Renforts diplomatiques en Egypte pour pousser à un accord sur Gaza

Des hauts responsables américain, qatari et turc doivent rejoindre mercredi en Egypte les négociations indirectes entre le Hamas et Israël visant à mettre fin à la guerre à Gaza, dans un contexte de pressions accrues pour aboutir à un accord.Le Premier ministre du Qatar, Mohammed ben Abdelrahmane Al-Thani, se rendra en personne mercredi matin à Charm el-Cheikh où se tiennent les pourparlers, selon la diplomatie qatarie.L’émissaire de Donald Trump Steve Witkoff et le gendre du président, Jared Kushner, sont également attendus mercredi en Egypte, selon le chef de la diplomatie égyptienne Badr Abdelatty. Ils y étaient initialement attendus le week-end dernier.Enfin, une délégation turque emmenée par le chef des services de renseignement Ibrahim Kalin participera également mercredi aux négociations, selon l’agence étatique Anadolu. La Turquie entretient des relations étroites avec le Hamas.Les pourparlers, entamés lundi, sont basés sur un plan du président américain qui prévoit un cessez-le-feu, la libération des otages en échange de prisonniers palestiniens, le retrait par étapes de l’armée israélienne de Gaza et le désarmement du Hamas.Donald Trump a évoqué mardi une “réelle chance” de parvenir à un accord pour mettre fin à la guerre déclenchée par l’attaque sans précédent du mouvement islamiste le 7 octobre 2023 contre Israël.Le Qatar, l’Egypte et les Etats-Unis jouent le rôle de médiateurs dans la guerre, mais leurs efforts ont jusqu’à présent échoué à aboutir à un cessez-le-feu durable.Deux précédentes trêves en novembre 2023 et début 2025 avaient permis le retour d’otages ou de corps de captifs en échange de prisonniers palestiniens, avant de s’effondrer.Le Hamas a manifesté son accord de principe au plan Trump mais plusieurs points restent en suspens.Pour le Qatar, pays qui héberge de hauts dirigeants du Hamas, l’objectif est de “parvenir à un cessez-le-feu permanent”, selon son ministère des Affaires étrangères sur X.- “Garanties” -Mardi, jour du 2e anniversaire de l’attaque du Hamas contre Israël, le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu a promis la réalisation de tous les objectifs de la guerre à Gaza, en citant la libération de “tous les otages” et “la destruction du pouvoir du Hamas”.Présent en Egypte, le négociateur en chef du Hamas, Khalil al-Hayya, a déclaré que le mouvement voulait des “garanties” de M. Trump et des médiateurs que la guerre à Gaza “finira une fois pour toutes”. “Nous ne faisons pas confiance” à Israël, a-t-il dit. Selon une source palestinienne proche des négociateurs du Hamas, “de premières cartes ont été présentées mardi par la partie israélienne concernant le retrait des troupes ainsi que du mécanisme et du calendrier de l’échange d’otages et de prisonniers”.Le même jour, le média d’Etat égyptien Al-Qahera News a affirmé que le Hamas avait réclamé la libération de Marwan Barghouthi, le plus célèbre détenu palestinien, dans le cadre des discussions indirectes avec Israël sur la liste des prisonniers palestiniens devant être relâchés en échange des otages.Dans sa réponse au plan Trump, le Hamas a accepté de libérer les otages mais réclamé la fin de l’offensive israélienne et le retrait total israélien de Gaza. Il n’a pas mentionné son propre désarmement, point clé de la proposition. M. Netanyahu a dit soutenir le plan mais a souligné que son armée resterait dans la majeure partie de Gaza et répété que le Hamas devait être désarmé.L’attaque du 7-Octobre a entraîné la mort de 1.219 personnes, en majorité des civils, selon un bilan établi par l’AFP à partir de données officielles. Sur les 251 personnes enlevées ce jour-là, 47 sont toujours otages à Gaza dont 25 sont mortes selon l’armée.En riposte, Israël a lancé une campagne militaire qui a dévasté le territoire palestinien, provoqué un désastre humanitaire et fait selon le ministère de la Santé du Hamas, plus de 67.160 morts, en majorité des civils.L’ONU a déclaré l’état de famine dans une partie de Gaza et ses enquêteurs affirment qu’Israël y commet un génocide. Des affirmations rejetées par Israël.

Former FBI chief James Comey to make first US court appearance

Former FBI director James Comey, a prominent critic of US President Donald Trump, is to make his first court appearance on Wednesday to face charges of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding.Comey’s arraignment, during which he is expected to plead not guilty, is to be held at 10:00 am (1400 GMT) at a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, before district judge Michael Nachmanoff.Comey, 64, was indicted last month on two felony counts in an escalation of Trump’s campaign of retribution against the Republican president’s political foes.Appointed to head the FBI by former president Barack Obama in 2013, Comey is charged with lying to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding stemming from sworn testimony he gave to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020.He is accused of falsely stating that he had not authorized another FBI employee to be an anonymous source in news reports. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.Trump fired Comey in 2017 amid a probe into whether any members of the Trump presidential campaign had colluded with Moscow to sway the 2016 vote.The charges came just days after Trump had publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and others he sees as enemies — a stunning departure from the principle that the Justice Department must be free from White House pressure.Trump, the first convicted felon to serve as US president, hailed the indictment, saying Comey is “one of the worst human beings this country has ever been exposed to.”Trump has taken a number of punitive measures against his perceived enemies and political opponents since taking office in January.The 79-year-old Republican has stripped former officials of their security clearances, targeted law firms involved in past cases against him and pulled federal funding from universities.Comey’s indictment came after the US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, stepped down after reportedly telling Justice Department leaders there was insufficient evidence to charge Comey.Trump replaced Siebert with Lindsey Halligan, a former personal lawyer to the president, who brought the case to a grand jury and secured an indictment.In a video posted on Instagram following the indictment, Comey proclaimed his innocence and said “my family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump.”Trump was the target of several investigations after leaving the White House in 2021.The FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 as part of a probe into mishandling of classified documents and Trump was charged by Special Counsel Jack Smith with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Neither case came to trial, and Smith — in line with a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president — dropped them both after Trump won the November 2024 vote.

Snakebite surge as Bangladesh hit by record rains

In the swamplands along Bangladesh’s mighty Padma River, snakes slithering through villages have become an unrelenting menace, leaving residents terrified and hospitals overwhelmed with bite victims.Doctors and experts warn snakebites are on the rise, driven by heavy rains, shrinking habitats and shifting farming practices.Bangladesh — among the nations most vulnerable to climate change — has seen nearly 15,000 snakebite admissions this year, with 84 deaths reported so far.Farmer Ananda Mondol broke down as he recalled how a snake bit his ankle while he was working in a rice field this year.”I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t move,” the 35-year-old from Nimtola, a village in the northern district of Rajshahi, told AFP.”I vomited, lost control of my bowels, and saliva was coming out of my mouth.”He spent three days in intensive care, and is still plagued by sleepless nights and persistent muscle pain.The father of four has not returned to the fields since.His wife, Sunita Rani, a traditional healer, said the family cannot afford further treatment.Across the villages of northern Bangladesh, similar stories abound.”Sometimes, they even lie with us on the bed,” said Rezina Begum, as she washed clothes by the river. Another villager, Mohammad Bablu, told AFPhe dreads walking through the fields.”My heart races,” he said. “Only yesterday they killed seven snakes.”- ‘Strong swimmers’ -The swamplands have always been a sanctuary for snakes, but floodwaters brought on by this year’s extra heavy monsoon rains have pushed more of them from their natural shelters into human settlements.And doctors say that has ramped up the deadly consequences.At least 25 people have died from snakebites at the Rajshahi Medical College hospital since January, said professor of medicine Abu Shahin Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman.The hospital treated more than 1,000 cases in nine months, including 206 bites from venomous species such as cobras, kraits and the feared Russell’s viper.”Many patients suffer acute kidney failure after snakebites,” Rahman said.Nationwide, authorities have recorded 84 snakebite deaths so far this year, alongside nearly 15,000 admissions.That follows 118 deaths in 2024, one of the highest tolls in recent memory.The once uncommon venomous Russell’s viper has seen a resurgence in numbers since 2013, spreading panic.Fatalities have risen steadily since.A prolific breeder, Russell’s vipers do not lay eggs — they give birth to as many as 60 babies at a time, making them difficult to contain.”They are strong swimmers and can float on water hyacinths,” said Farid Ahsan, professor of zoology at Chittagong University.This year’s heavy rains have worsened the risk.Rajshahi recorded 1,409 millimetres of rainfall between May and September, nearly a fifth higher above the seasonal norm of 1,175 mm.- Boots and nets -But experts say climate change is only part of the picture.Gowhar Naim Wara, a disaster management specialist, blamed urbanisation and farming practices.”Their habitat is gone, and they are now living in close contact with humans,” Wara said.Hospitals have scrambled to stock antivenom.”We have sufficient antivenoms for the next three weeks,” said Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, adding that more imports were on the way.But experts caution imported antidotes are not always effective, as venoms vary by species and region.Bangladesh is working on its own treatments, with progress on a Russell’s viper antivenom — though rollout remains at least three years away.In the meantime, villagers are adapting as best they can — carrying sticks and torches at night, wearing jeans and boots in the fields, and sleeping under mosquito nets.”It could be any of us next,” said Bablu. “We live every day with that thought.”

US, Qatar, Turkey to join third day of Gaza peace talks in Egypt

Qatar’s prime minister and senior delegates from the United States and Turkey will join Hamas and Israeli negotiators on Wednesday for a third day of talks aimed at ending the Gaza war.Israel and Hamas are holding indirect negotiations in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, based on a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last month.Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are all due to attend the talks.”There’s a real chance that we could do something,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, adding that US negotiators were also involved in the talks.”I think there’s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East. It’s something even beyond the Gaza situation. We want a release of the hostages immediately.” Trump said the United States would do “everything possible to make sure everyone adheres to the deal” if Hamas and Israel do agree on a ceasefire.The talks came as Israel commemorated the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war.At the close of the Jewish festival of Sukkot, Hamas-led militants launched the deadliest attack on Israel in the country’s history, sparking a huge retaliatory offensive in Gaza.It resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Militants also took 251 people hostage into Gaza, of whom 47 remain captive, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.Global pressure to end the war has escalated, with much of Gaza flattened, a UN-declared famine unfolding and Israeli hostage families still longing for their loved ones’ return.A UN probe accused last month Israel of genocide in Gaza while rights groups have accused Hamas of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the October 7 attack. Both sides reject the allegations.Hundreds of thousands of protesters joined pro-Palestinian mass demonstrations in cities across the world last weekend, calling for an immediate end to the war, including in Italy, Spain, Ireland and Britain.Demonstrators in the Netherlands called for their government to recognise a Palestinian state, while tens of thousands in Britain defied Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s calls to skip rallies, holding vigils and gatherings on the October 7 anniversary.- ‘Guarantees’ -Hamas’s top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said the Islamist group wants “guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all”.Trump’s plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.The plan received positive responses from both Israel and Hamas and prompted indirect talks in Egypt since Monday.A Palestinian source close to the Hamas negotiating team said Tuesday’s session included Hamas discussing “the initial maps presented by the Israeli side regarding the withdrawal of troops as well as the mechanism and timetable for the hostage-prisoner exchange”.US representatives Witkoff and Kushner were expected to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, after they were initially expected to arrive last weekend.”The primary guarantee of success at this stage is US President Trump himself… even if it comes to a point to require him imposing a vision,” he said.Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,160 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that over half of the dead are women and children.burs/dv/dhw/tc