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On the front page of the press, the promulgation yesterday by Chinese President Xi Jinping of the national security law in Hong Kong.

"The national security law cements the principle of one country, two systems," asserts The Global Times , adding, however, that the central government will now have "the last word". The Chinese official daily says that the text "defines criminal activities threatening national security", but that it "will not change the way people live in Hong Kong", and that it will not deprive them of their legitimate rights, on the contrary, since this law would aim to "protect democracy and freedom" in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong opposition, for its part, perceives this law as the manifestation of a “historic” decline in freedoms. According to the Hong Kong Free Press website, "Since the Chinese government resumed the exercise of its sovereignty over Hong Kong, (Beijing) 's growing assertion and daring on the international scene has resulted in a progressive erosion of rights and freedoms, supposed to be guaranteed by the 1997 agreements, confirming the retrocession of Hong-Kong to China, by the United Kingdom ”. This analysis is shared by the United States and the European Union, which "condemn the way in which Beijing tightens its grip on Hong Kong", in total violation of its commitments. The Financial Times cites in particular the reaction of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, for whom the national security law "risks seriously undermining Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and having a detrimental effect on independence. of the judiciary and the rule of law ”.

The European Union, of which Germany now takes the rotating presidency, in the midst of a health and economic crisis. Faced with the doldrums, La Croix wonders if it is still possible to hope for a European start. The French daily says it is rather optimistic, because "at the head of the most powerful country in the Union, Germany, is a chancellor at the end of the journey (and who) therefore has nothing to lose in terms political ”, because Angela Merkel“ has clearly taken the measure of the challenge (to) raise and took, with Emmanuel Macron, the initiative of a stimulus fund to help the countries most destabilized by the pandemic ”, and because by taking the head of the EU, the Chancellor will be able to better negotiate with states reluctant to show solidarity. An optimism shared by L'Opinion , who believes that Angela Merkel "has no shortage of assets to find the essential compromises" - starting with her tremendous popularity across the Rhine, to make Emmanuel Macron fade with envy. But do the French dream a little too hard? This is the feeling of the Tageespiegel : "The immense hopes placed in Angela Merkel can only be disappointed", warns the German daily newspaper, which judges that the Chancellor will have "neither the energy nor the time" necessary to solve the problem of the European budget, Brexit, the dispute with China, and many other issues.

Among these thorny issues is that of welcoming migrants, which still divides Europeans. As a result of the EU's inability to reach an agreement, the humanitarian ship Ocean Viking, with 117 migrants taken on board, is still awaiting a port of disembarkation, already claimed three times from Malta and Italy. "Hurry", press Il Manifesto , recalling the extremely precarious conditions in which the passengers of the ship find themselves.

We do not leave it on it. Le Figaro reports a barometer on the behavior of French drivers. It reveals that French motorists are the kings of aggressiveness, the European champions of driving impulsivity, 20% of the drivers questioned even saying that they are no longer the same people ”when they are in their car. This does not prevent 96% of them from citing at least one positive adjective to describe their behavior. Paradoxical.

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