La Croix-Rouge réduit de 17% son budget, 2.900 postes supprimés

Le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) a annoncé vendredi une réduction de 17% de son budget pour 2026 et la suppression de 2.900 postes, en raison des coupes budgétaires dans l’aide internationale.”Le CICR reste déterminé à intervenir en première ligne des conflits, là où peu d’autres organisations peuvent opérer. Mais la réalité financière nous …

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Nigeria: enlèvement d’élèves et d’enseignants dans une école catholique du centre

Un nombre encore indéterminé d’élèves et d’enseignants ont été enlevés dans une école catholique du centre du Nigeria, ont annoncé vendredi des responsables, deuxième enlèvement de ce type en une semaine dans le pays après le rapt de 25 lycéennes dans le nord-ouest.Au Nigeria, pays le plus peuplé d’Afrique de l’Ouest, miné par l’insécurité, les …

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EU to seek more tariff exemptions during US commerce secretary visit

The EU will demand more tariff exemptions on products including wines when US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick meets the bloc’s trade ministers on Monday.US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen struck a deal in July for most EU exports to face a 15-percent US levy, but the European Union has been seeking various exemptions for more sectors.Despite the deal, both sides point to outstanding issues and the agreement still awaits approval by the EU parliament before further implementation.The EU’s trade ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday during which Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will join them for lunch.Greer will also hold talks with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on Sunday, the European Commission said.As the EU’s digital rules are the subject of thorny relations with Washington, the bloc’s tech chief Henna Virkkunen is also expected to meet the Americans.The European Commission said on Friday it continues “to engage with the US both at political and technical level”.Diplomats said EU states were set to finalise a list of sectors they want to exempt from levies on Friday that will likely include wines and spirits — and potentially pasta, already the subject of tensions between Rome and Washington.Italy last month appealed to Washington and Brussels in an attempt to dissuade the United States from imposing provisional anti-dumping duties of over 91 percent on pasta from January 2026, on top of the 15 percent already in place.”The EU is aiming to present a united front and not come off as divided with all ministers arguing their own national exemptions,” a diplomat told AFP.Relations between the transatlantic allies remain tense.The United States is pushing Brussels to scrap digital and green rules, viewed as “non-tariff” barriers to trade by Washington.But the EU has insisted its digital laws are not up for discussion.President Donald Trump has lashed out at Brussels’ moves against US Big Tech companies including a whopping 2.95-billion-euro ($3.4-billion) fine on Google in September, threatening tariffs if the bloc does not repeal the measure.Brussels also wants Washington to cut its 50-percent steel tariffs, and proposes to create a broader “metals alliance” with the United States to ringfence their respective economies from Chinese overcapacity.

Indian warplane crashes at Dubai Airshow, killing pilot

An Indian fighter jet crashed during a flying display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday, killing the pilot in front of hundreds of shocked onlookers.The Indian-made Tejas warplane was executing a manoeuvre when it plunged to the ground and erupted in a fireball. The pilot was unable to eject.The crash happened in full view of a packed grandstand watching the aerobatics display on the last day of the Middle East’s biggest air show.Dubai’s government-run media office confirmed the “tragic death of the pilot” and the Indian Air Force (IAF) announced an inquiry.”IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” it said in a statement.The plane went down about a mile (1.6 kilometres) from the show site, which was full of planes, helicopters and other hardware on static display.The United Arab Emirates’ president and prime minister, aviation industry leaders and military top brass were among thousands who attended the show this week.Videos on social media showed the aircraft plunging to the ground and bursting into flames on impact. Smoke billowed from the crash site as emergency vehicles sped towards it.”The pilot was flying at a low altitude, performing risky manoeuvres,” Iraqi eyewitness Hassan Loqman told AFP.”Then he seemed he was trying to avoid the accident, he began to steer the plane upwards, but he couldn’t do so in time.”The incident happened near the start of the daily flying display, which features barrel rolls, loops and other stunts. The demonstration later resumed.It is the second crash involving the single-seat Tejas in less than two years after a non-fatal training accident in Rajasthan in March last year.In September, India signed a $7 billion order for 97 upgraded Tejas Mk1A fighter jets to replace its Russian MiG-21 fleet after decades of use.The Tejas, designed and built in India, was first commissioned into the air force in 2016.Friday’s crash is believed to be the first in the history of the Dubai Airshow, which dates back to 1986. Dubai’s state-owned Emirates and flydubai airlines signed several major agreements at the airshow, including Emirates’ order for 65 Boeing jets valued at $38 billion.