diplomacy

Fentanyl, beans and Ukraine: takeaways from Trump-Xi's 'great meeting'

  • Trump told reporters the subject came up "very strongly" during his talks with Xi. "He's going to help us, and we're going to work together on Ukraine," Trump said.
  • From a crippling trade conflict to the Ukraine war, here's what Beijing and Washington say was achieved during Donald Trump and Xi Jinping's first face-to-face talks in six years: - Fentanyl, tariffs - The fentanyl trade has long been a sore point: Washington accuses Beijing of turning a blind eye to exports of chemicals used to make the drug, a charge China denies.
  • Trump told reporters the subject came up "very strongly" during his talks with Xi. "He's going to help us, and we're going to work together on Ukraine," Trump said.
From a crippling trade conflict to the Ukraine war, here's what Beijing and Washington say was achieved during Donald Trump and Xi Jinping's first face-to-face talks in six years:

Fentanyl, tariffs

The fentanyl trade has long been a sore point: Washington accuses Beijing of turning a blind eye to exports of chemicals used to make the drug, a charge China denies.
Trump hit China with a 20-percent levy early this year over fentanyl, but said it would be reduced to 10 percent after Xi agreed at their Busan summit to "work very hard to stop the flow" of the powerful opioid, which has killed thousands of Americans.
The reduction would bring average US tariffs on China to 47 percent.
Washington would also suspend for a year steeper "reciprocal" tariffs that targeted China, Beijing's commerce ministry said, ahead of a trade truce set to expire next month. China will make corresponding adjustments.

Hill of beans

Beijing has retaliated against the US tariffs with levies on American agricultural products, including soybeans, hurting a key source of Trump's political support: farmers.
More than half of US soybean exports went to China last year, but Beijing halted all orders as the trade dispute deepened.
Trump said China had now agreed to purchase "tremendous" amounts of soybeans and other farm products.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business that China agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of the crop "during this season".

Rare earths, ships

A strategic field dominated by China that is essential for manufacturing in defence, automobiles and consumer electronics, rare earths were expected to occupy a central role in the Busan talks.
Beijing imposed sweeping export controls on the materials and related technology this month. 
Trump swiftly announced retaliatory tariffs of 100 percent on all Chinese goods, which he threatened would start this weekend.
But the US leader insisted Thursday that "that whole situation, that roadblock is gone now".
China's commerce ministry confirmed the rare earths restrictions had been suspended "for one year".
Washington in turn agreed to suspend for one year a move imposing "Entity List" export restrictions on affiliates of blacklisted foreign companies in which they had at least a 50 percent stake, a Chinese spokesperson said.
The United States also agreed to halt for a year measures targeting China's shipbuilding industry that led to both sides applying port fees against each other's ships, they said.
China would suspend its "countermeasures" after the US action, they added, for one year too.
- Ukraine - 
Trump said the United States and China agreed to cooperate more on seeking an end to war in Ukraine.
China says it is a neutral party, but Kyiv and Western governments have long accused Beijing of providing political and economic support to Moscow.
Trump told reporters the subject came up "very strongly" during his talks with Xi.
"He's going to help us, and we're going to work together on Ukraine," Trump said.

Chips

Beijing has ramped up its chip industry to beat Washington's export restrictions on the critical component used to power artificial intelligence systems.
US chip giant Nvidia has been caught in the geopolitical tussle. Nvidia's chips are currently not sold in China due to a combination of Beijing government bans, US national security concerns and ongoing trade tensions.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has urged the United States to allow the sale of US-made AI chips in China to ensure Silicon Valley companies remain a global powerhouse in AI development.
"We did discuss chips," Trump said, adding that Huang would speak to Beijing about the dispute. "We're sort of the arbitrator or the referee."

TikTok

The talks failed to result in a final deal for TikTok's US operations to be transferred to American ownership, despite Bessent saying beforehand that Xi and Trump may "consummate" an agreement in Busan.
Washington has sought to wrest the popular social media app's US operations from the hands of Chinese parent company ByteDance, citing national security concerns.
aue-oho-mya-bys/des

weaponry

Trump call for nuclear tests sows confusion

BY FABIEN ZAMORA

  • The US president baffled foreign government and nuclear weapons experts alike when he said he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing "on an equal basis" to China and Russia.
  • President Donald Trump Thursday sowed confusion among experts with his call for the start of nuclear weapons testing, with some pundits interpreting the announcement as US preparations for a shock resumption of explosive testing after more than 30 years.
  • The US president baffled foreign government and nuclear weapons experts alike when he said he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing "on an equal basis" to China and Russia.
President Donald Trump Thursday sowed confusion among experts with his call for the start of nuclear weapons testing, with some pundits interpreting the announcement as US preparations for a shock resumption of explosive testing after more than 30 years.
The US president baffled foreign government and nuclear weapons experts alike when he said he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing "on an equal basis" to China and Russia.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the US president also said that it had been "many years" since the United States had conducted nuclear tests and it was "appropriate" to start again because others are testing.
The last time Russia officially tested a nuclear weapon was in 1990, and the United States last tested a nuclear bomb in 1992.
North Korea is the only country to have conducted nuclear weapons tests this century.
Heloise Fayet, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, said it was not immediately clear what Trump meant --  or whether the United States might be preparing to tear up the global rulebook and resume nuclear weapons testing after a 33-year hiatus.
"Either he is talking about testing missiles, but the United States already does that," she said.
"Or he is talking about subcritical tests, but I don't think he has mastered that level of technology," she added, referring to low-yield tests authorised by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
"Or he is talking about real tests, but no one does that except North Korea."
Trump's announcement came after President Vladimir Putin said that Russia had in recent days tested nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable weapons -- the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater drone. 
On Thursday, the Kremlin sought to cool tensions, saying those tests did not constitute a test of an atomic weapon.
- 'Extremely complicated' - 
William Alberque, a former head of NATO's nuclear non-proliferation centre, pointed to Trump's lack of clarity.
"Initially, I thought Trump was reacting to Russia's announcements about new systems like the nuclear-powered cruise missile Burevestnik and the Poseidon torpedo. So my first interpretation was that Trump was referring to system testing, not warhead testing," he told AFP.
But like all nuclear powers, the United States already tests its weapons.
In September, the United States carried out tests of its nuclear-capable Trident missiles.
There is also a possibility that Trump might have meant the so-called subcritical nuclear tests, said Fayet.
"We are almost certain that Russia and China are conducting subcritical tests that release a certain amount of energy but remain within the limits," said Fayet.
But "in the United States, they are conducting more restrictive subcritical tests, with no energy release, no heat and no critical reaction".
Trump could demand to catch up, she said.
"But it's an extremely complicated subject, and I don't know if he is at that level of subtlety," she added.

'Chain reaction'

Alberque said that after closely examining Trump's statements, he was inclined to think that "he's talking about warhead testing."
Many Trump supporters have long lobbied for a resumption of nuclear testing, despite the existence of computer-based simulations as well as serious negative international consequences.
"America must prepare to test nuclear weapons," the influential conservative think tank Heritage Foundation said in a report in January, referring to a "deteriorating security environment".
Some experts said Trump's latest pronouncements were a gift to the governments of Russia and China.
In 2023, Putin ordered the Russian defence ministry and the nuclear agency Rosatom to "ensure readiness for testing Russian nuclear weapons".
"We know for certain that some figures in Washington are already considering the possibility of conducting live tests of their nuclear weapons," Putin said during his address to the Federal Assembly in February, 2023.
"But if the US conducts tests, then we will too."
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, said on X that Trump's policy was "incoherent: calling for denuclearisation talks one day; threatening nuclear tests the next".
The resumption of such tests "could trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by US adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty," Kimball said.
fz-as/ah/rlp

politics

Independent Macau media outlet says it will close by December

  • The outlet said this month's print edition would be its last, with the rest of its operation to end in December.
  • One of the last independent media outlets in Macau will close operations in December, the platform said on Thursday, citing "increasing pressure and risks".
  • The outlet said this month's print edition would be its last, with the rest of its operation to end in December.
One of the last independent media outlets in Macau will close operations in December, the platform said on Thursday, citing "increasing pressure and risks".
The All About Macau Media (AAMacau) news platform, co-founded by late journalist Ng Sio Ngai more than a decade ago, has often been critical of social issues in the Chinese city.
AAMacau, whose Chinese-language name means "discuss as much as possible", runs digital and print platforms and also has a social media presence.
The outlet said this month's print edition would be its last, with the rest of its operation to end in December.
It said it had been told by Macau officials that it "no longer meets the statutory requirements to engage in relevant activities" under the Chinese special administrative region's media law and that its monthly publication registration number has been revoked.
"Facing resource constraints, mounting external pressures, and the need for our reporters to navigate judicial proceedings, the team found it increasingly difficult to maintain reporting standards," AAMacau said.
It said it "had no choice but to make this difficult decision".
In April, two AAMacau reporters were detained by police while covering an event in the city's legislature, which it said was the first case of its kind in Macau.
It said on Thursday that three of its journalists could face criminal charges over the incident.
The city's Government Information Bureau has not yet responded to an AFP request for comment.

'Swift deterioration'

Macau, which has its own legal system largely based on Portuguese law, enacted national security legislation in 2009 and widened its powers in 2023.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said the closure of AAMacau is "a blow to press freedom and a highly troubling development".
It "marks a swift deterioration" in Macau's media environment, the advocacy group told AFP.
Began as a weekly feature in a local newspaper in 2010, AAMacau established its website about two years later, followed by the first monthly magazine printed in May 2013.
In recent years, the outlet has transitioned into a subscription and donation-based funding model.
AAMacau said its decision came about a year after it started facing restrictions in accessing government events.
Political scientist and veteran journalist Eric Sautede called the outlet's closure an "absolute loss".
He said AAMacau had "helped foster a measure of accountability among those in power -- both in government and in the private sector".
twa/rsc

weaponry

Trump stirs tensions with surprise order to test nuclear weapons

BY SEBASTIAN SMITH

  • Trump also claimed that the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country and that he had achieved this in his first term as president.
  • President Donald Trump landed back in the United States Thursday after a surprise directive to begin nuclear weapons testing that raised the specter of renewed superpower tensions.
  • Trump also claimed that the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country and that he had achieved this in his first term as president.
President Donald Trump landed back in the United States Thursday after a surprise directive to begin nuclear weapons testing that raised the specter of renewed superpower tensions.
The announcement on social media was issued right as Trump was going into a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.
And it came days after Russia declared it had tested a nuclear-capable cruise missile and a nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable sea drone.
The blunt statement from Trump, who boasts frequently about being a "peace" president, left much unanswered.
Chiefly, it was unclear whether he meant testing weapons systems or actually conducting test explosions -- something the United States has not done since 1992.
Regardless, the statement amounted to unusual nuclear sabre rattling.
"Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump also claimed that the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country and that he had achieved this in his first term as president.
None of that appeared to be true.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says in its latest annual report that Russia possesses 5,489 nuclear warheads, compared to 5,177 for the United States and 600 for China. 
In his post, Trump said -- minutes ahead of his Xi summit -- said China was expected to "be even within 5 years."

Russia pushes back

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun urged the United States to "earnestly abide" by a global nuclear testing ban.
The Kremlin questioned whether Trump was well-informed about Russia's military activities.
The recent weapons drills "cannot in any way be interpreted as a nuclear test," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists. "We hope that the information was conveyed correctly to President Trump."
Peskov then implied that Russia would conduct its own live warhead tests if Trump did it first.
"If someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly," Peskov said.
Both countries observe a de facto moratorium on testing nuclear warheads, though Russia and the US do regularly run military drills involving nuclear-capable systems.
The United States has been a signatory since 1996 to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which bans all atomic test explosions, whether for military or civilian purposes.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that it had been "many years" since the United States had conducted nuclear tests, but it was "appropriate" to start again.
Further muddying the waters, Trump also repeated in his remarks to reporters a previous claim that he wants negotiations on reducing nuclear weapons forces.
"Denuclearization would be a tremendous thing," he said. "It's something we are actually talking to Russia about, and China would be added to that if we do something."

Last US test in 1992

The United States conducted 1,054 nuclear tests between July 16, 1945, when the first test was conducted in New Mexico, and 1992, as well as two nuclear attacks on Japan during World War II.
It is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat.
The last US nuclear test explosion was in September 1992, with a 20-kiloton underground detonation at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.
Then-president George H.W. Bush imposed a moratorium on further tests in October 1992 that has been continued by successive administrations.
Nuclear testing was replaced by non-nuclear and subcritical experiments using advanced computer simulations.
Nevada congresswoman Dina Titus responded that she would introduce legislation to "put a stop" to any move at restoring live weapons testing in her state.
And Senator Jacky Rosen, also a Democrat, said on X that Trump's statement "directly contradicts the commitments I secured from Trump nominees... who've told me explosive nuclear testing would not happen & is unnecessary."
burs-sms/bgs

Global Edition

Netherlands nailbiter as far-right, centrists in election dead-heat

BY RICHARD CARTER WITH STEPHANIE HAMEL IN AMSTERDAM

  • With 99.7 percent of votes tallied, the D66 party led by the energetic Rob Jetten, 38, was just 15,000 ahead of the anti-Islam PVV Freedom Party run by Wilders.
  • The Dutch election climaxed in an unprecedented cliffhanger Thursday, with only a few thousand votes separating the far-right party of firebrand Geert Wilders and a pro-European centrist party.
  • With 99.7 percent of votes tallied, the D66 party led by the energetic Rob Jetten, 38, was just 15,000 ahead of the anti-Islam PVV Freedom Party run by Wilders.
The Dutch election climaxed in an unprecedented cliffhanger Thursday, with only a few thousand votes separating the far-right party of firebrand Geert Wilders and a pro-European centrist party.
With 99.7 percent of votes tallied, the D66 party led by the energetic Rob Jetten, 38, was just 15,000 ahead of the anti-Islam PVV Freedom Party run by Wilders.
Every major party has ruled out working with Wilders, meaning Jetten is on track to become the country's youngest and first openly gay prime minister -- even if he comes second.
All eyes turned to some 100,000 overseas postal votes that will only be tallied Monday or Tuesday before a final result can be called.
Historically, expats have tended to prefer D66 over the PVV, so Wilders seems unlikely to overtake.
With far-right parties surging in France, Britain, and Germany, the vote was closely watched as a bellwether of populist strength in Europe.
Wilders was projected to carry 26 seats in the 150-seat parliament, which would be a loss of 11 compared to his stunning election win in 2023.
But there was a doubling of support for the extreme-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) from three to seven seats.
The hard-right JA21 also enjoyed a strong gain from one seat to nine.
"The radical right as a whole hasn't really lost, due to the gains of JA21 and FvD," Sarah de Lange, Professor of Dutch Politics at Leiden University, told AFP.
When the final result is eventually confirmed, a long process of trying to forge a coalition will begin, with 76 parliamentary seats required for a majority.
The likeliest possibility is a "grand coalition" combining the D66 (26 seats), the liberal VVD (22), the centre-right CDA (18), and the left-wing Green/Labour group (20).
"It will certainly take time for the Netherlands to reach stability and a new coalition," De Lange told AFP.
"The parties are ideologically very, very diverse, which will make compromising very challenging."
On the streets of Amsterdam, Sanne-Louisa de Bruin told AFP she felt "actually hopeful and that's nice after two years of feeling quite sceptical and not going anywhere."
"I'm relieved with this result. I think we now have a basis for a coalition that is actually able to fix major issues in the Netherlands," added the 31-year-old, who said she works in energy transition.
"I hope the rest of Europe follows."

'Historic election'

"This is an historic election result because we've shown not only to the Netherlands but also to the world that it is possible to beat populist and extreme-right movements," Jetten told reporters.
Wilders, sometimes known as the "Dutch Trump", had collapsed the previous government, complaining progress was too slow to achieve "the strictest asylum policy ever".
"I want us to start quickly (to form a coalition), but only after we have all the information," Wilders told reporters.
"We need to be crystal clear whether the PVV or D66 is the largest party," added the 62-year-old, confirming he would take first shot at a coalition if he won.
Dutch voters had a bewildering range of 27 parties to choose from, grappling with a huge A3 sheet of paper listing the candidates.
The main issues were immigration and a housing crisis that especially affects young people in the densely populated country.
Jetten shot up the polls in the final days of the campaign thanks to strong media performances and an optimistic message.
"I want to bring the Netherlands back to the heart of Europe because without European cooperation, we are nowhere," he told AFP after casting his vote in The Hague.
As a young man, Jetten represented The Netherlands as an athlete and ran as a pace-maker for multiple Olympic Champion Sifan Hassan, so he should be used to a close race.
The Green/Labour said it would appoint a new leader on Monday after Frans Timmermans, an experienced former European Commission vice-president, threw in the towel after a disappointing result.
Violence and disinformation marred the campaign.
Demonstrators against shelters for asylum-seekers clashed with police in several cities, and violence erupted at an anti-immigration protest in The Hague last month.
Until a new government is formed, outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof will run the country -- reluctantly. "I wouldn't wish it on you," he told one MP in parliament.
bur-ric/jj

apartheid

S.Africa court rules ANC leader Luthuli was killed in apartheid 'assault'

  • A formal inquest by the apartheid government claimed in 1967 that Luthuli -- who in 1960 became the first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize -- had died after being hit by a goods train while walking on a railway line.
  • A South African court ruled Thursday that the 1967 death of ANC leader and Nobel prize winner Albert Luthuli was due to "assault" by apartheid policemen, overturning a finding that he was struck by a train.
  • A formal inquest by the apartheid government claimed in 1967 that Luthuli -- who in 1960 became the first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize -- had died after being hit by a goods train while walking on a railway line.
A South African court ruled Thursday that the 1967 death of ANC leader and Nobel prize winner Albert Luthuli was due to "assault" by apartheid policemen, overturning a finding that he was struck by a train.
A formal inquest by the apartheid government claimed in 1967 that Luthuli -- who in 1960 became the first African to win the Nobel Peace Prize -- had died after being hit by a goods train while walking on a railway line.
But activists and his family had long cast doubt on the findings, and South Africa's government this year reopened inquests into the deaths of several political activists in the struggle against the white-minority apartheid regime, which was removed in 1994.
"It is found that the deceased died as a result of a fractured skull, cerebral haemorrhage and concussion of the brain associated with an assault," Judge Nompumelelo Hadebe ruled.
The judge said Luthuli's death was attributable to "assault by members of the security special branch of the South African police, acting in concert and in common purpose with employees of the South African Railway Company".
She set aside the findings of the 1967 inquest and named seven men, whose whereabouts could "not be ascertained", as having committed or being complicit in the murder.
They included a locomotive driver, a fireman, a station master and two railway police officers.

Calls for justice

Luthuli served as president-general of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1952 until his death and led the anti-apartheid movement during one of its most challenging periods, including its banning by the apartheid government.
During his Nobel Prize acceptance ceremony in Oslo in 1961, he made a passionate plea for non-violence.
The ANC in a statement Thursday welcomed a "historic judgement" that "corrects a long-standing distortion of history" by recognising that Luthuli was "a victim of state-sanctioned murder".
"It is a moral victory not only for his family but for all martyrs of our struggle whose lives were cut short by the cruelty of apartheid," the party said.
Luthuli's grandson Sandile Luthuli told local television EWN that the family were "elated" with the judgement.
"The prosecution's team very meticulously pointed to the institutionalisation of apartheid and the role that those institutions played in the cover-up of the murder of Chief Albert Luthuli," he said outside the court, indicating they would consider next steps.
The National Prosecuting Authority announced in April it would reopen inquests into the deaths of Luthuli and another anti-apartheid activist, lawyer Mlungisi Griffiths Mxenge, in an "endeavour to address the atrocities of the past".
A Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was created in 1996 to expose crimes committed under apartheid. It held 2,500 hearings over two years with the possibility of offering amnesty.
The process only resulted in a few trials, and rising calls for justice pushed the government to reopen investigations into several cases this year.
jcb/rlp

economy

No GDP data released as US shutdown bites

BY BEIYI SEOW

  • If the government shutdown lasts through mid-November, as predictions markets expect, most delayed data releases will still be unlikely to come out until December, Goldman Sachs said in a recent note.
  • A US federal data blackout deepened Thursday as a government shutdown halted the release of third quarter GDP figures, forcing policymakers, financial institutions and business owners to continue flying blind.
  • If the government shutdown lasts through mid-November, as predictions markets expect, most delayed data releases will still be unlikely to come out until December, Goldman Sachs said in a recent note.
A US federal data blackout deepened Thursday as a government shutdown halted the release of third quarter GDP figures, forcing policymakers, financial institutions and business owners to continue flying blind.
The world's biggest economy has already delayed reports on employment, trade, retail sales and others, only recalling some furloughed staff to produce key inflation figures needed for the government to calculate Social Security payments.
On Thursday, the shutdown entered its 30th day, with Republicans and Democrats still at an impasse.
Each assigns blame to the other side over the stoppage, with no quick solution in sight and food aid for millions now at stake.
While there were no official gross domestic product (GDP) numbers published on Thursday, economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal expected GDP growth of 2.8 percent in the July to September period.
This would be a cooling from second quarter economic growth of 3.8 percent.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta's GDPNow indicator -- a running estimate of real GDP growth based on available data -- pegs the figure at 3.9 percent.
But the ongoing information blackout means that companies and officials will have to wait to find out.
Experts warn that businesses could lower hiring and investment.
"This is the time of year where most organizations are finalizing their budgets for 2026," said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union.
"So, almost any company is sitting there thinking: Do we think 2026 is going to be an uptick? Or a slowdown, or a recession?" she told AFP.
She added that industries are also trying to gauge if the Fed will keep cutting interest rates, a decision that depends on inflation and the jobs market, which has been weakening.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the shutdown could cost the economy up to $14 billion.
Matthew Martin of Oxford Economics added that business would likely "reduce their overall hiring to be on the safe side," until they see data pointing to rising demand or a stabilization in the economy.
If the government shutdown lasts through mid-November, as predictions markets expect, most delayed data releases will still be unlikely to come out until December, Goldman Sachs said in a recent note.
Such delays could distort October and November numbers.
Long warned that October's data could also be lost if the shutdown persists for too long -- as it might not be collected.
bys/bgs

crime

France arrests five new suspects over Louvre heist: prosecutor

  • Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the five suspects detained on Wednesday included a main suspect whose DNA linked him to the brazen seven-minute heist, though none of the loot had been found.
  • French police have arrested five more people, including a prime suspect, over this month's daring Louvre museum robbery, the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday.
  • Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the five suspects detained on Wednesday included a main suspect whose DNA linked him to the brazen seven-minute heist, though none of the loot had been found.
French police have arrested five more people, including a prime suspect, over this month's daring Louvre museum robbery, the Paris prosecutor said on Thursday.
Dozens of detectives have been hunting for four thieves who used a truck with a moving lift and cutting gear to break into a first-floor gallery at the museum on October 19, fleeing with jewellery worth an estimated $102 million.
The latest arrests come after two suspects were charged on Wednesday with theft and criminal conspiracy. They are suspected of being the two who broke into the gallery while two accomplices waited outside.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the five suspects detained on Wednesday included a main suspect whose DNA linked him to the brazen seven-minute heist, though none of the loot had been found.
"We had him in our sights," she said.
"As for the other individuals who are in police custody, they are people who may be able to provide us with information about the course of events." She said it was "too early" to give additional details about the suspects.
The five detentions took place in and around Paris, particularly in Seine-Saint-Denis, a region just outside the French capital.
Two suspects detained on Saturday were charged on Wednesday evening with theft and criminal conspiracy after they "partially admitted to the charges", according to prosecutors. 
They were placed in pre-trial detention.
One is a 34-year-old Algerian living in France, who was identified by DNA traces found on one of the scooters used to flee the heist. 
The second suspect is a 39-year-old unlicensed taxi driver from the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers. 
Both were known to the police for having committed thefts.
The first was arrested as he was about to board a plane for Algeria at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. 
The second was apprehended shortly after near his home, and "there is no evidence to suggest that he was planning to go abroad", the prosecutor said.

Wider-scale operation?

Last week, Beccuau told media that detectives were investigating "150 DNA samples, fingerprints and other traces".
She said public and private security cameras had allowed detectives to track the thieves -- some of whom wore balaclavas and high-visibility vests during the heist carried out in broad daylight -- in Paris and surrounding districts. 
Beccuau on Wednesday said while investigators were certain of the involvement of four perpetrators, they had not ruled out the possibility of a wider-scale operation "involving a backer or individuals who may have been intended recipients".
But she said nothing pointed to "any complicity within the museum".
The thieves dropped a diamond- and emerald-studded crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, as they escaped.
The museum's director has said it was crushed while it was extracted from the display case, but could probably be restored.
The burglars however made off with eight other items of jewellery.
Among them are an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem that once belonged to the Empress Eugenie, which is dotted with nearly 2,000 diamonds. 
pgr-ekf/ah/tw

weaponry

Trump orders US to start nuclear weapons testing

  • "Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," Trump wrote in a social media post.
  • US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing "on an equal basis" to China and Russia -- an announcement made just minutes before he held a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
  • "Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," Trump wrote in a social media post.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing "on an equal basis" to China and Russia -- an announcement made just minutes before he held a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The move came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, in defiance of Washington's warnings.
"Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," Trump wrote in a social media post.
Following that announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that the weapon tests announced by Putin did not constitute a direct test of an atomic weapon.
Both countries observe a de facto moratorium on testing nuclear warheads, though Russia regularly runs military drills involving systems that are capable of carrying such weapons.
The United States has been a signatory since 1996 to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which bans all atomic test explosions, whether for military or civilian purposes.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to testing nuclear warheads, which the United States last did in 1992, or testing weapons systems capable of carrying atomic warheads.
Trump also claimed that the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country, praising his own efforts to do "a complete update and renovation of existing weapons."
"Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years," he said.

Thousands of warheads

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its latest annual report that Russia possesses 5,489 nuclear warheads, compared to 5,177 for the United States and 600 for China. 
In total, SIPRI estimates that the nine nuclear-armed countries -- Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea -- possess more than 12,200 warheads.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that it had been "many years" since the United States had conducted nuclear tests.
"We don't do testing... we've halted it years, many years ago," he said, adding that it was "appropriate" to start again because others are testing.
"I'd like to see denuclearization... denuclearization would be a tremendous thing," he said.
He claimed "it's something we are actually talking to Russia about, and China would be added to that if we do something."
Trump kept the location and dates for testing vague during the news conference, but said earlier it would "begin immediately."

China defends nuclear ban

The Republican president was in South Korea to meet with Xi, with the leaders of the world's top two economies coming face-to-face for the first time in Trump's second term.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun later urged the United States to "earnestly abide" by a global nuclear testing ban "and take concrete actions to safeguard the global nuclear disarmament."
The United States conducted 1,054 nuclear tests between July 16, 1945, when the first test was conducted in New Mexico, and 1992, as well as two nuclear attacks on Japan during World War II.
It is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat.
The last US nuclear test explosion was in September 1992, with a 20-kiloton underground detonation at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site.
Then-president George H.W. Bush imposed a moratorium on further tests in October 1992 that has been continued by successive administrations.
Nuclear testing was replaced by non-nuclear and subcritical experiments using advanced computer simulations.

Russia's 'Poseidon' drone

Putin announced on Wednesday the successful testing of a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, the second weapons test in days after that of the Burevestnik cruise missile.
In televised remarks broadcast from a military hospital treating Russian soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said there was "no way to intercept" the torpedo drone dubbed "Poseidon."
"Regarding the tests of Poseidon and Burevestnik, we hope that the information was conveyed correctly to President Trump," Kremlin spokesman Peskov told journalists, including AFP, during a daily briefing on Thursday.
"This cannot in any way be interpreted as a nuclear test."
He implied that Russia would also test nuclear warheads if Trump ordered a live test of an atomic weapon.
"If someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly," Peskov said.
sla/dhw/ane/pbt/rlp/aha

crime

French justice minister visits jailed former president Sarkozy

  • Top prosecutor Remy Heitz at the time warned that such a visit risked "undermining the independence of magistrates".
  • France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has received a prison visit from the justice minister, a source close to the case said on Thursday, despite a prosecutor warning that it could undermine judicial independence.
  • Top prosecutor Remy Heitz at the time warned that such a visit risked "undermining the independence of magistrates".
France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has received a prison visit from the justice minister, a source close to the case said on Thursday, despite a prosecutor warning that it could undermine judicial independence.
Gerald Darmanin met Sarkozy on Wednesday evening at La Sante prison in the presence of the jail's director, and discussed the former head of state's security arrangements, the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. 
Before he was locked up, Darmanin said he intended to visit Sarkozy to ensure his security conditions were adequate for his "exceptional status".
Top prosecutor Remy Heitz at the time warned that such a visit risked "undermining the independence of magistrates".
Fifty-seven percent of French people also disapproved of the visit, according to a survey of 1,025 people published last week by Taluna Harris.
The right-wing leader who led France from 2007 to 2012 was found guilty last month of trying to get election campaign funding from Moamer Kadhafi's Libya.
The 70-year-old was handed a five-year prison term for criminal conspiracy.
Sarkozy's legal team has requested his release pending his appeal trial, but said he is expected to remain in jail for at least "three weeks to a month".
Two security officers are stationed in a neighbouring cell to ensure his protection, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
Sarkozy is the first former head of a European Union state to be jailed, and the first French leader to be incarcerated since Philippe Petain, the Nazi collaborationist head of state who was jailed after World War II. 
He has faced a flurry of legal woes since losing his re-election bid in 2012, having already been convicted in two other cases.
Sarkozy still enjoys some popularity on the French right. Days before starting his prison sentence, he visited French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.
pab/ekf/ah/fg

growth

Eurozone growth beats expectations in third quarter

  • Thursday's data also showed the eurozone economy grew by only 0.1 percent in the second quarter of this year.
  • The eurozone economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter of 2025, official data showed Thursday, buoyed by better-than-anticipated growth in France despite political turmoil in Europe's second-biggest economy.
  • Thursday's data also showed the eurozone economy grew by only 0.1 percent in the second quarter of this year.
The eurozone economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter of 2025, official data showed Thursday, buoyed by better-than-anticipated growth in France despite political turmoil in Europe's second-biggest economy.
The EU's data agency said the 20-country single currency area recorded growth of 0.2 percent over the July-September period from the previous quarter. 
The figure was higher than the 0.1 percent forecast by analysts for Bloomberg and FactSet -- but economists sounded a note of caution for the future.
"While we do expect a gradual acceleration of growth over the coming year, we remain cautious about marking this as the start of a growth spurt, given domestic and global uncertainty," ING Bank's Bert Colijn said in a note.
Thursday's data also showed the eurozone economy grew by only 0.1 percent in the second quarter of this year.
The data arrived as the European Central Bank is expected to keep its key deposit rate steady later on Thursday.
The 27-country European Union economy expanded by 0.3 percent, after recording 0.2 percent growth between April and June.
The eurozone economy was supported by surprising data from France.
Despite political instability linked to the country's massive debt and deficit, the French economy grew by 0.5 percent in the third quarter.
The surprise was thanks to a jump in investments and exports "in part because of a strong aerospace sector, which tends to see volatile production", Colijn said.
Spain's economy also grew by 0.6 percent between July and September, but it slowed down from a whopping 0.8 percent in the previous quarter.
But Germany, Europe's biggest economy, stagnated in the same period although it narrowly dodged a recession.
The Italian economy also failed to grow between July and September.

German struggles

In September, the ECB raised its growth forecast for 2025 to 1.2 percent.
Despite eking out growth in the third quarter, economists warned against reading too much into the data and what it means for the future.
France's political turmoil risks being a drag, especially as France's hung parliament remains locked in debate over next year's budget.
Meanwhile, Germany's planned public spending blitz "continues to struggle to make stimulus plans turn into GDP growth", Colijn said.
ECB officials are gathering in Florence, Italy, on one of their regular tours away from the central bank's Frankfurt headquarters, with the rate decision set to be published at 1315 GMT. 
raz/ub/lth

Australia

Bali trial begins for 3 accused of Australian's murder

  • Jenson is accused of supplying equipment and organising the attack at the villa while the other two suspects are accused of being the gunmen, according to media reports.
  • The trial of three Australians accused of plotting the murder of a compatriot at a villa on the Indonesian resort island of Bali began Thursday, with all facing the death penalty.
  • Jenson is accused of supplying equipment and organising the attack at the villa while the other two suspects are accused of being the gunmen, according to media reports.
The trial of three Australians accused of plotting the murder of a compatriot at a villa on the Indonesian resort island of Bali began Thursday, with all facing the death penalty.
Prosecutors read out charges of premeditated murder for Darcy Jenson, 37, Paea-I-Middlemore Tupou, 37, and Coskun Mevlut, 23, over the shooting of 32-year-old Australian national Zivan Radmanovic in June.
He was killed when two people burst into his villa in the tourist hub of Badung and at least one opened fire.
Jenson was arrested at the airport in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on suspicion of trying to leave the country, while the other two were returned from abroad. 
Jenson is accused of supplying equipment and organising the attack at the villa while the other two suspects are accused of being the gunmen, according to media reports.
The three suspects are also accused of involvement in the shooting of a second man at the villa, 34-year-old Sanar Ghanim, who was seriously wounded.
"Since there is no objection from the defendants on the indictment, we will continue with evidence and witnesses," the presiding judge Wayan Suarta told the court.
Radmanovic's wife, Jazmyn Gourdeas, attended the trial in Bali's provincial capital Denpasar. 
"She wants to make sure her husband gets the justice that he needs... that's why she decided to come today," her lawyer Sary Latief told reporters.
When asked what punishment Gourdeas would like to see handed to the suspects, her lawyer said: "The death sentence. She would like to see the maximum penalty."
The trial will continue on November 3.
Gun crime on the island of Bali and wider Indonesia is rare, and the archipelago nation has strict laws for illegal gun possession.
str-dsa/jfx/rsc

conflict

Russia batters Ukraine energy sites, killing two

BY DARIA ANDRIIEVSKA

  • In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional military administration chief said two people were killed and 17 were wounded, including six children.
  • Russia battered Ukrainian energy facilities with hundreds of drones and missiles, Kyiv said Thursday, killing two people, wounding children, and piling more pressure on Ukraine's fragile energy grid.
  • In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional military administration chief said two people were killed and 17 were wounded, including six children.
Russia battered Ukrainian energy facilities with hundreds of drones and missiles, Kyiv said Thursday, killing two people, wounding children, and piling more pressure on Ukraine's fragile energy grid.
The attack came as Russian forces said they had captured two more villages in eastern and southern Ukraine, where Kyiv's outnumbered forces have steadily lost ground to Moscow.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the toll in a social media statement and said Russian forces had targeted civilians and energy facilities in nine regions and the capital Kyiv.
"We count on America, Europe, and the G7 countries not to ignore Moscow's intent to destroy everything," Zelensky said, calling for more sanctions to pressure Russia to end its invasion.
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, said power plants were damaged in various regions, without specifying.
Its CEO Maxim Timchenko called it a "bad blow in our efforts to keep power flowing this winter."
In the Western region of Lviv, which borders NATO and EU member Poland, the regional governor said two energy facilities were hit.
The Russian Defence ministry said it had launched a "massive" missile and drone attack on Ukrainian military-industrial sites, energy infrastructure and airbases.
The Kremlin has attacked Ukrainian power infrastructure each winter since invading in 2022, forcing Kyiv to impose electricity restrictions and import energy from abroad.

Russia captures villages

The Russian barrage consisted of 52 missiles and 653 drones, the Ukrainian air force said, adding that it had downed 623 air targets.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional military administration chief said two people were killed and 17 were wounded, including six children.
An AFP journalist  saw a residential building gutted in the attack and rescue workers clearing debris while residents surveyed the destruction.
Four more were wounded in the Vinnytsia region.
AFP journalists in Kyiv heard Russian drones buzzing over the capital overnight.
The energy ministry said a "significant number of consumers" were cut off from electricity supplies as a result of the attacks, without giving figures.
Russia's defence ministry meanwhile said it had downed 170 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 48 in Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, and nine in Moscow region which surrounds the capital.
And it said its forces had wrested control of Sadove in the northeastern Kharkiv region and Krasnogirske in Zaporizhzhia region, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia.
Moscow has kept up a near-constant barrage of drone and missile attacks as it grinds on with the invasion it launched in February 2022.
Ukraine has increasingly responded with its own strikes targeting Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump has been trying to secure a peace deal since he returned to the White House in January, but talks have made little progress.
burs-jbr/jc/tw

conflict

Pakistani security source says Afghanistan talks 'likely' to resume

  • "On the request of the Afghan Taliban regime, another round of talks between Pakistan and Kabul is likely to take place in Istanbul," said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the subject publicly. 
  • Pakistan and Afghanistan will likely hold another round of peace talks in Istanbul, a Pakistani security source told AFP on Thursday, after Islamabad's announcement that previous negotiations had failed.
  • "On the request of the Afghan Taliban regime, another round of talks between Pakistan and Kabul is likely to take place in Istanbul," said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the subject publicly. 
Pakistan and Afghanistan will likely hold another round of peace talks in Istanbul, a Pakistani security source told AFP on Thursday, after Islamabad's announcement that previous negotiations had failed.
The talks come in the wake of the deadliest clashes between the South Asian neighbours since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. 
More than 70 people were killed and hundreds wounded in violence that erupted after explosions in Kabul on October 9, which the Taliban authorities blamed on Pakistan.
The two sides had held days of talks in Istanbul, until Islamabad said Wednesday that the negotiations had collapsed. 
"On the request of the Afghan Taliban regime, another round of talks between Pakistan and Kabul is likely to take place in Istanbul," said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the subject publicly. 
Pakistan state broadcaster PTV said Islamabad agreed to resume the talks at the request of the hosts.
Afghan state-run broadcaster RTA also reported Thursday that the "stalled negotiations... are set to resume in Istanbul under the mediation of Turkey and Qatar".
RTA laid the blame for the talks' collapse on "unreasonable demands of the Pakistani side".
Afghan officials have not commented publicly about the state of the negotiations.

'Tired'

Relations between the one-time allies, who share a 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) frontier, have deteriorated in recent years. 
Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring militant groups that stage cross-border attacks, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it says uses Afghan territory as a base.
The Taliban government has consistently denied the allegations.
"Any terrorist attack or any suicide bombing inside Pakistan shall give you the bitter taste of such misadventures," Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned this week.
A ceasefire remains in place, but the border between the two countries has been closed for more than two weeks, biting into the earnings of conflict-weary traders.
In Kandahar on the Afghan side, Nazir Ahmed, a cloth trader, told AFP both countries "will bear losses".
"Our nation is tired and their nation is also tired," the 35-year-old said Wednesday.
Abdul Jabbar, a vehicle spare parts trader in the Pakistani border town of Chaman, said "trade suffers greatly".
"Both countries face losses -- both are Islamic nations," he told AFP.
The violence killed at least 50 Afghan civilians and wounded 447 others in one week, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told AFP on Monday.
Pakistan's military said on October 12 that 23 personnel had been killed and 29 wounded, without detailing civilian casualties.
sma-stm/abs/rsc

diplomacy

Trump, Xi ease fight on tariffs, rare earths

BY AURELIA END WITH SIMON STURDEE IN GYEONGJU

  • Trump added that the Chinese leader had also agreed to "work very hard to stop the flow" of deadly opioid fentanyl, a trade in which Washington has accused Beijing of being complicit.
  • Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed on Thursday to calm the trade war between China and the United States that has roiled global markets, with Washington cutting some tariffs and Beijing committing to keep supplies of critical rare earths flowing.
  • Trump added that the Chinese leader had also agreed to "work very hard to stop the flow" of deadly opioid fentanyl, a trade in which Washington has accused Beijing of being complicit.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed on Thursday to calm the trade war between China and the United States that has roiled global markets, with Washington cutting some tariffs and Beijing committing to keep supplies of critical rare earths flowing.
Trump called his first meeting with Xi in six years a "great success", while the Chinese leader said the two reached an "important consensus" towards solving the fight between the world's two top economies.
"I thought it was an amazing meeting," Trump said after the talks in Busan, South Korea, praising Xi as a "tremendous leader of a very powerful country" and saying he would visit China in April.
Trump added that the deal included China immediately buying "tremendous amounts of soybeans and other farm products", a key issue for Trump's support in farm country and a point of leverage for Beijing.
The US leader said the talks yielded an extendable one-year deal on China's supply of crucial rare earths, materials that are essential for sophisticated electronic components across a range of industries.
Beijing's commerce ministry also confirmed it would suspend for one year certain export restrictions, including on rare earth materials, a sector where China is hugely dominant.
"All the rare earths has been settled, and that's for the world," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Xi said a "consensus" had been reached and urged "follow-up work as soon as possible".
Trump added that the Chinese leader had also agreed to "work very hard to stop the flow" of deadly opioid fentanyl, a trade in which Washington has accused Beijing of being complicit.
"I put a 20-percent tariff on China because of the fentanyl coming in... and based on his statements today I am going to reduce that by 10 percent," Trump said.
And in social media post after leaving South Korea, Trump declared "Our Farmers will be very happy!" with the outcomes of the talks.
The former reality TV star went on to say in the post that Beijing would "begin the process of purchasing American Energy", potentially involving oil and gas from Alaska.
Officials from the United States and China would meet to hash out that "energy deal", he added.

'Partners and friends'

Neither leader made any public comments immediately after the talks, which lasted around an hour and 40 minutes.
Trump headed straight to Air Force One, waving and pumping his fist as he boarded the plane. The jet took off minutes later.
Xi was seen getting into his limousine outside the closed-door meeting.
Xi acknowledged before the meeting began in earnest that both sides did not always see eye to eye, but should strive to be "partners and friends".
"China and the US can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world," said Xi.
Sitting opposite each other, each leader was flanked by senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury chief Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Xi's team, which arrived from Beijing shortly before -- the US side was already in South Korea -- included Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Crowning achievement

The meeting took place on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit of 21 countries in Gyeongju including the leaders of Japan, Australia and Canada.
It was the final stop on an Asia tour that saw Trump, 79, showered with praise and gifts, including a replica of an ancient Korean golden crown.
In Japan, new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize and gave him a putter and a gold-plated golf ball.
However, Trump's hopes of a re-run of his 2019 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone frontier were dashed.
Trump said though that they would meet in the "not too distant future" and that he would like to "straighten out" tensions between North and South Korea.
One surprise in the talks could have been if Xi had brought up Taiwan, with speculation that Beijing might press Trump to water down US backing for the self-ruled island.
But Trump said that Taiwan "never came up. That was not discussed actually."
burs-stu-oho/jm

conflict

Russia hits Ukraine energy sites, killing one, wounding children

  • In south-eastern Zaporizhzhia the regional military administration chief said one person was killed and 17 were wounded, including six children.
  • Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed one person, wounded 17 and caused emergency power outages across the country, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.
  • In south-eastern Zaporizhzhia the regional military administration chief said one person was killed and 17 were wounded, including six children.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed one person, wounded 17 and caused emergency power outages across the country, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday.
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, said power plants were damaged in various regions, without elaborating.
In the Western region of Lviv, which borders NATO and EU member Poland, the regional governor said two energy facilities were hit.
"Russia continues its systematic energy terror, striking at the lives, dignity and warmth of Ukrainians on the eve of winter," Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on social media.
The Kremlin has attacked Ukrainian power infrastructure each winter since invading in 2022, forcing Kyiv to impose electricity consumption restrictions and import energy from abroad.
In south-eastern Zaporizhzhia the regional military administration chief said one person was killed and 17 were wounded, including six children.
Authorities distributed images showing multiple floors of a Soviet-era residential building that collapsed after the attacks.
Four more were wounded in the Vinnytsia region outside the capital Kyiv, where AFP journalists heard Russian drones buzzing over the capital.
The energy ministry said a "significant number of consumers" were cut off from electricity supplies as a result of the attacks, without giving figures.
Russia's defence ministry meanwhile said it had downed 170 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 48 in Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, and nine in Moscow region with six headed towards the capital. 
Russia has kept up a near-constant barrage of drone and missile attacks -- particularly on Ukraine's energy networks -- as it grinds on with the invasion it launched in February 2022.
Ukraine has increasingly responded with its own strikes targeting Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump has been trying to secure a peace deal since he returned to the White House in January, but talks have made little progress.
burs-jbr/asy/fg

election

'Fight fire with fire': California mulls skewing electoral map

BY ROMAIN FONSEGRIVES

  • The goal: to amend its constitution so California too can alter its electoral map and create five districts favorable to Democrats.
  • In the heart of Los Angeles, a team of canvassers tirelessly knocks on doors, asking voters to let California redraw its electoral map to favor Democrats and resist US President Donald Trump.
  • The goal: to amend its constitution so California too can alter its electoral map and create five districts favorable to Democrats.
In the heart of Los Angeles, a team of canvassers tirelessly knocks on doors, asking voters to let California redraw its electoral map to favor Democrats and resist US President Donald Trump.
The flyers warn Trump "is rigging and trying to steal the 2026 elections before we can vote."
"California can protect fair elections by fighting fire with fire," they say.
Trump set in motion a vicious cycle this summer by asking his allies in Texas to redraw electoral boundaries in a way that will provide five more Republican seats in Congress for next year's midterm elections.
The maneuver was intended to maintain a slender right-wing majority in the US House of Representatives.
It was also highly unusual -- redistricting normally occurs every decade in the United States, after each national census.
To counter Trump's ploy, California is now holding a dramatic referendum. 
The goal: to amend its constitution so California too can alter its electoral map and create five districts favorable to Democrats.
With just days to go before voting closes Tuesday, Californians appear likely to approve the measure.
"I'm not really for it, but I'm gonna vote for it, because I think it's what's necessary...to level the playing field," 61-year-old contractor Patrick Bustad told canvassers.
"If the Democrats don't get dirty and get in the mud with the Republicans to fight back, we're going to get run over."

'Stick it to Trump'

Trump "wants to be a dictator, not a president," said Bustad, recalling how the Republican refused to concede defeat despite losing the 2020 presidential election.
Spearheaded by state governor Gavin Newsom, the California referendum represents for many a difficult moral dilemma.
Unlike most other US states, California has abandoned gerrymandering -- a controversial practice by which legislators redraw electoral maps to benefit their party.
Back in 2008, under then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Golden State voted to hand the power to draw up district boundaries to an independent commission.
Newsom's new "Proposition 50" asks voters to temporarily abandon this equitable system, and return to partisan redistricting for the next five years.
Polls predict a landslide victory for in favor of the measure. 
Newsom's confident campaign even stopped fundraising more than a week before voting closes, telling supporters: "You can stop donating."
Mutual loathing between Trump and California has backdropped the entire campaign.
One prominent "Yes on Proposition 50" ad imagines a furious Trump raging at his television as news breaks of the referendum's passage, with a simple slogan: "Stick it to Trump."

Injustice

Faced with resentment, Trump and his supporters have not campaigned in California against the vote.
The most notable Republican voice against the measure has been Schwarzenegger, who has warned that "two wrongs don't make a right."
Sara Sadhwani, a member of California's redistricting commission who supports "Prop 50," said that she usually imparts the same message to her three children.
"However, I also tell my kids that when a bully comes after you, you can defend yourself," she added.
"And I think that's what Californians are being asked in this moment -- there is a very real attempt to rig this election nationally."
Still, the political scientist laments how the entire situation has become a "race to the bottom."
Several more Republican states -- Missouri, North Carolina, Indiana -- and Democratic states -- New York, Virginia, Illinois -- are also considering joining the redistricting battle.
"Trust in elections is at an all-time low, and I don't see this as really improving that situation," she sighed.
That deepening mistrust is already palpable in Taft, a Republican stronghold north of Los Angeles.
With the likely passage of the referendum, "the Democrats are going to take over, and we're not going to have any rights," said Paula Patterson, a 66-year-old retiree.
Newsom "wants it his way so he can rig it," she added.
rfo/amz/jgc

climate

'Nowhere to sleep': Melissa upends life for Jamaicans

BY ANDRE RICH

  • South of St. Ann, in the town of Bog Walk, bar owner Maureen Samuels breathed a sigh of relief after a large tree fell just inches away from her establishment. 
  • In the north coast parish of St. Ann, almost all residents are without power -- and many of them woke up without a roof over their heads after Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, downing trees, utility poles and anything in its path.
  • South of St. Ann, in the town of Bog Walk, bar owner Maureen Samuels breathed a sigh of relief after a large tree fell just inches away from her establishment. 
In the north coast parish of St. Ann, almost all residents are without power -- and many of them woke up without a roof over their heads after Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica, downing trees, utility poles and anything in its path.
Fisherman George "Larry" Brown of the community of Priory said the morning was quiet on the day of the storm.
"Just a little rain," the 68-year-old recalled. 
But by 5:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Tuesday, the rain and wind gusts grew heavy and soon, he said, his roof peeled away.
"I just heard a sound, and it just started to tear off," Brown recalled.
He described Melissa as the worst he's ever experienced.
Hurricane Melissa smashed into Jamaica as a ferocious top-level storm, with sustained winds peaking at 185 miles (nearly 300 kilometers) per hour while drenching the nation with torrential rain.
"Gilbert is no match to this," Brown said, referring to the 1988 hurricane used by many Jamaicans as a benchmark for devastation.
In fact, Hurricane Melissa tied the 1935 record for the most intense storm ever to make landfall, according to an AFP analysis of meteorological data -- on par with the Labor Day Hurricane that devastated the Florida Keys 90 years ago.
Brown's neighbor Kayan Davis, a mother of three who said her roof lifted off sometime after 11:00 pm (0400 GMT), said she has been left temporarily homeless.
"I have no where to sleep... I am going to have to contact the authorities," Davis said.
Marvin Thomas, another resident of Priory, suffered the same fate when a tree fell on his home around 8:00 pm (0100 GMT).
"The tree dropped... and the housetop started to demolish," he said. "I had to run out and go to a friend's home."
Thomas, a 40 year-old janitorial services worker, said the challenge of finding money to begin picking up the pieces is daunting.
"You know money is not at one place, I have to go out there to hunt now, to try to rebuild up myself."

'Thanks be to God'

There were similar stories in the neighboring parish of Trelawny.
"What we had was high rising of water and then it started to take the membrane of my roof and it damaged my fence as well," Sandra Scott, a security supervisor, said of her home in the community of Salt Marsh.
"We had to use sandbags and sheets to prevent the water from coming in," she explained.
The hurricane also brought extensive damage to infrastructure across Trelawny, including William Knibb High School, the alma mater of legendary Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, according to parish police chief Velonique Campbell.
Campbell and a team of 30 officers were seen with machetes and chainsaws clearing blocked roadways across the parish.
"We noticed that quite a few trees have been displaced in the main road and we wanted to ensure that the main road is kept clear as there will be aid and other supplies coming in," she said.
South of St. Ann, in the town of Bog Walk, bar owner Maureen Samuels breathed a sigh of relief after a large tree fell just inches away from her establishment. 
"I came here this morning and saw what happened, thanks be to God the bar wasn't damaged," she said.
Others from the community weren't as lucky, she said, noting that the nearby Rio Cobre overflowed and damaged some properties, including her friend's hog farm.
"We have been affected badly," she said.
bur-des/sha/jgc

demonstration

Tanzania blackout after election chaos, deaths feared

  • Foreign journalists have been largely banned from travelling to mainland Tanzania to cover the elections. 
  • Tanzania was on lockdown with a communications blackout Thursday, a day after elections turned into violent chaos with unconfirmed reports of many dead.
  • Foreign journalists have been largely banned from travelling to mainland Tanzania to cover the elections. 
Tanzania was on lockdown with a communications blackout Thursday, a day after elections turned into violent chaos with unconfirmed reports of many dead.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan had sought to solidify her position and silence criticism within her party in the virtually uncontested polls, with the main challengers either jailed or disqualified.
In the run-up, rights groups condemned a "wave of terror" in the east African nation, which has seen a string of high-profile abductions that ramped up in the final days.
A heavy security presence on Wednesday failed to deter hundreds protesting in economic hub Dar es Salaam and elsewhere, some singing: "We want our country back".
Unverified images on social media showed initially small protests escalated during the day with reports of police responding with live fire as they targeted polling stations, police vehicles and businesses connected to the ruling party.
A diplomatic source told AFP the unrest continued into the night despite a curfew imposed by police.
An internet blackout was still in place on Thursday, while the police and army had set up checkpoints around Dar es Salaam and other cities, the diplomatic source said.
Schools and colleges were closed on Thursday and civil servants told to work from home, an AFP reporter said.
The government has remained silent and the heavily controlled local media made no mention of the unrest, nor provide any update on the election. 
There are reports that upwards of 30 people may been killed in Wednesday's violence, the diplomatic source said, but this could not be verified. 
"It's unprecedented... Where we go from here is unclear," they said, with Hassan's status "uncertain".
Unrest was reported in multiple areas, including Songwe in the west and tourist hub Arusha.
Foreign journalists have been largely banned from travelling to mainland Tanzania to cover the elections. 

'Deeply disturbing'

Much of the anger online has been directed at Hassan's son, Abdul, who has been in charge of an "informal task force" of police and intelligence services to manage election security, according to specialist publication Africa Intelligence. 
It is blamed for a massive increase in abductions of government critics in the last days before the vote, including a popular social media influencer, Niffer, who was accused of promoting protests with jokey videos about selling facemasks. 
Hassan has faced opposition from parts of the army and allies of her iron-fisted predecessor, John Magufuli, since coming to power, say analysts. 
Amnesty International said late Wednesday they had documented "two reported deaths" from social media images and videos.
They labelled the violence "deeply disturbing", warning the "risk of further escalation is high" as they urged restraint from authorities.
A member of opposition party Chadema indicated to AFP they had reports of at least four deaths, but stressed they were "not certain" of the figures.
Hassan came to power in 2021, elevated from vice-president on the sudden death of Magufuli.
She faced internal opposition as the country's first female leader but was feted by rights groups for easing restrictions on the opposition and media. 
Those hopes faded as she oversaw a crackdown described by Amnesty as a "wave of terror" including "enforced disappearance and torture... and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures and activists".
Her main challenger, Tundu Lissu, is on trial for treason, facing a potential death penalty and his party, Chadema, banned from running.
The only other serious candidate, Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, was disqualified on technicalities.
bur/dhw

metal

G7 meets on countering China's critical mineral dominance

BY BEN SIMON

  • For Canada's Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, the G7 meeting comes at a "hinge moment," his spokesman Gregory Frame told AFP. At the meeting, Canada "will announce the first deliverables reached under (a new alliance) that will help ensure the minerals that underpin the industries of the future can be mined, refined, and produced by countries that share our values."
  • Curbing China's critical mineral dominance will top the agenda at a G7 energy ministers meeting in Canada on Thursday, as industrialized democracies seek more reliable access to the resources that power future technologies.
  • For Canada's Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, the G7 meeting comes at a "hinge moment," his spokesman Gregory Frame told AFP. At the meeting, Canada "will announce the first deliverables reached under (a new alliance) that will help ensure the minerals that underpin the industries of the future can be mined, refined, and produced by countries that share our values."
Curbing China's critical mineral dominance will top the agenda at a G7 energy ministers meeting in Canada on Thursday, as industrialized democracies seek more reliable access to the resources that power future technologies.
The Group of Seven, including US President Donald Trump's administration, has sounded the alarm over China's stranglehold on the supply of minerals used in everything from solar panels to precision missiles.
Trump announced a rare earths deal with China after meeting the country's leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, clarifying that the agreement stood for a year and would be re-negotiated annually.
At a summit in western Canada in June, G7 leaders launched a "Critical Minerals Action Plan," which calls for diversified supply chains to advance "shared national and economic security interests."
The upcoming two-day meeting in Toronto offers "a major opportunity" to advance that effort, Tae-Yoon Kim, head of the critical minerals division at the International Energy Agency, told AFP.
"The high concentration of critical minerals refining in a single country creates economic and national security risks," Kim said in an email, urging the G7 "to start shifting market power."
"We need to work to avoid a similar kind of supply shock as we saw with oil in the 1970s."
– 'Hinge moment' –
A central complaint about China's conduct is that it does not adhere to market principles.
Multiple countries have substantial mineral reserves, but China's true dominance lies in its processing and refining capacity -- especially for rare earths, which are needed to make the specialized magnets used in a range of high-tech products.
Since a high proportion of material moves through Chinese-controlled businesses, Beijing can build stockpiles and control global supply.
Canada's energy ministry said the Toronto meeting should include announcements aimed at countering manipulation of the global critical minerals market.
"For decades, we've been facing a competitor who has very consistently distorted free markets, used industrial subsidies, created overcapacity, and undermined fair trade," said Abigail Hunter, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Critical Minerals Strategy.
For Canada's Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, the G7 meeting comes at a "hinge moment," his spokesman Gregory Frame told AFP.
At the meeting, Canada "will announce the first deliverables reached under (a new alliance) that will help ensure the minerals that underpin the industries of the future can be mined, refined, and produced by countries that share our values."
– Traceability –
Hunter noted that within the G7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States -- there are contrasting energy policy priorities.
The Trump administration, in particular, is seen as less concerned about the transition to clean energy.
G7 unity on critical minerals may also be undermined by Trump's protectionist trade policies, which have caused global economic upheaval.
But G7 energy ministers are united in concern about the "security of supply," Hunter said, with China imposing more serious rare earth export controls.
For Hunter, progress at the Toronto meeting would include concrete action on the issue of traceability -- tracking raw materials from mining to refinement and ensuring suppliers follow global market rules.
Hunter said that "opaque" Chinese-controlled companies exist across the supply chain, which the G7 should strive to "box out of the market" with new policies on traceability and transparency.
"I'm really interested to see what they do on that," she said, adding that processing still includes a "spider web of entities" where Chinese officials maintain outsized control.
"We have a short window of opportunity to fix this. The window is still open -- it's just very, very small," Hunter said.
"I'm an optimist. I have to be, because this sector is very painful at times."
bs/jgc/tc