Sudan’s RSF declares truce after army rejects US planMon, 24 Nov 2025 20:21:41 GMT

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Monday announced a unilateral three-month ceasefire a day after the army dismissed a US truce proposal from international mediators.The RSF, which has been fighting Sudan’s regular army since April 2023, said it was declaring the ceasefire “in response to international efforts, including the initiative of US President Donald Trump …

Sudan’s RSF declares truce after army rejects US planMon, 24 Nov 2025 20:21:41 GMT Read More »

Pentagon targets ex-astronaut Democratic senator over illegal orders appeal

The US military said on Monday it was weighing a court-martial against Democratic senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly for appearing in a video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders.The Pentagon’s probe marks an extraordinary escalation in the Trump administration’s backlash against six Democrats with military or intelligence service backgrounds who made the viral video.Kelly — a decorated Navy combat pilot and former astronaut who commanded the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final flight — fired back that he would not be intimidated or “silenced by bullies.”The Pentagon had threatened to recall the Arizona senator back to active duty in order to face a court-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.Officials indicated that Kelly may have undermined the “loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces,” citing laws barring interference in military cohesion.It is highly unusual for the Pentagon — long allergic to overt politics until President Donald Trump’s return to power this year — to publicly threaten a sitting member of Congress.The video posted on Friday called on the military to “refuse illegal orders” and featured Kelly alongside Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin and four members of the US House of Representatives.Trump initially accused the group of “seditious behavior, punishable by death.” Over the weekend, he wrote in an all-caps social media rant that the “traitors” who told troops to disobey him “should be in jail.”- ‘Acting like fascists’ -The Democrats did not specify which orders they meant, but Trump has ordered the National Guard into multiple US cities — often against local objections — to curb what he calls rampant unrest.Overseas, Trump has ordered strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that killed more than 80 people and which experts say are illegal.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth branded the Democrats the “Seditious Six” and called their video “despicable, reckless, and false.”He accused Kelly of bringing “discredit” on the armed forces, saying his remarks were addressed directly at troops while invoking his rank — giving them an air of authority.But analysts and Kelly’s supporters warned the move could backfire by elevating him ahead of a potential 2028 presidential run.Kelly posted a photo of his many military medals, and recapped his Navy and NASA career. “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” he said.”I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”In a blistering, expletive-laced video, fellow Arizona senator Ruben Gallego, an Iraq War veteran, called the Pentagon announcement “insane” and suggested Hegseth and others were “acting like fascists.””Mark Kelly is a patriot. There’s no reason why they’re going after him,” he said. “He was doing his duty and just reminding people about their rights as service members.” 

Hezbollah mourns top commander killed in Israel strike, Iran Guards urge revenge

Hezbollah held a funeral on Monday for its top military chief and other members of the militant group a day after a deadly Israeli strike on south Beirut, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards urged revenge.Haytham Ali Tabatabai is the most senior commander from the Iran-backed group to be killed by Israel since a November 2024 ceasefire sought to end more than a year of hostilities between the two sides.Sunday’s raid came with Israel escalating its attacks on Lebanon and Washington increasing pressure on the government to disarm the group and cut off its sources of funding.Tehran slammed Tabatabai’s killing as “cowardly” while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said “the right of the Axis of Resistance and Lebanese Hezbollah to avenge the blood of the brave fighters of Islam is unquestionable” — referring to Iran-backed armed groups hostile to Israel.Hundreds of supporters joined Monday’s funeral procession in Beirut’s densely populated southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway, for Tabatabai and two of his companions, whose coffins were draped in the group’s yellow flags, an AFP correspondent said.The crowd yelled slogans against Israel and America, while supporters carried portraits of the group’s leaders and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.France’s foreign ministry and UN chief Antonio Guterres’s spokesman expressed concern at the strike and urged restraint, with the UN’s Stephane Dujarric reminding parties that “civilians and civilian areas must not be targeted”.- ‘Civilian areas’ -Israel’s military had said it “eliminated the terrorist Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s chief of general staff”.The group announced the deaths of Tabatabai and four other members in the attack.Hezbollah said Tabatabai assumed the role of military leader after the latest war with Israel, which saw the group heavily weakened and senior commanders killed including its longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah.Israel has carried out near-daily strikes on Lebanon despite the ceasefire, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure, and accusing the group of rearming.According to the truce, Hezbollah was to withdraw north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli border, and to have its military infrastructure there dismantled.Under a government-approved plan, Lebanon’s army is to finish disarming Hezbollah in the area by year’s end, before tackling the rest of the country.Hezbollah has rejected calls to surrender its weapons.After Tabatabai’s killing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would “not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power” and urged Lebanon’s government to “fulfil its commitment to disarm Hezbollah”.A source close to Hezbollah told AFP on condition of anonymity there were “two opinions within the group — those who wish to respond to the assassination and those who want to refrain from doing so — but the leadership tends to adopt the utmost forms of diplomacy at the present stage”.- ‘Very limited’ options -Senior Hezbollah official Ali Damush told the funeral that Tabatabai’s killing aimed to push Hezbollah into “surrendering and submitting, but this goal will never be achieved”.Israel was “worried about Hezbollah’s possible response — and should remain worried”, he said, urging Lebanese authorities to “confront the aggression by all means… and reject the pressures that seek to push Lebanon to comply with American dictates and Israeli conditions”.Atlantic Council researcher Nicholas Blanford told AFP that “Hezbollah’s options are very limited”.”Its support base is clamouring for revenge but if Hezbollah responds directly… Israel will strike back very hard and no one in Lebanon will thank Hezbollah for that,” he said.Sunday’s strike was the biggest blow to Hezbollah since the ceasefire “because of (Tabatabai’s) seniority… it demonstrates the Israelis can still locate and target senior officials despite whatever protective measures Hezbollah is undertaking” since the war, Blanford added.Lebanon’s army says it is implementing its plan to disarm Hezbollah, but the United States and Israel have accused Lebanon’s authorities of stalling.Condemning the attack, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday that “the only way to consolidate stability” was through “extending the authority of the state over all its territory”.Last December, Hezbollah also lost a key supply route through Syria with the fall of longtime ruler and ally Bashar al-Assad.

Budget: Lecornu veut changer de méthode pour essayer de surmonter les blocages au Parlement

Pour conjurer la perspective d’un rejet du budget à la fin de l’année, Sébastien Lecornu entend réunir les partis sur des “priorités absolues” comme la sécurité, l’agriculture et l’énergie, en soumettant ensuite ces discussions à des votes au Parlement, un changement de méthode déjà critiqué.Alors que le Sénat à majorité de droite s’est emparé des textes budgétaires –le vote revenant sur la suspension de la réforme des retraites est attendu mardi soir–, le Premier ministre a concocté un programme pour l’Assemblée nationale, qui a rejeté quasi-unanimement samedi la partie “recettes” du budget.M. Lecornu entend soumettre des thèmes au débat parlementaire. Le premier pourrait avoir lieu lundi prochain: le Premier ministre va proposer à la conférence des présidents de l’Assemblée, réunie mardi matin, “qu’un vote ait lieu” sur “la stratégie de défense nationale, les moyens supplémentaires et les efforts industriels à engager”.Un débat en vertu de l’article 50-1 de la Constitution, suivi d’un vote non contraignant, a expliqué lundi sur BFMTV la porte-parole du gouvernement Maud Brégeon, qui a précisé le sens de la démarche de Matignon: “si le Premier ministre propose au vote cette augmentation de budget (de la défense), c’est précisément pour intégrer le résultat de ce vote par la suite”.Les armées seraient “les premières victimes” d’un échec des discussions budgétaires, avec l’abandon de la hausse de 6 milliards d’euros de crédits prévue dans la loi de programmation militaire, a expliqué M. Lecornu lors d’une allocution lundi matin depuis Matignon.La démarche consiste donc à accroître la pression sur les parlementaires face à la perspective d’une absence de vote final sur le budget.Le chef du gouvernement s’est dit toujours convaincu d'”une majorité” possible à l’Assemblée. Ecartant l’hypothèse d’une loi spéciale ou d’un budget par ordonnances. “Il n’y a pas d’alternative au vote parlementaire”, a insisté Maud Brégeon.Le vote de l’Assemblée samedi constituant néanmoins “une alerte”, M. Lecornu a opéré un changement de méthode d’ici la reprise des débats mi-décembre au Palais-Bourbon.A cette fin, il va recevoir l’ensemble des formations politiques ainsi que les partenaires sociaux pour discuter de cinq thèmes vus comme des “priorités (…) absolues” : le déficit, la réforme de l’État, l’énergie, l’agriculture ainsi que la sécurité intérieure et extérieure, avec débats et votes possibles à la clé.”Des mesures dilatoires”, a réagi auprès de l’AFP le président du groupe socialiste au Sénat, Patrick Kanner.M. Lecornu “balade les Françaises et les Français, et les partis politiques avec, avec son air bonhomme (…) et un très grand cynisme”, a jugé le député RN Jean-Philippe Tanguy sur BFMTV.Lors d’une conférence des présidents lundi, le président du Sénat Gérard Larcher a fait part de son “mécontentement sur cette façon de procéder”, selon des sources parlementaires.- “Forme de cynisme”-Parmi les autres sujets sur la table, M. Lecornu a cité l’énergie, “un enjeu majeur”, notamment sur le pouvoir d’achat.Quant à l’agriculture, “la négociation de la future politique agricole commune avec Bruxelles” doit faire l’objet “d’un consensus le plus large possible”.Concernant la réforme de l’Etat et la décentralisation, il a dit vouloir “avancer rapidement” sur un projet de loi.Il a enfin réaffirmé que le budget 2026 devrait “garder une cible de déficit à moins de 5% du PIB”Mais le Premier ministre a aussi dénoncé “une forme de cynisme”, s’en prenant aux “comportements de La France insoumise et même parfois du Rassemblement national” et implicitement au patron des Républicains Bruno Retailleau, qui a déclaré préférer “une loi spéciale” (c’est-à-dire la reconduction temporaire du budget 2025) plutôt “qu’un budget qui continuera à déclasser la France”.Parallèlement à ces discussions, les projets de budget de l’État et de la Sécurité sociale poursuivent leur route au Sénat.Dans l’hémicycle d’abord, où les sénateurs ferraillent sur le budget de la Sécu depuis plusieurs jours avant un vote solennel prévu mercredi après-midi. La droite et ses alliés centristes s’apprêtent d’ailleurs à s’opposer à la “suspension” de la réforme des retraites et au “dégel” des prestations sociales, deux votes cruciaux qui auront probablement lieu mardi soir.En commission des Finances, les sénateurs examinent le volet “recettes” du projet budget de l’État, avant son arrivée dans l’hémicycle à partir de jeudi.Sur ce texte, les sénateurs repartent de la copie initiale du gouvernement. Les commissaires aux Finances ont voté une restriction de la taxe sur les holdings familiales proposée par le gouvernement, s’opposant aussi à la surtaxe sur l’impôt sur les sociétés. Mais la contribution différentielle visant les plus haut revenus est pour l’heure épargnée.far-ama-led-bpa/jmt/frd/