La mortalité routière en hausse en 2025, le protoxyde d’azote nouveau “fléau”
Sous l’effet de nouveaux comportements à risque, dont le “gaz hilarant”, la mortalité routière est repartie à la hausse en 2025 avec 3.260 tués dans l’Hexagone et 253 dans les Outre-mer, une “réalité inadmissible” pour le gouvernement, qui promet de durcir le ton.Dans l’Hexagone, la mortalité a ainsi augmenté de 2,1% par rapport à 2024, une hausse qui a atteint 6% dans les territoires ultramarins.Au total, ce sont “3.513 vies perdues” sur l’ensemble du territoire national, résume le bilan provisoire de l’Observatoire national interministériel de la sécurité routière (ONISR).Le nombre de blessés graves, indicateur clé des séquelles à long terme, grimpe lui aussi de 4% (16.600 victimes).Face à ces statistiques, la ministre déléguée Marie-Pierre Vedrenne a rappelé la dimension humaine du drame lors d’une conférence de presse : “Derrière les statistiques, il y a des vies brisées, des familles endeuillées et des trajectoires stoppées nettes”, a-t-elle déclaré, soulignant que la sécurité routière est “malheureusement un sujet de mort”.- La trottinette, “jouet” mortel -Si les causes habituelles demeurent prépondérantes (alcool, stupéfiants, vitesse), les autorités s’alarment de l’apparition de facteurs inédits.La ministre a particulièrement ciblé “l’usage détourné” de substances comme “le protoxyde d’azote, qui constitue un danger immédiat sur la route” comme l’ont illustré de récents faits divers.”Il y a urgence à agir” contre cette pratique, a confirmé vendredi sur France Inter Laurent Nunez. “On appelait ça le gaz hilarant, c’était drôle, c’était marrant puis on s’est rendu compte que ça altérait quand même significativement le discernement”.”On est en train de préparer des dispositions législatives qui sont intégrées dans un projet de loi sur la sécurité du quotidien, qu’on discutera dans les semaines qui viennent et qui permettront de réprimer l’usage” de protoxyde, a ajouté le ministre l’Intérieur.Les délits de grande vitesse (plus de 50 km/h au-dessus de la limite) vont aussi faire l’objet d’une sévérité accrue, a prévenu Mme Vedrenne.L’analyse précise des accidents mortels révèle une “hécatombe” concernant les nouvelles mobilités comme les trottinette électriques.La mortalité des utilisateurs de ces engins explose: 80 morts, soit 35 de plus qu’en 2024 (+77%).Pour la déléguée interministérielle à la Sécurité routière, Estelle Balit, cette hausse s’explique par une perception erronée du danger: “C’est un mode de déplacement qui est très prisé de la jeune population et qui a cette idée de jouet pas dangereux”.Elle pointe des comportements illégaux devenus banals, notant qu'”on monte à deux dessus” ou qu’on utilise des écouteurs alors que “c’est totalement interdit”. Elle regrette par ailleurs que le port du casque ne se développe que “très peu” chez ces usagers.Les cyclistes, eux aussi plus touchés (234 morts, +10), sont appelés à une prise de conscience dans leurs interactions avec les piétons (501 tués).”Il faut aussi être dans une posture de partage de la route davantage que dans une posture conquérante”, avertit Mme Balit.- Enfants mal attachés -L’analyse démographique révèle une autre tendance alarmante : la hausse de la mortalité chez les mineurs, notamment les 0-13 ans (58 tués, +12). Si ces enfants sont parfois piétons, “la plupart étaient passagers” de véhicules, souligne Estelle Balit, mettant en cause le mauvais usage des dispositifs de retenue.Outre les 13% de Français qui ne bouclent toujours pas leur ceinture, la déléguée pointe une négligence parentale spécifique, “le fait de mal attacher ses enfants”. “Avec la multiplication des sièges auto, beaucoup de parents pensent avoir bien attaché leur enfant. Or l’enfant est mal attaché”.Les données de l’ONISR confirment des déséquilibres structurels. Les hommes restent largement surreprésentés dans l’accidentalité, comptant pour 77% des tués.Et la mortalité augmente sur les routes hors agglomération (+57 tués) et les autoroutes (+24) tandis qu’elle recule en ville (-14).Face à ce bilan “moins bon”, le gouvernement promet un renforcement des contrôles. Mais pour Estelle Balit, la clé réside dans une “prise de conscience encore une fois collective et individuelle” face à des drames évitables : “La route, c’est pas un endroit où on doit mourir”.
Les Etats-Unis vont entrer en paralysie budgétaire, une issue rapide espérée
Le Sénat américain doit voter vendredi sur un paquet budgétaire qui, s’il n’empêchera pas une paralysie partielle de l’administration fédérale à minuit, donne espoir que ce “shutdown” soit de courte durée.Passé minuit vendredi soir, plusieurs ministères verront leur financement à sec et devront mettre au chômage technique une partie de leurs fonctionnaires, comme ce fut le cas entre octobre et novembre dernier, lors du précédent blocage.Dans le contexte des opérations de la police de l’immigration (ICE) à Minneapolis, les démocrates refusent d’adopter le nouveau budget proposé pour le ministère de la Sécurité intérieure, le DHS, et demandent au gouvernement d’adopter des réformes pour l’ICE, jugée hors de contrôle.Le “shutdown” pourrait toutefois être de courte durée, puisqu’un compromis a été trouvé jeudi soir entre Donald Trump et les démocrates. Ces derniers ont accepté d’adopter cinq des six volets du texte budgétaire, tandis que la partie concernant le DHS fera l’objet de nouvelles négociations au cours des deux prochaines semaines.”La seule chose qui puisse ralentir notre pays, c’est un autre +shutdown+ long et néfaste de l’Etat fédéral”, a déclaré le président républicain sur sa plateforme Truth Social.- “Police secrète” -Après avoir bloqué le processus pour une adoption rapide du nouveau texte, un sénateur républicain a finalement levé ses objections vendredi, et un vote final doit avoir lieu dans l’après-midi.Mais puisque cette version est différente de celle approuvée auparavant par la Chambre, la proposition de loi devra faire la navette retour avant une éventuelle adoption définitive par le Congrès.Un vote à la chambre basse ne pourra pas avoir lieu avant lundi au plus tôt, et l’Etat fédéral se retrouvera donc bien à minuit vendredi en situation de “shutdown” partiel.Il n’est pas assuré non plus que la Chambre accepte la nouvelle version concoctée par le Sénat.La semaine dernière, le texte semblait se diriger vers une adoption avant la date limite du 31 janvier, mais les événements de samedi dernier à Minneapolis ont changé la donne.Le décès d’Alex Pretti, tué comme Renee Good quelques jours plus tôt par des agents fédéraux dans cette métropole du nord des Etats-Unis, a provoqué un mouvement d’indignation au sein de la classe politique.Le chef de la minorité démocrate au Sénat, Chuck Schumer, a listé vendredi les demandes démocrates, disant vouloir “freiner l’ICE et mettre fin à la violence”.Pour cela, l’élu démocrate exige notamment la fin des “patrouilles volantes” et l’interdiction du port de cagoules par les agents.”Plus de police secrète”, a-t-il lancé dans l’hémicycle.- 60 voix requises -En raison des règles en vigueur au Sénat, 60 voix sur 100 sont nécessaires pour adopter un texte budgétaire, et les républicains, même s’ils disposent de la majorité, ont donc besoin de l’appui de plusieurs élus de l’opposition pour adopter leur proposition de budget.Si un “shutdown” est désormais inévitable vendredi soir, les Etats-Unis ne connaîtront probablement pas une répétition du blocage d’octobre et novembre dernier, le plus long de l’histoire des Etats-Unis, lorsque républicains et démocrates avaient bataillé pendant 43 jours sur la question de subventions d’assurance santé.Des centaines de milliers de fonctionnaires avaient alors été mis au chômage technique, tandis que d’autres aux missions considérées comme essentielles avaient dû continuer à travailler. Mais tous avaient dû attendre la fin de la paralysie budgétaire pour recevoir leur salaire.Le dernier “shutdown” n’avait pris fin qu’avec la décision de quelques sénateurs démocrates de voter pour un texte budgétaire concocté par les républicains, en échange de promesses de concessions sur ces subventions. Leur décision avait été fortement critiquée par de nombreux sympathisants démocrates, qui souhaitent voir une opposition plus vigoureuse face à Donald Trump.
‘Schitt’s Creek’ star Catherine O’Hara dead at 71
Emmy-winning actress Catherine O’Hara, who starred in “Schitt’s Creek” and “Home Alone,” has died at the age of 71, her management agency said Friday.The Canadian-born performer starred in “Beetlejuice” and recently Apple TV’s Hollywood satire show “The Studio.”Her manager Marc Gurvitz’s office confirmed the actress’s death to AFP, without any further details.Page Six, citing a fire department spokesman, reported that O’Hara was rushed to hospital before dawn from her home in the swanky Brentwood area of Los Angeles.AFP was not immediately able to confirm that.O’Hara was born in Toronto in 1954, where she joined the legendary comedy theater Second City, alongside Eugene Levy, with whom she would collaborate throughout her career, including on the smash TV series “Schitt’s Creek.”Her break into movies came in 1980 with “Double Negative” — also alongside Levy, and John Candy.In 1988, she played Winona Ryder’s stepmother in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice.” She would later marry the film’s production designer Bo Welch. The couple had two sons, Matthew and Luke.But it was in 1990 that she became widely known to a global audience, as the mother of Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin in “Home Alone.””It’s a perfect movie, isn’t it?” she told People in 2024.”You want to be part of something good, and that’s how you go,” she said.She would reprise the role in the film’s sequel — “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” which featured a cameo from Donald Trump, decades before he would become US president.In 1993 she collaborated again with Burton on “The Nightmare before Christmas.” The versatile comedienne also appeared in British filmmaker Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries that revel in silly spectacles of Americana, like zany dog handlers in “Best in Show,” vain folk singers in “A Mighty Wind,” and award-hungry actors in “For Your Consideration.””I am devastated. We have lost one of the comic giants of our age,” Guest wrote in a statement.But she is perhaps best known by modern audiences for her role in “Schitt’s Creek,” created by Eugene Levy’s son, Dan Levy.”I used to mostly get people named Kevin who’d come up to me and ask me to yell ‘Kevin!’ in their faces,” O’Hara told People, in reference to her famous line in “Home Alone.””Now it’s mostly about (her character) Moira and ‘Schitt’s Creek.’ I’ve never gotten this kind of attention in my life. It’s crazy.” The role brought her an Emmy for best lead actress in 2020. She was also awarded a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.As news of her death spread on Friday, fellow performers and other luminaries were quick to react.”Mama. I thought we had time,” Culkin wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of the pair of them in “Home Alone.””I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you but I had so much more to say. I love you.”Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said he and other Canadians were mourning O’Hara’s death.”Over 5 decades of work, Catherine earned her place in the canon of Canadian comedy,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.”Canada has lost a legend. My thoughts are with her family, friends, and all those who loved her work on screen. She will be dearly missed.”
Syria govt, Kurds reach comprehensive agreement
Syria’s government and Kurdish forces reached a comprehensive deal on Friday to gradually integrate the Kurds’ military and civilian institutions into the state, a step Washington described as a “historic milestone”.In recent weeks, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have ceded vast areas of Arab-majority land to government forces.It was territory they held for years, having seized it in fierce battles against the Islamic State jihadist group during a campaign backed by a US-led coalition.The new deal, the text of which was released by both sides, “seeks to unify Syrian territory and achieve the full integration” of the Kurdish-majority region.It maintains an ongoing ceasefire and introduces a “gradual integration” of the Kurdish forces and administrative institutions.Speaking to Kurdish television, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said the deal would be implemented on the ground from February 2 and that both sides would pull forces back from frontline positions in the town of Kobane and the al-Jazeera area in the north east of the country. “A limited internal security force will enter the security districts in Hasakeh and Qamishli to implement the integration agreement in practice,” he said. “No military forces will enter any Kurdish city or town.”The SDF was a key partner of Washington in the anti-IS campaign, but since the toppling of Syria’s longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, the United States has drawn close to the new authorities in Damascus.The US has recently declared the need for its Kurdish alliance largely over, and has sought to mediate talks between the government and the Kurds. The new agreement, announced by both the SDF and Syrian state television, follows an understanding reached earlier this month on the future of the majority-Kurdish areas of Hasakeh province and Kobane.It appears to include at least some of the Kurds’ demands, like the establishment of brigades of SDF fighters in Kurdish-majority areas.Damascus had previously rejected the idea of ethnically based military units.In a video conference Friday, Kurdish politician and key negotiator Elham Ahmad said the new deal enforces a “permanent ceasefire”.She added that the US and France were the guarantors of the deal, but talks were ongoing over the details of the integration process.Raman Sido, a resident of the Kurdish city of Qamishli, said the deal’s main benefit was that it would “defuse the Kurdish-Arab tension and eliminate the looming spectre of conflict”.But he warned that it still lacked clarity on implementation and the system of administration.- Government control -During Syria’s civil war, the Kurds were able to carve out a de facto autonomous region that expanded as they advanced against IS.While Kurdish forces had tried to protect their gains, Syria’s new Islamist authorities want to extend state control across the country.Talks between the two began swiftly after Assad was forced out, but progress stalled and there were repeated bouts of violence, culminating in the recent army offensive.Syria’s state media quoted a government source as saying that according to the new deal, “the state will assume control over all civilian and governmental institutions, as well as (border) crossings”.”No part of the country will remain outside its control,” the source added. For years, Kurdish forces have controlled long stretches of the border with Turkey to the north and Iraq to the east. With several crossings closed, most traffic passed through one main gateway with Iraqi Kurdistan.The deal lays out the integration of three SDF brigades into the Syrian army in the Kurdish-majority areas of Hasakeh.Another brigade will be created for the pocket of Kobane — once a symbol of Kurdish fighters’ victory against IS — which is around 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Hasakeh.The deal also involves the integration of administrative institutions into those of the Syrian state and the retention of existing employees.- ‘Vague on core questions’ -Lars Hauch, an expert on Syria at Conflict Mediation Solutions, told AFP that the deal “suggests that remnants of the SDF will continue to exist for the time being, but the text remains vague on core questions of administrative and security decentralisation”. “Rather than a done deal, this looks more like an advanced memorandum of understanding, whose sequencing and specifics will need to be negotiated in what has been a largely performative process in the past.” US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said on X that the deal was a “historic milestone” that “reflects a shared commitment to inclusion, mutual respect, and the collective dignity of all Syrian communities”.But Ahmad, the Kurdish politician, said Washington had “played a negative role” by deeming the SDF’s mission against IS to be over, adding she hoped the US would “play a fair role for everyone in Syria”.French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the deal and said France supported its full implementation.But some Kurds remained wary.Shop owner Abu Ali, 40, who withheld his full name, told AFP “we don’t trust this government”, pointing to massacres blamed on government forces against other minorities last year.”Look at what they did in Sweida, and the coast,” he said.
US Senate votes on funding deal – but shutdown still imminent
US senators began voting Friday on a deal backed by President Donald Trump to avert the worst impact of an imminent government shutdown, after a Republican holdout lifted his block following tense talks. Even if the Senate clears the package, a shutdown is still set to begin on Saturday because the House of Representatives is out of session until Monday, making a brief funding lapse unavoidable.Senate leaders say advancing the legislation would nonetheless greatly increase the chances that the shutdown ends quickly, potentially within days.The funding impasse has been driven by Democratic anger over aggressive immigration enforcement following the fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis by federal agents.The deaths have become a flashpoint that has hardened opposition to approving new money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without changes to how immigration agencies operate.Senate aides said they were confident the package would pass Friday afternoon after Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina ended his blockade of the legislation.Under the deal negotiated between the White House and Senate Democratic leaders, lawmakers would approve five outstanding funding bills to finance most of the federal government through the end of the fiscal year in September.Funding for DHS, which oversees immigration enforcement, would be split off and extended for just two weeks under a stopgap measure intended to give lawmakers time to negotiate changes to the department’s operations.Trump publicly endorsed the deal and urged lawmakers in both parties to support it, signaling his desire to avoid a second shutdown of his second term.Some Democrats and political analysts interpreted the White House’s flexibility as a recognition that it needed to moderate its deportation approach following the Minneapolis killings.- ‘Sanctuary cities’ -Graham had blocked the package Thursday night by withholding the unanimous consent required to fast-track the vote.He cited objections to the DHS stopgap and to House-passed language barring senators from suing the Justice Department if their phone records were seized during past investigations.On Friday morning, however, Graham announced he would allow the funding bill to advance if Senate leaders agreed to hold votes on legislation he is sponsoring to crack down on so-called “sanctuary cities” that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.”The American people overwhelmingly support ending sanctuary city policies. In my view, sanctuary city policies are the root cause of the problems we face,” he said in a statement.”I also applaud President Trump for trying to lower the temperature, but not abandoning his efforts to clean up the Biden immigration fiasco.”The broader funding fight has left both parties bracing for at least a brief shutdown. Congress has already passed six of the 12 annual appropriations bills, but those measures cover only a minority of discretionary spending.The remaining bills fund large swaths of the government, meaning funding for roughly 78 percent of federal operations is set to lapse over the weekend.The package must still be approved by the House, which is scheduled to convene its Rules Committee on Sunday in an effort to speed the bill through the chamber once lawmakers return on Monday.Speaker Mike Johnson has said the House intends to act quickly, though divisions among Republicans could complicate the process.If enacted, lawmakers would then have just two weeks to negotiate a full-year DHS funding bill — talks that both parties acknowledge will be politically fraught, with Democrats demanding new guardrails on immigration enforcement and conservatives pushing their own policy priorities.
US church helps feed Minneapolis migrants fearing deportation
In a Minneapolis church, Laura Christensen was overwhelmed by pallets of canned goods, pasta, fruit and vegetables — among the 45,000 kilos of food being sent each week to thousands of undocumented immigrants confined to their homes.But the retired teacher refused to sit still as the northern US city confronts a huge deployment of federal agents carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation drive. “We need to remember what our country’s about,” said Christensen, 62. “The US should be about diversity. That’s kind of what the country was founded on, and people seem to forget that.”She has joined dozens of other volunteers at the Dios Habla Hoy church, which has become a nerve center for locals opposing immigration raids. The Protestant, Latino-American organization currently distributes food to 28,000 families in Minneapolis and its suburbs, according to pastor Sergio Amezcua. He has been astonished by the terror that has gripped the region. Amezcua started the food aid program in early December to support undocumented migrants who were reluctant to do their shopping for fear of encountering immigration agents.He initially thought his church would “help 10 to 20 families, and that’s it”.Yet within a few hours, he told AFP, “we had 2,000 families registered. That’s when we knew that something was really bad.”- Racial profiling – Many people in Minneapolis are furious at the aggressive tactics used by immigration agents. Their operations often see groups of masked and armed officers making heavy-handed arrests at bus stops, shops and other areas where migrants are known to gather. Over recent weeks in Minneapolis, federal agents have also killed two US citizens protesting their actions, shot a Venezuelan man in the leg, and detained an Ecuadorian boy and his father. “They’re arresting five-year-olds, pregnant women. So there’s a lot of abnormal things that happen,” said Amezcua, a US citizen who immigrated here from Mexico.”They racially profile people, so people are scared, even people born here.”Amezcua said that of the 600 Hispanic people in his congregation, half are Americans. But just 80 dared to attend the most recent Sunday service. – ‘Order, but with dignity’ -The pastor now regrets voting for Donald Trump in 2024. He said he truly believed the Republican would focus on deporting “bad hombres” — “criminals, pedophiles, narco people, killers.”Amezcua said he can’t understand how the Trump administration, which includes many officials who profess their Christian faith, can justify the rough immigration policies it has rolled out.”Christians are called to treat people with compassion, to welcome the stranger, to feed the poor, and yes, to have order, but with dignity,” he said.Some of the church’s volunteers voiced concern that Trump was punishing Democrat-run Minneapolis for political sins. The so-called sanctuary city blocks local authorities from cooperating with federal immigration raids — a policy that infuriates the president. “If he was really seeking illegal immigrants, he would send troops in red states like Texas and Florida, where the most illegal immigrants are,” said Kathleen, 66, who was preparing to deliver food aid. “He’s attacking our state because we’re a blue state.”
Après les menaces, Trump estime que l’Iran veut “conclure un accord”
L’Iran veut “conclure un accord” avec les Etats-Unis, a estimé vendredi Donald Trump, après que Téhéran s’est dit prêt à renouer le dialogue sur le nucléaire tout en excluant de discuter de ses capacités de défense et balistiques.”Je peux vous dire qu’ils veulent conclure un accord”, a déclaré le président américain aux journalistes dans le Bureau ovale, sans divulguer le délai donné à Téhéran. “Si ce n’est pas le cas, nous verrons bien ce qui se passera”.”Si les négociations sont justes et équitables, la République islamique d’Iran est prête à y participer”, avait affirmé plus tôt le chef de la diplomatie iranienne, Abbas Araghchi, assurant, dans la ligne habituelle de l’Iran, que son pays n’avait “jamais cherché à se doter de l’arme nucléaire”.Il a cependant ajouté que les capacités de défense et les missiles de son pays “ne feraient jamais l’objet de négociations”.”La sécurité du peuple iranien ne regarde personne d’autre”, a-t-il insisté, précisant qu’aucune rencontre n’était prévue à ce stade avec les Etats-Unis.- Uranium enrichi -Selon le média américain Axios citant des responsables américains, tout accord avec Téhéran devrait notamment inclure le retrait de tout l’uranium enrichi du pays, le plafonnement du stock de missiles à longue portée et un changement de politique vis-à-vis de certains groupes armés dans la région.En 2018 pendant son premier mandat, Donald Trump s’était retiré du pacte international sur le nucléaire iranien, conclu trois ans plus tôt, et avait rétabli des sanctions. L’Iran s’est en riposte affranchi de la plupart de ses engagements.Le temps est “compté”: le président américain avait menacé cette semaine l’Iran d’une attaque “bien pire” que les frappes américaines menées contre ses sites nucléaires en juin dernier. Washington s’était alors joint à la guerre de 12 jours déclenchée par Israël contre son ennemi juré, soupçonné par les Occidentaux de vouloir se doter de l’arme atomique. En cas d’attaque, Téhéran a menacé de s’en prendre “instantanément” aux bases et porte-avions américains en cas d’attaque. Et a aussi brandi la possibilité “d’attaques en profondeur contre le régime sioniste (Israël, NDLR)”, selon un conseiller du guide suprême iranien Ali Khamenei, Ali Shamkhani.- “Scénarios plus larges” -“Nous ne limitons pas le champ de la confrontation à la mer seule et nous nous sommes préparés à des scénarios plus larges et plus avancés”, a-t-il déclaré vendredi, cité par l’agence de presse Tasnim, ajoutant que Téhéran connaissait mieux que ses adversaires la géographie régionale.A Istanbul, le ministre turc des Affaires étrangères Hakan Fidan, en recevant son homologue iranien, a jugé “vitale” la reprise des négociations sur le nucléaire “afin d’apaiser les tensions régionales”.La Turquie, membre de l’Otan, souhaite à tout prix éviter une escalade militaire qui risquerait de jeter des milliers de migrants par-delà les plus de 550 km de frontière qu’elle partage avec l’Iran et créerait un nouveau conflit à ses portes, après la Syrie.Moscou, allié de longue date de l’Iran, a lui aussi proposé sa médiation. Et le président russe Vladimir Poutine a reçu vendredi Ali Larijani, qui dirige la plus haute instance de sécurité en Iran. Le contexte est particulièrement tendu pour le pouvoir iranien, avec une armada américaine déployée dans le Golfe et l’inscription jeudi par l’Union européenne des Gardiens de la Révolution, son bras armé, sur la liste des “organisations terroristes”.Cette force est accusée par les Occidentaux d’avoir orchestré début janvier la répression du vaste mouvement de contestation ayant fait des milliers de morts.- “Compromis” -Pour Serhan Afacan, directeur du centre d’études iraniennes Iram à Ankara, “le compromis n’est pas impossible mais ne peut être atteint qu’après de longs cycles de négociations et si les craintes sécuritaires de Téhéran, surtout vis-à-vis des Etats-Unis et d’Israël”, sont adressées.Avant Ankara, des pays du Golfe, dont certains abritent des bases militaires américaines, ont déjà appelé ces derniers jours à la désescalade.Selon un haut responsable de la région en contact avec Washington, les Etats-Unis ne dévoilent pas leurs cartes. “Nous espérons que quoi qu’il arrive, cela débouchera sur la stabilité”, a-t-il dit sous couvert d’anonymat, espérant que les Iraniens feront “les bons choix”.Les autorités iraniennes reconnaissent que des milliers de personnes ont été tuées lors des manifestations, mais affirment que la grande majorité étaient des forces de sécurité ou passants tués par des “émeutiers”.Des ONG parlent de dizaines de milliers de morts potentiels mais le travail de recensement est entravé par les restrictions de communication, bien qu’internet ait été partiellement rétabli après trois semaines de coupure.
US charges prominent journalist after Minneapolis protest coverage
The Trump administration on Friday charged a prominent journalist with civil rights crimes over coverage of immigration protests in Minneapolis, as the US president branded a nurse shot dead by federal agents in the city an “agitator.”The arrest of former CNN anchor Don Lemon came as President Donald Trump walked back his conciliatory tone following public outrage over the killings of Alex Pretti and another American citizen in the Minnesota city.Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Lemon and several other people had been arrested “at my direction” in connection with what she called a “coordinated attack” on the Cities Church in St. Paul, the twin city of Minneapolis.Lemon, now an independent journalist, was among reporters who covered a protest at the church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official is a pastor.The journalist’s lawyer said he was taken into custody in Los Angeles overnight, adding that his work covering the protest “was no different to what he has always done.”He faces two charges of conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with First Amendment rights, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told AFP, referencing the constitutional protection for freedom of expression, including religion.A magistrate judge in Minnesota declined last week to allow prosecutors to charge Lemon.Political figures and media advocates condemned Lemon’s arrest, with Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling for his immediate release.”This is an egregious attack on the First Amendment and on journalists’ ability to do their work,” said Committee to Protect Journalists CEO Jodie Ginsberg.- Civil rights probe -Trump took to Truth Social meanwhile to describe Pretti, the 37-year-old nurse gunned down on Saturday, as an “agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist.””Alex Pretti’s stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer,” Trump wrote.Footage shared online this week allegedly shows Pretti in a scuffle with federal agents 11 days before he was shot dead.AFP could not immediately verify the footage, in which a man said to be Pretti is seen kicking and breaking the taillight of the agents’ car before they emerge and tackle him to the ground.In Minneapolis, some residents were unstirred by the new video.”So the guy kicked a car’s light, does that mean he deserved to die?” Pedro Wolcott, a Latino sandwich shop owner, told AFP. The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters Friday. The White House had scrambled to stem widespread criticism over Pretti’s killing, which came weeks after Renee Good, another US citizen and mother of three, was fatally shot by agents.- Government shutdown -Trump had claimed he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in the fallout of the killings and appointed a new point man in Minneapolis, top immigration adviser Tom Homan.Homan said that “certain improvements could and should be made,” a marked difference in tone from his predecessor on the ground, combative Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino.He also said his staff was “working on a drawdown plan” for some of the more than 3,000 federal agents, if there was greater cooperation from the local authorities in the Democratic-run city.The two agents involved in Pretti’s shooting have been placed on leave, and Homan said any federal agents who breach standards of conduct “will be dealt with.”Backlash over the deaths of Pretti and Good has landed in Congress, just before a government funding deadline.The Senate was edging closer to a vote on Friday to limit the effects of a government shutdown set to begin at midnight.Democrats have drawn a red line around funding for the Department of Homeland Security, demanding it be stripped out and renegotiated to impose new constraints on immigration enforcement agencies.