South Africa on brink of first Test series win in India since 2000

South Africa had India tottering at 27-2 after setting the hosts a mammoth target of 549 in the second Test on Tuesday, moving to the brink of a first series win in the country for 25 years.South Africa declared on 260-5 in the final session on day four in Guwahati after Tristan Stubbs made 94.World Test champions South Africa lead the two-match series 1-0 and even a draw would seal their first series victory in India since 2000.The Proteas kept on batting despite the lead crossing 500 in the second session and coach Shukri Conrad said they wanted to make sure they ended India’s hopes of a series-levelling win.”We wanted them to really grovel… Bat them completely out the game and then say to them well come and survive on the last day and an hour this evening,” Conrad told reporters.”So far so good but we also know they’re not just going to roll over. We’re going to have to be at our very best tomorrow.”India suffered their fourth defeat in six home Tests in the opener in Kolkata, after a humiliating 3-0 series loss to New Zealand last year, and they need to bat for three more sessions to avoid another loss.India had been unbeaten in home Test series for 12 years before being swept by the Black Caps.The highest successful run chase in Test cricket was West Indies’ 418 against Australia in 2003. India’s highest chase was 406 against West Indies in 1976.Sai Sudharsan (2) and nightwatchman Kuldeep Yadav (4) were battling for survival when bad light ended play in the northeastern city, where the sun sets early.South Africa pace spearhead Marco Jansen dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal with a short delivery outside the off stump to have him caught behind for 13.Left-arm quick Jansen took his match tally to seven wickets after figures of 6-48 in India’s first innings, after also hitting 93 with the bat earlier in the game.Off-spinner Simon Harmer bowled KL Rahul for six with a sharp, spinning delivery which turned through the gate.- Draw will be ‘win’ -India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said the home team had their eyes set on surviving for a draw, despite needing to attempt the record run chase to salvage the series.”The ball would spin and bounce more on day five — that is expected,” said Jadeja.”But if we don’t give away a wicket in the first session then put pressure on the bowlers. It will be win-win for us if we bat out day five and save the Test.”South Africa earlier resumed on 26-0 after bundling out India for 201 on day three to lead by 288 on the first innings.They did not enforce the follow-on and decided to bat again to pile the misery on the hosts.Opener Ryan Rickelton hit three fours in the first session before he fell to Jadeja while attempting another hit over cover but was caught for 35.Jadeja bowled the other overnight batter, Aiden Markram, for 29, before fellow spinner Washington Sundar dismissed visiting captain Temba Bavuma for three.Stubbs put on 101 runs for the fourth wicket with Tony de Zorzi, who was on 49 when Jadeja broke through.The veteran trapped De Zorzi lbw to deny him his fifty, but Stubbs stood firm in a 180-ball stay peppered with nine fours and a six.Stubbs was the last man out when he was bowled by Jadeja, who took 4-62, attempting to hit a second six of the over to bring up a hundred.Bavuma immediately declared, leaving Wiaan Mulder unbeaten on 35.The Indian fielders looked tired during a South African innings that lasted for 78.3 overs, as disappointed home fans at a largely empty stadium waited for the agony to end.

Kyrgyzstan arrests Chinese CEO of gold mining firm

Kyrgyzstan said Tuesday it had arrested the Chinese CEO of a gold mining firm accused of causing “large-scale” environmental damage, amid growing public scrutiny over Beijing’s influence in the Central Asian country.China has poured hundreds of millions of dollars of investment into neighbouring Kyrgyzstan in recent years, financing huge infrastructure projects and expanding its mining activities in a bid to secure critical minerals.China and Kyrgyzstan say the partnership has been beneficial to both sides, but some in the local population have complained the influx of Chinese workers and companies has driven up prices and pollution.The CEO of Kemin Resource Group, who was arrested last Thursday, managed a mine accused of damaging thousands of square metres of land and providing false information to authorities, Kyrgyzstan’s security service said in a statement.”The activities of the mine … caused particularly large-scale damage,” it said.Local residents had complained that exploration work had contaminated the water supply, threatened tourism and risked hastening the melting of glaciers, Kyrgyz media reported earlier this year.Beijing did not immediately comment.The arrest comes less than two weeks after a brawl broke out between Chinese and Kyrgyz construction workers in the country’s north, fuelling anti-Chinese sentiment on social media.Rich in natural resources, Central Asia’s five republics have courted interest from major powers including China, the European Union and the United States since becoming independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.

EU, Africa talks hone in on closer ties in AngolaTue, 25 Nov 2025 12:16:19 GMT

European leaders sought to put some meat on the bones of pledges to boost ties with Africa on Tuesday as an Angola summit with their African counterparts entered its final stage.Migration, trade, and cooperation on global issues are on the agenda of the second day of EU-African Union talks in Luanda, which were partially overshadowed …

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Des récitals à YouTube, la montée en gamme de Julien Cohen, pianiste aux millions de vues

Fini les vidéos au portable dans une gare ou un café : avec le carton de son “Bohemian Rhapsody” et ses 600 millions de vues, le pianiste classique Julien Cohen s’est converti aux superproductions en vogue sur YouTube, où l’improvisation n’a plus sa place.Tournée cet été façon happening sur une place parisienne, sa reprise du …

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Présidentielle au Honduras: l’héritière, l’ex-maire et le présentateur TV

L’avocate Rixi Moncada accuse ses concurrents à la présidentielle au Honduras de représenter l’”oligarchie putschiste” de droite, le présentateur TV Salvador Nasralla et l’ancien maire Nasry Asfura la qualifient de “communiste”.Parmi cinq candidats de cette présidentielle à un tour dimanche, aucun de ces trois favoris ne se détache dans les sondages à l’issue d’une campagne …

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Près de Jérusalem, une localité palestinienne asphyxiée par un projet de colonisation

Dans la rue principale d’al-Eizariya, localité proche de Jérusalem, de plus en plus de commerçants reçoivent des avis de démolition après l’adoption par Israël d’un nouveau projet de colonisation dans cette partie du territoire palestinien.”C’est un projet de destruction totale, de l’économie, de la vie des gens”, déplore Yahya Abou Ghalia, un entrepreneur dont la …

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Stocks diverge tracking Fed rates outlook, tech rebound

European and Asian stock markets mostly rose Tuesday following a tech-led rally on Wall Street that soothed fears of an AI bubble.Expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next month added further support to equities but weighed on the dollar.Oil prices were downbeat amid reports US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is meeting with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, days after talks with Ukraine in Geneva aimed at ending the conflict, which would relieve pressure on Russia’s energy exports.London led the way among Europe’s top stock markets, gaining 0.3 percent nearing midday and on the eve of the UK government’s annual budget.Tokyo edged higher as trading resumed after a long holiday weekend in Japan, while Chinese indices won solid gains.Investors were waiting to see whether “the recent recovery in US stocks is a short-term reprieve or the beginning of another leg higher in the bull market”, noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at traders Scope Markets.Optimism appeared to be returning to trading floors on increased chances of a December rate cut from the Fed, which would be the third in a row. Fed governor Christopher Waller told Fox Business on Monday that inflation was not his main worry and that his “concern is mainly the labour market, in terms of our dual mandate” to support jobs and keep a cap on prices.”So I’m advocating for a rate cut at the next meeting,” he added.His comments add to similar sentiment expressed by San Francisco Fed president Mary Daly and New York Fed boss John Williams.Traders now see about a 90 percent chance of a reduction, having been around 35 percent only last week.The prospect of lower borrowing rates pushed Wall Street sharply higher Monday, with the S&P 500 closing up 1.6 percent.The Nasdaq charged 2.7 percent higher thanks to a surge in heavyweights Alphabet, Amazon and Meta.Tech firms have enjoyed a sudden revival after suffering sharp sell-offs in recent weeks on concerns that the AI-led splurge this year may have pushed valuations too far.While there is debate about whether the advance has more legs, observers say the outlook is more nuanced.”AI remains one of the most powerful forces reshaping markets, but the tone is changing,” wrote Saxo Markets’ Charu Chanana.”Strong earnings from leading chipmakers (led by Nvidia)… reassure investors that demand is real, yet the sharp swings in market reaction show that enthusiasm now sits alongside questions around sustainability, profitability, and execution.Sentiment won an additional lift from US President Donald Trump, who praised “extremely strong” US-China relations following a call with counterpart Xi Jinping.Trump plans to visit China in April, followed by a return trip from Xi later next year.- Key figures at around 1130 GMT -London – FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 9,560.02 pointsParis – CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 7,972.78Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.1 percent at 23,255.03Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 48,659.52 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.7 percent at 25,894.55 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.9 percent at 3,870.02 (close)New York – Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 46,448.27 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1533 from $1.1523 on MondayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3118 from $1.3110Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.45 yen from 156.81 yenEuro/pound: UP at 87.93 pence from 87.91 penceBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.5 percent at $62.43 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.5 percent at $58.57 per barrel

Afghanistan: 10 morts dans des frappes imputées au Pakistan, Kaboul promet une riposte

Le gouvernement taliban a assuré mardi qu’il riposterait “de façon appropriée” et “en temps voulu” aux frappes imputées au Pakistan ayant fait dix morts et des blessés en Afghanistan, interrompant une trêve fragile officiellement toujours en vigueur.Au lendemain d’un attentat-suicide visant les forces de sécurité pakistanaises, les frappes sur l’Afghanistan ont été menées dans la nuit sur trois régions frontalières, d’après le porte-parole du gouvernement taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid.Les relations entre le Pakistan et l’Afghanistan, en dents de scie depuis le retour au pouvoir des talibans à Kaboul en 2021, se sont détériorées récemment, le Pakistan se plaignant d’une résurgence d’attaques contre ses forces de sécurité et procédant à des expulsions d’Afghans, réfugiés ou installés illégalement sur son sol.Dans la province de Khost, les forces pakistanaises “ont bombardé la maison d’un civil (…) Neuf enfants (cinq garçons et quatre filles) et une femme ont été tués”, écrit M. Mujahid sur X.D’après Mustaghfir Gurbuz, porte-parole du gouverneur de Khost, des drones et des avions ont mené ces raids.Dans le secteur de Jige Mughalgai, tout près de la frontière, un correspondant de l’AFP a vu des habitants fouiller les décombres d’une maison effondrée et des tombes être creusées avant les funérailles des victimes.”Voici ce que nous demandons au gouvernement du Pakistan: ne visez pas des gens ordinaires. Les civils n’ont rien fait de mal”, a déclaré auprès de l’AFP Sajidulrahmane, un habitant.Selon le porte-parole du gouvernement taliban, d’autres provinces orientales ont été touchées par des raids, celles de Kunar et de Paktika, où quatre blessés ont été recensés.A Kunar, le toit d’une maison a été aplati et le rez-de-chaussé endommagé, a constaté un correspondant de l’AFP.Contactée par l’AFP, l’armée pakistanaise n’a pas commenté.- Attaques au Pakistan -En octobre, les deux pays se sont affrontés avec une rare intensité, faisant environ 70 morts, avant de se retrouver pour plusieurs cycles de négociations débouchant sur une trêve.Mais celle-ci a des contours flous puisque, malgré la médiation du Qatar et de la Turquie, Kaboul et Islamabad ne sont pas parvenus à la concrétiser.Les frappes pakistanaises de mardi surviennent ainsi au lendemain d’un attentat-suicide contre le QG des forces de sécurité pakistanaises dans une province frontalière de l’Afghanistan.S’il n’a pas été revendiqué dans l’immédiat, la chaîne de télévision d’Etat pakistanaise PTV a rapporté que les assaillants seraient des “ressortissants afghans”.Le 11 novembre, un autre attentat devant un tribunal d’Islamabad avait fait 12 morts et des dizaines de blessés et avait été revendiqué par une faction des talibans pakistanais, qui partagent la même idéologie que les talibans afghans.- “De concert” -Islamabad a de nouveau accusé mardi Kaboul d’être impliqué dans cet attentat, affirmant qu’un des suspects avait “reconnu avoir des liens avec l’Afghanistan, être venu de là-bas et y avoir été entraîné”.Diffusant les propos de ce suspect en conférence de presse, le ministre pakistanais de l’Information Attaullah Tarar a martelé qu’il existait “des preuves irréfutables que les talibans afghans et les talibans pakistanais ont agi de concert”.Islamabad, confronté à une résurgence d’attaques contre ses forces de sécurité, accuse inlassablement son voisin afghan “d’abriter”, notamment dans les régions frontalières, des groupes “terroristes”, en tête desquels les talibans pakistanais (TTP).Kaboul, qui dément, accuse lui aussi son voisin de soutenir des groupes armés qui lui sont hostiles et estime que les attaques contre les forces de sécurité pakistanaises sont un problème domestique, sur lequel il n’a pas la main.Ces tensions surviennent en outre alors que l’Inde, ennemi historique du Pakistan, se rapproche de Kaboul.En octobre, les violences avaient débuté alors que le chef de la diplomatie talibane, Amir Khan Muttaqi, était en visite à New Delhi.Cette semaine, c’est le ministre du Commerce et de l’Industrie, Nooruddin Azizi, qui y a rencontré des responsables indiens, Kaboul voulant compenser la baisse des échanges avec le Pakistan en nouant des liens avec d’autres partenaires commerciaux.La fermeture de la frontière depuis le 12 octobre empêche les échanges commerciaux bilatéraux d’ordinaire importants.