War in Gaza: Israel says the death of the Hamas leader marks the “beginning of the end”

Israel announced on Thursday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinouar, considered the architect of October 7, was killed during an operation in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assuring that this death marked “the beginning of the end” of the war in Gaza.

This 61-year-old radical activist had been leading the Palestinian Islamist movement in Gaza since 2017, before being appointed in early August as Hamas political leader after the death of Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran on 31 July in an attack attributed to Israel.

The army and domestic intelligence services “confirm that after a year-long hunt”, soldiers “eliminated Yahya Sinouar (...) during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip” on Wednesday, the army said.

Immigration: the 27 in favor of a new law to “speed up” returns

Meeting at a European summit in Brussels, the 27 raised their voices against irregular immigration on Thursday, calling “urgently” for a law to speed up deportations.

The discussions highlighted strong disagreements, in particular on Italy's initiative to use reception centers (“return hubs”) in a third country, in this case Albania.

Michel Barnier will present his immigration projects in Menton on Friday, with the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau and two ministers in the government of Giorgia Meloni, whose initiatives in this area are being closely watched by several European countries, including France.

They will also go to Ventimiglia in Italy, another emblematic place for the passage of migrants.

Mbappé: the player keeps his explanations to justice, “if necessary”

Kylian Mbappé, whom the Swedish press links to a rape investigation in Stockholm, “keeps the primacy of his explanations” for Swedish justice, recalled his lawyer on Thursday, his lawyer recalled on Thursday, after French media mentioned “a consensual sexual relationship” during her stay.

">"He maintains the primacy of his explanations, if necessary, to the Swedish justice system”, explained to AFP Me Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, denouncing “strongly the media allegations that suggest that Kylian Mbappé spoke about the course of his trip to Stockholm”.

Argentina: the courts examine the request to dismiss the case for Jegou and Auradou

Argentine justice is examining on Friday behind closed doors the request for dismissal made by the two French rugby players Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou, accused of a rape they deny having committed, on the sidelines of a tour of the XV of France in the country in July.

In Mendoza (1,000 km west of Buenos Aires) where the alleged facts occurred on the night of July 6 to 7, the lawyers of the plaintiff, a 39-year-old Argentina, and those of the players, will discuss the dismissal requested at the end of August by the defense of rugby players.

Before them, the prosecutor's office - two prosecutors co-responsible for the investigation - will also plead in favor of the dismissal, as it announced in early October at the end of the investigation, “due to doubts or lack of evidence”.

IN A NUTSHELL

Joe Biden is meeting with several European leaders including Emmanuel Macron on Friday in Berlin, where he is making his last visit as American president, in particular to push for a ceasefire in Gaza after the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinouar.

The members of the boy band One Direction are “completely devastated” by the death of British singer Liam Payne on Wednesday when he fell from the 3rd floor of his hotel room in Buenos Aires in a context of “consumption of alcohol and drugs”, according to the first results of the investigation.

Emmanuel Macron denounced Thursday evening a “lack of professionalism” among ministers, journalists and “commentators”, accusing them of “distorted remarks” about Israel, which gave rise to a heated controversy with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The award of a bonus point in the championship for the driver with the fastest lap in the race during the Formula 1 Grands Prix will disappear from 2025, announced the International Automobile Federation (FIA), announced the International Automobile Federation (FIA), following the World Motor Sport Council on Thursday.