Iran blasts EU ‘mistake’ after Guards terror designation

Iran reacted with fury on Thursday after the EU blacklisted the country’s Revolutionary Guards as a terror group, as Tehran faced off with Washington after US President Donald Trump warned time was running out for a nuclear deal. The European Union piled on mounting pressure on Iran on Thursday by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a “terrorist organisation” over a deadly crackdown on recent mass protests”‘Terrorist’ is indeed how you call a regime that crushes its own people’s protests in blood,” said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, welcoming the “overdue” decision. Though largely symbolic, the EU decision has already drawn a warning from Tehran that it would have “destructive consequences”. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called it a “another major strategic mistake” after key European powers last year triggered the return of UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. Iran’s military slammed “the illogical, irresponsible and spite-driven action of the European Union”, alleging the bloc was acting out of “obedience” to Tehran’s arch-foes the United States and Israel. Iranian officials have blamed the recent protest wave on the two countries, claiming their agents spurred “riots” and a “terrorist operation” that hijacked peaceful rallies sparked over economic grievances. Rights groups have said thousands of people were killed during the protests by security forces, including the IRGC — the ideological arm of Tehran’s military. Trump had threatened military action if protesters were killed in the anti-government demonstrations that erupted in late December and peaked on January 8 and 9. But his recent statements have turned to Iran’s nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb.- Diplomatic push -On Wednesday he said “time is running out” for Tehran to make a deal, warning a US naval strike group that arrived in Middle East waters on Monday was “ready, willing and able” to hit Iran. The United States had hit Iranian nuclear targets when it briefly joined Israel’s war against Iran in June. Iranian officials have also ratcheted up warnings that Tehran would respond forcefully to any US military action, while not ruling out diplomatic solutions.Iran’s army chief Amir Hatami on Thursday vowed a “crushing response” to any attack, according to state television, which reported 1,000 “strategic drones” had joined the combat regiments. Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said the country “must be prepared for a state of war”, according to the official IRNA news agency. “Our strategy is that we will never start a war, but if it is imposed, we will defend ourselves,” he said, adding that Iran was “ready” for negotiations with the United States but wanted unspecified guarantees.The face-off has sent diplomatic shock waves across the region, with calls for negotiations to defuse tensions drawing in key regional actors. An official in the Gulf — where states host US military sites — told AFP that fears of a US strike on Iran are “very clear”. “It would bring the region into chaos, it would hurt the economy not just in the region but in the US and cause oil and gas prices to skyrocket,” the official added. Turkey said it would offer to mediate between Washington and Tehran during an upcoming visit by Araghchi, after Ankara’s top diplomat urged Washington to start nuclear talks with Tehran. Iran ally Russia on Thursday also said “the potential for negotiations is not exhausted”.”Any use of force can only create chaos in the region and lead to very dangerous consequences,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists. – Region doesn’t need ‘new war’ -Despite the EU’s IRGC designation and addition of another 15 Iranian officials and six entities to its asset freeze and visa ban blacklist, the bloc’s top diplomat warned the United States against starting a new Middle East conflict. “When it comes to attacks, then I think the region does not need a new war,” foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. However, she hit out at Iran’s clerical leadership, saying on X that “any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise”. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed 6,373 people were killed in the protests, as internet restrictions imposed on January 8 continue to slow verification. But rights groups warn the toll is likely far higher, with estimates in the tens of thousands. Iranian authorities acknowledge that thousands were killed during the protests, giving a toll of more than 3,000 deaths, but say the majority were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters”. Billboards and banners have gone up in the capital Tehran to bolster the authorities’ messages. One massive poster appears to show an American aircraft carrier being destroyed.burs-sw/sjw/dc

20-year sentence for US deputy who shot dead Black woman in her home

A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday for the fatal shooting of a Black woman inside her home, a case that drew national attention and calls for police reform.Sean Grayson, 31, who is white, was found guilty in October of second-degree murder by a jury after two days of deliberations.Grayson was charged with first-degree murder, which carried a potential life sentence, and second-degree murder for the July 2024 shooting of Sonya Massey, 36, a mother of two.The jury opted to convict him only of the lesser charge and Judge Ryan Cadigan sentenced Grayson to the maximum 20 years in prison on Thursday at a hearing attended by members of the Massey family, including her children. Massey’s shooting drew attention to police violence against African-Americans and prompted then-US president Joe Biden to say she “should be alive today.”Massey, who had received treatment in the past for mental health issues, had called the 911 emergency line to report a possible intruder in her home. Two Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies arrived shortly after midnight.Police body camera footage showed Massey talking to the officers and searching through her purse after they asked her for identification.Grayson then asked her to check on a pot of boiling water on the stove, saying “we don’t need a fire while we’re here.”Holding the pot, Massey responded “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus” — prompting the deputy to draw his weapon and say: “You better fucking not. I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you in your fucking face.”Apologizing, Massey crouched behind a counter as the officer screamed “drop the fucking pot” and fired three shots, killing Massey with a bullet to the face.Grayson took the stand during his one-week trial and testified that he had felt threatened by the pot of boiling water Massey was holding.The Sangamon County Board approved a $10 million settlement with Massey’s estate last year.The United States was rocked by protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in Minnesota.Floyd’s death revived scrutiny of race relations and sparked nationwide calls for police reform.

US Senate rejects vote to avert government shutdown

A US government funding shutdown looked increasingly certain Thursday after Senate Democrats rejected a key procedural vote to express anger over the killing of two protesters against President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown.The failure to approve a six-bill spending package intended to fund more than three-quarters of the federal government makes a partial shutdown starting Saturday almost impossible to avoid, although Democrats and the White House were still frantically seeking a last-minute deal.It would be the second shutdown — when funding for swaths of the US government are temporarily frozen — since Trump took office a year ago.Democrats had vowed to block the measure unless funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is peeled away and renegotiated to include guardrails on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the most generously funded US law-enforcement agency.That left the chamber’s 53 Republicans short of the 60 votes needed to advance the legislation towards final passage, leaving Washington bracing for another disruptive shutdown as negotiations slide toward Friday night’s midnight deadline.”What ICE is doing… it is state-sanctioned thuggery and it must stop. And Congress has the authority — and the moral obligation — to act,” said Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ahead of the vote.The test vote wasn’t even close in the end, as a modest Republican revolt — driven by a grab bag of grievances — joined Democrats in delivering a decisive 55-45 rejection of the package.If funding lapses, hundreds of thousands of public employees could be placed on leave or forced to work without pay, with economic disruption rippling outward. The standoff — which comes with particularly high stakes in a year in which the entire House and around a third of the Senate are up for reelection in the midterms — has been triggered by an incendiary row over immigration enforcement.Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse protesting Trump’s deportation efforts in the northern city of Minneapolis, was shot dead Saturday by border patrol agents — just weeks after immigration officers killed another activist, Renee Good, blocks away.Anger of the incidents shattered what had appeared to be a stable bipartisan funding deal and refocused congressional debate on the conduct of immigration officers operating under Trump’s aggressive crackdown.- ‘Talks are ongoing’ -Schumer has demanded that DHS funding be split off from the broader spending package and addressed separately, paired with new legal limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and related agencies. Democrats say they are prepared to pass the other five bills immediately — covering departments such as defense, health, education, transportation and financial services — if Republicans agree to that separation.Democrats are pushing particularly for an end to roving ICE patrols, tightening requirements for search warrants, establishing a universal code of conduct governing the use of force, prohibiting officers from wearing masks and mandating body cameras and proper identification.Republican leaders have resisted splitting the package, arguing that altering the legislation would slow passage and risk triggering the very shutdown Democrats say they want to avoid. The House and Senate both have to approve the exact same bill texts before they can become law. But the House is on a break. Lawmakers have raised concerns about the consequences of a DHS shutdown for agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during severe winter weather.The White House has become more directly involved in the negotiations as the vote approaches, according to US media, with Trump aides exploring whether a temporary DHS funding extension could defuse the crisis. Democrats, however, have warned they will not accept informal assurances or executive actions in place of legislation.

Les ours du Svalbard ont résisté mieux que prévu au réchauffement

C’est “une surprise” pour les chercheurs : les ours polaires du Svalbard ont augmenté leur corpulence, résistant mieux que prévu au réchauffement climatique accéléré qui frappe la région, conclut une étude publiée jeudi, même si cette adaptation pourrait être de courte durée.”L’augmentation de leur condition physique durant une période de perte significative de la glace de mer a été une surprise”, confie à l’AFP Jon Aars, de l’Institut polaire norvégien, auteur principal de l’article paru dans la revue Scientific Reports, pour qui ce résultat pourrait s’expliquer par une diversification de l’alimentation des ours.Les scientifiques ont analysé la corpulence de centaines d’ours entre entre 1995 et 2019 dans l’archipel norvégien du Svalbard, une région marquée par un changement climatique jusqu’à quatre fois plus rapide que la moyenne mondiale. Certaines zones de la mer de Barents ont même connu un réchauffement de près de 2°C par décennie ces 40 dernières années, soulignent les chercheurs.Conséquence de ces conditions climatiques, la glace de mer qui sert de terrain de chasse à l’ours polaire –  entre 1.900 et 3.600 individus dans toute la mer de Barents, selon un recensement de 2004 – recule. Les scientifiques s’attendaient donc à trouver des ours plus maigres, comme dans d’autres régions du monde touchées par un même recul de la glace, mais le résultat s’est avéré étonnant.L’indice mesurant la condition corporelle des ours, après un déclin initial entre 1995 et 2000, a “augmenté ensuite, durant une période de perte rapide de la glace de mer”, concluent ainsi les chercheurs dans leur étude.- “Surprenant” -“Ce résultat peut sembler surprenant car il est contraire aux résultats des études menées dans d’autres populations d’ours polaires, comme dans la baie de Hudson, où la condition physique a fortement diminué à cause du réchauffement”, souligne pour l’AFP la chercheuse Sarah Cubaynes, qui n’a pas participé directement à cette étude mais a aussi travaillé sur les populations d’ours.Une dégradation de ces mesures, qui prend en compte la corpulence et les réserves de graisse, aurait été considérée comme un indicateur de futurs problèmes démographiques pour ces animaux, comme dans d’autres régions.”Quand les conditions se dégradent, avec moins d’accès à la nourriture, on anticipe d’abord que les ours vont devenir plus maigres, en accumulant moins de graisse”, “avant que les choses ne s’aggravent encore et que la survie et la reproduction ne baissent significativement”, explique Jon Aars.Les auteurs insistent donc sur l’importance de ne pas extrapoler les observations d’une région à une autre. La situation des ours du Svalbard obéit à une “relation complexe” entre leur habitat, l’écosystème, leurs gains et leurs dépenses énergétiques, soulignent-ils. – Rennes et morses -Pour expliquer leur résilience, les auteurs suggèrent que les ours ont pu diversifier leur alimentation, jusqu’ici composée essentiellement de phoques. Ils auraient pu chasser plus facilement les rennes et les morses, dont les populations ont de nouveau prospéré après avoir été surexploitées par les humains. La concentration d’une espèce particulière de phoques pourrait aussi avoir augmenté lorsque la glace de mer était plus rare, demandant moins d’efforts aux ours pour les chasser.”Une hypothèse plausible pourrait être que les ourses femelles arrivent à préserver leur condition physique toutefois au prix de produire moins de descendants”, ajoute Sarah Cubaynes, évoquant une piste qui n’est pas mentionnée dans l’étude.Même si l’adaptation des ours polaires étudiés leur semble une “bonne nouvelle”, les chercheurs se montrent moins optimistes pour la suite, estimant que les ours du Svalbard finiront probablement par être rattrapés par le changement climatique dans un futur proche. “Nous pensons qu’ils sont toujours dépendants de leur capacité à chasser des phoques sur la glace”, ce qui va s’avérer plus difficile, insiste Jon Aars.

Heavy security near Niger capital’s airport after gunfire, blastsThu, 29 Jan 2026 17:26:27 GMT

Heavy security was deployed around Niger’s main airport Thursday after overnight gunfire and explosions raised suspicions of a jihadist attack, but the ruling junta remained tight-lipped.Niger, a Sahelian country regularly hit by jihadist violence, has been led for more than two years by Abdourahamane Tiani, the head of a junta that overthrew the elected civilian …

Heavy security near Niger capital’s airport after gunfire, blastsThu, 29 Jan 2026 17:26:27 GMT Read More »

French IT group Capgemini under fire over ICE links

A contract with American Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has triggered a barrage of criticism of French IT services company Capgemini in the wake of killings and other incidents involving US border officials.The company was still scrambling Thursday to explain the deal for a tool to identify and track foreigners on US soil, which it says was signed by an arm’s-length subsidiary set up to bid on classified US government work, with limited oversight from HQ in France.Nevertheless, “according to the information made known to the group, that contract awarded in December 2025 is not currently being fulfilled”, Capgemini told AFP by email.An internal message sent to Capgemini staff Wednesday and seen by AFP said that the contract was “subject to legal challenge” without providing details, adding that the US arm had “launched a process of examining the contents of this contract”.The killings of two people — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — by ICE and border patrol (CBP) agents in Minneapolis have made world headlines in recent weeks, provoking widespread condemnation of the American agency.Capgemini, which operates in around 50 countries worldwide and belongs to the CAC40 group of France’s largest listed companies, has called an extraordinary board meeting for this weekend after being the subject of pointed questions in parliament and calls for transparency from the government.”I’ve been at Capgemini for 32 years and I’ve never seen a crisis situation like this one,” CFDT union delegate Frederic Bolore told AFP. “It’s a huge shock for employees”.Shares in the group fell 2.8 percent to 127.85 euros ($152.70), by close of trading in Paris Thursday, and are 10 percent lower than at the start of the year.- ‘Active accomplice’ -Campaign group Multinationals Observatory last week revealed the ICE contract, with further details reported by broadcaster France 2.Chief executive Aiman Ezzat wrote on LinkedIn Sunday that bosses “were recently made aware, through public sources” of the contract with Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS), the US subsidiary.At CGS, “decision making is separate, networks are firewalled, and the Capgemini group cannot access any classified information (or) classified contracts”, Ezzat added.Public US government documents show that the ICE-CGS contract signed on December 18 is worth $4.8 million.”I think the least we can expect of a French company… is to be transparent about the contracts it has with ICE, but perhaps also to call them into question,” Economy Minister Roland Lescure told journalists in Paris Thursday.Ezzat acknowledged in his LinkedIn message that “the nature and scope of this work has raised questions compared to what we typically do as a business and technology firm”.But CGT union representative Benjamin Girard said the ICE contract’s existence was not a “revelation” to him.”Capgemini works with government organisations playing a part in migration policies that are currently quite authoritarian,” he said.In a letter to CEO Ezzat, CGT representatives said that the ICE deal was “not only contrary to Capgemini’s stated values, but makes our company an active accomplice in serious human rights violations”.France 2 has reported that the company has other contracts in the US tied to surveillance of sites used for detention and transport of arrested foreigners.

US border chief says not ‘surrendering’ immigration mission in Minneapolis

President Donald Trump’s border chief vowed Thursday to press on with the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis but said a plan to “draw down” the number of federal agents in the city is in the works.”We’re going to make sure we do targeted enforcement operations,” Tom Homan told reporters. “We are not surrendering our mission at all. We’re just doing it smarter.””President Trump wants this fixed. And I’m going to fix it.”The border chief called on Minnesota’s residents to turn down the temperature and stop what he called “hateful rhetoric” against federal agents carrying out immigration raids.Minneapolis has been gripped by weeks of protests against the roundup of undocumented migrants by masked and heavily armed federal agents. Two Americans demonstrating against the sweeps have been shot dead by officers.Homan struck a conciliatory tone at his first press conference, a marked difference from the Border Patrol commander who was previously heading the mission on the ground and has since been removed.”Community safety is paramount,” Homan said. “The mission is going to improve because of the changes we’re making internally.”President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made,” he said. “That’s exactly what I’m doing here.”Homan said his staff is “working on a drawdown plan” for some of the more than 3,000 federal agents who have been taking part in what the Trump administration has dubbed “Operation Metro Surge.”Increased cooperation from authorities in the Democratic-run state is key, he said.One such measure, for example, would be notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents about the release dates of incarcerated migrants considered “criminal public safety risks” so they can be detained by ICE, he said.”More agents in the jail means less agents in the street,” Homan said. “This is commonsense cooperation that allows us to draw down on the number of people we have here.”Steven Gagner, a 41-year-old jewelry designer and “citizen observer” in Minneapolis, was skeptical about the drawdown.”We’ll believe it when we see it, because this administration has proven time and time again that they just lie to us and they do not really hold themselves or anyone else accountable,” he told AFP.- ‘Will be dealt with’ -Homan declined to comment on the latest shooting in Minneapolis by federal agents — that of 37-year-old Veterans Hospital nurse Alex Pretti — saying he would “let the investigation play out and see where it goes.”The two agents involved in Saturday’s shooting have been placed on leave and Homan said any federal agents who breach standards of conduct “will be dealt with.”Trump has scrambled to stem outrage across the political aisle over Pretti’s killing and that of another protestor, Renee Good, saying Tuesday he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minneapolis.But the president on Wednesday accused the city’s mayor Jacob Frey of “PLAYING WITH FIRE” for refusing to rally local police to enforce the federal immigration sweeps.The political battle has landed in Congress, where Democrats are threatening to hold up swaths of government funding if reforms are not made to rein in the sprawling paramilitary-style immigration agencies.In another challenge to Trump’s immigration crackdown, a federal judge ruled Wednesday to halt the detention of refugees in Minnesota awaiting permanent resident status and ordered the release of those in custody.Meanwhile, another federal judge slammed ICE chief Todd Lyons, claiming he “has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”The White House initially justified Saturday’s fatal shooting of Pretti with Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem calling him a “domestic terrorist.”But a widespread backlash forced Trump to shuffle leadership of operations in Minneapolis, replacing Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino with Homan.

Iran: l’UE accentue la pression contre un “régime terroriste”

L’Union européenne a décidé jeudi d’accentuer sa pression sur le “régime” iranien, qualifié de “terroriste”, tout comme les Gardiens de la révolution, son bras armé dans la répression sanglante des manifestations en Iran.”+Terroriste+, c’est bien ainsi que l’on qualifie un régime qui réprime les manifestations de son propre peuple dans le sang”, a affirmé jeudi la présidente de la Commission européenne Ursula von der Leyen.”Ceux qui opèrent par la terreur doivent être traités comme des terroristes”, a affirmé de son côté la cheffe de la diplomatie de l’UE Kaja Kallas, en annonçant devant la presse la décision des 27 d’inscrire les Gardiens de la révolution dans la liste des organisations terroristes de l’UE.Les Européens rejoignent ainsi les pays ayant déjà pris cette décision, comme les Etats-Unis, l’Australie ou le Canada.Les Européens ont également annoncé avoir sanctionné plusieurs responsables iraniens, dont le ministre de l’Intérieur, le chef de la police et plusieurs dirigeants des Gardiens de la révolution. La liste de ces responsables iraniens a été publiée jeudi au Journal officiel de l’UE.Au total, quelque 21 entités et individus supplémentaires sont ciblés par ces sanctions, qui prévoient une interdiction d’entrer dans l’UE et le gel de leurs avoirs sur le territoire des Vingt-Sept.- “Aucune impunité”-“La décision d’aujourd’hui est un signal politique fort et attendu depuis trop longtemps”, s’est félicité le chef de la diplomatie allemande, Johann Wadephul, dont le pays faisait pression pour que l’UE se rallie à ses vues.La France avait annoncé mercredi être prête désormais à soutenir l’inscription des Gardiens de la révolution dans la liste des organisations terroristes, levant ainsi un des principaux obstacles à l’adoption de cette mesure.”Il ne peut y avoir aucune impunité pour les crimes commis”, a ainsi affirmé le ministre français des Affaires étrangères Jean-Noël Barrot, dès son arrivée à Bruxelles.Le ministre français a également appelé les autorités iraniennes à libérer les prisonniers et “à mettre fin aux exécutions qui poursuivent la répression (…) la plus violente de l’histoire contemporaine de l’Iran”.Les forces armées iraniennes ont qualifié jeudi d'”irresponsable” et de “malveillante” la décision des 27.A l’inverse, Israël a salué “une décision importante et historique”, par la voix de son ministre des Affaires étrangères Gideon Saar.- “Otages français” -Les menaces sur les ressortissants européens en Iran ont longtemps incité certains pays à la prudence.Le chef de la diplomatie belge Maxime Prévot a lui aussi confirmé que son pays était désormais prêt à suivre ses partenaires de l’UE, “à la lumière des atrocités” constatées ces dernières semaines.La priorité en ce moment, “c’est la sécurité de nos ressortissants, de nos entreprises et aussi des deux otages français, qui sont en sécurité à l’ambassade de France, et dont nous exigeons la libération définitive et immédiate”, a indiqué de son côté M. Barrot.Les Gardiens de la révolution sont accusés par les ONG de défense des droits humains d’avoir orchestré la répression meurtrière du vaste mouvement contestataire qui secoue le pays, faisant des milliers de morts.Cette mesure était aussi jugée d’un impact limité, les Gardiens de la révolution faisant déjà l’objet de sanctions européennes.Des sanctions ont également été décidées à l’encontre d’une dizaine d’individus et d’entités en Iran, accusés d’aider la Russie dans sa guerre contre l’Ukraine, grâce à la fourniture de drones ou de missiles.

Melania Trump premieres multi-million-dollar documentary

Melania Trump on Thursday premieres her new movie promising a behind the scenes glimpse at her husband’s return to power — a documentary funded by an extraordinary multi-million-dollar deal with Amazon.Titled simply “Melania,” the documentary is getting a red carpet screening at the newly renamed Trump-Kennedy center in Washington, attended by both the US First Lady and President Donald Trump himself.But amid reports of soft ticket sales for the Slovenian-born 55-year-old’s movie, the huge fee paid by the US tech giant has raised questions about whether Amazon is merely trying to curry favor with the president.”My new film Melania provides a window into an important period for America,” Melania Trump said as she rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.”For the first time in history, people will witness the 20 days leading up to the inauguration through the eyes of an incoming first lady.”Melania Trump has been an often mysterious figure since President Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, preferring to spend her time with the couple’s son Barron in New York and Florida.But she said the film, which goes on global release on Friday and will later be shown exclusively on Amazon Prime, would give people a look behind the enigma. “They will see how I work, who I am, how I communicate with people, and they will know me a little bit more,” she told Fox and Friends on Wednesday.A teaser for the documentary released in December showed the former model looking to the camera just before her husband’s second swearing-in at the US Capitol and saying: “Here we go again.”The Trumps held a private screening at the White House on Saturday — hours after immigration agents shot dead protester Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in an incident that has sparked national outrage.In one of a series of promotional interviews this week for the film, Melania Trump called for “unity” after the Minneapolis killing.- ‘MUST WATCH’ -While it promises an “unprecedented” glimpse into her life, “Melania” has also given an insight into the way US business titans have lined up to pay tribute to the Trump administration in the past year.Amazon tycoon Bezos has grown notably closer to Trump, securing a prime seat at the inauguration and telling the Washington Post newspaper he owns to favor pro-business editorials.US media say that of Amazon’s $40 licensing deal for the film, Melania, who served as executive producer, will receive 70 percent. The next highest bid, from Disney, was reportedly only $14 million.On top of that Amazon has reportedly paid for a stunning $35 million marketing campaign including television commercials, billboards and a simulcast in 25 theaters at the same time as Thursday’s premiere.”How can it not be equated with currying favor or an outright bribe?” Ted Hope, a former Amazon film executive, was quoted as saying by the New York Times. Billionaire Trump has faced repeated criticism that his family members are profiting from deals made off the back of his presidency. The White House says Trump is already rich and makes no money from his position.For his part, President Trump has said on his Truth Social account that “Melania” is “A MUST WATCH.”But across the rest of social media, the film and its PR campaign have drawn ridicule with several internet users posting screenshots showing cinemas that have sold no seats for screenings of “Melania.”In South Africa, the country’s main cinema houses have pulled the documentary with the distributor citing “the current climate”, without elaborating, local media reported.The South African government has strained ties with Trump’s administration, which has repeated false accusations that Pretoria is behind a “white genocide” of the Afrikaans community.The film has also drawn controversy over its choice of director. It is the first major project for Brett Ratner since multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017, allegations he denies.”He was very talented,” Melania Trump told Fox. “He was the best one, and he was great to work with.”