Latest news with #AgenceFrance-Presse
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Hamas says it responded to US truce proposal and will free 10 living hostages
Hamas on Saturday, May 31, said it had responded to a ceasefire proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying 10 living hostages would be freed from Gaza as part of the deal. The Palestinian militant group did not explicitly say it had accepted the version of the proposal it received on Thursday, which reportedly included a provision for the release of 10 living hostages. Hamas noted that its response had been made out of a "sense of responsibility toward our people and their suffering." The White House previously said the proposal had been approved in advance by Israel, which on Friday warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages "or be annihilated." Hamas said in a statement on Friday that it had "submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties." "As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners," it added. A breakthrough in negotiations had been elusive since a previous ceasefire fell apart on March 18 with the resumption of Israeli operations. US President Donald Trump had said Friday that the parties were "very close to an agreement." Two sources close to the negotiations have said the deal involves a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days. It would see the release of five living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners during the first week, followed by a second exchange the following week, the sources said. Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed major operations on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly civilians. Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) tally based on official figures.
LeMonde
7 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Paris: Holocaust memorial and two synagogues targeted by green paint overnight
France's Holocaust memorial, two synagogues and a restaurant in central Paris were vandalized with green paint overnight, according to police sources cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday, May 31, prompting condemnation from government and city officials. At the foot of the façade of the restaurant Chez Marianne, located next to Rue de Rosiers, an open pot of paint was found. The police also found paint splattered on the Tournelles synagogue, the Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue and the Shoah Memorial, all in the 4 th arrondissement of the capital. No messages or claims of responsibility have been found at this stage. The incidents were reported by police officers on patrol at around 5:15 am. Footage from the Memorial's CCTV cameras showed a person dressed in black spray-painting the wall at around 4:30 am. "I am deeply disgusted by these heinous acts targeting the Jewish community," said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X. No arrests have been made. Paris authorities would be lodging a complaint over the paint incident, the city's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, said. "I condemn these acts of intimidation in the strongest possible terms. Antisemitism has no place in our city or in our Republic," she said in a statement released to the press. There was also strong emotion from the mayor of Paris Centre, Ariel Weil, who wrote on X: "After red paint, now green paint. This time, the gesture is more precise: the Shoah Memorial, synagogues and a 'Jewish' restaurant. After all, it's just heritage. And it will surely save lives. We know where 'militant' acts begin, but we don't know where they end." Weil shared images of buildings covered in green paint. In a message sent to prefects on Friday and seen by AFP, Minister Retailleau called for increased security measures for the Jewish community during the Shavuot holiday, from the evening of June 1 to the evening of June 3. He explained these measures by citing "persistent international tensions, particularly in the Middle East," which "require extreme vigilance, especially with regard to demonstrations and places of worship." The minister also noted that "antisemitic acts account for more than 60% of anti-religious acts, and the Jewish community is particularly vulnerable." Feeling of stigmatization The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), Yonathan Arfi, told AFP on Saturday that he felt "great sadness and indignation upon seeing the images this morning of Jewish sites that had been vandalized." Arfi said he hoped that the perpetrator, "since it is clearly just one person on the surveillance cameras," would be apprehended "as quickly as possible so that we can find out the motives behind his actions." "Whether or not this is an attempt to destabilize from outside, it is an act that targets the Jewish community in France and creates a feeling of stigmatization among Jews, which is always a violent feeling," he continued, referring to "images that hurt." "That's where it's tragic, because whatever the perpetrator's motives, the consequence is the same: It's a form of violent stigmatization of Jews," he insisted.
LeMonde
a day ago
- Health
- LeMonde
Etienne-Emile Baulieu, inventor of the abortion pill, dies at 98
French doctor and scientist Etienne-Emile Baulieu, known as the father of the abortion pill, died at the age of 98, at his home in Paris, on Friday, May 30, his wife told Agence France-Presse (AFP). The doctor and researcher, who achieved worldwide renown for his work that led to the pill, had an eventful life that included fighting in the French resistance and becoming friends with artists such as Andy Warhol. "His research was guided by his commitment to the progress made possible by science, his dedication to women's freedom, and his desire to enable everyone to live better, longer lives," Baulieu's wife, Simone Harari Baulieu, said in a statement. The widower of Yolande Compagnon, Baulieu married Simone Harari in 2016. He leaves behind three children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, according to the statement released by his family. Born as Etienne Blum to Jewish parents in Strasbourg, on December 12, 1926, he was raised by his feminist mother after his father, a doctor, died. He changed his name to Emile Baulieu when he joined the French Resistance against Nazi occupation at the age of 15, then later adding Etienne to his name. After the war, he became a self-described "doctor who does science," specializing in the field of steroid hormones. Invited to work in the United States, Baulieu was noticed in 1961 by Gregory Pincus, known as the father of the contraceptive pill, who convinced him to focus on sex hormones. Threats from opponents of abortion Baulieu's most well-known discovery helped create the oral drug RU-486, also known as mifepristone, which provided a safe and inexpensive alternative to surgical abortion to millions of women across the world. After his time in the US, Baulieu, while back in France, designed a way to block the effect of the hormone progesterone, which is essential for the egg to implant in the uterus after fertilization. This led to the development of mifepristone in 1982. His work meant he also faced fierce criticism and sometimes threats from opponents of abortion. After Wyoming became the first US state to outlaw the use of the abortion pill in 2023, Baulieu told AFP it was "scandalous." Baulieu said he had dedicated a large part of his life to "increasing the freedom of women," and the ban was a step in the opposite direction. 'Fascinated by artists' In the 1960s, the literature fan had become friends with artists such as Andy Warhol. He said he was "fascinated by artists who claim to have access to the human soul, something that will forever remain beyond the reach of scientists." Baulieu kept working in his Parisian office into his mid-90s. "I would be bored if I did not work anymore," he said in 2023. His recent research has included trying to find a way to prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease, as well as a treatment for severe depression, for which clinical trials are currently underway across the world. In 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron presented Baulieu with the Grand-Croix de la Legion d'Honneur, the top rank in France's national honors system. "You, a Jew and a resistance fighter, you were overwhelmed with the most atrocious insults and even compared to Nazi scientists," Macron said. "But you held on, for the love of freedom and science." In the United States, Baulieu was also awarded the prestigious Lasker prize, the highest American scientific award, in 1989.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
French President Macron says abandoning Gaza 'will kill' West's credibility
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that abandoning war-torn Gaza to its fate and giving Israel a "free pass" would kill the West's credibility with the world. "If we abandon Gaza, if we consider there is a free pass for Israel, even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we will kill our credibility," Macron told a top defence forum in Singapore, adding: "And this is why we do reject double standard." The French leader also said Europe and the United States were unable to solve crises around the world, including in Gaza and Ukraine. "I think the credibility of both the US and the Europeans to pretend to fix the crises in these regions (are) very low," Macron told the Shangri-la Dialogue at the end of his Southeast Asian tour. EU leaders have toughened their tone on Israel in recent days. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday denounced attacks in the past days on civilian infrastructure in Gaza as "abhorrent" and "disproportionate." But the 27-member bloc has long struggled to have an impact on the conflict due to long-standing divisions between countries that back Israel and those seen as more pro-Palestinian. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire despite aid beginning to trickle back into the Palestinian territory after a more than two-month Israeli blockade. Food security experts say starvation is looming for one in five people. Agence France-Presse
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
French President Macron decorates Indonesia leader, announces cultural partnership
French President Emmanuel Macron bestowed Indonesia's leader with France's top award on Thursday, before announcing a new cultural partnership with Jakarta on a visit to the world's largest Buddhist temple. Macron's trip to Indonesia is the second stop of a three-nation, six-day tour of Southeast Asia that began with Vietnam and concludes in Singapore. After meeting for talks in the capital Jakarta, Macron and his counterpart Prabowo Subianto flew by helicopter on Thursday from Javan city Yogyakarta to a military academy in Magelang, a city in Central Java surrounded by mountains. The pair attended a military parade and Macron gave Prabowo the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France's highest military or civil award. Emmanuel Macron (lower R) visits Borobudur Temple, the world's largest Buddhist monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Magelang. AFP Macron rode in a jeep driven by Prabowo with the pair welcomed by a marching band and hundreds of students waving Indonesian flags. Macron then visited Borobudur, a Buddhist temple built in the 9th century that is the world's largest, where the pair announced they were boosting cultural ties. Prabowo Subianto, Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron meet during a visit at Borobudur Temple. Reuters "In front of this temple, we are taking an important step by launching a new cultural partnership," said Macron. "The first pillar is heritage and museum cooperation. The second pillar is cultural and creative industries," he said. Macron said the basis of the new partnership would be cinema and fashion, as well as video games, design and gastronomy. The French leader will now depart for Singapore where he will deliver the opening address Friday at the Shangri-la Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum. On Wednesday, the pair called for progress on "mutual recognition" between Israel and the Palestinians at a key meeting next month as Macron brought the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation into his diplomatic efforts. "Indonesia has stated that once Israel recognises Palestine, Indonesia is ready to recognise Israel and open the diplomatic relationship," said Prabowo. Indonesia has no formal ties with Israel and support for the Palestinian cause among Indonesians runs high. The nations also signed a series of agreements on cooperation in a range of fields including defence, trade, agriculture, disaster management, culture and transport. Agence France-Presse
