The head of Ivory Coast’s main opposition party on Thursday claimed the government was trying to silence dissent before upcoming presidential elections, as crowds gathered to protest his ban from standing.A court in the west African country last month barred Tidjane Thiam from being a candidate in the October 25 vote, saying he lost Ivorian …
US lawmakers voted Thursday to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” turning into federal law an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in his first week in office. The bill’s passage in the Republican-led House of Representatives is largely symbolic as other countries are under no obligation to use Trump’s new designation and the measure is unlikely to pass the Senate, where it requires Democratic votes.Upon taking office, Trump signed executive orders changing the name of the body of water and also reverting the name of Denali, America’s highest peak, to its former moniker Mt. McKinley.Trump’s renamings sparked criticism from Indigenous groups in Alaska and raised diplomatic concerns with Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested calling the United States “Mexican America.”The House bill directs federal agencies to update their documents and maps to reflect the name change. “Codifying the rightful renaming of the Gulf of America isn’t just a priority for me and President Trump. It’s a priority for the American people,” said far right Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who authored the bill.Republican moderate Don Bacon told CNN however the move “seems juvenile.” “We’re the United States of America. We’re not Kaiser Wilhelm’s Germany or Napoleon’s France… we’re better than this. It just sounds like a sophomore thing to do,” he said.The name change would cost the federal government less than $500,000 over five years to update documents and maps, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.But schools, libraries and other public organizations would bear the costs of updating their materials, and Democrats have called the effort a waste of money.”This bill does nothing to materially improve the lives of United States citizens — it is an unserious offering by the majority,” said a statement from the office of House Democratic whip Katherine Clark.Trump barred the Associated Press from the Oval Office and from traveling on Air Force One in February because of the global news agency’s decision to continue referring to the “Gulf of Mexico.”In its style guide, the AP notes that the Gulf of Mexico has “carried that name for more than 400 years” and the agency “will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.”A federal judge said in April the “viewpoint-based denial of the AP’s access” was a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press.The Trump administration is appealing the judge’s ruling ordering the White House to restore the AP’s access to official presidential events.
First responders in Gaza said Thursday that their operations were at a near standstill, more than two months into a full Israeli blockade that has left food and fuel in severe shortage.Israel denies a humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, where it plans to expand military operations to force Hamas to free hostages held there since the Iran-backed group’s unprecedented October 2023 attack.”Seventy-five percent of our vehicles have stopped operating due to a lack of diesel fuel,” the civil defence agency’s spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.He added that its teams, who play a critical role as first responders in the Gaza Strip, were also facing a “severe shortage of electricity generators and oxygen devices”.For weeks, UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations have warned of dwindling supplies of everything from fuel and medicine to food and clean water in the coastal territory that is home to 2.4 million Palestinians.”It is unacceptable that humanitarian aid is not allowed into the Gaza Strip,” Pierre Krahenbuhl, director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told reporters in Geneva Thursday.The situation in Gaza is on a “razor’s edge” and “the next few days are absolutely decisive”, he added.The UN’s agency for children, UNICEF, warned that Gaza’s children face “a growing risk of starvation, illness and death” after UN-supported kitchens shut down due to lack of food supplies.Over 20 independent experts mandated by the UN’s Human Rights Council demanded action on Wednesday to avert the “annihilation” of Palestinians in Gaza.Senior civil defence official Mohammad Mughayyir told AFP that Israeli bombardment across Gaza on Thursday killed 21 people, including nine in a strike that targeted the Abu Rayyan family home in the northern city of Beit Lahia.On Thursday, Palestinians waited in line to donate blood at a field hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Yunis, an AFP journalist reported.”In these difficult circumstances, we have come to support the injured and sick, amid severe food shortages and a lack of proteins, by donating blood”, Moamen al-Eid, a Palestinian waiting in the line, told AFP.- ‘No food or drink’ -Hind Joba, the hospital’s laboratory head, said that “there is no food or drink, the crossings are closed, and there is no access to nutritious or protein-rich food”.”Still, people responded to the call, fulfilling their humanitarian duty by donating blood” despite the toll on their own bodies, she added.”But this blood is vital, and they know that every drop helps save the life of an injured person.”Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18 after talks to prolong a ceasefire stalled.On Monday, the country’s security cabinet approved a new roadmap for military operations in Gaza, aiming for the “conquest” of the territory while displacing its people en masse, drawing international condemnation.An Israeli security official stated that a “window” remained for negotiations on the release of hostages until the end of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf, scheduled from May 13 to 16.Hamas, which is demanding a “comprehensive and complete agreement” to end the war, on Wednesday denounced what it called Israel’s attempt to impose a “partial” deal. The war was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data.Of the 251 people abducted in Israel that day, 58 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli army. Hamas is also holding the body of an Israeli soldier killed during a previous war in Gaza, in 2014.The Israeli offensive launched in retaliation for the October 7 attack has killed at least 52,760 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry, which is considered reliable by the UN.bur-phy-lba-acc/dv
A prayer ceremony was held in the Malian capital Bamako on Thursday for a 22-year-old man who was stabbed to death in a mosque in the south of France.Aboubakar Cisse was stabbed dozens of times while praying in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe on April 25.Olivier Hadzovic, a 20-year-old French national of Bosnian …
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Thursday decried an “assault on children” after Israel closed all six of its schools in annexed east Jerusalem, months after an Israeli ban on its activities took effect.”Storming schools & forcing them shut is a blatant disregard of international law”, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini posted on X, describing the move as “An assault on children. An assault on education”.UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler told AFP that Israeli forces “closed six United Nations schools in annexed east Jerusalem on Thursday, posting closure orders on the six buildings and forcibly entering three of the six schools”.An AFP photographer present at two of the schools in the Shuafat refugee camp reported that Israeli forces entered the premises and posted a closure notice stating the schools were operating without “authorisation”.The children had to leave the premises, with many departing in tears. Several young pupils, some visibly moved and others shocked, hugged in front of the school before they left.UNRWA said one of its staff members was detained.”From May 8, 2025, it will be prohibited to operate educational institutions, or employ teachers, teaching staff or any other staff, and it will be forbidden to accommodate students or allow the entry of students into this institution,” the closure order in Hebrew read.UNRWA’s director in the West Bank, Roland Friedrich, told AFP that “heavily armed” forces surrounded the three UNRWA schools in Shuafat camp at 9:00 am.Friedrich added that 550 pupils aged six to 15 were present when the closure was enforced, calling it “a traumatising experience for young children who are at immediate risk of losing their access to education.”Friedrich said police were deployed in the area around three separate schools in other parts of east Jerusalem, which has been annexed by Israel since 1967.UNRWA said that the school year for 800 children had “been ended by force”.- ‘Violation of right to education’ -The Palestinian Authority condemned the move in a statement to AFP, calling it a “violation of children’s right to education”.In a statement, its education ministry called the closures a “crime” and urged international institutions “to assume their responsibilities and defend the right of refugee children to a free and safe education”.UNRWA has provided support for Palestinian refugees around the Middle East for more than 70 years, but has long clashed with Israeli officials, who have repeatedly accused it of undermining the country’s security.At the end of January, Israeli legislation came into force banning the agency’s activities. Due to the annexation, the law applies to east Jerusalem but not to the rest of the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967.Contact between it and Israeli officials is also forbidden.Israel has accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of the agency’s employees took part in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel which sparked the war in Gaza.A series of investigations found some “neutrality-related issues” at UNRWA, but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation.Nevertheless, the UN said in August that nine staff working for UNRWA would be sacked because they may have been involved in the attacks.Adalah, an Israeli group defending the rights of the Arab minority, reported that Israeli police were raiding six UNRWA-run schools in east Jerusalem.The organisation filed a petition with Israel’s Supreme Court in mid-January arguing the new legislation against UNRWA violated “fundamental human rights and Israel’s obligations under international law”.The Supreme Court rejected its request for the legislation to be suspended.In April, Adalah demanded a halt to the closure orders on UNRWA-run schools at the Supreme Court.The state responded that the Jerusalem municipality was offering alternative schooling and the court rejected the NGO’s motion.Adalah called the proposed alternatives “wholly inadequate”.The United Nations considers the annexation of Jerusalem’s eastern sector illegal.
England’s Maro Itoje said it was a “tremendous honour” to be named captain of the British and Irish Lions rugby union team on their upcoming tour of Australia as the squad was announced Thursday.The 30-year-old lock only took over as England skipper ahead of this season’s Six Nations but guided the side to a creditable second-placed finish behind champions France.Now he has been chosen as skipper for a Lions tour including three Tests against the Wallabies by head coach Andy Farrell, seconded from his day job as Ireland boss.”It’s a tremendous honour, it’s a tremendous privilege,” said Itoje after taking the stage at London’s O2 Arena where some 2,000 spectators were present — the first time there had been an audience of fans for a Lions squad announcement.”You think about the people who have held this position before and it’s remarkable. It’s an honour and I will do my very best to make sure I can contribute to a successful tour.”Farrell said: “As a two-time tourist (in 2017 and 2021), Maro fully understands what the Lions is all about and also the role of the captain in helping the group achieve its goal of winning a Test series this summer.”Itoje’s path to the Lions captaincy was eased when his main rival for the coveted post, Caelan Doris, suffered a shoulder injury playing in Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton last weekend.The Ireland No 8 was ruled out of the squad as he requires surgery. Itoje is the first English player to lead the Lions — made up of leading players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales — since Martin Johnson in 2001.But there was no place in a 38-man squad for former England captain Owen Farrell, the son of Andy Farrell.Owen Farrell is barred from representing England after deciding to play his club rugby outside of the country at Paris-based Racing 92, and has suffered an injury-hit debut season in France.Scotland back three Blair Kinghorn, who plays for Top 14 and European champions Toulouse, was the lone France-based player in the squad. – Pollock the ‘bolter’ -Henry Pollock may be a fledgling international but the 20-year-old Northampton back-row is the latest ‘bolter’ to be chosen by the 137-year-old Lions.Pollock only made his England debut in March, but came off the bench to score two tries during a 68-14 rout of Wales in Cardiff in the last round of the Six Nations.Pollock has since underlined that form and was outstanding in Northampton’s 37-34 victory away to Leinster in Dublin on Saturday.Scotland’s Finn Russell is one of three fly-halves in the squad together with the England duo of Marcus Smith and Fin Smith after England veteran George Ford and Ireland rising star Sam Prendergast missed out.Australia-born centre Sione Tuipulotu, absent from the whole Six Nations with injury, was one of eight Scotland players selected, with Ireland (15) and England (13) providing the bulk of the squad.Back row Jac Morgan and scrum-half Tomos Williams were the only two Welsh players included, with Wales having not won a Test since the 2023 World Cup.”Getting it down to the final 38 — it is my job to play devil’s advocate,” said Farrell. “From 55 (players) to the 38 is extremely difficult.”The 10-match Lions tour begins with a fixture against Argentina in Dublin on June 20.The first Test against Australia will be in Brisbane on July 19, with two more internationals in Melbourne (July 26) and Sydney (August 2) to follow.The Wallabies have long been regarded as the easiest side for the Lions, who only tour one of Australia and rugby superpowers New Zealand an South Africa once every four years, to beat.Indeed the last time the Lions won a Test series was their 2-1 success against Australia back in 2013. But the Wallabies have been making significant progress since Joe Schmidt took charge shortly after a woeful 2023 World Cup in France, where they failed to reach the knockout stage for the first time.The Kiwi coach also has the added advantage of knowing several Lions players, and indeed Andy Farrell, well following his six-year stint as Ireland boss.
L’UE a menacé jeudi de taxer pour 95 milliards d’euros d’importations américaines, dont les voitures et avions, en cas d’échec des négociations pour mettre fin aux droits de douane de Donald Trump sur les produits européens.Cette annonce européenne intervient au moment où le président américain a fait état d’un accord “total et complet” avec le Royaume-Uni, premier du genre depuis le lancement de sa guerre commerciale, après des semaines de négociations avec Londres. La portée de cet accord américano-britannique reste cependant floue à ce stade.Bruxelles a expliqué avoir lancé “une consultation publique” sur une longue liste de produits fabriqués aux États-Unis qui seront potentiellement touchés par des droits de douane européens. Les automobiles et les avions — essentiellement des Boeing —, y compris les pièces détachées, représentent une grande part des marchandises ciblées, soit respectivement 12 et 10 milliards d’euros.La liste inclut aussi des équipements électriques, batteries, appareils électroménagers, ainsi que des produits agricoles (fruits, légumes) ou les spiritueux, dont les vins et le bourbon.- “Mesures de rétorsion” -Ces importations “pourraient faire l’objet de mesures de rétorsion” si les États-Unis maintenaient les surtaxes visant les exportations de l’UE au terme des négociations en cours.Des restrictions sur certaines exportations comme des produits chimiques ou la ferraille d’acier sont aussi envisagés pour une valeur totale de 4,4 milliards d’euros.Parallèlement, Bruxelles va saisir l’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) contre les mesures commerciales dont elle est victime de la part des États-Unis. La Commission européenne a annoncé qu’elle allait déposer “bientôt” une demande de consultations auprès de l’organisation internationale basée à Genève, première étape d’une procédure de règlement des différends. L’exécutif de l’UE dénonce “une violation flagrante des règles de l’OMC” et entend “réaffirmer l’importance du respect des règles internationales”.La présidente de la Commission européenne, Ursula von der Leyen, a toutefois assuré qu’elle restait “pleinement engagée” dans la recherche de solutions négociées avec Washington.”Nous pensons qu’il est possible de conclure de bons accords au bénéfice des consommateurs et des entreprises des deux côtés de l’Atlantique. Dans le même temps, nous continuons à nous préparer à toutes les éventualités”, a-t-elle déclaré dans un communiqué.Au cours des derniers mois, l’Union européenne a été frappée à trois reprises par des droits de douane de l’administration américaine: 25% sur l’acier et l’aluminium, annoncés mi-mars, 25% sur les automobiles, puis 20% sur tous les autres produits européens, en avril. Cette dernière surtaxe a été suspendue jusqu’en juillet pour engager une négociation. Mais des droits de douane de 10% restent appliqués sur la plupart des biens exportés aux États-Unis par les Vingt-Sept.- L’UE souhaite une désescalade -Mi-mars, l’Union européenne a choisi de montrer les muscles en réplique aux mesures sur l’acier et l’aluminium. Elle a alors annoncé des droits de douane jusqu’à 25% sur une première liste d’importations américaines pour 26 milliards d’euros. Y sont visés des marques emblématiques comme les motos Harley-Davidson, des denrées agricoles comme le soja, mais aussi des appareils ménagers comme les réfrigérateurs ou les tondeuses à gazon.Mais la réponse de l’UE n’est pas encore entrée en vigueur, contrairement aux premières mesures de Donald Trump. Les surtaxes européennes restent suspendues aux négociations en cours, prévues jusqu’en juillet, et ne seront appliquées qu’en cas d’échec des discussions.”Depuis le début, nous avons agi avec clarté, cohérence et un engagement ferme en faveur de la désescalade. Mais nous n’accepterons pas un résultat à n’importe quel prix”, a prévenu le commissaire européen au Commerce, Maros Sefcovic.Outre les marchandises, l’UE a déjà averti qu’elle pourrait taxer les géants américains de la tech. Elle pourrait aussi recourir à d’autres instruments comme le gel de l’accès aux marchés publics européens, le blocage d’autorisations de mise sur le marché de certains produits, ou bien le blocage d’investissements…”Toutes les options restent sur la table”, a affirmé jeudi un haut fonctionnaire européen, sous couvert de l’anonymat. “On commence à réaliser que même si nous voulons des négociations, certains droits de douane américains risquent de perdurer”, a-t-il ajouté, décrivant ainsi les préparatifs annoncés jeudi pour des mesures européennes comme un moyen de “rééquilibrer” les échanges avec les États-Unis sur le long terme.
Le ministre américain des Transports Sean Duffy doit annoncer jeudi en début d’après-midi une refonte du système de contrôle aérien (ATC) des États-Unis, après avoir critiqué une infrastructure vieillissante marquée par de multiples incidents et par une pénurie de personnel dans les tours.”Ce plan fait partie de l’engagement de l’administration Trump à sécuriser notre espace aérien et à lancer un âge d’or des transports”, a expliqué le ministère.L’objectif est de refaire complètement le dispositif, au prix de dizaines de milliards de dollars, ce qui nécessiterait l’approbation du Congrès alors que la Maison-Blanche fait des coupes budgétaires drastiques pour réduire les dépenses fédérales.Les problèmes du trafic aérien aux États-Unis ne sont pas nouveaux tant au niveau de l’infrastructure que de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre, amplifiée par la pandémie de Covid-19.Le régulateur de l’aviation FAA mène depuis plusieurs années des actions pour accélérer la formation de contrôleurs aériens, notamment en accordant des subventions à des établissements de formation, et en lançant des opérations de recrutement.En septembre 2023, l’organisation du trafic aérien et le syndicat national des contrôleurs aériens (NATCA) évaluaient à plus de 3.000 le nombre de contrôleurs manquants dans les tours des aéroports américains.Ils étaient environ 10.800 fin 2024. La FAA en a recruté 1.500 en 2023, plus de 1.800 en 2024 et l’objectif était d’en embaucher 2.000 de plus en 2025, indiquait le ministère des Transports en décembre, lorsque le président démocrate Joe Biden était encore en poste.Face à ce déficit, le régulateur a demandé à l’été 2023 aux compagnies aériennes de réduire de 20% le nombre de vols aux trois aéroports de New York (JFK, LaGuardia et Newark) et à celui de Ronald-Reagan, qui dessert la capitale Washington. Cette requête a été reconduite au moins jusqu’en octobre 2025.- Collision mortelle -Mais une collision le 29 janvier entre un avion de ligne en approche finale à l’aéroport Ronald-Reagan et un hélicoptère militaire Sikorsky Black Hawk, qui a fait 67 morts au total, a propulsé le problème sur le devant de la scène, donnant aussi l’opportunité au président Donald Trump de dénoncer l’inaptitude, selon lui, de son prédécesseur à régler cette situation.”Les problèmes du contrôle aérien sont la faute de l’incompétente administration Biden, sous la direction, dans le cas présent, du complet novice et arnaque politique Pete B. Je vais les résoudre”, a-t-il publié jeudi matin sur Truth Social, faisant référence à l’ex-ministre des Transports Pete Buttigieg.”Nous apprécions l’efficacité au ministère des Transports, mais la sécurité de la population américaine est notre priorité première tandis que nous mettons en place notre nouveau système ATC”, a publié Sean Duffy mercredi sur X, où il multiplie aussi depuis plusieurs jours les critiques envers son prédécesseur.Cette nouvelle salve fait suite à un incident le 28 avril à l’aéroport de Newark Liberty International, l’un des plus fréquentés des États-Unis, lorsque le système de contrôle aérien a été coupé pendant 90 secondes.D’après des médias américains, les contrôleurs aériens — stationnés à l’aéroport de Philadelphie et gérant les vols en approche à Newark, situé 160 km au nord-est — n’ont pu communiquer avec les avions du fait d’une interruption de la détection radar et des communications radio.Aucun détail n’a été fourni par les autorités, la FAA faisant simplement référence mercredi à des “problèmes d’effectifs et technologiques” au centre de contrôle TRACON de Philadelphie.”La FAA prend des mesures immédiates pour améliorer la fiabilité des opérations” à Newark, notamment “l’accélération des améliorations technologiques et logistiques et l’accroissement du personnel de contrôle aérien”, a-t-elle indiqué.Le syndicat des contrôleurs aériens a déploré des bâtiments en piteux état, abritant des radars technologiquement obsolètes et des ordinateurs fonctionnant encore avec des disquettes.Le régulateur est actuellement dirigé par un administrateur par intérim, Chris Rocheleau, après la démission de Mike Whitaker. Ce dernier avait annoncé en décembre qu’il démissionnerait le 20 janvier, jour de l’investiture de Donald Trump.Bryan Bedford, patron de la compagnie aérienne régionale Republic Airways, a été désigné le 17 mars par Donald Trump pour diriger la FAA, mais son audition de confirmation par le Sénat n’est toujours pas fixée.
