Toxic haze chokes Indian capital
India’s capital New Delhi was shrouded in a thick, toxic haze on Monday as air pollution levels soared to more than 16 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily maximum.New Delhi and its sprawling metropolitan region — home to more than 30 million people — are regularly ranked among the world’s most polluted capitals, with acrid smog blanketing the skyline each winter.Cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, creating a deadly mix of emissions from crop burning, factories and heavy traffic.But pollution has also spiked due to days of fireworks set off to mark Diwali, the major Hindu festival of lights, which culminates on Monday night.The Supreme Court relaxed this month a blanket ban on fireworks over Diwali to allow the use of the less-polluting “green firecrackers” — designed to emit fewer particulates.The ban was widely ignored in past years.On Monday, levels of PM2.5 — cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream — hit 248 micrograms per cubic metre in parts of the city, according to monitoring organisation IQAir. The government’s Commission of Air Quality Management said air quality is expected to further deteriorate in the coming days.It also implemented a set of measures to curb pollution levels, including asking authorities to ensure uninterrupted power supply to reduce the use of diesel generators.City authorities have also said they will trial cloud seeding by aeroplanes for the first time over Delhi this month, the practice of firing salt or other chemicals into clouds to induce rain to clear the air.”We’ve already got everything we need to do the cloud seeding”, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told reporters this month, saying flight trials and pilot training had been completed.A study in The Lancet Planetary Health last year estimated 3.8 million deaths in India between 2009 and 2019 were linked to air pollution.The UN children’s agency warns that polluted air puts children at heightened risk of acute respiratory infections.
Le cessez-le-feu reste en vigueur, affirme Trump, après des frappes israéliennes à Gaza
Le président américain Donald Trump a assuré que le cessez-le-feu à Gaza était toujours en vigueur, après qu’une série de frappes israéliennes a tué au moins 45 personnes dans le territoire palestinien dimanche en réponse, selon Israël, à des attaques du Hamas.”Oui, il l’est”, a déclaré M. Trump aux journalistes à bord de l’avion présidentiel, lorsqu’on lui a demandé si le cessez-le-feu, qu’il a contribué à négocier, était toujours en vigueur. Il a également suggéré que les dirigeants du Hamas n’étaient pas impliqués dans les violations présumées de la trêve et a plutôt blâmé “certains rebelles au sein du mouvement”.La Défense civile, opérant sous l’autorité du mouvement islamiste palestinien, a fait état d’au moins 45 personnes tuées dimanche, dont des civils et un journaliste, au cours de frappes aériennes israéliennes. Quatre hôpitaux à Gaza ont confirmé ce bilan à l’AFP.Ce sont les premières violences de cette ampleur depuis le début de la trêve, entrée en vigueur le 10 octobre.Dans la soirée de dimanche, l’armée israélienne a annoncé cesser ses frappes et reprendre l’application du cessez-le-feu. Elle a également indiqué examiner les informations faisant état de victimes. Après avoir accusé le Hamas de violation de l’accord de cessez-le-feu, Israël a également suspendu l’entrée “jusqu’à nouvel ordre” de l’aide humanitaire dans la bande de Gaza, selon un responsable israélien.”C’est comme si la guerre avait repris. Nous espérions que l’accord tiendrait, mais l’occupant ne respecte rien, aucun accord. Depuis cet après-midi, les bombardements se sont considérablement intensifiés, des maisons, des tentes et une école ont été touchés. Le sang coule de nouveau”, déplore Abdallah Abou Hassanein, 29 ans, à Bureij (centre).- Visite prochaine -“Comme vous le savez, ils ont été assez turbulents”, a déclaré dimanche Donald Trump à propos du Hamas, “ils ont tiré des coups de feu, et nous pensons que leurs dirigeants ne sont peut-être pas impliqués là-dedans”.Selon un responsable israélien, le Hamas a tiré sur les troupes à Rafah (sud) et des combattants palestiniens qui s’étaient approchés de zones de contrôle israélien à Beit Lahia (nord) ont été “éliminés lors d’une frappe”.Dans un communiqué, le Hamas a affirmé n’avoir “aucune connaissance d’incidents ou d’affrontements” à Rafah et a réaffirmé son “engagement total à mettre en œuvre tout ce qui a été convenu, en premier lieu le cessez-le-feu.”Selon un témoin, des combattants du Hamas avaient ciblé un groupe rival dans un secteur de Rafah, près duquel des chars israéliens sont déployés. Compte tenu des restrictions imposées aux médias à Gaza et des difficultés d’accès sur le terrain, l’AFP n’est pas en mesure de vérifier de manière indépendante les informations des différentes parties.Peu avant la prise de parole de Donald Trump, le vice-président américain JD Vance avait minimisé la reprise des violences à Gaza. “Le Hamas va tirer sur Israël. Israël va devoir répondre”, a-t-il déclaré aux journalistes. “Nous pensons donc que le cessez-le-feu a toutes les chances d’offrir une paix durable. Mais même s’il y parvient, il y aura des hauts et des bas, et nous devrons surveiller la situation”.Un membre de l’administration Trump doit se rendre “certainement” en Israël “dans les prochains jours” pour évaluer la situation, selon lui. “Ce pourrait être moi”, a-t-il avancé. JD Vance a par ailleurs appelé les pays du Golfe à mettre en place une “infrastructure de sécurité” afin de garantir le désarmement du Hamas, un élément clé de la deuxième phase de l’accord de paix. – Retour de corps -En vertu de la première phase de l’accord, le Hamas a remis le 13 octobre, en échange de près de 2.000 prisonniers palestiniens, les 20 captifs vivants qu’il détenait encore depuis le 7-Octobre et a rendu jusque-là 12 des 28 dépouilles d’otages toujours retenues à Gaza.Dimanche, le Hamas a annoncé avoir trouvé un 13e corps d’otage à Gaza, s’engageant “si les conditions le permettent” à le restituer plus tard à Israël.Israël conditionne la réouverture du poste-frontière avec l’Egypte de Rafah, crucial pour l’entrée des aides, à la remise de tous les otages décédés.Après deux ans de guerre destructrice et sous la pression du président américain, Israël et le Hamas ont conclu un accord de cessez-le-feu après des négociations indirectes en Egypte. L’attaque du 7-Octobre a entraîné côté israélien la mort de 1.221 personnes, en majorité des civils, selon un bilan établi par l’AFP à partir de données officielles.L’offensive israélienne a fait 68.159 morts à Gaza, en majorité des civils, et provoqué un désastre humanitaire, selon les chiffres du ministère de la Santé du Hamas.burs-ms/may
Trump says Gaza ceasefire still in force after Israeli strikes
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that a ceasefire in Gaza was still holding after Israel carried out deadly strikes on the territory over alleged truce violations by Hamas.The dozens of strikes Israel carried out on Hamas positions in southern Gaza Sunday came after it accused the militant group of targeting its troops in “a blatant violation” of the nine-day-old truce.Asked by reporters whether the truce was still in effect, Trump said: “Yeah, it is”. The US president, who helped broker the deal, also suggested that Hamas leadership was not involved in any alleged breaches, instead blaming “some rebels within”.”We want to make sure that it’s going to be very peaceful with Hamas,” Trump said. “It’s going to be handled toughly, but properly.”Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority, said the strikes killed at least 45 people across the territory.Four hospitals in Gaza confirmed the death toll of 45 to AFP, saying they had received the dead and wounded.Israel’s military said it was looking into the reports of casualties.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.The army said it had “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire” on Sunday but vowed to “respond firmly to any violation of it”.Hamas denied the accusations, one official accusing Israel of fabricating “pretexts” to resume the war.A security official also told AFP that Israel was suspending the entry of aid into Gaza due to ceasefire violations.Israel repeatedly cut off aid to Gaza during the war, exacerbating dire humanitarian conditions, with the United Nations saying it caused a famine there.- ‘Blood has returned’ -The ceasefire, which began on October 10, halted more than two years of devastating war between Israel and Hamas.The deal established the outline for hostage and prisoner exchanges, and proposed an ambitious roadmap for Gaza’s future. But it has quickly faced challenges to its implementation. Israel said on Sunday that two of its soldiers died in clashes in the city of Rafah. “Earlier today, terrorists fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on IDF (Israeli army) forces,” in Rafah, the military said in a statement. “The IDF responded with air strikes by fighter jets and artillery fire, targeting the Rafah area.” Palestinian witnesses told AFP clashes erupted in the southern city in an area still held by Israel.One witness, a 38-year-old man who asked not to be named, said that Hamas had been fighting a local Palestinian gang known as Abu Shabab but the militants were “surprised by the presence of army tanks”.”The air force conducted two strikes from the air,” he added.Abdullah Abu Hasanin, 29, from Al‑Bureij camp in central Gaza where Israel launched strikes, said: “The situation is as if the war has returned anew.”We had hoped the agreement would hold, but the occupation respects nothing — not an agreement, not anything.”He said he had rushed to the site of the bombing to help, adding: “The scene is indescribable. Blood has returned again.”- ‘Security illusion’ -AFP images from Bureij showed Palestinians running for cover from the strikes, as well as the dead and wounded arriving at Deir al-Balah hospital, accompanied by grieving relatives.Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas would “pay a heavy price for every shot and every breach of the ceasefire”, adding Israel’s response would “become increasingly severe”.A statement from Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the ceasefire.Israel, it said, “continues to breach the agreement and fabricate flimsy pretexts to justify its crimes”.Hamas’s armed wing insisted on Sunday that it had “no knowledge” of any clashes in Rafah.On Sunday, US Vice President JD Vance called on Gulf Arab countries to establish a “security infrastructure” to ensure that Hamas disarmed — a key part of the peace deal.Under Trump’s 20-point plan, Israeli forces have withdrawn beyond the so-called Yellow Line. That leaves them in control of around half of Gaza, including the territory’s borders but not its main cities.- Bodies returned -Hamas in turn has released 20 surviving hostages and is in the process of returning the remaining bodies of those who have died.Israel returned the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza on Sunday, bringing the total number handed over to 150, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said.Israel has linked the reopening of the Rafah crossing — the main gateway into Gaza — to the recovery of all of the deceased.Hamas has said it needs time and technical assistance to recover the remaining bodies from under Gaza’s rubble.The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has killed at least 68,159 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half of the dead are women and children.Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.burs-jj/rlp/ceg/dhw
Phony AI content stealing fan attention during baseball playoffs
Baseball fans are facing an onslaught of phony AI content on Facebook, pushed by a clickbait network in Southeast Asia capitalizing on interest in the lead-up to the sport’s World Series, an AFP investigation has found.With names like “Dodgers Dynasty” and “Yankee Nation,” the pages mimic genuine fan accounts, but link to websites that are full of ads and phony AI-generated articles meant to draw clicks — and payouts for the site creators.”The goal of pages and operations like this is to earn money, and so whatever is going to work in terms of messaging, in terms of content, in terms of tactics they will do,” journalist Craig Silverman, who has investigated similar clickbait, told AFP.Experts warn that this strategy of pulling in users, sometimes with innocuous content, can be used to grow accounts that are later sold or rented to more nefarious disinformation campaigns.Lies meant to elicit rage — such as false claims US President Donald Trump plans to jack up prices for games featuring Major League Baseball’s sole Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays — have long been used to attract social media engagement. But seemingly innocent posts are also drawing thousands of likes.One features an AI image of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani surrounded by puppies, lauding him for purportedly building a $5 million dog sanctuary. Another post praises the Japanese standout for tipping a struggling waitress hundreds on a $60 check, an act of unverified generosity that was also ascribed to New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. “Scammers are learning to be better storytellers,” said Luke Arrigoni, founder of Loti, an AI tool used to protect the reputations of public figures. He said AI is allowing those creating false narratives to more easily make posts that appear genuine.- Under investigation -AFP presented Meta with a list of 32 Facebook pages pushing baseball-linked phony AI content and asked if the falsehoods run afoul of platform rules. The pages had attracted a combined 248,000 followers.A Meta spokesperson said: “We are investigating the pages and admins in question and will take action against any that violate our policies.” Page transparency data shows the accounts are managed from Southeast Asia — mostly Vietnam — despite listing US phone numbers and addresses. The numbers reached entities unaffiliated with the pages, including a motel and a California physician’s office. AFP also matched the addresses to a salon and restaurant.The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which studies disinformation, previously found clickbait networks were “generating substantial revenue for the people behind them, relative to average incomes in Vietnam.”- Lack of labels -While the Major League Baseball playoffs boosted engagement with these pages, the network also targets fans of American football, ice hockey and basketball.An individual page or claim on its own may not appear concerning. But Silverman, who focuses on digital deception for Indicator, a site he co-founded, said AI is enabling groups to scale rapidly.More divisive content, including false quotes attributed to athletes on LGBTQ issues or the assassination of US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, have also gained traction.And AFP found these tactics are not limited to English-language content. As part of Meta’s fact-checking program, AFP has debunked falsehoods on pages targeting tennis fans in Serbian and Formula One supporters of Max Verstappen in Dutch. In the United States, Meta replaced fact-checking labels with a Community Notes program intended to allow users to flag false content.AFP examined hundreds of claims published since the start of the baseball playoffs and did not find any carrying visible notes — even as some users posted page reviews warning about fake content.”They’re building a bigger and bigger foothold,” Silverman said of the phony accounts, warning that without moderation the networks will only continue to grow.