La France rapatrie treize femmes et enfants depuis les camps en Syrie, une première depuis deux ans

La France a rapatrié tôt mardi matin dix enfants et trois femmes âgées de 18 à 34 ans qui étaient détenus dans des camps de prisonniers jihadistes dans le nord-est de la Syrie, une première depuis deux ans.  Parmi les femmes, “deux ont été placées en garde à vue, sur commission rogatoire du juge d’instruction”, a annoncé le Parquet national antiterroriste (Pnat) dans un communiqué.”Une autre femme, faisant l’objet d’un mandat d’arrêt, sera présentée à un juge d’instruction dans la journée” en vue d’une possible mise en examen, a-t-il ajouté.”Les mineurs sont pris en charge dans le cadre de procédures d’assistance éducative sous la responsabilité du parquet” de Versailles, a indiqué le Pnat, qui “assurera le suivi centralisé des mineurs concernés, en lien avec les parquets territoriaux”.”La France remercie les autorités syriennes de transition ainsi que l’administration locale du Nord-Est syrien qui a rendu possible cette opération”, a déclaré de son coté le porte-parole du ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères. Cette opération est une première depuis juillet 2023 en France, où ces retours restent une question sensible, dix ans après la vague d’attentats jihadistes sur le sol national. Au total, 179 enfants et 60 femmes adultes ont été rapatriées depuis 2019, précise une source diplomatique.Mais ces opérations avaient cessé à l’été 2023, faute de volontaires selon les autorités, et ce malgré des condamnations internationales dont celle de la Cour européenne des droits de l’Homme en 2022.- “Arbitraire” -“Pour les familles qui attendaient leurs petits-enfants, neveux et nièces depuis plus de six ans, c’est un immense et indescriptible soulagement”, a déclaré l’avocate des femmes rapatriées, Marie Dosé, dans un communiqué transmis à l’AFP.Mais “la France laisse derrière elle 110 autres enfants français, toujours détenus dans le camp Roj”, l’un des camps contrôlés comme d’autres centres et prisons par les forces kurdes, depuis plus de six ans, dénonce-t-elle.Des dizaines de milliers de personnes, d’une cinquantaine de nationalités et soupçonnées de liens avec l’organisation jihadiste État islamique, sont retenues dans ces camps.En juin, quelque 120 enfants et une cinquantaine de femmes françaises y étaient encore retenus, selon le Collectif des Familles unies, qui rassemble leurs proches.Après ce rapatriement nocturne, ce collectif a rediffusé sur X mardi matin son message habituel dénonçant la détention sur place d’enfants “coupables de rien” dans “des conditions indignes”.Car pour ces familles, rien n’est encore réglé. “Une nouvelle fois, la France fait le choix de l’arbitraire”, regrette Marie Dosé.”La France, qui refusait de rapatrier des enfants tant que leurs mères n’avaient pas donné leur accord, refuse aujourd’hui leur retour alors qu’ils sont devenus majeurs. Ce faisant et plus que jamais, la France décide donc de faire payer à ces enfants le choix de leurs parents”, estime-t-elle aussi.Elle dénonce également le sort de femmes sans enfant ou dont les enfants sont décédés, et que la France refuse désormais de rapatrier, ainsi que d’enfants nés en France et “conduits de force en Syrie” avant de pouvoir acquérir la nationalité, ou de jeunes majeurs enfermés dans d’autres lieux de détention syriens.Pour Matthieu Bagard, responsable du pôle expertise Syrie de l’ONG Avocats sans frontières France, “ce rapatriement démontre une nouvelle fois que la France a la possibilité d’organiser ces opérations”. Mais il déplore lui aussi la situation des femmes et jeunes majeurs toujours “illégalement détenus”.En février, l’administration kurde a annoncé, en coordination avec l’ONU, son intention de vider d’ici fin 2025 les camps du nord-est de la Syrie des déplacés syriens et irakiens, y compris les proches présumés de jihadistes. gd-cl-fbe-sva/asl/alv

L’université Paris 1 “condamne avec la plus grande fermeté” des actes antisémites

L’université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne a fait état mardi d'”actes antisémites” subis ces derniers jours par certains de ses étudiants, indiquant qu’elle condamne “avec la plus grande fermeté” ces “dérives inadmissibles” et que “tout est et sera fait pour poursuivre” les coupables.”J’apporte tout mon soutien à ces jeunes, victimes de l’antisémitisme que nous devons combattre partout, y compris, malheureusement, dans nos universités. Une seule ligne est possible : la tolérance zéro!”, a réagi de son côté sur X le ministre de l’Enseignement supérieur Philippe Baptiste. Il a indiqué avoir “demandé à la rectrice de Paris de saisir le procureur de la République au titre de l’article 40 du code de procédure pénale”.Deux “actes graves” sont survenus “dans des groupes de discussion entre étudiants” ces derniers jours, a expliqué l’université dans un communiqué.Le premier acte a eu lieu le 24 août, quand un étudiant a créé sur un groupe Whatsapp d’étudiants de la même promotion un sondage “Les juifs pour ou contre ?”, détaille Paris 1. L’université a “signalé les éléments portés à sa connaissance au procureur de la République” et “engagera des poursuites disciplinaires contre l’auteur dès que son identité sera établie”.Le deuxième acte s’est produit lundi. L’université indique avoir “été avertie en fin de journée de l’exclusion d’un groupe de discussion sur le réseau social Instagram de plusieurs étudiants en raison de leur supposé sionisme, plus vraisemblablement en raison de leur prétendue appartenance religieuse, par un étudiant ou une étudiante”. Paris 1 a saisi mardi matin la justice pour ces faits, et engagera là aussi “des poursuites disciplinaires dès que l’auteur sera identifié”, poursuit-elle.”Ces deux actes dont le caractère antisémite apparaît manifeste méritent une sanction à la hauteur de leur gravité”, conclut Paris 1.Dans un message posté sur X, l’Union des étudiants juifs de France (UEJF) a jugé qu'”il est temps de réagir. L’antisémitisme n’est pas le problème des juifs”.”Notre message est clair: l’université doit rassembler et non diviser”, a renchéri auprès de l’AFP Daphné Hubelé, présidente de l’UEJF de Paris 1. “On alerte sur le climat actuellement. Ce ne sont pas des actes isolés”.Le Parlement a adopté début juillet une proposition de loi visant à lutter contre l’antisémitisme dans l’enseignement supérieur, qui prévoit des mesures en matière de sensibilisation et de sanctions disciplinaires et rend obligatoire la désignation au sein de chaque établissement d’un “référent” dédié.Entre janvier et mai 2025, 504 actes antisémites ont été recensés en France, selon le ministère de l’Intérieur, soit une baisse de 24% sur un an mais plus d’un doublement par rapport à la même période de 2023. 

Robert Redford, Hollywood’s golden boy with a Midas touch

With his all-American good looks, Robert Redford, who died on Tuesday aged 89 was the eternal “Sundance Kid”, a US screen legend both in front of and behind the camera.The tousled-haired heartthrob made his breakthrough alongside Paul Newman as the affable outlaw in the Western “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” in 1969.After 20 years as one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, he moved behind the camera becoming an Oscar-winning director and co-founded the Sundance Film Festival, which became a springboard for a new generation of independent filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino.”Few careers have had such an impact on the history of cinema,” said French producer Alain Terzian before awarding him the French equivalent of an Oscar in 2019.- Outlaw -But the athletic young Redford’s beginnings were far from a smooth ascent to the top. The son of an accountant from Santa Monica, California, his mother died in 1955, a year after he finished high school.He won a scholarship to the University of Colorado thanks to his baseball skills, but lost it a year later because of his heavy drinking.Redford spent the next months travelling around Europe before enrolling in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1959.After various television roles, his first big screen break was in the romantic comedy “Barefoot In The Park” (1967) opposite Jane Fonda.Two years later his career went stellar with “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” about two outlaw buddies who flee to Bolivia to escape US authorities.The film became an instant classic, launching Redford and burnishing the career of the older Newman, who became a lifelong friend.The pair also teamed up as 1930s con artists in “The Sting” (1973), which won Redford his only nomination for an Oscar for best actor.- Behind the camera -Now a household name, he starred in a succession of major films such as “The Great Gatsby” (1974), “Three Days of the Condor” (1975) and the critically acclaimed “All the President’s Men” (1976), playing Bob Woodward, one of the Washington Post journalists who broke the Watergate scandal.In another career high, he won an Oscar for his directorial debut with “Ordinary People” in 1980.The baseball classic “The Natural” followed in 1984 before Redford had another generation of women swooning in the epic romance “Out of Africa” (1985), in which he starred alongside Meryl Streep.He went on to star with a young Brad Pitt in “A River Runs Through It” (1992) and the Oscar-nominated “Quiz Show” (1994).”At one time I thought when I was making films… that might have an effect on the country or the future,” he told AFP in 2007. “I don’t think so anymore.””If you look at ‘All The President’s Men’ and what it was saying about the relationship between the media and government and the corporate powers, and then look where we are now, it’s worse than it was,” he added.”Robert Redford’s work… always represents the man himself: the intellectual, the artist, the cowboy,” said singer Barbra Streisand as she presented the avowed liberal and environmentalist with a Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 2002.The actress, who played his lover in “The Way We Were” (1973), said: “He’s always interesting, he’s always interested. He’s very smart, very private, he’s self-assured, but shy.”- Indie guru -Redford always saw his part in launching the independent Sundance Film Festival in 1985 as one of his greatest achievements.Created to help aspiring filmmakers disaffected with Hollywood’s commercialism and lack of diversity, it has fostered leading independent directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh.In 2013 Redford said that by pursuing the indie path, he had ensured his own survival in the movie business.”Had I given in to living in the (Hollywood) system, I don’t know that I would be here right now.” – #Metoo -Aged 76, he was back on screen for one of his meatiest starring roles in years, a solo performance as a lost-at-sea yachtsman in “All Is Lost” (2013).He also had a role in Marvel Studios’ superhero blockbuster “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014) and a cameo in its record-shattering “Avengers: Endgame” (2019).In 2018 Redford said that the greatest change in Hollywood over his 60-year career had been the #MeToo movement, a “tipping point” he said would change the industry’s attitudes towards women and sexual misconduct.  Redford had four children with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, one of whom died as an infant. He married German artist and longtime girlfriend Sibylle Szaggars in 2009.

Thyssenkrupp says India’s Jindal Steel makes bid for steel business

India’s Jindal Steel International has made an offer for Thyssenkrupp’s steel division, the German company said Tuesday, in what would be a mega-deal for the struggling industrial titan. Once a symbol of German manufacturing might, Thyssenkrupp has fallen into crisis in recent years as it battles high manufacturing costs at home and fierce competition from Asian rivals, particularly in the traditional steel business.The sprawling conglomerate — whose businesses range from auto parts to submarine-making — has long been seeking to get rid of the loss-making steel unit which is in the midst of a painful restructuring.It confirmed in a statement that it had received a “non-binding” offer from Jindal Steel International for the purchase of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe (TKSE).The group said it would “carefully review” the offer and pay “particular attention” to what it would mean for jobs.Jindal said it was “committed” to the production of green steel, which has been a key focus for Thyssenkrupp in recent years. Neither side mentioned a possible purchase price for the steel business, but the news sent the conglomerate’s shares up almost eight percent in Frankfurt. Juergen Kerner, workers’ representative on the Thyssenkrupp board, said the offer from “growth-oriented” Jindal Steel was “good news” for employees.”Jindal Steel has its own access to raw materials and expertise in the green transformation,” he said, adding it was important to enter into discussions quickly to “gain clarity” on important questions.The steel unit had announced in November last year it would seek to cut 11,000 jobs by 2030 — about 40 percent of its workforce. The Indian offer however sets up a potential battle with Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, who last year acquired a stake in TKSE through his holding company EPCG.- Green steel -Thyssenkrupp has been seeking to navigate the long-term costs of the green transition.CEO Miguel Lopez warned in March that a new site in the western city of Duisburg, which forms the heart of its steel operations, designed to produce carbon-neutral steel might not be profitable.In a statement, Jindal Steel said it was committed to making green steel at the same time as turning a profit.”We believe in the future of green steel production in Germany and Europe,” said Narendra Misra, head of European Operations at Jindal. “Our goal is to preserve and advance the 200-year-old heritage of Thyssenkrupp.”Jindal said it would invest in further green steel production and make Thyssenkrupp “the largest low-emission steel producer in Europe,” adding that it already had a similar site in Oman which is due to start production in 2027.A spokesman for Kretinsky’s EPCG declined to comment on the Indian offer.Previously Thyssenkrupp has said discussions were ongoing with the Czech billionaire about “an equal 50/50 joint venture”.Offloading the steel business is part of a broader plan to split Thyssenkrupp into a series of standalone businesses with the aim of boosting profitability.

Trial of accused in US insurance exec killing to start December 1

The trial of Luigi Mangione, accused of gunning down an insurance industry executive, will start on December 1, the state court judge in the case said on Tuesday.Mangione appeared in court wearing a beige jumpsuit and shackles, flanked by armed police and court officers, stopping to smile and nod at a young woman in the front row as he was led out, AFP saw.His appearance in a Manhattan courthouse is a reminder of the string of political violence that has rocked the United States in recent times, including the December 4 slaying of insurance executive Brian Thompson.That has been followed by a number of other incidents, including the murder of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, the firebombing of the Pennsylvania governor’s home and, most recently, the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.”I think we agree that hearings in this case will start December 1,” judge Gregory Carro said.Fervent supporters of Mangione gathered both inside and outside court to show their backing for the 27-year-old whose alleged crimes have sharply divided Americans.Thompson’s murder brought to the surface deep public frustration with the lucrative US commercial health care system, with many social media users painting Mangione as a hero.He is charged in both state and federal court in the December 4 shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Thompson.- Insufficient evidence for ‘terrorism’ -If convicted in the state case, Mangione could face life imprisonment with no parole. In the federal case, he could technically face the death penalty.At Tuesday’s hearing, the judge said that the grand jury in the case had been presented with insufficient evidence to support the first-degree murder charges, and murder as an act of “terrorism” charge. The remaining counts still stand — including second-degree murder.”The evidence put forward to the jury was legally insufficient” the judge said.”As to the other counts evidence was sufficient — including murder in the second degree.”One of the protesters, who were mostly young women, held up an Italian flag emblazoned with the words “healthcare is a human right.”Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo has sought clarity on how simultaneous federal and state charges would work, calling the situation “highly unusual.”Dozens of Mangione’s supporters chased his legal team along the street after they left court following the packed hearing.Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9 following a tip from staff at a McDonald’s restaurant, after a days-long manhunt. He had traveled to New York by bus from Atlanta about 10 days before the crime, the Department of Justice said. After checking into a Manhattan hostel with false identification, he allegedly performed reconnaissance near the victim’s hotel and the conference venue where the shooting took place.Early on December 4, Mangione allegedly tracked Thompson, walked up behind him and fired several gunshots from a pistol with a silencer, the DOJ said. Afterward, he is said to have fled on a bicycle.

Stocks diverge, dollar down as Fed meets on rates

Wall Street stocks hit fresh record highs on Tuesday as the US Federal Reserve prepared to meet, while the dollar slid.The Fed’s two-day gathering is widely expected to conclude on Wednesday with the central bank agreeing to trim borrowing costs, with policymakers trying to shore up the world’s biggest economy.The dollar dropped against main rivals on Tuesday as lower interest rates make the greenback less attractive to investors, while safe haven gold hit yet another record high.”The Fed’s focus appears to have shelved inflation concerns for now, instead concentrating on a stalling (US) jobs market, which should lead to a 0.25-percent cut,” noted Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor.Data released on Tuesday showed retail sales in the United States rose more than analysts expected in August, even as the effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs ripple through the US economy.Overall sales jumped by 0.6 percent on a month-on-month basis in August, beating expectations of a 0.2-percent gain, showing US consumers are not holding back despite the softening jobs market.Separate data showed US non-fuel import prices rose by 0.4 percent in August, following no gain in July.”Today’s data won’t change the market’s expectation that the Fed will vote tomorrow to cut the target range for the fed funds rate by 25 basis points to 4.00-4.25 percent, but it will presumably temper calls for a 50-basis-point cut,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.Wall Street’s S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices pushed to fresh record highs as trading got underway on Tuesday.Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States and China had reached a deal over TikTok, which Washington says must pass into US-controlled ownership.Trump said he would confirm the deal when he speaks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday.The Fed meeting takes place with Trump appointee Stephen Miran as a new member of the bank’s rate-setting committee after the Senate narrowly voted to confirm his appointment late on Monday.Meanwhile, a US federal appeals court ruled that Fed Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her position while challenging her ouster from the bank — after Trump sought to fire her.Miran’s appointment comes as the president demands that the Fed cuts borrowing costs and accuses the central bank’s chief, Jerome Powell, of being unfit for the job.Expectations that US rates will be reduced over the next few months and possibly into 2026 continued to weigh on the dollar and pushed up gold to an all-time peak close to $3,700 an ounce.The British pound firmed versus the dollar.Analysts increasingly expect the Bank of England to maintain its key interest rate on Thursday and for the remainder of 2025.Official data on Tuesday showed UK unemployment remaining at a four-year high of 4.7 percent amid stubbornly high British inflation.European stock markets fell on Tuesday following a steady showing by Asia’s main indices.Shares in Germany’s Thyssenkrupp rose around eight percent in Frankfurt after India’s Jindal Steel International made an offer for the company’s steel division.- Key figures at around 1330 GMT -New York – Dow: UP less than 0.1 percent at 45,898.56 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 6,624.42New York – Nasdaq Composite: 0.2 percent at 22,397.50London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 9,220.07 Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,865.57Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.9 percent at 23,531.60Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 44,902.27 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 26,438.51 (close)Shanghai – Composite: FLAT at 3,861.87 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1823 from $1.1768 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3657 from $1.3609Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.87 yen from 147.38 yenEuro/pound: UP at 86.59 pence from 86.47 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.0 percent at $68.10 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.3 percent at $64.10 per barrelburs-rl/

Stocks diverge, dollar down as Fed meets on rates

Wall Street stocks hit fresh record highs on Tuesday as the US Federal Reserve prepared to meet, while the dollar slid.The Fed’s two-day gathering is widely expected to conclude on Wednesday with the central bank agreeing to trim borrowing costs, with policymakers trying to shore up the world’s biggest economy.The dollar dropped against main rivals on Tuesday as lower interest rates make the greenback less attractive to investors, while safe haven gold hit yet another record high.”The Fed’s focus appears to have shelved inflation concerns for now, instead concentrating on a stalling (US) jobs market, which should lead to a 0.25-percent cut,” noted Richard Hunter, head of markets at Interactive Investor.Data released on Tuesday showed retail sales in the United States rose more than analysts expected in August, even as the effects of President Donald Trump’s tariffs ripple through the US economy.Overall sales jumped by 0.6 percent on a month-on-month basis in August, beating expectations of a 0.2-percent gain, showing US consumers are not holding back despite the softening jobs market.Separate data showed US non-fuel import prices rose by 0.4 percent in August, following no gain in July.”Today’s data won’t change the market’s expectation that the Fed will vote tomorrow to cut the target range for the fed funds rate by 25 basis points to 4.00-4.25 percent, but it will presumably temper calls for a 50-basis-point cut,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.Wall Street’s S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices pushed to fresh record highs as trading got underway on Tuesday.Trump announced on Tuesday that the United States and China had reached a deal over TikTok, which Washington says must pass into US-controlled ownership.Trump said he would confirm the deal when he speaks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Friday.The Fed meeting takes place with Trump appointee Stephen Miran as a new member of the bank’s rate-setting committee after the Senate narrowly voted to confirm his appointment late on Monday.Meanwhile, a US federal appeals court ruled that Fed Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her position while challenging her ouster from the bank — after Trump sought to fire her.Miran’s appointment comes as the president demands that the Fed cuts borrowing costs and accuses the central bank’s chief, Jerome Powell, of being unfit for the job.Expectations that US rates will be reduced over the next few months and possibly into 2026 continued to weigh on the dollar and pushed up gold to an all-time peak close to $3,700 an ounce.The British pound firmed versus the dollar.Analysts increasingly expect the Bank of England to maintain its key interest rate on Thursday and for the remainder of 2025.Official data on Tuesday showed UK unemployment remaining at a four-year high of 4.7 percent amid stubbornly high British inflation.European stock markets fell on Tuesday following a steady showing by Asia’s main indices.Shares in Germany’s Thyssenkrupp rose around eight percent in Frankfurt after India’s Jindal Steel International made an offer for the company’s steel division.- Key figures at around 1330 GMT -New York – Dow: UP less than 0.1 percent at 45,898.56 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 6,624.42New York – Nasdaq Composite: 0.2 percent at 22,397.50London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.6 percent at 9,220.07 Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.4 percent at 7,865.57Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.9 percent at 23,531.60Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.3 percent at 44,902.27 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 26,438.51 (close)Shanghai – Composite: FLAT at 3,861.87 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1823 from $1.1768 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3657 from $1.3609Dollar/yen: DOWN at 146.87 yen from 147.38 yenEuro/pound: UP at 86.59 pence from 86.47 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.0 percent at $68.10 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.3 percent at $64.10 per barrelburs-rl/