Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga dies in IndiaWed, 15 Oct 2025 08:35:47 GMT
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has died at the age of 80 during a health visit to India, local police said Wednesday — a political earthquake that could transform politics in the east African nation.Odinga was the perennial opposition figure of Kenyan politics, running unsuccessfully for the presidency on five occasions, most recently in 2022. Affectionately …
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga dies in IndiaWed, 15 Oct 2025 08:35:47 GMT Read More »
Markets rally, dollar weakens as Fed cut hopes trump trade war fears
Stocks jumped and the dollar retreated Wednesday as trade war fears were overshadowed by comments from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that suggested the bank would cut interest rates again this month.After a volatile couple of days characterised by a fresh flare-up in China-US tensions, investors took the opportunity to jump back into the market and resume a months-long, tech-fuelled rally.Powell has for most of the year walked a fine line between trying to keep a cap on US inflation while also supporting the labour market, even as he faced a barrage of abuse from President Donald Trump for not lowering borrowing costs soon enough.And while price gains continue to outpace the bank’s target pace, a series of weak readings has forced him to turn his focus on jobs, and last month announced the first rate cut since December.And on Tuesday he indicated more were on the way.”In this less dynamic and somewhat softer labour market, the downside risks to employment appear to have risen,” said Powell, adding that longer-term inflation expectations remained aligned with the Fed’s two-percent goal.”Rising downside risks to employment have shifted our assessment of the balance of risks,” he said, adding there was “no risk-free path for policy as we navigate the tension between our employment and inflation goals.”Powell also hinted that monetary policymakers could soon stop reducing the size of its holdings of bonds and other instruments bought in vast quantities during the pandemic to keep borrowing rates low and support the economy.The bank has a dual mandate from Congress to act independently to tackle both inflation and employment.No official jobs data has been published for September because of the US government shutdown, but private sector figures point to a marked slowdown in hiring last month.US markets ended mostly down but well off their morning lows, and Asia was on the front foot.Seoul soared 2.7 percent, while Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Taipei and Bangkok all climbed more than one percent.Singapore, Mumbai, Manila and Wellington also advanced.Shanghai also put on more than one percent, with little negative reaction to data showing Chinese consumer prices fell in September, indicating consumer sentiment remains weak.Paris surged more than two percent on hopes for an end to political turmoil after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu backed the suspension of an unpopular 2023 pensions reform, while he also got support of the Socialist Party in the National Assembly.Frankfurt was on the front foot but London slipped.Expectations that borrowing rates will drop weighed on the dollar, which was well down against its peers.Powell’s remarks helped investors turn from the latest trade salvos between Washington and Beijing, with Trump last week threatening 100-percent tariffs owing to China’s new export controls on rate earths.While the US president tempered his rhetoric Sunday, China appeared to stoke the row by imposing sanctions on five American subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, accusing them of supporting Washington’s investigation into the shipping industry.Still, there are hopes the row can be defused, with Trump telling reporters at the White House that “we have a fair relationship with China, and I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s OK too.””We have a lot of punches being thrown, and we’ve been very successful.”Meanwhile, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC that senior officials had spoken Monday on the rare earths dispute, and gave a broadly upbeat view.”We’ve been pretty successful in finding a path forward with them in the past so we think we’ll be able to work through it,” he said in an interview.- Key figures at around 0810 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.8 percent at 47,472.67 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.8 percent at 25,910.60 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,912.21 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 9,447.81 Euro/dollar: UP $1.1638 from $1.1604 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3360 from $1.3319Dollar/yen: DOWN at 151.11 yen from 151.74 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.12 pence from 87.13 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $58.62 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $62.32 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 46,270.46 (close)
Markets rally, dollar weakens as Fed cut hopes trump trade war fears
Stocks jumped and the dollar retreated Wednesday as trade war fears were overshadowed by comments from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that suggested the bank would cut interest rates again this month.After a volatile couple of days characterised by a fresh flare-up in China-US tensions, investors took the opportunity to jump back into the market and resume a months-long, tech-fuelled rally.Powell has for most of the year walked a fine line between trying to keep a cap on US inflation while also supporting the labour market, even as he faced a barrage of abuse from President Donald Trump for not lowering borrowing costs soon enough.And while price gains continue to outpace the bank’s target pace, a series of weak readings has forced him to turn his focus on jobs, and last month announced the first rate cut since December.And on Tuesday he indicated more were on the way.”In this less dynamic and somewhat softer labour market, the downside risks to employment appear to have risen,” said Powell, adding that longer-term inflation expectations remained aligned with the Fed’s two-percent goal.”Rising downside risks to employment have shifted our assessment of the balance of risks,” he said, adding there was “no risk-free path for policy as we navigate the tension between our employment and inflation goals.”Powell also hinted that monetary policymakers could soon stop reducing the size of its holdings of bonds and other instruments bought in vast quantities during the pandemic to keep borrowing rates low and support the economy.The bank has a dual mandate from Congress to act independently to tackle both inflation and employment.No official jobs data has been published for September because of the US government shutdown, but private sector figures point to a marked slowdown in hiring last month.US markets ended mostly down but well off their morning lows, and Asia was on the front foot.Seoul soared 2.7 percent, while Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Taipei and Bangkok all climbed more than one percent.Singapore, Mumbai, Manila and Wellington also advanced.Shanghai also put on more than one percent, with little negative reaction to data showing Chinese consumer prices fell in September, indicating consumer sentiment remains weak.Paris surged more than two percent on hopes for an end to political turmoil after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu backed the suspension of an unpopular 2023 pensions reform, while he also got support of the Socialist Party in the National Assembly.Frankfurt was on the front foot but London slipped.Expectations that borrowing rates will drop weighed on the dollar, which was well down against its peers.Powell’s remarks helped investors turn from the latest trade salvos between Washington and Beijing, with Trump last week threatening 100-percent tariffs owing to China’s new export controls on rate earths.While the US president tempered his rhetoric Sunday, China appeared to stoke the row by imposing sanctions on five American subsidiaries of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, accusing them of supporting Washington’s investigation into the shipping industry.Still, there are hopes the row can be defused, with Trump telling reporters at the White House that “we have a fair relationship with China, and I think it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s OK too.””We have a lot of punches being thrown, and we’ve been very successful.”Meanwhile, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CNBC that senior officials had spoken Monday on the rare earths dispute, and gave a broadly upbeat view.”We’ve been pretty successful in finding a path forward with them in the past so we think we’ll be able to work through it,” he said in an interview.- Key figures at around 0810 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.8 percent at 47,472.67 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.8 percent at 25,910.60 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,912.21 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.1 percent at 9,447.81 Euro/dollar: UP $1.1638 from $1.1604 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3360 from $1.3319Dollar/yen: DOWN at 151.11 yen from 151.74 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 87.12 pence from 87.13 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $58.62 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $62.32 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.4 percent at 46,270.46 (close)
Gaza: Israël pourrait rouvrir le passage de Rafah pour l’aide humanitaire
Israël s’apprête à autoriser mercredi la réouverture du point de passage de Rafah entre l’Egypte et Gaza, selon la radio publique, pour permettre le passage de centaines de camions d’aide humanitaire dans le territoire palestinien dévasté, après le retour de nouvelles dépouilles d’otages.Cette mesure, que les autorités israéliennes n’avaient pas confirmée mercredi matin, est réclamée à cor et à cri par l’ONU et les grandes ONG alors que la bande de Gaza est en proie à un désastre humanitaire, deux ans après le début de la guerre déclenchée le 7 octobre 2023 par l’attaque sans précédent du mouvement islamiste palestinien Hamas sur Israël.Fin août, les Nations unies ont déclaré une famine dans plusieurs zones du petit territoire, ce que conteste Israël.L’accord de cessez-le-feu parrainé par le président américain Donald Trump, entré en vigueur le 10 octobre, prévoyait que le Hamas remette à Israël tous les otages encore détenus à Gaza, les vivants et les morts, dans un délai maximal de 72 heures, c’est-à-dire au plus tard à 09h00 GMT lundi.Mais si le Hamas a bien libéré dans les temps les 20 otages encore vivants, il n’avait remis à Israël mardi soir que huit dépouilles sur les 28 retenues dans la bande de Gaza. Mardi, quatre dépouilles ont été restituées et pour trois d’entre elles identifiées par les familles comme des otages décédés.Il s’agit de Ouriel Baruch, un habitant de Jérusalem enlevé le 7 octobre 2023, à l’âge de 35 ans, lors de l’attaque du Hamas à la fête techno Nova, Eitan Levy, un chauffeur de taxi âgé de 53 ans, tué après avoir déposé une amie au kibboutz Beeri le matin de l’attaque, et Tamir Nimrodi, un soldat de 18 ans capturé dans une base militaire à la frontière de Gaza. – 600 camions -Mercredi, la radio-télévision publique israélienne KAN a affirmé qu’Israël allait autoriser la réouverture du point de passage de Rafah et que “600 camions d’aide humanitaire” allaient être acheminés dans la journée dans la bande de Gaza “par l’ONU, des organisations internationales agréées, le secteur privé et les pays donateurs”.Selon le Bureau des affaires humanitaires des Nations unies (Ocha) et l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS), Israël a permis ces derniers jours l’entrée d’aide humanitaire et médicale, notamment de gaz de cuisine, pour la première fois depuis mars, ainsi que des tentes supplémentaires pour les déplacés, des fruits frais, de la viande congelée, de la farine ou des médicaments.Mardi, accusant le Hamas de jouer la montre et de retarder le processus de restitution des dépouilles, Itamar Ben-Gvir, ministre de la Sécurité intérieure d’extrême droite, avait appelé le Premier ministre Benjamin Netanyahu à couper totalement l’aide humanitaire à destination de Gaza.Le président américain a exhorté le Hamas à restituer les dépouilles d’otages, une étape qu’il juge nécessaire pour passer à la prochaine phase de son plan, prévoyant notamment le désarmement du Hamas et son exclusion de la gouvernance du territoire. Il a aussi prévenu que Washington désarmerait le Hamas s’il ne le faisait pas lui-même.Après la libération des otages, il nous faut obtenir “la démilitarisation et le désarmement” du Hamas, a déclaré Benjamin Netanyahu mardi sur la chaîne CBS. – “Collaborateurs” -Mais mardi, au cinquième jour du cessez-le-feu, le Hamas avait étendu sa présence dans la bande de Gaza en ruines, menant une campagne de répression et exécutant des “collaborateurs” présumés.Ces derniers jours, des journalistes de l’AFP ont vu les forces de sécurité du Hamas déployées dans plusieurs villes de la bande de Gaza.Après plusieurs jours d’échauffourées, des témoins ont signalé mardi à l’AFP d'”intenses” combats dans l’est de Gaza-ville, dans le quartier de Choujaïya, opposant selon eux une unité affiliée au Hamas à des clans et gangs armés dont certains seraient soutenus par Israël. La “Force dissuasive”, organe récemment créé au sein de l’appareil sécuritaire du Hamas, “mène une opération” pour “neutraliser des personnes recherchées”, a indiqué à l’AFP une source sécuritaire palestinienne à Gaza. Le Hamas a publié mardi une vidéo montrant ce qu’elle présente comme l’exécution de huit hommes “collaborateurs” d’Israël en pleine rue à Gaza-ville. L’AFP n’a pas été en mesure de déterminer l’authenticité, la date de tournage ou le lieu.La Défense civile de Gaza a annoncé mardi la mort de six personnes dans des tirs israéliens. L’armée israélienne a dit avoir ouvert le feu sur “des suspects” s’approchant de ses forces.Le plan Trump prévoit notamment le retrait progressif déjà amorcé de l’armée israélienne, qui garde le contrôle de 53% du territoire palestinien, ainsi qu'”une amnistie” pour “les membres du Hamas qui s’engagent à respecter une coexistence pacifique et qui rendront leurs armes”. Pour les autres, le plan prévoit l’exil.
India court eases Diwali firecracker ban despite pollution
India’s top court on Wednesday permitted the use of some firecrackers in New Delhi during the Diwali festival, easing a blanket ban even as the capital battles unhealthy winter air pollution.The Supreme Court said the controlled use of the less-polluting “green firecrackers” — developed by federal research institutes to reduce particulate and gas emission — would be allowed for limited periods between Saturday and Tuesday.During Diwali, a major Hindu festival of lights, widespread bursting of firecrackers adds to the already high pollution levels in Delhi.The city, home to some 30 million people, routinely ranks among the world’s most polluted capitals, with thick smog shrouding the city each winter.During the peak pollution period, concentrations of PM2.5 — tiny airborne particles that penetrate deep into the lungs — regularly surge to more than 60 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily limit.A ban on the use of firecrackers during Diwali has been widely ignored in past years.In an effort to balance cultural celebrations with urgent environmental concerns, the court said only licensed manufacturers can produce certified “green” crackers.Sales will be limited to designated outlets, with each product bearing a QR code listing its chemical contents.Online sales remain banned.Police have been instructed to form patrol teams to ensure compliance and take action against violators, while pollution control agencies have been ordered to monitor and report air quality levels during the festive period.Environmental activists have in the past expressed strong scepticism about the actual efficacy of less-polluting crackers, arguing that they still pose significant risks to public health and the environment.On Wednesday, harmful PM 2.5 particles surged to 75 on the air quality index, three times the WHO’s daily recommended maximum exposure, according to international monitoring company IQAir.
Noman puts Pakistan on brink of first South Africa Test win
Left-arm spinner Noman Ali broke a stubborn 73-run stand between Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton to push Pakistan four wickets from victory on day four of the first Test against South Africa in Lahore on Wednesday.Brevis was taking the fight to the Pakistan spinners and had reached an aggressive career-best 54, with six fours and two sixes, when Noman bowled him with a sharply turning delivery.After opener Rickleton’s dogged resistance was broken by spinner Sajid Khan just before lunch for a gritty 45, South Africa reached the break teetering at 137-6, still needing 140 more runs for victory.Kyle Verreynne and Senuran Muthusamy were both on three not out. Noman had figures of 4-69.Pakistan struck in the first over of the day through fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi who trapped Tony de Zorzi for 16 without any addition to the overnight total of 51-2.Tristan Stubbs struggled to cope with the sharp turn and was on two when a premeditated reverse sweep off Noman safely landed in Salman Agha’s hands.Brevis reached his second Test half-century with a six off Noman before becoming the spinner’s fourth victim.