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Indian teams defuse bombs in Kashmir border areas

Expert teams on Monday defused unexploded bombs in India’s border areas with Pakistan before letting displaced Kashmiri villagers return home following a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed foes.Tens of thousands of people living on the Indian side of the divided Himalayan territory fled last week to escape intense artillery bombardment that reduced many homes to rubble.A truce announced Saturday ended four days of missile, drone and artillery attacks which killed dozens in India and Pakistan and was their worst conflict since 1999.Police had issued written statements warning people “NOT to under any circumstances approach, touch, tamper with, or attempt to move any suspicious object resembling an explosive shell or device.”Bomb disposal squads fanned out in Uri, near the de facto border with Pakistan, to ensure homes were completely safe before the inhabitants returned.”We started at homes where people had reported unexploded ordinance,” senior police officer Gurinderpal Singh told AFP.Singh declined to specify how many teams had been dispatched or where.- Delicate task -“Every piece of ordinance is unique and needs to be handled very carefully,” Singh said, adding that displaced villagers were only being allowed back into “areas that have been cleared.”Hundreds of border residents sheltering in government buildings were anxious to go home, waiting for authorities to declare their villages safe.”We were happy that a ceasefire happened and wanted to go home right away,” Mohammad Shafiq, a resident of Mohra village told AFP at a shelter around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from his house.His family of five was evacuated by the army after a bomb exploded in their village last week.”But officers told us not to return until any unexploded mortar shells were removed,” said the 47-year-old.Mareena, a 28-year-old mother of three, said she let her sheep out into the open before an army truck evacuated them to the shelter at Boniyar, around 50 kilometres from her border home.- ‘I want to go back’ -“I don’t know what has happened to my house,” Mareena said. “I want to go back but I am not confident yet. Anything can happen — we saved our lives with great difficulty.”Even those whose houses were destroyed by artillery shells were desperate to return.Basharat Hussain, 35, packed his family of nine in a car to make the journey home.”We want to go and see what can be salvaged and rebuilt,” Hussain told AFP as he waited near an army checkpoint, pleading with soldiers to let them go ahead.”We also have to look for our cows and other belongings,” he said, showing a video of his damaged home sent to his phone.Local reports said six of around 35 bombed villages in Uri were declared safe on Monday for residents to return.Videos showed authorities taking some displaced families from a shelter in buses back to their villages.Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947.They have since fought three wars over the disputed and divided territory they administer in parts. The latest fighting threatened to spiral towards all-out conflict before dawn on Wednesday, when India launched missile attacks destroying what it called “terrorist camps” in Pakistan and part of Kashmir Islamabad controls.The fighting followed an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.India accused Pakistan of backing the attack but Islamabad denied involvement and immediately responded to the strikes with heavy artillery fire, fanning the latest conflict.Militants opposed to Indian rule in Kashmir have stepped up attacks on security forces since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked the region’s limited autonomy and imposed direct rule from New Delhi.

Indian great Kohli follows Rohit in retiring from Test cricket

Virat Kohli said he had “given it everything” on Monday as he followed Rohit Sharma in retiring from Test cricket, days before India name their squad for a tour to England.The batting great, one of the best players of his generation, a hero to millions of Indians and one of the top stars in world sport, scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85.But his Test form has fallen away markedly in the last two years.Since making his Test debut in 2011, Kohli struck 30 hundreds and 31 fifties with a highest score of 254 not out, mainly batting at number four in the order.”It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket,” the 36-year-old Kohli posted to his 271 million followers on Instagram.”Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.”As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right. I’ve given it everything I had and it’s given me back so much more than I could’ve hoped for.”Kohli retired from T20s last year but like Test captain Rohit, who announced his retirement from red-ball cricket last week, he is expected to continue in the one-day game.An inspirational figure to Indian cricket fans, Kohli was the country’s most successful Test captain with 40 wins and 17 defeats in 68 matches before stepping down from the role in 2022. “I’m walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way,” Kohli said.”I’ll always look back at my Test career with a smile.”The fiercely competitive Kohli averaged close to 55 at his peak between 2011 and 2019, but he could muster only 32.56 over the past 24 months in Tests and had come under pressure.- ‘Lion’s passion’ -Kohli’s last Test was in Sydney in January when India lost the match and with it the series 3-1 to Australia.Apart from an unbeaten century in the second innings of the first Test in Perth, Kohli managed just 90 runs from eight innings in the five-Test series.Kohli is part of the “Fab Four” quartet of batting greats who dominated Test cricket over the past decade, alongside Steve Smith of Australia, Kane Williamson of New Zealand and Joe Root of England.Nicknamed “King Kohli”, he was India’s batting backbone across three international formats and ended his Twenty20 career with a match-winning innings in the World Cup final victory in Barbados last year.Kohli then walked away from the shortest format along with Rohit.Kohli’s retirement statement generated more than 11 million “likes” on social media as fans and fellow cricketers paid tribute.India cricket coach Gautam Gambhir wrote on X: “A man with lion’s passion!””Your true legacy, Virat, lies in inspiring countless young cricketers to pick up the sport,” said Indian batting hero Sachin Tendulkar. “What an incredible Test career you have had! You have given Indian cricket so much more than just runs – you have given it a new generation of passionate fans and players.”South Africa great and Kohli’s IPL mate AB de Villiers called Kohli a “true legend”.”Your determination & skill have always inspired me,” he wrote.Pakistan’s pace bowling icon Wasim Akram called Kohli a “modern-day great”, saying, “he has written his place in the history books with golden words”.Former Pakistan captain and ex-cricket board chief Ramiz Raja said, “It’s a pity that he never played in Pakistan because he would have revved up the emotions like nobody!.””In my time playing and broadcasting no individual has done as much for Test cricket as Virat Kohli,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan.Indian selectors are due next week to name the squad for the five-Test series in England. The first match begins on June 20 in Leeds.

Le coût du projet d’enfouissement des déchets radioactifs Cigéo revu en hausse, jusqu’à 37,5 milliards d’euros

Le projet Cigéo d’enfouissement des déchets nucléaires les plus radioactifs à Bure (Meuse) pourrait coûter au total entre 26,1 et 37,5 milliards au lieu des 25 milliards jusqu’ici envisagés, selon la nouvelle évaluation de l’Agence nationale pour la gestion des déchets radioactifs (Andra) qui doit désormais être arbitrée par le gouvernement. Lancé en 1991, le projet Cigéo, contesté par des écologistes et des associations locales, doit accueillir à 500 mètres sous terre des déchets des centrales nucléaires devant rester hautement radioactifs pendant plusieurs centaines de milliers d’années. Au total, 83.000 mètres cubes sont attendus, dont la moitié ont déjà été produits.La mise à jour de l’évaluation représente, selon les hypothèses, une hausse de 4,4% à 50% par rapport au coût arrêté en 2016 par la ministre de l’Ecologie et de l’énergie d’alors, Ségolène Royal, soit 25 milliards d’euros aux conditions économiques de fin 2011.”Il s’agit d’un coût globalement maîtrisé, très proche” du précédent chiffrage de l’Andra en 2014 soit 33,8 milliards, a assuré auprès de l’AFP Gaëlle Saquet, directrice générale par intérim de l’établissement public qui pilote le projet.En ajoutant l’inflation, la facture grimperait entre 32,8 et 45,3 milliards d’euros (+21% pour l’estimation maximale et +26% pour l’estimation minimale).”Une chose est certaine, le prix à payer sera sans doute revu à la hausse”, a dénoncé dans un communiqué la Coordination Stop Cigéo Bure, regroupant des opposants au projet.Le dernier mot reviendra au ministre de l’Energie qui devra fixer par arrêté d'”ici fin 2025″ le nouveau coût faisant référence jusqu’à réévaluation, après avoir recueilli l’avis de l’Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection (ASNR) et les observations des principaux producteurs de déchets.L’Andra vise une décision d’autorisation vers fin 2027/début 2028 pour lancer le chantier.- Plusieurs inconnues -La descente progressive des “colis” de matières radioactives, dans près d’un millier d’alvéoles, est elle annoncée à partir de 2050, au lieu de l’échéance 2035-2040 initialement prévue.Ce nouveau chiffrage couvre l’ensemble des coûts sur “une période de plus de 150 ans”, de la construction (7,9 à 9,6 milliards d’euros) à la fermeture du stockage “à l’horizon 2170”, en passant par la maintenance, la sécurité, les assurances et les impôts et taxes. Mais au regard de la complexité du projet, “on ne s’est pas arrêté à un seul chiffre”, explique Gaëlle Saquet. “Inédit et sans comparable”, le projet Cigéo prévoit un stockage dans une couche d’argile, contrairement à la Suède et la Finlande qui ont fait le choix d’un terrain granitique.Le chiffrage présente ainsi une configuration au stade de la demande d’autorisation (29,8 à 37,5 milliards) et trois autres configurations traduisant différents scénarios. Cela inclut notamment des incertitudes sur le niveau de fiscalité, pour un écart de plus ou moins 7,4 milliards d’euros sur la facture. A côté, l’Andra a identifié un potentiel d’économies jusqu’à 3,6 milliards d’euros grâce à des optimisations techniques. Par exemple, l’intégration de matériaux plus performants ou l’allongement d’alvéoles, ce qui réduit le nombre de galeries à construire. En revanche, il a fallu intégrer de nouveaux coûts du fait d’études de conception plus longues que prévu et de retours d’expérience de grands projets souterrains tels que le métro du Grand Paris Express. S’ajoutent à cela des coûts de sécurisation du site d’environ 10 millions d’euros par an ou la réalisation de fouilles archéologiques.Le coût du projet couvre le stockage des déchets déjà produits ou futurs des installations nucléaires existantes ou déjà autorisées à fin 2016 qui constituent “l’inventaire de référence”. Mais pas ceux des 6 futurs réacteurs EPR2 annoncés en 2022 par Emmanuel Macron, qui ne sont pas encore autorisés.Toutefois, “au titre de l’adaptabilité”, l’Andra a étudié cette hypothèse qui représenterait une augmentation de 5% du volume des déchets dits “à vie longue” et de 20% des déchets dits “à haute activité” par rapport au total prévu pour Cigéo. Ceux-ci “seront intégrés dans l’inventaire de réserve” et “la faisabilité de leur prise en charge (…) regardée pendant l’instruction”.Si la relance du nucléaire va au-delà, avec les huit EPR2 additionnels évoqués par Emmanuel Macron ou de petits réacteurs (SMR), d’autres études seront nécessaires, et “si on rajoute des déchets, forcément le coût augmentera”, indique l’Andra.

Le coût du projet d’enfouissement des déchets radioactifs Cigéo revu en hausse, jusqu’à 37,5 milliards d’euros

Ukraine: le Kremlin dit vouloir des négociations “sérieuses” pour aboutir à une paix à long terme

Kim Kardashian testifies in Paris multi-million-dollar robbery trial

A-list celebrity Kim Kardashian is to testify in a Paris court on Tuesday, an eagerly awaited appearance nearly a decade after being robbed of millions of dollars of jewellery during the French capital’s fashion week.Ten suspects have been on trial since late April over the armed robbery in 2016, which saw jewellery worth some $10 million stolen from the reality TV star and influencer.The trial has attracted huge media attention, with close to 500 reporters accredited.Kardashian is ready to “confront” her Paris attackers, her lawyers said last week.”She is committed to attending in person,” French lawyers Leonor Hennerick and Jonathan Mattout told AFP last week, saying she would do so “with dignity and courage”.She is due to take the stand at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT).On the night of October 2-3, 2016, Kardashian, then 35, was robbed while staying at an exclusive, discreet hotel in central Paris.She was threatened with a gun to the head and tied up with her mouth taped.Lawyers have not divulged what exactly Kardashian, who has been keeping abreast of developments at the trial, will say in her court appearance.During what the French press has dubbed the “heist of the century”, masked men walked away with millions of dollars’ worth of jewels.That included a diamond ring given to Kardashian by her then-husband, rapper Kanye West, and valued at 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million).The theft was the most valuable to target a private individual in France in 20 years.Those on trial are mainly men in their 60s and 70s with previous criminal records.They have underworld nicknames like “Old Omar” and “Blue Eyes” that resemble those of old-school French bandits of 1960s and 1970s films noirs.”They’re quite a team,” said investigator Michel Malecot. “But they made some mistakes”, he said, notably by leaving DNA that allowed investigators to identify them. – ‘Crying hysterically’ -Sixty-eight-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, known as “Old Omar”, has admitted to tying up Kardashian but denies being the mastermind behind the robbery.Another suspect in the dock, 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, later wrote a book about the heist.In it he describes how his bag became caught in the wheel of his escape vehicle, a bicycle, causing him to fall off and have to scramble to shove the loot back in the bag.Investigators said a man called Gary Madar, the brother of Kardashian’s driver in Paris, tipped the suspects off that Kardashian was “in French territory”.This allegation has been ridiculed by Madar’s lawyer, who remarked that 350 million online followers were already aware of the star’s whereabouts.The night of the robbery could have gone very differently had Kardashian joined her sister Kourtney and gone clubbing, an idea she entertained before deciding to stay in the hotel, the court heard last week.Her designated driver, Michael Madar — whose company was billing the Kardashian/West couple up to 400,000 euros per year to provide security — had been working non-stop for 21 hours and asked a colleague to replace him for the trip to the night club.The replacement, Mohammed Q., and a Kardashian bodyguard, Pascal D., rushed back to the hotel after Kardashian tried to call them and then failed to pick up her phone when they called back.”I saw that the lift was on the first floor, where Kim was staying,” Pascal D. told the court.When he found her, Kardashian “was in a terrible state. She was crying hysterically”, he told the court. “I asked what had happened, and she said she’d been robbed.”Kardashian, her lawyers said, “is genuinely grateful” for the way the French authorities have handled the investigation, showing her “the utmost respect and consideration”.The US celebrity, sometimes described as being “famous for being famous”, became well known in the early 2000s through TV reality shows, before launching fashion brands and appearing in a number of films.She is among the world’s most followed people on Instagram and X. She has been named among the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, and among the most powerful women by Fortune magazine.The trial is set to close on May 23.burs/jh/sjw/gil

Hundreds march in West Bank against killings of Palestinian medics

Hundreds of Palestinian Red Crescent staff marched in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday to protest the killing of medical workers in Gaza over the past 19 months of war.Gathering in the city’s Clock Square, medical personnel, support staff and volunteers wore white and orange vests and waved flags bearing the Red Crescent’s emblem. The demonstration marked World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, usually observed on May 8, and called for the “protection for medical and humanitarian workers”.In a statement released Monday, the Red Crescent said 48 of their staff members have been killed in Gaza and the West Bank since the war began on October 7, 2023 — including 30 who “were killed while performing their humanitarian duty wearing the Red Crescent emblem”.Protesters carried symbolic white shrouds bearing the names and pictures of the dead, as well as signs demanding the release of three staff members who have been detained by the Israeli army for over a year.Some 1,400 humanitarian and medical workers have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war, according to the statement, which added that “dozens of medical personnel working in Gaza… were detained while performing their humanitarian duties.”It highlighted a particularly deadly attack in March in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, when 15 first responders including eight Red Crescent paramedics were killed by the Israeli army.The first responders were answering distress calls after Israeli air strikes.The incident drew international condemnation, including concern about possible war crimes from UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk.An Israeli military investigation, the results of which were published, acknowledged “professional failures” and “violations of orders” during the shooting.

Etats-Unis et Chine mettent leur guerre commerciale sur pause

Les Etats-Unis et la Chine ont annoncé lundi la suspension pour 90 jours de la majeure partie des droits de douane prohibitifs qu’ils s’étaient mutuellement imposés, marquant une désescalade dans leur guerre commerciale qui a ébranlé l’économie mondiale.Cette suspension prendra effet “d’ici le 14 mai”, ont annoncé les deux plus grandes puissances économiques mondiales dans un communiqué commun publié après deux jours de négociations à Genève, scrutées par le monde entier.Concrètement, les deux camps acceptent de suspendre des surtaxes de 115 points de pourcentage qu’ils s’étaient imposées ces dernières semaines, dans le cadre d’une surenchère lancée en avril par un Donald Trump dénonçant une relation commerciale déséquilibrée en faveur de la Chine.Ces mesures ramèneront donc provisoirement les droits de douane sur les produits chinois importés par les Etats-Unis à 30%, et les droits de douane sur les produits américains importés par la Chine à 10%, pendant la poursuite des tractations entre les deux pays, a expliqué le représentant américain au Commerce Jamieson Greer, lors d’une conférence de presse à Genève.Si la trêve annoncée lundi n’est valable que pendant trois mois, il s’agit d’un premier signe concret d’apaisement dans cette guerre commerciale qui a fait tanguer les marchés financiers et alimenté des craintes d’inflation et de ralentissement économique, aux Etats-Unis, en Chine et dans le reste du monde.Preuve du soulagement des milieux économiques, la Bourse de Hong Kong a bondi de plus de 3% lundi dans les minutes suivant la publication du communiqué commun. De son côté, le dollar, qui avait pâti de la guerre commerciale, s’est repris par rapport au yen et à l’euro. “Aucun camp ne veut une dissociation” des économies américaine et chinoise, a déclaré le secrétaire américain au Trésor, Scott Bessent, à Genève. Mais “nous voulons une (relation) commerciale plus équilibrée”, a-t-il ajouté, estimant que les barrières douanières instaurées ces derniers mois avaient de facto mis en place un “embargo” sur les échanges entre les deux pays.La réduction de ces droits de douane est “dans l’intérêt commun du monde”, a commenté le ministère chinois du Commerce, saluant des “progrès substantiels” dans les négociations commerciales avec Washington.- “Grand respect” -Cette trêve est le fruit de deux jours de négociations à Genève entre, côté américain, MM. Bessent et Greer, et, côté chinois, le vice-Premier ministre He Lifeng.Cette rencontre, qui s’est déroulée selon M. Bessent dans un “grand respect”, était la première en face-à-face de hauts responsables des deux pays depuis que le président Trump a imposé début avril une surtaxe de 145% sur les marchandises venant de Chine, en plus des droits de douane préexistants.Pékin avait riposté avec 125% de droits de douane sur les produits américains.Selon leur communiqué commun, les deux pays sont en outre convenus d'”établir un mécanisme pour poursuivre les discussions sur les relations commerciales et économiques”. Dans un entretien avec la chaîne américaine CNBC lundi, M. Bessent a évoqué une nouvelle réunion sino-américaine “dans les prochaines semaines pour travailler à un accord plus étoffé”.Il a notamment dit vouloir parler avec Pékin des restrictions autres que les droits de douane, appelées “barrières non tarifaires”, qui empêchent selon lui les entreprises américaines de prospérer en Chine. Il s’agit traditionnellement de licences ou de quotas d’importation.”En réalité, la Chine a des droits de douane peu élevés. Ce sont ces barrières non tarifaires, plus insidieuses, qui nuisent aux entreprises américaines qui veulent y faire des affaires”, a déclaré le secrétaire au Trésor sur CNBC.Selon M. Greer, Washington et Pékin vont également “travailler de façon constructive” sur la question du fentanyl, un puissant opioïde de synthèse qui fait des ravages aux Etats-Unis.M. Trump a en partie justifié ses droits de douane contre la Chine en affirmant vouloir réduire la quantité de fentanyl arrivant aux Etats-Unis depuis ce pays.- “Point de départ” -L’annonce faite lundi “va au-delà de ce qu’attendaient les marchés”, a souligné Zhiwei Zhang, président et économiste en chef de Pinpoint Asset Management, qui y voit un “bon point de départ pour que les deux pays négocient”.”Du point de vue de la Chine, le résultat de ces négociations est un succès, car la Chine a adopté une position de fermeté face à la menace américaine de droits de douane élevés, et est parvenue à faire baisser drastiquement ces droits de douane sans faire de concessions”, a-t-il relevé.Mais si cette trêve constitue un “progrès important”, “il y a encore des efforts à fournir pour parvenir à un accord formel” et la situation “pourrait se dégrader”, a néanmoins mis en garde Daniela Sabin Hathorn, analyste de Capital.com.La réunion à Genève a eu lieu deux jours après que M. Trump a dévoilé un accord commercial avec le Royaume-Uni, le premier conclu depuis qu’il a imposé des droits de douane plus ou moins prohibitifs à tous les pays.burs-gkg/tq/er

‘Settlers on all sides’: West Bank bypass raises fears of Israeli annexation

A creeping Israeli presence is nothing new for the Bedouins who inhabit the arid hills east of Jerusalem, but a recently approved road in the area means the spectre of annexation now looms large. Israeli authorities in March green lit the construction of a separate route for Palestinian vehicles to bypass a central stretch of the occupied West Bank –- one of the territory’s most disputed parcels of land.Israel has promoted the project as a way to further facilitate settlement expansion in the area near Jerusalem, which it considers its “eternal and indivisible” capital.But Palestinians warn the move threatens to further isolate their communities and undermines hopes for a contiguous future state with east Jerusalem as its capital.”If they open a road there, that’s it, this area will be annexed,” said Eid Jahaleen, who lives in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar.The village, a cluster of shacks and tents some 10 kilometres (6 miles) from Jerusalem’s Old City, sits surrounded by Israeli settlements.”It’s going to be hard to reach out to the outside world. No Palestinian services will be allowed to get in here,” he said. – Territorial continuity –”If you want clothes, food for your home, (Israel) will be the one to open the gate.”Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.Outposts — unauthorised structures under Israeli law that often precede the establishment of a settlement — have spread rapidly across the West Bank since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022, leading a hardline, pro-settler coalition.After a new outpost appeared just 100 metres away, Jahaleen said he has “settlers on all sides”.Israel heavily restricts the movement of West Bank Palestinians, who must obtain permits from authorities to travel through checkpoints to cross into east Jerusalem or Israel.Far-right ministers have in recent months openly called for Israel’s annexation of the territory.The alternative bypass would mean Palestinian vehicles driving north-south through the West Bank could travel directly between Palestinian towns rather, without passing the large Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.Israel has hailed the move as enabling settlement development between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem on a super-sensitive land corridor known as E1.Israel has long had ambitions to build on the roughly 12 square kilometres, but the international community has repeatedly warned it could deal a fatal blow to a future Palestinian state.Maale Adumim’s Mayor Guy Yifrach said the Palestinian bypass would reduce congestion on the current highway between the settlement and Jerusalem and “allow for a natural urban continuity” between the two.Plans exist to build 4,000 housing units, schools, health clinics and a country club on E1, Yifrach said, but added they had not yet been approved. Khan al Ahmar, E1 and Maale Adumim all lie within a planned section of Israel’s separation barrier for which construction has been frozen for years.Israel says the barrier -– made up of ditches, roads, razor wire, electronic fences, checkpoints and concrete walls –- is necessary to prevent Palestinian attacks. For Palestinians, the structure further separates them and drastically reduces their freedom of movement.- Isolated enclaves – Aviv Tatarsky, from the Israeli anti-settlement organisation Ir Amim, said that once the road is built, Israel could go ahead with constructing the barrier as planned.”They want to create this de facto annexation, which means take the space around Maale Adumim and make it an integral part of Jerusalem, of Israel,” he said.By creating an alternative route for Palestinians to travel through the West Bank, Israel could argue that expanding Jewish settlements in the area would not compromise the contiguity of Palestinian territory, Tatarsky added.For Mohammad Matter, from the Palestinian Authority’s Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the road “has nothing to do with making life easier for Palestinians”.The bypass will trace the northern edge of Matter’s village of Al Eizariya, and he fears it will further squeeze Palestinians into isolated enclaves, connected only through transport corridors.”They (Israel) are realising their vision: Israelis walk up high and Palestinians walk through valleys or tunnels,” he said.