defense

China fires missiles on second day of military drills around Taiwan

gender

Japanese women MPs want more seats, the porcelain kind

BY HIROSHI HIYAMA

  • Although the number of women politicians rose at the last election -- and despite Takaichi becoming the first female prime minister in October -- Japanese politics remains massively male-dominated.
  • Nearly 60 women lawmakers in Japan, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more toilets in the parliament building to match their improved representation.
  • Although the number of women politicians rose at the last election -- and despite Takaichi becoming the first female prime minister in October -- Japanese politics remains massively male-dominated.
Nearly 60 women lawmakers in Japan, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more toilets in the parliament building to match their improved representation.
Although the number of women politicians rose at the last election -- and despite Takaichi becoming the first female prime minister in October -- Japanese politics remains massively male-dominated.
This is reflected by there being only one lavatory containing two cubicles for the lower house's 73 women to use near the Diet's main plenary session hall in central Tokyo.
"Before plenary sessions start, truly so many women lawmakers have to form long queues in front of the restroom," said Yasuko Komiyama from the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party.
She was speaking after submitting the cross-party petition signed by 58 women to Yasukazu Hamada, the chair of the lower house committee on rules and administration, earlier this month.
The Diet building was finished in 1936, nearly a decade before women got the vote in December 1945 following Japan's defeat in World War II.
The entire lower house building has 12 men's toilets with 67 stalls and nine women's facilities with a total of 22 cubicles, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
Gender-rigid Japan ranked 118 out of 148 this year in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. Women are also grossly under-represented in business and the media.
In elections, women candidates say that they often have to deal with sexist jibes, including being told that they should be at home looking after children.
Currently, 72 of 465 lower house lawmakers are women, up from 45 in the previous parliament, as are 74 of the 248 upper house members.
The government's stated target is to have women occupy at least 30 percent of the legislative seats.
Takaichi, an admirer of former British premier Margaret Thatcher, said before becoming premier that she wanted "Nordic" levels of gender balance in her cabinet.
But, in the end, she appointed just two other women to her 19-strong cabinet.
Takaichi, 64, has said she hopes to raise awareness about women's health struggles and has spoken candidly about her own experience with menopause.
But she is still seen as socially conservative.
She opposes revising a 19th-century law requiring married couples to share the same surname, and wants the imperial family to retain male-only succession.
The increasing demand for female loos can be seen as a sign of progress for Japan although it also reflects the nation's failure to achieve gender equality, Komiyama said.
"In a way, this symbolises how the number of female lawmakers has increased," Komiyama told reporters, according to her party's website, adding that she hoped for more equality in other areas of life.
hih/stu/fox

defense

Taiwan coastguard says Chinese ships 'withdrawing' after drills

  • "The warships and coastguard vessels are withdrawing, but a few are still lingering outside the 24-nautical-mile line," Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy director-general of Taiwan's coastguard, told AFP, indicating the "drills should be over".
  • Chinese warships and coastguard vessels are withdrawing from waters around Taiwan, the island's coastguard said Wednesday, with Beijing's military drills appearing to be "over".
  • "The warships and coastguard vessels are withdrawing, but a few are still lingering outside the 24-nautical-mile line," Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy director-general of Taiwan's coastguard, told AFP, indicating the "drills should be over".
Chinese warships and coastguard vessels are withdrawing from waters around Taiwan, the island's coastguard said Wednesday, with Beijing's military drills appearing to be "over".
China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels around the island on Monday and Tuesday in live-fire drills aimed at simulating a blockade of the Taiwan's key ports and assaults on maritime targets.
Taipei, which slammed the two-day war games as "highly provocative and reckless", said the manoeuvre failed to impose a blockade on the island.
Communist China has never ruled democratic Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island of 23 million people is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it.
"The warships and coastguard vessels are withdrawing, but a few are still lingering outside the 24-nautical-mile line," Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy director-general of Taiwan's coastguard, told AFP, indicating the "drills should be over".
Taiwan's coastguard has maintained a deployment of 11 ships at sea because China Coast Guard vessels "haven't completely left the area yet" and "we can't let our guard down," he said.
Beijing has not yet publicly declared the drills to be finished.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te warned Wednesday that Chinese drills targeting the island "are not an isolated incident" and pose "significant risks" to the region.
"China's authoritarian expansion and escalating coercion pose significant risks to regional stability and also impact global shipping, trade and peace," he said at a promotion and rank conferment ceremony for military officers in Taipei.
China's show of force follows a bumper round of arms sales to Taipei by the United States, Taiwan's main security backer, and comments from Japan's prime minister that the use of force against Taiwan could warrant a military response from Tokyo.
There has been a chorus of international criticism of China's drills.
Japan said Wednesday that China's military exercises "increase tensions" across the Taiwan Strait, and that it had expressed its "concerns" to Beijing.
Australia's foreign ministry also condemned on Wednesday China's "destabilising" military drills around Taiwan, saying it had raised concerns with Beijing counterparts.
Beijing slammed criticism of its exercises as "irresponsible".
"These countries and institutions are turning a blind eye to the separatist forces in Taiwan attempting to achieve independence through military means," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news briefing Wednesday.
"Yet, they are making irresponsible criticisms of China's necessary and just actions to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, distorting facts and confusing right and wrong, which is utterly hypocritical."
China said on Tuesday it had deployed destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers "to conduct drills on subjects of identification and verification, warning and expulsion, simulated strikes, assault on maritime targets, as well as anti-air and anti-submarine operations".
A statement from the PLA's Eastern Theater Command said the exercises in the waters to the north and south of Taiwan "tested capabilities of sea-air coordination and integrated blockade and control".
The drills were held as US ambassador to China David Perdue met with his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan, which are part of the Quad group, seen as a counter to Beijing.
"The Quad is a force for good working to maintain a free and open Indopacific," Perdue said Tuesday in a post on X, alongside a photo of the four ambassadors in Beijing.
burs-aw/amj/mtp

Global Edition

Guinea junta chief Doumbouya elected president: election commission

BY MALICK ROKHY BA

  • In September 2021, Doumbouya led a coup to topple Guinea's first freely elected president, Alpha Conde.
  • Guinea's junta chief Mamady Doumbouya, who had pledged not to run for office after seizing power four years ago, has been elected president after securing a sweeping majority of the vote, according to initial results by the country's election commission published on Tuesday.
  • In September 2021, Doumbouya led a coup to topple Guinea's first freely elected president, Alpha Conde.
Guinea's junta chief Mamady Doumbouya, who had pledged not to run for office after seizing power four years ago, has been elected president after securing a sweeping majority of the vote, according to initial results by the country's election commission published on Tuesday.
Doumbouya, 41, faced eight rivals for the presidency but the main opposition leaders were barred from running and had urged a boycott of the vote held over the weekend.
In standing, the general reneged on his initial vow not to run for office and to hand the mineral-rich but poor west African nation back to civilian rule by the end of 2024.
He secured 86.72 percent of the first-round vote, according to the General Directorate of Elections, well over the threshold that would trigger a runoff vote.
Voter turnout stood at 80.95 percent, according to Djenabou Toure, head of the General Directorate of Elections.
Doumbouya had placed well ahead in districts of the capital Conakry, often winning more than 80 percent, according to official partial results read out by Toure earlier on RTG public television.
He had a similar lead in several other areas, including Coyah, a town near Conakry, and in other parts of the country, such as Boffa and Fria in the west, Gaoual in the northwest, northern Koundara and Labe, and Nzerekore in the southeast.
However, a citizens' movement calling for the return of civilian rule questioned the figure.
"A huge majority of Guineans chose to boycott the electoral charade," the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution said in a statement Monday.
In September 2021, Doumbouya led a coup to topple Guinea's first freely elected president, Alpha Conde.
He has cracked down on civil liberties and banned protests, while opponents have been arrested, put on trial or driven into exile.

'Ballot stuffing' allegations

Candidate Abdoulaye Yero Balde denounced "serious irregularities", citing in a statement late Monday in particular the refusal to grant his representatives access to vote-counting centres and allegations of "ballot stuffing" in some areas.
Another candidate, Faya Millimono, complained of "electoral banditry" linked, he said, to influence exerted on voters.
In late September, Guineans approved a new constitution in a referendum that permitted junta members to run for office, paving the way for Doumbouya's candidacy.
It also lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.
Opposition leader and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo was one of three opposition leaders barred from standing by the new constitution.
Diallo was excluded because he lives in exile and his primary residence is outside of Guinea.
Former president Conde, whom Doumbouya overthrew in 2021, and ex-prime minister Sidya Toure, both of whom also live in exile, are over the maximum age limit of 80.
bur-mrb/kjm/jhb/tc/abs/rlp

conflict

Thailand releases 18 Cambodian soldiers held since July

BY SUY SE

  • That pact said Thailand would "promptly release" the captured Cambodian soldiers, calling them "prisoners of war".
  • Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian soldiers held for five months as prisoners of war, days after a fresh truce between the nations ended weeks of deadly fighting along their contested frontier.
  • That pact said Thailand would "promptly release" the captured Cambodian soldiers, calling them "prisoners of war".
Thailand on Wednesday released 18 Cambodian soldiers held for five months as prisoners of war, days after a fresh truce between the nations ended weeks of deadly fighting along their contested frontier.
A decades-old border dispute between the Southeast Asian neighbours erupted into military clashes several times this year, with the latest round of fighting in December killing dozens of people and displacing more than a million.
Some of the 18 soldiers, with closely cropped hair, smiled, waved and gestured with their palms pressed together to cheering crowds through the windows of a bus in the border province of Pailin, video from Cambodian state television showed.
"I am so happy. I can't wait to see him. I miss him so much," 51-year-old Voeung Vy, the father of one of the soldiers captured in late July, told AFP.
He said he would welcome his son home in the capital, Phnom Penh.
Cambodia's defence ministry said the 18 soldiers were "released and safely returned to the motherland" through a border crossing on Wednesday morning after being detained for 155 days.
Thailand's foreign ministry also confirmed their repatriation, saying it was done "as a demonstration of goodwill and confidence-building", according to a statement.
Phnom Penh said it "remains hopeful that this release will significantly contribute to building mutual trust".

Families reunited

The Southeast Asian neighbours agreed a truce on Saturday, ending renewed military clashes -- with artillery bombardments and air strikes -- that spread to nearly every border province on both sides.
The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, where both sides claim centuries-old temple ruins.
Under the truce signed on Saturday, Cambodia and Thailand pledged to cease fire, freeze troop movements and cooperate on demining efforts along their border.
They also agreed to allow civilians displaced from border areas by three weeks of fighting to return home as soon as possible, while Thailand was to return the 18 captive Cambodian soldiers within 72 hours, if the ceasefire held.
Cambodia has said its soldiers were captured by Thai forces on July 29 -- nearly eight hours after a ceasefire that halted five days of deadly clashes went into effect.
Five months on, it was unclear whether or when Bangkok would free the 18 men, after Thailand accused Cambodia of violating their most recent pact by flying more than 250 drones over its territory on Sunday night, and a three-day truce observation period ended Tuesday without an announcement of the soldiers' release.
But notice came from Phnom Penh on Wednesday, with Cambodian information minister Neth Pheaktra confirming "our 18 heroic soldiers" had arrived back on Cambodian soil.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which supported the soldiers' repatriation as a humanitarian observer, welcomed their release.
ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement that their return home allowed families to be reunited and built confidence between the two countries, "supporting the path to lasting peace".

'Lasting peace'

The United States, China and Malaysia had brokered a truce to end the fighting between Cambodia and Thailand in July, but the ceasefire was short-lived.
In October, US President Donald Trump jetted to Malaysia to oversee the signing of a follow-on declaration, touting new trade deals after the neighbours agreed to prolong their truce.
That pact said Thailand would "promptly release" the captured Cambodian soldiers, calling them "prisoners of war".
But Bangkok suspended the agreement the following month, after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines while on patrol at the border.
While the two nations agreed on Saturday to stop fighting, they still need to resolve the demarcation of their disputed border.
Cambodia said on Monday it had called on Thailand to join a bilateral meeting in Cambodia in early January "to discuss and continue survey and demarcation work".
But Bangkok said Tuesday that the task may need to wait for the next government, after Thailand holds general elections in February.
suy-tak/sco/mtp

election

Leftist Mamdani to take over as New York mayor under Trump shadow

  • Before the November vote, the president also threatened to slash federal funding for New York if it picked Mamdani, whom he called a "communist lunatic."
  • Zohran Mamdani, young upstart of the US left, was readying Wednesday to take over as New York mayor for a term sure to see him cross swords with President Donald Trump.
  • Before the November vote, the president also threatened to slash federal funding for New York if it picked Mamdani, whom he called a "communist lunatic."
Zohran Mamdani, young upstart of the US left, was readying Wednesday to take over as New York mayor for a term sure to see him cross swords with President Donald Trump.
After the clocks strike midnight, bringing in 2026, Mamdani will take his oath of office at an abandoned subway stop, taking the helm of the United States' largest city. He will be New York's first Muslim mayor.
His office says the understated venue for the oath-taking reflects his commitment to working people, after the 34-year-old Democrat campaigned on promises to address the soaring cost of living. 
But it remains to be seen if Mamdani -- virtually unknown a year ago -- can deliver on his ambitious agenda, which envisions rent freezes, universal childcare and free public buses. 
Once an election is over, "symbolism only goes so far with voters. Results begin to matter a whole lot more," New York University lecturer John Kane said.
What Trump does could be a decisive factor. 
The Republican, himself a New Yorker, has repeatedly criticized Mamdani, but the pair held surprisingly cordial talks at the White House in November.
Lincoln Mitchell, a political analyst and professor at Columbia University, said that meeting "couldn't have gone better from Mamdani's perspective."
But he warned their relationship could quickly sour. 
One flashpoint might be immigration raids as Trump wages an expanding crackdown on migrants across the United States.
Mamdani has vowed to protect immigrant communities.
Before the November vote, the president also threatened to slash federal funding for New York if it picked Mamdani, whom he called a "communist lunatic."
The mayor-elect has said he believes Trump is a fascist.

 Block party

Mamdani's private swearing-in at midnight to start his four-year term will be performed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Trump for fraud.
A larger, ceremonial inauguration is scheduled for Thursday with speeches from left-wing allies Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Around 4,000 ticketed guests are expected to attend the event outside City Hall.  
Mamdani's team has also organized a block party that it says will enable tens of thousands of New Yorkers to watch the ceremony at streetside viewing areas along Broadway.
The new job comes with a change of address for Mamdani as he swaps his rent-controlled apartment in the borough of Queens for the luxurious mayor's residence in Manhattan.
Some had wondered if he would move to the official mansion given his campaigning on affordability issues. Mamdani said he is doing so mainly for security reasons.
Born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin, Mamdani moved to New York at age seven and enjoyed an elite upbringing with only a relatively brief stint in politics, becoming a member of the New York State Assembly before being elected mayor. 
Compensating for his inexperience, he is surrounding himself with seasoned aides recruited from past mayors' offices and former US president Joe Biden's administration.
Mamdani has also opened dialogue with business leaders, some of whom predicted a massive exodus of wealthy New Yorkers if he won. Real estate leaders have debunked those claims.
As a defender of Palestinian rights, he will have to reassure the Jewish community of his inclusive leadership. 
Recently, one of his hires resigned after it was revealed she had posted antisemitic tweets years ago.
rh-bjt/msp/lb

Zia

Bangladesh mourns ex-PM Khaleda Zia with state funeral

BY SHEIKH SABIHA ALAM

  • The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, declared three days of national mourning and an elaborate state funeral.
  • Bangladesh bids farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral drawing vast crowds, mourning a towering leader whose career defined politics for decades.
  • The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, declared three days of national mourning and an elaborate state funeral.
Bangladesh bids farewell on Wednesday to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral drawing vast crowds, mourning a towering leader whose career defined politics for decades.
Zia, the first woman to serve as prime minister in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, died on Tuesday aged 80.
Flags were flown at half-mast, and thousands of security officers lined the streets as her body was carried through the streets of the capital Dhaka in a vehicle in the colours of the national flag.
Retired government official Minhaz Uddin, 70, said he had never voted for her, but came to honour the three-time prime minister.
"I came here with my grandson, just to say goodbye to a veteran politician whose contributions will always be remembered," he said, watching from behind a barbed wire barricade as her body passed by.
"Khaleda Zia has been an inspiration," mourner Sharmina Siraj told AFP, adding that "it is difficult to imagine women in leadership positions anytime soon".
The 40-year-old mother of two said stipends introduced by Zia to support girls' education "had a huge impact on the lives of our girls".

'Legacy lives on'

Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia had vowed to campaign in elections set for February 12 -- the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.
Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely seen as a frontrunner, and her son Tarique Rahman, 60, who returned only last week after 17 years in exile, is seen as a potential prime minister if they win a majority.
"She is no more, but her legacy lives on -- and so does the BNP," said Jenny Parvez, 37, who travelled for several hours with her family to watch the funeral cortege pass her on the street.
The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, declared three days of national mourning and an elaborate state funeral.
Large crowds gathered outside parliament -- many waving national or BNP flags -- where her coffin is expected around 2:00 pm (0800 GMT), and when prayers will begin.
Yunus said Bangladesh had "lost a great guardian".
Zia's body will be interred alongside her late husband, Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981 during his time as president.

'Unbreakable'

Tarique Rahman said in a statement that "the country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations".
His mother, he added, "endured repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution", but that "her resilience... was unbreakable."
Suffering from a raft of health issues, Zia was rushed to hospital in late November, where her condition had gradually deteriorated despite treatment.
Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for next year's polls. 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Zia's "vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership", a warm message despite the strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka since Hasina's fall.
Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is due to attend the funeral, New Delhi said, the most senior visit by an Indian official since the overthrow of Hasina.
Senior officials from Pakistan are also expected to attend.
Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity, remains in hiding in her old ally India.
Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina's government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.
Zia was released last year, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.
"I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia's soul," Hasina said, in a statement shared on social media by her now-banned Awami League party.
sa/pjm/mtp

Global Edition

World bids farewell to 2025, a year of Trump, truces and turmoil

  • More than two million people are expected to pack Brazil's lively Copacabana Beach for what authorities have billed as the world's biggest New Year's Eve party.
  • New Year's Eve revellers toasted the end of 2025 on Wednesday, waving goodbye to 12 months packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.
  • More than two million people are expected to pack Brazil's lively Copacabana Beach for what authorities have billed as the world's biggest New Year's Eve party.
New Year's Eve revellers toasted the end of 2025 on Wednesday, waving goodbye to 12 months packed with Trump tariffs, a Gaza truce and vain hopes for peace in Ukraine.
It was one of the warmest years on record, the stifling heat stoking wildfires in Europe, droughts in Africa and deadly rains across Southeast Asia.
There was a sombre tinge to party preparations in Australia's harbour city Sydney, the self-proclaimed "New Year's capital of the world".
Barely two weeks have passed since a father and son allegedly opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people in the nation's deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.
Parties will pause for a minute of silence at 11:00 pm (1200 GMT) as the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge is bathed in white light to symbolise peace.
"It has been a difficult year for so many people," said Steph Grant, a 32-year-old Sydney resident.
"Here's hoping the world looks like a brighter place in 2026," said Grant, who works in advertising.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line Sydney's foreshore as nine tonnes of fireworks explode on the stroke of midnight.
Security will be tighter than usual, with squads of heavily armed police patrolling the crowds.
Sydney kicks off a chain of celebrations stretching from glitzy New York to the Hogmanay festival on the chilly streets of Scotland.
More than two million people are expected to pack Brazil's lively Copacabana Beach for what authorities have billed as the world's biggest New Year's Eve party.

Truce and tariffs

Labubu dolls became a worldwide craze in 2025, thieves plundered the Louvre in a daring heist, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.
The world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, the Vatican chose a new pope, and the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk laid bare America's deep political divisions.
Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global markets into meltdown.
The US president used his Truth Social platform to lash out at his sliding approval ratings ahead of midterm elections in 2026.
"The polls are rigged," he wrote, without providing evidence.
"Our Country is 'hotter' than ever before. Isn't it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!"
But many expect tough times to continue in 2026.
"The economic situation is also very dire, and I'm afraid I'll be left without income," said Ines Rodriguez, 50, a merchant in Mexico City.
"All our colleagues are in the same situation: very little work and not very profitable," said Buenos Aires business owner Fernando Selvaggi, 61.
After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, US pressure helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October.
But with each side already accusing the other of flagrant violations, no one is sure how long the break in hostilities will hold.
Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed more than 70,000, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, a figure the UN deems credible.
World leaders including China's Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began exchanging New Year greetings.
Both countries have made much of their presidents' supposedly close friendship, and Putin was an honoured guest at a spectacular Chinese military parade in September.
Xi said he was "ready to maintain close exchanges with Putin to jointly push for continuous new progress in bilateral ties", Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday.
The war in Ukraine -- sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 -- meanwhile grinds towards its four-year anniversary in February.
There were hopes a renewed burst of diplomacy might produce a breakthrough this year.
But Russia shot down any notion of a temporary ceasefire in the final days of 2025.
As envoys shuttle between Moscow, Washington and Kyiv, one major obstacle remains: Ukraine is reluctant to give up land, and Russia is unwilling to give it back.

Sports, space and AI

The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space travel and serious questions over artificial intelligence.
More than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission, 2026 looks to be the year that humankind once again sets its sights towards the moon.
NASA's Artemis II mission, backed by Elon Musk, plans to launch a crewed spacecraft that will circle that moon during a 10-day test flight.
After years of unbridled enthusiasm, artificial intelligence is starting to face mounting scrutiny.
Nervous investors are already questioning whether the years-long AI boom might be starting to resemble something more like a market bubble.
Athletes will gather on Italy's famed Dolomites to hit the slopes for the Winter Olympics.
And for a brief few weeks between June and July, nations will come together for the biggest football World Cup in history.
For the first time, 48 teams will compete in the world's most-watched sports event, playing in venues across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
From the beaches of Brazil to the far-flung reaches of New Zealand, the tournament is expected to draw millions of fans.
sft/mjw/abs

aid

Global 'fragmentation' fuelling world's crises: UN refugee chief

BY NINA LARSON

  • "This fragmentation of geopolitics that has caused the emergence of so many crises is perhaps the most worrying thing," the Italian diplomat said in his final interview as UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
  • The outgoing United Nations refugee chief fears an increasingly fragmented world is fuelling global conflicts and crises, and inflaming hostility towards people desperately fleeing for safety.
  • "This fragmentation of geopolitics that has caused the emergence of so many crises is perhaps the most worrying thing," the Italian diplomat said in his final interview as UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The outgoing United Nations refugee chief fears an increasingly fragmented world is fuelling global conflicts and crises, and inflaming hostility towards people desperately fleeing for safety.
Reflecting on his decade at the helm of the UNHCR, Filippo Grandi told AFP that one of the most worrying developments had been how divisions had left the world seemingly incapable of resolving conflicts -- and increasingly unwilling to deal with the repercussions.
"This fragmentation of geopolitics that has caused the emergence of so many crises is perhaps the most worrying thing," the Italian diplomat said in his final interview as UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
"This world is unable to make peace; has become totally unable to make peace."
Grandi meanwhile lamented a "race to the bottom" in terms of countries tightening laws and practices to keep asylum seekers and refugees out.
He noted "a growing hostility, a rhetoric by the populist politicians targeting and scapegoating people on the move".

'Horrifying violations'

Speaking at UNHCR's Geneva headquarters a day before the end of his tenure, Grandi said he had been inspired over the past decade by how regular people worldwide showed kindness and hospitality to people on the move.
"In spite of all the politics, in spite of the real challenges that these movements represent," he said, there is still a "deeply entrenched sense that if somebody flees from danger, one has the responsibility to help".
He also highlighted inspiring moments, including in 2021 when he witnessed former Colombian president Ivan Duque grant legal status to 1.7 million Venezuelans.
And more recently, "at the border between Lebanon and Syria and talking to people who had made the choice to go back just a few weeks after the fall of the Assad regime". 
But the exhilaration felt in such moments had been matched by the "anger and profound sadness" felt in others.
"The worst is always when you witness an exodus that is caused by the most horrifying violations of human rights," he said, pointing to Myanmar and Sudan.
On Thursday, Grandi, 68, will be handing over the UNHCR reins to Barham Salih, 65, Iraq's president from 2018 to 2022, who was once a refugee himself.
"He will be an excellent leader for this organisation," Grandi said, adding though that he had warned Salih: "It will be tough".

'Very painful'

Grandi acknowledged it was "very painful" to be leaving when his agency is going through a profound crisis.
The UNHCR, like many other UN agencies, has been clobbered by international aid cuts since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, and numerous other leading donors have also tightened their purse-strings.
The deep cuts have forced the agency to reduce aid and shutter services -- at a time when global displacement is surging.
In June, the UNHCR estimated that more than 117 million people have fled from their homes -- a figure that has nearly doubled in the past decade.
"We had to reduce the organisation by about a third," Grandi said, adding that "even more painful" was that the agency "had to reduce what we deliver to refugees, to displaced people, to stateless people around the world significantly".
Washington, traditionally the UN's biggest donor, has branded the United Nations bloated and inefficient, and on Monday warned its agencies to "adapt, shrink or die".
Grandi said reforms could be beneficial but fears that the current "criticism of multilateralism and the UN focuses on the wrong target".
"States need institutions that help them work together," he said, warning that the very concept of international cooperation appeared to be evaporating.
"What worries me most is this 'my country first' rhetoric," he said, stressing: "It's not just Washington -- it's global".
"When that slogan is applied to international challenges, it is weak."
Grandi insisted that "no country can do any of this alone, not even the United States".
"The challenges will hit us all, including those countries first... We need to work together."
nl/rjm/phz/tc

Global Edition

Regional temperature records broken across the world in 2025

BY VALENTIN RAKOVSKY

  • Northern Europe was largely spared the heatwave that hit Europe at the end of June but it instead experienced an abnormally warm autumn.
  • Central Asia, the Sahel region and northern Europe experienced their hottest year on record in 2025, according to AFP analysis based on data from the European Copernicus programme.
  • Northern Europe was largely spared the heatwave that hit Europe at the end of June but it instead experienced an abnormally warm autumn.
Central Asia, the Sahel region and northern Europe experienced their hottest year on record in 2025, according to AFP analysis based on data from the European Copernicus programme.
Globally, the last 12 months are expected to be the third hottest ever recorded after 2024 and 2023, according to the provisional data, which will be confirmed by Copernicus in its annual report in early January. 
But the average, which includes land and oceans, masks overall records for certain parts of the world.
Many poorer nations do not publish detailed climate data, so AFP has completed the global picture by independently analysing Copernicus data from climate models, measurements from about 20 satellites, and weather stations.
The data spans the whole world, hour by hour, since 1970.
Here is what the detailed analysis revealed for 2025, during which 120 monthly temperature records were broken in more than 70 countries.

Records shattered in C.Asia

Every country in Central Asia broke its annual temperature records.
Landlocked, mountainous Tajikistan, where only 41 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water, saw the highest abnormal temperatures in the world, at more than 3C above its seasonal averages from 1981 to 2010.
Monthly temperature records have been broken every month since May, with the exception of November.
Neighbouring countries such as Kazakhstan, Iran and Uzbekistan experienced temperatures 2C to 3C above the seasonal average. 

Up to 1.5C hotter in the Sahel

Temperature records were beaten in several countries in the Sahel and west Africa.
Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Chad saw a rare divergence in temperatures, notching 0.7C to 1.5C above their seasonal average.
The last 12 months were the hottest ever recorded in Nigeria, and one of the fourth hottest in the other countries.
Scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) network, who assess the role of human-induced climate change in extreme weather events, wrote in their annual report published on Monday that extreme heat events "have become almost 10 times more likely since 2015".
Countries in the Sahel -- the semi-arid region of west and north-central Africa stretching from Senegal to Sudan -- are among the most vulnerable to rising temperatures, with many already facing armed conflict, food insecurity and widespread poverty.

Scorching summer in Europe

Around 10 European countries are on the verge of, or coming close to, breaking their annual temperature record, notably due to an exceptional summer.
In Switzerland and several Balkan countries, summer temperatures were 2C and even 3C above their seasonal average.
Spain, Portugal and Britain also recorded their worst summer on record, with extreme heat fuelling massive wildfires. 
The driest spring in more than a century led to a UK water shortage.
Northern Europe was largely spared the heatwave that hit Europe at the end of June but it instead experienced an abnormally warm autumn.
The last 12 months are expected to be one of the two warmest years on record in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
vr/ico-maj/jw/phz/cc/tc

eurozone

Bulgaria readies to adopt the euro, nearly 20 years after joining EU

BY ROSSEN BOSSEV

  • As political instability has been rocking the country, any problems with euro adoption would be seized on by anti-EU politicians, said Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling institute.
  • Bulgaria was preparing to switch to the euro on Wednesday night to become the 21st eurozone member, amid concerns the move could usher in higher prices and add to political instability rattling the Balkan country.
  • As political instability has been rocking the country, any problems with euro adoption would be seized on by anti-EU politicians, said Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling institute.
Bulgaria was preparing to switch to the euro on Wednesday night to become the 21st eurozone member, amid concerns the move could usher in higher prices and add to political instability rattling the Balkan country.
At midnight (2200 GMT Wednesday), Bulgaria will wave goodbye to both 2025 and its lev currency, which has been in use since the late 19th century.
While successive governments in the country of 6.4 million people have advocated joining the euro currency over hopes it will boost the economy of the EU's poorest member, reinforce ties to the West and protect against Russia's influence, some have been opposed to the switch.
Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, faces unique challenges, including anti-corruption protests that recently swept a conservative-led government from office, leaving the country on the verge of its eighth election in five years.  
Outgoing Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov said on Tuesday that he nonetheless felt his cabinet had accomplished a milestone.   
"Bulgaria is ending the year with a gross domestic product of 113 billion euros (nearly $133 billion) and economic growth of more than three percent, which places us among the top five countries in the EU," he said before a government meeting.
He added that inflation in the Black Sea country, which hovers around 3.6 percent, was "linked to increased purchasing power" and a less corrupt economy, and not in any way to the introduction of the euro.

Cheers, fears and queues

Some Bulgarians worry the introduction of the euro could lead to price increases.
Those fears were fuelled in part by a protest campaign that emerged this year to "keep the Bulgarian lev", which tapped into a generally negative view of the single currency among much of the population.
According to the National Statistical Institute, food prices rose by five percent year-on-year in November, more than double the eurozone average.
"Unfortunately, prices no longer correspond to those in levs (...) 40 levs is not 20 but 30 euros for certain products," pastry shop owner Turgut Ismail, 33, told AFP, saying that prices have already begun surging.
Some people, including business owners, have complained that it has been difficult to get their hands on euros, with shopkeepers saying they haven't received the euro starter packages they ordered.
Banks have already warned of possible disruptions to card payments and ATM withdrawals on New Year's Eve.
On Tuesday, people queued outside the Bulgarian National Bank and several currency exchange offices in the capital Sofia to obtain euros, an AFP journalist observed.
Elena Shemtova, 37, who owns a small gallery and jewellery shop in the city centre, said she is optimistic.
"We will experience difficulties at first, there will be problems with giving change, but within a month we will have gotten used to it," she told AFP.
According to the latest Eurobarometer survey, 49 percent of Bulgarians are against the single currency.
As political instability has been rocking the country, any problems with euro adoption would be seized on by anti-EU politicians, said Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling institute.
"There will be challenges, but we are counting on the tolerance and understanding of both citizens and businesses," said Jeliazkov.
He stressed that introducing the euro will have "a positive long-term effect on the Bulgarian economy and on the environment in which the country is developing".
The euro was first rolled out in 12 countries on January 1, 2002. Croatia was the last to join in January 2023.
Bulgaria's accession will bring the number of Europeans using the euro to more than 350 million.
rb-oaa-kym/rl/tc

Saudi

UAE to pull forces out of Yemen as 24-hour deadline set

BY SAEED AL-BATATI WITH HAITHAM EL-TABEI IN RIYADH

  • The Saudi-led coalition had warned that it would back Yemen's government in any military confrontation with separatist forces, and urged them to withdraw.
  • The UAE said Tuesday it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen, following a Saudi demand to withdraw within 24 hours as tensions escalate over a sweeping offensive by Abu Dhabi-backed separatists.
  • The Saudi-led coalition had warned that it would back Yemen's government in any military confrontation with separatist forces, and urged them to withdraw.
The UAE said Tuesday it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen, following a Saudi demand to withdraw within 24 hours as tensions escalate over a sweeping offensive by Abu Dhabi-backed separatists.
The United Arab Emirates' defence ministry said it was withdrawing "counter-terrorism teams...of its own volition". Abu Dhabi had denied being behind the separatists' advance.
Yemen's presidential council and Saudi Arabia, the UAE's rival powerbroker in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, have both demanded Emirati troops pull out.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke with his Saudi and UAE counterparts, which are both key US partners, his department said.
Rubio and UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan discussed "the situation in Yemen and broader issues affecting Middle Eastern security and stability", said Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman.
Before dawn, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels had struck an Emirati shipment at Mukalla port, saying it was carrying weapons for the separatists, a claim the UAE denied.
AFP footage of the port showed dozens of parked military vehicles and pick-ups, several of which were burnt out and smouldering as workers hosed them down.
Tuesday's rapid-fire events come after forces from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) marched across resource-rich Hadramawt and Mahra provinces this month, bringing fresh upheaval after a decade-long civil war.
The advance has raised the spectre of the return of South Yemen, a separate state from 1967 to 1990, while dealing a hammer-blow to slow-moving peace negotiations with Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Emirati troops arrived in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, who had forced the government from the capital Sanaa in 2014 and seized much of the country.
The UAE pulled out most of its forces in 2019, leaving only a limited number in the government-run south where a patchwork of militias hold sway.

'Unreasonable'

Its final withdrawal follows a rare public dispute with Riyadh, which accused Abu Dhabi of pressuring STC forces "to conduct military operations" on Saudi Arabia's southern border. 
"The steps taken by the UAE are considered highly dangerous," a foreign ministry statement said, adding: "The Kingdom stresses that any threat to its national security is a red line."
Also on Tuesday, the leader of Yemen's presidential council dissolved a defence pact with the UAE and declared a 90-day state of emergency.
Abu Dhabi denied being behind the separatist advance and insisted the shipment targeted at Mukalla contained only vehicles destined for its own forces.
The UAE "condemns the claims made regarding the exertion of pressure or direction on any Yemeni party to carry out military operations", a statement said.
It added: "The shipment in question did not contain any weapons, and the vehicles unloaded were not intended for any Yemeni party."
Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue.
"Diplomacy is still an option to stop any further escalation," a source close to the Saudi military coalition told AFP. 
However, the STC remained defiant, insisting there was "no thinking about withdrawal" from its newly seized positions.
"It is unreasonable for the landowner to be asked to leave his own land. The situation requires staying and reinforcing," STC spokesman Anwar Al-Tamimi told AFP.

'Unacceptable to God'

"We are in a defensive position, and any movement toward our forces will be responded to by our forces," he added. 
Tamimi said Saudi Arabia had moved around 20,000 security forces along its border with Hadramawt, adjacent to positions held by the STC. 
The STC is also a key member of the government -- a fractious alliance held together by its opposition to the Houthis.
Mukalla resident Abdullah Bazuhair, whose home overlooks the port, showed AFP the damage to his property, with windows blasted clear out of the walls and glass strewn across the floor.
"The children were terrified and the women frightened," he said, calling the strikes "unacceptable to God".
The Saudi-led coalition had warned that it would back Yemen's government in any military confrontation with separatist forces, and urged them to withdraw.
Tuesday's strike came days after reported Saudi air raids on separatist positions in resource-rich Hadramawt last week.
A Yemeni military official said on Friday that around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were massed near the Saudi border but had not been given orders to advance on separatist-held territory.
burs/ds/th/lg/phz/jgc

Carlsen

Norway's Magnus Carlsen wins 20th world chess title

  • The Nordic grandmaster now has nine blitz titles, six in rapid and five in the most prestigious longer format, which involves more than 10 games between the world champion and a challenger.
  • Norway's Magnus Carlsen, the world's number one chess player, on Tuesday won the World Blitz Championship in Doha, days after victory in the slightly longer 'rapid' format, to secure his 20th world title.
  • The Nordic grandmaster now has nine blitz titles, six in rapid and five in the most prestigious longer format, which involves more than 10 games between the world champion and a challenger.
Norway's Magnus Carlsen, the world's number one chess player, on Tuesday won the World Blitz Championship in Doha, days after victory in the slightly longer 'rapid' format, to secure his 20th world title.
Carlsen, 35, beat Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 21, in the final, securing victory with black in the fourth and final game, after losing the first.
Blitz games are played with three minutes at the start for both players, plus an additional two seconds per move.
Carlsen almost failed to reach the semi-finals after suffering three defeats in the 19 qualifying games, finishing third in the standings.
He beat American Fabiano Caruana in the semis to take on Abdusattorov, rapid world champion in 2021.
On Sunday, Carlsen was crowned rapid world champion, where players have 15 minutes and 10 seconds added per move, finishing first in the regular standings, with the competition taking place without a final phase.
The Nordic grandmaster now has nine blitz titles, six in rapid and five in the most prestigious longer format, which involves more than 10 games between the world champion and a challenger.
Carlsen relinquished his long-format crown in 2023, citing lack of motivation. It is now held by India's Dommaraju Gukesh.
In October, he and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) backed a new world championship format that sets the stage for his return.
The new "Total Chess World Championship Tour" will consist of four events a year and will crown one combined champion for three disciplines: fast classic, rapid and blitz.
A pilot version of the competition will be tested in the autumn of next year, with the first full season set for 2027.
fs/ah/phz/pb

currency

Students join Iran demonstrations after shopkeepers protest

  • On Tuesday, security forces and riot police were deployed at major intersections in Tehran and around some universities, according to AFP journalists, while some of the shops closed the previous day in the capital's centre had reopened. 
  • Iranian students staged street protests in Tehran on Tuesday, a day after the capital's shopkeepers demonstrated against economic hardship and won a message of understanding from the president.
  • On Tuesday, security forces and riot police were deployed at major intersections in Tehran and around some universities, according to AFP journalists, while some of the shops closed the previous day in the capital's centre had reopened. 
Iranian students staged street protests in Tehran on Tuesday, a day after the capital's shopkeepers demonstrated against economic hardship and won a message of understanding from the president.
According to Ilna, a news agency associated with Iran's labour movement, protests erupted at 10 universities across the country, including seven in Tehran that are among the country's most prestigious.
Protests also broke out at the technology university in the central city of Isfahan and institutions in the cities of Yazd and Zanjan, Ilna and state-run IRNA reported.
On Tuesday, security forces and riot police were deployed at major intersections in Tehran and around some universities, according to AFP journalists, while some of the shops closed the previous day in the capital's centre had reopened. 
The student action came after Monday's protests in central Tehran by shop-owners and a day ahead of the temporary closure of banks, schools and businesses in the capital and in most provinces to save energy during the bitterly cold weather.
The Iranian rial has dropped against the dollar and other world currencies -- when the protests erupted on Sunday, the US dollar was trading at around 1.42 million rials, compared to 820,000 rials a year ago -- forcing up import prices and hurting retail traders.
Demonstrations erupted on Sunday at the city's largest mobile phone market, before gaining momentum, though they remained limited in number and confined to central Tehran. The vast majority of shops elsewhere continued to operate as usual.
President Masoud Pezeshkian -- who has less authority under Iran's system of government than supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- met Tuesday with labour leaders and made proposals to tackle the economic crisis, according to press agency Mehr. 
"I have asked the interior minister to listen to the legitimate demands of the protesters by engaging in dialogue with their representatives so that the government can do everything in its power to resolve the problems and act responsibly," he said in a social media post.
According to state television, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also called for "necessary measures focused on increasing people's purchasing power" but warned against foreign agents and government opponents attempting to exploit the protests.
On Monday, the government announced the replacement of the central bank governor with former economy and finance minister Abdolnasser Hemmati.

Battered economy

Price fluctuations are paralysing sales of some imported goods, with both sellers and buyers preferring to postpone transactions until the outlook becomes clearer, AFP correspondents reported.
According to the Etemad newspaper, one trader complained that officials had offered no support to storekeepers battling soaring import costs.
"They didn't even follow up on how the dollar price affected our lives," he complained, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"We had to decide to show our protest. With this dollar price, we can't even sell a phone case, and the officials don't care at all that our lives are run by selling mobile phones and accessories."
In December, inflation stood at 52 percent year-on-year, according to official statistics. But this figure still falls far short of many price increases, especially for basic necessities.
The country's economy, already battered by decades of Western sanctions, was further strained after the United Nations in late September reinstated international sanctions linked to the country's nuclear programme that were lifted 10 years ago.
Western powers and Israel accuse Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.
The current protests against the high cost of living have not reached the level of the nationwide demonstrations that shook Iran in 2022.
Those protests were sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating the country's strict dress code for women. 
Amini's death triggered months of unrest, with hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, killed and thousands more arrested.
In 2019, protests broke out in Iran after the announcement of a sharp increase in petrol prices. The unrest spread to around 100 cities, including Tehran, and left dozens dead.
bur/tc/abs/dc/jfx/amj

accident

Drones dive into aviation's deepest enigma as MH370 hunt restarts

  • Military screens later showed the aircraft veering sharply west, crossing back over Malaysia before heading south over the vast Indian Ocean.
  • Nearly 12 years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished with 239 people on board, the search for answers to one of aviation's most haunting riddles resumed Tuesday in the remote southern Indian Ocean. 
  • Military screens later showed the aircraft veering sharply west, crossing back over Malaysia before heading south over the vast Indian Ocean.
Nearly 12 years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished with 239 people on board, the search for answers to one of aviation's most haunting riddles resumed Tuesday in the remote southern Indian Ocean. 
Armed with cutting-edge deep-sea robots and smarter data, US investigators are scouring the seabed for clues that have eluded governments, experts and grieving families for more than a decade.
MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur just after midnight on March 8, 2014, bound for Beijing on what should have been an uneventful six-hour flight.
Less than an hour later, its transponder went dark, wiping the Boeing 777 from civilian radar. Military screens later showed the aircraft veering sharply west, crossing back over Malaysia before heading south over the vast Indian Ocean.
What followed was the most ambitious and costly search in aviation history, as multinational teams combed more than more than 46,000 square  miles (120,000 square kilometers) of seabed off Western Australia with ships, aircraft and sonar. 
They found nothing.
The hunt was called off in 2017, leaving families with heartbreak and a mystery that spawned theories ranging from hijacking to deliberate pilot action.
Now, the Malaysian government has given the green light for a fresh attempt led by Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity under a "no find, no fee" contract, according to a statement from Malaysia's transport ministry. 
"The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia's commitment in providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy," it said.
The company will pocket $70 million only if it locates the wreck, reports said.
This new phase, expected to last up to 55 days, targets a tighter search zone of about 5,800  square miles -- far smaller than earlier efforts and pinpointed using updated satellite data, drift modeling and expert analysis.

Keeping the hunt alive

Ocean Infinity is unleashing autonomous underwater vehicles that can dive nearly 19,700  feet (6,000 meters) and stay submerged for days at a time. 
The drones use high-resolution side-scan sonar, ultrasound imaging and magnetometers to map the seabed in 3D, detect buried debris and pick up traces of metal. If something promising appears, remotely operated vehicles can descend for close inspection.
Ocean Infinity, which also has a control center in Britain, led an unsuccessful hunt in 2018, before agreeing to launch a new search this year. AFP reached out to the company for comment but there was no immediate response.
Only fragments of MH370 have ever been recovered. Since 2015, fewer than 30 pieces believed to be from the aircraft -- bits of wing, landing gear and fuselage -- have washed ashore thousands of kilometers apart, from Reunion to Mozambique. 
No bodies have ever been found.
Malaysia's official probe concluded in 2018 that the plane was likely deliberately diverted from its course, but stopped short of assigning responsibility. 
Relatives from China, Australia, Europe and beyond have fought for years to keep the hunt alive, arguing that closure matters not only for the dead but for global aviation safety. 
Governments in Beijing and Canberra have welcomed Malaysia's decision, pledging support for any practical effort to crack the case.
Chinese national Jiang Hui, who lost his 72-year-old mother Jiang Cuiyun in the disaster, told AFP in an interview at his home in Beijing earlier this month that he remains set on finding answers, despite frustration with the authorities.
"Finding the plane, finding my loved one, and finding the truth -- I believe this is something I must do in my life," he said.
ft/msp/dw

conflict

10 countries warn of 'catastrophic' Gaza situation

  • - 'Vital supplies' - The ministers also called for the opening of crossings to boost the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
  • The foreign ministers of 10 nations on Tuesday expressed "serious concerns" about a "renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in Gaza, saying the situation was "catastrophic".
  • - 'Vital supplies' - The ministers also called for the opening of crossings to boost the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The foreign ministers of 10 nations on Tuesday expressed "serious concerns" about a "renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in Gaza, saying the situation was "catastrophic".
The warning came a day after US President Donald Trump warned Palestinian militant group Hamas there would be "hell to pay" if it fails to disarm in Gaza, as he presented a united front with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping," the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said in a joint statement released by the UK's Foreign Office.
"1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding," the statement added.
Trump's comments on Monday also downplayed reports of tensions with Netanyahu over the second stage of the fragile Gaza ceasefire.
The president, speaking at a news conference with Netanyahu in Florida, said Israel had "lived up" to its commitments and that the onus was on Hamas.
The foreign ministers in their statement said they welcomed the progress that had been made to end the bloodshed in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages.
"However we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in Gaza," they said, calling on the government of Israel to take a string of "urgent and essential" steps.
These included ensuring that international NGOs could operate in Gaza in a "sustained and predictable" way.
"As 31 December approaches, many established international NGO partners are at risk of being deregistered because of the government of Israel's restrictive new requirements," the statement said.
It also called for the UN and its partners to be able to continue their work in Gaza and for the lifting of "unreasonable restrictions on imports considered to have a dual use".
This included medical and shelter equipment.

'Vital supplies'

The ministers also called for the opening of crossings to boost the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
While welcoming the partial opening of the Allenby crossing, they said other corridors for moving goods remained closed or severely restricted for humanitarian aid, including Rafah.
"Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely," the statement said.
"The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor not a ceiling. These targets should be lifted so we can be sure the vital supplies are getting in at the vast scale needed," it added.
The Gaza ceasefire in October is considered one of the major achievements of Trump's first year back in power, and Washington and regional mediators have hoped to keep their foot on the gas.
The Axios news site said Trump seeks to make announcements as soon as January on an interim government and an international force.
But Trump on Monday gave few details beyond saying that he hoped "reconstruction" could begin soon in the Palestinian territory, devastated by Israeli attacks in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks.
The disarmament of Hamas however continued to be a sticking point, with its armed wing again saying that it would not surrender its arms.
har/cc

defense

China fires missiles on second day of military drills around Taiwan

BY AMBER WANG WITH JAMES EDGAR IN BEIJING AND ISABEL KUA IN PINGTAN

  • - 'Live-fire training' - China said on Tuesday it had deployed destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers "to conduct drills on subjects of identification and verification, warning and expulsion, simulated strikes, assault on maritime targets, as well as anti-air and anti-submarine operations".
  • China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter aircraft and navy vessels around Taiwan on Tuesday for a second day of live-fire drills aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island's key ports and assaults on maritime targets.
  • - 'Live-fire training' - China said on Tuesday it had deployed destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers "to conduct drills on subjects of identification and verification, warning and expulsion, simulated strikes, assault on maritime targets, as well as anti-air and anti-submarine operations".
China launched missiles and deployed dozens of fighter aircraft and navy vessels around Taiwan on Tuesday for a second day of live-fire drills aimed at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island's key ports and assaults on maritime targets.
Taipei, which slammed the two-day war games as "highly provocative and reckless", said the manoeuvre failed to impose a blockade on the island.
China claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and has refused to rule out military action to seize the island democracy.
AFP journalists in Pingtan -- a Chinese island at the closest point to Taiwan's main island -- saw a volley of rockets blast into the air at around 9:00 am (0100 GMT) on Tuesday, leaving trails of white smoke.
At least 10 were launched in quick succession, sending a booming sound reverberating across the sky and drawing tourists towards the seafront to snap photos and videos on their phones.
Taiwanese authorities counted 27 rockets fired by Chinese forces on Tuesday.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) said in a statement that it had "conducted long-range live fire drills in the waters to the north of the Taiwan Island and achieved desired effects".
The show of force follows a bumper round of arms sales to Taipei by the United States, Taiwan's main security backer, and comments from Japan's prime minister that the use of force against Taiwan could warrant a military response from Tokyo.
China's top diplomat Wang Yi said on Tuesday that Beijing would "forcefully counter" large-scale US weapons sales to Taiwan, adding that any attempt to obstruct China's unification with the island "will inevitably end in failure".
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian called the drills a "punitive response to Taiwan independence separatist forces and a necessary action to defend national sovereignty".
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te expressed his "strongest condemnation" and said Beijing was "deliberately undermining regional stability through military intimidation".
"This is a blatant provocation," he wrote on Facebook, adding that Taipei would not escalate the situation.

'Live-fire training'

China said on Tuesday it had deployed destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers "to conduct drills on subjects of identification and verification, warning and expulsion, simulated strikes, assault on maritime targets, as well as anti-air and anti-submarine operations".
A statement from the PLA's Eastern Theater Command said the exercises in the waters to the north and south of Taiwan "tested capabilities of sea-air coordination and integrated blockade and control".
State broadcaster CCTV reported that a core theme of the exercises was a "blockade" of key Taiwanese ports, including Keelung in the north and Kaohsiung in the south.
However, senior Taiwanese military official Hsieh Jih-sheng told reporters that the intended blockade "essentially did not happen".
"The main reason they did this was to make the public believe that they had achieved the goal they were pursuing," he said.
Chinese authorities published a map of five large zones around Taiwan where the war games would take place. They were due to finish at 6:00 pm (1000 GMT) on Tuesday, although there was not yet any confirmation they had ended.
Taiwan said the zones, some of which are within 12 nautical miles of its coast, had affected international shipping and aviation routes.
Hundreds of flights were either cancelled or delayed, according to the island's Civil Aviation Administration.
Taiwan's defence ministry said on Tuesday it had detected at least 130 Chinese military aircraft near the island, as well as more than 50 vessels including 27 navy ships, over the course of the drill.
The Taiwanese coastguard said it deployed 14 ships to monitor the naval activity, "employing a one-on-one shadowing approach to forcefully deter the vessels".

Stoic reaction

Taiwan's Military News Agency said forces conducted several drills in response to the Chinese exercise, including one in the Taipei area focusing on the deployment of river obstacles and rapid troop response.
Many ordinary Taiwanese reacted stoically.
"There have been so many drills like this over the years that we are used to it," said fishmonger Chiang Sheng-ming, 24, at a market in Taipei.
"If you stand your ground, there's nothing to be afraid of," added fruitseller Tseng Chang-chih, 80.
"War? Impossible. It's just posturing. If they really attacked Taiwan, they would have to pay a price."
China's military last held large-scale drills involving live firing around Taiwan in April.
Beijing said this month it would take "resolute and forceful measures" to safeguard its territory after Taiwan said the United States had approved an $11 billion arms sale.
US President Donald Trump said he was not concerned about the drills, appearing to brush aside the possibility of counterpart Xi Jinping ordering an invasion of Taiwan.
"I don't believe he's going to be doing it," Trump said.
On Tuesday, the European Union slammed China over the drills, saying the exercise "endangers international peace and stability", and urging restraint from actions that could escalate tensions.
burs-je/mjw/aha/dw

UAE

A war within a war: Yemen's latest conflict

BY HAITHAM EL-TABEI

  • Despite spending billions in a campaign including air strikes, the Saudi-led intervention has failed to bring the Houthis to heel.
  • Yemen has been at war since Iran-backed Houthi rebels ousted the government in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention, but a new internal conflict has been brewing in recent weeks.
  • Despite spending billions in a campaign including air strikes, the Saudi-led intervention has failed to bring the Houthis to heel.
Yemen has been at war since Iran-backed Houthi rebels ousted the government in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention, but a new internal conflict has been brewing in recent weeks.
The face-off involves rival armed factions loosely grouped under the government but separately backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The UAE on Tuesday said it was pulling its remaining forces out of Yemen, following a Saudi demand to withdraw within 24 hours as tensions escalate over a sweeping offensive by Abu Dhabi-backed separatists, who have refused to pull back.
Here is what we know about the latest events threatening the already-fractured government and what could happen next.

What's happening now?

This month, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a UAE-backed secessionist group and key government partner, seized most of resource-rich Hadramawt province and swaths of neighbouring Mahrah. 
Saudi Arabia, chief supporter of Yemen's government, has hit back, and tensions escalated Tuesday when a Saudi-led military coalition attacked an alleged shipment of weapons and combat vehicles it said was sent from the UAE to the separatists.
The UAE denied sending weapons to the STC.
After the strikes, Yemen's presidential council dissolved a defence pact with the UAE and declared a 90-day state of emergency.
The strikes came after raids hit STC positions on Friday, following calls from Riyadh for a separatist withdrawal. 
Later Tuesday, the UAE announced its remaining forces would leave Yemen, before an STC spokesman vowed the separatists would hold their positions.
A Yemeni military official said around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were massed near the Saudi border, with no orders to advance.
"The standoff risks upending Yemen's fragile three-and-a-half-year truce," wrote April Longley Alley, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, in an analysis.
"It could also further strain relations between key US allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE."

What does the STC want?

The STC appears to be launching a bid for greater self-determination over territories it controls or even outright independence, observers said. 
Headed by Aidaros Alzubidi, the STC is a coalition of groups that want to bring back South Yemen, which existed from 1967 to 1990, when it reunified with North Yemen.
They now control almost all of South Yemen's former territory.
The STC "is betting that if the South can be united under a single leadership –- its own, of course –- it can cordon the South off from the Houthis in the North, utilise oil and gas revenue, and create a stable and functioning state," wrote Gregory D. Johnsen, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, in a recent analysis.
Such a move "is a tall order, and it will likely be contested both internally and externally", Johnsen added.

Why is Saudi 'sleepless' over Hadramawt?

Hadramawt is Yemen's largest province, comprising roughly a third of the country's territory, and its wealthiest.
It is home to most of Yemen's vital petroleum deposits, and its ports are away from the Red Sea hotspot that regularly comes under Houthi fire.
But for the Saudis, the province abutting their southern border is about more than just land and wealth. 
For generations, Hadramawt families have been a force in the Saudi economy and make up a sizeable portion of the business community.
Seen as having entrepreneurial skills and grit, migrants from Hadramawt have long flourished in Saudi Arabia, from running family restaurants to starting multi-billion dollar construction consortiums. 
Losing Hadramawt to a UAE-backed militia would be a strategic blow to Riyadh.
"If I'm Saudi Arabia, I'd be sleepless if I lose Hadramawt," said Farea al-Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa Programme. 

Can the Saudis stop the separatists?

The latest escalation pits the Saudi alliance against a militia keen to exert control over territory it sees as historically distinct from the rest of Yemen. 
The decade-long, largely fruitless fight against the Houthis may not give Riyadh much cause for optimism. 
Despite spending billions in a campaign including air strikes, the Saudi-led intervention has failed to bring the Houthis to heel.
Military experts cite the south's more open terrain as playing to Saudi Arabia's possible advantage. An air campaign alone, however, is unlikely to dislodge their forces. 
Air strikes "can never make a significant difference in battles if there is no ground war", said Muslimi.
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AU

AU observers praise 'peaceful' Central African Republic polls

  • Since Touadera was first elected in the middle of a civil war, the Central African Republic has seen unrest ease, although feuds persist between armed groups and the government in some regions. 
  • African Union observers on Tuesday said elections in the Central African Republic, where incumbent president Faustin-Archange Touadera is widely expected to win, had gone ahead peacefully.
  • Since Touadera was first elected in the middle of a civil war, the Central African Republic has seen unrest ease, although feuds persist between armed groups and the government in some regions. 
African Union observers on Tuesday said elections in the Central African Republic, where incumbent president Faustin-Archange Touadera is widely expected to win, had gone ahead peacefully.
Touadera, 68, is seeking a third term and has touted his efforts steadying a nation long plagued by conflict.
Part of the opposition had called for a boycott, condemning the election as a sham and lacking political dialogue. 
Touadera went into the election in pole position after a new constitution was adopted in 2023 allowing him to seek another term.
AU delegation representative Bernard Makuza praised the elections -- which included parliamentary, municipal and regional ballots at the same time -- as "a step forward towards democracy".
He said that given their compliance with the legal framework in force, the polls were "incomparable with the electoral processes of 2016 and 2020".
At those elections, the AU had expressed misgivings over poll fairness.
The AU delegates monitored this year's polls in three of the country's 20 prefectures.
Makuza, a former Rwandan prime minister, stressed that the "overall security" of the country had allowed voting to take place in a "general atmosphere of calm".
He said sources on the ground reported the electoral process had gone ahead peacefully across the country apart from the Haut-Mbomou prefecture in the southeast.
The region is beset by tensions between the Central African armed forces, supported by Russian Wagner group mercenaries, and a local militia.
Wagner has established itself as one of the Central African government's main security partners.

'Legal avenues'

In 2020, only 50 percent of sub-prefectures were able to host polling normally.
The electoral process was marred by an attempted coup by rebels from the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) and by violence.
This time, Makuza urged candidates with a grievance to "resort to legal avenues in the case of disputes".
The AU monitors will send their final conclusions to the Central African government within a month.
However, Yves Sanghamy Maikane, spokesman for the party of opposition leader Anicet-Georges Dologuele, denounced malfeasance in the poll process, in remarks during a press conference attended by foreign diplomats and the UN special representative.
He separately told AFP he did not want to see the African Union's view of proceedings "create a misleading narrative".
Provisional results are due to be published on January 5, while the Constitutional Court is due to announce final results -- in the event of first-round victories not requiring a run-off -- on January 20.
Since Touadera was first elected in the middle of a civil war, the Central African Republic has seen unrest ease, although feuds persist between armed groups and the government in some regions. 
Despite being pushed back, anti-government fighters are still at large on main highways, as well as in the east near the borders with war-battered Sudan and South Sudan. 
Nearly 90 percent of the country is now under government authority, compared to 80 percent being held by armed groups four years ago, analysts have told AFP.
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Global Edition

I.Coast ruling party's dominance leaves opposition on brink

BY PIERRE DONADIEU

  • - Ouattara, who turns 84 years old on Thursday, kicked off his fourth presidential term -- and under the constitution, his last -- vowing "generational" change.
  • Ivory Coast's ruling party has further cemented its power after another crushing victory in parliamentary elections at the weekend, two months after President Alassane Ouattara won re-election for a fourth term.
  • - Ouattara, who turns 84 years old on Thursday, kicked off his fourth presidential term -- and under the constitution, his last -- vowing "generational" change.
Ivory Coast's ruling party has further cemented its power after another crushing victory in parliamentary elections at the weekend, two months after President Alassane Ouattara won re-election for a fourth term.
With the opposition all but out of the picture, Ouattara's party now boasts nearly 80 percent of seats in parliament, largely controls the Senate and dominates municipal and regional councils, in one of west Africa's fastest-growing economies and the world's top cocoa producer. 

Electoral dominance

Supporters of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) put its success down to a dynamic economy and stability in a troubled region under Ouattara's watch since coming to power in 2011.
William Assanvo, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said the party's dominance was the "result of discipline, organisation and the substantial resources made available to the candidates".
Francis Akindes, a teacher and researcher at Bouake university, said for decades people especially in rural areas were told to elect those close to power in order to secure infrastructure.
"And that’s enough to mobilise some voters," he said.
Critics point, however, to low turnout rates -- 35 percent in Saturday's parliamentary election and 50 percent for the presidential poll -- as well as opposition leaders being excluded from the race for president. 

Collapse of opposition

Since the 1990s, Ivory Coast has been split between pro-Ouattara support in the north, supporters of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo in the south and west and the leading opposition force the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) in the centre.
But the RHDP has extended its power in recent elections beyond its traditional stronghold.
Support for the PDCI, the country's oldest party, slumped in the legislative elections, while it did not put up a presidential candidate in October after its leader Tidjane Thiam was barred from standing.
Thiam, an ex-Credit Suisse banker, has been outside of Ivory Coast since March, saying he fears arrest if he returned.
"This absence of leadership is a problem for the party," a PDCI official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Assanvo, of the ISS, pointed to "divisions" in the party which have contributed to its weakening position.
Gbagbo's party has not fared much better. It has no deputies in parliament after it boycotted the ballot.
"The policy of the empty chair is a grave mistake. The opposition parties are going to experience internal crises," said Akindes from Bouake university.
The opposition has denounced the arrest of its members -- two PDCI lawmakers won election on Saturday even as they were in prison -- while the government says the courts and legal system are independent.

Who comes next ?

Ouattara, who turns 84 years old on Thursday, kicked off his fourth presidential term -- and under the constitution, his last -- vowing "generational" change.
But no clear successor has yet emerged.
His vice president Tiemoko Meyliet Kone is seen as a technocrat and has a low public profile.
Veteran leading party figures include the powerful defence minister and brother of the president Tene Birahima Ouattara, National Assembly president Adama Bictogo and ex-prime minister Patrick Achi.
But younger RHDP ministers, such as Mamadou Toure, 50, and Amadou Kone, 59, command support in the central cities of Daloa and Bouake.
All were comfortably elected on Saturday as MPs.
"It’s still a bit early, but in two years' time a clash of titans will unfold. Everyone will push their own agenda and the battle will be fierce," Akindes predicted.
Assanvo said that Ouattara was currently a unifying figure for his party but despite its overwhelming dominance, it faced "its own challenges when it comes to succession".
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Zia

Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia dies aged 80

BY SHEIKH SABIHA ALAM AND MOHAMMAD MAZED

  • The BNP said Zia died shortly after dawn on Tuesday.
  • Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who many believed would sweep elections next year to lead her country once again, died on Tuesday aged 80.
  • The BNP said Zia died shortly after dawn on Tuesday.
Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who many believed would sweep elections next year to lead her country once again, died on Tuesday aged 80.
The government declared three days of state mourning for the country's first woman prime minister, with vast crowds expected to attend her funeral on Wednesday.
Despite years of ill health and imprisonment, Zia vowed in November to campaign in elections set for February -- the first vote since a mass uprising toppled her arch-rival Sheikh Hasina last year.
Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely seen as a frontrunner, and her son Tarique Rahman, who returned only on Thursday after 17 years in exile, is seen a potential prime minister if they win a majority.
"The country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations," Rahman said in a statement.
He said he was also mourning the loss of the "infinite love" of his mother, who "endured repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution".
"Yet even in pain, confinement, and uncertainty, she never stopped sheltering her family with courage and compassion. Her resilience... was unbreakable."
In late November Zia was rushed to hospital, where, despite the best efforts of medics, her condition deteriorated from a raft of health issues.
Nevertheless, hours before her death, party workers had on Monday submitted nomination papers on her behalf for three constituencies for the polls. The BNP said Zia died shortly after dawn on Tuesday.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus said Bangladesh "has lost a great guardian".
"Through her uncompromising leadership, the nation was repeatedly freed from undemocratic conditions and inspired to regain liberty," Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus said in a statement.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he hoped Zia's "vision and legacy will continue to guide our partnership", a warm message despite the strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka since Hasina's fall.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Zia had been a "committed friend" to Islamabad, while China's ambassador in Dhaka Yao Wen offered his condolences.
"China will continue to maintain its longstanding and friendly ties with the BNP," he said.

'Prison over luxury'

Braving cold rain, mourners gathered on Tuesday outside the hospital in Dhaka where Zia's body rests.
"This is an irreparable loss for the nation," senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told reporters, his voice choking with emotion.
"She chose prison over luxury and spent years behind bars," said Golam Kibria, 29, a BNP loyalist who said he was tortured under Hasina's government, calling Zia an "unmatched leader who can never be replaced".
Three-time prime minister Zia was jailed for corruption in 2018 under Hasina's government, which also blocked her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.
Zia was released last year, shortly after Hasina was forced from power.
Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity, remains in hiding in her old ally India.
"I pray for the eternal peace and forgiveness of Begum Khaleda Zia's soul," Hasina said, in a statement on social media by her now banned Awami League party.
Bangladesh's Prothom Alo newspaper, which said Zia had "earned the epithet of the 'uncompromising leader'", reported that Rahman and other family members were by her side at the time of her death.
"The lives of politicians are marked by rises and falls," the newspaper wrote on Tuesday.
"Lawsuits, arrests, imprisonment, persecution, and attacks by adversaries are far from uncommon. Khaleda Zia endured such ordeals at their most extreme."
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