AFP - Squid Business

La Macédoine du Nord se prépare au procès de l’incendie tragique d’une discothèque

Des dizaines de familles sont attendues mercredi à Skopje pour l’ouverture du procès de 35 personnes accusées d’avoir joué, de près ou de loin, un rôle dans l’incendie d’une discothèque en Macédoine du Nord en mars, qui a coûté la vie à 63 personnes.Le feu avait pris dans la nuit du 15 au 16 mars lors d’un concert de hip hop au Pulse, une petite discothèque de Kocani, à une centaine de km de Skopje. L’établissement était bondé – environ 650 personnes – et l’enquête a révélé plusieurs violations des normes de sécurité sur fond de corruption : presque toutes les réglementations relatives à l’exploitation d’une boîte de nuit ont été enfreintes, selon l’accusation qui pointe un nombre insuffisant d’extincteurs et de sorties de secours, ainsi que des licences falsifiées.Sur le banc des prévenus seront entre autres assis le propriétaire de la boîte de nuit, trois anciens maires de Kocani, d’ancien ministres, des maires et des hauts fonctionnaires, qui devront répondre de “crimes graves contre la sécurité publique”.Depuis bientôt 8 mois, les familles des victimes manifestent chaque semaine pour demander justice. Samedi, à Skopje, ils étaient plusieurs milliers à les soutenir. Tenant dans leurs mains des photos des victimes, ils ont marché jusqu’au tribunal, scandant “Justice pour Kocani” et “Tout le monde pourrait être le prochain”. Ils étaient rassemblés derrière une immense banderole sur laquelle les visages des 63 victimes – en grande majorités des jeunes de 16 à 26 ans – étaient représentés, surmontés d’une phrase : “63 ombres vous suivront, chaque regard cherche la justice”.Certains ont pris la parole pour demander un procès sans pressions. “Nous voulons que chaque fait soit exposé, que chaque responsabilité soit étudiée et tant pis si c’est déplaisant”, a déclaré Rozeta Djamova, sœur d’une des victimes. “Nous voulons que la vérité soit faite. Savoir où il y a eu négligence, qui n’a pas réagi, quelles institutions étaient en retard, qui aurait dû empêcher cela, mais ne l’a pas fait”, a ajouté Natalija Gjorgjieska, la femme d’un des chanteurs qui se produisait ce soir-là, mort dans l’incendie.- “Long et complexe” -Le procès, auquel assisteront les parties civiles, les accusés, leurs avocats, les médias et plusieurs ONG, s’annonce comme l’un des plus importants de l’histoire du pays, et se tiendra dans une salle conçue pour les grands procès, située dans la plus grande prison du pays, à une quinzaine de kilomètres de Skopje.Lors d’un briefing pour les médias la semaine dernière, la présidente de la Cour criminelle, Daniela Dimovska et le procureur général Ljupco Kocevski ainsi que le président de l’association des avocats, Ljubomir Mihajlovski, ont tous plaidé pour une procédure rapide et efficace, espérant éviter les reports.Cela alors que les limites du système judiciaire de Macédoine du Nord ont été soulignées dans le dernier rapport de l’UE sur le pays, qui note que son efficacité “est affectée par la durée accrue des procédures et un important arriéré de dossiers. La durée des procédures a augmenté pour presque toutes les catégories d’affaires”.Et compte tenu de la complexité de l’affaire, familles et experts craignent que le dossier ne traîne pendant de nombreuses années.”Vu le nombre d’accusés, de parties civiles, de témoins, le nombre de documents contenus dans l’acte d’accusation, le procès du Pulse sera long et complexe, c’est certain”, explique Darko Avramovski, de Blue Print Group, une coalition d’ONG spécialisées dans la Justice.”La rapidité des procédures dépendra de la capacité du tribunal à éviter les retards d’audience, mais aussi de la solidité juridique de l’acte d’accusation, et de l’individualisation claire des responsabilités de chaque personne”, ajoute-t-il. “Le processus doit être mené de manière professionnelle, sans populisme et avec un respect strict des normes juridiques. Ce que le public attend à juste titre, ce n’est pas seulement la rapidité, mais aussi une procédure de qualité qui résistera à l’épreuve des preuves et de l’argumentation juridique.”

South Africa to host G20 summit boycotted by USWed, 19 Nov 2025 03:38:43 GMT

South Africa to host G20 summit boycotted by USWed, 19 Nov 2025 03:38:43 GMT Read More »

South Africa to host G20 summit boycotted by US

South Africa will host the G20 summit this weekend, aiming to secure commitments on debt relief for developing countries and to tackle global inequalities as the United States boycotts the event.US President Donald Trump, who has clashed with South Africa over its G20 agenda, is skipping the summit amid a wider US retreat from multilateralism that has rattled global order.President Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters ahead of the November 22-23 event that the US absence is “their loss”.The United States is the most powerful of the 19 countries in the G20, which represents 85 percent of global GDP and about two-thirds of the world’s population, and also includes the European Union and the African Union.The US boycott echoes Trump’s decision not to send an official delegation to the COP30 summit in Brazil.The Republican leader has also withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty to limit global warming and has imposed unilateral tariffs on a host of trading partners.South Africa, in particular, has been slapped with a 30 percent tariff from the United States.Trump has also singled out the sub-Saharan nation over a number of issues since he returned to the White House in January, notably claiming falsely that white Afrikaners were being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.- Debt, disaster financing -South Africa’s G20 theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” focuses on supporting developing countries through debt relief and financing measures to cope with disasters caused by climate change.It was branded “anti-American” by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in February, when he skipped one of the first meetings of G20 ministers.South Africa says debt is a priority because repayments limit investments in essentials such as infrastructure, healthcare and education.Between 2021 and 2023, Africa spent $70 per capita on debt interest payments, more than on education or health which were at $63 and $44 per capita respectively, according to the United Nations.Ramaphosa will also push for the creation of an “International Inequalities Panel”, modelled after the IPCC for climate change, to tackle massive global inequality that is particularly stark than in South Africa.A report for the G20 from a team led by Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz labelled wealth inequality as a global crisis that threatens democracy and social cohesion, saying it should be confronted with the same urgency as the climate crisis.”If adopted, it would mark a significant win not just for Pretoria’s presidency, but for the millions across the Global South whose voices are often sidelined in elite economic forums,” said Tendai Mbanje, a researcher at the the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Human Rights.- Consensus? -It is unclear if South Africa’s G20 presidency will manage to secure a consensus and release a joint final declaration on the issues discussed.Delegates involved in preparatory work said Argentina’s representatives have been obstructive. President Javier Milei — a Trump ally — is also boycotting the event.In the absence of the United States, China’s representative Premier Li Qiang is expected to advocate for multilateralism.”Economic globalisation and multipolarity are irreversible,” Li said at a Asian regional summit in October.Russia will be represented by President Vladimir Putin’s economic advisor and deputy chief of staff, Maxim Oreshkin, in the notable absence of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.The summit is set to begin the day after the scheduled conclusion of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, whose final negotiations could influence discussions in Johannesburg.It marks the end of a cycle of G20 presidencies by Global South countries, following Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024.The next to take the baton is the United States.Washington has already announced its intention to narrow the G20’s focus to issues of economic cooperation at the December 2026 meeting to be held at a Miami golf course owned by the Trump family.

Budget de la Sécu: inflexible sur les retraites, le Sénat lance son marathon budgétaire

Le Sénat entame mercredi son marathon budgétaire par l’examen du budget de la Sécurité sociale, une occasion pour la droite de marteler son opposition inflexible à la suspension de la réforme des retraites, au risque d’anéantir toute chance de compromis final au Parlement.Après plusieurs semaines de débats parfois chaotiques à l’Assemblée nationale, les projecteurs se braquent désormais sur le Palais du Luxembourg.Les sénateurs se saisissent vers 16h30 du projet de loi de financement de la Sécurité sociale (PLFSS). Ils siègeront sans interruption pendant sept jours sur ce texte, avant un vote solennel prévu mercredi 26 novembre. Puis ils s’empareront du budget de l’Etat, actuellement débattu à l’Assemblée.A la différence de cette dernière, la chambre haute dispose d’une très nette majorité acquise à une alliance entre la droite et les centristes.Cette configuration permet donc d’envisager sereinement un vote favorable, à condition d’arriver au bout des quelque 1.300 amendements soumis à l’hémicycle… Mais quelle sera la copie retenue par le Sénat ? Très irritée par le choix du gouvernement de se tourner vers le Parti socialiste en vue de négocier sa survie, la majorité sénatoriale n’entend pas rentrer si facilement dans le “compromis” souhaité par le Premier ministre Sébastien Lecornu.”Le gouvernement veut acheter à n’importe quel prix le fait de durer un peu plus”, s’est agacé mardi le patron des Républicains Bruno Retailleau, redevenu sénateur.- “Courage” -Droite et centristes n’auront donc aucun scrupule à refuser en bloc la concession majeure offerte par le gouvernement aux socialistes: la “suspension” jusqu’à janvier 2028 de la réforme des retraites portant l’âge légal de départ à 64 ans. Soutenue de longue date par le Sénat, elle sera donc rétablie en séance publique, sauf immense surprise.”On n’est pas là pour maintenir coûte que coûte un gouvernement”, martèle le patron du groupe LR, Mathieu Darnaud. “On sait très bien que la suspension de cette réforme, ce sont des coûts supplémentaires”, ajoute-t-il.La réforme des retraites n’est pas le seul objet de désaccord entre députés et sénateurs, ces derniers ayant promis de supprimer des dizaines de mesures votées à l’Assemblée.”La copie de l’Assemblée n’est pas acceptable”, assume la centriste Elisabeth Doineau, rapporteure générale du budget de la Sécu. “Rien n’est agréable à porter, mais il faut aussi avoir le courage de revenir à un niveau de déficit qui rentre dans l’épure”.La sénatrice espère ramener le déficit de la Sécu à environ 17,5 milliards d’euros en 2026 – soit l’objectif initial du gouvernement – contre plus de 24 milliards selon la copie des députés.Pour ce faire, les sénateurs entendent réintroduire le principe de “l’année blanche”, c’est-à-dire le gel des pensions de retraites et des prestations sociales, à l’exception de l’allocation aux adultes handicapés (AAH) et les retraites inférieures à 1.400 euros.Ils s’opposent aussi à la hausse de la CSG sur le capital, autre victoire des députés socialistes.- “Le retour des horreurs” -“C’est le retour des horreurs”, se désespère le président des sénateurs socialistes Patrick Kanner, promettant des “débats aussi durs qu’en 2023 sur la réforme des retraites”. Dans cette chambre où La France insoumise n’a aucun parlementaire, la gauche – socialiste, écologiste et communiste – a promis “d’entrer en résistance” en commun et de “faire bloc” pour “défendre des acquis”, malgré ses divergences stratégiques sur le budget.Interrogée ce week-end par Le Parisien, la ministre des Comptes publics Amélie de Montchalin a elle appelé les sénateurs à “œuvrer au compromis” sur les retraites.Mais la chambre haute et son président Gérard Larcher n’entendent pas, à ce stade, céder sur cette ligne rouge… Au risque de doucher les espoirs d’un compromis bâti entre les deux chambres du Parlement ?Au Sénat comme à l’Assemblée, l’immense majorité des parlementaires envisagent déjà l’échec de la commission mixte paritaire (CMP), réunion censée accorder les versions des deux chambres fin novembre. Cela obligerait les députés à entamer au pas de course une “nouvelle lecture” de ce PLFSS. Avec un risque chaque jour plus grand de voir le texte mis en place par voie d’ordonnances, si les délais constitutionnels – fixés au 12 décembre à minuit – sont dépassés…

Asian markets bounce as Nvidia takes centre stage amid AI bubble fears

Asian investors battled Wednesday to kickstart a recovery in equities following the latest stagger across world markets that has been caused by worries over an AI-fuelled bubble and uncertainty over US interest rates.Stocks have endured a tough November as speculation has grown that the tech-led rally this year may have gone too far, and valuations have become frothy enough to warrant a stiff correction.With the Magnificent Seven, including Amazon, Meta, Alphabet and Apple, accounting for the majority of the rally to record highs for Wall Street’s three main indexes, there are worries that any problems with them could have huge ripple effects on markets.And so the spotlight Wednesday turns on the earnings report from the biggest of the bunch: chip giant Nvidia, which this month became the first $5 trillion company. Investors are nervous that any sign of weakness could be the pin that pops the AI bubble, having spent months fearing that the hundreds of billions invested may have been excessive.”The AI complex, once the undisputed locomotive of 2025’s rally, now sounds like an engine with sand in the gears,” said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.”This isn’t a crash, or a panic, or even a proper correction; it’s the unmistakeable sensation of a market trading at altitude with borrowed oxygen, suddenly aware of how thin the air has become.”He added that four days of losses in Wall Street’s S&P 500, the VIX “fear index” hitting 25 — a level that causes traders concern — and a tone shift were “all signs that investors are finally blinking at the speed and scale of the AI capex boom”.Meanwhile, a Bank of America survey of fund managers found that more than half thought AI stocks were already in a bubble and 45 percent thought that that was the biggest “tail risk” to markets, more so than inflation.That came after the BBC released an interview with the head of Google’s parent company Alphabet — Sundar Pichai — who warned every company would be impacted if the AI bubble were to burst.Still, after a tough run in recent sessions, Asia enjoyed a little stability as markets fluctuated between gains and losses.Tokyo edged up but was anchored by simmering China tensions as well as questions over Japan’s fiscal state ahead of an economic stimulus package that has pushed government bond yields to record highs.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Taipei and Manila rose, but Seoul, Wellington and Jakarta fell.Also in sight this week is the planned release of key US data, particularly on jobs creation, which will be closely read over for an idea about the Fed’s plans for interest rates.Investors have scaled back their bets on a third successive cut next month — weighing on markets of late — after a string of decision makers, including bank boss Jerome Powell, questioned the need for another as inflation remains stubbornly high.- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 49,077.49 (break)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.1 percent at 25,943.80Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,947.68Dollar/yen: DOWN at 155.52 yen from 155.53 yen on TuesdayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1577 from $1.1580Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3134 from $1.3146Euro/pound: UP at 88.15 from 88.09 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $60.58 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $64.67 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 1.1 percent at 46,091.74 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 1.3 percent at 9,552.30 (close)

India’s Bollywood battles paid reviews and fake sale claims

India’s $60-billion Bollywood industry is facing a deepening credibility crisis, as insiders warn that manipulated film reviews and inflated box office numbers are distorting public perception, ultimately hurting ticket sales.Streaming platforms have disrupted traditional cinema but industry veterans say Bollywood’s woes are also self-inflicted — including the trend to declare a film a “hit” even before its release.”If you don’t engage these influencers and critics, they will write bad reviews, even if the film is good,” producer-distributor Suniel Wadhwa told AFP.”If the film is bad, they will write good things about the film, provided the producer or studio has paid them.”Trade analyst and veteran distributor Raj Bansal said audiences have grown sceptical of early rave reviews.”As soon as the media gives four stars, people message me saying, ‘Sir, that means the movie is not good,'” Bansal said.”And, even if the film is good, they don’t trust it.”That distrust is now visible at the box office.”Regular cinema-goers wait to know the correct reports,” Bansal said.That means ticket sales during the vital opening shows “take a major dip” as film fans wait for word of mouth or “genuine reviews” to come out, he added.Industry insiders allege that some influencers have “rate cards”, with prices rising for films that generate low pre-release buzz.Producers, meanwhile, are accused of bulk-buying tickets to inflate opening-week numbers.”Everything is bought and manipulated,” Bansal said, referring to both reviews and social media personalities.- ‘Bleak’ -Sudhir Kasliwal, owner of Jaipur’s Gem Cinema, recalled seeing hundreds of online bookings for one of superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s releases, but only a fraction of the audience showed up in person.”Producers, directors and actors themselves buy tickets… the future of Bollywood looks very bleak if this practice continues,” Kasliwal said.”The wrong messages are conveyed to people and unless good content is produced, things will never improve.”Recent controversies include Bollywood A-lister Akshay Kumar’s fighter jet action movie “Skyforce”.The film’s director denied allegations of so-called “block booking” to boost first-week numbers, but a Mumbai-based trade analyst claimed its gross was inflated from about $6 million to over $9 million.”Online booking platforms showed full houses, but many theatres were nearly empty,” the analyst told AFP, requesting anonymity.Bansal said that critics who refuse to play along also risk being sidelined, while those who comply “flourish”. “Whenever I (post) that the film has opened with weak collections (ticket sales), I receive a barrage of calls from actors, producers asking me to remove it,” he said.- ‘Appetite to buy’ -Producer-distributor Wadhwa said that the box office collection of the 2025 romantic comedy horror “Thamma” was also manipulated, claiming true sales were around $15 million while the film reported $18 million.Thamma director Aditya Sarpotdar defended the $18 million figure, calling it the “most accurate”, having come from distributors and exhibitors.”When a film is still in theatres, the collection figures between producers and the trade will vary,” Sarpotdar told AFP.”Producer numbers are always the honest numbers.”Experts warn that falsifying box office data has lasting consequences, from inflated star salaries to shrinking opportunities for new talent.”You can’t take the audience for granted. They know the truth,” said Wadhwa, adding that to have both reviews and ticket sales manipulated was “a very sad situation.”Streaming platforms, now major players in film distribution, have begun demanding audited box office figures before striking deals which has added pressure on producers.”Streamers have now become sharp and careful about the film they are choosing,” said Wadhwa.Despite the backlash, few expect the trend to end anytime soon.”This practice will continue” Wadhwa said, until producers and studios lose their “appetite to buy tickets.”

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India’s Bollywood battles paid reviews and fake sale claims

Ronaldo and Musk attend Trump’s dinner with Saudi prince

Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and billionaire Elon Musk were among the guests at a lavish White House dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump for the visiting Saudi crown prince on Tuesday.Ronaldo plays for Saudi club Al Nassr, one of a number of aging players who have been attracted to the desert kingdom’s heavy spending on stars despite its rights record.The 40-year-old, whose contract with the Saudi club ends this summer, took his place near the head of Trump’s table a few seconds before the president and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman entered.”You know, my son is a big fan of Ronaldo,” Trump said in his pre-dinner speech, adding that his soccer-mad son Barron, 19, got to meet the legendary player. “I think he respects his father a little bit more now, just the fact that I introduced you.”Ronaldo was not the only soccer-related dinner guest, as FIFA chief Gianni Infantino made yet another appearance at the White House ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting.Ronaldo says next year’s World Cup — for which Portugal booked their place on Sunday — will “definitely” be his last.Also at the black-tie dinner was Space X and Tesla tycoon Musk, in a sign that the rift between the president and the world’s richest man has healed after their fiery public divorce. South African-born Musk spent five months as head of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and accompanied Trump on a trip to Saudi Arabia in May. But the relationship collapsed in July after Musk criticized Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful” spending bill and then said that the president was in investigatory files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Trump responded by threatening Musk with deportation.Musk, wearing a tuxedo, was seen chatting to fellow guests at a candlelit table — although a different one from Trump’s.During the dinner Trump also praised the Saudi prince as a “man of leadership,” having earlier defended his royal visitor over the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Auction of famed CIA cipher shaken after archive reveals code

It is one of the world’s most famous unsolved codes whose answer could sell for a fortune — but two US friends say they have already found the secret hidden by “Kryptos.”The S-shaped copper sculpture has baffled cryptography enthusiasts since its 1990 installation on the grounds of the CIA headquarters in Virginia, with three of its four messages deciphered so far.Yet K4, the final passage, has kept codebreakers scratching their heads. The sculptor Jim Sanborn, 80, has been so overwhelmed by guesses that he started charging $50 for each response.In August, Sanborn announced he would auction the 97-character solution to K4 as he no longer had the “physical, mental or financial resources” to maintain the code.In a sign of wide interest in Kryptos, which has inspired cultural figures including “The Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown, the code’s solution is on course to fetch more than $240,000 in a sale due to end this Thursday. So when two friends announced in October they had uncovered the last message held by Kryptos (“hidden” in ancient Greek), it invoked fury and concern from the auction house and Sanborn.Jarett Kobek, a writer from Los Angeles, told AFP how the pair came across the code after he noticed a reference to Washington’s Smithsonian Institution, where Sanborn held his archives, in the auction catalog. He asked his friend Richard Byrne, who is based in the US capital, to take a look through the files.”I took images of all the coding stuff in the files,” said Richard Byrne, a journalist and playwright.A few hours later, Kobek called him and said “Hey, you might have found something interesting,” he recalled.Using Byrne’s photos and clues previously shared by Sanborn, Kobek unraveled the K4 message.- Legal threats -The two men decided to write to Sanborn to share their discovery — but instead of congratulations, they were met by alarm.Sanborn, the pair said, asked them to sign non-disclosure agreements in exchange for a share of the money raised in the auction.”The NDA is a total non-starter,” Kobek said. “You are running an auction where what you are selling is intellectual property exclusivity.””If I take money from that sale, I feel like this would almost certainly make me party to fraud.”They later went public with their discovery in a New York Times piece in October.Sanborn, explaining his communication with the men, wrote in a public letter: “I was trying to save K4 from disclosure by any means possible. I had succeeded for 35 years after all.”Kobek said the pair were keen to avoid disrupting the K4 auction. “The last thing anyone wants to do is take money from an 80-year-old artist,” he said.Even if they have no intention of revealing the code’s solution, the two men say the auction house has sent them cease-and-desist letters.Sanborn has acknowledged his error in archiving the crucial information — but he downplayed the discovery.He said the pair had “found and photographed five pieces of scrambled texts that I had accidentally placed in the archive boxes all those years ago.””The scrambled plain text was found, but without the coding method or the key. This is a very important distinction,” he separately told a news conference in November.And, he added, the discovery does not end the mystery of Kryptos.K5, with a “similar but not identical” coding system to K4, is also to be released after the current auction sale.