Grâce à l'Euro 2016, le foot français renoue avec la victoire

En 1984, le numéro 10 des Bleus apportait au pays son premier trophée international lors de son premier Euro organisé à la maison. Quatorze ans plus tard, le meneur de jeu reconverti en brillant organisateur pilotait la Coupe du monde en France qui consacrait la bande à Zidane. Vendredi 28 mai, c'est dans son costume de président de l'Union des associations européennes de football Associations (UEFA) qu'il a annoncé, à Genève, que la France avait été désignée pour accueillir l'Euro en 2016.

Michel Platini n'a pas participé au vote du comité exécutif de l'UEFA qui n'a donné qu'une voix d'avance à la candidature française (7) face à sa rivale turque (6). Mais, pour le troisième postulant, l'Italie, écartée au premier tour, il ne faisait pas de doute que la nationalité du patron du football européen ferait pencher la balance en faveur de la France.

"Moi, je suis très ami avec les Turcs et j'ai un nom à consonance italienne", a déclaré après le vote Michel Platini, qui s'est contenté de montrer le carton "France " sans dire un mot au moment de la désignation du vainqueur. "Cette élection est la preuve que l'UEFA est démocratique. Si le président était un despote, le résultat aurait été de 13-0."

Le patron de l'UEFA, qui a toujours le sens de la formule, avait sévèrement taclé le football tricolore après l'échec de Lyon en demi-finale de la Ligue des champions, il y a un mois, estimant dans un entretien au Monde (du 29 avril) que "le football français a des années de retard". Vendredi, dans le concert de réactions enthousiastes - "On est très heureux, très honoré" (Nicolas Sarkozy) ; " Un grand bonheur" (Martine Aubry) ; "Un moment historique" (Rama Yade)...-, il a tenté de ramener tout ce petit monde politique à la hauteur de l'enjeu : "C'est un grand soulagement pour le foot français qui en avait besoin, pour refaire ses stades."

Des enceintes sportives qui ont vieilli depuis le Mondial 1998 et dont la Ligue de football professionnel (LFP) considère qu'ils constituent un frein à la compétitivité économique et sportive des clubs français sur la scène européenne. Parmi les douze sites présentés dans le dossier de candidature français - et dont seulement neuf accueilleront des matches en 2016 - quatre sont à construire (Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon et Nice) et sept à rénover (Lens, Marseille, Nancy, Paris, Saint-Etienne, Strasbourg, Toulouse). Seul le Stade de France de Saint-Denis n'est pas à moderniser. Le gouvernement, qui avait mis sur pied une commission "grands stades" pour soutenir la candidature française, a promis de participer à hauteur de 150 millions d'euros à l'effort de guerre. Mais la facture totale devrait s'élever à 1,7 milliard d'euros.

L'attribution de l'Euro 2016 à la France est aussi une vraie bouffée d'oxygène pour une fédération qui peine à mobiliser le public autour de son équipe nationale et de son sélectionneur, à deux semaines du début de la Coupe du monde en Afrique du Sud (du 11 juin au 11 juillet). Après le traumatisme des revers successifs pour l'obtention des Jeux olympiques de 2008 et de 2012 - où Pékin puis Londres ont été préférées à Paris -, ce succès est également un soulagement pour le mouvement sportif français dans son ensemble et le gouvernement.

A commencer par le président de la République, Nicolas Sarkozy, qui s'était personnellement impliqué dans la campagne, en se rendant vendredi à Genève, accompagné de Zinédine Zidane, pour porter le dossier français. "Nous, nous pensons, en France, que le sport est une réponse à la crise, a déclaré M. Sarkozy devant les 13 membres du comité exécutif de l'UEFA juste avant l'élection. C'est justement parce qu'il y a une crise, qu'il y a des problèmes, qu'il faut mobiliser tout un pays vers l'organisation de grands événements."

Quand Berlusconi cite Mussolini

Silvio Berlusconi est décidément toujours là où on ne l'attend pas. Jeudi, à Paris, en plein sommet de l'Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE), le chef du gouvernement italien a provoqué la stupeur en concluant son intervention devant la presse par une phrase de l'ancien dictateur Benito Mussolini.

"J'ose vous citer une phrase de celui qui était considéré comme un dictateur, un grand, un puissant dictateur, Benito Mussolini", a déclaré le président du Conseil italien, poursuivant : "Dans son journal, j'ai lu récemment cette phrase : 'Ils disent que j'ai le pouvoir. Ce n'est pas vrai. Peut-être est-ce le cas des responsables de mon parti. Mais ce n'est pas vrai pour moi. Tout ce que je peux faire, c'est dire à mon cheval d'avancer vers la droite ou vers la gauche. Et de cela, je dois me contenter.'"

Flotilla bound for Gaza delayed, loses key members

Ships carrying 10,000 tons of supplies and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists to blockaded Gaza were being held up near Cyprus on Saturday, as organizers tried to get nearly two dozen high-profile supporters on board.

The flotilla was to set sail toward Gaza on Saturday afternoon, in any event, and approach the territory on Sunday, about 24 hours behind schedule, said Greta Berlin, one of the activists.

A showdown with the Israeli navy appeared inevitable. Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, reiterated Saturday that the ships would be intercepted, denouncing the sea convoy as a provocation and violation of maritime laws. Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Islamic militant Hamas seized the territory by force three years ago.

In Gaza, Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said the flotilla signals the end of the blockade.

"If the ships reach Gaza, it's a victory for Gaza," Haniyeh told some 400 supporters after touring Gaza City's small fishing harbor, where several smaller vessels breaking the blockade have docked in the past. "If they are intercepted and terrorized by the Zionists, it will be a victory for Gaza, too, and they will move again in new ships to break the siege of Gaza."

In Cyprus, organizers were trying to find a way to have two dozen would-be passengers, including 19 European legislators and an elderly Holocaust survivor, join the ships anchored in international waters off the island. The Cypriot government did not allow smaller boats to carry the group to the flotilla, Berlin said.

Authorities in Cyprus said the decision was made to protect the island's "vital interests" — including economic ties with Israel.

Organizers then appealed to the Turkish government to get the group out via a Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus port. Turkish Cypriot officials have said they want to help the group as much as they can.

But a diplomatic tangle was not the only factor delaying the mission. Mechanical problems forced the flotilla to shrink from eight ships to five.

Israel has said it is determined to intercept and search the vessels, then tow them to an Israeli port.

Israel has prepared a makeshift detention center in its southern port of Ashdod, and officials have said the activists sailing on the ships face deportation or arrest. Israel says that after a security check, it will transfer the cargo to Gaza through the United Nations.

"We will not let this flotilla get through. It harms Israeli security," Israel TV's Channel 10 quoted Ayalon as saying.

Still, the aid convoy poses a serious dilemma that was debated at the highest levels of the Israeli government this week.

Scenes of Israeli naval commandos taking over vessels with aid shipments and detaining high-profile activists could further harm Israel's image. However, Israel is concerned about setting a precedent and eroding the blockade if it lets the vessels dock in Gaza.

Critics say the blockade has been counterproductive, failing to dislodge Hamas while deepening poverty in Gaza. There have been growing demands by the international community that Israel ease its grip or lift the closure altogether.

Earlier this week, Turkey urged Israel to end the blockade and said it was using diplomatic channels with Israel to avert a showdown over the flotilla. However, Turkey's government has also said the sea convoy, arranged in part by a Turkish aid group, is a private initiative.

Turkish-Israeli relations cooled after Israel's military offensive against Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009.

In Gaza City, Haniyeh praised Turkey on Saturday as a leader among Muslim nations and the Gaza harbor was decorated with Turkish flags.

Since December 2008, Israel has not permitted boats carrying aid to reach Gaza.

Associated Press writers Rizek Abdel Jawad in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this report.

Roland Garros, c'est fini pour Rezaï et Bartoli

Ce samedi, c'est l'hécatombe dans le camp tricolore. Après Aravane Rezaï, c'est au tour de Marion Bartoli d'être éliminée au troisième tour du tournoi de Roland Garros.

Marion Bartoli, la N.1 nationale et dernière Française en lice, s'est inclinée ce samedi 29 mai au troisième tour de Roland-Garros face à l'Israélienne Shahar Peer en deux sets 7-6 (9/7), 6-2.

Le deuxième gros coup dur de la journée: l'élimination d'Aravane Rezaï par la Russe Nadia Petrova en trois set 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 10-8 dans un match interrompu la veille par la nuit.

Le tennis français en petite santé

La France n'aura donc aucune représentante en huitièmes de finale pour seulement la deuxième fois en quatorze ans, après 2008.

Une statistique qui confirme la petite santé actuelle du tennis français qui compte beaucoup de joueurs mais peu de champions et qui a réalisé un des pires tournois de son histoire en ne plaçant que trois représentants au troisième tour.

Tous les espoirs reposent désormais sur les épaules de Jo-Wilfried Tsonga qui avait déjà été le seul Français, hommes et femmes confondues, à franchir le troisième tour à l'Open d'Australie, premier tournoi du Grand Chelem de l'année, en janvier. Il affrontera le Russe Mikhail Youzhny en huitièmes, dimanche.

UN to reduce DR Congo peace force

The UN Security Council has voted to authorise the withdrawal of up to 2,000 peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of Congo by 30 June.

However, it has delayed a decision on the full withdrawal of its 20,500-strong force, as sought by Congolese President Joseph Kabila, to next year.

The 15-member body unanimously adopted a resolution to withdraw the troops "where the security situation permits".

It also decided to retain a UN presence in DR Congo until 30 June 2011.

The force, known as Monuc, will be renamed UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in DR Congo - or Monusco - from 1 July.

The resolution allows it to comprise up to 19,815 military personnel, 760 military observers, 391 police personnel and 1,050 personnel of formed police units.
Sexual violence

UN troops have had a mixed record in DR Congo, with accusations of sex abuse, gold smuggling and running from rebels.
UN IN DR CONGO
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Peacekeepers arrived in DR Congo in 1999, initially to deal with the nationwide civil war.

Since the end of the conflict in 2003, they have been dealing with the various militias which have been looting the rich mineral resources in the east of the country.

Most of them have now either been disarmed, absorbed by the Congolese army or reduced to gangs of armed bandits.

Mr Kabila believes national security forces can deal with the remaining problems and has indicated he wants UN troops out by the end of 2011.

However, some analysts believe the region remains too unstable to cope with the force's withdrawal.

Sexual violence is a particular problem, with more than 8,000 women raped during fighting in 2009, according to the UN.

The situation caused Monuc troops to begin escorting women to market.

The UN ruled that the future shape of its force would be determined by operational progress in the east and the Congolese government's ability to protect citizens and control the country.

"The protection of civilians must be given priority," its resolution said, adding that it authorised peacekeepers to use "all necessary means" to carry out this mandate.

Malawi pardons jailed gay couple

A gay couple who were jailed in Malawi have been pardoned by President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Mr Mutharika, speaking as UN chief Ban Ki-moon visited Lilongwe, said he had ordered their immediate release.

Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were given 14-year jail terms after being convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts.

The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country.

Mr Ban said he welcomed the president's decision.

Correspondents say Malawi is a deeply conservative society where religious leaders equate same-sex liaisons with Satanism.

Mr Mutharika, who has in the past dismissed homosexuality as alien, said he had set them free on humanitarian grounds.

"These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws," he said after meeting Mr Ban.

"However, as the head of state I hereby pardon them and therefore ask for their immediate release with no conditions."

Aid donors and human rights groups have been putting pressure on his government to respect the rights of minority groups.

BP, not Obama, taking brunt of public's oil spill ire: poll

Americans are not happy with the way Obama and the federal government have reacted to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, according to polls. A just-out USA Today/Gallup survey, for instance, finds 53 percent of respondents rate Obama’s response to the oil spill as “poor” or “very poor.”

But BP is held in lower esteem. The same survey saw 73 percent of respondents give the actions of the oil firm responsible for the drilling a “poor” or “very poor” rating. Other polls have shown similar results. According to a May 25 CBS survey, 70 percent of respondents disapproved of BP’s handing of the oil spill.

If there is a silver lining in public opinion for the oil giant, it is that events in the Gulf may not affect consumer decision-making at the gas pump. Seventy percent of those who responded to a May 24 CNN poll said the oil spill “has not affected” their gasoline purchasing decisions.

However, the spill certainly has undercut public support for offshore drilling, at least for the moment. Forty-six percent of respondents to the CBS poll agreed that the risks are now too great for the US to increase offshore oil exploration. Two years ago, only 28 percent of Americans felt that way, according to CBS.

If nothing else, Americans appear to view the BP Deepwater Horizon spill and its aftermath as a defining event. Almost 40 percent feel it will turn out to be the worst environmental disaster in 100 years, according to Gallup. And they are following the story with intensity. Eighty-seven percent of Americans say they are watching Deepwater Horizon disaster’s events “very closely,” according to the recent Gallup poll.

The oil spill “ranks among the top 10 most closely-followed news stories Gallup has measured since 1991,” writes Gallup analyst Lymari Morales.

Balkans: l'élargissement de l'UE ne doit "à aucun prix" être interrompu

L'élargissement de l'Union européenne aux pays des Balkans occidentaux ne doit "à aucun prix" être interrompu et les pays de la région ne doivent pas faire les frais de la crise financière et économique, a souligné samedi le président serbe, Boris Tadic.

"La politique de l'élargissement ne doit à aucun prix être interrompue", a déclaré le président Tadic, qui s'exprimait lors d'une conférence à Sarajevo en présence des présidents croate et monténégrin, Ivo Josipovic et Filip Vujanovic, ainsi que du président en exercice en Bosnie, Haris Silajdzic.

Le président serbe a proposé d'envoyer un "message clair" aux Européens, pour la réunion UE-Balkans prévue mercredi à Sarajevo, qu'un arrêt de l'élargissement constituerait "une erreur énorme, inexcusable et irréparable de l'Union européenne".

La Croatie est le pays le plus avancé dans les Balkans occidentaux dans sa perspective européenne. Zagreb compte rejoindre l'Union dès 2012. Tous les autres pays de la région ont en commun de vouloir adhérer à l'UE, mais ils se trouvent à des stades beaucoup moins avancés. Une adhésion reste une perspective lointaine.

"Cette réunion (du 2 juin) intervient à un moment où l'on ressent dans l'UE la fatigue de l'élargissement, qui est la conséquence de la crise financière mondiale", a reconnu M. Tadic.

Toutefois, a-t-il répété, "la crise qui frappe aujourd'hui tout le monde ne trouve pas son origine au sein de l'UE et ne se produit pas en raison de l'élargissement de l'UE".

"Cette crise, a-t-il relevé, est apparue dans d'autres centres financiers et les citoyens (des pays des Balkans occidentaux) ne doivent pas subir les conséquences de cette crise".

Iran narrowly wins UN nuclear battle

Israel was the big loser in the nuclear review conference in New York - and Iran the big winner.

The cause of nuclear non-proliferation was haltingly served in that the conference did reach a consensus, unlike the last time, and a number of watered-down measures were agreed to seek ways of strengthening the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But overall, there was not the decisive strengthening that some states wanted.

Instead, governments rallied round one objective - the concept of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East. This was first called for 15 years ago but until now neglected.

To its annoyance, Israel found that the US did not block a proposal to hold a one-off conference in 2012 on setting up such a zone. In addition Israel was named for not being a party to the treaty and for not having its nuclear activities under international inspection. Being named like this is always regarded as a diplomatic defeat.

It will produce further soul-searching about the relationship between Israel and the US administration of President Barack Obama, which has often been tense and which will now be more so. Israel has already denounced the agreement as "hypocrisy".

Mr Obama came out with a statement afterwards that spoke of the US being "strongly opposed" to efforts to "single out Israel" but he did not use the veto available to him.

Whether the conference will be held is debatable (conditions are already being attached) and whether it will do anything practical is doubtful. Israel opposes any nuclear-free zone until there is a comprehensive peace. So does the US.
Iran prepared

Arab countries, led skilfully by Egypt, managed to manoeuvre the US into agreeing. Washington did not want to be blamed for wrecking the conference. It would have undone much of the goodwill that Mr Obama has engendered over the past year through his efforts to reduce the American stockpile of nuclear weapons and to reconfigure US nuclear policy.


On the other hand, Iran was not named, despite being in violation of instructions both from the IAEA, which administers the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and the Security Council that it should suspend the enrichment of uranium. Instead there were a couple of references to countries not being in compliance and since Iran is the only such state, Iran is meant. But it is not named. Iran would have blocked the necessary consensus if it had been.

It was ready to stop a consensus. The US was not.

"It is good that there was an outcome," said Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

"It restores the consensus about the importance of the NPT, which had been unravelling. The NPT was in danger and some new health and vitality has been put back into it.

"However it doesn't move the ball forward or strengthen the NPT and is therefore a missed opportunity."

One example is that the US had pressed for countries leaving the NPT (as they can with three months' notice and as North Korea did) to face sanctions. This was not adopted, but at least it was stated that North Korea would not be recognised as a nuclear-weapons state, which will please South Korea.

Another is that there is not much immediate hope of getting the stronger inspections of nuclear plants that the US wanted. If no such action is forthcoming, the US attitude towards further disarmament could well be affected.

Nor, from the opposite side, was there agreement to set a deadline or even a target for nuclear-weapons states to negotiate their weapons away. Some non-aligned countries had wanted sometime after 2025 as the target. There is no date in the document. Instead there is language pressing for progress. Indeed, there has been some progress over the past year, with a new agreement between Russia and the United State as an example.

Terror Plot Prompts U.S. to Weigh Military Option in Pakistan

The U.S. military is developing plans for a unilateral attack on the Pakistani Taliban in the event of a successful terrorist strike in the United States that can be traced to them, The Washington Post reports.

Planning for a retaliatory attack was spurred by ties between alleged Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad and elements of the Pakistani Taliban, the Post said in an article posted on its website Friday night, quoting unidentified senior military officials.

The military would focus on air and missile strikes but also could use small teams of U.S. Special Operations troops currently along the border with Afghanistan, the Post said.

Airstrikes could damage the militants' ability to launch new attacks but also might damage U.S.-Pakistani relations.

The CIA already conducts unmanned drone strikes in the country's tribal regions. Officials told the Post that a U.S. military response would be considered only if a terrorist attacks persuaded President Barack Obama that the CIA campaign is ineffective.

A senior U.S. official told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Pakistan already has been told that it has only weeks to show real progress in a crackdown against the Taliban.

The U.S. has put Pakistan "on a clock" to launch a new intelligence and counterterrorist offensive against the group, which the White House alleges was behind the Times Square bombing attempt, according to the official.

U.S. officials also have said the U.S. reserves the right to strike in the tribal areas in pursuit of Osama bin Laden and other high-value targets.

At the same, the Obama administration is working to improve ties with Pakistani intelligence officials to head off attacks by militant groups, the Post reported.

Officials quoted by the Post and the AP requested anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding U.S. military and intelligence activities in Pakistan.

Can BP plug the Gulf gusher

the nation remained transfixed by a busted oil well spewing millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, BP offered few details on its latest bid to plug the worst oil spill in U.S. history and scientists suggested any progress was incremental at best.

BP PLC engineers may not know until at least Sunday if the "top kill" fix was a success, and progress was difficult to measure from BP's "spillcam" of mud, gas and oil billowing from the seafloor. Americans have been hypnotized as they watched for any sign of success, which experts said didn't appear to be overwhelming.

Scientists say the images may offer clues to whether BP is getting the upper hand in its struggle to contain the oil, said Tony Wood, director of the National Spill Control School at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. If the stuff coming out of the pipe is jet black, it is mostly oil and BP is losing. If it is whitish, it is mostly gas and BP is also losing.

If it is muddy brown, as it was much of Friday, that may be a sign that BP is starting to win, he said. That "may in fact mean that there's mud coming up and mud coming down as well," which is better than oil coming out, Wood said.