AFP - Squid Business

Au Royaume-Uni, l’ensoleillement record donne une récolte de fraises exceptionnelle

L’ensoleillement et les températures record du printemps au Royaume-Uni ont permis de cueillir des fraises exceptionnellement sucrées et charnues, ce qui réjouit les producteurs au moment où d’autres agriculteurs s’inquiètent, eux, pour la croissance de leurs récoltes.Selon James Miller, directeur commercial d’un des plus grands producteurs de fraises du pays, les journées ensoleillées et les nuits fraîches ont créé des conditions “parfaites” pour ces fruits.Le temps clément, en outre, a stimulé la pollinisation, qui améliore la qualité des fraises, a expliqué à l’AFP ce représentant du groupe agricole WB Chambers Farms.La récolte bat actuellement son plein dans l’une de ses fermes près de Dartford, dans le Kent (sud-est de l’Angleterre), où les fraisiers s’affaissent sous le poids des fruits mûrs, à l’abri dans les serres qui les protègent.”Je travaille dans le secteur des fruits rouges depuis 30 ans et c’est l’un des meilleurs printemps que j’ai pu voir, en termes de météo comme de récolte”, a confirmé Nick Marston, président de l’organisation British Berry Growers.Résultat, les baies sont “d’une taille et d’une saveur exceptionnelles”, a-t-il souligné.De début mars à fin mai, le Royaume-Uni a connu son printemps le plus chaud depuis le début des relevés des températures en 1884, a annoncé lundi l’agence météorologique Met office. Il s’agit également du printemps le plus ensoleillé et de l’un des plus secs dans l’histoire du pays, ce qui a “créé des conditions difficiles pour l’agriculture et les ressources en eau dans une grande partie” du Royaume-Uni. L’Angleterre, en particulier, a connu son printemps le plus sec depuis plus d’un siècle, suscitant les inquiétudes des producteurs de betteraves à sucre ou de pommes de terre.Pour limiter les volumes d’eau utilisés, un système d’irrigation goutte-à-goutte est directement installé au pied des fraisiers de la ferme de Dartford.Selon Nick Marston, les producteurs britanniques ont déjà vendu près de 21.600 tonnes de fraises depuis le début de la saison, soit 5.000 tonnes de plus qu’à la même période l’an dernier.Car en plus d’être de meilleure qualité grâce au soleil, les fraises sont arrivées en rayons dès avril, alors qu’elles sont généralement mûres au mois de mai.

Kenyan economy still struggling year after protestsWed, 11 Jun 2025 05:30:14 GMT

Roadside vendor and mother-of-five Christine Naswa bemoaned the state of the Kenyan economy as she hawked vegetables by one of Nairobi’s busiest thoroughfares.”The economy is very poor right now. There is no money in Kenya,” Naswa, 40, told AFP as the smell of sliced ginger she was hawking powered through bus fumes. “I do not manage …

Kenyan economy still struggling year after protestsWed, 11 Jun 2025 05:30:14 GMT Read More »

Nintendo’s Switch 2 scores record early sales

The Switch 2 has smashed records to become the fastest-selling console ever after gamers snapped up 3.5 million units in its first four days, Nintendo said Wednesday.Featuring a bigger screen and more processing power, the console is an upgrade to the original Switch — the third best-selling console of all time.It was released last Thursday to a global swell of fan excitement that included sold-out pre-orders and midnight store openings.The Japanese game giant said the Switch 2 had reached “the highest global sales level for any Nintendo hardware within the first four days”.It also broke industry records, analysts said, beating the first Switch and Sony’s PlayStation 5, which respectively sold 2.7 million and 3.4 million units in their first month.Now the key question is whether Nintendo can extend early excitement to match the overall success of the original.The first Switch, which enjoyed a popularity boost during the pandemic with hit games such as “Animal Crossing”, has sold 152 million units since its launch in 2017.”Sales momentum will be difficult to sustain in the long run,” cautioned Darang Candra of games market research firm Niko Partners.”It could be that consumers want to buy before potential price increases due to potential tariffs by the United States,” he told AFP.”Its long-term success will depend on Nintendo’s ability to sustain engagement with new titles” and attract casual gamers in emerging markets such as the Middle East and Asian countries outside Japan, Candra said.- High price -Nintendo forecasts it will sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles in the current financial year, roughly equal to the original in the same period after its release.But it will also need to convince enough people to pay the high price for its new device.The Switch 2 costs $449.99 in the United States, compared to a launch price of $299.99 for the original Switch.Both are hybrid consoles which can connect to a TV or be played on the go.New games such as “Donkey Kong Bananza” and “Mario Kart World” — which allow players to go exploring off-grid — are also more expensive than existing Switch titles.The cost of the Switch 2 for American consumers is “a calculated move on Nintendo’s part to avoid potential impacts from US tariffs”, Candra said.A Japan-only version is cheaper, at 49,980 yen ($350).Nintendo says that hardware for North America is mainly produced in Vietnam, which US President Donald Trump has threatened with hefty extra tariffs of 46 percent.The Switch 2 has eight times the memory of the first Switch, and its controllers, which attach with magnets, can also be used like a desktop computer mouse.New functions allowing users to chat as they play online and temporarily share games with friends could also be a big draw for young audiences used to watching game streamers.And success is crucial: while the “Super Mario” maker is diversifying into theme parks and hit movies, around 90 percent of its revenue comes from the Switch business.

ECB’s Lagarde slams ‘coercive trade policies’ in Beijing visit

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde warned Wednesday that “coercive trade policies” risked harming supply chains and the global economy, and called for a de-escalation of a tariff standoff that has wiped billions off markets.Lagarde, one of the world’s most influential central bankers, is visiting Beijing this week for talks with local counterparts on the Chinese economy and expanding cooperation.Her visit came as high-level China-US talks in London ended with an agreement to lower tensions after US President Donald Trump launched his tariff blitz in April.In a speech at the People’s Bank of China — the country’s central bank — she urged all parties to find solutions “even in the face of geopolitical differences”.Lagarde urged countries to protect the “multilateral framework” of international trade, which she said “so greatly benefited our economies”.”Coercive trade policies are far more likely to provoke retaliation and lead to outcomes that are mutually damaging,” she added.”All countries should examine how their structural and fiscal policies can be adjusted to reduce their own role in fuelling trade tensions,” she said, calling for an end to “mutually damaging escalation of tensions”.She warned that protectionism risked “eroding the foundations of global prosperity”.Beijing and Brussels’ trade policies have been slammed by Trump, who last month threatened to escalate tariffs on the European Union if it did not negotiate a swift deal.China, meanwhile, has sought to improve shaky relations with the bloc as a counterpoint to Trump.China and the European Union will host a summit next month marking 50 years since they established diplomatic ties.The two sides will discuss setting minimum prices for Chinese electric vehicles in Europe and opening a “green channel” for rare earth exports to the 27-nation bloc, according to official statements.

Monsoon-loving Indian expats chase rain in UAE desert

After Muhammed Sajjad moved from India to the United Arab Emirates a decade ago, he missed his native Kerala’s monsoon season, so he embarked on an unlikely quest: finding rain in the desert.Using satellite imagery, weather data and other high-tech tools, the amateur meteorologist tracks potential rainfall spots across the desert country and, along with other Indians nostalgic for the monsoon season, chases the clouds in search of rain.”When I came to UAE in 2015, in August, it… was peak monsoon time” in Kerala, the 35-year-old estate agent told AFP, adding that he had struggled to adjust to the change of climate.”So I started to search about the rainy condition in UAE and I came to know that there is rain happening in UAE during peak summer,” he said, adding: “I started to explore the possibility to chase the rain, enjoy the rain.”Each week, he forecasts when and where rain might fall and posts a suggested rendezvous to the 130,000 followers of his “UAE Weatherman” page on Instagram.He regularly posts footage of his rain expeditions out into the desert, hoping to bring together “all rain lovers who miss rain”.Last weekend, he headed out into the desert from Sharjah at the head of a convoy of about 100 vehicles.But nothing is certain. The rain “may happen, it may not happen,” Sajjad said. But when it does, “it is an amazing moment”.- ‘Nostalgic’ -After driving in the desert for hours, the group arrived at the designated spot just as a downpour started.The rain lovers leapt out of their vehicles, their faces beaming as the rain droplets streamed down their cheeks in a rare reminder of home.”They feel nostalgic,” Sajjad said proudly.Most UAE residents are foreigners, among them some 3.5 million Indians who make up the Gulf country’s largest expatriate community.Despite the use of advanced cloud-seeding technology, the UAE has an average yearly rainfall of just 50 to 100 millilitres.Most of it falls during short but intense winter storms.”While long-term averages remain low, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events has been increasing and is due to global warming,” said Diana Francis, a climate scientist who teaches at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi.In the summer, the country often gets less than five millilitres of rain, she said, usually falling away from the coastal areas where most of the population lives.So rain-seekers must drive deep into the desert interior to have a chance of success.An Indian expatriate, who gave her name only as Anagha and was on her first expedition into the desert last weekend, said she was “excited to see the rain”.”All of my family and friends are enjoying good rain and good climate and we are living here in the hot sun,” she said.The UAE endured its hottest April on record this year.By contrast, April last year saw the UAE’s heaviest rains in 75 years, which saw 259.5 mm of rainfall in a single day. Four people died and the commercial hub of Dubai was paralysed for several days. Scientists of the World Weather Attribution network said the intense rains were “most likely” exacerbated by global warming.”We couldn’t enjoy it because it was flooded all over UAE,” Anagha said. “This time we are going to see… rain coming to us in the desert.”

Ukraine: deux morts et 60 blessés dans de nouvelles frappes russes sur Kharkiv

Des frappes russes ont tué deux personnes et fait au moins 60 blessés dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi à Kharkiv, la deuxième plus grande ville d’Ukraine, au lendemain de frappes similaires qui ont fait trois morts à Kiev et Odessa.La Russie et l’Ukraine ont procédé mardi à la deuxième phase d’un échange d’ampleur de prisonniers de guerre, seule avancée concrète de récents pourparlers de paix à Istanbul.Mais ceux-ci sont dans l’impasse et les attaques nocturnes visant la population civile ukrainienne se poursuivent à un rythme soutenu.Celle visant Kharkiv dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi a tué une femme de 65 ans et un homme de 47 ans et fait au moins 60 blessés, dont neuf enfants, a indiqué la police régionale.”Dix-sept frappes de drones ont eu lieu dans deux districts” de cette ville à majorité russophone, a précisé son maire Igor Terekhov.Deux personnes ont par ailleurs été blessées dans la nuit dans la region de Zaporijjia et une à Kherson, et des bâtiment ont été frappés dans la région d’Odessa, selon les autorités locales.A Kharkiv, les frappes ont eu lieu “vers 00H30” (21H30 GMT mardi) et ont touché notamment des immeubles d’habitation, a précisé le bureau du procureur local, soulignant que l’arme utilisée avait été des Geran-2, la version russe du drone iranien Shahed.Située à moins de 50 km de la frontière russe, Kharkiv voit se multiplier les attaques nocturnes d’ampleur depuis une semaine, comme l’ensemble du pays.Elle avait connu dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi son “attaque la plus puissante depuis le début de la guerre” en février, avec une cinquantaine d’explosions. Deux personnes avaient alors été tuées et 17 blessées.- “Action concrète” -A l’échelle nationale, la Russie a lancé sur l’Ukraine 315 drones explosifs dans la nuit de lundi à mardi, faisant trois morts et 13 blessés.L’Ukraine en parallèle multiplie également les attaques de drones sur la Russie, mais dit viser essentiellement des équipements stratégiques.Mardi, une personne a toutefois été tuée et quatre autres blessées dans une attaque de drone ayant détruit une supérette dans la région russe de Belgorod, selon le gouverneur Viatcheslav Gladkov.Trente-deux drones ukrainiens ont été interceptés au-dessus de la Russie dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi, selon le ministère russe de la Défense.Dans ce contexte, les deux pays ont tout de même procédé mardi à la deuxième phase d’un échange d’ampleur de prisonniers de guerre décidé lors de pourparlers direct à Istanbul début juin.Les deux capitales n’ont pas précisé à ce stade le nombre de soldats impliqués dans cet échange, dont la première phase avait eu lieu lundi.Après les frappes de la nuit de lundi à mardi, le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a jugé “vital” que la réponse “ne soit pas le silence du monde, mais une action concrète”.Il a appelé à “une action de l’Amérique, qui a le pouvoir de contraindre la Russie à la paix” et à “une action de l’Europe, qui n’a pas d’autre choix que d’être forte”.Après avoir promis en vain de régler le conflit en quelques heures et renoué à cette fin le contact avec son homologue russe Vladimir Poutine, le président américain Donald Trump s’est mis en retrait du conflit ces dernières semaines.Il a notamment comparé l’invasion russe de l’Ukraine à “des jeunes enfants qui se battent”, sous-entendant qu’il pourrait laisser la guerre se poursuivre.Les Européens de leur côté, après avoir menacé la Russie de nouvelles “sanctions massives” si comme cela a été le cas Moscou refusait un cessez-le-feu, peinent à trouver une réponse sans le soutien de Washington.Moscou a rejeté la trêve “inconditionnelle” voulue par Kiev et les Européens, tandis que l’Ukraine a qualifié d'”ultimatums” les demandes russes.

Ukraine: deux morts et 60 blessés dans de nouvelles frappes russes sur Kharkiv

Au Groenland, la glace a fondu 17 fois plus vite que la moyenne en mai (réseau WWA)

South Africa aim to banish choker tag in WTC final against AustraliaWed, 11 Jun 2025 03:57:30 GMT

South Africa will aim to banish their reputation as international cricket’s serial chokers when they face holders Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s this week.Despite being able to call on some of the sport’s most formidable players, South Africa have won just one major tournament over the last 27 years.They lifted the …

South Africa aim to banish choker tag in WTC final against AustraliaWed, 11 Jun 2025 03:57:30 GMT Read More »

Trump orders names restored to military bases honoring Confederates

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered the restoration of the names of several US military bases that honored officers who fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War.While the redesignations will return the facilities to their original names, they come with a twist, as the bases will ostensibly honor other military personnel who have the same names, and not those who fought to maintain slavery in the South.The Republican president made the announcement in a speech at the country’s largest military base, which he had renamed to Fort Bragg in February after predecessor Joe Biden changed it to Fort Liberty in 2023.”We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee,” Trump told soldiers.”We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It’s no time to change.”The move reverses a renaming process begun in the wake of the death of George Floyd, whose murder by police in 2020 focused a spotlight on systemic racism.A naming commission ultimately recommended hundreds of locations be redesignated, among them nine US Army bases named after Confederate officers who had fought for the South in defense of slavery during the country’s 1861-1865 Civil War.The Pentagon said Tuesday that the new base names, while consistent with the last names of the Confederate officers, actually honor different military veterans.For example, while the original Fort Bragg honors Confederate general Braxton Bragg, the new name commemorates Roland L. Bragg, a little-known World War II hero, officials said.Fort Robert E Lee in Virginia, which was redesignated Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of two African-American servicemembers, was changed back to Fort Lee. But the new name honors Medal of Honor recipient Private Fitz Lee who fought in the Spanish-American War, said the Pentagon, and not the Robert E Lee who was overall commander of the Confederate army.