Au procès Nemmouche, les ex-otages de l’Etat islamique racontent 10 mois d’enfer

Juin 2013, nord de la Syrie. La voiture des journalistes Edouard Elias et Didier François est arrêtée. “Cagoule sur la tête, mains dans le dos, on nous embarque dans une camionnette”, raconte le premier ex-otage mercredi à la cour d’assises spéciale de Paris.”Je vois les mains de Didier trembler et je me dis que ça pue”.Edouard Elias est photographe, il a 33 ans. Il en avait 22 en 2013 quand il a été enlevé par le groupe jihadiste naissant Etat islamique.Quelques minutes après leur kidnapping, décrit-il, la camionnette s’arrête. “A genoux, +Allah Akbar+, la kalachnikov sur la tête, clac. Premier simulacre d’exécution, ça fait bizarre”, mais “on s’habitue”, précisera-t-il plus tard.Dans leur premier lieu de détention, racontent tour à tour Edouard Elias et Didier François, ils sont attachés dans des pièces séparées à un radiateur pendant quatre jours, sans eau ni nourriture. Se font tabasser.Ensuite ils sont emmenés à l’hôpital d’Alep, transformé en prison. Le lieu est “une horreur absolue” où les jours et nuits sont “continuellement” emplies “de cris de gens en train de mourir”.Dans les couloirs, en permanence, des rangées d’hommes suspendus au plafond – les images de la vidéosurveillance de l’époque ont été diffusées à l’audience la veille – frappés par des gardiens à grands coups de bâtons.Au sol, des “monceaux d’êtres humains en train de geindre, des cadavres vivants”, décrit d’une voix rapide et calme Edouard Elias, grand, fin, chemise blanche sous une veste noire. Les otages occidentaux sont privés de nourriture et frappés – “je vois mon visage en cellule, il est bleu, littéralement bleu” dit le photographe – mais se rendent vite compte qu’ils ont “une valeur particulière” et qu’on ne les tuera pas comme ça, dans un sous-sol d’hôpital comme les milliers d’anonymes syriens qu’ils voient défiler.Et puis un jour il entend un cri en français dans une cellule voisine. “AMI !”, a crié la voix.”Et je sais pas ce qui me prend, je me mets à chanter. +Ami, entends-tu les cris sourds du pays qu’on enchaîne+”, entonne Edouard Elias, reprenant le Chant des partisans dans le micro.”Et là Didier reprend et chante avec moi, et je comprends qu’il est à côté de moi. Et je ne suis plus seul”. – “La voix” -Ils resteront détenus ensemble jusqu’à leur libération en avril 2014, dans plusieurs lieux et avec les autres otages occidentaux, notamment le journaliste américain James Foley et l’humanitaire David Haines, tous deux exécutés en tenue orange dans des vidéos de propagande. Sur les bancs des parties civiles, la femme et les filles de David Haines écoutent, visages baissés. Les ex-otages racontent aussi la “faim”, obsédante, l’ennui. La “bûche de Noël” fabriquée en décembre avec des bouts de pain. Et la “stratégie” pour tenir. “On s’est dit que si jamais on sortait, on voulait pouvoir ramener le maximum d’information”, décrit Didier François, 64 ans, barbe et cheveux blancs. Alors ils regardent tout: “Combien de pas jusqu’à la salle de torture, jusqu’aux toilettes… et tous les soirs on faisait le point”.Edouard Elias se rappelle une voix, surtout. “Il y a une voix que j’ai entendue ici, dans cette salle. Je l’ai reconnue formellement”, dit-il sans un regard pour Mehdi Nemmouche dans le box, qui soutient ne “jamais” avoir été geôlier.”C’est celle que j’ai entendue en Syrie, je suis formel parce que c’est au fond de mes tripes”. “C’est la voix qui m’emmerdait pendant des heures”, qui “me terrorisait, qui me faisait chier en cellule”. Celle qui disait “+mon ptit Didiiiier” ou sifflotait “Douce France, cher pays de mon enfance”. “Zéro doute”, balaie aussi Didier François, franchement tourné vers Mehdi Nemmouche qui le regarde en coin. Comme pour tenter de provoquer une réaction, il raconte “l’humour” de son geôlier qui lui avait lancé, alors qu’il portait une tenue orange pareille à celle des prisonniers de Guantanamo: “T’as l’air d’un con avec ton costard en peau de saumon fumé”.Dans le box, Mehdi Nemmouche reste de marbre.Le président Laurent Raviot l’avait fait se lever devant Edouard Elias. “Vous le reconnaissez ?”, avait-il demandé au témoin.Les deux hommes s’étaient toisés, pendant de longues secondes, à trois mètres l’un de l’autre. “Il était cagoulé je peux pas dire, je sais pas”. Mais dès qu’il “parle”, avait ajouté le photographe en portant sa main au coeur, “je ressens cette peur”.

Indignation face à l’arrêt annoncé des “activités ludiques” en prison

Trente-trois organisations soucieuses des droits des détenus se sont indignées mercredi de l’arrêt des “activités ludiques” en prison décidé par le ministre de la Justice, appelant Gérald Darmanin à revenir sur une décision dénoncée comme “un acte de pure démagogie”.Les signataires, parmi lesquelles figurent l’Observatoire international des prisons (OIP), la Ligue des droits de l’Homme ou le Secours catholique, demandent au garde des Sceaux de se raviser et “d’engager une réflexion sérieuse sur le sens de la peine et l’amélioration des conditions de détention”.Dans le sillage d’une polémique autour de soins du visage prodigués à des détenus à la maison d’arrêt de Toulouse-Seysses, le garde des Sceaux a annoncé lundi avoir ordonné l’arrêt de toutes les “activités ludiques” en prison qui ne concernent pas l’éducation, la langue française ou le sport.Dans une lettre mercredi au directeur de l’administration pénitentiaire, le ministre insiste sur le fait que la mise en oeuvre des activités en détention doit prendre en compte “sens de la peine” et “respect des victimes”. “Aucune de ces activités ne peut être ludique ou provocante”, ajoute le texte, sans plus de précisions.Mais sans attendre, “l’emballement a déjà gagné de nombreux établissements pénitentiaires, où l’ensemble des activités visé par le garde des Sceaux est temporairement suspendu”, affirme le communiqué publié mercredi par l’OIP.Le texte accuse le ministre de “nourrir la désinformation, plutôt que de rappeler la mission d’insertion des personnes détenues confiée à son administration” et de défendre “à nouveau une approche exclusivement punitive de la prison”.- “Soupape” -Ces vives critiques viennent s’ajouter à celles de la contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté Dominique Simonnot, qui a rappelé lundi à l’AFP que ces activités sont “prévues par la loi” et “réapprennent aux gens à revivre normalement” en vue de leur libération.”Ces activités s’inscrivent en réalité dans un travail sur l’estime de soi et le lien social, qui conditionne toute autre démarche d’insertion”, font valoir les signataires, parmi lesquels figurent des syndicats de magistrats ou de surveillants pénitentiaires.Ils estiment qu’au lieu de “saper une mission essentielle de son ministère, déjà largement en mal de moyens”, le garde des Sceaux aurait pu s’attaquer au “scandale bien réel” des conditions de détention.Selon le texte, qui relève “surpopulation généralisée” dans les prisons françaises et “insalubrité de nombreux établissements”, le quartier maison d’arrêt de Seysses comptait au 1er janvier 1.239 détenus pour 580 places.Il décrit les activités en détention comme “un levier essentiel non seulement pour préparer la réinsertion des personnes détenues, mais aussi pour préserver leur équilibre psychologique”, affirmant que “l’administration y voit même souvent une soupape pour gérer une détention explosive”.Se joignant à cette condamnation, l’Association des juges d’application des peines a fustigé une “réaction démagogique et épidermique aux effets délétères et contre-productifs”.- “Bon sens” -Dans la matinale de France Inter, Gérald Darmanin en a appelé au “bon sens”, affirmant que parmi les détenus ayant bénéficié des soins du visage au cœur de la polémique figuraient des “détenus radicalisés” ou condamnés à de “très longues peines”.”Ce que je dis, c’est qu’on ne doit pas faire des massages et des soins du visage à des détenus radicalisés. Et je pense que, à peu près (à) 95%, j’imagine, les Français sont d’accord avec moi”.”Que nous fassions des activités éducatives, d’appréhension du français, de réinsertion lorsque les gens sont à quelques mois de leur sortie d’une prison, bien sûr”, a-t-il expliqué, “mais je ne pense pas que ça passe par le maquillage”. Cette affaire fait écho à la polémique en août 2022, venue en particulier de l’extrême droite et de la droite, autour d’une épreuve de karting à la prison de Fresnes (Val-de-Marne).Le ministre de la Justice de l’époque, Éric Dupond-Moretti, avait fait valoir qu’il aurait mis son “veto” s’il avait été préalablement informé, avant que la Chancellerie n’annonce une circulaire au sujet de la validation expresse de la direction de l’administration pénitentiaire sur les conditions de projets de réinsertion en prison.Syndicats de magistrats et d’avocats avaient alors vu dans la réaction du ministre “une communication démagogique et sécuritaire dictée par l’extrême droite”.

Trump brands Zelensky a ‘dictator’ as clash deepens

US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” Wednesday, widening a personal rift with major implications for efforts to end the conflict triggered by Russia’s invasion three years ago.The United States has provided essential funding and arms to Ukraine, but Trump made an abrupt policy shift by opening talks with Moscow weeks after returning to the White House.”A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.Zelensky was elected in 2019 for a five-year term, and has remained leader under martial law imposed due to the Russian invasion as his country fights for its survival.Trump savaged Zelensky, saying “he refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing (Joe) Biden ‘like a fiddle.'””In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do.”Zelensky’s popularity has fallen, but the percentage of Ukrainians who trust him has never dipped below 50 percent since the conflict started, according to the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).Under Biden, the United States had lauded Zelensky and pumped money and weapons into Ukraine to help it battle against advancing Russian soldiers.But Trump held a press conference on Tuesday in which he tore into the Ukrainian leader and repeated Kremlin narratives about the conflict.- Push for battlefield gains -Zelensky then accused Trump of succumbing to Russian “disinformation,” including Trump blaming Kyiv for supposedly having “started” the war.”Unfortunately, President Trump, for whom we have great respect as leader of the American people… lives in this disinformation space,” Zelensky said in a press conference in Kyiv.”I believe that the United States helped (Vladimir) Putin to break out of years of isolation,” he added, in some of his sharpest criticism yet of the new US administration.In contrast, Putin hailed progress in talks with the United States.The Russian leader also claimed his troops had crossed into Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region — a first ground attack there since 2022 — but Kyiv swiftly denied the claim.Both sides are trying to improve their situation on the battlefield amid Trump’s push for a ceasefire.Moscow has been buoyed by Tuesday’s talks in Saudi Arabia and Trump’s attacks on Zelensky. Putin said he rated the bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia “highly.””We made the first step to restore work in various areas of mutual interests,” he told journalists while visiting a drone manufacturing plant in his native Saint Petersburg.Kyiv was not invited to the Riyadh talks as Moscow and Washington moved to sideline both Ukraine and Europe.Putin said that the United States’ allies “only have themselves to blame for what’s happening,” suggesting they were paying the price for opposing Trump’s return to the White House.Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Trump as the “only Western leader” who understood that “dragging Ukraine into NATO” was a cause of the conflict.Tensions between Zelensky and Trump over the new president’s position on the war had been building for weeks, before bursting to the fore.Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg — who was not involved in the Saudi talks — arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday in what he said was a mission to “sit and listen” to Kyiv’s concerns.Russia, which for years has railed against the US military presence in Europe, wants a reorganization of the continent’s security framework as part of any deal to end the Ukraine fighting.Putin on Wednesday said that Russia and the United States needed to “trust” each other if talks were to be successful.”It is impossible to solve many issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, without increasing the level of trust between Russia and the United States,” he said.burs/spm/bgs

La fonte des glaciers s’accélère fortement, alerte une vaste étude mondiale

La fonte mondiale des glaciers s’est accélérée dans la dernière décennie, dévoile mercredi une étude inédite, selon laquelle ce phénomène, qui alimente une élévation irréversible du niveau des mers, pourrait être plus rapide qu’attendu à l’avenir.Les glaciers, qui constituent d’importants régulateurs climatiques et fournissent l’eau douce à des milliards de personnes, fondent rapidement à mesure que les températures mondiales augmentent sous l’effet de l’activité humaine.Dans une évaluation inédite, une équipe internationale a constaté une forte augmentation de la fonte, avec environ 36% de glace supplémentaire perdue entre 2012 et 2023 qu’entre 2000 et 2011.En moyenne, quelque 273 milliards de tonnes de glace sont perdues chaque année, l’équivalent de la consommation d’eau de la population mondiale pendant 30 ans. Les résultats sont “choquants” sans être tout-à-fait surprenants vu le réchauffement climatique en cours, a déclaré Michael Zemp de l’Université de Zurich, coauteur de l’étude publiée dans Nature.Les glaciers du monde ont perdu environ 5% de leur volume depuis le début du siècle, avec de grandes disparités régionales: de -2% en Antarctique à -40% dans les Alpes.Les régions avec des glaciers plus petits les perdent à un rythme plus rapide, et beaucoup “ne survivront pas au siècle en cours”, selon Michael Zemp. Les travaux – coordonnés par le Service mondial de surveillance des glaciers (WGMS), l’université d’Édimbourg et le groupe de recherche Earthwave – a rassemblé des mesures de terrain et par satellites pour établir un “point de comparaison”.Selon Michael Zemp, qui dirige le WGMS, l’étude suggère que les glaciers diminuent à un rythme plus rapide qu’attendu dans le dernier rapport du Giec, les experts du climat mandaté par l’ONU. “Nous sommes donc confrontés à une élévation du niveau de la mer plus importante que prévu jusqu’à la fin du siècle”, a-t-il déclaré à l’AFP.- Menace sur les calottes glaciaires -La fonte affectera aussi l’approvisionnement en eau douce, en particulier en Asie centrale et dans les Andes centrales.Les glaciers sont le deuxième contributeur à la hausse du niveau des océans, après l’expansion de l’eau de mer sous l’effet du réchauffement.Le niveau moyen des mers s’est élevé de 10 cm dans les trois dernières décennies, selon les observations satellitaires de la Nasa.Les près de deux centimètres d’élévation du niveau de la mer attribués à la fonte des glaciers depuis 2000 signifient que près de quatre millions de personnes supplémentaires sur les côtes du monde sont vulnérables aux inondations, ont calculé les scientifiques.Jusqu’à présent, les petits glaciers sont ceux qui contribuent le plus à ce phénomène, mais la menace pourrait changer d’ampleur à cause des colossales calottes glaciaires qui recouvrent l’Antarctique et le Groenland.Sur ce point, l’étude est “préoccupante”a, réagi Martin Siegert, professeur de l’université d’Exeter qui n’a pas participé à l’étude: “Les calottes glaciaires perdent aujourd’hui de la masse à un rythme croissant – six fois plus vite qu’il y a 30 ans, et si elles (fondent massivement), on ne parlera plus en centimètres mais en mètres” d’augmentation du niveau de la mer.Au 20e siècle, les évaluations étaient fondées sur des mesures de terrain de quelque 500 glaciers; aujourd’hui, satellites, caméras, radars et lasers fournissent des données plus complètes et précises, sur 275.000 glaciers.Sauvegarder les glaciers est une “stratégie de survie” essentielle pour la planète, a souligné l’ONU en janvier.

Syrian Jews say held first group prayer in decades in Damascus synagogue

Syria’s tiny Jewish community said they held their first group prayer in decades Wednesday, in a synagogue in Damascus’s Old City, expressing joy at the long-awaited return to public worship.In the Faranj synagogue, Syrian-American Rabbi Yusuf Hamra led the prayer for the first time since arriving this week from the United States, where he has lived since the 1990s.”The last time I visited the synagogue here and prayed was before I travelled to America,” said Hamra, 77.”After arriving in Damascus two days ago, I came to pray for the first time… after 34 years,” he told AFP in the Jewish quarter of the capital’s Old City.Hamra said he was the last rabbi to quit Syria — one of thousands of members of the Jewish community to leave in the 1990s.Syria’s centuries-old Jewish community was able to practise their religion under then president Hafez al-Assad, but the strongman prevented them from leaving the country until 1992.After that, their numbers plummeted from around 5,000 at the time.Now just seven elderly Jews are believed to live in Damascus.After an Islamist-led rebel alliance overthrew Hafez’s son Bashar al-Assad in December last year, Hamra said he seized the opportunity to return with his son.All of Syria’s synagogues closed when civil war erupted in 2011, Hamra said.A historic synagogue in the Damascus suburb of Jobar once drew Jewish pilgrims from around the world but was looted and heavily damaged during the war.The whole suburb was devastated during the conflict.The Assad family had presented itself as a protector of minorities in multi-ethnic, multi-confessional Syria.Syria’s new Islamist-led authorities have repeatedly sought to reassure minorities that they will be protected, and have pledged to involve all Syrians in building the country’s future.At the end of the prayer, community leader Bakhour Chamntoub expressed happiness at Hamra’s return to the synagogue.”I need Jews with me in the neighbourhood,” he said of the Jewish quarter, where he lives.He expressed hope that “Jews will return to their neighbourhood and their people” in Syria.”For nearly 40 years, I haven’t prayed with others. The feeling is indescribable,” he said.

Le procureur de Créteil, Stéphane Hardouin, nommé à la tête de l’IGPN

Le procureur de la République de Créteil, Stéphane Hardouin, a été nommé mercredi en Conseil des ministres chef de l’Inspection générale de la police nationale (IGPN), “la police des polices”, en remplacement d’Agnès Thibault-Lecuivre, selon le communiqué du Conseil.Il est le deuxième magistrat à occuper ces fonctions traditionnellement réservées à un fonctionnaire de police avant que Mme Thibault-Lecuivre ne soit nommée en juillet 2022 à ce poste par le ministre de l’Intérieur d’alors Gérald Darmanin.L’idée de nommer à la tête de l’IGPN une personnalité indépendante de la police avait été évoquée en novembre 2020 par Gérald Darmanin, alors que le débat sur l’indépendance de cette institution était revenu en force après une série de violences policières.Le poste de chef de l’IGPN était vacant depuis décembre et le départ de Mme Thibault-Lecuivre comme directrice de cabinet de M. Darmanin, nouveau ministre de la Justice.Agé de 53 ans, Stéphane Hardouin, qui a été nommé sur proposition du ministre de l’Intérieur, Bruno Retailleau, prendra ses nouvelles fonctions le 28 février, selon le communiqué du Conseil des ministres.Le magistrat a été conseiller justice de l’ex-Premier ministre, Jean Castex, lorsque celui-ci était à Matignon, avant d’être nommé procureur à Créteil en 2022.Sur son profil Linkedln, il se définit “comme un magistrat de mission, ayant alterné des expériences variées sur le terrain et dans les ministères”. “Je crois, écrit-il, en l’action et à la réforme au service de l’institution judiciaire. Lucide mais optimiste!”

Trump auto tariff threat prompts pushback in Germany

Germany’s car lobby on Wednesday warned that tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump would raise prices for American drivers after Trump said he might hike taxes on imports of cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that tariffs on the automobile industry will “be in the neighbourhood of 25 percent”, with specifics to come around April 2.Asked about threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals and chips, Trump said: “It’ll be 25 percent and higher, and it’ll go very substantially higher over (the) course of a year.”He added that he wanted to give affected companies time to bring their operations to the United States, saying that he had been contacted by major firms that “want to come back”. The president also said that Washington’s trading partners could avoid being taxed by investing in factories in the United States. “We want to give them time to come in,” he said. “When they come into the United States and they have their plant or factory here, there is no tariff. So we want to give them a little bit of a chance.”Trump has announced a broad range of levies on some of his country’s biggest trading partners since taking office in January, arguing that they will help tackle unfair practices — and in some cases using threats to influence policy.He recently pledged an extra 10 percent duties on all goods coming from China, and 25 percent on steel and aluminium imports.The German VDA auto lobby on Wednesday described Trump’s announcement as a “provocation” and warned that tariffs could rebound on the United States.”Further tariffs would directly hit the American economy and make products for US consumers more expensive,” said VDA chief Hildegard Mueller.- Asia imports -Experts have warned that it is often Americans who end up paying the cost of tariffs on imports, rather than foreign exporters.About 50 percent of the cars sold in the United States are manufactured within the country. Among imports, about half come from Mexico and Canada, with Japan, South Korea and Germany also major suppliers.Trump’s tariff threats were cautiously received in Asia, home to some of the main US suppliers of the potentially affected industries.Yoshimasa Hayashi, Tokyo’s top government spokesman, told reporters: “With regards to automobile tariffs, we have raised the issue with the US government, taking into account the importance of Japan’s auto industry.””Japan will first take appropriate action while carefully examining the specific details of the measures,” he added.Taiwan, a global powerhouse in semiconductor production that Trump has accused of stealing the US chip industry, also remained cautious.”The scope of products subject to tariffs has not yet been clarified. We will continue to monitor the direction of US policies and assist Taiwan’s industries,” Taipei’s economic ministry said in a statement.The island’s government had previously said it would boost investment in the United States as it sought to head off Trump’s duties.- ‘Wrong tool’ -Meanwhile a spokesperson for Malaysia’s semiconductor industry, which accounts for around 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, on Wednesday told AFP that the United States would be “slapping themselves” with the new tariffs.Malaysia has long been a chip manufacturing hub for many US semiconductor companies.”If we (Malaysia) ship these products back to the US, it will only increase the cost of components back to the US,” Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai said.Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said he was pleased to see the EU “reduce their tariffs on cars to the level we have”.”The EU had 10 percent tax on cars and now they have a 2.5 percent tax, which is the exact same as us… If everybody would do that, then we’d all be on the same playing field,” he said.”The EU has been very unfair to us. We have a trade deficit of $350 billion, they don’t buy our cars, they don’t take our farm products, they don’t take almost anything… and we’ll have to straighten that out,” he added.The VDA said that any differences between specific EU and US tariff rates did not justify Washington hiking tariffs, noting that tariffs on pick-up trucks popular with US consumers were 25 percent.”Tariffs as a negotiating instrument are the wrong tool. The risk of a global trade war with negative consequences for the world economy is high,” Mueller said.

Trump auto tariff threat prompts pushback in Germany

Germany’s car lobby on Wednesday warned that tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump would raise prices for American drivers after Trump said he might hike taxes on imports of cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Tuesday, Trump told reporters that tariffs on the automobile industry will “be in the neighbourhood of 25 percent”, with specifics to come around April 2.Asked about threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals and chips, Trump said: “It’ll be 25 percent and higher, and it’ll go very substantially higher over (the) course of a year.”He added that he wanted to give affected companies time to bring their operations to the United States, saying that he had been contacted by major firms that “want to come back”. The president also said that Washington’s trading partners could avoid being taxed by investing in factories in the United States. “We want to give them time to come in,” he said. “When they come into the United States and they have their plant or factory here, there is no tariff. So we want to give them a little bit of a chance.”Trump has announced a broad range of levies on some of his country’s biggest trading partners since taking office in January, arguing that they will help tackle unfair practices — and in some cases using threats to influence policy.He recently pledged an extra 10 percent duties on all goods coming from China, and 25 percent on steel and aluminium imports.The German VDA auto lobby on Wednesday described Trump’s announcement as a “provocation” and warned that tariffs could rebound on the United States.”Further tariffs would directly hit the American economy and make products for US consumers more expensive,” said VDA chief Hildegard Mueller.- Asia imports -Experts have warned that it is often Americans who end up paying the cost of tariffs on imports, rather than foreign exporters.About 50 percent of the cars sold in the United States are manufactured within the country. Among imports, about half come from Mexico and Canada, with Japan, South Korea and Germany also major suppliers.Trump’s tariff threats were cautiously received in Asia, home to some of the main US suppliers of the potentially affected industries.Yoshimasa Hayashi, Tokyo’s top government spokesman, told reporters: “With regards to automobile tariffs, we have raised the issue with the US government, taking into account the importance of Japan’s auto industry.””Japan will first take appropriate action while carefully examining the specific details of the measures,” he added.Taiwan, a global powerhouse in semiconductor production that Trump has accused of stealing the US chip industry, also remained cautious.”The scope of products subject to tariffs has not yet been clarified. We will continue to monitor the direction of US policies and assist Taiwan’s industries,” Taipei’s economic ministry said in a statement.The island’s government had previously said it would boost investment in the United States as it sought to head off Trump’s duties.- ‘Wrong tool’ -Meanwhile a spokesperson for Malaysia’s semiconductor industry, which accounts for around 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, on Wednesday told AFP that the United States would be “slapping themselves” with the new tariffs.Malaysia has long been a chip manufacturing hub for many US semiconductor companies.”If we (Malaysia) ship these products back to the US, it will only increase the cost of components back to the US,” Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai said.Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said he was pleased to see the EU “reduce their tariffs on cars to the level we have”.”The EU had 10 percent tax on cars and now they have a 2.5 percent tax, which is the exact same as us… If everybody would do that, then we’d all be on the same playing field,” he said.”The EU has been very unfair to us. We have a trade deficit of $350 billion, they don’t buy our cars, they don’t take our farm products, they don’t take almost anything… and we’ll have to straighten that out,” he added.The VDA said that any differences between specific EU and US tariff rates did not justify Washington hiking tariffs, noting that tariffs on pick-up trucks popular with US consumers were 25 percent.”Tariffs as a negotiating instrument are the wrong tool. The risk of a global trade war with negative consequences for the world economy is high,” Mueller said.

Hamas says ready to free all hostages at once in Gaza truce phase two

Hamas signalled on Wednesday that it was willing to free all remaining hostages held in Gaza in a single swap during the next phase of an ongoing ceasefire.Israel and Hamas are currently in the process of implementing phase one of the fragile truce, which has held since taking effect on January 19 despite accusations of violations on both sides.Israel’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that talks would begin “this week” on the second phase, which is expected to lay out a more permanent end to the war.”We have informed the mediators that Hamas is ready to release all hostages in one batch during the second phase of the agreement, rather than in stages as in the current first phase,” senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP.He did not clarify how many hostages were currently being held by Hamas or other militant groups.Nunu said this step was meant “to confirm our seriousness and complete readiness to move forward in resolving this issue, as well as to continue steps towards cementing the ceasefire and achieving a sustainable truce”.Under the ceasefire’s first phase, 19 Israeli hostages have been released by militants so far in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails in a series of Red Cross-mediated swaps.Wednesday’s offer came after Israel and Hamas announced a deal for the return of all six remaining living hostages eligible for release under phase one in a single swap this weekend.Hamas also agreed on Tuesday to return the bodies of eight dead hostages in two groups this week and next.After the completion of the first phase, 58 hostages will remain in Gaza.- ‘Room to pressure Hamas’ -Muhammad Shehada, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that after more than a year of devastating Israeli assault in Gaza, “Hamas wants to prevent the war resuming at any cost”, albeit with some “red lines”.”And one of those red lines is that they should continue to exist, basically, whereas (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s position is that they should dismantle themselves,” he said.Since the start of the war, Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas’s capacity to fight or govern, something the militant group has rejected.But the appearance that Washington is now in complete alignment with Netanyahu’s government, as displayed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit this week, strengthened the Israeli premier’s hand in negotiations, according to Michael Horowitz, an expert at the risk management consultancy Le Beck International.It gives Netanyahu “more room to pressure Hamas”, Horowitz said, adding that US President Donald Trump “prefers that the agreement moves forward, but he’s leaving the field open to Netanyahu… as long as the ceasefire is maintained”.- ‘Held onto hope’ -Among the bodies Hamas said it would hand over on Thursday are those of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who have become national symbols in Israel of the hostages’ ordeal.The boys’ father Yarden Bibas was taken hostage separately on October 7, 2023, and was released alive during an earlier hostage-prisoner swap.While Hamas said Shiri Bibas and her boys were killed in an Israeli air strike early in the war, Israel has never confirmed this, and many supporters remain unconvinced of their deaths, including members of the Bibas family.”I ask that no one eulogise my family just yet. We have held onto hope for 16 months, and we are not giving up now,” the boys’ aunt, Ofri Bibas, wrote on Facebook late Tuesday following Hamas’s announcement.Israeli authorities have confirmed that the remains of four hostages are due to be returned on Thursday, although they have not officially named them.The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has acted as go-between in the exchanges, called for a respectful handover of the hostages’ remains.”We once again call for all releases to be conducted in a private and dignified manner, including when they tragically involve the deceased,” it said.Hamas and its allies took 251 people hostage during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, of whom 70 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,297 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.- Soldiers charged -Since the war began, Israeli forces have detained hundreds of Gazans, some of whom have been released in previous rounds of hostage-prisoner exchanges.On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had filed charges of “causing severe injury and abuse under aggravating circumstances” against five reservist soldiers for assaulting a Palestinian detainee in July last year.”The indictment charges the accused with acting against the detainee with severe violence, including stabbing the detainee’s bottom with a sharp object, which had penetrated near the detainee’s rectum,” a military statement said, adding the alleged abuse also caused cracked ribs and a punctured lung.It said the incident took place at the Sde Teiman detention facility following an instruction to conduct a search of the detainee during which he was “blindfolded, and cuffed at the hands and ankles”.The detention centre near the border was created early in the war to hold detainees from Gaza.