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La prolifération des satellites menace l’observation du ciel par télescope

Les lumières engendrées par le demi-million de satellites que l’humanité a prévu de mettre en orbite dans les prochaines années pourraient menacer à l’avenir les images captées par les téléscopes spaciaux, avertissent des astronomes de la Nasa.Depuis 2019, le nombre de satellites en orbite basse est passé de 2.000 à 15.000, selon l’étude publiée mercredi dans la revue Nature. Mais ce n’est rien à côté de ce qui est prévu dans les prochaines années. Si l’ensemble des projets de lancements satellitaires est mené à bien, il y en aura 560.000 en orbite autour de la Terre à l’horizon 2040, selon l’étude.Cela pose une “très sérieuse menace” pour les télescopes spaciaux, explique à l’AFP Alejandro Borlaff, auteur principal de l’étude et membre du Ames Research Center de la Nasa en Californie.Pour les besoins de leur étude, les astronomes ont simulé l’impact que pourraient avoir ces 560.000 satellites sur quatre téléscopes spaciaux.Les reflets de la lumière émise par ces satellites affecteraient ainsi 96% des images produites par le SPHEREx de la Nasa, du futur téléscope ARRAKIHS de l’Agence spatiale européenne (ESA), et du futur Xuntian chinois.Le télescope spatial Hubble, qui offre une vision plus restreinte de l’univers et est donc moins susceptible de photographier un satellite, verrait un tiers de ses images altérées.Cela engendrait des conséquences pour tous les types de recherche scientifique.”Imaginez que vous essayez de trouver des astéroïdes qui peuvent être potentiellement dangereux pour la Terre”, explique M. Borlaff.Un astéroïde qui traverse le ciel “ressemble exactement à un satellite… c’est vraiment difficile de trouver lequel est le mauvais”, souligne-t-il.Certains télescopes, comme le fameux James Webb, ne sont pas affectés par les satellites car ils sont en orbite stable à 1,5 M de kilomètres de la Terre, au niveau du deuxième point de Lagrange.- “Aussi brillants que la plus brillante étoile” – Une des solutions serait de déployer des satellites à de plus basses altitudes que celles des télescopes spatiaux, mais cela pourrait potentiellement détériorer la couche d’ozone, selon l’étude.La solution la plus logique serait de réduire le nombre des satellites à lancer. Mais la compétition entre les entreprises et les besoins croissants liés à l’essor de l’intelligence artificielle rendent cette option peu probable.Près de trois-quarts des satellites actuellement en orbite appartiennent au milliardaire Elon Musk via sa constellation internet Starlink, explique le chercheur. Dans une vingtaine d’années, Starlink ne devrait plus représenter que 10% de l’ensemble des satellites, selon l’étude.M. Borlaff estime que les entreprises pourraient d’ores et déjà aider en fournissant l’emplacement, l’orientation et la couleur de leurs satellites à ceux qui exploitent des télescopes spatiaux.Un autre problème vient de la taille de plus en plus grosses des satellites.À l’œil nu, les satellites d’une surface supérieure à 100 m2 sont “aussi brillants que la plus brillante des étoiles que vous pouvez voir dans le ciel”, souligne-t-il.Mais afin de répondre aux besoins de développement de l’IA, il existe déjà des projets de satellites mesurant plus de 3.000 m2. Ces géants pourraient être “aussi brillants qu’une planète”, conclut M. Borlaff.

Russia says battlefield success strengthening its hand in Ukraine talks

The Kremlin said Wednesday that its army’s recent battlefield successes in Ukraine had bolstered its position in talks to end the fighting, as both Moscow and Kyiv prepared for more negotiations with the United States.US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner negotiated into the early hours with Vladimir Putin but no breakthrough for a peace settlement was announced.The Kremlin said the two sides had failed to find a “compromise” on the crucial issue of territories and that Ukraine’s participation in NATO remained a “key” question in the talks.The White House had previously voiced optimism about its plan to end Europe’s worst conflict since World War II but that hope appeared to fade on Wednesday, with Moscow saying it had found parts of the plan “unacceptable”.Witkoff and Kushner brought an updated version of a US plan to end the war.Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine gathered pace last month and Putin has said in recent days that Moscow is ready to fight on to seize the rest of the land it claims if Kyiv does not surrender it.”The progress and nature of the negotiations were influenced by the successes of the Russian army on the battlefield in recent weeks,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov — who took part in the US-Russia talks — told reporters, including AFP.”Our Russian soldiers, through their military exploits, have helped make the assessments of our foreign partners regarding the paths to a peace settlement more appropriate,” he added.Moscow insisted it was incorrect to say Putin rejected the plan in its entirety.It also said Russia was still committed to diplomacy, despite Putin’s stark warning that Moscow was prepared to fight Europe if it wanted war.”We are still ready to meet as many times as is needed to reach a peace settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. – ‘Keep fight ongoing’ -The fresh talks come as NATO pledges to buy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of US arms for Kyiv. NATO chief Mark Rutte said it was positive that peace talks were ongoing but that the alliance should make sure that “Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going”.Russian troops have been grinding forward across the front line against outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian forces.Earlier this week, Moscow claimed to have captured the important stronghold of Pokrovsk but a Ukraine army unit fighting in the city said urban combat was still ongoing.”The enemy is bogged down in urban combat for Pokrovsk and currently cannot seize the city using weapons,” the 7th Air Assault Corps said. According to Ukrainian online map project DeepState, most of the city is occupied by the Russians.European countries have expressed fears Washington and Moscow will reach agreements without them and have spent the last weeks trying to amend the US plan so that it does not force Kyiv to capitulate. In Moscow, tensions with Europe were palpable, with Putin delivering an exceptionally hawkish statement on Tuesday.”We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now,” he said.Britain has downplayed Putin’s hawkish messaging, calling it “yet more Kremlin claptrap from a president who isn’t serious about peace”.- Ukraine role in NATO ‘key’ in talks -Moscow went to war in Ukraine in February 2022, saying it wanted to prevent Kyiv joining NATO — a prospect that Ukraine and the Western alliance have called a pretext to start the fighting and that they say was not going to happen.Since the full-scale offensive, Kyiv has said that joining the Western alliance would protect it from future Russian attacks.Trump has repeatedly ruled out Ukrainian membership in the bloc.Ushakov said the issue was “key” at the talks.Zelensky’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov held a lengthy meeting with European security advisors on Wednesday as the Kyiv team was expected to meet Trump’s envoys later.”I gave my colleagues a detailed update on the negotiations in Geneva and Florida, and on the next steps in the diplomatic process,” Umerov said.”It’s important that Europe stays an active part of this,” he added.Zelensky has said that any peace deal for the conflict should make sure Moscow will not attack again.Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, which has killed thousands, has also been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent at home unseen since the Soviet era. 

Stocks struggle as data shows drop in US jobs

Equities struggled on Wednesday as data showed US businesses unexpectedly shed jobs last month.The US private sector lost 32,000 jobs in November, according to payroll firm ADP, compared to a small gain expected by analysts.The jobs numbers reinforced concerns over the health of the US economy, which has struggled with dislocations and price rises caused by tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.”There’s no way to portray that as good news, unless, of course, you’re a stock trader who is focused more on the likelihood for Fed cuts than you are about what it says about the economy,” said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers.After opening lower, all three of Wall Street’s main indices had pushed into positive territory by mid-morning, with the jobs figures underpinning expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week.The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid back into the red.”The modest fall in the ADP payrolls measure in November… should be enough to persuade the FOMC to vote for another cut next week,” said Stephen Brown at Capital Economics.Money markets now put the chances of the Fed cutting interest rates on December 10 at nearly 90 percent.Lower interest rates make it easier for companies and consumers to borrow money, so the prospect of Fed rate cuts tends to boost stocks.Optimism over US rate cuts won an additional boost from reports that Trump’s top economic adviser Kevin Hassett — a proponent of more rate reductions — is the frontrunner to take the helm at the Fed when Jerome Powell’s tenure ends in May.Investors are also looking ahead to the release on Friday of the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation — the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) index.Investors see the Fed cutting rates three times next year, which has been a factor weighing on the dollar.The euro hit a seven-week high against the dollar, noted analyst Axel Rudolph at trading platform IG. “The US central bank is expected to cut rates in December with a near 89 percent probability whereas the ECB isn’t likely to do so for much of next year,” he said.Meanwhile the pound gained one percent against the dollar, also receiving a boost from data showing stronger than expected activity from the UK services sector.Stronger sterling weighed on London’s benchmark FTSE 100 stock index, which features major companies earning in dollars, and which ended the day down 0.1 percent.A recovery in Bitcoin has also helped support equity markets.”A continued bounce in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has stoked a renewed speculative bid,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.Bitcoin is back above $90,000. It plunged below $83,000 last month after having set a record high of $126,251 in October.Asian stock markets mostly rose Wednesday.Elsewhere, the Indian rupee weakened past 90 per dollar for the first time, extending declines through the year as New Delhi struggles to strike a trade deal with the United States.- Key figures at around 1630 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 47,685.20 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 6,837.46New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 23,402.90London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 9,692.07 (close) Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 8,087.42 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 23,693.71 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 49,864.68 (close) Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 25,760.73 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,878.00 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1664 from $1.1622 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3341 from $1.3209Dollar/yen: DOWN at 155.03 yen from 155.86 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.43 pence from 88.00 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.2 percent at $63.19 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.4 percent at $59.47 per barrelburs-rl/rlp

Stocks struggle as data shows drop in US jobs

Equities struggled on Wednesday as data showed US businesses unexpectedly shed jobs last month.The US private sector lost 32,000 jobs in November, according to payroll firm ADP, compared to a small gain expected by analysts.The jobs numbers reinforced concerns over the health of the US economy, which has struggled with dislocations and price rises caused by tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.”There’s no way to portray that as good news, unless, of course, you’re a stock trader who is focused more on the likelihood for Fed cuts than you are about what it says about the economy,” said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers.After opening lower, all three of Wall Street’s main indices had pushed into positive territory by mid-morning, with the jobs figures underpinning expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week.The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid back into the red.”The modest fall in the ADP payrolls measure in November… should be enough to persuade the FOMC to vote for another cut next week,” said Stephen Brown at Capital Economics.Money markets now put the chances of the Fed cutting interest rates on December 10 at nearly 90 percent.Lower interest rates make it easier for companies and consumers to borrow money, so the prospect of Fed rate cuts tends to boost stocks.Optimism over US rate cuts won an additional boost from reports that Trump’s top economic adviser Kevin Hassett — a proponent of more rate reductions — is the frontrunner to take the helm at the Fed when Jerome Powell’s tenure ends in May.Investors are also looking ahead to the release on Friday of the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation — the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) index.Investors see the Fed cutting rates three times next year, which has been a factor weighing on the dollar.The euro hit a seven-week high against the dollar, noted analyst Axel Rudolph at trading platform IG. “The US central bank is expected to cut rates in December with a near 89 percent probability whereas the ECB isn’t likely to do so for much of next year,” he said.Meanwhile the pound gained one percent against the dollar, also receiving a boost from data showing stronger than expected activity from the UK services sector.Stronger sterling weighed on London’s benchmark FTSE 100 stock index, which features major companies earning in dollars, and which ended the day down 0.1 percent.A recovery in Bitcoin has also helped support equity markets.”A continued bounce in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has stoked a renewed speculative bid,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.Bitcoin is back above $90,000. It plunged below $83,000 last month after having set a record high of $126,251 in October.Asian stock markets mostly rose Wednesday.Elsewhere, the Indian rupee weakened past 90 per dollar for the first time, extending declines through the year as New Delhi struggles to strike a trade deal with the United States.- Key figures at around 1630 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 47,685.20 pointsNew York – S&P 500: UP 0.1 percent at 6,837.46New York – Nasdaq Composite: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 23,402.90London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 9,692.07 (close) Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 8,087.42 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 23,693.71 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 49,864.68 (close) Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.3 percent at 25,760.73 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.5 percent at 3,878.00 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1664 from $1.1622 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3341 from $1.3209Dollar/yen: DOWN at 155.03 yen from 155.86 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.43 pence from 88.00 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.2 percent at $63.19 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 1.4 percent at $59.47 per barrelburs-rl/rlp

Trois jeunes meurent dans leur voiture tombée dans une piscine

Trois très jeunes gens sont morts noyés après que leur voiture, où plusieurs bouteilles de protoxyde d’azote ont été retrouvées, a raté un virage et fini sa course dans la piscine d’un pavillon mercredi à Alès (Gard), a-t-on appris de sources concordantes.”Vers 02H00 du matin, une voiture avec trois jeunes garçons à bord a raté son virage et percuté le muret d’un pavillon où il y a une piscine. La voiture a défoncé le muret, s’est retournée et est tombée à l’intérieur de la piscine, sur le toit, les quatre roues en l’air”, a expliqué à l’AFP le procureur d’Alès, Abdelkrim Grini.”Les trois personnes à bord, âgées de 14, 15 et 19 ans, sont décédées, a priori par noyade”, a ajouté M. Grini, qui a ordonné une enquête pour “recherche de la cause de la mort” ainsi qu’une autopsie.”Plusieurs bouteilles”, voire “de nombreuses bouteilles” de protoxyde d’azote “ont été retrouvées dans le véhicule” accidenté, a-t-on par ailleurs appris de sources policières. C’est le propriétaire du pavillon, un boulanger, qui a appelé les secours en constatant la présence du véhicule vers 6H00 du matin, selon le procureur.Les pompiers ont eu beaucoup de mal à accéder aux passagers de la voiture, la voiture étant pratiquement “emboitée” dans la piscine, a-t-il ajouté.”C’est vraiment le comble de l’horreur. C’était impossible pour les passagers d’ouvrir les portes. Ce n’est pas le choc de l’accident qui les a tués. Ils se sont retrouvés la tête retournée, dans de l’eau glacée, incapables de sortir. Ils n’avaient aucune chance”, a estimé Abdelkrim Grini, pour qui cet “accident” relève d’un “concours de circonstances invraisemblable”.Surnommé “gaz hilarant” et ayant notamment pour effet secondaire la perte de contrôle de ses consommateurs, le protoxyde d’azote a été récemment à l’origine de plusieurs drames routiers, comme par exemple début novembre à Lille, où un jeune homme de 19 ans a été mortellement percuté par un automobiliste ayant consommé ce gaz et fuyant la police. Les trois corps ont été emmenés à l’institut médico-légal de Nîmes pour y être autopsiés, en principe jeudi matin. Une analyse toxicologique est notamment prévue, selon le procureur. L’enquête a été confiée au commissariat de la police nationale à Alès.

Israel says received presumed remains of Gaza hostage

Israel announced Wednesday it had received hostage remains found in Gaza from the Red Cross, which were being transported to the morgue for identification.It comes as the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, with both sides accusing each other of violating the terms.Under the first phase of the deal — which came into effect in October — Palestinian militants were due to return all 48 hostages they held captive, 20 of whom were still alive.All but the bodies of two hostages — Israeli Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak — have since been handed over, but Israel has accused Hamas of dragging their feet on returning remains.”Israel has received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a deceased hostage, which was delivered to (army) and Shin Bet (internal security service) forces in the Gaza Strip,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.”The coffin of the deceased hostage… crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and is on its way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out,” the Israeli army said in a statement.The military did not specify whether what was discovered were the remains of one of the last two Gaza hostages but the premier’s office said authorities were in “continuous contact” with their families.Israeli police in a brief statement said they were “currently escorting, with reverence, the coffin of the fallen hostage to the National Centre of Forensic Medicine”.A Hamas official told AFP before the Israeli statement that a team from the two groups’ armed wings had “found remains that are possibly those of an Israeli hostage” under the rubble in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.AFP footage from northern Gaza showed masked militants from the two groups standing on the back of a truck with a stretcher covered with a white body bag.Diggers were busy working to remove vast piles of rubble.- ‘No link’ in past remains -On Wednesday morning, Netanyahu’s office said forensic tests showed remains retrieved from Gaza the day before were “not linked” to the last two dead hostages held in the Palestinian territory.Israeli police said on Tuesday they had received the presumed remains of one of the remaining hostages and escorted what they called “the coffin of the fallen hostage” to the forensic centre.Hamas has blamed difficulties in finding the remains beneath the sea of rubble created by the two-year war with Israel.The Gaza Strip remains in a deep humanitarian crisis despite the ceasefire which came into effect on October 10.Under the first phase of the deal brokered by Trump, Palestinian militants have handed over the last 20 living hostages, and so far, the remains of 26 out of 28 deceased ones.In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.Militants took 251 people hostage during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the devastating war and resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people.Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed at least 70,117 people, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.The ministry says since the ceasefire came into effect, 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. Israel’s military has reported three soldiers killed during the same period.