Le Journal

By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN, Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — In the wake of spiraling tensions between the United States and Iran over Tehran’s violent crackdown on protests, analysts warn that the internal upheaval affecting the Iranian theocracy could carry nuclear proliferation risks. While in recent days President Donald Trump seemed to have backed away from a military strike on Iran, he called Saturday for an end to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s nearly 40-year reign in Iran. Trump’s comments came in response to Khamenei branding Trump a “criminal” for supporting protesters in Iran, and blamed demonstrators for causing thousands of deaths. Meanwhile, a U.S. aircraft carrier, which days earlier had been in the South China Sea, passed Singapore overnight to enter the Strait of Malacca — putting it on a route that could bring it to the Middle East. With those dangers, analysts warn Iran’s nuclear material could be at risk as well. Nuclear material could fall into the wrong hands David Albright, a former nuclear weapons inspector in Iraq and founder of the nonprofit Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, said that in a scenario of internal chaos in Iran, the government could “lose the ability to protect its nuclear assets.” He said that Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile “would be the most worrisome,” adding that there is a possibility that someone could steal some of this material. There are historical precedents for such a scenario. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, highly enriched uranium and plutonium suitable for building nuclear bombs went missing due to eroded security and weakened protection of these assets. So far, Iran has maintained control of its sites, even after the U.S. bombed them in the 12-day war in June that Israel launched against the Islamic Republic. Iran maintains a stockpile of 972 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog. The agency said in a report last November that it has not been able to verify the status and location of this highly enriched uranium stockpile since the war in June. The agency said in November that therefore it had lost “continuity of knowledge in relation to the previously declared inventories of nuclear material in Iran” at facilities affected by the war. A diplomat close to the IAEA confirmed Monday that the agency had still not received any information from Iran on the status or whereabouts of the highly enriched uranium stockpile. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity in line with diplomatic protocol. Albright said that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium would fit in around 18 to 20 cylinders that are designed for transport, weighing around 55 pounds each. “Two people can easily carry it,” he said of each container. Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Washington-based Arms Control Association, said that there is a risk that the stockpile “could be diverted either to a covert program or stolen by a faction of the government or the military that wanted to retain the option of weaponization.” She said that this risk increases as the Iranian government feels threatened or gets destabilized. Some of the nuclear material could get smuggled out of Iran or sold to non-state actors in the event of internal chaos or potential government collapse, Davenport said. “The risk is real but it is difficult to assess, given the unknowns regarding the status of the materials and the whereabouts,” she stressed. Related Articles Chile fights wildfires that killed 19 and left 1,500 homeless What to know about the train crash in Spain Fashion designer Valentino dies at home in Rome, aged 93 Prince Harry says Daily Mail scoops made him ‘paranoid beyond belief’ Inequality and unease are rising as elite Davos event opens with pro-business Trump set…

Earlier this month, the outgoing chief of the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District wrote a blistering letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and Department of Parks and Recreation Director Armando Quintero. “Governor Newsom, this letter is a direct request for your intervention,” Chief Paige Meyer wrote. The fire chief asked for immediate executive action to address wildfire risk after the California State Parks largely blocked a life-saving wildfire mitigation program. The fire district developed and funded a “comprehensive, science-based” plan to identify and mitigate wildfire risk in areas the state itself had identified as Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. But because some of the land was State Parks-owned, the plan didn’t work out as planned. Due to restrictions on what could be cut, where and under what conditions, the wildfire mitigation that was planned for 300 acres was completed on only 22. “Final project costs totaled $120,691.44,” the chief wrote, “with approximately 75 percent consumed by State Parks-mandated environmental compliance, monitoring, and oversight requirements, leaving only 25 percent applied to actual wildfire mitigation work on the ground.” This battle is happening in California right now, a year after a fire that reignited on State Parks-owned land burned down Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Laws that protect endangered species of plants are now endangering lives and property. Perhaps different administrators could interpret those laws differently and enforce them sensibly. But something has to change, and fast. The financial cost of not changing the enforcement of these plant-protecting laws is incalculable. However, teams of attorneys are working on those calculations right now. Multiple lawsuits have been filed to recover damages from the fires last January and we all will pay the price, one way or another. There are really only three sources of funds to compensate the victims of catastrophic wildfires: insurance customers, ratepayers and taxpayers. Conveniently, they’re the same people. Californians have already seen huge increases in premiums for property insurance. Some companies canceled policies or stopped writing new ones until state regulators allowed rate increases based on the risk of catastrophic wildfires. And now the cost of insurance is a catastrophe all its own. With regulators’ approval, electricity rates include surcharges to recover the cost that utilities pay for wildfire damage. And taxpayers are on the hook if lawsuits against the city, county or state are successful. Liability is already a significant budget drain in Los Angeles. Southern California Edison is offering settlements to victims who are willing to give up the right to sue the company. That won’t help with the lawsuit filed last year by the County of Los Angeles. “Edison failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment in and around the area of the Eaton Canyon on January 7, 2025,” the complaint states, noting also that Edison “admitted in a public filing with the California Public Utilities Commission that a fault was detected at approximately 6:11 p.m. on its Eagle-Rock-Gould transmission circuit” about the time the Eaton Fire ignited “under the base of its transmission towers in Eaton Canyon.” Investor-owned utilities such as SCE have unlimited liability due to “inverse condemnation.” This means that in exchange for having certain rights to have their equipment located on public and private land, they are liable for 100% of the damage from a fire that is started by their equipment, even if they were not negligent. Related Articles Jon Coupal: Why does California even bother with a budget? Jon Coupal: Why even bother with a state budget? Susan Shelley: The Supreme Court could make election night great again Is the middle class ‘shrinking’ or ‘struggling’? The difference is important. California politicians wrongly fixate on education spending instead of results Decades ago, the state utilized fire mitigation…

By MARTHA BELLISLE The U.S. has never won an Olympic medal in biathlon, the only winter sport where that’s the case. The drought could come to an end next month at the Winter Olympics. The team brought on Campbell Wright, a rising star and dual citizen from New Zealand who combined fast skiing and precision shooting to win two world championship silver medals last year and has had strong results this season. In addition, the team has a homecourt advantage, of sorts: Their Italian head coach, Armin Auchentaller, grew up in Antholz, the village that’s hosting the Olympic biathlon competitions. His assistant coach and support staff are also from the region, ensuring the team has the inside scoop on the ski trails, snow, climate, food and housing. “We feel Antholz is almost a second home to us,” said U.S. Biathlon CEO Jack Gierhart. “Armin made it easy for us to operate there. That will enable our athletes to focus and feel relatively relaxed, which is really important in this level of competition.” FILE – U.S. Coach Armin Auchentaller looks on at the shooting range of the World Cup of Biathlon in Oberhof, Germany, Thursday Jan. 8, 2026. (Jennifer Brückner/dpa via AP, File) Winning athlete and coach Wright said he trusts his fitness and training as he heads to the Games, where the pressure will be on him to perform. “I think having success in the past just gives me confidence because I’ve already done more than I thought I could do in this sport, so the way I see it anything extra is just cream,” he told The Associated Press. Related Articles Ice dancer Allison Reed returns to Olympics after 16 years, skating for Lithuania Vance and Rubio set to attend Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Italy. Trump isn’t on the list How Olympians think about success and failure and what we can learn from them Ukraine’s young skiers practice in a bombed-out Olympic training base Has figure skating reached the limits of human performance? Auchentaller said working with Wright has been one of the most rewarding experiences of his career. “From the very start, you could tell he had something special — not just raw talent, but that spark of joy when he moved, competed, trained. That early talent was obvious,” Auchentaller said. “But what made working with him truly remarkable was how quickly he combined that talent with professionalism.” Wright will be joined by Olympic newbie Maxime Germain and Paul Schommer, who is competing in his second Games, while Sean Doherty will race in his fourth. On the women’s side, Joanne Reid returns to competition after two years off and heads to her third Olympics. Teammate Deedra Irwin returns for her second and two new members, Margie Freed and Lucinda Anderson, will make their Olympic debut. Who is Campbell Wright? Wright, a 23-year-old from Wanaka, New Zealand, was born and raised Down Under by American parents who emigrated there in the 1990s. He spent his early years at the Snow Farm cross-country ski center, learned biathlon in Europe and raced for New Zealand at the Beijing Olympics. Seeking support from a seasoned team, his dual citizenship allowed him to join the U.S. in 2023. That support has helped him to thrive. In February 2025, he became the first U.S. biathlete to win two medals at one world championship event, taking home back-to-back silvers in the sprint and pursuit competitions in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. They were the first U.S. world medals since Susan Dunklee won silver in 2020. She also won silver and Lowell Bailey gold in 2017. Auchentaller said he was proud but not surprised by Wright’s performance. “I knew that beneath his talent lay a core of grit, a fearless heart, and a grounded, simple work ethic,” Auchentaller said. “His success didn’t feel like luck or a one-off; it felt like the natural outcome of years of hard, intelligent work, fueled by genuine love for what he does. Watching him step onto that podium, I saw a young man’s passion and dedication pay off — and I felt fortunate to…

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH From being treated like “cattle” as a young girl to sleeping in her car off a Polish highway, Allison Reed has taken a long, hard road to follow her Olympic ice dance dream. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Reed has traveled the world just for a chance to compete. After representing Georgia and Israel, Reed is back at the Olympics for the first time since 2010, skating for Lithuania with a partner who’s taken her to the next level. With Saulius Ambrulevičius — Saul for short — who’ll be at his first Olympics in Milan Cortina in February, Reed brings dramatic flair to programs themed around pop and electronic hits from the 1990s. That 16-year gap between Olympics is an eternity in the world of figure skating, and Reed often competes against skaters who were toddlers when she made her Olympic debut aged 15 in Vancouver. On the way, she’s experienced personal tragedy, the “out-of-body experience” of a breakthrough medal, and a sport which doesn’t always live up to its glamorous image and reputation for inclusivity. Unequal relationships Ice dancers are meant to move as one, gliding through routines in perfect synchronicity. Off the ice, teams can be far from equal. MONTREAL, CANADA – MARCH 22: Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius of Lithuania compete in the Ice Dance Rhythm Dance during the ISU World Figure Skating Championships at the Bell Centre on March 22, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) Far more girls aspire to ice dance careers than boys and male dancers are expected to be tall athletes capable of lifting their female partners with ease. Reed recalls attending tryouts as a young skater with four boys taking their pick of 25 girls at a rink. “These four boys would just go about choosing whatever girl that they wanted to skate with and they would go and skate with them, they’d say thank you, then they’d pick another girl,” she told The Associated Press. “I remember standing there feeling like, ‘What is this? Like, this feels like almost like cattle.’” Reed grew up in a skating-mad Japanese-American family with brother Chris and sister Cathy. She woke up at 4 a.m. as her “absolute super mom” ferried them all to practice before school. Her brother and sister skated together for Japan but Reed’s seach for a male partner led her to Otar Japaridze of the ex-Soviet nation of Georgia. The pair placed 22nd at the 2010 Olympics. She didn’t manage to contend for major medals with him or with Vasili Rogov for Israel. The ‘nomads’ on ice After her partnership with Rogov ended in 2015, Reed recalls “floating for about two years, almost aimlessly” as she coached and considered college. Her brother’s recovery from repeated injuries inspired her to return. “It just filled me with this feeling of dread, like ‘I am going to regret it if I don’t at least try one more time and see what happens.’ And it’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” she said. Ambrulevičius trained with Reed for a while after an injury to his then-partner. When that partnership later broke up, he asked Reed to join him over a coffee. She says it’s been a team of equals. “We lived out of a car. We were nomads for a while,” she said, recalling that on trips back from a training rink in the German Alps to Lithuania, a distance of over 800 miles (1,300 kilometers), “we’d sleep at a rest stop in Poland somewhere and continue on our drive back. We road-tripped around Europe and slept in our car more times that I’d like to remember.” STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – MARCH 26: Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius of Lithuania perform in Ice Dance Rhythm Dance during day three of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Ericsson Globe on March 26, 2021 in Stockholm, Sweden. Sporting stadiums around Sweden remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images)…