conflict

Clashing Cambodia, Thailand agree to border talks after ASEAN meet

BY MARTIN ABBUGAO

  • Trump, whose administration helped broker the previous truce alongside Malaysia and China, claimed this month that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt the fighting.
  • Cambodia and Thailand agreed Monday to hold border talks this week, after a regional meeting in Malaysia aimed at halting deadly clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
  • Trump, whose administration helped broker the previous truce alongside Malaysia and China, claimed this month that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt the fighting.
Cambodia and Thailand agreed Monday to hold border talks this week, after a regional meeting in Malaysia aimed at halting deadly clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
Renewed fighting this month, which shattered a previous truce, has killed at least 23 people in Thailand and 20 in Cambodia, and displaced more than 900,000 on both sides, officials said.
Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow announced the planned bilateral parley after a meeting with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Cambodia is also a member.
He told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that the discussion would be held Wednesday in southern Thailand's Chanthaburi within the framework of an existing bilateral border committee.
The Thai foreign ministry said in a statement that the committee would be convened for both nations' militaries to "discuss implementation, related steps and verification of the ceasefire in detail".
Cambodia's interior ministry, noting preparations for Wednesday's meeting, said it welcomed the regional efforts to sustain a truce and end hostilities.
"We remain optimistic that the Thai side will demonstrate sincerity in fully implementing the ceasefire in line with ASEAN's objectives," it said in a statement.
Thailand's Sihasak, however, cautioned that the upcoming meeting may not immediately produce a truce.
"Our position is a ceasefire does not come with an announcement, but must come from actions," he said.
Monday's meeting was convened by ASEAN chair Malaysia, which in late October hosted a summit where a truce declaration was signed under the auspices of US President Donald Trump.
Sihasak said that the October declaration was rushed.
"The United States wanted the declaration signed in time by the visit of President Trump," he said.
"Sometimes we really need to sit down and thrash things out so that things that we agree will really hold, really be respected."

'Urgent attention'

Speaking at the start of Monday's meeting, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan urged the feuding neighbours and other ASEAN representatives to "give this matter our most urgent attention".
"We must consider the wider ramifications of the continued escalation of the situation for the people we serve," Mohamad said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last week that ASEAN's duty "is to present the facts, but more importantly, to press upon them (Thailand and Cambodia) that it is imperative for them to secure peace".
Each side has blamed the other for instigating the renewed clashes, claiming self-defence and trading accusations of attacks on civilians.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.
Phnom Penh's defence ministry said the fighting continued on Monday, accusing Thailand of firing artillery shells into Cambodian territory.
One civilian, a Chinese mining company worker, was injured, Cambodia's interior ministry said.
Beijing in a statement earlier on Monday expressed hope that the two sides would "come to a ceasefire as soon as possible".
The October joint declaration overseen by Trump was meant to prolong a fragile truce reached after five days of deadly clashes in July.

'Peaceful means'

Ahead of the talks in Kuala Lumpur, Cambodia said it would "reaffirm its firm position of resolving differences and disputes through all peaceful means, dialogue and diplomacy".
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak had reiterated Bangkok's conditions for negotiations, including a demand that Cambodia announce a truce first and cooperate in de-mining efforts at the border.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week that Washington hoped for a new ceasefire by early this week.
Trump, whose administration helped broker the previous truce alongside Malaysia and China, claimed this month that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt the fighting.
But Bangkok denied any such deal, with clashes continuing for two weeks and spreading to nearly all border provinces on both sides of the frontier.
burs-mba/sco/ami

disinformation

German Christmas markets hit by flood of fake news

BY JOHANNA LEHN

  • But the cosy family atmosphere of the markets has been tarnished by the shock of recent attacks.
  • Security has been tightened at German Christmas markets after recent deadly attacks.
  • But the cosy family atmosphere of the markets has been tarnished by the shock of recent attacks.
Security has been tightened at German Christmas markets after recent deadly attacks. But if some online videos were to be believed, they've become barbed-wire fortresses guarded by armoured personnel carriers.
A flood of disinformation has circulated on social media, with some doctored clips also giving the wrong impression that an Islamic cleric called for prayers at one of the festive events, and that markets have been stormed by Muslim men.
AFP Factcheck has taken a closer look at false claims circulating online which amplify far-right narratives about immigration and the "Islamisation" of society.
Recent images and videos showed what were claimed to be Muslim men or "Islamist immigrants" massing at Christmas markets in the cities of Hamburg and Stuttgart.
But AFP research showed that the footage was from other events: an October 2024 rally by the activist group Muslim Interaktiv, which has since been banned, and Syrians celebrating the fall of president Bashar al-Assad late last year. 
Several AI-generated pictures have also shown Christmas markets with exaggerated security measures such as metre-high barbed wire fences or military-style vehicles parked around them.

Attacks and backlash

German Christmas markets, a centuries-old tradition, are hosted by nearly every town and city and consist of stalls with merchants selling gifts and decorations as well as sweets, sausages and hot mulled wine.
But the cosy family atmosphere of the markets has been tarnished by the shock of recent attacks.
Last year six people were killed and over 300 wounded in a car-ramming attack on the Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg.
The man now on trial is a Saudi psychiatrist who adhered to conspiracy theories, held strongly anti-Islam views and repeatedly expressed his fury at German authorities.
That attack recalled a 2016 truck rampage through Berlin's Christmas market by a Tunisian man with jihadist motives that killed 13 people.
In mid-December German authorities said they had arrested five men -- an Egyptian, a Syrian and three Moroccans -- on suspicion they were involved in an Islamist plot to plough a vehicle into a Christmas market in Bavaria.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has seized on such attacks and plots as it calls for the "remigration" of foreigners, especially to Muslim majority countries.

'Sow mistrust'

Another much-shared video this month showed a man dressed in a white robe apparently delivering the Islamic call to prayer at an unspecified German Christmas market.
"This Christmas market has completely capitulated!" an Instagram user commented on the video, which was also shared on Facebook in several languages including English, Greek, Russian and Slovak.
But according to AFP research, the video dates from November 2023 and actually shows a market in the Bavarian town of Karlstadt, an event that had nothing to do with Christmas.
The Andreasmarkt has a different theme every year and in 2023 opened with a call to prayer after two local Islamic groups were asked to contribute, organisers told AFP.
A separate Christmas market was due to open in the town in early December, they said -- which is why a Christmas tree can be seen in the video.
Christmas markets are a ripe target for disinformation because of their emotional associations, said Lea Fruehwirth of Germany's Centre for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy.
"Christmas symbolism stands for joy, a warm feeling of community and security," said Fruehwirth, a disinformation researcher at the non-profit extremism monitoring agency.
Narratives that "accuse Muslims of wanting to violently destroy this idealised image can therefore trigger a lot of emotion," she said.
The creators of such posts, she added, are likely seeking to "sow mistrust and deepen divisions in society, as is the case with Russian disinformation campaigns, for example."
jle-fec/fz/fg

Bondi

Timeline: How the Bondi Beach mass shooting unfolded

  • Naveed Akram, 24, an Australian-born citizen, is accused of joining his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram in a shooting spree aimed at Jewish crowds gathered to celebrate Hanukkah.
  • Australia is reckoning with its deadliest mass shooting in decades after a father and son opened fire on crowds gathered for a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach.
  • Naveed Akram, 24, an Australian-born citizen, is accused of joining his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram in a shooting spree aimed at Jewish crowds gathered to celebrate Hanukkah.
Australia is reckoning with its deadliest mass shooting in decades after a father and son opened fire on crowds gathered for a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach.
Using newly released police allegations, witness testimony, and official statements, AFP pieced together a timeline of the December 14 attack that killed 15 people and wounded dozens.
Naveed Akram, 24, an Australian-born citizen, is accused of joining his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram in a shooting spree aimed at Jewish crowds gathered to celebrate Hanukkah.

Teenage IS supporter

Naveed Akram first caught the eye of Australia's intelligence agency in 2019, when he was a teenager allegedly rubbing shoulders with supporters of the Islamic State group in Sydney. 
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said two of Naveed's associates were later jailed, but he was not considered a serious threat and largely fell off the radar. 

Training

Police allege video found on Naveed's mobile phone from late October shows the father and son training, "firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner" in the countryside, possibly New South Wales.
In the same month, police say mobile video shows them in black T-shirts in front of an Islamic State flag alongside four long-barrelled guns and rounds of ammunition.

Airbnb hideaway

Police say Naveed made an online booking on October 20 for one room inside a five-bedroom Airbnb house located in the southwestern Sydney suburb of Campsie, reserving it from December 2-21.

Philippines trip

Indian-born Sajid, who entered Australia on a visa in 1998, and his son Naveed booked a trip to the southern Philippines for November.
The purpose of their visit remains unclear. 
GV Hotel staff in Davao City have told AFP the pair arrived November 1 and stayed for 28 days, leaving their small room only for short periods. Philippine detectives are poring over CCTV video to trace their movements and contacts.

Gone fishing

Naveed told his family before the shooting that he was taking his father on a fishing trip to Jervis Bay, about two hours south of Sydney.
"Anyone would wish to have a son like my son... he's a good boy," his mother, Verena, told local media.

Two days before the shooting

CCTV images near Bondi Beach from 9.20pm on December 12 allegedly show the father and son parking for suspected "reconnaissance and planning of a terrorist attack".
According to police, the pair walk to the same footbridge from where they are accused of firing into crowds two days later.

Early hours of December 14

At 2:16 am local time on the day of the shooting, police allege CCTV captures them leaving the Airbnb home and placing weapons hidden under blankets in a 2001 Hyundai Elantra car registered to Naveed.
According to police, they packed two single-barrel shotguns, a Beretta rifle, three pipe bombs, one tennis ball bomb, and one large explosive device -- as well as two Islamic State group flags.
They then return to their lodgings.

Driving to Bondi Beach

At 5:09 pm the CCTV captures the suspects leaving the Airbnb and driving towards Bondi, police say. Naveed wears a black T-shirt and black pants. His father wears a black T-shirt and white pants.
Police say the car is tracked by cameras until it parks at Campbell Parade by a footbridge at the beach at 6:50 pm, and the pair allegedly place Islamic State flags on the inside of the front and rear windscreens.
They are accused of removing three firearms, the pipe bombs and the tennis ball bomb before moving towards the footbridge. 
Police say the pipe bombs and tennis ball bomb were thrown towards the crowds -- but they cannot say which suspect threw them. The pipe bombs were allegedly viable but did not detonate.  
A short time later, police allege, Sajid and Naveed Akram "armed with the three firearms, began shooting towards the crowd".

Panic

Thousands of beachgoers dropped everything and fled for their lives as the gunshots rang out.
"We are still asking people in the area to take shelter until we can determine what is happening," police said on social media shortly after 7pm.
A team of off-duty lifeguards sprinted across the sand to drag children to safety. 
Others much closer to the gunmen sought whatever cover they could find.

Taking shelter

Churches, bars and restaurants threw their doors open to shelter the panicked crowds. 
Frenchman Alban Baton, 23, hid for several hours with other customers in a grocery store cool room.
At around that time, Sajid Akram left a footbridge that offered a commanding view of the area and advanced towards the festival. 
As Sajid fired into the crowd, shopkeeper Ahmed Al Ahmed -- who had been getting coffee with friends -- approached him from behind and tackled him in a courageous act broadcast around the world.  
Ahmed wrestled the gun away before pointing it at the assailant, who then backed away.  
Ahmed was shot twice but it is not clear when or by whom.

Police arrive

Armed police arrived about 10 minutes into the shooting, as Sajid rejoined his son on the footbridge.
Sajid was killed in an exchange of fire with police. Naveed allegedly kept shooting until he was shot in the abdomen, hospitalised and charged with offences including terrorism and 15 murders.
Witnesses cheered as he fell to the ground.

Aftermath

Sirens blared as CPR was frantically administered to the bodies strewn across the beachfront. 
One witness described it as a "war zone".
At around 9.36 pm, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns declared the mass shooting a terrorist attack.
Authorities confirmed the next morning that 15 people were killed.
bur-djw/oho/fox

Bondi

Alleged Bondi shooters conducted 'tactical' training in countryside, Australian police say

BY LAURA CHUNG

  • Police documents released Monday said the two had carried out "firearms training" in what was believed to be the New South Wales countryside prior to the shooting.
  • The two suspects in a deadly mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach carried out "tactical" training in the countryside, police alleged Monday, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologised to the country's Jewish community and vowed tougher laws against extremism.
  • Police documents released Monday said the two had carried out "firearms training" in what was believed to be the New South Wales countryside prior to the shooting.
The two suspects in a deadly mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach carried out "tactical" training in the countryside, police alleged Monday, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologised to the country's Jewish community and vowed tougher laws against extremism.
Father and son Sajid Akram and Naveed are accused of targeting a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in almost three decades.
Police documents released Monday said the two had carried out "firearms training" in what was believed to be the New South Wales countryside prior to the shooting.
They said the suspects "meticulously planned" the attack for months, releasing pictures showing them firing shotguns and moving in what they described as a "tactical manner".
The pair also recorded a video in October railing against "Zionists" while sitting in front of a flag of the Islamic State jihadist group and detailing their motivations for the attack, police said.
And they made a nighttime reconnaissance trip to Bondi Beach just days before the killings, documents showed.
The suspects also threw explosives at onlookers during last Sunday's attack, which did not detonate, police said.
Australia observed a minute's silence at 6:47 pm (0747 GMT) on Sunday -- exactly a week since the first reports of gunfire.
On Bondi Beach on Monday, things were gradually returning to normal.
Visitors still spent time in quiet reflection at a memorial set up for the victims, a few placing flowers against walls and on the bridge.
Facing growing political pressure over the attack, Albanese said he would push for tough new laws creating "an aggravated offence for hate preaching". 
"We're not going to let the ISIS-inspired terrorists win. We won't let them divide our society, and we'll get through this together," Albanese told reporters on Monday.
And he apologised to the Jewish community "and our nation as a whole" for what took place. 
"The government will work every day to protect Jewish Australians, to protect the fundamental right as Australians that they have to be proud of who they are, to practice their faith, to educate their children and to engage in Australian society in the fullest way possible," he added.

Crackdown on guns, 'terrorist symbols'

Australia's federal government has flagged a suite of reforms to gun ownership and hate speech laws, as well as a review of police and intelligence services.
Albanese also announced a sweeping buyback scheme to "get guns off our streets".
It is the largest gun buyback since 1996, when Australia cracked down on firearms in the wake of a mass shooting that killed 35 people at Port Arthur.
And the government of New South Wales -- where the shooting took place -- recalled its parliament for two days on Monday to introduce what it called the "toughest firearm reforms in the country".
"We can't pretend that the world is the same as it was before that terrorist incident on Sunday," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters.
"I'd give anything to go back a week, a month, two years, to ensure that didn't happen, but we need to make sure that we take steps so that it never happens again."
The new rules will cap the number of guns an individual can own to four, or 10 for exempted individuals like farmers.
There are more than 1.1 million firearms in the state, officials said.
The legislation would also ban the display of "terrorist symbols", including the flag of the Islamic State, which was found in a car linked to one of the alleged shooters.
Authorities will also be able to prohibit protests for up to three months following a terrorism incident.
One of the alleged gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, was moved from hospital to jail on Monday, police said.
Minns said Monday he would also look into stricter hate speech legislation next year, including restrictions on the phrase "globalise the intifada".
The phrase is a common chant at pro-Palestinian rallies and refers to uprisings against Israeli forces in the occupied territories.
lec-oho/lb

Bondi

What we know about Australia's Bondi Beach attack

  • Hours later, the father and son drove to Bondi to unleash the attack. 
  • A father and son are accused of opening fire on a Jewish festival at Sydney's Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and wounding many more.
  • Hours later, the father and son drove to Bondi to unleash the attack. 
A father and son are accused of opening fire on a Jewish festival at Sydney's Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and wounding many more.
Here's what we know about the December 14 attack, one of the deadliest mass shootings in Australian history.

Gunfire at Bondi

Police received first reports of gunfire at Bondi Beach at 6:47 pm (0747 GMT).
Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed, 24, allegedly fired long-barrelled guns into the crowds at a family-thronged Hanukkah celebration that drew about 1,000 people.
In court documents released Monday, police alleged the pair "meticulously planned" the attack "for many months".
This includes allegations that they carried out "firearms training" in what police said could be the New South Wales countryside.
And the pair made a nighttime "reconnaissance" trip to Bondi Beach just days before the killings, police said.
In surveillance footage, the pair are captured walking along the footbridge from which they would later mount their attack.
They also recorded a video denouncing "Zionists" and detailing their motivations for the killing.
The pair are believed to have rented a room in a shared house days before the shooting.
In the early morning of the shooting, they were captured loading "long and bulky items wrapped in blankets" into a car. These items, police allege, were three firearms, four homemade bombs and two IS flags.
Hours later, the father and son drove to Bondi to unleash the attack. 

Toll

Among the 15 killed were a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor and a married couple shot as they tried to thwart the attack.
Funerals have been held for most, including young Matilda, who was described as a "ray of sunshine"; 87-year-old retired mechanic and Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman; and Bondi locals Boris and Sofia Gurman, who confronted one of the gunmen.

Alleged gunmen

Sajid Akram was shot and killed by police at the scene. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son, unemployed bricklayer Naveed Akram, was wounded and taken to hospital under police guard, emerging from a coma after three days.
An Australian-born citizen, he has been charged with terrorism, 15 murders, 40 counts of grievous bodily harm with intent to murder and displaying a symbol of a prohibited terrorist organisation after two Islamic State group flags were found in his car.
He was transported from hospital to jail Monday, where he will await his next court date.

Investigation

The suspects took a four-week trip to the southern Philippines, returning weeks before the shooting.
Staff of Davao City's GV Hotel told AFP that the two men stayed in their small room for most of their 28-day stay.
But it is not known what they were doing in the country.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation investigated the son in 2019 for possible radicalisation but decided he did not pose a threat.
The service also spoke to the father as part of that review, but he was able to obtain a gun licence that allowed him to hold six rifles, three of them retrieved at the scene of the shooting.

Response

State and federal governments are looking to implement stricter gun reforms in light of the shooting. 
The New South Wales parliament pushed ahead Monday with what it said were the country's strictest gun laws and a ban on displaying "terrorist" symbols. 
The reforms are expected to pass parliament this week.
And Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will launch a buyback scheme to "get guns off our streets", the largest since a lone gunman killed 35 people in Port Arthur in 1996.
He has promised tougher gun laws across Australia with stricter background checks, a ban on non-nationals obtaining firearms and limits on the types of weapons that are legal.
The federal government has also outlined a suite of measures to target extremist preachers, impose stiffer punishments and refuse or cancel visas for people who spread "hate and division". 
Albanese apologised on Monday to the country's Jewish community and said he felt "the weight of responsibility for an atrocity that happened". 
lec-oho/lb

climate

Swiss court to hear landmark climate case against cement giant

BY NINA LARSON

  • Holcim has not owned any cement plants in Indonesia since 2019, but the islanders argue that the company shares the blame for rising temperatures and sea levels.
  • A Swiss court has decided to hear a landmark climate case pitting residents of a tiny Indonesian island being swallowed by rising sea levels against cement giant Holcim, NGOs helping the islanders said Monday.
  • Holcim has not owned any cement plants in Indonesia since 2019, but the islanders argue that the company shares the blame for rising temperatures and sea levels.
A Swiss court has decided to hear a landmark climate case pitting residents of a tiny Indonesian island being swallowed by rising sea levels against cement giant Holcim, NGOs helping the islanders said Monday.
"For the first time ever in Switzerland, a court has admitted climate litigation brought against a large corporation," said a statement from NGOs including Swiss Church Aid (HEKS). 
The case is part of a wider international movement seeking to hold major companies responsible for climate damage that imperils millions, especially in developing countries.
Oil companies have typically been the main target, but activists are hoping the Swiss case will highlight the role of the cement industry, which is responsible for around eight percent of annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by human activity.
Four residents of Pari island filed the case in January 2023, demanding  compensation from the world's largest cement firm and help to fund protection measures on the island.
Two of the islanders travelled to Switzerland for a September hearing at the court in Zug, where Holcim is headquartered, to determine whether it would consider the complaint.

'Gives us strength'

"The court has now made its ruling: the complaint must be admitted in its entirety," the NGOs said.
Both sides received the ruling in advance of Monday's publication and they can still appeal against it.
Holcim said in a statement it had "anticipated this as a potential outcome and intend to appeal".
Environmentalists have said 11 percent of the 42-hectare (104-acre) island of Pari has disappeared in recent years, and it could be completely under water by 2050.
One of the plaintiffs, Asmania, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, hailed Monday's decision.
"We are very pleased. This decision gives us the strength to continue our fight," she said in the NGO's statement.

Mangroves needed

Holcim has repeatedly stressed it is committed to reaching net zero by 2050, but has argued that lawmakers should decide how those goals are met.
"Holcim remains convinced that the courtroom is not the appropriate forum to address the global challenge of climate change," it said.
The NGOs said the Zug court had rejected that argument.
Holcim has not owned any cement plants in Indonesia since 2019, but the islanders argue that the company shares the blame for rising temperatures and sea levels.
Environmentalists say Holcim ranks among the world's 100 biggest corporate CO2 emitters, and so bears significant responsibility for climate-related loss and damage.
The four plaintiffs are seeking 3,600 Swiss francs ($4,500) each from Holcim for damages and for protection measures such as planting mangroves and constructing breakwater barriers.
HEKS has said the amount is equivalent to 0.42 percent of the actual costs -- in line with estimates that Holcim is responsible for 0.42 percent of global industrial CO2 emissions since 1750.
In addition, the plaintiffs are demanding a 43 percent reduction in Holcim's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and a 69 percent reduction by 2040.
nl/jxb

Najib

Jailed Malaysian ex-PM Najib loses bid for house arrest

BY NOEL ACHARIAM AND JAN HENNOP

  • - Next verdict - He faces another verdict this week in a separate trial linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in 2018 elections.
  • Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak lost a bid to have his jail term changed to house arrest on Monday, a setback ahead of a separate verdict this week tied to the country's 1MDB scandal.
  • - Next verdict - He faces another verdict this week in a separate trial linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in 2018 elections.
Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak lost a bid to have his jail term changed to house arrest on Monday, a setback ahead of a separate verdict this week tied to the country's 1MDB scandal.
Najib, 72, is serving a six-year jail term for corruption linked to the plunder of Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, which sparked probes in several countries.
His lawyers had argued that the purported existence of an order by Malaysia's former king, called a "royal addendum", granted him permission to serve the rest of his current sentence at home.
However, Judge Alice Loke Yee Ching disagreed, saying that the royal addendum was not a valid order.
Therefore, "the court cannot issue an... order to direct a house arrest", Loke told the Kuala Lumpur High Court. 
"There is no legal provision for house arrest in Malaysia," she said. "The judicial review is dismissed."
Dressed in a grey suit and white shirt, the former leader reacted with disappointment as Loke handed down the verdict.
His lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told reporters after the hearing that Najib would appeal against the verdict and that the former premier was "very disappointed with the decision".
Najib was originally sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in July 2020 in a first trial involving some 42 million ringgit ($9.9 million at the time), siphoned from a former 1MDB subsidiary called SRC International Sdn Bhd. 
The term was later halved by a pardons board.

Next verdict

He faces another verdict this week in a separate trial linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in 2018 elections.
Friday's verdict is seen as the main case against Najib. He faces four counts of abuse of power to obtain some 2.28 billion ringgit ($554 million) from 1MDB funds, as well as 21 counts of money laundering. 
Prosecutors say Najib abused his position as then prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB advisory board chairman to move large amounts of money from the fund to his personal account more than a decade ago.
The prosecution presented bank records, documents and testimony from more than 50 witnesses. Defence lawyers blamed Najib's close associate, the shadowy fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low. 
Low, who is on the run, is seen as the mastermind behind the scheme to plunder Malaysia's investment vehicle and spend the proceeds on everything from high-end real estate, a private jet and a yacht to pricey art, including a Monet and a Van Gogh.
Najib faces a lengthy extension to his current sentence if convicted of the separate charges on Friday. It would also be another blow to his lingering influence within Malaysia's oldest political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). 
Each count of abuse of power is punishable by up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to five times the amount of the bribe. 
The allegations that stolen funds were used for extravagant purchases played a major role in voters ousting Najib and the long-ruling UMNO party in 2018.
Najib has apologised for the 1MDB scandal happening during his tenure, but maintains he knew nothing about illegal transfers from the now-defunct state fund.
The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the United States, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Singapore, where the funds were allegedly laundered and damaged Malaysia's image abroad.
str-jhe/pbt

treaty

Global nuclear arms control under pressure in 2026

BY FABIEN ZAMORA

  • The first half of the year will see two key events: the US-Russia bilateral treaty, New START, expires on February 5, and in April, New York hosts the Review Conference (RevCon) of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) -- the cornerstone of global nuclear security frameworks.
  • The fragile global legal framework for nuclear weapons control faces further setbacks in 2026, eroding guardrails to avoid a nuclear crisis.
  • The first half of the year will see two key events: the US-Russia bilateral treaty, New START, expires on February 5, and in April, New York hosts the Review Conference (RevCon) of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) -- the cornerstone of global nuclear security frameworks.
The fragile global legal framework for nuclear weapons control faces further setbacks in 2026, eroding guardrails to avoid a nuclear crisis.
The first half of the year will see two key events: the US-Russia bilateral treaty, New START, expires on February 5, and in April, New York hosts the Review Conference (RevCon) of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) -- the cornerstone of global nuclear security frameworks.
The RevCon, held every four to five years, is meant to keep the NPT alive. But during the last two sessions, the 191 signatory states failed to agree on a final document, and experts expect the same outcome in April.
"I think this is going to be a difficult RevCon," said Alexandra Bell, head of US-based global security nonprofit the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, at a UN-hosted online conference in early December. 
"In terms of the current state and near future prospects of nuclear arms control architecture, things are bleak," she added.
Anton Khlopkov, director of Russian think-tank the Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS), took an even starker point of view, saying at the same event that "we are at the point of almost complete dismantlement of arms control architecture".
"We should be realistic in the current circumstances. At best, I think we should try to preserve what we have," he said.

'Crumbling' safeguards

From US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites to Russia's test of the new Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and US President Donald Trump's remarks about possibly resuming nuclear tests -- the international nuclear landscape darkened in 2025. 
At the same time, "the arms control architecture is crumbling", Emmanuelle Maitre of France's Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS) told AFP. 
A key challenge hinges on a shift in global relations. 
Nuclear control had been built over decades around a Moscow-Washington axis, but China's growing power and rapid technological advances have shifted the international playing field, which is simultaneously increasingly strained.
"The growing interlinkage between nuclear and conventional forces and the emergence of disruptive technologies (such as the US Golden Dome defence system and new hypersonic weapons) have transformed traditional nuclear deterrence into a multi-domain concept, especially in a multipolar world," said Peking University's Hua Han.
"This trilateral configuration introduces complexities far beyond the Cold War-era bilateral model. Increasing China-Russia cooperation further complicates deterrence calculations, particularly in the two main theatres of concern: Europe and the Asia-Pacific," she added, according to the minutes of an April event held by Pakistan's Center for International Strategic Studies. 
A likely result of the changing landscape is the lapse of New START, which sets weapon limits and includes inspection systems.
"The entire inspection component is no longer functioning, the notifications when a missile is moved, etc, all of that has vanished. What remains is only the voluntary commitment to stay within the limits," said Maitre.

'Collective solutions'

But allowing New START to lapse is "in American interest", according to Robert Peters of the influential Heritage Foundation, reflecting the stance of much of the US strategic community to avoid tying Washington's hands to Moscow alone. 
Beijing, which currently has fewer weapons, has so far refused to engage in trilateral disarmament talks.
"China is the fastest growing nuclear power on the planet. It's building 100 new warheads a year and now has more ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) silos than the US has active Minuteman III silos," Peters said at a recent online International Institute for Strategic Studies event. 
"New START does nothing to address" that issue, he added. 
However, Maitre said, a New START lapse doesn't mean the world should expect serious consequences as early as February 6. 
In both Washington and Moscow, "there is a small margin to bring some weapons back into service, but the numbers cannot be very significant. There are bottlenecks" that will slow any buildup, she said.
Nor will the lack of a final document from the RevCon cause "immediate or damaging consequences" to the NPT, she said. 
But, she warned, fewer safeguards risks leaving the world without diplomatic tools to resolve tensions.
"The less functional the NPT becomes, the harder it is to forge collective solutions in the event of a crisis."
fz/sw/giv

Najib

Jailed Malaysian ex-PM Najib loses bid for house arrest

  • On Friday, Najib faces yet another verdict in a separate trial linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in the 2018 elections. str-jhe/abs
  • Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak lost a bid Monday to have his jail term changed to house arrest, a setback ahead of a separate verdict this week tied to the country's 1MDB scandal.
  • On Friday, Najib faces yet another verdict in a separate trial linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in the 2018 elections. str-jhe/abs
Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak lost a bid Monday to have his jail term changed to house arrest, a setback ahead of a separate verdict this week tied to the country's 1MDB scandal.
Najib, 72, serving a six-year jail term for corruption linked to the plunder of Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, which sparked probes in several countries. 
His lawyers had argued that the purported existence of an order by Malaysia's former king, called a "royal addendum", granted him permission to serve the rest of his current sentence at home.
But on Monday, Judge Alice Loke Yee Ching Loke disagreed, saying the royal addendum was not a valid order.
Therefore "the court cannot issue an ...order to direct a house arrest", Loke told the Kuala Lumpur High Court. 
"There is no legal provision for house arrest in Malaysia," the judge added. "The judicial review is dismissed."
Najib was tried and originally sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in July 2020, but the term was later halved by a pardons board. 
The 1MDB scandal led to investigations in more than eight countries, including the United States, Switzerland, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, resulting in billions paid back in settlements.
On Friday, Najib faces yet another verdict in a separate trial linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in the 2018 elections.
str-jhe/abs

censorship

Banned film exposes Hong Kong's censorship trend, director says

BY HOLMES CHAN

  • Censors banned 13 films, citing national security reasons, between 2021 and July this year, while 50 films were "required to be modified", the office told AFP. Hong Kong banned no films between 2016 and 2020, but that figure jumped to 10 in 2023.
  • After four months of restless waiting, filmmaker Kiwi Chow received a dreaded, but not altogether unexpected, message: Hong Kong censors had banned his new movie from reaching the big screen.
  • Censors banned 13 films, citing national security reasons, between 2021 and July this year, while 50 films were "required to be modified", the office told AFP. Hong Kong banned no films between 2016 and 2020, but that figure jumped to 10 in 2023.
After four months of restless waiting, filmmaker Kiwi Chow received a dreaded, but not altogether unexpected, message: Hong Kong censors had banned his new movie from reaching the big screen.
The 46-year-old's career, which took off in 2015 with an award-winning dystopian tale, encapsulates how a film industry once known for its audacious spirit and sardonic humour has dimmed to leave artists describing a creative straitjacket. 
His latest thriller "Deadline" tells the story of an elite school rattled by warnings of an impending suicide, Chow told AFP in an interview on Wednesday, describing the work as an allegory for hyper-competition under capitalism. 
The movie was filmed in Taiwan but set in what Chow called an "imaginary world".
"(Censors) determined that it was 'contrary to the interests of national security'... But how? Nobody gave an explanation," the director said, calling the decision "absurd".
Beijing imposed a strict national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub. Film censorship rules were tightened a year later.
After that, Chow said, the film industry stepped up self-censorship.
"If it involves Hong Kong's real political situation, absolutely no one will make a movie about it," he said.
Asked about "Deadline", the Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration said it would not comment on individual applications.
Censors banned 13 films, citing national security reasons, between 2021 and July this year, while 50 films were "required to be modified", the office told AFP.
Hong Kong banned no films between 2016 and 2020, but that figure jumped to 10 in 2023.
Chow said he believes his film was rejected not because of its content, but because his years flouting Beijing's taboos have put him on an informal blacklist.
"I want to collaborate with actors, seek out locations and investors, but it is very difficult," he said.
"I felt so lonely," he said of making "Deadline".

Decade in hindsight

On December 17, 2015, "Ten Years" premiered in Hong Kong and showcased five dystopian vignettes -- including one directed by Chow -- at a time when many residents feared Beijing's growing political influence in the semi-autonomous city.
Speaking to AFP exactly 10 years later, Chow recalled how crowds flocked to community screenings after some mainstream cinemas refused to show the film.
"Many people felt that 'Ten Years' depicted Hong Kong's predicament... and how freedoms could be lost. (They felt) this was prophesied in the film and it came true," Chow said.
Chow's segment of the film, titled "Self-immolator", ends with a fictional elderly woman dousing herself in petrol and flicking a lighter.
"The self-immolator was a symbol of sacrifice. I wanted to ask Hong Kongers: 'How much are you willing to sacrifice for values like freedom and justice?'" he said, adding that his ideas on sacrifice are shaped by his Christian faith.
He said he got his answer during the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which were unprecedented in scale and ferocity and led to more than 10,200 arrests and more than 2,000 people sanctioned by law.
In 2019, Chow was near the end of the production cycle of a romantic drama film, but he also shot extensive footage of the protests that would become the documentary "Revolution of Our Times".
The documentary premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021, but Chow never tried to screen it in Hong Kong and kept the entire production team anonymous.
"After making 'Revolution of Our Times', I expected not to be able to make movies for quite a long time, and was mentally prepared to go to jail," he said.

'Risk'

While the documentary did not land Chow in prison, the filmmaker said he paid a steep price as investors and collaborators deserted him, almost dooming "Deadline".
Chow said he could not secure a single Hong Kong school as a filming location, prompting him to move the production to Taiwan, where the film was released last month.
The long-awaited Hong Kong censorship decision came as a blow, particularly for the film's commercial prospects.
"The government took an official stance that this film was contrary to the interest of national security, which could be a first (for me), and adds some level of risk and anxiety," Chow said.
Some of Chow's supporters in Hong Kong travelled to Taiwan for special screenings of "Deadline", though one organiser said he was searched by customs upon his return.
Hong Kong customs declined to comment on individual cases.
Chow did not want to "abandon" his city despite feeling that political censorship was creating headwinds for his work. 
"Maybe I will lower my budget or change the script," he said.
"As long as (the film) can be made in Hong Kong, then I haven't given up."
hol/dhw/ceg/lb

Bondi

Australian state pushes tough gun laws, 'terror symbols' ban after shooting

  • The legislation would also ban the display of "terrorist symbols", including the flag of the Islamic State, which was found in a car linked to one of the alleged shooters.
  • Australia's most populous state pushed ahead Monday with what it said were the country's strictest gun laws and a ban on displaying "terrorist" symbols after two gunmen killed 15 people celebrating a Jewish festival in Sydney last week.
  • The legislation would also ban the display of "terrorist symbols", including the flag of the Islamic State, which was found in a car linked to one of the alleged shooters.
Australia's most populous state pushed ahead Monday with what it said were the country's strictest gun laws and a ban on displaying "terrorist" symbols after two gunmen killed 15 people celebrating a Jewish festival in Sydney last week.
A father and son are accused of targeting a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in almost three decades.
The country observed a minute's silence at 6:47 pm (0747 GMT) on Sunday -- exactly a week since the first reports of gunfire.
On Monday, the government of New South Wales -- where the shooting took place -- recalled its parliament for two days to introduce what it called the "toughest firearm reforms in the country".
"We can't pretend that the world is the same as it was before that terrorist incident on Sunday," New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told reporters.
"I'd give anything to go back a week, a month, two years, to ensure that didn't happen, but we need to make sure that we take steps so that it never happens again."
The new rules will cap the number of guns an individual can own to four, or ten for exempted individuals like farmers.
There are more than 1.1 million firearms in the state, officials said.
The legislation would also ban the display of "terrorist symbols", including the flag of the Islamic State, which was found in a car linked to one of the alleged shooters.
Authorities will also be able to prohibit protests for up to three months following a terrorism incident.
Police had said the two alleged gunmen were inspired by "Islamic State ideology".
One, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the Bondi attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in hospital under police guard and faces multiple charges, including terrorism and 15 murders.
Minns said Monday he would also look into stricter hate speech legislation next year, including restrictions on the phrase "globalise the intifada".
The phrase is a common chant at pro-Palestinian rallies and refers to past uprisings against Israeli forces in the occupied territories.
Australia's federal government has also flagged a suite of reforms to gun ownership and hate speech laws, as well as a review of police and intelligence services.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced last week a sweeping buyback scheme to "get guns off our streets".
It is the largest gun buyback since 1996, when Australia cracked down on firearms in the wake of a mass shooting that killed 35 people at Port Arthur.
lec/oho/abs

festival

A night out on the town during Nigeria's 'Detty December'

BY LESLIE FAUVEL

  • Two pole dancers put on a show in seasonal red-and-white fur boots and red satin bodysuits.
  • The first winds of west Africa's Harmattan dry season are in the air, and Lagos, the economic capital of the continent's most populous country, is abuzz.
  • Two pole dancers put on a show in seasonal red-and-white fur boots and red satin bodysuits.
The first winds of west Africa's Harmattan dry season are in the air, and Lagos, the economic capital of the continent's most populous country, is abuzz.
It's "Detty December", when the city turns into a site of pilgrimage for Nigerians and those in the diaspora to make their way home for the holidays -- and party.
The frenetic mega-city, churning with some 20 million people on a normal day, swells each year as it absorbs the newcomers.
AFP reporters spent a night out on the town on a recent December evening to document a city known for its excess exploding into full-blown extravagance.

6:00 pm

The sun is setting over Ilubirin, a half-finished housing estate being constructed on sand-filled land reclaimed from the swampy Lagos lagoon.
Things have yet to get debaucherous or "dirty" -- the English word which Nigerian Pidgin, with its sonorous accent, deftly spun into "detty".
But the night is still young.
Technicians were still setting up spotlights among the sea of unfinished buildings as the first arrivals made their way to the "Detty December Festival", which was hosting three weeks straight of performances and concerts.
"After the whole hustle and bustle, working all year round, Detty December is the time I have to just come out, enjoy myself and just let loose," said Chioma Chinweze, a 33-year-old marketing consultant with straightened hair worn in a bob.

8:00 pm

Acrobats dressed in white were performing around a moon suspended by a crane, above a small but growing audience.
"This one's going to be bigger than last year," Taiwo Akintunji, a nurse who has lived in Los Angeles for the past two decades, told AFP of the citywide festivities.
While many trek in from across the country or from the diaspora in Europe and the United States, some hotel owners also report growing numbers of foreign tourists as the annual fete grows.

11:30 pm

On Victoria Island, a ritzy neighbourhood where Lagos's old money mixes with new, the party was getting under way at Mr. Panther, a lounge six floors up from the streets below.
"This month, everyone goes crazy. All the clubs are opening, new clubs are opening, new restaurants are opening," said manager Charbel Abi Habib.
"To be very honest and very straightforward, the money is made during Detty December."
A woman in a black minidress was scrolling through her phone, when a man next to her, dressed in black with a cigar dangling from his mouth, slipped two $100 bills in her cleavage -- she popped up to start dancing, as bottles of champagne circulated the club.
The bathrooms are decorated with faux marble, and the image of a black panther with a yellow eye fixed on customers as they freshen up.
"The Nigerian economy is very tight. And living in Nigeria is not really the best. But December is where you are just carefree," said Michelle Wobo, a 32-year-old make-up artist.

2:00 am

For the last two years, the country -- already known for its brutal inequality -- has been battered by double digit inflation, characterised as the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.
Across the north, meanwhile, a spate of mass kidnappings reminiscent of Boko Haram's 2014 abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok recently led the president to declare a "national emergency".
But none of that anxiety was apparent as guests started to filter out of Mr. Panther.
They weren’t on their way home, instead making their way upstairs to Guestlist, a club that opened just two weeks ago.
Two pole dancers put on a show in seasonal red-and-white fur boots and red satin bodysuits.
"I feel the safest I've ever been," said Liberty Mini, a 33-year-old interior decorator originally from Burundi, who has lived in Lagos for three years.

4:00 am

At Vein, a nightclub not far off, Tiwa Savage, one of Nigeria's biggest Afrobeats stars, took to the mic.
Women in string bikini bottoms and sequined pasties covering their nipples were dancing among swirling hookah smoke, as men tossed banknotes in the air.
The practice is officially banned -- the "spraying" of bills, that is, not the barely clad bumping and grinding.

5:00 am

Babatunde Olabode took in some fresh air in the car park, among the Mercedes Benzes and Lamborghinis.
The 40-year-old real-estate agent figured he would stay out another hour, "then I go to bed".
"Party continues tomorrow," he added.
fvl/nro/sn/kjm

coastguard

US in 'pursuit' of third oil tanker in Caribbean: official

  • "The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion.
  • The US Coast Guard was pursuing another allegedly sanctioned tanker on Sunday, a US official told AFP, as Washington ramps up its pressure campaign targeting Venezuela's vital oil sector.
  • "The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion.
The US Coast Guard was pursuing another allegedly sanctioned tanker on Sunday, a US official told AFP, as Washington ramps up its pressure campaign targeting Venezuela's vital oil sector.
The "active pursuit" in the Caribbean Sea was happening a day after the Coast Guard seized its second vessel off Venezuela in two weeks.
US President Donald Trump announced on December 16 a blockade of "sanctioned oil vessels" sailing to and from Venezuela, demanding the return of allegedly stolen US assets in the oil-rich South American country.
He has also deployed a large navy armada in the Caribbean with a stated mission of combatting drug trafficking, but which Caracas says is a pressure campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
"The United States Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion. It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order," a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in a statement to AFP.
News outlets identified the ship involved as the Bella 1, an oil tanker under US sanctions since 2024 because of alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah.
According to the specialized site TankerTrackers, the ship was en route to Venezuela but not carrying cargo.
US forces approached the vessel late Saturday, but the ship did not submit to being boarded and continued sailing, the New York Times reported, citing unnamed officials.
Earlier on Saturday, the US Coast Guard seized the Centuries, which according to TankerTrackers is a Chinese-owned and Panama-flagged tanker.
It said that ship was loaded with 1.8 million barrels of crude oil at a Venezuelan port earlier this month before being escorted out of the Latin American country's exclusive economic zone on December 18.
An AFP review found that the Centuries did not appear on the US Treasury Department's list of sanctioned companies and individuals.

Chevron tanker

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez on Sunday posted a statement to social media about oil giant Chevron sending a tanker from Caracas to the United States carrying Venezuelan oil -- without mentioning either vessel interdicted by Washington. 
"A ship of the American company Chevron has set sail from our country carrying Venezuelan oil bound for the United States, in strict adherence to regulations and in fulfillment of the commitments undertaken by our oil industry," Rodriguez said on Telegram. 
Chevron renewed its license this year to extract crude oil from Venezuela, accounting for roughly 10 percent of the country's production. 
"Venezuela has always been, and will continue to be, respectful of national and international legality," Rodriguez continued.
The Trump administration claims that Venezuela is using oil, its main resource, to finance "narcoterrorism." 
The US military since September has also conducted a series of air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. 
Critics have questioned the legality of the attacks, which have killed more than 100 people.
Caracas denies any involvement in drug trafficking and insists that Washington is seeking to overthrow Maduro to seize Venezuela's oil reserves.
ph/iv/jgc/ksb

carbon

CO2 soon to be buried under North Sea oil platform

BY CAMILLE BAS-WOHLERT, WITH PIERRE-HENRY DESHAYES

  • And even more so when it involves burying them at sea.
  • In the North Sea where Denmark once drilled for oil, imported European carbon dioxide will soon be buried under the seabed in a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project nearing completion.
  • And even more so when it involves burying them at sea.
In the North Sea where Denmark once drilled for oil, imported European carbon dioxide will soon be buried under the seabed in a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project nearing completion.
CCS technology is one of the tools approved by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) to curb global warming, especially for reducing the CO2 footprint of industries like cement and steel that are difficult to decarbonise.
But the technology is complex and costly.
Led by British chemicals giant Ineos, the Greensand project 170 kilometres (105 miles) off the Danish coast consists of a deep, empty reservoir beneath a small, wind-swept oil platform in the North Sea.
In its first phase due to begin in the next few months, Greensand is slated to store 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
It's "a very good opportunity to reverse the process: instead of extracting oil, we can now inject CO2 into the ground," Mads Gade, Ineos's head of European operations, told AFP.
Liquefied CO2 sourced mainly from biomass power plants will be shipped from Europe via the Esbjerg terminal in southwestern Denmark to the Nini platform above an empty oil reservoir, into which it will be injected.
"The reason why the North Sea is seen as a vault for CO2 storage is because of the enormous amounts of data that we have collected through over 50 years of petroleum production," said CCS coordinator Ann Helen Hansen at the Norwegian Offshore Directorate (Sodir).
This area of the North Sea is teeming with depleted oil and gas fields like Nini, as well as deep rock basins.
According to Sodir, the Norwegian part of the North Sea alone theoretically has a geological storage capacity of around 70 billion tonnes (70 Gt) of CO2. On the British side, the figure is 78 Gt, according to the British government.
In Denmark, the geological institute has no overall data, but the Bifrost project, led by TotalEnergies, estimates it could store 335 million tonnes of CO2. 
By comparison, the European Union's greenhouse gas emissions amounted to about 3.2 Gt last year.

Costly solution

Under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), the EU has set a legally binding target to have a storage capacity of at least 50 million tonnes per year by 2030.
Installations are gradually being put in place.
Greensand plans to increase its carbon dioxide injection capacity to up to eight million tonnes per year by 2030.
In neighbouring Norway, the world's first commercial CO2 transport and storage service, dubbed Northern Lights, carried out its first CO2 injection in August into an aquifer 110 kilometers off Bergen on the western coast.
Its owners -- energy giants Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies -- have agreed to increase annual capacity from 1.5 to five million tonnes of CO2 by the end of the decade.
And in Britain, authorities have just launched a second tender, after already awarding 21 storage permits in 2023. A first injection of CO2 is expected in the coming years.
But customers are still nowhere to be found.
For industrial actors, the cost of capturing, transporting and storing their emissions remains far higher than the price of purchasing carbon allowances on the market.
And even more so when it involves burying them at sea.
"Offshore is probably more expensive than onshore but with offshore there's often more public acceptance," said Ann Helen Hansen.
To date, the Northern Lights consortium has signed only three commercial contracts with European companies to store their CO2. 
The consortium would probably never have seen the light of day without generous financial support from the Norwegian state.
While it supports the use of CCS for sectors that are hard to decarbonise, the Norwegian branch of Friends of the Earth says CCS has been used as an excuse to avoid having to exit the oil era.
"The idea that the region responsible for the problem could now become part of the solution is a very seductive narrative," said the head of this environmental NGO, Truls Gulowsen.
"But that's not really what we're seeing. Fossil fuels and climate emissions from the North Sea are far larger than anything we could ever put back there with CCS."
cbw-phy/ef/po/rh

Bollywood

India's Bollywood counts costs as star fees squeeze profits

BY SEEMA SINHA

  • "The kind of demands stars make is obnoxious."
  • From fleets of private trailers to personal chefs and sprawling entourages, Bollywood stars' "obnoxious" demands are driving up production costs and putting a strain on the Indian film industry's finances, insiders say.
  • "The kind of demands stars make is obnoxious."
From fleets of private trailers to personal chefs and sprawling entourages, Bollywood stars' "obnoxious" demands are driving up production costs and putting a strain on the Indian film industry's finances, insiders say.
Bollywood has long been unpredictable at the box office and the pandemic compounded problems, but producers argue that today's losses stem less from creative failure and more from top artists' runaway expenses.
"It is not so much about production cost -- it is more about star fees," says producer Ramesh Taurani, best known for the successful Race action franchise.
Actors, filmmakers say, increasingly arrive on set with a dozen-strong entourage -- including makeup artists, hairdressers, stylists, gym trainers and assistants -- all billed to production.
Stars are paid hefty fees of up to $22.18 million per film but additional requests for first-class travel, five-star hotels, multiple private trailers and work-shy hours have become routine.
"Expansive support teams, premium travel and luxury accommodations often inflate budgets without proportionate creative impact," said veteran producer Mukesh Bhatt. "The kind of demands stars make is obnoxious."
Distributor and trade analyst Raj Bansal added: "One actor usually comes with 10 to 15 staff members.
"Earlier, actors wouldn't mind sharing one vanity van. Then they decided to give one vanity van each to a big star -- and demand went on increasing."
A single trailer hired for the duration of a film shoot can cost as much $18,000. For some actors, insiders say, demanding more has become a status symbol.

'Self-respect'

Bollywood has always been considered high-risk, producing more flops than hits, but producers say the balance has tipped sharply as star-driven costs spiral beyond what box office returns can sustain.
The fragile model was shaken after the pandemic, when streaming platforms bought films at inflated prices. 
When those deals dried up, producers faced a painful course correction as income plunged but actors' demands stayed elevated. And that problem continues today.
Competition has also intensified. 
"Audience behaviour has matured, streaming platforms have broadened horizons and regional cinema has elevated creative standards," says Bhatt.
"Yet, alongside this progress, rising production costs -- particularly talent-driven budgets -- have introduced a significant strain. It is not the films that falter, but the economics that lose balance."
Actor-filmmaker Aamir Khan slammed stars for burdening producers with these costs.
"You earn in crores (tens of millions of rupees)," Khan said, in a September interview with the YouTube show Game Changers. "Where's your self-respect?"

'Power of storytelling'

Industry insiders say actors' demands also have a cascading effect, as stars seek to exceed each other's perks.
"A measured approach will allow us to redirect resources toward what truly defines cinema -- the power of storytelling," said Bhatt.
Producers have pushed for partnership-style compensation models.
"When a film thrives, every contributor should benefit," Bhatt said. "When it struggles, the weight should not rest solely on the producer, who shoulders risk from the very beginning."
The 2024 science fiction action film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan ("Big Mister, Little Mister"), starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, reportedly cost about $42 million. After poor ticket sales, producers were reported to have mortgaged property to cover debts.
There have been exceptions.
Actor Kartik Aaryan waived his fee for the 2023 action-comedy Shehzada, which tanked at the box office.
"If your star value and the entire project's value gives profit to the entire team, I think then the math adds up," Aaryan said. "If it doesn't, then you should take a cut."
Some producers argue that the industry must confront its own excesses.
"If the star fee and entourage is affecting your budget, then don't take stars," says actor-writer-producer Viveck Vaswani.
"I have made 40 films with 40 newcomers and have prospered. I took SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) when nobody wanted him. I cast Raveena Tandon when nobody knew her."
Vaswani, a longtime friend of Khan, notes that "SRK has no entourage cost, he pays his own", as does Akshay Kumar.
"Lots of them do that, they don't burden the producers," he said. "If you think your star is stronger than your script, you are wrong."
str/pjm/abh/dan

politics

'A den of bandits': Rwanda closes thousands of evangelical churches

BY MOSES GAHIGI

  • The closure of Grace Room Ministries came as a shock to many across the country.
  • Grace Room Ministries once filled giant stadiums in Rwanda three times a week before the evangelical organisation was shut down in May.
  • The closure of Grace Room Ministries came as a shock to many across the country.
Grace Room Ministries once filled giant stadiums in Rwanda three times a week before the evangelical organisation was shut down in May.
It is one of the 10,000 churches reportedly closed by the government for failing to comply with a 2018 law designed to regulate places of worship.
The law introduced new rules on health, safety, and financial disclosures, and requires all preachers to have theological training.
President Paul Kagame has been vocal in his criticisms of the evangelical churches that have sprouted across the small country in Africa's Great Lakes region.
"If it were up to me I wouldn't even reopen a single church," Kagame told a news briefing last month.
"In all the development challenges we are dealing with, the wars... our country's survival -- what is the role of these churches? Are they also providing jobs? Many are just thieving... some churches are just a den of bandits," he said.
The vast majority of Rwandans are Christian according to a 2024 census, with many now travelling long and costly distances to find places to pray.
Observers say the real reason for the closures comes down to control.
Kagame's government is saying "there's no rival in terms of influence," Louis Gitinywa, a lawyer and political analyst based in Kigali, told AFP.
The ruling party "bristles when an organisation or individual gains influence", he said, a view also expressed to AFP by an anonymous government official. 

'Deceived'

The 2018 law requires churches to submit annual action plans stating how they align with "national values". All donations must be channelled through registered accounts.
Pastor Sam Rugira, whose two church branches were shut down last year for failing to meet fire safety regulations, said the rules mostly affected new evangelical churches that have "mushroomed" in recent years.
But Kagame has described the church as a relic of the colonial period, a chapter of its history with which the country is still grappling.
"You have been deceived by the colonisers and you let yourself be deceived," he said in November.
The closure of Grace Room Ministries came as a shock to many across the country.
Pastor Julienne Kabanda, had been drawing massive crowds to the shiny new BK Arena in Kigali when the church's licence was revoked. 
The government had cited unauthorised evangelical activities and a failure to submit "annual activity and financial reports". 
AFP was unable to reach Kabanda for comment.

'Open disdain, disgust'

A church leader in Kigali, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the president's "open disdain and disgust" for churches "spells tough times ahead".
"It is unfair that even those that fulfilled all requirements are still closed," he added.
But some say the clampdown on places of worship is linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which around 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were slaughtered.
Ismael Buchanan a political science lecturer at the National University of Rwanda, told AFP the church could sometimes act as "a conduit of recruitment" for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Hutu militia formed in exile in DR Congo by those who committed the genocide. 
"I agree religion and faith have played a key role in healing Rwandans from the emotional and psychological wounds after the genocide, but it also makes no sense to have a church every two kilometres instead of hospitals and schools," he said.
Pastor Rugira meanwhile suggested the government is "regulating what it doesn't understand".
It should instead work with churches to weed out "bad apples" and help them meet requirements, especially when it comes to the donations they rely on to survive, he said. 
str-er/rbu/mnk/rh

conflict

Southeast Asia bloc meets to press Thailand, Cambodia on truce

BY MARTIN ABBUGAO

  • Malaysia, which holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed hope that the talks in Kuala Lumpur would help achieve a lasting ceasefire between the two countries, both members of the regional bloc.
  • Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to meet Monday in Malaysia for crisis talks aimed at halting deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, which pressed on despite regional and international diplomacy.
  • Malaysia, which holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed hope that the talks in Kuala Lumpur would help achieve a lasting ceasefire between the two countries, both members of the regional bloc.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to meet Monday in Malaysia for crisis talks aimed at halting deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, which pressed on despite regional and international diplomacy.
Renewed fighting between the two neighbours this month has killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia, and displaced more than 900,000 on both sides, officials said.
Malaysia, which holds the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), expressed hope that the talks in Kuala Lumpur would help achieve a lasting ceasefire between the two countries, both members of the regional bloc.
"Our duty is to present the facts, but more importantly, to press upon them that it is imperative for them to secure peace," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last week, adding that he was "cautiously optimistic".
The reignited violence shattered a fragile truce reached after five days of clashes in July, with US, Chinese and Malaysian mediation.
In October, US President Donald Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration, touting new trade deals after they agreed in Kuala Lumpur to prolong their truce.
Each side has blamed the other for instigating the clashes, claiming self-defence and trading accusations of attacks on civilians.
On Sunday, both Cambodia and Thailand said Monday's gathering could help de-escalate tensions. Both governments have confirmed they would send their top diplomats to the meeting.
Thai foreign ministry spokeswoman Maratee Nalita Andamo called it "an important opportunity for both sides".
Cambodia's foreign ministry said the talks aimed to restore "peace, stability and good neighbourly relations".

'Dialogue'

"Cambodia will reaffirm its firm position of resolving differences and disputes through all peaceful means, dialogue and diplomacy," Phnom Penh added.
Maratee reiterated Bangkok's earlier conditions for negotiations, including a demand that Cambodia be first to announce a truce, and cooperate in de-mining efforts at the border.
Those conditions, the spokeswoman told reporters, "will guide our interaction in the discussions tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur".
The Thai government gave no guarantee that the meeting would produce a truce, saying in a statement that a "ceasefire can only be achieved when it is based primarily on the Thai military's assessment of the situation on the ground".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week Washington hoped for a new ceasefire by Tuesday.
Trump, who helped broker an earlier truce, claimed this month that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt the fighting.
But Bangkok denied any such truce existed, with clashes continuing for two weeks and spreading to nearly all border provinces on both sides of the frontier.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border and a smattering of ancient temple ruins situated on the frontier.
burs-mba/sco/jhe/ami/abs

conflict

US, Ukraine hail 'productive' Miami talks but no breakthrough

  • Witkoff on Sunday similarly said that the meetings with Dmitriev were "productive and constructive."
  • US and Ukrainian envoys issued a joint statement on Sunday that hailed "productive and constructive" talks in Miami but did not announce any apparent breakthrough in efforts to end the war with Russia.
  • Witkoff on Sunday similarly said that the meetings with Dmitriev were "productive and constructive."
US and Ukrainian envoys issued a joint statement on Sunday that hailed "productive and constructive" talks in Miami but did not announce any apparent breakthrough in efforts to end the war with Russia.
Top representatives from both Ukraine and Russia, as well as Kyiv's European allies, have been in southern Florida over the past several days for a series of separate talks hosted by US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
The meetings were the latest in a weeks-long diplomatic blitz over plans to end the war, after Washington last month presented a 28-point proposal widely seen as echoing the Kremlin's demands.
It has since been redrafted following Ukraine and Europe's involvement, though its contents have not been publicly disclosed.
"Over the last three days in Florida, the Ukrainian delegation held a series of productive and constructive meetings with American and European partners," Witkoff and Ukraine's top negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said in separate statements on X.
They said a bilateral US-Ukraine meeting focused on developing and aligning positions on "four key documents" -- a "20-point plan," a "Multilateral security guarantee framework," a "US Security guarantee framework for Ukraine" and an "economic & prosperity plan."
"Particular attention was given to discussing timelines and the sequencing of next steps," they said, without announcing any further meetings.
National security advisors from Kyiv's European allies "also joined the discussions to align on a shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States, and Europe," the statements added.
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev was also in southern Florida and met with the US delegation, which included billionaire real estate developer Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Witkoff on Sunday similarly said that the meetings with Dmitriev were "productive and constructive."
Earlier, the Kremlin said recent proposed changes to the plan to end the war were a non-starter.
Dmitriev "should receive information about what has been developed by the Americans and Europeans" in the plan and report that back to Moscow later, Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state TV.
Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, sees Europe as pro-war and argues that its participation in the talks only hinders them.

War rages on

While little is known of the latest peace plans, Kyiv is likely to be expected to surrender some territory -- a prospect resented by many Ukrainians -- in exchange for US security guarantees.
Though envoys from both Moscow and Kyiv were in town, the Kremlin had earlier ruled out three-way talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier described the talks as "constructive" and said they were "moving at a fairly rapid pace."
He nevertheless cautioned that "much depends on whether Russia feels the need to end the war for real."
He also hailed this week as "historic" for Ukraine, thanking Europe for pledging $100 billion of funding over the next two years.
Moscow's troops have been steadily advancing at the eastern front in recent months. Putin on Friday hailed the Russian army's territorial gains -- and threatened more in the coming weeks.
Just over the week, "Russia has launched approximately 1,300 attack drones, nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 9 missiles of various types" against Ukraine, Zelensky said.
Most of them have pummeled the Black Sea region of Odesa, where relentless strikes wrought havoc on ports, bridges and energy facilities, killing eight people Saturday. 
In the eastern Sumy region, Russian troops attempted a breakthrough in an area previously spared from an intense ground offensive. Russian forces forcibly moved 50 people from a local village, said Kyiv.
"Russian invaders have stolen five dozen civilian people, mostly elderly women, from a tiny Ukrainian village Grabovske, right across the state border in the Sumy region," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said. 
Russia made no comment on the matter.
bur-des/ksb

justice

Trump administration denies cover-up over redacted Epstein files

BY IMRAN VITTACHI

  • Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the release by the Justice Department, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that "we are not redacting information around President Trump."  
  • US Justice Department officials on Sunday denied redacting the Epstein files to protect President Donald Trump, as criticism mounted over the partial and heavily-censored release of documents.
  • Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the release by the Justice Department, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that "we are not redacting information around President Trump."  
US Justice Department officials on Sunday denied redacting the Epstein files to protect President Donald Trump, as criticism mounted over the partial and heavily-censored release of documents.
Victims of Jeffrey Epstein have expressed anger after a cache of records from cases against the late sex offender were released Friday with many pages blacked out and photos censored.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the release by the Justice Department, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that "we are not redacting information around President Trump."  
When asked if any material was redacted to due to political sensitivities -- which would be illegal -- Blanche replied "absolutely, positively not."
The decision to remove an image of several group photos, including at least one showing Trump, had been taken over "concerns about those women," said Blanche, a former personal lawyer to the president.
The Justice Department on Sunday reposted the photo "without any alteration or redaction" after a review determined "there is no evidence that any Epstein victims are depicted."
Democratic lawmakers accused Trump himself of defying a law ordering the release of all files on Epstein, who amassed a fortune and circulated among rich and famous people.
"It's all about covering up things that, for whatever reason, Donald Trump doesn't want to go public, either about himself (or) other members of his family, friends," Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union."
The tranche of materials released Friday included photographs of former president Bill Clinton and other famous names such as pop stars Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.
The Justice Department said it was protecting Epstein's victims with the blackouts.
But the many redactions -- and allegations of missing documents -- only added to calls for justice in a case that has fueled conspiracy theories from Trump's right-wing base.

'Selective concealment'

Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who has long pushed for complete release of the files, on Sunday joined in with the Democrats' demands.
"They're flouting the spirit and the letter of the law. It's very troubling the posture that they've taken. And I won't be satisfied until the survivors are satisfied," he told CBS's "Face The Nation."
A 60-count indictment that implicates well-known people was not released, Massie charged. "It's about the selective concealment," he said.
Trump tried to block the disclosure of the files linked to Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
The president finally bowed to mounting pressure from Congress -- including members of his own party -- and signed the law compelling publication of the material.
Trump was once a close friend of Epstein, regularly attending parties together, but he cut ties with him years before his arrest and faces no accusations of wrongdoing.

Accomplice in jail

At least one released file contained dozens of censored images of naked or scantily clad figures, while previously unseen photographs of disgraced former prince Andrew show him lying across the legs of five women.
Other pictures show Clinton lounging in a hot tub, part of the image blacked out, and swimming alongside a dark-haired woman who appears to be Epstein's accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, remains the only person convicted in connection with his crimes, and is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for the former banker, whose death was ruled a suicide.
Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, said on ABC's "This Week" that justice officials must provide written explanation to Congress within 15 days about why they withheld any documents.
"It does appear, of course, that this initial document release is inadequate," Jeffries said.
iv/bgs/ksb/jgc