.
