Budget: l’Assemblée ne siègera pas ce week-end, une décision “inacceptable” pour la gauche

L’Assemblée nationale, qui vient tout juste de reprendre l’examen sur le projet de loi de finances, ne siègera finalement pas ce week-end comme prévu, a annoncé le gouvernement jeudi soir, raccourcissant ainsi les débats sur un texte pourtant discuté dans des délais serrés.La gauche s’est immédiatement offusquée de cette décision, certains députés accusant l’exécutif de chercher à empêcher la tenue d’un vote. Sur la partie du budget de l’Etat consacrée aux recettes, un vote était initialement prévu lundi. Mais “au rythme auquel nous avançons il est évident que lundi nous ne terminerons pas les 1.900 amendements” restants sur ce premier volet, a déclaré peu avant minuit jeudi le ministre des Relations avec le Parlement, Laurent Panifous. Après plusieurs semaines de discussions budgétaires, “nous devons également tenir compte de la fatigue qui existe chez les députés, chez les collaborateurs, chez les administrateurs” de l’Assemblée, a-t-il ajouté dans l’hémicycle, en précisant avoir été “saisi” par plusieurs groupes sur la question. Les débats ne se poursuivrons donc pas “samedi et dimanche”, a-t-il annoncé, mais reprendront lundi dès 9H00, au lieu du milieu de journée. Une décision immédiatement qualifiée d'”inacceptable” par la cheffe des députés écologistes Cyrielle Chatelain, qui a accusé l’exécutif “d’organiser (…) le fait que cette assemblée ne puisse pas se prononcer sur le budget”.”Ne prenez pas prétexte sur la fatigue des uns et des autres” pour “nous empêcher de pouvoir voter sur le budget de l’État”, a abondé le coordinateur de La France insoumise Manuel Bompard. L’ensemble du texte doit être transmis au Sénat le 23 novembre à minuit, selon les délais constitutionnels. S’il semble clair que les députés n’auront pas le temps d’aller au bout, un vote sur la seule partie recettes n’est pas non plus assuré.Les socialistes procéderont “à des retraits massifs d’amendements” afin que l’Assemblée puisse “voter”, a déclaré le député Philippe Brun, en disant regretter la décision du gouvernement. LFI a dit avoir déjà renoncé à 15% de ses amendements et être prête à en retirer davantage.- “Mauvaises conditions” -Plus tôt dans la soirée, des députés du Rassemblement national, des Républicains, de Renaissance et du groupe indépendant Liot avaient demandé une pause ce week-end. “On commence à mon avis à travailler dans de mauvaises conditions”, a lancé le député RN Jean-Philippe Tanguy. L’examen du budget de l’Etat, commencé il y a trois semaines, s’était interrompu durant 9 jours consacrés au budget de la Sécu, avec le vote mercredi de la “suspension” de la réforme des retraites de 2023.Mais l’examen du texte n’a pas pu aller à son terme. Et même si l’ensemble des amendements adoptés ont été transmis au Sénat sur les articles ayant pu être examinés, certains groupes et le gouvernement sont accusés de s’arranger de la situation. “Face aux horreurs votées, on n’a pas intérêt à aller au vote”, reconnaît un cadre Renaissance à propos du budget de l’Etat. Jeudi matin, le gouvernement a d’ailleurs subi un revers: les députés ont maintenu l’abattement fiscal de 10% sur les retraites, dont la suppression aurait généré d’importantes économies.La copie initiale du budget pour 2026 prévoit de remplacer cet abattement de 10% par un abattement forfaitaire de 2.000 euros, avec un rendement attendu de 1,2 milliard d’euros.L’objectif, selon la ministre des Comptes publics Amélie de Montchalin, serait de créer de “la solidarité entre retraités” en permettant une “baisse d’impôt pour 1,6 million” des plus modestes, tout en augmentant celui des autres.  Mais la mesure a provoqué une levée de boucliers. L’essentiel de la gauche, de l’alliance RN-UDR et des députés LR ont joint leurs voix pour l’effacer.”Il est hors de question de s’attaquer au pouvoir d’achat (…) de ceux qui ont travaillé toute leur vie”, a tonné Laurent Wauquiez, patron du groupe Les Républicains.Le communiste Nicolas Sansu a rappelé que la mesure provoquerait une hausse d’impôt “dès 1667 euros de pension mensuelle”. Une multitude de taxes reste à examiner, dont celle sur les petits colis, qui suscite une attention particulière alors que la polémique autour du géant du e-commerce Shein agite le débat public. Ou encore la hausse des droits de timbre pour obtenir un titre de séjour, décriée par la gauche.Auparavant, les députés s’étaient attaqués aux mesures les plus emblématiques, notamment sur la taxation des plus riches. Si la gauche a échoué à faire adopter sa “taxe Zucman”, plusieurs impôts visant les multinationales ou les superdividendes ont été votés, ulcérant le camp gouvernemental qui a dénoncé une “folie fiscale”.

‘Hope it won’t happen again’: US federal workers return post-shutdown

Roads and sidewalks in the US capital Washington were again clogged as thousands of federal employees returned to work Thursday following the record-breaking government shutdown — but some, like management analyst Lee Hardwick, never left. Hardwick had to work the entire 43-day shutdown — unpaid. “I’m pleased that my colleagues, the ones who haven’t gotten paid, or the ones who haven’t been working, that they actually at least get to come back to work,” the 62-year-old told AFP. The shutdown — a uniquely American phenomenon that happens when Congress cannot agree on a budget — impacted more than a million government employees.Those deemed essential, such as air traffic controllers, kept working. The others were furloughed and left waiting for news. After 43 days, the waiting came to an end Wednesday, when President Donald Trump signed a bill funding the government through January — the result of a deal brokered by Republicans and a handful of moderate Democratic lawmakers. Many federal workers approached by AFP declined to be interviewed, a reflection of the political tension behind the shutdown. “It was stressful as it relates to the unknowing” of what was going to happen, Hardwick said of the shutdown, adding that people were “annoyed and frustrated” by the impasse.Scenes of federal employees waiting for food handouts in the Washington suburbs showcased the hardships some faced while on furlough, their incomes slashed to zero.- ‘Lesson learned’? -Things began to get back on track Thursday, with air traffic returning to normal levels after shortages of controllers forced thousands of flights to be delayed or cancelled. Museums in Washington, many of which closed during the shutdown, are set to reopen on Friday. “I felt bad for my other colleagues and friends at other agencies,” said Steve, a government worker in his 50s who asked to use a pseudonym. One federal worker at the Office of Personnel Management, who requested anonymity, said they had to work throughout the shutdown. “It was a little sad to see all my federal comrades not being able to come to work, and then taking the bus for some of them that had to come to work and not get paid. It was sad,” the worker told AFP.”There’s an African proverb that says: ‘When the elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers,'” the employee said. “And I think that both (political) parties bear some responsibility, because we, as the grass, suffered during that argument.” Though the bill funded the US government through January 30, another possible shutdown is possible in 2026. “Hopefully…this was a lesson learned, and I’m hoping that even if it happens in January, that it would be a short one,” said Hardwick.”Hope it won’t happen again.” 

Le Panama affirme que les exercices américains ne menacent pas le Venezuela

Le président du Panama, José Raul Mulino, a affirmé jeudi que les manœuvres militaires menées par l’armée américaine dans ce pays d’Amérique centrale ne constituent pas un “acte hostile contre le Venezuela”. Des militaires américains ont mené cette année des exercices de survie et de tactiques de combat dans la jungle panaméenne du Darien, à la …

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Cisjordanie: deux adolescents palestiniens abattus, l’armée israélienne dit avoir déjoué une attaque

L’Autorité palestinienne a annoncé jeudi que des soldats israéliens avaient tué dans le sud de la Cisjordanie deux adolescents de 15 ans, présentés par l’armée israélienne comme des “terroristes en passe de perpétrer une attaque”.Le ministère de la Santé palestinien a annoncé sans plus de détail “le martyre de Bilal Bahaa Ali Baaran (15 ans) …

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Palestinian Authority says Israel killed two teens in West Bank

The Palestinian Authority said Thursday that Israeli soldiers had killed two 15-year-olds in the occupied West Bank, while Israel called them “terrorists” attempting to carry out an attack.Settler violence has surged in recent weeks across the West Bank, drawing international condemnation and even rare criticism from within the Israeli military and government.”A short while ago, IDF soldiers who were operating adjacent to the community of Karmei Zur, eliminated two terrorists who were on their way to carry out a terror attack,” the military said in a statement, without providing details.Palestinian authorities also did not provide any details.The deaths came as Israel said it had received the body of one of the last four hostages held in Gaza from the Red Cross on Thursday as part of the ceasefire deal with Hamas.It later said forensics experts had confirmed the body was that of  Meny Godard, killed at age 73 the day of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.Meanwhile, the Ramallah-based Palestinian foreign ministry said Israeli settlers set ablaze the Hajja Hamida mosque near the town of Deir Istiya in the north.”This blatantly violates the sanctity of places of worship and reflects the deep-rooted racism driving settlers under the protection of the occupying government,” the ministry said.AFP photographs from the scene showed burned copies of the Koran and walls blackened by smoke, and graffiti on a wall of the mosque. The Israeli military said security forces were dispatched to the scene following “a report and footage… regarding suspects who set fire to a mosque and sprayed graffiti”. In a statement, it said that no suspects were identified after a review of the incident, which was handed over to the Israeli police and security agency.”The IDF condemns any form of violence and will continue to operate to safeguard the security and order in the area,” it added.- ‘Red line’ -UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, with his spokesman saying that “such acts of violence and desecration of religious sites are unacceptable”.”Such incidents are part of an increasing pattern of extremist violence that is inflaming tensions and must stop immediately,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.Thursday’s arson attack came a day after the Israeli army chief pledged to halt settler violence.”We are aware of the recent violent incidents in which Israeli civilians attacked Palestinians and Israelis. I strongly condemn them,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said in a statement.”These acts contradict our values, cross a red line and divert the attention of our troops from their mission,” he said.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, where more than 500,000 Israelis now live in settlements.A minority of these Israelis engage in violence against Palestinians, who complain that Israeli forces usually do not arrest settlers.All settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.Earlier this month, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that October 2025 was the worst month for settler violence since it began recording in 2006, with at least 264 attacks that caused casualties or property damage.Almost none of the perpetrators have been held to account by the Israeli authorities.Violence has surged across the West Bank since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.At least 1,003 Palestinians, including militants, have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since the war started, according to the Palestinian health ministry.During the same period, 43 Israelis, including soldiers, have been killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, according to official Israeli figures.

Mondial-2026: l’Italie vient à bout de la Moldavie et fait patienter la Norvège

L’Italie est maintenant fixée: après sa laborieuse victoire contre la Moldavie (2-0) jeudi, il lui faudra battre la Norvège dimanche par au moins… 9 buts d’écart pour décrocher sa qualification directe pour le Mondial-2026.Depuis qu’il a pris ses fonctions de sélectionneur de la Nazionale en remplacement de Luciano Spalletti, Gennaro Gattuso savait que terminer à la première place du groupe I, après le camouflet d’Oslo (défaite 3-0) début juin, serait difficile.Cette mission est désormais quasiment impossible. L’Italie, déjà assuré depuis la fenêtre d’octobre de terminer au pire 2e, a pourtant remporté ses six derniers matches, mais sa différence de buts avec le leader norvégien, son prochain adversaire, est rédhibitoire, même si les Azzuri devaient battre Erling Haaland et ses coéquipiers dimanche à San Siro.Après sa victoire face à l’Estonie, grâce à des doublés de Haaland et d’Alexander Sorloth, la Norvège totalise 21 points, soit trois de plus que l’Italie.Même en cas de victoire pour revenir à égalité de points, la Nazionale, avec sa différence de buts de +12, contre +29 à la Norvège, devra probablement se contenter de la deuxième place, et donc disputer fin mars des barrages, qui lui ont été fatals pour les deux dernières Coupes du monde (2018, 2022).Gattuso ne se faisait de toutes façons guère d’illusions. C’est aussi pour cela qu’il a fait tourner son effectif en laissant son gardien titulaire Gianluigi Donnarumma sur le banc et en remaniant son attaque portée pour ce match par le revenant Gianluigi Scamacca et par Riccardo Orsolini.Dans cette configuration expérimentale, l’Italie a sans surprise manqué de repères et mis du temps à trouver la bonne carburation.Il a fallu attendre la 88e minute pour que Gianluca Mancini libère la dizaine de tifosi venus à Chisinau et écoeure les Norvégiens, virtuellement qualifiés jusque là pour leur première Coupe du monde depuis 1998.Le grand espoir italien Francesco Pio Esposito a ajouté un second but dans le temps additionnel (90e+2).”Les matches faciles n’existent plus, si vous vous attendiez qu’on remporte ce match 11-1 comme la Norvège l’avait fait, vous vous êtes trompés. Je suis très satisfait de mon équipe”, a déclaré Gattuso, agacé.”On a fait ce qu’on devait faire, on a donné du temps de jeu à des joueurs qui ne jouent pas beaucoup et on va de l’avant”, a insisté “Rino”, qui a enchaîné cinq victoires en autant de matches depuis sa nomination.

Blue Origin launches NASA Mars mission and sticks booster landing

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket on Thursday with NASA twin spacecraft destined for Mars aboard, and in a breakthrough stuck the landing of its booster.The launch was stalled for days over weather both on Earth and in space, but it was worth the wait: in the rocket’s second-ever flight, Blue Origin managed to recover the booster for reuse.Ecstatic cheers rang out at the launch site in Florida’s Cape Canaveral as the booster gracefully nailed its landing on a floating platform. Prior to Thursday, only Elon Musk’s SpaceX had managed to accomplish such a maneuver with an orbital-class rocket.Blue Origin’s accomplishment comes amid intensified rivalry between the two billionaire-owned private space companies, as the US space agency NASA recently opened up bids for its planned Moon mission.”Damn that was exciting!” said Jared Isaacman — a Musk ally who President Donald Trump recently nominated again to head NASA — on X, congratulating Blue Origin.A handful of figures at SpaceX also had praise for their rivals, with their VP of Launch, Kiko Dontchev, saying the feat “moves the country and industry forward.”The launch was repeatedly delayed: on Sunday over weather on Earth, and on Wednesday over weather in space.The second postponement was over “highly elevated solar activity” that NASA was worried could impact or damage its spacecraft.And multiple glitches meant delays yet again on Thursday — hold-ups Blue Origin did not explain. But at 3:55 pm (2055 GMT), New Glenn finally blasted off.The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket now has the task of sending NASA’s ESCAPADE twin spacecraft to Mars, in a bid to study the Red Planet’s climate history with the eventual hope of human exploration.Applause resounded once more as the spacecraft successfully deployed.Joseph Westlake, a NASA heliophysicist, explained during Thursday’s webcast how the twin spacecraft named “Blue” and “Gold” will first finding a “benign, safe parking orbit” to make “measurements about the space weather here on Earth.”Then, once the planets have reached the ideal alignment in the fall of 2026, the spacecraft will get a boost from Earth’s gravity and begin the journey to Mars, where they will arrive in 2027.This type of launch could allow for more frequent missions in the future, because they could proceed outside the window of direct alignment of Earth and Mars that happens approximately once every two years.- ‘Launch, land, repeat’ -New Glenn’s inaugural flight in January also was marked a success, as its payload achieved orbit and successfully performed tests.But its first-stage booster, which was meant to be reusable, was lost during descent.Thursday’s achievement signals that Blue Origin is on its way to reducing costs by reusing boosters rather than allowing them to plummet into the ocean.”Launch, land, repeat — it starts today,” said Eddie Seyffert, among Blue Origin’s webcast commentators.And it comes as US President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House has seen the administration pile pressure on NASA to accelerate its progress to send a crewed mission to the Moon amid a race with China.George Nield — a senior aerospace executive whose work promotes the commercial space industry, and who has flown with Blue Origin in the past — told AFP this launch would be an “indicator” of the company’s progress.It could show “whether they can play increased roles in near-term lunar exploration,” he said.

Colombia scraps threat to end intel sharing with US

Colombia’s leftist president backtracked on a threat to cut decades-old intelligence ties with the United States Thursday, a move the country’s ex-spy chiefs had dubbed “unthinkable” and “absurd.” Gustavo Petro caused shock in Bogota and Washington by abruptly ordering his government to suspend communications and “dealings with US security agencies” at all levels Tuesday.His announcement deepened a bitter personal row with President Donald Trump over US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Several former US and Colombian security officials expressed shock and anger at Petro’s announcement, warning it could lead to instability at home and more cocaine being exported overseas. But on Thursday, Interior Minister Armando Benedetti — a close aide of Petro’s — said intelligence sharing would continue. He claimed there had been a “misinterpretation” of Petro’s comments.Petro then told new police officers that intelligence would be shared with the United States as long as “they commit to not using it in violation of human rights treaties.”Colombia’s security services said they were blindsided by Petro’s initial order, which was issued in the evening on social media. Petro is well known for his late-night social media posts containing typos, factual errors or announcing initiatives that never materialize. – ‘Makes no sense’ -“You know how the president is — he sends a message on X, but it’s not that easy,” one lieutenant currently serving in the armed forces told AFP. The move elicited fierce reactions from Colombian ex-military and intelligence bosses.The decision was “absurd” and “makes no sense,” according to one former head of police, who spoke on condition of anonymity.He expressed fury that Petro’s decision could aid drug trafficking groups and cause the amount of cocaine exported from Colombia to “overflow.” “How much mourning? How many widows? How many orphans? How much pain do we carry  — personally, institutionally, and patriotically — because of drug trafficking?” Forged from a decades-long war against insurgents and cartels, Colombia’s military and intelligence services are seen as highly capable. They also have close ties with US agencies, from whom they have received hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. One former US intelligence official said information gleaned by Colombian officers was often vital in supporting American eavesdropping and satellite intelligence.Petro’s announcement followed a months-long personal spat between him and Trump, who, without providing evidence, accused Petro of being involved in drug trafficking.The United States has since hit the Colombian leader and his family with financial sanctions. Petro, for his part, has gone out of his way to criticize Trump’s bombings in the Caribbean and Pacific that have sunk 20 boats and killed at least 76 people. The Trump administration is close to the right-wing opposition in Colombia, which has high hopes of winning legislative and presidential elections next year.