Sudan’s RSF says arrests fighters accused of abuses in El-Fasher

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said they had arrested several fighters accused of committing abuses during the capture of the western city of El-Fasher, as a UN official warned the “horror is continuing” in both Darfur and neighbouring Kordofan.At war with the army since April 2023, the RSF seized El-Fasher on Sunday, dislodging the army’s last stronghold in western Darfur after an 18-month siege marked by bombardment and starvation.It has faced widespread accusations of grave abuses after taking the city, with survivors who reached the nearby town of Tawila telling AFP of mass killings, children shot in front of their parents, and civilians beaten and robbed as they fled.In a statement late Thursday, the RSF said it had detained several fighters accused of “violations that occurred during the liberation” of El-Fasher, including one known as Abu Lulu who appeared in multiple videos on his TikTok committing summary executions.In one clip verified by AFP, he is seen shooting unarmed men at close range. Another shows him standing among armed men celebrating near dozens of bodies and burnt vehicles.The RSF released a video appearing to show Abu Lulu behind bars in what they claimed to be a North Darfur prison.The RSF also affirmed its adherence to “the law, rules of conduct and military discipline during wartime”, saying that it had begun investigations to bring the fighters to justice.”Abu Lulu is arrested and will be brought to a fair trial according to the law,” one RSF member says in the video.Since Sunday, videos circulating online have purportedly shown men in RSF uniforms carrying out summary executions around the city, which has been cut off from all communications since its fall.Emtithal Mahmoud, a US-based Sudanese poet from El-Fasher, told AFP she recognised her cousin, Nadifa, in a video shared by RSF accounts, lying dead on the ground.- ‘Horror is continuing’ -Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair said she was sceptical that the purported arrests would bring an end to the violence.”We expect these atrocities to continue, particularly against non-Arab groups,” she told AFP, citing communities such as the Zaghawa, Fur, Berti and Masalit in Darfur. In 2023, the RSF — descended from the Janjaweed Arab militias accused of mass atrocities in Darfur two decades ago — was blamed for massacres against the Masalit tribe in West Darfur capital El-Geneina, killing up to 15,000 people.”Overall, these patterns reflect a disturbing repetition of ethnic tensions from 20 years ago, now compounded by disputes over resource control and political power in the country,” Khair said.More than 36,000 people have fled El-Fasher since Sunday, according to the UN’s migration agency, while the fate of about 177,000 civilians still trapped in the city remains unknown.The UN said Thursday that around 1,750 people had also fled the North Darfur town of Tina — to the west of El-Fasher — across the border into neighbouring Chad.UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the Security Council on Thursday there were “credible reports of widespread executions” after the RSF entered El-Fasher.”We cannot hear the screams, but… the horror is continuing,” he said, describing rapes, mutilations and killings with impunity.Fletcher said the RSF claimed to be investigating, but questioned its commitment amid the “appalling news” from North Darfur.RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo had earlier vowed accountability for “anyone who has made a mistake”.Satellite imagery analysed by Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab showed clusters in the city “consistent with adult human bodies”, and discolouration that may indicate “pools of blood”, its director told AFP.- Bloodshed in Kordofan -Fletcher warned that bloodshed in Sudan was spreading beyond Darfur, with atrocities reported in the neighbouring Kordofan region.According to UN figures, between Sunday and Wednesday more than 35,000 people fled five localities in North Kordofan state, including Bara, which lies north of state capital El-Obeid on a key route to Darfur and was overrun by paramilitaries on Saturday.Martha Pobee, the assistant UN secretary-general for Africa, highlighted “reports of large-scale atrocities perpetrated” by the RSF in Bara, including, “reprisals against so-called ‘collaborators’, which are often ethnically motivated”.At least 50 civilians were killed there in recent days, both in fighting and executions, including five Red Crescent volunteers, according to the UN.Kordofan is “clearly going to be the next area of military escalation”, analyst Khair said.On Thursday, the RSF accused the army of launching a drone attack on a school in eastern North Kordofan, claiming dozens of students and teachers were killed or injured — an allegation the army denied.AFP could not independently verify the attack.Both the army and the RSF have faced war crimes accusations over the course of the conflict.The US has previously determined the RSF committed genocide in Darfur.El-Fasher’s fall to the RSF gave it full control over all five state capitals in Darfur, effectively splitting Sudan along an east-west axis. The paramilitaries have also established a self-declared rival government in Darfur.The army holds Sudan’s north, east and centre.

Violences conjugales: 107 femmes tuées en 2024, en hausse de 11% en un an

 En 2024, 107 femmes ont été tuées par leur conjoint ou ex-conjoint en France, un chiffre en hausse de 11% sur un an, selon les dernières données du ministère de l’Intérieur.Au total, 138 morts violentes au sein du couple ont été enregistrées par les forces de l’ordre l’an dernier, dont 31 hommes, selon l’étude nationale annuelle sur cette question, disponible sur le site du ministère et consultée vendredi par l’AFP.”En moyenne, un décès est enregistré tous les trois jours”, souligne le bilan annuel. En 2024, 403 tentatives d’homicides au sein du couple ont été par ailleurs recensées. Dans le détail, 90% des féminicides et homicides conjugaux ont été commis au domicile du couple de la victime ou de l’auteur, précise l’étude sur “les morts violentes au sein du couple” qui fait état de 49 usages d’arme blanche et de 34 usages d’arme à feu.Trente-et-un pour cent des faits étaient précédés d’une dispute et 16% s’inscrivaient dans le contexte d’une séparation non acceptée. “Le profil type de l’auteur reste majoritairement masculin, le plus souvent en couple, de nationalité française et n’exerçant pas ou plus d’activité professionnelle”, relève le ministère dans son étude. Il est “majoritairement âgé de 20 à 49 ans” avec “un pic particulièrement important des 70 ans et plus par rapport à 2023”.Concernant les victimes, 47% des femmes “avaient signalé ces violences antérieures aux forces de sécurité intérieure et, parmi elles, 81% avaient déposé une plainte antérieure”. Une victime bénéficiait d’un dispositif “téléphone grave danger”, deux victimes d’une ordonnance de protection et un auteur faisait l’objet d’un placement sous contrôle judiciaire, selon l’étude. 

Nvidia to supply 260,000 cutting-edge chips to South Korea

US tech giant Nvidia said on Friday it will supply 260,000 of its most cutting-edge chips to South Korea, as CEO Jensen Huang met President Lee Jae Myung and the heads of the country’s biggest companies on the sidelines of the APEC summit. South Korea is home to two of the world’s leading memory chip makers — Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — which manufacture chips essential for artificial intelligence products and the data centres that the fast-evolving industry relies on.President Lee has also expressed his hope that the country can become the world’s third AI power after the United States and China.Speaking to media after the announcement, Huang said that goal was “ambitious”.But, he said, “there’s no reason why Korea cannot achieve it — you have the technology, you have the software expertise and you also have a natural ability to build manufacturing plants”.Nvidia has been caught in the middle of that geopolitical tussle.Its chips are currently not sold in China due to a combination of Beijing government bans, US national security concerns and ongoing trade tensions.Huang has urged the United States to allow the sale of US-made AI chips in China in order to ensure Silicon Valley companies remain a global powerhouse in providing artificial intelligence.”The US government and the Chinese government have to decide what role they would like Nvidia to play,” Huang told reporters on Friday. “I’ve been very clear that having Nvidia technology in China is in the best interest of the United States and in the best interest of China as well,” he said.”I’m optimistic,” he added.And asked if he wanted Nvidia’s most high-tech chip, the Blackwell, to be sold in China, he said: “I hope so”.”But that’s a decision for President Trump to make.”Nvidia’s chips featured in talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Gyeongju this week.Beijing has ramped up its chip industry to beat Washington’s export restrictions on the critical component used to power AI systems.- Chicken and chips -Under Friday’s deal, 50,000 of the graphics processing units will go towards a new “AI factory” being built by Samsung Electronics. “By deploying more than 50,000 Nvidia GPUs, AI will be embedded throughout Samsung’s entire manufacturing flow,” the Korean tech giant said.SK Group and Hyundai Motor Group will also receive 50,000 chips for use in AI facilities.NAVER Cloud — which operates South Korea’s largest search engine — will receive 60,000 to expand its AI infrastructure. A further 50,000 will be deployed across Seoul’s National AI Computing Center and to cloud service and IT providers.Huang has sought to forge closer ties with South Korean tech giants in his visit to the country this week.He met Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun on Thursday for “chimaek” — a beloved South Korean pairing of fried chicken and beer — in the capital Seoul.The restaurant, Kkanbu, was reportedly chosen by Nvidia because the term — popularised by Netflix’s megahit “Squid Game” and meaning “friend” — was intended to highlight the spirit of friendship underpinning their AI and chip collaborations.Nvidia in July became the first company to top $4 trillion in market capitalisation, and followed that up by becoming the first to hit $5 trillion following an event on Tuesday where it announced new ventures building on its AI technology.

Nvidia to supply 260,000 cutting-edge chips to South Korea

US tech giant Nvidia said on Friday it will supply 260,000 of its most cutting-edge chips to South Korea, as CEO Jensen Huang met President Lee Jae Myung and the heads of the country’s biggest companies on the sidelines of the APEC summit. South Korea is home to two of the world’s leading memory chip makers — Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — which manufacture chips essential for artificial intelligence products and the data centres that the fast-evolving industry relies on.President Lee has also expressed his hope that the country can become the world’s third AI power after the United States and China.Speaking to media after the announcement, Huang said that goal was “ambitious”.But, he said, “there’s no reason why Korea cannot achieve it — you have the technology, you have the software expertise and you also have a natural ability to build manufacturing plants”.Nvidia has been caught in the middle of that geopolitical tussle.Its chips are currently not sold in China due to a combination of Beijing government bans, US national security concerns and ongoing trade tensions.Huang has urged the United States to allow the sale of US-made AI chips in China in order to ensure Silicon Valley companies remain a global powerhouse in providing artificial intelligence.”The US government and the Chinese government have to decide what role they would like Nvidia to play,” Huang told reporters on Friday. “I’ve been very clear that having Nvidia technology in China is in the best interest of the United States and in the best interest of China as well,” he said.”I’m optimistic,” he added.And asked if he wanted Nvidia’s most high-tech chip, the Blackwell, to be sold in China, he said: “I hope so”.”But that’s a decision for President Trump to make.”Nvidia’s chips featured in talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Gyeongju this week.Beijing has ramped up its chip industry to beat Washington’s export restrictions on the critical component used to power AI systems.- Chicken and chips -Under Friday’s deal, 50,000 of the graphics processing units will go towards a new “AI factory” being built by Samsung Electronics. “By deploying more than 50,000 Nvidia GPUs, AI will be embedded throughout Samsung’s entire manufacturing flow,” the Korean tech giant said.SK Group and Hyundai Motor Group will also receive 50,000 chips for use in AI facilities.NAVER Cloud — which operates South Korea’s largest search engine — will receive 60,000 to expand its AI infrastructure. A further 50,000 will be deployed across Seoul’s National AI Computing Center and to cloud service and IT providers.Huang has sought to forge closer ties with South Korean tech giants in his visit to the country this week.He met Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun on Thursday for “chimaek” — a beloved South Korean pairing of fried chicken and beer — in the capital Seoul.The restaurant, Kkanbu, was reportedly chosen by Nvidia because the term — popularised by Netflix’s megahit “Squid Game” and meaning “friend” — was intended to highlight the spirit of friendship underpinning their AI and chip collaborations.Nvidia in July became the first company to top $4 trillion in market capitalisation, and followed that up by becoming the first to hit $5 trillion following an event on Tuesday where it announced new ventures building on its AI technology.

Real Madrid: l’affaire Vinicius est “close”, pas de sanction (entraîneur)

L’entraîneur du Real Madrid Xabi Alonso a assuré vendredi que la polémique autour de la crise de nerfs de Vinicius Junior lors du Clasico face au Barça dimanche était “close” et que l’attaquant brésilien ne serait pas sanctionné.Remplacé par son compatriote Rodrygo à la 72e minute de jeu lors du Clasico remporté 2-1 par le Real, l’ailier gauche madrilène s’était emporté, avant de s’excuser mercredi.”Moi? Mister? Encore moi? Va te faire… ! C’est toujours moi! Je quitte l’équipe, c’est trop, c’est mieux que je m’en aille!”, avait-il pesté devant les caméras du monde entier, en rentrant directement aux vestiaires sans saluer son coach Xabi Alonso.Dans un message publié sur son compte X, Vinicius Junior avait presenté ses excuses “à tous les madrilènes”, expliquant que sa passion finissait parfois par l’emporter.L’entraîneur merengue, interrogé à plusieurs reprises vendredi en conférence de presse sur cette polémique qui a enflammé les médias espagnols, a estimé qu’elle était “close” depuis la prise de parole du joueur.”Mercredi dernier nous avons eu une réunion avec tout le staff, les joueurs, et Vinicius a tenu un discours irréprochable, il a parlé avec sincérité, du fond du coeur. Pour moi, cette affaire est close depuis mercredi”, a-t-il déclaré, assurant qu’il n’y aurait aucune “représaille” ou sanction disciplinaire à l’encontre de l’attaquant brésilien.Le technicien basque s’est dit “très satisfait” de la réaction “courageuse” de son N.7, qui ne semble pas accepter d’être privé de son statut d’intouchable et d’être remplacé en cours de match.”Nous sommes tous dans le même bateau et nous ramons dans la même direction. Je pense que toute l’équipe est concentrée sur le terrain, ce qui est le plus important. Nous sommes des compétiteurs, tous les joueurs veulent être sur le terrain, et c’est une bonne chose. Maintenant, nous voulons continuer d’avancer vers nos objectifs, un match après l’autre”, a conclu Xabi Alonso à la veille de la rencontre de Liga contre Valence.

Nucléaire: l’annonce de Trump provoque une levée de boucliers

L’annonce surprise de Donald Trump, qui prétend vouloir reprendre les essais d’armes nucléaires, continuait vendredi de susciter inquiétude et protestations dans le monde entier, sans même qu’ait été éclairci le sens réel de ses déclarations.Des survivants japonais des bombardements atomiques d’Hiroshima et Nagasaki en août 1945, uniques occurrences de l’usage de l’arme suprême et symbole depuis du tabou militaire absolu, se sont joints à moult protestations diplomatiques.La directive du président républicain “va à l’encontre des efforts déployés par les nations du monde entier pour construire un monde pacifique sans arme nucléaire et est absolument inacceptable”, a dénoncé l’organisation Nihon Hidankyo, dans une lettre à l’ambassade des Etats-Unis au Japon.Le maire de Nagasaki, Shiro Suzuki, a pour sa part regretté que l’ordre présidentiel “piétine les efforts des peuples (…) qui ont versé sang et larmes pour un monde” dénucléarisé.Jeudi, Donald Trump a annoncé vouloir tester les armes nucléaires américaines, laissant planer le doute – à dessein ou non – sur son propos : test d’explosion d’ogives nucléaires, ou essai d’armement capables de les transporter ?”En raison des programmes d’essais menés par d’autres pays, j’ai demandé au ministère (de la Défense) de commencer à tester nos armes nucléaires sur un pied d’égalité” avec la Russie et la Chine, a-t-il déclaré sur son réseau Truth Social.Or, nul pays n’a procédé à un essai nucléaire depuis trois décennies – à l’exception de la Corée du Nord (à six reprises entre 2006 et 2017). En revanche, de nombreuses puissances, Etats-Unis en tête, effectuent régulièrement des tests de vecteurs – missiles, sous-marins, avions de chasse ou autres.  L’Iran, accusé par les Occidentaux et Israël de développer l’arme atomique malgré ses démentis, a jugé que les Etats-Unis faisaient porter “le risque de prolifération le plus dangereux au monde”.- “Sous aucune circonstance” -L’annonce du président américain “est une mesure régressive et irresponsable” et une “menace grave pour la paix et la sécurité internationales”, a déclaré sur X le chef de la diplomatie iranienne Abbas Araghchi. “Le monde doit s’unir pour demander des comptes aux États-Unis”. Dans un contexte géopolitique incandescent, et alors que la rhétorique nucléaire revient périodiquement au premier plan depuis l’invasion russe en Ukraine, en février 2022, Donald Trump a versé de l’huile sur le feu.Les essais nucléaires “ne doivent jamais être permis, sous aucune circonstance”, a déclaré un porte-parole de l’ONU. “Nous ne devons pas oublier l’héritage désastreux des plus de 2.000 essais nucléaires menés ces 80 dernières années”, a ajouté Farhan Haq, porte-parole adjoint du secrétaire général de l’ONU Antonio Guterres.Jeudi, le vice-président américain JD Vance a appuyé les propos du chef de l’Etat, arguant de la nécessité de s’assurer que l’arsenal nucléaire national “était en état de marche et fonctionnait bien”.Reste que Washington est signataire du Traité d’interdiction complète des essais nucléaires (Tice). Faire exploser des ogives en constituerait une violation flagrante.- Obligations internationales -La décision de Donald Trump a semblé répondre aux manoeuvres récentes de la Russie : cette semaine, le président russe Vladimir Poutine s’est félicité de l’essai final réussi d’un missile de croisière d'”une portée illimitée”, puis de celui d’un drone sous-marin.Mais le Kremlin a jugé bon jeudi de préciser qu’il s’agissait bien d’essais d’armes capables de porter une ogive nucléaire et non de bombes elles-mêmes. “Nous espérons que le président Trump en a été informé correctement”, a déclaré le porte-parole du Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov.Pékin, pour sa part, a émis le souhait que Washington respecte “sérieusement” ses obligations internationales et prenne “des mesures concrètes pour préserver le système mondial de désarmement et de non-prolifération nucléaires”.  Washington et Moscou restent liés en principe par le traité de désarmement New Start, qui limite chaque partie à 1.550 ogives stratégiques offensives déployées et prévoit un mécanisme de vérifications, interrompues depuis deux ans. Le traité doit expirer en février. A tout le moins, Donald Trump n’a semblé nullement ébranlé par les protestations qu’il a provoquées. Evoquant le blocage budgétaire qui paralyse actuellement son administration, il a réclamé un changement du règlement du Sénat pour sortir de l’impasse.”Il est temps pour les républicains de jouer leur +CARTE TRUMP+ et de mettre en œuvre ce qu’on appelle l’Option Nucléaire “, a-t-il écrit sur son Truth Social, comme une énième provocation.

Asia markets diverge on heels of Apple, Amazon earnings

Asian stock markets presented a mixed bag on Friday, with falls in China and gains in Japan and South Korea coming after better-than-expected earnings reports from US tech behemoths Apple and Amazon.Investor confidence in artificial intelligence has fuelled a rally in global stock markets this week that made California-based chip designer Nvidia the first $5 trillion firm.Rosy sentiment was further boosted by a detente in the US-China trade war, with leaders agreeing on Thursday to walk back punitive measures that had disrupted international supply chains and manufacturing sectors.But that boom showed signs of flagging on Thursday as investors processed comments by US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell the previous day that cast doubt on another interest rate cut in December.The three major Wall Street indices retreated on Thursday, with the Nasdaq dropping the most at 1.6 percent.An earnings report released by Apple after US markets closed showed quarterly revenue that beat estimates, powered by iPhone and services revenue.Amazon also reported earnings that were better than expected, driven by surging demand for its cloud computing services.Tokyo’s main benchmark gained more than two percent on Friday while Seoul added half a percent, with both reaching record closes.Japan’s climb came despite a sharp plunge in Nissan shares after the automotive giant said it expected to suffer an operating loss in its current fiscal year ending in March.Trading in Seoul ended just after an announcement by Nvidia that it will supply 260,000 of its most cutting-edge chips to South Korea.The statement came as CEO Jensen Huang met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the sidelines of the APEC summit. Also in attendance on Friday were leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada.Taipei finished slightly down and Sydney closed flat.In Hong Kong, shares of Chinese electric vehicle powerhouse BYD tumbled after results announced on Thursday evening showed a 33 percent year-on-year slump in third-quarter profit.Hong Kong’s main benchmark closed the day down 1.4 percent, while Shanghai finished 0.8 percent lower.”While (BYD’s) near-term domestic growth may face headwinds from ongoing price discipline and evolving government policies, the international segment offers a robust counterbalance,” HSBC analyst Yuqian Ding said in a report.Challenges in the Chinese economy were further highlighted by official data on Friday that showed factory activity shrinking in October for the seventh successive month.Xi and US President Donald Trump struck several key deals during Thursday’s meeting that had been anticipated by observers.Washington agreed to cut some tariffs on Chinese goods, while Beijing committed to keeping supplies of critical rare earths flowing.Trump and Xi have not yet signed a comprehensive trade agreement, and experts say the meeting amounted to a tentative one-year truce in the trade war between the world’s top two economies.Europe opened lower Friday, with main benchmarks in London, Paris and Frankfurt slightly down in morning trading.- Key figures at around 0830 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.1 percent at 52,411.34 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 25,906.65 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.8 percent at 3,954.79 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.2 percent at 9,738.34West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $60.46 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $64.97 per barrelEuro/dollar: UP at $1.1566 from $1.1564 on ThursdayPound/dollar: FLAT at $1.3142 from $1.3142Dollar/yen: UP at 154.33 yen from 154.06 yenEuro/pound: UP at 88.01 from 87.98 penceNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.2 percent at 47,522.12 (close)