AFP - Squid Business

Equateur: une trentaine de blessés et des dégâts matériels après un séisme de magnitude 6,3

Un séisme de magnitude 6,3 dans la province d’Esmeraldas, dans le nord-ouest de l’Equateur, a fait plus de 30 blessés et détruit près de 180 logements, selon le dernier bilan communiqué par les autorités vendredi.Andres Mafare, un pêcheur de 36 ans, raconte à l’AFP avoir “couru comme un fou” pour aller rejoindre sa famille après les premières secousses. “Quand je suis arrivé, j’ai vu ma petite maison écroulée”, dit-il. Sa femme et ses deux enfants en sont sortis indemnes.Le séisme s’est produit à 35 kilomètres de profondeur vers 06H45 locales (11H45 GMT), d’après l’Institut américain de géophysique (USGS).Il a eu lieu à 8,4 kilomètres de la ville d’Esmeraldas, la capitale de la province côtière du même nom, proche de la frontière avec la Colombie, et a été ressenti dans 10 des 24 provinces du pays sud-américain.- Murs à terre -“Ca a été très fort (…) Ça a semblé une éternité pour nous”, a déclaré à l’AFP l’ancien candidat à la présidence Yaku Pérez, qui se trouvait dans une université d’Esmeraldas pour présenter un livre. En sortant du bâtiment, il a pu constater “quelques petites maisons détruites”.Dans les rues, des habitants circulaient en évitant les décombres, notamment un pan de mur s’étant décroché d’un immeuble, a constaté un journaliste de l’AFP. Le tremblement de terre a fait 32 blessés et détruit 179 logements, selon le dernier bilan de l’Agence nationale de gestion des risques (SNGR). La quasi-totalité des réseaux d’électricité et de télécommunications, ainsi que deux ponts, des routes, 26 écoles et sept centres de santé, ont également été touchés.Le président équatorien récemment réélu, Daniel Noboa, a réagi sur X dans la matinée en annonçant la mise en place d’abris et la distribution de kits d’aide humanitaire. “La gouvernement est à vos côtés”, a-t-il affirmé.La compagnie pétrolière nationale Petroecuador a suspendu les opérations de sa raffinerie d’Esmeraldas, qui produit plus de 100.000 barils de pétrole par jour. “Des dommages ont été constatés dans ses unités”, a indiqué l’entreprise dans un communiqué sans donner plus de détails. L’acheminement de pétrole brut via l’oléoduc transéquatorien SOTE, qui transporte l’or noir de l’Amazonie vers la côte Pacifique, a en revanche repris après une brève interruption. Cet oléoduc avait subi des dommages en mars, provoquant la fuite de plus de 25.000 barils de pétrole brut. La zone de ce sinistre “ne présente ni glissements de terrain ni dégâts suite au séisme”, a précisé plus tôt dans la journée Petroecuador.L’Equateur se situe sur des plaques tectoniques sous-marines, ce qui génère régulièrement des secousses. Le séisme de vendredi est “une conséquence du processus de subduction de la plaque de Nazca”, a expliqué Pablo Palacios, technicien de l’Institut Géophysique, à la chaîne Ecuavisa. La semaine dernière, l’Equateur a commémoré le séisme de 2016 qui avait frappé les côtes de Manabi et d’Esmeraldas. D’une magnitude de 7,8, il avait fait 673 morts et quelque 6.300 blessés.

FBI arrests Wisconsin judge for shielding undocumented migrant

Federal agents on Friday arrested a US judge for allegedly shielding an undocumented migrant, escalating a struggle between the White House and courts over President Donald Trump’s hardline deportation policies.Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit judge, allegedly “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject” whom agents were intending to detain at her courthouse, FBI director Kash Patel said in a post on X.She was arrested on charges of obstruction, Patel said in his post.”Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public,” Patel said.The Trump-appointed director deleted his post minutes after it appeared, but later reposted it.Later on Friday, Patel wrote “No one is above the law” in another post on X, accompanied with a photo of a handcuffed person being led to an unmarked vehicle with tinted windows. The image is taken from behind, and the only faces in the photo have been blurred out. “From the bench to the backseat. This is what accountability looks like,” wrote Donald Trump Jr., who shared the post, suggesting the handcuffed person in the photo was Dugan.The incident has set off a torrent of criticism by Democrats and applause by some Republicans.Pam Bondi, who as US attorney general oversees the FBI, defended the arrest of Dugan, and issued a chilling warning to those who may harbor illegal aliens: “We will find you.””We’re sending a very strong message today,” Bondi told Fox News. “If you are harboring a fugitive, we don’t care who you are, if you are helping hide one… anyone who is illegally in this country — we will come after you and we will prosecute you.”- Court appearance -Charging documents described an incident at Dugan’s courthouse last Friday during which the judge was “visibly upset and had a confrontational, angry demeanor” when federal agents came to arrest the migrant — Eduardo Flores-Ruiz from Mexico — who was facing misdemeanor charges.The complaint alleges Dugan escorted Flores-Ruiz out of the courtroom through a door used by jury members in order to keep him from the agents.Dugan, who was elected to the bench in 2016, appeared in court Friday before a judge in the federal courthouse in downtown Milwaukee, where she made no public comments, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.According to the paper, her attorney Craig Mastantuono told the court: “Judge Dugan wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest. It was not made in the interest of public safety.”A number of federal and state judges across the United States have issued rulings that put several of Trump’s executive actions on hold, particularly related to his bid to exercise unprecedented powers in deporting migrants.The Trump administration has been butting heads with federal judges, rights groups and Democrats who say he has trampled or ignored constitutionally enshrined rights in rushing to deport migrants, sometimes without the right to a hearing. House Democrat Darren Soto blasted the Dugan arrest as “third world country dictator type of stuff.””Everyday they get more desperate,” he posted on X. “This will be bounced out of court as quick as the rest of their illegal actions.”Speaking to broadcaster MSNBC on Friday night, Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin said the Trump administration has spent the past month waging “an intense assault on judicial independence.”Several Republicans however rushed to Patel’s defense. “The corruption and determination of these anti-American activist judges to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens is appalling,” congresswoman Diana Harshbarger said. “Thankfully, a stand is being taken against them.”On Thursday, a former county magistrate judge in New Mexico and his wife were taken into custody after federal agents raided their home over their harboring of an alleged undocumented migrant who investigators said was a member of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, US media reported.The Trump administration has dug in its heels over deportation cases in which legal experts and Democrats say residents are being expelled without due process.The White House has defied the Supreme Court’s ruling that the administration must “facilitate” the return of a Maryland resident who was deported to a maximum security prison in El Salvador.Bondi said the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is “not coming back” to the United States.

India and Pakistan’s Kashmir fallout hits economy too

Rapidly deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan over a deadly shooting in Kashmir are starting to have small but prickly economic consequences for both nations.The killing of 26 men on Tuesday in Indian-administered Kashmir, the deadliest attack on civilians in the Himalayan region in a quarter of a century, triggered public outrage across the world’s most populous country.India has unveiled a series of mostly symbolic diplomatic measures against Pakistan, after accusing its regional rival of supporting “cross-border terrorism”.Islamabad, which rejected the allegations, responded Thursday with similar tit-for-tat measures — but upped the ante by halting trade with New Delhi and closing its airspace to Indian airlines. Experts say that while the retaliatory moves will not have an immediate or far-reaching impact, it will likely result in longer and more expensive flights for Indians, while forcing Pakistan to increase pharmaceutical imports from other countries.Pakistan’s decision to close its airspace to carriers from its neighbour will see journeys from India to Central Asia, Europe and North America take up to two hours longer.”We are currently looking at, on average, an extra 60 minutes to 120 minutes for flights depending on where they go,” Sanjay Lazar, aviation expert and CEO of Avialaz Consultants, told AFP. – ‘Sabre rattle’ -Pakistan’s move is expected to hurt Air India, owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Group, the most.Air India said that some flights to North America, Europe and the Middle East will have to take an “alternative extended route”.And the extra flying time may eventually make flights more expensive.”There is extra fuel burn, because you’re taking a more circuitous route,” Lazar said.”And if you add an extra stop on the route, then you incur additional crew and landing costs too.”Airfares could rise if restrictions continue beyond six months, though airlines are unlikely to hike up fares immediately to avoid the risk of “not appearing patriotic enough”, he added.Mark D Martin, of Martin Consulting, said ticket prices could rise by more than 35 percent to Middle East destinations and by over 45 percent to Europe.”It’s always the airline business that gets impacted when India and Pakistan spar and sabre rattle,” Martin said.”Let’s hope better sense prevails, and this situation deescalates, as this will have an earning impact on airline financials.”Indian government data shows that when Islamabad closed its airspace in 2019 — after New Delhi hit it with airstrikes in response to an attack in Kashmir — domestic airlines saw a financial cost of nearly 5.5 billion rupees ($64.3 million) during the nearly five-month-long shutdown.- Third country trade -But analysts say Pakistan’s decision to halt trade is unlikely to have a major impact, as regular diplomatic flare-ups between the two nations over decades have prevented close economic ties.India exported less than $450 million in goods to Pakistan between April 2024 and January 2025, a tiny fraction of its overall shipments.Key items included pharmaceutical products worth over $110 million, and sugar worth over $85 million.”Imports from Pakistan were negligible — just $0.42 million, limited to niche items like figs, basil and rosemary herbs,” Ajay Srivastava of Global Trade Research Initiative, a New Delhi-based think tank, said in a briefing note.But Islamabad also said Thursday it had suspended “all trade with India” including “to and from any third country through Pakistan”.It is not immediately clear how this would impact indirect trade through countries such as the United Arab Emirates or Singapore. Indirect trade is far higher, totalling around $10 billion, according to Srivastava.”Informal sources say that Pakistan imports several Indian products this way, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cotton and yarn,” he said.”On the other hand, India may receive Himalayan pink salt and dry fruits such as dates, apricots, and almonds from Pakistan, also routed through third countries.”

India and Pakistan’s Kashmir fallout hits economy too

Des funérailles grandioses pour le “pape des pauvres”

François, “le pape des pauvres”, va avoir droit samedi à des funérailles grandioses place Saint-Pierre, où sont attendus plus de 200.000 fidèles, une cinquantaine de chefs d’Etat et une dizaine de têtes couronnées.La mort du premier pape sud-américain, élu en 2013 et décédé lundi à 88 ans d’un AVC, a suscité une émotion planétaire et des hommages unanimes, même de la part de Donald Trump, dont il avait pourtant âprement critiqué la politique antimigrants.Le président américain, accompagné de son épouse Melania, est arrivé à Rome vendredi soir vers 21H00 GMT et pourrait avoir des entrevues bilatérales en marge de la cérémonie samedi, avec par exemple la présidente de la Commission européenne Ursula von der Leyen, remontée contre sa décision de hausser les droits de douane.En revanche, le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a annoncé vendredi soir qu’il n’était pas certain d'”avoir le temps” de faire le déplacement.La messe au rituel très solennelle doit débuter samedi à 08H00 GMT dans le cadre majestueux de la place Saint-Pierre, un écrin posé face à la basilique et enchâssé dans la colonnade du Bernin, chef d’oeuvre de l’art baroque.Elle sera présidée par le doyen du collège des cardinaux, l’Italien Giovanni Battista Re. Des écrans géants ont été installés tout le long de la Via della Conciliazione, la grande artère reliant le Vatican aux rives du Tibre, pour permettre à la foule de la suivre.Cette semaine, plus de 250.000 personnes ont patienté pendant des heures pour se recueillir devant la dépouille du chef de 1,4 milliard de catholiques, exposée sous les ors de la basilique Saint-Pierre. Face à cet afflux, le Vatican a même été contraint de laisser ouvertes les portes de la basilique jusqu’au bout de la nuit.”Il a accordé son attention à beaucoup de gens qui étaient invisibles auparavant”, a confié à l’AFP après lui avoir rendu hommage Sofiia Popkova, une Kirghize de 19 ans, qui espère assister aux funérailles ouvertes au public.- Rois et reines -Un élan reflétant la popularité de ce défenseur inlassable de la paix, des migrants et des laissés pour compte, devenu au fil des ans une boussole morale dans un monde toujours plus instable. Sa simplicité, sa bonhomie et son franc-parler, parfois abrasif, ont aussi contribué à élargir son audience au-delà des catholiques.Le cercueil a été fermé vendredi soir lors d’une cérémonie présidée par le cardinal camerlingue, l’Américain Kevin Farrell, qui gère les affaires courantes jusqu’au conclave qui élira le successeur de François. Sa date n’est pas encore connue mais il devrait débuter autour du 5 mai.Des milliers de chaises ont été alignées pour accueillir 224 cardinaux vêtus de pourpre, plus de 750 évêques et prêtres, mais aussi des représentants d’autres confessions venus rendre hommage à cet avocat du dialogue inter-religieux.Comme pour Jean-Paul II en 2005, plus de 160 délégations de chefs d’Etat et de têtes couronnées assisteront à ces funérailles en mondovision.Outre le secrétaire général de l’ONU Antonio Guterres, seront aussi présents pour l’Europe le président français Emmanuel Macron, le chancelier allemand Olaf Scholz et le Premier ministre britannique Keir Starmer. Le président russe Vladimir Poutine, sous le coup d’un mandat d’arrêt de la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), a délégué sa ministre de la Culture Olga Lioubimova.L’Amérique du Sud, continent d’origine de Jorge Bergoglio, sera représentée par son compatriote, le président argentin Javier Milei, et son homologue brésilien Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.Ainsi que quelques têtes couronnées: le roi Philippe et la reine Mathilde de Belgique, le roi Felipe VI et la reine Letizia d’Espagne, le prince de Galles William représentant son père Charles III, le roi du Lesotho Letsie III, le roi Abdallah II et la reine Rania de Jordanie, ainsi que le prince Albert II de Monaco et son épouse Charlène.- Tireurs d’élite -Les mesures de sécurité sont draconiennes. La gendarmerie vaticane et les carabiniers italiens sont sur les dents et surveillent les accès au Vatican, dotés de contrôles de sécurité semblables à ceux d’un aéroport, dont des scanners à rayons X.Une zone d’exclusion aérienne au-dessus de Rome est en place et des unités antidrones ont été déployées avec des brouilleurs d’ondes. Des avions de chasse sont aussi prêts à décoller et des tireurs d’élite sont positionnés sur les toits.Au terme de la messe, le cercueil sera escorté de l’autre côté du Tibre dans le centre de la Ville éternelle, jusqu’à la basilique Sainte-Marie-Majeure. C’est dans cet imposant sanctuaire du Ve siècle abritant déjà les tombeaux de sept papes que François a choisi d’être inhumé.Un groupe de personnes démunies sera présent à son arrivée sur les marches de la basilique, a annoncé le Vatican, rappelant que les pauvres avaient une place privilégiée “dans le coeur et le magistère du Saint-Père, qui avait choisi le nom François pour ne jamais les oublier”.Située justement dans une petite niche près de l’autel dédié à saint François, la sobre tombe en marbre portera comme seule inscription “Franciscus”, François en latin. Jorge Bergoglio, très attaché au culte de la Vierge Marie, avait l’habitude de se recueillir dans cette basilique, qui fait partie du territoire du Vatican, à la veille et au retour de ses visites à l’étranger. Il y a donc une certaine logique à ce que ce soit la destination de son ultime voyage.

Virginia Giuffre, plaignante de l’affaire Epstein, s’est suicidée, annonce sa famille

Indian and Pakistani troops exchange fire in Kashmir

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire in disputed Kashmir, officials said Friday, after the United Nations urged the nuclear-armed rivals to show “maximum restraint” following a deadly shooting in the region.Relations have plunged to their lowest level in years, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century.Syed Ashfaq Gilani, a government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, told AFP Friday that troops exchanged fire along the Line of Control (LOC) that separates the two countries.”There was no firing on the civilian population,” he added.India’s army confirmed there had been limited firing of small arms that it said had been “initiated by Pakistan”, adding it had been “effectively responded to”.Indian security forces have launched a giant manhunt for those responsible for killing 26 men at the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam on Tuesday, with police naming two Pakistani nationals among the fugitive gunmen.On Friday Indian troops blew up homes in Kashmir in their search and issued wanted posters with sketches of three men.Islamabad denies involvement, and calls attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack “frivolous”.”Any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains,” a statement said, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a rare National Security Committee with top military chiefs.Pakistan’s Senate on Friday passed a resolution condemning a “campaign by the Indian government to malign the Pakistan government”.- Water treaty suspended -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said his country would “track and punish every terrorist and their backer.””We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.”UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York that issues between the countries “can be and should be resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement”.Meanwhile US President Donald Trump downplayed the tensions, saying aboard Air Force One that the dispute will get “figured out, one way or another”.Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. Both claim the territory in full but govern separate portions of it.Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.Indian police say three of the gunmen are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organisation, and issued a bounty for their arrest.- ‘Reduce it to dust’ -A day after the attack, New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties, and withdrew visas for Pakistanis.Islamabad in response ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals — with the exception of Sikh pilgrims — and closing the main border crossing from its side.Pakistan also warned that any attempt by India to stop water supply from the Indus River would be an “act of war”.At the frontier, created at the end of British rule when the sub-continent was partitioned into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, distraught citizens crossed.The measures have abruptly ended rare visits to see relatives separated for generations by the border.Among those at the Wagah border leaving Pakistan was 39-year-old Ghaffar Musafir, who was returning to his home in Indian-administered Kashmir.”I’m Indian, I love India, but my family is here”, he said. “And it’s not like I hate Pakistan — I love Pakistan too”.Pahalgam marks a dramatic shift in recent Kashmiri rebel attacks, which typically target Indian security forces.The UN Security Council, in a declaration Friday, condemned the “terrorist attack” and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.Experts say that a military response may still be in the pipeline.In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan, bringing the countries to the brink of all-out war.Tuesday’s assault happened as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site at Pahalgam, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.Survivors told Indian media the gunmen targeted men and spared those who could give the Islamic declaration of faith.Most of those killed were Hindus, but also included a local Kashmiri Muslim guide, who died trying to stop the attackers.burs-pjm/mtp

Developing countries should fast-track US trade deals: World Bank president

Developing countries should strike swift trade deals with the United States at the “earliest possible” opportunity, the president of the World Bank told AFP Friday, after a busy week with global financial leaders in Washington. Ajay Banga was interviewed by AFP at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s Spring Meetings, which have been held this year under a cloud of uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s stop-start tariff rollout.The Bank has been advising developing countries to get a deal done quickly with the United States, and to then focus attention on cutting trade barriers and boosting regional flows of goods, Banga said. “You need to negotiate trade systems with the US at the earliest possible (opportunity),” he said. “If you delay, it hurts everyone.”Trump’s tariffs have roiled financial markets, sent volatility surging and spooked investors and consumers. Since returning to office in January, the US leader has imposed a “baseline” 10 percent tariff on most countries, with much higher duties on China, and 25 percent sector-specific levies on areas including steel, aluminum, and automobiles not manufactured in the United States. He also introduced much higher tariffs on dozens of countries — which have since been temporarily paused — accusing them of having an unfair trade balance with the United States. – Bessent ‘not wrong’ on China -Banga also addressed the criticism leveled by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the Bank earlier this week.Bessent criticized China’s “absurd” developing country status and called on Banga and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva to “earn the confidence of the administration.” “I don’t think he’s wrong,” Banga said of Bessent’s comments on China. “A country that is the size of China and the capability of China, at some point, should no longer be taking money from IBRD,” he said, referring to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — an arm of the World Bank that lends largely to middle-income countries. Such a move would require the support of the World Bank’s executive board, which is made up by member states. China, Banga said, borrowed around $750 million from the IBRD last year, while paying billions of dollars to the institution in repayments and donations. “My view is, I’ve brought it down to 750 (million), and I’m trying to figure out a way to deal with China to bring it down further,” he said. “I want to get it done. And that’s what I’m talking to the Chinese about.” Banga said the Trump administration’s criticisms of the World Bank, which included “expansive policy overreach,” were not unusual, citing newly elected governments in countries including France, Japan and Korea.”I keep telling people this is a perfectly constructive request, to say, tell me and show me that you guys are the kind of people that advance the interests of my taxpayer, of my country,” he said.”I take it in that spirit,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”- Energy at ‘lowest possible cost’ -Since taking the helm of the Washington-based development lender in 2023, Banga has pushed to streamline operations and encourage private sector participation, while focusing on job creation and electricity connectivity. Among the Bank’s current priorities is a push with the African Development Bank to connect 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa to electricity by 2030 — a process that will require a vast amount of new energy to be brought online.”You should try and get (energy) in the best, accessible way and the lowest possible cost,” Banga said, suggesting that in addition to renewable power, nuclear and gas could help provide a base load — two energy sources the World Bank is currently hesitant to finance.The Bank’s executive board is set to discuss its energy strategy in June, Banga said, adding that funding for both nuclear and gas would likely be on the agenda. Banga said the Bank is also pushing to encourage private sector job creation in developing countries — beyond simply outsourcing jobs from advanced economies.”Because then you end up with challenges in (advanced economies), and you can see that people are speaking about them with their votes,” he added.