China slams US ‘bullying’ over new warnings on Huawei chips
Beijing condemned on Wednesday new US warnings on the use of AI chips by Chinese tech giant Huawei, vowing it would take steps against “bullying” efforts to restrict access to high-tech semiconductors and supply chains.Washington has sought in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that they could be used to advance Beijing’s military systems and otherwise undermine American dominance in AI.US President Donald Trump’s administration last week rescinded some export controls on advanced computing semiconductors, answering calls by countries that said they were being shut out from crucial technology needed to develop artificial intelligence.Some US lawmakers feared the restrictions would have incentivised countries to go to China for AI chips, spurring the superpower’s development of state-of-the-art technology.But Washington also unveiled fresh guidelines warning firms that using Chinese-made high-tech AI semiconductors, specifically tech giant Huawei’s Ascend chips, would put them at risk of violating US export controls.In a statement Wednesday, Beijing’s commerce ministry described the warnings as “typical unilateral bullying and protectionism, which seriously undermine the stability of the global semiconductor industry chain and supply chain”.China accused the US of “abusing export controls to suppress and contain China”.”These actions seriously harm the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and endanger China’s development interests,” the commerce ministry said.It also warned that “any organization or individual that enforces or assists in enforcing such measures” could be in violation of Chinese law.And it vowed to take “firm steps to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests” in response.- Chips on the table -The United States warned last week about the potential consequences of allowing US AI chips to be used for training Chinese AI models.And those found using Huawei’s Ascend chips without clearance from Washington, the guidance read, can face “substantial criminal and administrative penalties, up to and including imprisonment, fines, loss of export privileges, or other restriction”.The US commerce department said its policy was aimed at sharing American AI technology “with trusted foreign countries around the world, while keeping the technology out of the hands of our adversaries”.Previous US rules divided countries into three tiers, each with its own level of restrictions.Top-tier countries like Japan and South Korea faced no export restrictions, while countries in the second tier, which included Mexico and Portugal, saw a cap on the chips they could receive.Chipmakers including Nvidia and AMD lobbied against the tiered restrictions and saw their share prices rise when the Trump administration indicated it would rethink the rule.Speaking at Taiwan’s top tech show on Wednesday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang described US export controls on AI chips to China as a “failure”, since companies are using locally developed technology. “The local companies are very, very talented and very determined, and the export control gave them the spirit, the energy and the government support to accelerate their development,” Huang said.
Jumbo task: 400 pills a day for elephants with TB in Pakistan
A team of doctors and vets in Pakistan has developed a novel treatment for a pair of elephants suffering from tuberculosis that involves feeding them at least 400 pills a day.The jumbo effort by staff at the Karachi Safari Park involves administering the tablets — the same as those used to treat TB in humans — hidden inside food ranging from apples and bananas, to Pakistani sweetsThe amount of medication is adjusted to account for the weight of the 4,000-kilogram (8,800-pound) elephants.But it has taken Madhubala and Malika several weeks to settle into the treatment after spitting out the first few doses they tasted of the bitter medicine, and crankily charging their keepers “Giving treatment for TB to elephants is always challenging. Each day we use different methods,” said Buddhika Bandara, a veterinary surgeon from Sri Lanka who flew in to oversee the treatment.”The animals showed some stress in the beginning, but gradually they adapted to the procedure,” said Bandara, who has helped more than a dozen elephants recover from the illness in Sri Lanka.Mahout Ali Baloch wakes early daily to stew rice and lentils, mixed with plenty of sugar cane molasses, and rolls the concoction into dozens of balls pierced with the tablets.”I know the pills are bitter,” the 22-year-old said, watching the elephants splashing under a hose to keep cool.- From humans to elephants -Four African elephants — captured very young in the wild in Tanzania — arrived in Karachi in 2009.Noor Jehan died in 2023 at the age of 17, and another, Sonia, followed at the end of 2024. An autopsy showed she had contracted tuberculosis, which is endemic in Pakistan.Tests carried out on Madhubala and Malika also came back positive, and the city council — which owns the safari park — assembled a team to care for the pachyderms.Bandara said it is not uncommon for elephants to contract the contagious illness from humans, but that Sonia — and now Madhubala and Malika — had shown no symptoms.”It was surprising for me that elephants have TB,” said Naseem Salahuddin, head of the Infectious Disease Department at the Indus Hospital and Health Network, who was enrolled to monitor staff.”This is an interesting case for me and my students — everyone wants to know about the procedure and its progress,” she told AFP.The team of four mahouts wear face masks and scrubs when feeding the elephants to avoid contracting a disease that infects more than 500,000 humans a year.Karachi Safari Park has long been criticised for the mistreatment of captive animals — including an elephant evacuated after a campaign by American singer Cher — but is hopeful its last two elephants will overcome the illness with a year-long treatment plan.
Europe increases pressure on Israel over Gaza offensive
European countries ramped up pressure on Israel to abandon its intensified campaign in Gaza and let more aid into the war-ravaged territory, where rescuers said Wednesday new attacks killed at least 19 people.Israel said 93 trucks had entered Gaza from Israel on Tuesday but the United Nations said the aid had been held up.The UN announced Monday that it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2, sparking severe shortages of food and medicine.The humanitarian crisis has prompted international anger, with the European Union saying it would review its trade cooperation deal with Israel over the blockade.European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said “a strong majority” of foreign ministers from the 27 member states backed the move, adding “the countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable… and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid”.Sweden said it would press the EU to level sanctions against Israeli ministers.Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador and said it was imposing sanctions on settlers in the occupied West Bank in its toughest actions so far against Israel’s conduct of the war.”Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible and it must stop,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament.Israel rejected the moves. The EU action “reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said.Responding to Britain, Marmorstein said “external pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security”.- Flour, baby food, medicine -COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said “93 UN trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including flour for bakeries, food for babies, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical drugs were transferred” to Gaza.The spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres confirmed dozens of trucks were allowed in, but spoke of difficulties.”Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to… collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” Stephane Dujarric said.UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said the nine trucks cleared to enter on Monday were “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed”.He told the BBC Tuesday that 14,000 babies could die in the next 48 hours if aid did not reach them in time.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting that the supplies were “not in sufficient amounts” but added: “We anticipate that those flows will increase over the next few days and weeks. It’s important that that be achieved.”The Israeli army stepped up its offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the current war.Israeli strikes overnight and early Wednesday left “19 dead, most of them children” and including a week-old baby, Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.Several people were missing under the rubble while dozens of others were wounded in the attacks across the Palestinian territory, Bassal said.Israel on Wednesday announced one soldier was killed in Gaza but did not immediately comment on the latest strikes. The military said Tuesday it had hit more than “100 terror targets” in Gaza over the past day.At a bombed petrol station on Tuesday, Mahmoud al-Louh carried a cloth bag of body parts to a vehicle.”They are civilians, children who were sleeping. What was their fault?” he told AFP.- ‘Irresponsible’ -Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday that Israel would “take control of all the territory of the Strip” with its new campaign.Israel resumed operations across Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.Negotiators from Israel and Hamas began new indirect talks in Doha at the weekend, as the intensified campaign started.Qatar, which has been involved in mediation efforts throughout the war, said Tuesday that Israel’s “irresponsible, aggressive” behaviour had undermined the chances of a ceasefire.Hours later, Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of refusing to accept a deal, saying Israel was recalling its senior negotiators but leaving some of its team in Doha.A source close to Hamas alleged that Israel’s delegation “has not held any real negotiations” since Sunday, blaming “Netanyahu’s systematic policy of obstruction”.The Hamas attack in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.Gaza’s health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,427 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,573.
La destruction des forêts tropicales à un niveau record, sous l’effet des incendies
L’équivalent de 18 terrains de football par minute: la destruction des forêts vierges tropicales a atteint l’an dernier un niveau record depuis au moins vingt ans, en raison des incendies alimentés par le changement climatique et d’une situation qui se dégrade de nouveau au Brésil.Les régions tropicales ont perdu l’an dernier 6,7 millions d’hectares de forêt primaire, une superficie quasi équivalente à celle du Panama, au plus haut depuis le début de la collecte des données en 2002 par l’observatoire de référence Global Forest Watch, élaboré par le groupe de réflexion américain World Resources Institute (WRI) avec l’université du Maryland.Le chiffre, en hausse de 80% par rapport à 2023, “équivaut à la perte de 18 terrains de football par minute”, a souligné Elizabeth Goldman, codirectrice de l’observatoire.Les incendies sont responsables de près de la moitié de ces pertes, devant l’agriculture pour la première fois. Ces destructions ont représenté l’équivalent de 3,1 milliards de tonnes de CO2 émises dans l’atmosphère, soit un peu plus que les émissions liées à l’énergie de l’Inde.”Ce niveau de destruction des forêts est complétement inédit en plus de 20 ans de données”, a souligné Mme Goldman. “C’est une alerte rouge mondiale”.Le rapport se concentre sur les forêts tropicales, les plus menacées, et très importantes pour la biodiversité et leur capacité à absorber le carbone de l’air. Il englobe les pertes pour toutes raisons: déforestation volontaire mais aussi destruction accidentelle et incendies.- “Conditions extrêmes” -Les incendies ont été favorisés par des “conditions extrêmes” qui les ont rendus “plus intenses et difficiles à contrôler”, notent les auteurs. L’année 2024 a été la plus chaude jamais enregistrée dans le monde sous l’effet du changement climatique, causé par la combustion massive des énergies fossiles et du phénomène naturel El Niño. Si les feux peuvent avoir une origine naturelle, ils sont la plupart du temps causés par l’homme dans les forêts tropicales afin de défricher des terres. La déforestation pour faire spécifiquement place à l’agriculture, historiquement première cause de destruction, pointe à la deuxième place mais reste une cause majeure.Le Brésil a enregistré 2,8 millions d’hectares de destruction de forêt primaire l’an dernier, dont deux tiers attribués à des incendies, souvent allumés pour faire de la place au soja ou aux bovins.Le pays avait pourtant enregistré de bons résultats en 2023, les forêts bénéficiant de mesures de protection décidées par le président Lula, pour la première année de son nouveau mandat. “Ce progrès est toutefois menacé par l’expansion de l’agriculture”, remarque Sarah Carter, chercheuse au WRI.L’Amazonie brésilienne a été la plus concernée, avec une destruction au plus haut niveau depuis 2016.Les chiffres du WRI contrastent avec ceux du réseau de surveillance brésilien MapBiomas publiés le 16 mai, qui font état d’un net recul de la déforestation mais n’incluent pas les incendies.La protection des forêts figure en bonne place des priorités de la présidence brésilienne de la COP30, la grande conférence climatique annuelle de l’ONU, prévue à Belem (10-21 novembre).- “Nouveau phénomène” -Un pays voisin, la Bolivie, occupe la deuxième marche du podium, avec un triplement des surfaces détruites l’an dernier, là encore sous l’effet d’incendies géants. La plupart “sont allumés pour défricher des terres au profit de fermes de taille industrielle”, notent les auteurs.Le bilan est mitigé ailleurs, avec une amélioration en Indonésie ou en Malaisie mais une nette dégradation au Congo ou en République démocratique du Congo. La pression sur les forêts provient historiquement de l’exploitation de quatre produits, surnommés les “big four”: huile de palme, soja, boeuf et bois. Mais l’amélioration dans certains secteurs – comme l’huile de palme – a coïncidé avec l’émergence de nouveaux problèmes, avec par exemple les avocats au Mexique, ou le café et le cacao.Ainsi les causes de la déforestation ne resteront pas forcément “toujours les mêmes”, insiste Rod Taylor, directeur du programme forêts du WRI, plaidant pour une approche globale. “On assiste aussi à un nouveau phénomène en lien avec l’industrie minière et les métaux critiques”, met-il en garde.