Des centaines de rassemblements se tiennent samedi à travers les Etats-Unis pour protester contre les méthodes de la police fédérale de l’immigration (ICE), après le tir mortel de l’un de ses agents contre une femme de 37 ans à Minneapolis.Dans cette ville du nord du pays, des milliers d’habitants bravaient le froid (-7 degrés) pour …
Week-end de protestations aux Etats-Unis contre la police de l’immigration Read More »
Une nouvelle manifestation contre le pouvoir a débuté samedi soir dans la capitale iranienne, les inquiétudes grandissant sur une brutale répression dans le pays coupé du monde par un blocage d’internet.Des ONG ont signalé des dizaines de morts depuis le début du mouvement fin décembre, alors que la République islamique fait face à une mobilisation …
Nouvelle manifestation à Téhéran, craintes d’une répression brutale Read More »
Les Etats-Unis ont appelé samedi le gouvernement syrien et les forces kurdes à renouer le dialogue, après plusieurs jours de combats meurtriers à Alep qui ont poussé sur la route des dizaines de milliers de personnes.La situation dans la deuxième ville de Syrie est confuse, les deux camps enchaînant les déclarations contradictoires.Les autorités ont annoncé …
Washington appelle Damas et les Kurdes au dialogue après des combats meurtriers en Syrie Read More »
The United States and the European Union on Saturday urged the Syrian government and Kurdish authorities to return to negotiations after days of deadly clashes in the northern city of Aleppo.Conflicting reports emerged from the city, as authorities announced a halt to the fighting and said they had begun transferring Kurdish fighters out of Aleppo, but Kurdish forces denied the claims shortly after.An AFP correspondent saw at least five buses on Saturday carrying men leaving the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud district, accompanied by security forces.While the authorities said they were fighters, the Kurdish forces insisted they were “civilians who were forcibly displaced”.AFP could not independently verify the men’s identities.Another correspondent saw at least six buses entering the neighbourhood and leaving without anyone on board, with relative calm in the area.US envoy Tom Barrack met Saturday with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and afterwards issued a call for a “return to dialogue” with the Kurds in accordance with an integration agreement sealed last year.A statement from the European Union called for an end to fighting in and around Aleppo to protect the civilian population.”We urge all parties to implement the ceasefire announced today and to return urgently to a political dialogue for a political solution,” the statement added.- Civilians killed -The violence in Aleppo erupted after efforts to integrate the Kurds’ de facto autonomous administration and military into the country’s new government stalled.Since the fighting began on Tuesday, at least 21 civilians have been killed, according to figures from both sides, while Aleppo’s governor said 155,000 people had been forced to flee their homes.On Saturday evening, state television reported that Kurdish fighters “who announced their surrender…were transported by bus to the city of Tabaqa” in the Kurdish-controlled northeast.A Syrian security source had told AFP the last Kurdish fighters had entrenched themselves in the area of al-Razi hospital in Sheikh Maqsud, before being evacuated by the authorities.Kurdish forces said in a statement that news of fighters being transferred was “entirely false” and that those taken included “young civilians who were abducted and transferred to an unknown location”.- Residents waiting to return -On the outskirts of Sheikh Maqsud, families who had been unable to flee the violence were leaving, accompanied by Syrian security forces, according to an AFP correspondent.Men carried their children on their backs as women and children wept, before boarding buses taking them to shelters.Dozens of young men in civilian clothing were separated from the rest, with security forces making them sit on the ground before being taken by bus to an unknown destination, according to the correspondent.A Syrian security official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the young men were “fighters” being “transferred to Syrian detention centres”.At the entrance to the district, 60-year-old resident Imad al-Ahmad was waiting for permission to return home.”I left four days ago…I took refuge at my sister’s house,” he told AFP. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to return today.”Nahed Mohammad Qassab, a 40-year-old widow also waiting to return, said she had left before the fighting to attend a funeral.”My three children are still inside, at my neighbour’s house. I want to get them out,” she said. The clashes, some of the most intense since Syria’s new Islamist authorities took power, present another challenge as the country struggles on a new path after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.Both sides have blamed the other for starting the violence in Aleppo.- ‘Fierce’ resistance -A flight suspension at Aleppo airport was extended until further notice.The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control swathes of the country’s oil-rich north and northeast, much of which they captured during Syria’s civil war and the fight against the Islamic State group. But Turkey, a close ally of neighbouring Syria’s new leaders, views its main component as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which agreed last year to end its four-decade armed struggle against Ankara.Turkey has launched successive offensives to push Kurdish forces from the frontier.Elham Ahmad, a senior official in the Kurdish administration in Syria’s northeast, accused Syrian authorities of “choosing the path of war”. But he said the Kurds remained committed to agreements reached with Damascus.The March integration agreement was meant to be implemented last year, but differences, including Kurdish demands for decentralised rule, stymied progress as Damascus repeatedly rejected the idea.Nanar Hawach, senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the renewed clashes cast doubt on the government’s ability to unite the country after years of civil war.Syria’s authorities have committed to protecting minorities, but sectarian bloodshed rocked the Alawite and Druze communities last year.burs-jj/acb
Supporters of Venezuela’s deposed leader Nicolas Maduro staged protests Saturday, a week after his dramatic capture by US forces, but only hundreds turned out to demand his release as the interim government moved to revive ties with Washington.Waving flags and placards with the face of the mustachioed ex-leader and his wife Cilia, around 1,000 protesters rallied in the west of Caracas and a few hundred in the eastern Petare district — far smaller than demonstrations Maduro’s camp has mustered in the past.”I’ll march as often as I have to until Nicolas and Cilia come back,” said one demonstrator, Soledad Rodriguez, 69, of the presidential couple who were taken by US forces to New York to face trial on drug-trafficking charges.”I trust blindly that they will come back — they have been kidnapped.”Notably absent from the rallies were top figures from the government, which has said it is reviving diplomatic contact with Washington and discussing possible oil sales to the United States.Interim president Delcy Rodriguez instead attended an agricultural fair, where she vowed in televised comments she would “not rest for a minute until we have our president back.”The other two hardline powers in the government, Interior Minister and street enforcer Diosdado Cabello, and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, were not seen at the demos either.- Diplomatic maneuvers -Despite the shock of Maduro’s capture during deadly nighttime raids on January 3, signs emerged Friday of cooperation with Washington after US President Donald Trump’s claim to be “in charge” of the South American country.Washington said US diplomats visited Caracas on Friday to discuss reopening the American embassy.A State Department official told AFP on Saturday they left again on Friday “as scheduled.” “The Trump Administration remains in close contact with interim authorities” in Venezuela, the official added.The Venezuelan government did not reply when asked by AFP whether the US officials had met with Rodriguez.She has pledged to cooperate with Trump over his demands for access to Venezuela’s huge oil reserves.But she also moved to placate the powerful pro-Maduro base by insisting Venezuela is not “subordinate” to Washington.The US embassy in Colombia warned American citizens on Saturday that “the security situation in Venezuela remains fluid” and advised its nationals to leave the country “immediately” as commercial flights become available.- Anxiety over prisoners -Anxious relatives meanwhile camped outside jails, awaiting the promised release of political prisoners by the interim government.Rodriguez’s camp on Thursday began releasing prisoners jailed under Maduro, promising a “large” number would be freed in a gesture of appeasement that Washington took credit for.However, prisoners’ rights groups said on Saturday that fewer than 20 had been freed, including several prominent opposition figures.Families slept out overnight under blankets near El Rodeo prison east of Caracas, hoping for the release of their loved ones.”I am tired and angry,” Nebraska Rivas, 57, told AFP, as she waited for her son to be released.”But I have faith that they will hand him over to us soon,” she said, after sleeping out on the pavement for two nights.- Oil talks -Following Maduro’s capture, Trump vowed to secure access for US companies to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.Chevron is currently the only US firm licensed to operate in Venezuela, through a sanctions exemption.The White House said Saturday Trump had signed an emergency executive order protecting US-held revenues derived from sales of Venezuelan oil, to prevent them from being seized by courts or creditors.At a White House meeting on Friday, he pressed top oil executives to invest in Venezuela’s reserves, but was met with a cautious reception.ExxonMobil chief executive Darren Woods dismissed the country as “uninvestable” without sweeping reforms.Experts say Venezuela’s oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions.
Thousands of demonstrators chanting the name of the woman killed by a federal agent in Minneapolis took to the city’s streets Saturday, amid widespread anger at use of force in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.Organizers said more than 1,000 events were planned across the US under the slogan “ICE, Out for Good” — referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency that is drawing growing opposition over its execution of President Donald Trump’s effort at mass deportations. The slogan is also a reference to Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother shot dead in her car by an ICE agent in the midwestern US city of Minneapolis on Wednesday. Thousands braved frigid weather and streamed toward a snow-covered park to mobilize near the scene of the shooting. They carried signs demanding “ICE OUT” of Minnesota.At the start of the protest, a voice called out, “Say her name!” The crowd shouted back: “Renee Good!”Her death has sparked strong emotions in this Democratic stronghold, and further afield. In Philadelphia, protesters marched in the rain from City Hall to the ICE field office. Others mobilized in New York, Washington and Boston. More protests were planned for Sunday. The calls to protest were being amplified by the “No Kings” movement, a network of left-wing organizations that mounted nationwide demonstrations against Trump last year.- ‘I’m not mad at you’ -The Trump administration has sought to paint Good as a “domestic terrorist,” insisting the agent who fatally shot her was acting in self-defense. This narrative is strongly disputed by local officials, who say footage shows Good’s vehicle was turning away from the agent and did not pose a threat. Cell phone footage apparently taken by the officer who fired the fatal shots shows him interacting with Good, who had blocked the road with her car in an apparent effort to impede the agents.He approaches and circles Good’s car, as she says to him: “I’m not mad at you.”After he passes in front of the car, another agent can be heard ordering Good to exit the vehicle before she tries to drive off and shots ring out.The agent filming the video can be heard saying “fucking bitch” at the end of the clip.The White House insisted the video gave weight to the officer’s claim of self-defense — even though the clip does not show the moment the car moved away, or him opening fire. – ‘Our rights are being taken away’ -Drew Lenzmeier, 30, said he joined the protest in Minneapolis “because I feel our rights are being taken away from us and we are turning into an authoritarian dictatorship.””No one is stopping the Trump administration from now murdering citizens and stealing, kidnapping human beings. It’s time to stop,” he said.On Friday evening, hundreds gathered noisily in front of Minneapolis hotels believed to be housing ICE agents, equipped with whistles, loudspeakers and musical instruments.Several people were arrested and then quickly released, according to police. Officials and residents in Minnesota have expressed concern that local law enforcement agencies have been shut out of the FBI investigation into Minneapolis shooting.According to The Trace, a media outlet focusing on gun violence, Good was the fourth person killed by federal immigration agents since the launch of the Trump administration’s deportation campaign. Seven people have been injured.In a separate incident, two people were injured Thursday in Portland, Oregon, by shots fired by federal border police during a traffic stop.
Le Nigeria a surclassé l’Algérie samedi en quart-de-finale de la CAN-2025 (2-0) et fera figure d’épouvantail en demi-finale mercredi face au Maroc, l’hôte du tournoi qui rêve de soulever le trophée dimanche prochain.Le score de 2-0 ne reflète pas totalement la domination des Super Eagles, dont on comprend mal comment ils ont pu manquer pour la deuxième fois d’affilée leur qualification pour la Coupe du monde cet été.Ils auraient pu en tout cas s’imposer beaucoup plus largement contre une Algérie totalement débordée. Une statistique parle mieux que le score: Victor Osimhen et ses coéquipiers ont tiré 13 fois au but, l’Algérie trois fois seulement (aucun tir cadré) et en fin de match, alors que le score était acquis.Meilleure attaque de cette Coupe d’Afrique des nations avec désormais 14 but en cinq matches, le Nigeria a démarré le match pied au plancher. Les deux stars de l’attaque Victor Osimhen et Ademola Lookman semblaient avoir oublié leur fâcherie du huitième de finale et, souvent cherchés dans la profondeur par leurs partenaires, ils ont rapidement mis le feu dans la défense des Fennecs.Mais l’équipe du sélectionneur Vladimir Petkovic arrivait avec la meilleure défense du tournoi (un seul but encaissé au coup d’envoi). Et les Algériens ont longtemps fait front dans la tempête: tour à tour Luca Zidane (deux arrêts aux 23e et 45e+3), Rayan Aït-Nouri (deux sauvetages in extremis dans la surface aux 26e et 32e) ou encore Ramy Bensebaïni, qui a sorti un ballon sur sa ligne de but à la 29e minute, ont gardé l’Algérie dans le match.- Tensions au coup de sifflet final -Dans les cordes, mais pas KO, l’Algérie pouvait s’estimer très heureuse d’atteindre la mi-temps sur le score de 0-0.L’illusion n’a pas duré. Les Nigérians ont très logiquement frappé deux fois au retour des vestiaires. L’inévitable Osimhen, mal pris par la défense, a placé victorieusement une tête entre Zidane et Bensebaïni, à la reprise d’un centre venu de la gauche (1-0, 47e).Dix minutes plus tard, l’attaquant de Galatasaray s’est mué en passeur décisif pour offrir un caviar à Akor Adams, à la conclusion d’une action collective d’école de football (2-0, 57e). Zidane, sous les yeux de son père Zinédine présent en tribune, a encore été sauvé par son poteau à la 82e minute sur une tentative d’Adams.Les Algériens, bien entrés dans le tournoi avec trois victoires en poule et une qualification acquise au bout des prolongations contre la RD Congo en huitième, tombent de très haut. Leur capitaine Riyad Mahrez, à 34 ans, ancien du Havre devenu une star à Manchester City et actuellement en Arabie Saoudite, a annoncé que cette CAN serait sa dernière. Après le coup de sifflet final, des tensions ont éclaté entre joueurs, avec un début d’altercation entre Luca Zidane et Fisayo Dele-Bashiru qu’il a fallu séparer. Le corps arbitral a également été pris à partie au centre de la pelouse par des membres du staff algérien.
