UN identifies 158 firms linked to Israeli settlements

The United Nations on Friday released a long-awaited update of its database of companies with activities in Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, listing 158 firms from 11 countries.UN rights chief Volker Turk has condemned as a war crime Israel’s policy of settlements on Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank.While several companies including Alstom and Opodo had been removed from the non-exhaustive database, major firms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Motorola Solutions and TripAdvisor remained on the list. Contacted by AFP for their reaction, the companies have not so far responded.While most of the companies were based in Israel, others were based in Canada, China, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Britain and the United States.The report, from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), urged companies to “take appropriate action to address the adverse human rights impacts” of their activities.Turk said in a statement: “This report underscores the due diligence responsibility of businesses working in contexts of conflict to ensure their activities do not contribute to human rights abuses.”Israel denounced the report as “a document with no legal ground and far beyond the scope of the OHCHR”.The country’s UN office in Geneva added: “The OHCHR continues to misuse UN resources to tarnish Israel, proving that it is not able to execute its mandate in any adequate way.”We call on friends not to yield to this ugly attempt to blacklist Israeli firms.”- Mostly Israeli firms -The list was first produced in 2020 after a UN Human Rights Council resolution called for a database of firms that profited from business in illegally occupied Palestinian territory. The UN rights office was asked to list companies found to be taking part in any of 10 activities, including construction, surveillance, demolitions and destruction of agricultural land in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.Listing companies in the database was “not, and does not purport to be, a judicial or quasi-judicial process”, it stressed.Despite a requirement for the database to be updated annually, it has been revised just once before, in 2023, when some companies named in the original list were removed.Friday’s release marks the first update that includes fresh names.”A total of 68 new companies were added to the list published in 2023, while seven of those… were removed as they were no longer involved in any of the activities concerned,” the rights office said.- Contentious -The list is not exhaustive, the rights office said, acknowledging that it had only had time to review 215 of the 596 companies about which it received submissions.For this latest update it said it had prioritised companies with a direct physical link in the settlements, in the fields of construction, real estate, mining and quarries.The remainder will be assessed in future updates, it said.The exercise has been contentious from the start.In 2020, Israel and the United States  condemned the creation of the database.The then Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz slammed it as “a shameful surrender to pressure from countries and organisations who want to harm Israel”.Today, nearly two years into the war raging in Gaza, where Israel faces growing accusations of committing genocide, the issue has become even more contentious.Israel has controlled the West Bank since 1967 in an occupation considered illegal under international law.Violence in the West Bank has also soared since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel at the start of the Gaza war, even as Israeli government ministers have ramped up their calls to annex the West Bank.

UN identifies 158 firms linked to Israeli settlements

The United Nations on Friday released a long-awaited update of its database of companies with activities in Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, listing 158 firms from 11 countries.UN rights chief Volker Turk has condemned as a war crime Israel’s policy of settlements on Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank.While several companies including Alstom and Opodo had been removed from the non-exhaustive database, major firms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Motorola Solutions and TripAdvisor remained on the list. Contacted by AFP for their reaction, the companies have not so far responded.While most of the companies were based in Israel, others were based in Canada, China, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Britain and the United States.The report, from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), urged companies to “take appropriate action to address the adverse human rights impacts” of their activities.Turk said in a statement: “This report underscores the due diligence responsibility of businesses working in contexts of conflict to ensure their activities do not contribute to human rights abuses.”Israel denounced the report as “a document with no legal ground and far beyond the scope of the OHCHR”.The country’s UN office in Geneva added: “The OHCHR continues to misuse UN resources to tarnish Israel, proving that it is not able to execute its mandate in any adequate way.”We call on friends not to yield to this ugly attempt to blacklist Israeli firms.”- Mostly Israeli firms -The list was first produced in 2020 after a UN Human Rights Council resolution called for a database of firms that profited from business in illegally occupied Palestinian territory. The UN rights office was asked to list companies found to be taking part in any of 10 activities, including construction, surveillance, demolitions and destruction of agricultural land in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.Listing companies in the database was “not, and does not purport to be, a judicial or quasi-judicial process”, it stressed.Despite a requirement for the database to be updated annually, it has been revised just once before, in 2023, when some companies named in the original list were removed.Friday’s release marks the first update that includes fresh names.”A total of 68 new companies were added to the list published in 2023, while seven of those… were removed as they were no longer involved in any of the activities concerned,” the rights office said.- Contentious -The list is not exhaustive, the rights office said, acknowledging that it had only had time to review 215 of the 596 companies about which it received submissions.For this latest update it said it had prioritised companies with a direct physical link in the settlements, in the fields of construction, real estate, mining and quarries.The remainder will be assessed in future updates, it said.The exercise has been contentious from the start.In 2020, Israel and the United States  condemned the creation of the database.The then Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz slammed it as “a shameful surrender to pressure from countries and organisations who want to harm Israel”.Today, nearly two years into the war raging in Gaza, where Israel faces growing accusations of committing genocide, the issue has become even more contentious.Israel has controlled the West Bank since 1967 in an occupation considered illegal under international law.Violence in the West Bank has also soared since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel at the start of the Gaza war, even as Israeli government ministers have ramped up their calls to annex the West Bank.

Foot: avec la blessure de Marquinhos, le PSG touché sur toutes les lignes

La blessure de Marquinhos est un coup dur de plus pour le Paris SG, déjà handicapé en attaque et au milieu, à la veille de la réception d’Auxerre en Ligue 1 (21h05) et à quelques jours du déplacement à Barcelone.L’annonce, vendredi matin par communiqué, de l’absence du capitaine brésilien pour “plusieurs semaines” après une blessure au “quadriceps gauche” n’était presque pas surprenante tant l’effectif du PSG s’est peu à peu étiolé ces dernières semaines.Le défenseur central rejoint à l’infirmerie Ousmane Dembélé (cuisse), Désiré Doué (mollet) et Joao Neves (cuisse), qui “poursuivent leurs processus de rééducation”, selon le club. En revanche, Bradley Barcola ne figure plus dans la liste des blessés, lui qui, à cause d’une gêne musculaire à une cuisse, avait manqué le match à Marseille lundi (défaite 1-0). Il s’est entrainé vendredi matin lors de la séance collective, au cours de laquelle Fabian Ruiz a couru à part. C’est dès le déplacement à Marseille et non à l’entraînement ces derniers jours que Marquinhos s’est blessé. “Ca a été la dernière action du match contre Marseille (perdu 1-0 lundi), a relaté Luis Enrique. Il a ressenti une petite douleur, rien d’important, mais il faut être attentif et nous ne voulons prendre aucun risque.””Dommage pour nous parce que c’est notre capitaine”, a déploré l’entraîneur du PSG, conscient que l’expérience de Marquinhos pourrait manquer au moment d’aller défier le FC Barcelone, mercredi (21h00) pour le deuxième match de Ligue des champions de la saison. L’Espagnol s’est cependant attaché à relativiser cette litanie de blessures: “C’est le football, c’est la normalité, il faut s’adapter… Je ne suis pas préoccupé”.- Zabarnyi attendu au tournant -Les joueurs paient-ils le Mondial des clubs, terminé mi-juillet, et la reprise le 6 août? “Non, c’est la même chose que l’année dernière, je connais les journalistes, vous êtes préoccupés tout le temps, quand une équipe perd c’est la préparation physique qui est en cause et quand elle gagne c’est mental”, a raillé le coach.C’est Illya Zabarnyi, recruté cet été et qui effectue un début de saison solide, qui devrait remplacer Marquinhos, à moins d’une surprise Lucas Beraldo, qui a fait son retour le week-end dernier après son entorse contre Lens mi-septembre.Pour le reste, “l’adaptation” passera par les jeunes du centre de formation, situé en contre-bas des terrains d’entraînement de l’équipe première, au Campus PSG de Poissy (Yvelines). “Bien sûr qu’ils peuvent aider en cas de blessure. Il faut normaliser cet espace entre l’équipe de moins de 19 ans et l’équipe première”, a souligné Luis Enrique.La défaite contre le grand rival marseillais lundi, pour la première fois au Vélodrome en Ligue 1 depuis 2011, a frustré les Parisiens, d’autant qu’ils pensaient au départ assister à la cérémonie du Ballon d’Or, avant le report du match pour cause d’intempéries. “On n’a pas mérité de perdre, on s’est créé les occasions de but suffisantes pour marquer”, a-t-il jugé.- Le Ballon d’Or célébré samedi -Le PSG a néanmoins marqué le coup du Ballon d’Or attribué à Dembélé, qui dès mardi a apporté son trophée auprès de l’équipe. Luis Enrique lui a donné une accolade appuyée malgré sa clavicule récemment cassée, et toute l’équipe l’a fêté lors de la soirée de gala de la fondation du PSG mardi soir, selon les images du club.Le Parc des Princes aura l’occasion de fêter les lauréats samedi lors d’une présentation des trophées après le match: le Ballon d’Or, mais aussi le trophée Johan-Cruyff de meilleur entraîneur et celui de meilleur club.Le PSG, rejoint par Monaco, Lyon et Strasbourg en tête du championnat, espèrera alors, dans les minutes qui précèdent, avoir fait le travail contre Auxerre pour reprendre sa marche en avant.Interrogé sur les imprécisions de ses joueurs à Marseille, Luis Enrique ne s’est pas dérobé: “Si nous voulons gagner les deux prochains matches, surtout Barcelone, il ne faut pas rater de passes, sinon tu es mort”.Mais, et c’était peut-être son grand message du jour envers et contre les blessures et les méformes, “les joueurs ne sont pas des machines”.

Comey: ex-FBI chief on decade-long collision course with Trump

Donald Trump brands his opponent James Comey a “dirty cop.” At an imposing six feet, eight inches (two meters), Comey would likely call himself the ultimate tough cop.Abruptly fired from his post as FBI chief by Trump in 2017, Comey went into opposition, winning widespread praise for his independence — and engaging in a years-long feud that has now seen the 64-year-old indicted.Thursday’s charges of making false statements and obstruction of justice thrust Comey to the forefront of a broader and growing battle over Trump’s unprecedented efforts during his second term to amass power and to punish perceived enemies.But the feud is rooted all the way back in the opening days of Trump’s first presidency and shock 2016 election win against Democrat Hillary Clinton.Comey was four years through a standard 10-year term as FBI director when he sparked controversy on the eve of Election Day by issuing a damning assessment of Clinton’s use of a private, rather than government email server.No charges were brought. But Democrats say that bringing the FBI’s focus on the issue just as voters were about to go to the polls might have cost Clinton the tight contest.When Trump decided to keep Comey — who had been appointed by Democratic president Barack Obama — critics suspected that the FBI director was being rewarded by the Republican for damaging Clinton.But just months later, Comey clashed with Trump. In a March 2017 hearing followed live by millions around the world, Comey confirmed for the first time that the FBI was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 vote and possible collusion with Trump’s campaign.A furious Trump fired him in May 2017, overturning inbuilt protections against interference in the FBI and sparking outcry even among some prominent Republicans.- Tenacity and drama -Before coming to prominence for his fight with Trump, Comey was known for his tenacity at the head of the FBI.He locked horns with Silicon Valley magnates as he sought to force Apple to unlock a smartphone used by the perpetrator of a terror attack in California. The FBI’s own experts ended up breaking into the device.The Clinton emails investigation saw him attacked by Democrats, but he was widely respected within the FBI and credited for independence.The father of five began his career in New York and racked up experience as a federal prosecutor in New York and the Washington area. In 2003, he became deputy attorney general and by March 2004 plunged into the kind of high-profile national drama which would come to define his career.Comey had refused to sign off on extending a secret — and hugely controversial — domestic surveillance program that had been instituted after the September 11 terrorist attacks and was about to expire.With his boss, John Ashcroft, in hospital for emergency surgery, Comey was serving as acting attorney general.But two senior aides of then-president George W. Bush tried to circumvent Comey, rushing to see the ailing Ashcroft. Comey was alerted and also went to his boss’s bedside — and the backdoor bid was shut down.

US Fed’s preferred inflation gauge rises, with more cost pressures expected

The US Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure edged up in August as tariffs filtered through the economy, while analysts warn of further cost pressures after President Donald Trump unveiled a slew of upcoming duties.But personal spending also rose last month, pointing to resilience in consumption — a key driver of the world’s biggest economy.The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose 2.7 percent last month on a year-on-year basis, up from July’s 2.6 percent, the Department of Commerce said Friday.But the PCE price index, when excluding the volatile food and energy sectors, increased at a rate of 2.9 percent, the same as in July.Trump told reporters Friday that the country had “virtually no inflation,” stressing that the economy was doing well.But both PCE figures are notably above the central bank’s longer-run inflation target of two percent, adding to pressure on the Fed as it adjusts interest rates.The Fed walks a tightrope between reining in inflation and maintaining the labor market’s health.This month, policymakers lowered rates for the first time in 2025 as employment weakened. But inflation continues to inch up, even if tariffs have had a relatively limited impact on costs for now — complicating the path forward.Trump this year slapped a sweeping 10-percent duty on imports from almost all trading partners, before hiking this to various steeper levels on dozens of economies.Businesses have been grappling with higher costs as a result, although they have not passed the burden on to consumers entirely — partly as they stocked up on inventory in anticipation of tariffs and also as they are wary of how much price hikes buyers will tolerate.- Shaky ground -“The PCE price indexes show inflation creeping higher as tariffs push up a range of goods prices,” said Oxford Economics’ deputy chief economist Michael Pearce in a statement.He estimates that about two-thirds of the tariff burden has fed through to consumers.But, he cautioned, “the range of new sectoral tariffs announced overnight mean further price pressures are likely on the way.”On Thursday, Trump announced in a series of social media posts that he would slap steep duties on imports of heavy trucks, kitchen cabinets and other furniture, as well as certain branded or patented pharmaceutical products come October 1.The range of tariff levels goes from 25 percent for trucks to 100 percent on branded pharmaceuticals — unless companies built their manufacturing plants in the United States.The recent spending momentum “lacks firm foundations,” warned economists Samuel Tombs and Oliver Allen of Pantheon Macroeconomics.The full effects of tariffs have yet to be seen, they said, while real after-tax income will likely remain stagnant through the end of the year, given weakness in the jobs market.For now, on a month-on-month basis, the PCE price index was up 0.3 percent in August, also picking up slightly from July’s level.Personal spending rose 0.6 percent in the month, up from 0.5 percent in July, the report showed.

Guaino demande une grâce présidentielle sur l’incarcération de Sarkzoy pour éviter “une humiliation”

L’ancien conseiller spécial de Nicolas Sarkozy, Henri Guaino, a demandé vendredi une grâce présidentielle sur l’incarcération de l’ancien chef de l’Etat qui n’est pas susceptible d’appel et est “une humiliation de l’Etat et des institutions”.”Une grâce n’efface pas la condamnation et elle peut être partielle. Donc il ne me paraîtrait pas absurde qu’il soit gracié sur la peine complémentaire, c’est à dire sur l’exécution provisoire (de l’incarcération) qui n’est pas susceptible de recours”, a jugé M. Guaino sur RTL. Sans “arrêter les recours par lesquels il veut prouver son innocence”, cette grâce “pourrait très bien éliminer cette décision (d’incarcération) qui est quand même une humiliation, non seulement de Nicolas Sarkozy, mais aussi de l’Etat et des institutions”, a-t-il suggéré.Au titre de l’article 17 de la Constitution, “le président de la République a le droit de faire grâce à titre individuel”.Elle entraîne la dispense d’exécution totale ou partielle d’une peine ou la commutation de celle-ci en une peine moins lourde. Elle ne s’applique qu’à une condamnation définitive et exécutoire, mais n’efface pas cette dernière qui continue à figurer au casier judiciaire avec la mention de la mesure gracieuse octroyée.Le sénateur Les Républicains Stéphane Le Rudulier a également demandé cette grâce “partielle” dans un courrier à Emmanuel Macron qu’il a partagé sur X.Il y demande une grâce “limitée à la suspension de l’exécution provisoire de sa peine, en particulier au mandat de dépôt”. Cela “relèverait d’un acte républicain, et préserverait l’honneur de nos institutions”, ajoute-t-il à l’adresse du président de la République. Dans l’affaire du financement libyen de sa campagne de 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy a été condamné jeudi à cinq ans d’emprisonnement par le tribunal correctionnel de Paris qui a ordonné sa prochaine incarcération pour association de malfaiteurs sans attendre son procès en appel. A l’unisson de la droite et de l’extrême droite depuis le jugement, M. Guaino a par ailleurs dénoncé “une sorte de coup d’Etat judiciaire”, “un mouvement de fond très dangereux pour les démocraties occidentales par lequel le pouvoir judiciaire est en train de prendre le pas sur le pouvoir politique”. Aux Etats-Unis, “les juges ont essayé de faire condamner Trump, ils ne sont pas arrivés à le faire à temps. Le résultat, c’est que les électeurs ont marché sur la justice et que la justice est la première victime de cette guerre” avec les représailles du président américain, a-t-il fait remarquer.

Wreckage strews deserted Madagascar capital after violent protestsFri, 26 Sep 2025 15:06:34 GMT

The streets were largely deserted in Madagascar’s capital Friday as residents took stock of the damage from a day of violent protests over frequent power cuts and water shortages.The protest in Antananarivo, led by hundreds of mostly young demonstrators, was met with a heavy police response, with rubber bullets and tear gas used to disperse …

Wreckage strews deserted Madagascar capital after violent protestsFri, 26 Sep 2025 15:06:34 GMT Read More »