Cédric Jubillar face aux accusations de ses anciennes compagnes

Soumis aux coups de boutoir des témoignages accablants de sa mère et d’anciens codétenus, Cédric Jubillar ne devrait pas avoir de répit jeudi à son procès pour meurtre, où seront entendues des ex-compagnes, auxquelles il aurait également confié avoir tué sa femme Delphine.En ce 12e jour d’audience devant la cour d’assises du Tarn, les deux ex-petites amies du peintre-plaquiste de 38 ans seront les derniers témoins, très attendus, de ce procès médiatique, avant l’interrogatoire récapitulatif de l’accusé, vendredi.A Jennifer, sa dernière petite amie, Cédric aurait confié “à plusieurs reprises” cette année avoir “étranglé” sa femme, une fois sur le canapé et une autre fois derrière, à l’intérieur de la maison du couple à Cagnac-les-Mines.Interrogée en juillet dernier par les enquêteurs, la jeune femme, qui avait rencontré l’accusé avant son incarcération et avait ensuite entretenu une relation amoureuse au parloir de la maison d’arrêt de Toulouse-Seysses, a affirmé aux gendarmes que Cédric avait même mimé sur elle le geste de l’étranglement, en lui disant: “Si tu me trompes, tu vas finir à côté d’elle”.- Des confessions en question -L’ouvrier en bâtiment, accusé du meurtre de son épouse de 33 ans, dans la nuit du 15 au 16 décembre 2020, a toujours nié être responsable de la disparition mystérieuse de l’infirmière. Son corps n’a jamais été retrouvé. Selon l’un de ses avocats, Alexandre Martin, il a nié avoir “fait quelque aveu que ce soit” à Jennifer, qui sera entendue jeudi après-midi. Cédric Jubillar avait néanmoins tenté d’appeler la trentenaire plusieurs fois le 4 septembre en lui laissant un message “réponds quand je t’appelle, tu as peur de quoi?” selon l’avocat de Jennifer. Le parquet a classé sans suite une enquête pour subornation de témoin.Sa petite amie précédente sera également auditionnée sur des révélations que Cédric Jubillar lui aurait faites.  Séverine, avec laquelle il s’était affiché sur Facebook peu de temps après la disparition, secouant son entourage, sera entendue dans la matinée.Mercredi, la mère de Cédric, Nadine, s’est dite “choquée” lorsqu’elle avait appris que son fils vivait aussi rapidement une “aventure” avec une autre femme. Cette quadragénaire, rencontrée lors d’une battue destinée à retrouver des traces de Delphine en avril 2021, a été longuement évoquée mercredi, lors de l’audition devant la cour d’un ancien codétenu de Cédric Jubillar, surnommé “Marco”.Placé à l’isolement à la maison d’arrêt de Seysses en 2021 dans une cellule voisine de celle du peintre-plaquiste, l’ancien prisonnier, désormais en liberté et résidant au Portugal, a dit avoir rencontré à plusieurs reprises Séverine. Selon ses propos, l’accusé lui aurait confié s’être “débarrassé” du corps de Delphine “à la ferme qui a brûlé”, près du village de Cagnac-les-Mines où résidait le couple.A l’occasion de la sortie de prison de Marco, Cédric Jubillar lui aurait, toujours selon cet ancien codétenu, transmis des courriers, dont certains à destination de sa petite amie de l’époque. Il aurait demandé à Marco d’aller s’assurer que l’emplacement du corps de Delphine était sûr, mais également d’incriminer l’amant de son épouse pour faire réorienter l’enquête vers lui.Marco a également affirmé que Séverine, au cours de leurs échanges, lui aurait rapporté une menace proférée par Cédric: “Elle m’a dit qu’il lui avait dit une fois: +je me suis débarrassé de la première, ça ne me coûte rien de me débarrasser de la deuxième+”.- “Des blagues” -Questionné sur les propos souvent décousus de son ancien codétenu, le mis en cause a assuré que “95% de ce qu’il dit est faux”, concédant toutefois avoir dit à Marco ainsi qu’à Séverine qu’il avait placé le corps de Delphine près de la ferme brûlée évoquée dans leurs témoignages. Des “blagues” selon lui. Les fouilles entreprises autour de cette ferme n’ont rien donné.Un temps placée en garde à vue pour recel de cadavre avant d’être relâchée sans être inquiétée, Séverine a déclaré aux enquêteurs qu’il lui “avait dit plusieurs fois qu’il avait fait disparaître son épouse, mais toujours sur le ton de la rigolade”, selon un document judiciaire.

US federal workers apply for loans as shutdown hits military morale

Now into its second week, the US government shutdown has started impacting federal workers, prompting some to take out new loans to help make ends meet. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed since the shutdown began on October 1, while others deemed essential — including some military personnel — have been required to turn up to work without receiving a paycheck.”We kind of feel like we’re like a bargaining chip to an extent,” a long-serving US Air Force employee told AFP. “We’re not getting paid because people in D.C. who are getting paid can’t get on the same page.””Not only are we working without pay, we’re actually doing more without pay, because our civilian teammates have all gone home on furlough,” added the man, who was not authorized to speak publicly. “That’s not good for troop morale.”The first test will come next week, when federal workers will start seeing their paychecks affected.But if no deal is reached by the end of this month, federal workers will receive nothing in the following paycheck. “It’s very stressful,” said Marilyn Richards, a 46-year-old Air Force and Navy veteran in Missouri, who has been furloughed — forced to take leave — from her job as an administrative support worker at a federal agency.Richards, who is the main breadwinner at home, told AFP that she was concerned about how the shutdown could affect her finances. “For most of us who live paycheck to paycheck, you’re counting on your next paycheck to continue to keep the lights on,” she told AFP. “And that’s what I do.”- Bridging the gap -The uncertainty unleashed by the shutdown is pushing some federal employees to make use of paycheck protection programs being rolled out by credit unions across the country. The Navy Federal Credit Union — which helped around 19,000 people with loans totaling more than $50 million during the last shutdown in 2018-2019 — has already seen applications for its program this time around, according to a spokesperson. These loans are designed to help federal workers get through a few weeks without pay and “bridge the gap” until the shutdown ends and they receive their back pay, Haleigh Laverty, a spokesperson for the Defense Credit Union Council, told AFP. Many of their members are offering short-term, interest-free loans of a few thousand dollars for between 90 days and six months, helping to protect consumers — and their credit scores — during the shutdown.   Among them is the Cobalt Credit Union, which serves around 120,000 members with ties to Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base, home to the headquarters of the US Strategic Command.”We still have active duty and a lot of essential positions on the base that have to report due to missions all over the world,” Cobalt Credit Union president and CEO Robin Larson told AFP. The credit union helped thousands of its members get through the last shutdown, and has received several applications for new loans since October 1. – Mortgage challenges? -While federal workers are the most affected by the shutdown, many in the private sector could also soon feel its effects, according to mortgage brokers who spoke to AFP. The biggest impact of the shutdown on the mortgage market is likely to be a slowing down of the lending process, said Alex St. Pierre, a Charleston, South Carolina-based broker. Flood insurance — which is vital in some coastal areas of the United States — is also likely to be affected, as many state-run lenders are currently shuttered, potentially pushing borrowers to look at more expensive options in the private sector, he told AFP.  Government workers looking for a mortgage face additional pressures, including the very real threat of dismissal by the Trump administration, and delays to identity verification checks while their departments are closed, he said. 

Pro-Palestinian protest threat racks up tension for Italy’s World Cup qualifier with Israel

Italy are struggling to qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup finals and the pressure on the team is exacerbated by the tension surrounding next Tuesday’s qualifier with Israel in Udine.Italy was the scene of some of Europe’s biggest pro-Palestinian protests last weekend, as Israeli forces continue their offensive in Gaza.Hundreds of thousands of people gathered across Italy in anger at Israel’s actions, and calls for the country to be barred from international sport have grown louder.The protests were in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, which was sparked by the attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip.During Friday’s massive strike action in support of the Palestinians, demonstrators went to the Italian national team’s training centre in Florence to demand the match against Israel be called off.As of Tuesday only around 4,000 tickets had been sold for the game in Udine, a small city in Italy’s far north-east, which was picked specifically to help limit the potential for disorder.Udine was the venue when Italy — who face Estonia in Tallinn on Saturday — last hosted Israel, in the Nations League in September 2024. That match passed off largely without incident, albeit surrounded by a massive security operation which included soldiers on the roof of the stadium.But the threat of much bigger and more disruptive protests led Udine’s mayor Alberto Felice De Toni to ask for the match to be postponed.- ‘Very sad’ -This week Italy’s coach Gennaro Gattuso said the situation in Gaza was “very sad” and lamented a difficult atmosphere for a match which will be key to Italy’s hopes of avoiding missing out on a third straight World Cup.”There will be 10,000 people outside the stadium and 5-6,000 inside it… I would have preferred to play a home match in front of an enthusiastic crowd like we did in Bergamo (where Italy beat Estonia 5-0) a month ago,” Gattuso said.His task was already complicated enough without the external political pressure of playing Israel, as direct qualification for the World Cup is seriously in doubt.Only the winner of the five-team group is guaranteed an automatic spot and Italy sit second, level on nine points with Israel and six behind leaders Norway, but with a game in hand on both.However Norway’s far superior goal difference — they have a 16-goal advantage over Italy — means Gattuso’s side can only top the group if they win all four of their remaining matches and Erling Haaland and company slip up before they travel to the San Siro next month.That leaves second place and a spot in the play-offs as the likely route to the World Cup, a tournament in which Italy haven’t played a knockout fixture since winning it in 2006.Italy exited at the qualification play-off stage for the last two World Cups, failing to reach the 2022 edition in Qatar despite being reigning European champions.

Israel, Hamas agree to first phase of peace plan

Israel and Hamas agreed on Thursday to the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire aimed at ending a war that has killed tens of thousands, razed the Palestinian territory and unleashed a major humanitarian crisis.The deal, to be signed Thursday, includes the release of hostages and prisoners as well as a surge of aid into Gaza after more than two years of war started by Hamas’s unprecedented October 2023 attack on Israel. Palestinian militant group Hamas would release all hostages while Israel would pull its troops back to an agreed on line, US President Donald Trump said after talks in Egypt on his 20-point peace plan resulted in a deal.Qatar said the deal was the “first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid”.Hamas will exchange 20 living hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of a deal, a source within the militant group told AFP Thursday.The exchange will take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the agreement, which is expected to be signed on Thursday, the source familiar with the negotiations said.The hostages will be released in exchange for 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 others arrested by Israel since the war began, the source added.”I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.”This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”Trump also thanked mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, adding: “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would bring the hostages home “with God’s help”.Trump said earlier that he may travel to the Middle East this week as a deal was “very close”.In a dramatic moment, AFP journalists saw US Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupt an event at the White House and hand Trump an urgent note about the progress of the negotiations in Egypt.”I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday,” Trump said, adding that he was “most likely” to turn up in Egypt but would also consider going to war-torn Gaza.Trump’s plan called for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held in Gaza, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff arrived at the talks earlier.- ‘Optimism prevails’ -As night fell in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, an AFP contributor described an atmosphere of anticipation before the announcement, with joyful chants of “Allahu akbar”, meaning God is the greatest, and some celebratory gunfire into the air.”We’re closely following every bit of news about the negotiations and the ceasefire,” said 50-year-old Mohammed Zamlot, who had been displaced from northern Gaza.Hamas had submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants released from Israeli jails in the first phase of the truce.In exchange, Hamas is set to free the remaining 47 hostages, both alive and dead, who were seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which sparked the war.Qatar’s prime minister and Turkey’s intelligence chief were also expected at the talks on Wednesday. Hamas said it would be joined by delegations from Islamic Jihad — which has also held some of the hostages in Gaza — as well as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.The negotiations were taking place under the shadow of the second anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which 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, where 47 remain, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,183 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 more than half of the dead are women and children.The territory’s civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas’s authority, said the bombardment of Gaza had not stopped in the hours before the deal. An AFP journalist in Israel near the Gaza border reported hearing multiple explosions in the morning.- Protests, prisoners -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.One key to the negotiations was the names of the Palestinian prisoners Hamas pushed for.High-profile inmate Marwan Barghouti — from Hamas’s rival, the Fatah movement — is among those the group wanted to see released, according to Egyptian state-linked media. Hamas’s top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, also said the Islamist group wants “guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all”.burs-dk/bjt/tc

Israel, Hamas agree to first phase of peace plan

Israel and Hamas agreed on Thursday to the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire aimed at ending a war that has killed tens of thousands, razed the Palestinian territory and unleashed a major humanitarian crisis.The deal, to be signed Thursday, includes the release of hostages and prisoners as well as a surge of aid into Gaza after more than two years of war started by Hamas’s unprecedented October 2023 attack on Israel. Palestinian militant group Hamas would release all hostages while Israel would pull its troops back to an agreed on line, US President Donald Trump said after talks in Egypt on his 20-point peace plan resulted in a deal.Qatar said the deal was the “first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which will lead to ending the war, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and the entry of aid”.Hamas will exchange 20 living hostages for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the first phase of a deal, a source within the militant group told AFP Thursday.The exchange will take place within 72 hours of the implementation of the agreement, which is expected to be signed on Thursday, the source familiar with the negotiations said.The hostages will be released in exchange for 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment and 1,700 others arrested by Israel since the war began, the source added.”I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.”This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”Trump also thanked mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, adding: “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would bring the hostages home “with God’s help”.Trump said earlier that he may travel to the Middle East this week as a deal was “very close”.In a dramatic moment, AFP journalists saw US Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupt an event at the White House and hand Trump an urgent note about the progress of the negotiations in Egypt.”I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday,” Trump said, adding that he was “most likely” to turn up in Egypt but would also consider going to war-torn Gaza.Trump’s plan called for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held in Gaza, Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff arrived at the talks earlier.- ‘Optimism prevails’ -As night fell in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza, an AFP contributor described an atmosphere of anticipation before the announcement, with joyful chants of “Allahu akbar”, meaning God is the greatest, and some celebratory gunfire into the air.”We’re closely following every bit of news about the negotiations and the ceasefire,” said 50-year-old Mohammed Zamlot, who had been displaced from northern Gaza.Hamas had submitted a list of Palestinian prisoners it wants released from Israeli jails in the first phase of the truce.In exchange, Hamas is set to free the remaining 47 hostages, both alive and dead, who were seized in its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which sparked the war.Qatar’s prime minister and Turkey’s intelligence chief were also expected at the talks on Wednesday. Hamas said it would be joined by delegations from Islamic Jihad — which has also held some of the hostages in Gaza — as well as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.The negotiations were taking place under the shadow of the second anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which 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, where 47 remain, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,183 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 more than half of the dead are women and children.The territory’s civil defence agency, a rescue force operating under Hamas’s authority, said the bombardment of Gaza had not stopped in the hours before the deal. An AFP journalist in Israel near the Gaza border reported hearing multiple explosions in the morning.- Protests, prisoners -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.One key to the negotiations was the names of the Palestinian prisoners Hamas pushed for.High-profile inmate Marwan Barghouti — from Hamas’s rival, the Fatah movement — is among those the group wanted to see released, according to Egyptian state-linked media. Hamas’s top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, also said the Islamist group wants “guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all”.burs-dk/bjt/tc