Christmas

Pope urges Russia, Ukraine dialogue in Christmas blessing

politics

Malaysia's Najib convicted of abuse of power in 1MDB graft trial

BY ISABELLE LEONG

  • Prosecutors say Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB advisory board chairman to move large amounts of money from the fund into his personal accounts more than a decade ago.
  • Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty on Friday of abusing his power in the 1MDB graft scandal, which saw billions plundered from the now-defunct sovereign wealth fund.
  • Prosecutors say Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB advisory board chairman to move large amounts of money from the fund into his personal accounts more than a decade ago.
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty on Friday of abusing his power in the 1MDB graft scandal, which saw billions plundered from the now-defunct sovereign wealth fund.
His conviction is likely to heap years onto the six-year term he is already serving for a separate case related to the 1MDB fund.
Presiding Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah convicted the 72-year-old former leader on Friday on all four counts of abuse of power. Najib will also face a verdict on 21 counts of money laundering linked to the fund, which sparked probes in several countries, from Singapore to the United States.
While Najib, the son of one of the country's founding fathers, was groomed for leadership from a young age, he experienced a spectacular fall from power as public anger mounted over the corruption scandal. 
Since Najib's 2018 election loss, investigations under successive governments have ensnared him and wife Rosmah Mansor in graft allegations.
Prosecutors say Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB advisory board chairman to move large amounts of money from the fund into his personal accounts more than a decade ago.
According to investigators, proceeds from the state fund were used to bankroll high-end real estate, a luxury yacht and precious artworks.
Friday's hearing opened around 9:00 am (0100 GMT) before the Kuala Lumpur High Court in the country's administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Presiding Judge Sequerah started reading a lengthy verdict, before breaking for Friday afternoon prayers, with the hearing resuming at 3:00 pm. 

'Unmeritorious'

During the morning reading, Judge Sequerah dismissed several of the defence lawyers' arguments, including that Najib was duped by his close associate, the shadowy businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.
"The evidence clearly points to the fact that this was no coincidence but was evident of a relationship in which Jho Low operated as a proxy or agent of the accused (Najib) with regard to the running of the affairs of 1MDB," Sequerah said.
The defence's argument that Najib was "misled and duped by management and by Jho Low is unmeritorious", the judge said.
Low, who is currently on the run, is seen as the mastermind behind the scheme to plunder the country's investment vehicle.
Sequerah also dismissed arguments that the money flowing into Najib's accounts was "donations" from Middle East funders, calling it a "tale that surpassed even those from the Arabian Nights".
The prosecution presented bank records, testimony from over 50 witnesses and documentary evidence.
Najib "paints himself as a victim of rogue subordinates, when in truth, he was the single most powerful decision-maker", deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib told the court during closing arguments.
"The accused wielded absolute financial, executive and political control," he said.

'No fair trial'

Najib's lawyers have previously said the politician was unaware that 1MDB's management was working hand in glove with Low to siphon large amounts of money from the fund, ostensibly established to foster economic growth in Malaysia.
Najib's lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, last week told journalists his client "never got a fair trial". 
He again blamed Low for the scandal, which dented Malaysia's image abroad.
Najib has apologised for allowing the 1MDB scandal to happen during his tenure, but he maintains he knew nothing about illegal transfers from the fund.
His legal battle was dealt a blow on Monday after he lost a bid to serve the remainder of his current jail term at home rather than the Kajang Prison outside Kuala Lumpur.
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.
jhe-llk/lb

election

'No winner': Kosovo snap poll unlikely to end damaging deadlock

BY ISMET HAJDARI

  • Two national polls and a local election have cost one of Europe's poorest nations at least 30 million euros ($35 million) this year.
  • Before the first vote is even cast in Kosovo's snap election on Sunday, experts predict it is unlikely to end the political crisis that has been gripping Europe's youngest country for almost a year. 
  • Two national polls and a local election have cost one of Europe's poorest nations at least 30 million euros ($35 million) this year.
Before the first vote is even cast in Kosovo's snap election on Sunday, experts predict it is unlikely to end the political crisis that has been gripping Europe's youngest country for almost a year. 
The Balkan nation has been politically deadlocked since the inconclusive vote in February, which outgoing premier Albin Kurti's Vetevendosje (VV) party won but without enough seats to form a government.
After months of wrangling in a stalled parliament, the caretaker prime minister is going back to the electorate in a vote that analysts say will change very little.
"I think that the December 28 elections will not bring any clarity," economist Mehmet Gjata told AFP as he predicted Kurti's party would come out on top again.
Political analyst Fatime Hajdari agreed that "chances were high" that VV would secure the most votes, but said little else was clear.

Charismatic Kurti

If anyone can secure a majority, Kurti, once dubbed Kosovo's Che Guevara for his radical past, has a rare record.
His party swept to power in 2021 in the largest electoral victory since the country's independence from Serbia in 2008, taking over 50 percent of the vote.
From a student radical to a political prisoner, Kurti's long path to the prime ministership has made him one of the most recognisable and influential politicians in Kosovo.
His blend of nationalism and a reform agenda has proven popular in a country whose sovereignty is still contested by Serbia, more than two decades after its war for independence ended.
But Gjata says things may have changed since Kurti's last term.
"I'm afraid that the current political crisis will repeat itself, because VV will not get more than 50 percent of the votes," the economist said.
"We will have no winner again."
The largest opposition parties have refused to join a Kurti coalition, all but assuring a fragmented parliament.
The only realistic challenge to VV would be "cooperation" between the three major opposition parties, former foreign minister and opposition candidate Enver Hoxhaj said.
"I think that only they can offer stability," Hoxhaj said.

Popular Serb policy blamed for 'instability'

For Kurti and his party, countering Serbian influence in Kosovo has long been a focus, drawing support at home but criticism abroad.
When Serbian forces withdrew under NATO bombardment in 1999, it left many of its state structures in place for ethnic Serbs who live mainly in the north.
Kurti has labelled these services "instruments of intimidation, threat and control" and spent nearly his entire second term uprooting the system -- and angering Belgrade in the process.
The resulting tensions in the north, which last flared into violence in 2023, have drawn sanctions from the European Union and caused Washington to accuse Kurti's government of increasing "instability".
But among his voters, the removal of Serbian influence remains popular, Hajdari said.
"The extension of sovereignty there is perceived by the citizens as a major success," Hajdari said.
Most opposition parties avoid the issue, but the Serb List -- which contests and retains most of the ten reserved Serb seats in parliament -- regularly clashes with Kurti's agenda in the north.
The minor party, with close ties to Belgrade, has previously called the government's moves in the north "ethnic cleansing" and has said they are willing to work with other parties to keep Kurti out of power.

A year of 'colossal damage'

Without a parliament, key international agreements have not been ratified, putting hundreds of millions of euros in assistance funds at risk.
Two national polls and a local election have cost one of Europe's poorest nations at least 30 million euros ($35 million) this year.
Over a dozen government institutions and agencies have also been left leaderless, as the mandates of their managers expired without new ones being appointed.
Gjata said "colossal damage" had been done to the economy by divided lawmakers over the past months.
"They have put Kosovo in a state of anarchy," he said.
While lawmakers bickered, the cost of the crisis would be felt by the Balkan nation's citizens, Hajdari warned.
"That is precisely why Kosovo needs a stable and functional government that would focus on development and welfare."
ih/al/fg

election

Main contenders in Kosovo's snap election

BY ISMET HAJDARI

  • However, in February's election, his party fell short of the numbers needed to govern alone and failed to secure a coalition partner, triggering months of deadlock that ultimately led to Sunday's snap vote.
  • Kosovo is heading for early elections Sunday after months of political deadlock and failure to form a government -- the only solution its deeply divided parties could agree on to break the stalemate.
  • However, in February's election, his party fell short of the numbers needed to govern alone and failed to secure a coalition partner, triggering months of deadlock that ultimately led to Sunday's snap vote.
Kosovo is heading for early elections Sunday after months of political deadlock and failure to form a government -- the only solution its deeply divided parties could agree on to break the stalemate.
Here are the main contenders to be the Balkan nation's next prime minister:

Albin Kurti: eyeing fourth win

Kosovo's caretaker prime minister, Albin Kurti, is widely seen as the unbeatable frontrunner in the race—even after a year of political paralysis during which he failed to form a coalition.
If he wins, it will mark the fourth consecutive time the 50-year-old left-wing leader has crossed the finish line first, securing his position at the helm of the small, landlocked country.
Kurti has left nothing to chance, pouring enormous energy into a two-week snap election campaign, travelling extensively and lobbying across the country.
Once nicknamed "Che Guevara" for his youthful radicalism, Kurti boasts long political experience rooted in Kosovo's independence movement during the war-torn 1990s and later in parliament.
After a brief first term as prime minister from February to June 2020, Kurti's party, Vetevendosje (VV) -- which blends a leftist agenda with fervent nationalism -- won the 2021 snap elections with over half the vote.
He then became the first prime minister to complete a full term since Kosovo's independence. However, in February's election, his party fell short of the numbers needed to govern alone and failed to secure a coalition partner, triggering months of deadlock that ultimately led to Sunday's snap vote.
Kurti and VV still enjoy strong voter support, thanks largely to their reformist and anti-corruption platform. But if Kurti wins on Sunday, he will face intense international pressure to revive dialogue with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on normalizing relations between the two neighbours.

Bedri Hamza: the challenger

Bedri Hamza, a former central bank governor and newly elected president of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), is seen as Kurti's strongest challenger.
Born out of a guerrilla movement during the war against rule from Belgrade, the PDK dominated Kosovo's political scene for years, riding the wave of wartime popularity. But its influence gradually waned as the country moved beyond the conflict.
The party has since reinvented itself with figures like Hamza, who blends national values with liberal economic policies championing free markets, economic growth, a stronger private sector and social protection.
The 62-year-old graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Pristina and began his career in the late 1980s as head of accounting and finance at a lead metallurgy plant in Mitrovica.
More than three decades later, Hamza returned to the ethnically divided city as mayor of its Albanian-majority south. His tenure is remembered for successfully implementing multi-ethnic projects with the Serb-majority north, including regulating the Ibar River. If elected prime minister, this experience could prove invaluable in building trust with Kosovo's Serb minority, which remains loyal to Belgrade.
A prominent economist, Hamza has served as finance minister, central bank governor and has been a three-term MP.
Knowing that in pro-American Kosovo, political ambitions often hinge on US support, Hamza's first major move after announcing his candidacy was a trip to Washington, where he met senior US officials.
Generally regarded as a man of integrity, Hamza declared after his election as PDK leader that the party "is ready for victory".

Lumir Abdixhiku: young pretender 

Lumir Abdixhiku is the youngest candidate for prime minister but leads the country's oldest political party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).
The 42-year-old economist was an academic focusing on tax evasion in transition economies before entering politics and served as Kosovo's infrastructure minister.
Abdixhiku also spent several years as a newspaper columnist, penning the well-known "Letters from Limbo" column in the daily Koha Ditore.
He became LDK leader in 2021, just a month after the party suffered a crushing parliamentary defeat. Abdixhiku pledged reform and delivered, replacing much of its leadership with younger activists. Now the third-largest party in parliament, the LDK could play kingmaker in these elections, as both left and right seek its support for a coalition.
Abdixhiku declared that LDK aims to "take the leadership of Kosovo" and offer "a dignified and European government" if it wins.
ih/fg

attacks

US launches Christmas Day strikes on IS targets in Nigeria

BY ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS, WITH MICHAEL MATHES IN WASHINGTON

  • The Department of Defense's US Africa Command said "multiple ISIS terrorists" were killed in an attack in Sokoto state conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
  • President Donald Trump said US forces conducted "powerful and deadly" strikes Thursday against Islamic State group militants in northwestern Nigeria, weeks after he warned against any systemic assault on Christians in the country.
  • The Department of Defense's US Africa Command said "multiple ISIS terrorists" were killed in an attack in Sokoto state conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
President Donald Trump said US forces conducted "powerful and deadly" strikes Thursday against Islamic State group militants in northwestern Nigeria, weeks after he warned against any systemic assault on Christians in the country.
The Nigerian foreign ministry early Friday confirmed the air strikes, describing them as "precision hits on terrorist targets" in the country.
The Department of Defense's US Africa Command said "multiple ISIS terrorists" were killed in an attack in Sokoto state conducted at the request of Nigerian authorities, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
Few details were provided and it was not clear how many people were killed. 
Trump said he had "previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was." 
"MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
US defense officials later posted video of what appeared to be the nighttime launch of a missile from the deck of a battleship flying the US flag.
The attack is the first by US forces in Nigeria under Trump, and comes after the Republican leader unexpectedly berated the west African nation in October and November, saying Christians there faced an "existential threat" that amounted to "genocide" amid Nigeria's myriad armed conflicts.
That diplomatic offensive was welcomed by some but interpreted by others as inflaming religious tensions in Africa's most populous country, which has seen bouts of sectarian violence in the past.
Nigeria's government and independent analysts reject framing the country's violence in terms of religious persecution -- a narrative long used by the Christian right in the United States and Europe. 
But Trump, spotlighting what his administration says is global persecution of Christians, stressed last month that Washington was ready to take military action in Nigeria to counter such killings.

'Grateful' for cooperation

The Nigerian foreign ministry said the country was engaged with international partners.
"Nigerian authorities remain engaged in structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America, in addressing the persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism," the ministry said.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said he was "grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation" in an X post. 
The United States this year placed Nigeria back on the list of countries of "particular concern" regarding religious freedom, and has restricted the issuance of visas to Nigerians. 
Trump last month also threatened to stop all aid to Abuja if it "continues to allow the killing of Christians." 
Nigeria is almost evenly divided between a Muslim-majority north and a largely Christian south.
Its northeast has been in the grip of jihadist violence for more than 15 years by the Islamist Boko Haram group, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced two million people.
At the same time, large parts of the country's northwest, north and center have been hit by criminal gangs known as "bandits" who attack villages, killing and kidnapping residents.
On Wednesday an explosion ripped through a mosque in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, killing at least seven worshippers. No armed groups immediately claimed responsibility.
mlm/abs/rsc

rights

Boys recount 'torment' at hands of armed rebels in DR Congo

BY CAMILLE LAFFONT

  • New recruits are swiftly forced to convert to Islam and learn Arabic, but also English and Swahili, Edouard said. 
  • Forcibly recruited into a rebel militia affiliated with the Islamic State group, two boys revealed the "torment" of living in its camps as members committed massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeast. 
  • New recruits are swiftly forced to convert to Islam and learn Arabic, but also English and Swahili, Edouard said. 
Forcibly recruited into a rebel militia affiliated with the Islamic State group, two boys revealed the "torment" of living in its camps as members committed massacres in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeast. 
The two minors freed from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) gave AFP an unprecedented account of the shadowy group, notorious for its extreme brutality. 
Paluku, a frail 12-year-old, spent two months with the ADF after rebels killed his mother during an attack on his village in eastern North Kivu province. His brother and sister were also captured. 
Edouard, 17, spent a gruelling four years with the ADF -- formed by Ugandan rebels who took refuge in DRC -- after he was kidnapped at age 12.  
The two boys, using pseudonyms, spoke on condition of anonymity at a centre specialising in the care of minors recruited by armed groups in the region, whose location AFP has chosen not to disclose to avoid potential reprisals. 
Their accounts were confirmed by health and security sources. 
Round-faced Edouard, a fast-talker, did not mince his words in describing his years of "torment" within the ADF. 
"We suffered terribly," he said. 
After their capture, Edouard and Paluku were sent to ADF bases hidden in the dense forest of northeast DRC where the elusive rebels avoid patrols by the Congolese army and Ugandan forces deployed there since 2021. 
The bases consist of simple tents and tarps, easy to move in the event of an attack. 
Most occupants are women and children, according to security sources, contributing to the group's operations -- but also serving as human shields. 
New recruits are swiftly forced to convert to Islam and learn Arabic, but also English and Swahili, Edouard said. 
"I was also trained in medicine to treat the wounded, and we learned how to handle weapons and clean them," he said.
Paluku said he underwent similar training, as well as learning how to "steal food, clothing and medicine to bring back to the ADF camp". 

Floggings

Children play a central role in supplying the group, security sources said. Those who fail to bring back loot face severe punishment. 
The wives of the ADF commanders, some of whom are particularly influential, also exercise power over the young recruits. 
When the fighters go out on "operations", the youngest among them like Paluku, were "supposed to bring something back for the chief's wife," he said, like soap, cooking oil or fabric.
"To get it we have to loot people's belongings, and if a chief's wife accuses you to her husband of not bringing back what she asked for, she can demand that you be killed," he said. 
Edouard and Paluku said they were subjected to incessant corporal punishment. 
Girls and boys were whipped or thrown into pits for several weeks over the slightest misbehaviour. 
"I was punished with lashes because I refused to go kill people," Paluku said with a long stare. 
Edouard took part in combat with the group at least three times against the Congolese army or local militias. 
"They beat us mostly when we lost our weapons and ammunition, claiming we had wasted them for nothing or lost them on the front," he explained. 
Faced with such an accusation, Edouard said a chief ordered that he be whipped. 
"I fell ill because of those lashes. I told the chief outright I was no longer able to go fight on the front, I begged him to send others who were capable, but that made him even more angry, and I was whipped once again," he said. 

Trauma

About 10 children freed from the ADF arrive on average each month at the reception centre in the troubled northeast Ituri province. 
"These children have suffered psychological trauma and torture, and when they arrive here, most are aggressive," said Madeleine, a psychologist at the centre. 
After a few weeks spent around other children and staff, their aggression fades, she said. 
But there are other scars to contend with. 
Edouard became addicted to drugs administered by the rebels after he was wounded in combat. 
Suffering from speech disorders, he talks constantly and sometimes incoherently, disturbing other residents, Madeleine said. 
After a year at the centre receiving ongoing treatment, Edouard recounted the horrors of his experience with a shy smile and a lively, excitable gaze. 
Paluku meanwhile had a darker expression, recalling his sister who remains a hostage. 
"She has become the wife of one of the ADF chiefs," he said.
clt/giv/rh/ceg

conflict

Inside Chernobyl, Ukraine scrambles to repair radiation shield

BY SERGII VOLSKYI AND TETIANA DZHAFAROVA

  • Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of targeting Chernobyl and its other nuclear power plants, saying Moscow's strikes risk triggering a potentially catastrophic disaster.
  • Inside an abandoned control room at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a worker in an orange hardhat gazed at a grey wall of seemingly endless dials, screens and gauges that were supposed to prevent disaster.
  • Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of targeting Chernobyl and its other nuclear power plants, saying Moscow's strikes risk triggering a potentially catastrophic disaster.
Inside an abandoned control room at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a worker in an orange hardhat gazed at a grey wall of seemingly endless dials, screens and gauges that were supposed to prevent disaster.
The 1986 meltdown at the site was the world's worst ever nuclear incident. Since Russia invaded in 2022, Kyiv fears another disaster could be just a matter of time.
In February, a Russian drone hit and left a large hole in the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the outer of two radiation shells covering the remnants of the nuclear power plant.
It functions as a modern high-tech replacement for an inner steel-and-concrete structure -- known as the Sarcophagus, a defensive layer built hastily after the 1986 incident.
Ten months later, repair work is still ongoing, and it could take another three to four years before the outer dome regains its primary safety functions, plant director Sergiy Tarakanov told AFP in an interview from Kyiv.
"It does not perform the function of retaining radioactive substances inside," Tarakanov said, echoing concerns raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The strike had also left it unclear if the shell would last the 100 years it was designed to.
The gaping crater in the structure, which AFP journalists saw this summer, has been covered over with a protective screen, but 300 smaller holes made by firefighters when battling the blaze still need to be filled in.
Scaffolding engulfs the inside of the giant multi-billion-dollar structure, rising all the way up to the 100-metre-high ceiling.
Charred debris from the drone strike that hit the NSC still lay on the floor of the plant, AFP journalists saw on a visit to the site in December.

'Main threat'

Russia's army captured the plant on the first day of its 2022 invasion, before withdrawing a few weeks later.
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow of targeting Chernobyl and its other nuclear power plants, saying Moscow's strikes risk triggering a potentially catastrophic disaster.
Ukraine regularly reduces power at its nuclear plants following Russian strikes on its energy grid.
In October, a Russian strike on a substation near Chernobyl cut power flowing to the confinement structure.
Tarakanov told AFP that radiation levels at the site had remained "stable and within normal limits".
Inside a modern control room, engineer Ivan Tykhonenko was keeping track of 19 sensors and detection units, constantly monitoring the state of the site.
Part of the 190 tonnes of uranium that were on site in 1986 "melted, sank down into the reactor unit, the sub-reactor room, and still exists," he told AFP.
Worries over the fate of the site -- and what could happen -- run high.
Another Russian hit -- or even a powerful nearby strike -- could see the inner radiation shell collapse, director Tarakanov told AFP.
"If a missile or drone hits it directly, or even falls somewhere nearby ... it will cause a mini-earthquake in the area," he said.
"No one can guarantee that the shelter facility will remain standing after that. That is the main threat," he added.
sv-brw/jc/rh/ceg

Kim

North Korea's Kim orders factories to make more missiles in 2026

BY CLAIRE LEE

  • In a visit to munitions factories accompanied by top officials, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim had ordered the factories to prepare for a busy year ahead.
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to step up production of missiles and construct more factories to meet his military's growing need for the projectiles, state media said Friday.
  • In a visit to munitions factories accompanied by top officials, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim had ordered the factories to prepare for a busy year ahead.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to step up production of missiles and construct more factories to meet his military's growing need for the projectiles, state media said Friday.
Pyongyang has significantly increased missile testing in recent years -- aimed, analysts say, at improving precision strike capabilities, challenging the United States as well as South Korea, and testing weapons before exporting them to key ally Russia.
In a visit to munitions factories accompanied by top officials, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim had ordered the factories to prepare for a busy year ahead.
The North Korean leader said they needed "to further expand the overall production capacity" to keep pace with demand from Pyongyang's armed forces and ordered the building of new munitions plants, KCNA reported.
"The missile and shell production sector is of paramount importance in bolstering up the war deterrent," Kim said.
North Korea and Russia have drawn closer since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, and Pyongyang has sent troops to fight for Russia, along with artillery shells, missiles and long-range rocket systems.
In return, Russia is sending North Korea financial aid, military technology and food and energy supplies, analysts say.
Washington has also pointed to evidence that Russia is stepping up support for North Korea, including providing help on advanced space and satellite technology, in return for its assistance in fighting Ukraine.
Analysts say satellite launchers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) share much of the same underlying technology.
"With its ICBM program already at a stage widely seen as having achieved core objectives, Pyongyang is likely to further accelerate development next year," said Ahn Chan-il, a researcher originally from North Korea.
The country is likely to shift "focus toward testing and producing systems linked to potential exports to Russia -- including medium- and intermediate-range missiles," he added.

Nuclear-powered sub

Kim's visit was reported a day after state media said he had toured a nuclear submarine factory and vowed to counter the "threat" of South Korea producing its own such vessels with Washington's backing.
The North Korean leader also learned about research into "new underwater secret weapons", KCNA said.
North Korea is expected to "seek advanced military technologies from Russia, including nuclear-powered submarine capabilities and fighter jets, as it looks to address its air force's relative weakness," analyst Ahn told AFP.
Kim was reported Thursday to have overseen the test launch of new-type high-altitude long-range anti-air missiles over the Sea of Japan.
And he said that "new modernisation and production plans" would be unveiled at his ruling Korean Workers Party's first congress in half a decade, expected in early 2026.
cdl/oho/abs

Global Edition

Japan govt approves record 122 trillion yen budget

  • The 122-trillion-yen figure compares with the 115 trillion yen sought for the current fiscal year to March, which was also a record. 
  • The Japanese government on Friday approved a record budget for the upcoming fiscal year, to pay for everything from bigger defence spending to ballooning social security costs as inflation persists.
  • The 122-trillion-yen figure compares with the 115 trillion yen sought for the current fiscal year to March, which was also a record. 
The Japanese government on Friday approved a record budget for the upcoming fiscal year, to pay for everything from bigger defence spending to ballooning social security costs as inflation persists.
The 122.3-trillion-yen ($782 billion) budget for the fiscal year from April 2026 will include some nine trillion yen for defence spending, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to accelerate Tokyo's sweeping upgrade of its military in the face of worsening relations with China.
The defence ministry said in a briefing document that "Japan faces the most severe and complex security environment since the end of the war," stressing the need to "fundamentally strengthen" its defence capabilities. 
At the core of its request is 100 billion yen for the so-called SHIELD coastal defence system, which would marshal drones to block any invasion by foreign troops. 
Japan is hoping that SHIELD -- Synchronised, Hybrid, Integrated and Enhanced Littoral Defence -- will be completed by March 2028, with no details yet on which part of Japan's coastline it will be linked to. 
The 122-trillion-yen figure compares with the 115 trillion yen sought for the current fiscal year to March, which was also a record. 
The expanding budget comes as the market worries about Takaichi's big spending policies adding to Japan's public debts.
Japan already has the biggest ratio of debt to gross domestic product (GDP) among major economies, projected to reach 232.7 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Earlier this month parliament approved a massive extra budget, to pay for a 21.3-trillion-yen stimulus announced a month earlier.
The market has reacted by driving down the value of the yen while the benchmark yield rose for Japanese government bonds. 
Some observers have drawn comparisons to the UK's 2022 bond market turmoil under then-premier Liz Truss.
Takaichi has advocated big government spending to spur economic growth.
"What Japan needs right now is not the undermining of our strength as a nation through excessive austerity fiscal policies, but rather the bolstering of our national strength through proactive fiscal policies," she told a press conference last week.
In an interview Tuesday with the influential Nikkei business daily, Takaichi stressed her commitment to Tokyo's fiscal health, rejecting any "irresponsible bond issuance or tax cuts."
The current size of the budget is unlikely to shock the bond market, Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, wrote in a note ahead of Friday. 
But an increase to around 125 trillion yen or more, he said, would cause the "turmoil in the bond market, already in crisis mode, to deepen further". 
Kiuchi noted that, under Takaichi, the extra budget quickly ballooned, reaching $18 trillion yen.
"Financial markets are likely on high alert for a similar occurrence. Should the fall of the yen and bond prices further accelerate due to the size of the budget, it would increase worries about adverse effects on the economy and people's lives."
A weaker yen raises prices of imports for resource-poor Japan, which relies heavily on foreign food, energy and raw materials to power its economy. 
Takaichi came to power in October with a pledge to fight inflation after anger over rising prices.
Another challenge facing the country is its ageing population, caused by chronically low birth rates and a cautious approach to immigration.
The draft budget needs to be approved by parliament.
hih-tmo/aph/rsc

opposition

Guinea's presidential candidates hold final rallies before Sunday's vote

  • In the capital Conakry, the junta leader appeared in public on Thursday evening to cheers from several hundred of his supporters.
  • Presidential candidates in Guinea, including junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya, held their final political rallies Thursday ahead of this weekend's elections. 
  • In the capital Conakry, the junta leader appeared in public on Thursday evening to cheers from several hundred of his supporters.
Presidential candidates in Guinea, including junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya, held their final political rallies Thursday ahead of this weekend's elections. 
A total of 6.8 million people in the west African nation are eligible to vote Sunday between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm (0700 and 1800 GMT), choosing between nine candidates, including 41-year-old Doumbouya, who is running as an independent.
Despite his initial promise to return power to civilians when he took over in 2021, Doumbouya is running for president -- in an election with all the main opposition barred.
In the capital Conakry, the junta leader appeared in public on Thursday evening to cheers from several hundred of his supporters.
Dressed in sportswear, he danced to music, accompanied by tight security provided by the Special Forces, his former unit.
Earlier, Amadou Oury Bah, his campaign manager and the country's prime minister, addressed the crowd, asking them to vote overwhelmingly for Doumbouya to allow him to "fulfill a constitutional mandate that will meet your expectations and needs".
Guinea's opposition is calling for a boycott of the vote, which follows a tenure marked by repression, imprisonment, and disappearances of vocal opponents.
Doumbouya's election rivals are relative unknowns since all the main opposition figures were excluded.
One of the opposition candidates running from the Democratic Front of Guinea (FRONDEG), Abdoulaye Yero Balde, also held a rally in the capital where he called on voters to support him so "the future that lies before us will be the best we have had after 67 years of independence".
Doumbouya has cracked down on civil liberties, and the junta has banned protests since 2022. Many opponents have been arrested, put on trial or driven to exile. 
Since its independence in 1958, Guinea has had a complex history of military and authoritarian rule, including multiple military interventions.
Guinea is rich in minerals, but more than half of its inhabitants live below the poverty line, according to World Bank figures for 2024.
mrb/sjd/ceg/abs

tech

UK tech campaigner sues Trump administration over US sanctions

  • Ahmed faces the "imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion" from the United States, the court filing said.
  • The chief of a prominent anti-disinformation watchdog has sued President Donald Trump's administration over a US visa ban, calling it an "unconstitutional" attempt to expel the permanent American resident, court filings show.
  • Ahmed faces the "imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion" from the United States, the court filing said.
The chief of a prominent anti-disinformation watchdog has sued President Donald Trump's administration over a US visa ban, calling it an "unconstitutional" attempt to expel the permanent American resident, court filings show.
Imran Ahmed, a British national who heads the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), was among five European figures involved in tech regulation whom the US State Department said this week would be denied visas.
The department accused them of attempting to "coerce" US-based social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose. The European Union and several member states strongly condemned the move and vowed to defend Europe's regulatory autonomy.
The campaigner filed his complaint Wednesday in a New York district court against Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, US Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Ahmed, a critic of billionaire Elon Musk, holds US permanent residency, commonly known as a "green card."
"I am proud to call the United States my home," he said in a statement. "My wife and daughter are American, and instead of spending Christmas with them, I am fighting to prevent my unlawful deportation from my home country."
Ahmed faces the "imminent prospect of unconstitutional arrest, punitive detention, and expulsion" from the United States, the court filing said.
However, a district judge granted a temporary restraining order barring Ahmed's arrest or detention, with a further hearing scheduled for Monday.
When reached for comment Thursday, the State Department expressed defiance.
"The Supreme Court and Congress have repeatedly made clear: the United States is under no obligation to allow foreign aliens to come to our country or reside here," a spokesperson said.
Rogers said earlier that Ahmed was sanctioned because he was a "key collaborator" in efforts by former president Joe Biden's administration to "weaponize the government" against US citizens.

'Not be bullied'

"My life's work is to protect children from the dangers of unregulated social media and AI and fight the spread of antisemitism online. That mission has pitted me against big tech executives -- and Elon Musk in particular -- multiple times," Ahmed said.
"I will not be bullied away from my life's work."
The crackdown also targeted former European commissioner Thierry Breton, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon of the German nonprofit HateAid, and Clare Melford, who leads the UK-based Global Disinformation Index.
Condemning the move, the European Commission said it was seeking clarification from Washington, and if needed "will respond swiftly and decisively to defend our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures."
Breton, the EC's former top tech regulator, often clashed with tycoons including Musk -- a Trump ally -- over their obligations to follow EU rules.
The State Department has described him as the "mastermind" of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation and other standards on major social media platforms operating in Europe.
The DSA stipulates that major platforms must explain content-moderation decisions, provide transparency for users and ensure researchers can carry out essential work, such as understanding how much children are exposed to dangerous content.
But the act has become a bitter rallying point for US conservatives who see it as a weapon of censorship against right-wing thought in Europe and beyond, an accusation the EU furiously denies.
Ahmed's CCDH also frequently clashed with Musk, reporting a spike in misinformation and hate speech on X since the billionaire's 2022 takeover.
bur-ac/mlm

diplomacy

Russia makes 'proposal' to France over jailed researcher

  • Vinatier, 49, who works for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO, was jailed in June 2024 and is serving a three-year sentence for failing to register as a "foreign agent".
  • Russia has made an offer to France regarding a jailed researcher facing espionage charges that could see him sentenced to 20 years in prison, the Kremlin said Thursday.
  • Vinatier, 49, who works for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO, was jailed in June 2024 and is serving a three-year sentence for failing to register as a "foreign agent".
Russia has made an offer to France regarding a jailed researcher facing espionage charges that could see him sentenced to 20 years in prison, the Kremlin said Thursday.
The surprise public overture prompted hopes from Laurent Vinatier's family that he could soon be freed. It came as Russia and France expressed interest in possible talks between presidents Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron.
Macron is "fully mobilised" to obtain Vinatier's release "as quickly as possible", his office said, while insisting that the researcher was being held "arbitrarily".
Vinatier, 49, who works for a Swiss conflict mediation NGO, was jailed in June 2024 and is serving a three-year sentence for failing to register as a "foreign agent". He now faces fresh allegations of spying. Vinatier is among a number of westerners that their governments say are being held hostage.
"There were appropriate contacts between our side and the French. Indeed, a proposal was made to the French regarding Vinatier," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP.
He did not provide details but added that "the ball is now in France's court".
Vinatier's family say that he is a victim of tensions between Moscow and Paris over the war in Ukraine.
Frederic Belot, a lawyer for the family, said they hoped Vinatier could be released by the Orthodox Christmas on January 7. He said a prisoner exchange was possible but that he wanted to be "extremely prudent".
The researcher's mother Brigitte Vinatier told BFMTV television her son was well and "resilient".
Western countries have long accused Russia of arresting their citizens to use as bargaining chips to secure the release of alleged Russian spies and cyber criminals jailed in Europe and the United States.
Putin said last week he would look into Vinatier's case after a French journalist asked him about it during a news conference.
He said he knew nothing about Vinatier but promised to look into the case. "And if there's even the slightest chance of resolving this matter favourably, if Russian law allows it, we'll make every effort," Putin said.

Putin 'ready' for dialogue

The Kremlin said at the weekend that Putin was "ready" to engage in dialogue with the French leader.
This came after Macron raised the possibility that he could speak with Putin soon amid a flurry of diplomacy over the Ukraine war.
Macron has urged Russia to free Vinatier, saying he is being unfairly detained and that the "propaganda" against him "does not match reality".
He is just one of the Westerners arrested inside Russia after Putin launched an all-out offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.
Several US citizens have been imprisoned and then released in exchanges brokered by both US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden.
In the original case, prosecutors accused Vinatier of gathering military information without registering with the Russian authorities -- something he apologised for and said he was not aware he was required to do.
Speaking Russian during that trial, he said that in his work he always tried to "present Russia's interests in international relations".
In brief remarks as he was led by police from a court hearing in the Russian capital this year, Vinatier said he was "tired" and that he felt like he was being treated as a bargaining chip.
Moscow has used alleged breaches of the "foreign agents" law to arrest people before then applying more serious charges -- as happened to Vinatier.
bur/jh/tw

King

King Charles calls for 'reconciliation' in Christmas speech

  • It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died."
  • Britain's King Charles III called for "compassion and reconciliation" at a time of "division" across the world in his Christmas Day message Thursday.
  • It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died."
Britain's King Charles III called for "compassion and reconciliation" at a time of "division" across the world in his Christmas Day message Thursday.
The 77-year-old monarch said he found it "enormously encouraging" how people of different faiths had a "shared longing for peace". 
Charles praised individuals who risked their lives to save others in situations of violence, including those caught up in the killings at a Jewish event at Bondi Beach in Australia this month. 
"Individuals and communities have displayed spontaneous bravery, instinctively placing themselves in harm's way to defend others," said the king whose words were accompanied by images of events at Bondi.
Eighty years after the end of World War II, the king said the courage of servicemen and women and the way communities came together after the conflict carried "a timeless message for us all". 
"These are the values which have shaped our country," he said.
"As we hear of division both at home and abroad, they are the values of which we must never lose sight," Charles said in a message recorded at Westminster Abbey and broadcast nationally.

No mention of royal tribulations

"With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong. It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died."
In October, Charles became the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with a pope since a schism with Rome 500 years ago, in a service led by Leo XIV at the Vatican. He called it a "historic moment of spiritual unity".
A few days earlier Charles met survivors of a deadly attack on a synagogue and members of the Jewish community in the northern English city of Manchester. 
This is the second year running that the king has made his festive address away from a royal residence. 
Last year he spoke from a former hospital chapel as he thanked medical staff for supporting the royal family in a year in which he announced his cancer diagnosis.
This year, Charles did not make any reference to his battle with the illness, nor did he mention his younger brother Andrew who in October was stripped of his royal titles over his links to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The message did feature images of his son and heir Prince William, as well as his grandson George.
The Christmas song that ended the message was sung by a Ukrainian choir formed after Russia's 2022 invasion of their country.
The king and other members of the royal family, including Andrew's daughters, attended a Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church on Charles's private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
mp/jkb/tw/jh

Bolsonaro

Brazil's jailed ex-president Bolsonaro undergoes 'successful' surgery

  • The surgery was to repair an inguinal hernia -- a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles.
  • Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup, underwent a "successful" surgery on Thursday for an inguinal hernia, his wife said.
  • The surgery was to repair an inguinal hernia -- a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles.
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup, underwent a "successful" surgery on Thursday for an inguinal hernia, his wife said.
The 70-year-old former president left prison on Wednesday for the first time since late November to undergo the procedure at the DF Star hospital in Brasilia.
"Successful surgery completed, without complications. Now we wait for him to wake up from anesthesia," his wife Michelle announced in an Instagram post.
Bolsonaro has grappled with health issues since being stabbed in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign, undergoing multiple surgeries related to his wounds. He was also recently diagnosed with skin cancer.
Doctors for the far-right former leader, who served from 2019 to 2022, anticipated that his hospitalization would last between five and seven more days.
The surgery was to repair an inguinal hernia -- a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles.
"It is a complex surgery," Dr Claudio Birolini said Wednesday. "But it is a standardized... scheduled surgery, so we expect the procedure to be carried out without major complications."
After the operation, doctors are to assess whether Bolsonaro can undergo an additional procedure: blockage of the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm, for recurrent hiccups, Birolini said.
Brazil's Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to prison in September after he was found guilty of having led a scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office and to retain power.
Bolsonaro has maintained his innocence, declaring he was a victim of political persecution.
He has been confined to a small room with a minibar, air conditioning and a television at a Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia.
Earlier, he had been under preventive house arrest between August and November, but was sent to prison a few days ahead of schedule because he tried to damage his electronic ankle bracelet.
A court order said at least two police officers would guard the door to the former president's room during his hospitalization.
Bolsonaro's release from prison for the medical procedure was authorized by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the case in which the former president was convicted.
The former president's wife is accompanying him during his stay at the hospital.

Succession

His eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, has recently announced a 2026 presidential run, saying his father chose him as his successor.
Ahead of the surgery, Flavio read a handwritten letter signed by the ex-president.
"Faced with this scenario of injustice, and with a commitment to not allow the will of the people to be silenced, I have decided to nominate Flavio Bolsonaro as a pre-candidate for the presidency of the republic," the senator told a press conference outside the hospital, quoting his father's letter.
It was the first public message in several months from the usually outspoken Jair Bolsonaro, who is prohibited from expressing himself online or in the media without prior judicial authorization.
According to Flavio Bolsonaro, the letter sought to clarify any "doubt" about his father's support for his presidential bid.
"Many people say they had not heard it from his own mouth or had not seen a letter signed by him. I believe this clears up any shadow of doubt," the senator said after reading the text.
jss/db/aha/iv

Christmas

Pope urges Russia, Ukraine dialogue in Christmas blessing

BY CLEMENT MELKI WITH ALICE CHANCELLOR IN BETHLEHEM

  • "May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," he added.
  • Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.
  • "May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," he added.
Pope Leo XIV on Thursday urged Russia and Ukraine to find the "courage" to hold direct talks and spoke of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza in his first Christmas message.
The US pope, who was elected by fellow cardinals in May after the death of his predecessor pope Francis, also condemned the "senselessness" of war and the "rubble and open wounds" it leaves behind.
Speaking to a crowd of some 26,000 people in St Peter's Square, the pope called for "solidarity with and acceptance of those in need" in Europe -- a possible reference to growing anti-immigration sentiment on the continent.
"Let us pray in a particular way for the tormented people of Ukraine," he said.
"May the parties involved, with the support and commitment of the international community, find the courage to engage in sincere, direct and respectful dialogue," he added.
Russian and Ukrainian officials have spoken separately in recent weeks to US negotiators about proposals to end the war started by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Tens of thousands have been killed, eastern Ukraine decimated and millions forced to flee their homes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week outlined key points of a plan to end the conflict after US talks.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far shown no willingness to compromise, doubling down on his hardline demands.

'Return of life'

In his first Christmas homily as pontiff, Leo addressed the dismal conditions in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are still living in temporary shelters in wintry conditions weeks after a fragile ceasefire took hold.
"How... can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold," the pope said, adding that the territory's inhabitants "have nothing left and have lost everything."
The UN has said an estimated 1.3 million people currently need shelter assistance in Gaza and has warned of the increasing risk of hypothermia as temperatures dip.
"The war, in all its forms, has been harsh on everyone living on this land," Elias al-Jalda, a Palestinian Christian from Gaza, told AFP after attending a Christmas mass at Gaza's only Roman Catholic Church late on Wednesday.
"We hope this year will mark the beginning of a new phase -- one defined by a complete end to the war and the return of life to Gaza," said Jalda, one of dozens attending the mass.

'Compassion and reconciliation'

Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, addressed the issue of immigration directly in her Christmas sermon Thursday.
"Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us,"  said the future archbishop of Canterbury.
"We who are Christians then hold fast to joy as an act of resistance," she added.
Britain's King Charles III called for "compassion and reconciliation" at a time of "division" across the world in his annual Christmas Day message broadcast.
"With the great diversity of our communities, we can find the strength to ensure that right triumphs over wrong," he said.
"It seems to me that we need to cherish the values of compassion and reconciliation the way our Lord lived and died."
As well as being king of the United Kingdom, Charles is head of the 56 countries that make up the Commonwealth.

Joy in Bethlehem

In Bethlehem, the Christian community celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years as the occupied West Bank city emerges from the shadow of the war in Gaza.
Hundreds of worshippers gathered for mass on Wednesday night at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ.
In Syria, Christmas lights illuminated Damascus's Old City despite the Christian community's fears of violence after a deadly attack in June.
Around the district, home to several important churches, red baubles hung from trees, shopkeepers put up Christmas decorations and street vendors peddled warm chestnuts.
"Syria deserves joy and for us to be happy, and to hope for a new future," said student Loris Aasaf, 20.

Trump's Christmas message

In the United States, President Donald Trump issued a starkly different message to those of religious leaders.
He wished a Merry Christmas "to everyone, including the radical left-wing scum", referring to Democrats.
In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had a sombre message after the deadly attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14.
"After the terror inflicted on Jewish Australia celebrating Hanukkah and Bondi Beach, we feel the weight of sorrow in our hearts," he said
burs-jj/rh

immigration

New Anglican leader says immigration debate dividing UK

  • "Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us," she said. 
  • Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, warned during a Christmas sermon on Thursday that national conversations over immigration were dividing British society.
  • "Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us," she said. 
Sarah Mullally, who becomes head of the Church of England next month, warned during a Christmas sermon on Thursday that national conversations over immigration were dividing British society.
Currently the Bishop of London, Mullally, 63, will on January 28 become the first woman to lead the centuries-old mother church of the world's 85-million strong Anglican community. 
In her Christmas sermon at St Paul's Cathedral in London, the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury raised concerns about the hot-button issue of immigration.
"Our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us," she said. 
She continued: "We who are Christians then hold fast to joy as an act of resistance."
This, she said, was "the kind of joy that does not minimise suffering but meets it with courage".
Immigration has become a central political issue in the United Kingdom. 
In response to undocumented asylum seekers making the perilous journey across the Channel to Britain in small boats, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to "smash the gangs" of people smugglers behind them. 
So far he has struggled to reduce the number of migrants arriving in the country -- the vast majority of them legally -- but the issue is being exploited by the anti-immigration Reform party.
The rise in support for hard-right Reform mirrors advances by far-right parties across Europe. 
Mullally is to succeed Justin Welby, who stepped down from the top post earlier this year over findings that the Church of England had covered up a 1970s case of serial sexual abuse against young boys and men. 
The Church of England has been struggling to shake accusation of years of sex abuse cover-ups and safeguarding failures.
It is currently looking into a complaint from 2020 against Mullally's handling of the allegations made by an individual known as 'N'.
adm/cel/rh

Rahman

Bangladesh PM hopeful Rahman returns from exile ahead of polls

BY SHEIKH SABIHA ALAM

  • - 'Repay the debt' - The BNP is widely seen as an election frontrunner, with Rahman expected to be put forward as prime minister if his party wins a majority.
  • Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on Thursday, ending 17 years in self-imposed exile with a promise to deliver safety and justice if his party wins next year's elections.
  • - 'Repay the debt' - The BNP is widely seen as an election frontrunner, with Rahman expected to be put forward as prime minister if his party wins a majority.
Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh on Thursday, ending 17 years in self-imposed exile with a promise to deliver safety and justice if his party wins next year's elections.
Huge crowds of joyous supporters waving flags, banners and posters welcomed Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and acting chairman of her popular Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
"Today, I want to say that I have a plan for my country... a safe state that people have long hoped for," Rahman, 60, said in a first speech after his homecoming.
"It is time we build a country together. This country belongs to the people in the hills and the plains, to Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and Hindus."
A visibly emotional Rahman earlier took off his shoes, stood on the grass outside the airport and scooped up soil as a mark of reverence to his motherland.
He waved to supporters before ducking into a convoy under tight security, according to video footage shared by his party.
BNP backers gathered in the capital Dhaka since the early morning, plastering the streets with banners and festoons bearing images of Rahman, who is expected to take the reins from his ailing mother.
Patriotic songs blared from loudspeakers while cut-outs depicted the seasoned politician riding a stallion.
Party supporter Alamgir Hossain said Bangladesh was in a "dire situation" and that only Rahman "can fix it".
Rahman, known in Bangladesh as Tarique Zia, left Bangladesh for London in 2008, following an arrest on corruption charges and after what he described as political persecution.
As acting party chairman, Rahman will lead the BNP through the February 12 general elections -- the first polls since a student-led uprising last year toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina.

'Repay the debt'

The BNP is widely seen as an election frontrunner, with Rahman expected to be put forward as prime minister if his party wins a majority.
Rahman's 80-year-old mother Zia is undergoing treatment in intensive care at a hospital in Dhaka after years of ill health and imprisonment.
Rahman said his mother had "sacrificed everything" for the country and that he had come to meet her and express "my gratitude".
Rahman's return comes amid unrest over the killing of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, a staunch India-critic who took part in last year's mass uprising.
Hadi, 32, was shot by masked assailants earlier this month in Dhaka, and later died of his wounds at a Singapore hospital.
His death set off violent protests with mobs torching several buildings, including two major newspapers deemed to favour India and a prominent cultural institution.
Mobs also threw stones at the Indian High Commission in the port city of Chattogram, where visa services have since been suspended.
Rahman urged his supporters to remain vigilant "in the face of conspiracies".
"If the nation is to repay the... debt owed to its martyrs, it must build the country the people have long yearned for," he said.

'Symbol of hope'

Dhaka's diplomatic ties with its historical ally New Delhi have worsened since the uprising, with ousted prime minister Hasina seeking refuge in India.
India has said it was considering Bangladesh's request to extradite Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia for orchestrating a deadly crackdown on the uprising.
With anti-India sentiments rising in the majority Muslim nation, a Hindu garment worker was accused of blasphemy and lynched by a mob on December 18.
Jahan Panna, a former BNP lawmaker, said she hoped Rahman's return would end the "cycle of anarchy".
"Rahman is the symbol of hope for this country," Panna, 55, told AFP.
Rahman faced a slew of criminal cases, but since Hasina's fall his most severe punishment has been overturned: a life sentence handed down in absentia for a 2004 grenade attack on a political rally. He denied the charges.
In Britain, he kept a low profile but remained an outspoken figure on social media.
In June, he met in London with Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner leading the interim government until the February vote.
Hasina's Awami League party, a bitter rival of BNP, has been barred from contesting in the polls.
sa-abh/ami

Suicide

Police suspect suicide bomber behind Nigeria's deadly mosque blast 

  • Nigeria has been battling a jihadist insurgency since 2009 by jihadist groups Boko Haram and an offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), in a conflict that has killed at least 40,000 and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast, according to the UN. Although the conflict has been largely limited to the northeastern region, jihadist attacks have been recorded in other parts of the west African nation. 
  • Nigeria police said Thursday that they suspected a suicide bomber was behind the blast that killed several worshippers in a mosque on Christmas eve in the country's northeastern Borno state.
  • Nigeria has been battling a jihadist insurgency since 2009 by jihadist groups Boko Haram and an offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), in a conflict that has killed at least 40,000 and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast, according to the UN. Although the conflict has been largely limited to the northeastern region, jihadist attacks have been recorded in other parts of the west African nation. 
Nigeria police said Thursday that they suspected a suicide bomber was behind the blast that killed several worshippers in a mosque on Christmas eve in the country's northeastern Borno state.
A police spokesman put the death toll at five, with 35 wounded. A witness on Wednesday told AFP that eight people were killed.
The bomb went off inside the crowded Al-Adum Juma'at Mosque at Gamboru market in the capital city of Maiduguri, as Muslim faithful gathered for evening prayers around 6:00 pm (1700 GMT), according to witnesses and the police.
"An unknown individual, whom we suspect to be a member of a terrorist group, entered inside the mosque, and while prayer was ongoing, we recorded an explosion," police spokesman Nahum Daso told journalists. 
Daso said in a statement late on Wednesday that the "incident may have been a suicide bombing, based on the recovery of fragments of a suspected suicide vest and witness statements."
Police officials have been deployed to markets, worship centres and other public places in the wake of the blast.
Nigeria has been battling a jihadist insurgency since 2009 by jihadist groups Boko Haram and an offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), in a conflict that has killed at least 40,000 and displaced around two million from their homes in the northeast, according to the UN.
Although the conflict has been largely limited to the northeastern region, jihadist attacks have been recorded in other parts of the west African nation. 
Maiduguri itself -- once the scene of nightly gun battles and bombings -- has been calm in recent years, with the last major attack recorded in 2021.
tba/yad

earthquake

Last Christians gather in ruins of Turkey's quake-hit Antakya

BY ANNE CHAON

  • - 'Saint Peter's first service' - It is here, they believe, that Peter, the disciple Jesus assigned to found the Christian church, held his first religious service in the 1st century.
  • Saint Peter's, one of the world's oldest rock churches, is a sacred rallying point for the isolated Christians still left in quake-hit Antakya in southeastern Turkey, the city known in ancient times as Antioch. 
  • - 'Saint Peter's first service' - It is here, they believe, that Peter, the disciple Jesus assigned to found the Christian church, held his first religious service in the 1st century.
Saint Peter's, one of the world's oldest rock churches, is a sacred rallying point for the isolated Christians still left in quake-hit Antakya in southeastern Turkey, the city known in ancient times as Antioch. 
"Since the earthquake, our community has scattered," said worshipper Mari Ibri.
"Those who remain are trying to regroup. We each had our own church but, like mine, they have been destroyed."
The landscape around the cave remains scarred by the disaster nearly three years ago, when two earthquakes devastated Hatay province on February 6, 2023 and its jewel, Antakya, the gateway to Syria.
Sad fields of rubble and the silhouettes of cracked, abandoned buildings still scar the city -- all enveloped in the ever-present grey dust.
Since the earthquakes, Antakya city has emptied and the Christian community has shrunk from 350 families to fewer than 90, Father Dimitri Dogum told AFP.
"Before, Christmas at our house was grandiose," Ibri recalled.
"Our churches were full. People came from everywhere."
Ibri's own church in the city centre was rendered inaccessible by the earthquakes.
Now she and other worshippers gather at the cave on December 24 -- Christmas Eve in some Christian calendars.

'Saint Peter's first service'

It is here, they believe, that Peter, the disciple Jesus assigned to found the Christian church, held his first religious service in the 1st century.
The rock church was later enlarged and 11th-century crusaders added a pale stone facade.
It is now a museum, opened to the faithful only on rare occasions.
Christmas Eve is one.
The morning sun was still glowing red in the sky when Fadi Hurigil, leader of Antakya’s Orthodox Christian community, and his assistants prepared the service.
They draped the stone altar and unpacked candles, holy oil, chalices and plastic chairs.
Out in front they placed figurines of Christ and three saints near a bottle of rough red wine, bread baskets and presents for the children.
The sound system played a recording of the bells of Saint Peter and Paul church, which now stands empty in Antakya city centre.
"That was my church," said Ibri, crossing herself. "They recorded the peals."
Around one hundred worshippers soon squeezed into the incense-filled cave and at least as many congregated outside.
A large police contingent looked on. Sniffer dogs had already inspected the cave and esplanade.
"It's normal," said Iliye, a 72-year-old from Iskenderun, 60 kilometres (40 miles) further north. "We're a minority. It's to protect us."
The slow chanting of Orthodox hymns heralded the start of the two-hour service, conducted entirely in chants sung in Arabic and Turkish by Dogum and another cleric.
"It's very moving for us to be here in the world's first cave church, where the first disciples gathered," the priest said.
"There used to be crowds here," he added.
"In 2022, there were at least 750 people outside, Christians and non-Christians alike." 
Since the earthquakes, the gathering has been much smaller, although it is now starting to grow again.
At the end of the service, when Christmas carols fill the air, Dogum and Hurigil cut a huge rectangular cake. 
The Nativity scene at its centre -- Mary, baby Jesus, the ox and the ass -- was edged with whipped cream.
"There's the religious dimension but it's also important that people can gather here again," a worshipper said.
"After February 6, our fellow citizens scattered. But they're starting to come back. We're happy about that."
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