Trump’s military parade kicks off as protests sweep US

US President Donald Trump kicked off his long dreamt-of military parade in Washington on his 79th birthday Saturday, as tens of thousands of protesters rallied across the country to call him a dictator.Trump saluted after walking onto a huge stage in front of the White House, with two huge tanks parked nearby, while a 21-gun salute rang out and the national anthem played.The parade, officially marking the 250th anniversary of the US Army but also coinciding with Trump’s birthday, was set to feature tanks, a flyover and nearly 7,000 troops marching past.But the deep political divisions in the United States were underscored as “No Kings” demonstrators earlier took to the streets in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Houston and Atlanta.The killing of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota also cast a pall over the parade.Trump was quick to condemn the attacks outside Minneapolis in which former state speaker Melissa Hortman died along with her husband, while another state lawmaker and his wife were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.The “No Kings” demonstrators were protesting what they call Trump’s dictatorial overreach, and in particular what they call the strongman symbolism of the biggest parade in Washington for decades.”I think it’s disgusting,” protester Sarah Hargrave, 42, told AFP at a protest in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, describing Trump’s parade as a “display of authoritarianism.”Republican Trump, who has begun his second term by pushing presidential powers to unprecedented levels, boasted earlier on his Truth Social network that it was a “big day for America!!!”He added that Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, for whom he has repeatedly expressed admiration, had “very nicely” called him to wish him a happy birthday.The two leaders also agreed on the need for an end to the Iran-Israel conflict — a war in which US forces are aiding Israel to shoot down Tehran’s missiles.- Political violence -The “No Kings” protest organizers expected millions of people to take part in 1,500 cities in the rest of the country.Some protesters targeted Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida — while a small group even gathered in Paris.Thousands turned out in Los Angeles to protest Trump’s deployment of troops in the country’s second-largest city following clashes sparked by immigration raids.The White House dismissed the rallies.”The so-called No Kings protests have been a complete and utter failure with minuscule attendance,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a post on X, despite photos of large crowds in a number of cities.Trump had promised to use “very big force” if protesters attempt to disrupt the army parade in Washington.But disruption could also come from thunderstorms forecast to hit Washington as the parade continues.Trump put on a brave face, saying on Truth Social: “Our great military parade is on, rain or shine. Remember, a rainy day parade brings good luck. I’ll see you all in DC.” – $45 million – The military parade is the biggest in Washington since the end of the Gulf War in 1991, estimated by the army to cost up to $45 million.Soldiers will wear uniforms dating back through US history to its independence from Britain as they march past landmarks including the Washington Monument to end up at the White House.Trump has been obsessed with having a parade since his first term as president when he attended France’s annual Bastille Day parade in Paris at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron.Critics have accused Trump of acting like autocrats in Moscow or Pyongyang.California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, who slammed Trump for sending National Guard troops into Los Angeles without his consent, called it a “vulgar display of weakness.”

Une parade militaire rêvée par Trump malgré d’importantes manifestations d’opposants

Donald Trump, accompagné de son épouse Melania, a donné le coup d’envoi de la grande parade militaire qu’il avait appelée de ses voeux, samedi à Washington, lors d’une journée marquée par des manifestations d’opposants partout dans le pays et le meurtre d’une élue dans le Minnesota.Le président américain, qui fêtait ses 79 ans samedi, est arrivé peu après 18H00 (22H00 GMT) à la tribune pour assister au défilé qui doit rassembler près de 7.000 soldats et quelque 150 véhicules militaires, survolés par une cinquantaine d’avions.Tout sourire, il a été accueilli par des chants “USA ! USA !”, et par 21 coups de canon. L’hymne américain a ensuite été chanté avant le début du défilé, avec fanfare et militaires en tenues de différentes époques.”C’est super, et cette vue est magnifique! Moi qui reviens d’Europe je n’aurais pas choisi un meilleur endroit aux Etats-Unis pour cet événement”, s’est réjoui auprès de l’AFP Vicente Tovar Garcia, militaire américain habituellement stationné en Allemagne.Venue du Colorado, Jennifer Gremmert était quant à elle plus partagée. “J’ai des sentiments contrastés: je suis préoccupée par la direction que notre pays prend en ce moment. Bien sûr, nous voulons célébrer nos forces armées (…) mais il y a aussi quelque chose d’inconfortable”, explique-t-elle.Cette démonstration de force est inhabituelle aux Etats-Unis, où le dernier défilé militaire d’envergure remonte à 1991, après la Guerre du Golfe. Et si officiellement cette manifestation célèbre les 250 ans de l’Armée de Terre, le fait qu’elle se déroule le jour des 79 ans de Donald Trump est particulièrement significatif au début d’un mandat où le milliardaire new-yorkais repousse les limites du pouvoir présidentiel.- “Violence politique” -Toutefois, avant cette grande parade, la journée avait démarré sous de tristes auspices aux Etats-Unis, où une élue du Minnesota et son mari ont été tués à leur domicile samedi au petit matin. Un “acte délibéré de violence politique”, a dénoncé Tim Walz, gouverneur de cet Etat du nord.Melissa Hortman, 55 ans, était une élue locale de premier plan. Un autre élu démocrate et sa femme ont également été gravement blessés chez eux par des tirs.Donald Trump, qui a lui même échappé en juillet dernier à une tentative d’assassinat, a rapidement condamné une attaque “terrible”.Le suspect, un homme blanc de 57 ans, considéré “armé et dangereux”, reste activement recherché par des centaines d’agents dans la banlieue nord de Minneapolis.Par ailleurs, le pays a également été le théâtre samedi de centaines de manifestations baptisées “No Kings”, pour protester contre l'”autoritarisme” de Donald Trump et “la militarisation de notre démocratie”. Près de 2.000 rassemblements étaient annoncés à travers le pays.Si des centaines de milliers de spectateurs sont attendus à la parade militaire, au budget chiffré à 45 millions de dollars, le mouvement de contestation “No Kings” ambitionnait d’être “le plus important depuis le retour au pouvoir de Donald Trump”.Ainsi à New York, des dizaines de milliers de personnes se sont rassemblé sur la 5e avenue, malgré la pluie, dans une ambiance bon enfant.- “Mépris pour la vérité” -“Il est essentiel pour nous de montrer que la démocratie est encore forte dans ce pays, que les gens le ressentent. Nous voulons aussi montrer à nos enfants que, lorsque nous penserons à cette période de l’histoire où la démocratie était menacée, nous avons choisi de participer”, a déclaré à l’AFP Vikas Mehta, médecin de 45 ans venu manifester avec sa femme et leurs deux enfants.”Ce qui se passe avec ce gouvernement est très inquiétant. Les attaques contre les immigrés et la science en particulier. Et, en général, le mépris pour la vérité est un problème majeur”, déplore de son côté Sarah Hargrave, quadragénaire venue manifester en banlieue de Washington, à Bethesda.A Los Angeles, après des rassemblements contre les arrestations brutales d’immigrés, les milliers de manifestants ont défilé sous le regard des militaires envoyés par Donald Trump pour tenter de juguler les violences. Les membres de la Garde nationale, qui surveillent certains bâtiments, ont été hués par le cortège mais n’ont pas répondu.Aux manifestants, Donald Trump avait promis de répondre “avec une très grande force” en les qualifiant de “gens qui détestent notre pays”. “Le président est bien sûr favorable aux manifestations pacifiques”, avait précisé la Maison Blanche.

Iran launches more missiles as Israel targets Tehran

Iran launched a new wave of missiles at Israel on Saturday, wounding several people in residential buildings, while Israel said it was striking Tehran.The fresh attacks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit “every target of the ayatollah regime”, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned further strikes would draw “a more severe and powerful response”.As calls for de-escalation grew, a new round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran scheduled for Sunday was cancelled, with Iran saying it could not negotiate while under attack from Israel.Israel’s operation, which began early Friday, has targeted Iran’s air defences and hit key nuclear and military sites, killing dozens of people including top army commanders and atomic scientists, according to Tehran.On Saturday night Israel said it was simultaneously working to intercept a new salvo of missiles fired from Iran, while also carrying out strikes on “military targets in Tehran”.Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that an Israeli strike had targeted the country’s defence ministry headquarters in Tehran and damaged one of its buildings. The ministry did not comment.Iran, meanwhile, announced a “new wave” of attacks targeting Israel.Israel’s emergency services said an Iranian missile hit a home in the Haifa region, leaving 14 people injured, including one in critical condition.Israeli strikes meanwhile hit two fuel depots in Tehran, the Iranian oil ministry said Sunday.According to the oil ministry, the oil depots at Shahran northwest of Tehran and another reservoir south of the city were hit. An AFP journalist saw the depot at Shahran on fire.- ‘Every site, every target’ -Iran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in Friday’s first wave of Israeli strikes.Israel on Saturday said three people were killed and 76 wounded by Iran’s drone and missile barrage the night before.Netanyahu has vowed to keep up Israel’s campaign.”We will hit every site, every target of the ayatollah regime,” he said in a video statement, threatening greater action “in the coming days”.He added that the Israeli campaign had dealt a “real blow” to Iran’s nuclear programme and maintained it had the “clear support” of US President Donald Trump.Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in a phone call on Saturday that the conflict between Iran and Israel “should end”.Pezeshkian said meanwhile that “the continuation of the Zionist aggression will be met with a more severe and powerful response from the Iranian armed forces”.According to a statement from his office, Pezeshkian also condemned Washington’s “dishonesty” for supporting Israel while engaged in nuclear talks with Iran — which mediator Oman said would no longer take place on Sunday.Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it denies.Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said the Israeli attacks undermined negotiations and were pushing the region into a “dangerous cycle of violence”.- Foreign concern -After decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time the arch-enemies have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a prolonged conflict that could engulf the Middle East.Highlighting the unease, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against a “devastating war” with regional consequences, in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ankara said.Israeli strikes have hit Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant and killed its highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, as well as the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami.The Israeli military said its strikes had killed more than 20 Iranian commanders.Iranian media reported five Guards killed Saturday in Israeli strikes, while authorities in one northwestern province said 30 military personnel had been killed there since Friday.Iran’s Red Crescent said an ambulance was hit Saturday in Urmia city, killing two.Iran called on its citizens to unite in the country’s defence, while Netanyahu urged them to rise up against against the government.Iran’s Mehr news agency said Tehran had warned Britain, France and the United States it could retaliate if they came to Israel’s defence.- ‘Everything was shaking’ -AFP images from the city of Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv showed blown-out buildings, destroyed vehicles and streets strewn with debris after Iran’s first wave of attacks.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck dozens of targets in Israel. One Iranian missile wounded seven Israeli soldiers, the military said.Firefighters had worked for hours to free people trapped in a Tel Aviv high-rise building on Friday.Chen Gabizon, a resident, said he ran to an underground shelter after receiving an alert.”We just heard a very big explosion, everything was shaking, smoke, dust, everything was all over the place,” he said.In Tehran, fire and heavy smoke billowed over Mehrabad airport on Saturday, an AFP journalist said.The Israeli army said it had struck an underground military facility Saturday in western Iran’s Khorramabad that contained surface-to-surface and cruise missiles.Iranian media also reported a “massive explosion” following an Israeli drone strike on an oil refinery in the southern city of Kangan.The attacks prompted several countries to temporarily ground air traffic, with Jordan again shutting its airspace late Saturday after it had briefly reopened it.burs/ser/rlp

Putin tells Trump Russia is ready for next round of Ukraine talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart Donald Trump Saturday that Moscow was ready to hold a fresh round of peace talks with Kyiv after June 22, once the sides complete exchanging prisoners and soldiers’ bodies.Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile did not mention whether Ukraine would agree to the next round of talks, only saying that “the exchanges will be completed and the parties will discuss the next step.”Putin and Trump held a call for the fifth time since the Republican took office and sought to reset relations with Moscow, in a stark pivot from the approach of his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration.Trump’s approach has stunned Washington’s allies, raising doubts about the future of US aid to Kyiv and leaving Europe scrambling to work out how it can fill any gap in supplies if Trump decides to pull US military, financial and intelligence support.”Both leaders expressed satisfaction with their personal relations” during the call, in which they also discussed the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel, the Kremlin said.It added that the presidents “communicate in a businesslike manner and seek solutions to pressing issues on the bilateral and international agenda, no matter how complex these issues may be”.- ‘Happy birthday’ call -Trump posted on Truth Social to say Putin had called “to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday” on the day he turned 79, but that “more importantly” the two discussed the Iran-Israel crisis.”He feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump said, referring to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.Zelensky urged the United States to “shift tone” in its dialogue with Russia, saying it was “too warm” and would not help to end the fighting.”Any signals of reduced aid, or of treating Ukraine and Russia as equals, are deeply unfair. Russia is the aggressor. They started this war. They do not want to end it,” the Ukrainian President said on X.The recent escalation sparked fears Washington might relocate resources at its expense, to beef up the defence of its close ally Israel which unleashed a large-scale attack on Iran Friday.”We would like to see aid to Ukraine not decrease because of this,” he said. “Last time, this was a factor that slowed down aid to Ukraine.”- More soldiers exchanged -Earlier on Saturday, Ukraine and Russia swapped prisoners in the fourth such exchange this week, part of a large-scale plan to bring back 1,000 wounded prisoners from each side and return bodies of killed soldiers.The prisoner agreement was the only visible result of two recent rounds of talks in Istanbul.Photos published by Zelensky on Telegram showed men of various ages, mostly with shaved heads, wearing camouflage and draped in Ukrainian flags.Some were injured, others disembarked from buses and hugged those welcoming them, or were seen calling someone by phone, sometimes covering their faces or smiling.Moscow’s defence ministry released its own video showing men in uniforms holding Russian flags, clapping and chanting “Glory to Russia” and “hooray”, some raising their fists in the air. As part of the Istanbul agreements, Kyiv also said it had received another 1,200 unidentified bodies from Russia. It said Moscow had said they were those of “Ukrainian citizens, including military personnel.” Ukraine did not say whether it returned any bodies to Russia.Russia has rejected calls to halt its three-year offensive. It has demanded Ukraine cede territory and renounce Western military support if it wants peace.Since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, the assault has forced millions of people to flee their homes as towns and cities across eastern Ukraine have been flattened by heavy bombardments.Meanwhile, Russia intensified its advances along the front line, especially on the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, where it seeks to establish a “buffer zone”.By doing it, Moscow seeks to protect its bordering region of Kursk, previously partly occupied by Ukraine. Zelensky said Russia’s advance on Sumy was stopped and that Kyiv’s forces had managed to retake one village.He also denied Moscow’s earlier claims that its troops entered the Dnipropetrovsk region. He said 53,000 Russian soldiers were involved in the Sumy operation.

US capital divided by Trump’s military parade

As Donald Trump supporters queued to watch a military parade in Washington, hundreds of protesters marched less than a mile away chanting that the US president was a “fascist.”The divided US capital epitomized a political rift in the United States that Saturday’s display of soldiers, tanks and fighter jets looked to further deepen. For Shaun Dailey, who traveled from neighboring Pennsylvania, the parade was simply a chance to honor the US Army on its birthday, which coincided with Trump’s 79th. “Some of them say that, ‘Oh, it looks like North Korea. Oh, it looks like Russia,’ because America doesn’t do very many military parades. I don’t know, because we’re told to be ashamed of who we are,” the 22-year-old said.”But I personally don’t see that as authoritarian. I don’t see it as fascist or whatever. I just see it as a celebration.”Brent Kuykendall, 66, who flew from Texas with his wife to see the parade, agreed that it was a form of “patriotism.””It’s more than Trump. It’s to celebrate our country,” said Kuykendall, who carried a bag styled with US flags.But many in liberal Washington were uneasy with the huge military display that has seen much of the downtown area shut down by roadblocks. Secret Service agents, some with sniffer dogs, prowled the entry points to the National Mall area where the parade was taking place Saturday.The White House — typically visible for tourists behind a single metal fence — was cordoned off with a large black barrier reading “Do not enter.”- ‘Military as pawns’ -A few hundred protesters marched to the perimeter to voice their opposition to the military parade — and Trump’s second presidency.”I flew in to oppose Trump’s fascist birthday parade,” said Sam Richards, a US army veteran from Minneapolis, some 1,000 miles from Washington. “All of this feels like a cruel joke, to use people that swore an oath to the Constitution and are devoting their lives to the military as pawns for a guy who wants to be a king,” Richards, 34, said.He was surrounded by activists who held signs reading “Pro USA, anti Trump” and “Americans will not be ruled.”There was also a wooden model where protesters had gathered earlier depicting Trump with an elongated nose, sitting on a toilet with suit trousers around his ankles. Organizers emphasized the rally should be nonviolent — but some were still wary of Trump’s promise last week that anyone trying to derail the military parade would be met by “heavy force.””It’s very important to stand out here today because there’s so many people that are afraid,” said Anahi Rivas-Rodriguez, 24, who is from Washington. She acknowledged she felt “intimidated” by comments made by the president.”But that does not stop me, because protesting is patriotic.”The Washington protest was among hundreds of rallies taking place across the United States on Saturday, including New York City and Los Angeles.Bill Kennedy, 68, traveled to the capital from neighboring Pennsylvania as he believed it was crucial to display opposition to Trump.”I think he needs to see that. You know, he’s not going to get away with intimidation, threats, violence and thuggery, that people will still be opposed no matter what,” he said. 

Euro-2025 Espoirs: La France miraculée contre la Géorgie

Miracle à Zilina: l’équipe de France Espoirs a arraché la victoire à la toute dernière seconde contre la Géorgie (3-2) à l’Euro-2025, samedi, et s’est bien placée pour se qualifier pour les quarts de finale.Le héros s’appelle Thierno Barry. L’attaquant de Villarreal avait cru signer la remontada des Bleuets au début du temps additionnel (90+2), mais son but a été refusé pour un hors-jeu détecté par le VAR.Mais il est revenu à la charge tout au bout du match pour reprendre un centre de Castello Lukeba (90+12) et offrir une victoire aux Bleuets, deuxièmes de leur groupe à égalité de points avec le Portugal, contre qui ils avaient fait match nul (0-0) lors de la première rencontre.Les Lusitaniens ont de leur côté écrasé la Pologne (5-0) dans l’autre match. Tout le suspense était concentré sur France-Géorgie.Les joueurs de Gérald Baticle, en quête d’esprit d’équipe avec un groupe qui a dû être reconstruit au dernier moment en raison des nombreux forfait, ont vécu des moments qui peuvent cimenter leur histoire commune.Face à des Géorgiens athlétiques, qui avaient battu la Pologne (2-1) au premier match, les Français dominaient mollement, jusqu’à un penalty sifflé pour une faute du défenseur central Saba Sazonov, un pied levé qui a frappé Tel à la mâchoire.Le joueur de Tottenham a lui-même transformé la sanction (35e, s.p.) en trompant le gardien Luka Kharatishvili, parti du mauvais côté.- Thierno ce héros -Tel, positionné en pointe par Gérald Baticle à la place de Matthis Abline, qui avait été aligné contre le Portugal, avait été le Bleuet le plus dangereux, notamment sur une frappe enveloppée sortie par le portier géorgien (22e) ou une volée manquant de peu le cadre (52e).Mais faute de prendre le large, les Bleuets se sont fait piéger. Ils dominaient, mais Gabriel Sigua a chipé le ballon dans les pieds de Matthis Abline, qui venait de remplacer Tel, et a servi Giorgi Abuashvili qui a trompé Guillaume Restes (77e).Deux minutes avant, l’attaquant nantais avait buté sur le gardien pour la balle de 2-0 (75e).Les Espoirs français ont cru tout perdre quelques minutes plus tard quand Sazonov a marqué de la tête le but du 2-1 (84e).Mais Johann Lepenant a égalisé sur une passe de Lucien Agoumé (89e), de retour de blessure, et le temps additionnel a viré à la folie.Thierno Barry a cru marquer mais ne s’est pas découragé et a signé le but vainqueur dans les tous derniers instants. Les Bleuets sont en position de force avant de défier la Pologne, bon dernier du groupe, mardi.