explosion

Swiss investigators rush to identify victims of New Year's fire

explosion

Swiss investigators rush to identify victims of New Year's fire

BY ROBIN MILLARD WITH NINA LARSON IN GENEVA

  • Early Friday morning, the luxury ski resort town of Crans-Montana appeared enveloped in a stunned silence, although a handful of families with young children in ski suits were nevertheless preparing for a day on the slopes.
  • Swiss investigators raced Friday to identify victims of a ski resort fire at a New Year's celebration that killed some 40 people and injured around 115 more, in one of the country's worst tragedies.
  • Early Friday morning, the luxury ski resort town of Crans-Montana appeared enveloped in a stunned silence, although a handful of families with young children in ski suits were nevertheless preparing for a day on the slopes.
Swiss investigators raced Friday to identify victims of a ski resort fire at a New Year's celebration that killed some 40 people and injured around 115 more, in one of the country's worst tragedies.
Early Friday morning, the luxury ski resort town of Crans-Montana appeared enveloped in a stunned silence, although a handful of families with young children in ski suits were nevertheless preparing for a day on the slopes.
At the few cafes open, the tragedy appeared to be the topic of every muffled conversation.
"The atmosphere is heavy," Dejan Bajic, a 56-year-old tourist from Geneva who has been coming to the resort since 1974, told AFP. 
"It's like a small village; everyone knows someone who knows someone who's been affected," he said.
It is not yet clear what set off the blaze at Le Constellation, a bar popular with young tourists, at around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) Thursday.
Bystanders described scenes of panic and chaos as people tried to break the windows to escape and others, covered in burns, poured into the street.
Canton president Mathias Reynard told the regional daily Walliser Bote that at least 80 of the 115 injured are in critical condition.

'The apocalypse'

Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who perished, an agonising wait for family and friends.
"Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," local police commander Frederic Gisler said.
Online, desperate appeals abound to find the missing.
"We've tried to reach our friends. We took loads of photos and posted them on Instagram, Facebook, all possible social networks to try to find them," said Eleonore, 17. "But there's nothing. No response."
The exact number of people who were at the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear.
Le Constellation had a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.
Guy Parmelin, who became Swiss president on Thursday, called the fire "a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions" and announced that flags would be flown at half-mast for five days.
"We thought it was just a small fire -- but when we got there, it was war," Mathys, from neighbouring Chermignon-d'en-Bas, told AFP. "That's the only word I can use to describe it: the apocalypse."

Panic

On Friday, the walls of the buildings adjacent to the bar showed no signs of blackening from the flames, and even the bar's sign and wooden terrace appeared untouched, indicating that the fire was primarily in the basement.
Authorities have declined to speculate on what caused the tragedy, saying only that it was not an attack.
Several witness accounts, broadcast by Swiss, French and Italian media, pointed to sparklers mounted on champagne bottles and held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular "show" for patrons.
Pictures and videos shared on social media also showed sparklers on champagne bottles held into the air, as an orange glow began spreading across the ceiling.
One video showed the flames spreading quickly as revellers initially continued to dance, not seeming to grasp the severity of the situation.
One young man playfully attempts to extinguish the flames with a large white cloth, but the scene becomes panic-stricken as people scramble and scream in the dark against a backdrop of smoke and flames.
The canton's chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said investigators would examine whether the bar met safety standards and had the required number of exits.
Red and white caution tape, flowers and candles adorned the street where the tragedy occurred, while police shielded the site with white screens. 
After emergency units at local hospitals filled up, many of the injured were transported across Switzerland and to neighbouring countries.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing.
The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.
Multiple sources told AFP that the bar owners are French nationals: a couple originally from Corsica who, according to a relative, are safe, but have been unreachable since the tragedy.
bur-nl/apo/cc

Iran

Trump says US will 'come to their rescue' if Iran kills protesters

  • Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "if Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."
  • President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States is "locked and loaded" to respond if Iran kills protesters, prompting Tehran to warn that intervention would destabilise the region.
  • Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "if Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."
President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States is "locked and loaded" to respond if Iran kills protesters, prompting Tehran to warn that intervention would destabilise the region.
Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six reported killed, the first deaths since the unrest escalated.
Shopkeepers in the capital Tehran went on strike Sunday over high prices and economic stagnation, actions that have since spread into a protest movement with political demands that has swept into other parts of the country.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that "if Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."
"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he added.
That prompted the head of Iran's top security body, Ali Larijani, to warn Trump that "US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America's interest".
The US president "should be mindful of their soldiers' safety", Larijani added on X.
Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said any US intervention would "be exposed to a response" calling Iran's security a "red line".
Iranian leaders including Larijani and President Masoud Pezeshkian have in recent days described peaceful protests over Iran's dire economy as legitimate and understandable.
Pezeshkian said on Thursday that he and his government would "end up in hell", in the religious sense, if they failed to address economic hardship.
At the same time, officials have warned of a firm response to any instability.
On Friday, the prosecutor of the district of Lorestan, Ali Hasavand, was quoted on the Iranian judiciary's Mizan website as saying "any participation in illegal gatherings and any action aimed at disturbing public order, destroying property, disobeying law enforcement, inciting illegal gatherings... constitute crimes and will be treated with the greatest firmness by the courts".
"Certain opportunistic and hostile individuals are trying to undermine public security and peace by sowing chaos, disorder and committing murder. The justice system and the police will act with firmness and without any leniency against the rioters and those who undermine public security," he added.

Battered economy

Iran's economy has been battered by years of crushing international sanctions over its nuclear programme, with raging inflation and a collapsing currency.
The protest movement comes at a time in which Iran has been weakened following major blows dealt to its regional allies, including in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
Iran's Fars news agency reported on Thursday that two people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province.
State television reported earlier that a member of Iran's security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht.
The protests have affected 15 cities, largely in the west of the country, according to reporting in Iranian media.
The demonstrations are smaller than the last major incident in 2022, triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.
Her death sparked a nationwide wave of anger that left several hundred people dead including dozens of members of the security forces.
Iran was also gripped by nationwide protests that began in late 2019 over a rise in fuel prices, eventually leading to calls to topple the country's clerical rulers.
bur-ane/mjw/dcp/jsa

fire

'Are they OK?': desperate search for the missing after Swiss fire

  • Nathan, a 19-year-old who was in the bar just before it caught fire, told AFP he keeps expecting to wake up from the "nightmare".
  • Teenagers Eleonore and Elisa started the year with a frantic search for friends who have been missing since a deadly fire tore through a bar in a neighbouring Swiss town.
  • Nathan, a 19-year-old who was in the bar just before it caught fire, told AFP he keeps expecting to wake up from the "nightmare".
Teenagers Eleonore and Elisa started the year with a frantic search for friends who have been missing since a deadly fire tore through a bar in a neighbouring Swiss town.
"Are they OK? Are they just at the hospital?" one of the 17-year-olds says.
They have not heard from them since a blaze tore through a New Year's celebration in the luxury resort town of Crans-Montana, turning what should have been a night of revelry into a globe-spanning tragedy.
Police estimate around 40 people have been killed and about 115 injured, many of them young visitors to the Swiss Alps.
Officials have started the arduous process of identifying the victims, but with some of the bodies badly burned, police warned the process could take days or even weeks. 
Relatives and friends have been scrambling to find their loved ones, with many circulating photos on social media.
"We tried to reach them; some of their locations are still showing here," said one of the teenagers from Valais, nodding at the bar now shielded by opaque white tarpaulins and behind a wall of temporary barriers.
"We took loads of photos (and) we put them on Instagram, Facebook, every social network possible to try to find them," Eleonore said.
"But there's nothing. No response. We called the parents. Nothing. Even the parents don't know," she added.
They managed to get news that one friend was in a coma in a hospital in the city of Lausanne.
More than 30 victims were taken to hospitals with specialised burns units in Zurich and Lausanne, and six were taken to Geneva, according to a Swiss news agency.
There is no official estimate of the missing or headcount from Le Constellation bar that night.
Italy's ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado told AFP that five of the injured have not yet been identified.
A few hundred metres from the remnants of the burned bar, the nearby convention centre has been turned into a crisis unit. 
Away from the press and guarded by police, families of the victims are received and offered assistance by authorities, diplomats and chaplains.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin said the support on offer would be "long-lasting".
Nathan, a 19-year-old who was in the bar just before it caught fire, told AFP he keeps expecting to wake up from the "nightmare".
"It feels like... I'm going to wake up tomorrow and get all my loved ones back who sadly died in this incident," he said.
"Normally a new year is full of happiness, but unfortunately, this has happened."
al/ag/lb/mjw

drugs

Maduro elusive on US attack, open to dialogue

  • In the interview, Maduro insisted that Venezuela has defended itself well as the US carried out its military campaign at sea.
  • President Nicolas Maduro Thursday dodged a question about an alleged US attack on a dock in Venezuela but said he was open to cooperation with Washington after weeks of American military pressure.
  • In the interview, Maduro insisted that Venezuela has defended itself well as the US carried out its military campaign at sea.
President Nicolas Maduro Thursday dodged a question about an alleged US attack on a dock in Venezuela but said he was open to cooperation with Washington after weeks of American military pressure.
"Wherever they want and whenever they want," Maduro said of the idea of dialogue with the United States on drug trafficking, oil and migration in an interview on state TV.
Maduro's government has neither confirmed nor denied what President Donald Trump announced Monday: a US attack on a docking facility that served Venezuelan drug trafficking boats.
Asked point-blank if he confirmed or denied the attack, Maduro said Thursday "this could be something we talk about in a few days."
The attack would amount to the first known land strike of the US military campaign against drug trafficking from Latin America.
Trump on Monday said the United States hit and destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats.
Trump would not say if it was a military or CIA operation or where the strike occurred, noting only that it was "along the shore."
"There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs," he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
"So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area, it's the implementation area, that's where they implement. And that is no longer around."
In the interview, Maduro insisted that Venezuela has defended itself well as the US carried out its military campaign at sea.
"Our people are safe and in peace," he said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro fueled rumors about the location of the attack, saying "Trump bombed a factory in Maracaibo" where "they mix coca paste to make cocaine."
That led some to speculate on social media that a fire at wholesale chemical distributor Primazol's warehouses in Maracaibo may have been related to the attack. 
Primazol chief Carlos Eduardo Siu denied those rumors, saying "President Petro, not here -- we neither package nor manufacture any kind of narcotics."

Unpleasant evolution

Maduro said he has not spoken to Trump since a conversation they had on November 12, which he described as cordial and respectful.
"I think that conversation was even pleasant, but since then the evolution has not been pleasant. Let's wait," he said.
"If they want to talk seriously about an agreement to fight drug trafficking, we are ready," the Venezuelan leader said.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of heading a drug cartel and says it is cracking down on trafficking, but the leftist leader denies any involvement in the narcotics trade, saying the US seeks a coup because Venezuela has the largest known reserves of oil on Earth.
Washington has ramped up pressure on Caracas by informally closing Venezuela's airspace, imposing more sanctions and ordering the seizure of tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil. 
For weeks Trump has threatened ground strikes on drug cartels in the region, saying they would start "soon," but this is the first apparent example.
US forces have also carried out numerous strikes on boats in both the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, targeting what Washington says are drug smugglers.
The deadly maritime campaign has killed at least 107 people in at least 30 strikes, according to information released by the US military.
The administration has provided no evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking, however, prompting debate about the legality of these operations.
International law experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings, a charge that Washington denies.
pgf/jnd/dw/sla/abs

Trump

Trump blames bruised hand on aspirin, denies falling asleep

  • Trump pushed back against any idea that he falls asleep in public.
  • US President Donald Trump blamed aspirin for large bruises on his hand and denied falling asleep while attending public meetings in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Thursday.
  • Trump pushed back against any idea that he falls asleep in public.
US President Donald Trump blamed aspirin for large bruises on his hand and denied falling asleep while attending public meetings in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published Thursday.
In the interview defending his health, Trump also changed his previous statement about receiving an MRI scan in October, saying it was instead a quicker CT scan.
Trump, who at 79 is the oldest person to assume the US presidency, told the Journal "my health is perfect" and expressed frustration with scrutiny of his well-being.
Trump has based much of his political image on projecting vigor -- whether through his frequent interactions with journalists, constant social media posting, or AI memes depicting him as a superhero.
However, the first year of his second term in office has raised growing questions.
His right hand shows persistent bruising, often covered with thick makeup and at times a bandage, and his ankles have appeared swollen.
On occasion, Trump has clearly struggled to keep his eyes open, including during a televised Oval Office meeting with health representatives in November -- a politically sensitive issue for someone who constantly frames his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden as "sleepy."
Biden left office a year ago at 82, making him the oldest president in history -- a record Trump is set to surpass during his current term.
Trump rarely exercises beyond outings at his golf courses and for years has made no secret of his love for high-fat, high-sodium fast food.

Bruising and 'blinking'

The Republican explained the bruising on his hand as the result of aspirin that he takes daily to thin his blood. "I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," he told the Journal.
He said he applies makeup or bandages when his hand is "whacked."
One cut, he said, was caused when his attorney general Pam Bondi hit the back of his hand with her ring while giving him a high-five.
Explanations of his health issues have been inconsistent.
Trump himself told reporters that he underwent an MRI scan in October, but said at the time he had "no idea what they analyzed."
"Whatever they analyzed, they analyzed it well, and they said that I had as good a result as they've ever seen," he said initially.
To the Journal, Trump said it was not an MRI, "it was less than that. It was a scan."
Trump's doctor, Sean Barbabella, confirmed to the newspaper that a CT scan -- a procedure that takes far less time than an MRI -- was done "to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues."
Trump pushed back against any idea that he falls asleep in public.
"I've never been a big sleeper," Trump said.
Instances where he appears to be dozing off are just moments of relaxation, he said.
"I'll just close. It's very relaxing to me," he said. "Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink."
sms/acb

México

Dress for success: Mexican president's ideological attire

BY LETICIA PINEDA

  • "Her ideology has always been very focused on people’s rights, on equality; even in her style of dress," according to Mexican image consultant Gabriela Medina.
  • Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's wardrobe is more than a statement of style; it has become known as a canvass for her political message of advancing women's and Indigenous rights.
  • "Her ideology has always been very focused on people’s rights, on equality; even in her style of dress," according to Mexican image consultant Gabriela Medina.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's wardrobe is more than a statement of style; it has become known as a canvass for her political message of advancing women's and Indigenous rights.
The leftist leader, Mexico's first woman president, proudly uses small-scale, local tailors and shuns "those brands that are super expensive," in her own words.
Rather, she supports "the weavers, the embroiderers, all those who use backstrap looms in our country -- mostly women -- who are a source of national pride," the 63-year-old recently told journalists.
The Mexican government has taken on famous brands such as Adidas, Shein, Zara and Carolina Herrera for the alleged cultural appropriation of traditional designs.
And in her own fashion choices, Sheinbaum has similarly chosen to give credit where she says it's due, and to uplift those she can along the way. 
"Her ideology has always been very focused on people’s rights, on equality; even in her style of dress," according to Mexican image consultant Gabriela Medina.

'Feminist resistance'

Sheinbaum was included on The New York Times list of 67 most stylish people of 2025 -- the only politician in the group.
One person responsible for her look is Olivia Trujillo, who runs a small tailor shop from her home in the bustling neighborhood of San Pedro Martir on the outskirts of Mexico City.
"Her favorite colors, without a doubt, I would say are purple and burgundy," the 63-year-old pattern-maker and tailor told AFP amid her sewing machines and a mannequin on which she assembles the presidential wardrobe. 
Trujillo was recently called to the National Palace for the final fitting of a purple dress with finely embroidered flowers that Sheinbaum wore in December to her first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Washington.
"The color purple is associated with power, authority, luxury, royalty, spirituality, and sobriety," Medina said of Sheinbaum's choice. 
It is also the color "that the feminist resistance movement has embraced," she added.

'Image shapes authority'

Another emblematic Sheinbaum choice was the dress she wore for her October 2024 swearing-in: a knee-length, ivory creation with embroidered wildflowers cascading down one side.
The upper part was left plain "so that the presidential sash would stand out," recalled Trujillo.
The flowers were painstakingly hand-sewn onto the fabric by Claudia Vazquez, a 43-year-old Zapotec Indigenous woman who told AFP she had nearly given up on embroidery, her first love.
Sheinbaum's interest in her art had "changed her life," the trained business administrator said in Oaxaca in southern Mexico, where she now plies her art.
In the country's center, in the village of San Isidro Buen Progreso, lives another embroiderer whose services the president has enlisted.
Virginia Arce, 48, decorated the formal gown Sheinbaum wore in September when she became the first woman to give the Cry of Independence -- a call for revolt against Spanish rule still celebrated every year.
"The president chose the tones and a bird she really liked --it was a swallow," Arce recalled.
The task took her two months but the result was worth it when she saw the head of state step out onto the presidential balcony in her handiwork.
It was the day "that has brought me the most satisfaction," said Arce.
Gender analyst Laura Raquel Manzo, points to the danger of stereotyping women by analyzing what they wear -- traditionally not a scrutiny applied to male leaders.
In this case, however, ignoring Sheinbaum's deliberate dress choices would be "to deny how image shapes authority," said Manzo.
bur-lp/ai/mlr/dw

conflict

Russia blames Ukraine for deadly New Year drone strike

  • According to the Russia-appointed governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, "the enemy" fired three drones that struck a cafe and hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly where "civilians were celebrating the New Year".
  • Russia on Thursday said Kyiv was behind a drone strike on a hotel in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region that killed at least 20 people celebrating the New Year, accusing it of "torpedoing" peace attempts.
  • According to the Russia-appointed governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, "the enemy" fired three drones that struck a cafe and hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly where "civilians were celebrating the New Year".
Russia on Thursday said Kyiv was behind a drone strike on a hotel in the Moscow-held part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region that killed at least 20 people celebrating the New Year, accusing it of "torpedoing" peace attempts.
The accusation came at a crunch moment, after weeks of diplomacy aimed at brokering an end to the nearly four-year war, and as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was "10 percent" away from a peace deal.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed, eastern Ukraine decimated and millions forced to flee their homes since Russia launched its all-out offensive in 2022.
According to the Russia-appointed governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, "the enemy" fired three drones that struck a cafe and hotel on the Black Sea coast in Khorly where "civilians were celebrating the New Year".
A building gutted by fire, piles of smouldering rubble and charred bodies were seen in pictures he posted on Telegram.
Kyiv has not commented on the allegations.
Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened a probe into the attack, which had "killed more than 20 people and injured many more". The Russian foreign ministry said the death toll was still being clarified.
According to Saldo, more than 100 revellers gathered at the hotel the night of the attack.
The Russian foreign ministry accused Ukraine of carrying out a "terrorist attack", called on international organisations to condemn it and warned Kyiv of "appropriate consequences" in a statement.
It also accused the Ukrainian authorities of "deliberately torpedoing any attempts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict".
Zelensky meanwhile said Russia was carrying the war "into the New Year" with more than 200 drones fired overnight, mainly targeting energy facilities.
"A significant number of consumers" had their electricity cut, said Ukraine's power operator Ukrenergo. Railway and port infrastructure was also damaged in the latest barrage.
In the Kharkiv region, Russia struck a park with a zoo, wounding one person. The attack also wounded animals, including lions, and killed pheasants and parrots, the park's owner Oleksandr Feldman told Ukrainian media.

New talks in sight

Ukraine came under intense pressure in 2025, both from Russian bombardment and on the battlefield, where it has steadily ceded ground to Russia's army.
An AFP analysis based on Ukrainian air force data showed a slight fall in overnight Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in December.
Russia fired at least 5,134 drones in overnight attacks in the final month of 2025, six percent less than the month before, while the number of missiles declined by 18 percent in the same period, according to the data.
However, the same data showed Ukraine destroyed a smaller share of the total sum of missiles and drones in December -- 80 percent, compared with 82 percent in November.
US President Donald Trump, who regularly complains he does not receive credit as a peacemaker, has engaged in talks with both sides in a bid to end the fighting.
Ukraine says Russia is not interested in peace and is deliberately trying to sabotage diplomatic efforts to seize more Ukrainian territory.
Moscow earlier this week accused Ukraine of attempting a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's residences, drawing a sharp rebuttal from Kyiv, which said there was no "plausible" evidence of such an attack.
Ukraine's allies have also expressed scepticism about Russia's claim -- but Moscow on Thursday said it would hand over to the United States "decrypted data" from the drone that was allegedly targeting the secluded residence.
"These materials will be transferred to the American side through established channels," Russia's defence ministry said in a statement.
Zelensky said on Tuesday he would hold a meeting with leaders of Kyiv's allies from the so-called coalition of the willing next week in France.
The summit will be preceded by a meeting of security advisers from the allied countries on Saturday in Ukraine.
bur/jhb

conflict

Best of frenemies: Saudi, UAE rivalry bursts into view

BY CALLUM PATON

  • "Seeing one country with huge influence, like the United Arab Emirates, crafting bilateral deals... suddenly having footholds in multiple countries with those non-state actors, it's something they would be very concerned about," Shiban said.
  • For years, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia projected geopolitical and economic power across the Gulf and beyond, seemingly in tandem.
  • "Seeing one country with huge influence, like the United Arab Emirates, crafting bilateral deals... suddenly having footholds in multiple countries with those non-state actors, it's something they would be very concerned about," Shiban said.
For years, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia projected geopolitical and economic power across the Gulf and beyond, seemingly in tandem.
But a growing rivalry and struggle for influence has come to a head -- most recently in Yemen -- following years of divergence over a tangle of competing interests that reach from regional waterways to the corridors of power in Washington, analysts say. 
The once-close relationship between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was long seen as the backbone of the alliance between the two Gulf powers.
But as their ambitions grew apart and Prince Mohammed accelerated sweeping economic reforms at home while reasserting Saudi dominance abroad, talk has swirled of a rift with the Emirati leader, previously considered his mentor.
Now the pair find themselves on opposing sides over oil production and in Sudan, the Horn of Africa and now Yemen, where the two countries are part of an anti-Houthi military coalition but support rival factions within the internationally recognised government.
Yemen and Gulf expert Baraa Shiban pointed to deep strategic and ideological differences, with Saudi Arabia alarmed by what it views as the UAE's willingness in war-torn Yemen and Sudan to "break the country" by backing disruptive forces in a bid for influence, with Riyadh preferring instead to preserve existing authorities.
He also said there was an "obsession" among the Emirati leadership about fighting the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam, a stance the UAE has sought to push across the region but which is not shared to the same degree by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is also keen to hold on to what it considers its own regional preeminence.
"Seeing one country with huge influence, like the United Arab Emirates, crafting bilateral deals... suddenly having footholds in multiple countries with those non-state actors, it's something they would be very concerned about," Shiban said.

Growing apart in Yemen

The countries' opposition in Yemen burst into view recently when the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) -- supported by the UAE and part of Yemen's governing alliance -- seized swathes of resource-rich Hadramawt and Mahra provinces from forces loyal to the government, backed by Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, which it formed to fight the Houthi rebels and to which the UAE nominally belongs, on Tuesday bombed an alleged Emirati weapons shipment destined for the separatists.
But the cracks in the coalition had started to show years earlier, with the UAE pulling out the bulk of its forces in July 2019.
UAE and Saudi aims in Yemen are "significantly different" and there is "no way to reconcile the two approaches", Shiban said.

Opposing sides in Sudan

In November, US President Donald Trump promised to end a grinding war in Sudan following a request by Prince Mohammed during a trip to Washington.
Abu Dhabi has been widely accused of arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting Sudan's regular army since April 2023. The UAE has repeatedly denied the accusations.
The Sudanese army, meanwhile, has received support from Saudi Arabia.
Middle East and North Africa researcher Emadeddin Badi said it was difficult to view the STC's advance in Yemen "as anything but retaliation by the UAE for (Prince Mohammed's) visit to Trump", which he said was implicitly understood as Saudi Arabia pushing for a tougher stance on the UAE.

Horn of Africa 'trigger'

The Horn of Africa has become another arena of competition thanks to its strategic position, abutting the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
The UAE has fostered ties with Ethiopia and Somaliland, which seeks to break away from Somalia, and has operated a military base at the port of Berbera since 2017.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has sought to bolster Mogadishu.
Israel, which established ties with the UAE in 2020, last week recognised Somaliland in a move condemned by Saudi Arabia and 20 other mostly Muslim countries. The UAE did not join in the condemnation. 
Badi said the recognition would have been a "trigger that amplified the threat perception on the Saudi side". 
Somaliland could later look to recognise Israel, "which is something that the UAE intends to leverage", he added.

Economic rivals

Following a spat between the UAE and Saudi over OPEC output curbs in 2021, economic rivalry has sharpened as both seek to diversify away from oil. 
Riyadh has since moved aggressively to attract multinationals, requiring companies that do business with government agencies to base their regional headquarters there, prompting some to relocate from the UAE. 
The push under Saudi's Vision 2030 national blueprint has extended to aviation, tourism and media, with Saudi Arabia launching a new airline, airport and leisure projects to rival Dubai's established hubs. 
In recent weeks Riyadh has also quietly relaxed its laws to allow wealthy, non-Muslim foreign residents to purchase alcohol -- seen as another bid to attract overseas workers who would otherwise be drawn to the UAE.
bur-csp/th/smw

propaganda

North Korean leader's daughter in first visit to symbolic mausoleum

  • And images released by the agency showed daughter Ju Ae in tow.
  • The North Korean leader's daughter Kim Ju Ae has made her first visit to a mausoleum housing her grandfather and great-grandfather, state media images showed Friday, further solidifying her place as her father's successor.
  • And images released by the agency showed daughter Ju Ae in tow.
The North Korean leader's daughter Kim Ju Ae has made her first visit to a mausoleum housing her grandfather and great-grandfather, state media images showed Friday, further solidifying her place as her father's successor.
The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their so-called "Paektu bloodline" dominates daily life in the isolated country.
Current leader Kim Jong Un is the third in line to rule in the world's only communist monarchy, following father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung.
The two men -- dubbed "eternal leaders" in state propaganda -- are housed in the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a vast mausoleum in downtown Pyongyang.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong Un had visited the palace, accompanied by top officials.
And images released by the agency showed daughter Ju Ae in tow.
South Korea's spy agency said last year she was now understood to be the next in line to rule North Korea after she accompanied her father on a high-profile visit to Beijing.
Ju Ae was publicly introduced to the world in 2022, when she accompanied her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
North Korean state media have since referred to her as "the beloved child", and a "great person of guidance" -- "hyangdo" in Korean -- a term typically reserved for top leaders and their successors.
Before 2022, the only confirmation of her existence had come from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who made a visit to the North in 2013.
oho/abs

fire

Tears and stunned silence at vigil for Swiss fire victims

BY ROBIN MILLARD

  • Veronica, an elderly Italian mourner who has lived in Crans-Montana for 40 years, wiped a stream of tears from her cheeks.
  • Hundreds gathered in silence in the freezing night in Crans-Montana on Thursday evening, laying flowers and lighting candles to remember those killed in a blaze as they celebrated the New Year.
  • Veronica, an elderly Italian mourner who has lived in Crans-Montana for 40 years, wiped a stream of tears from her cheeks.
Hundreds gathered in silence in the freezing night in Crans-Montana on Thursday evening, laying flowers and lighting candles to remember those killed in a blaze as they celebrated the New Year.
Around 40 people died and more than 100 were injured in the fire that ripped through the crowded Le Constellation bar around 1:30 am (0030 GMT).
Many of those who came to mourn the tragedy stood, motionless, overlooking the scene. People spoke in whispers, if at all.
"I wasn't (at the bar) myself, but I had many friends and relatives who were," said one young mourner, who gave his surname as Orosstevic.
"Some died, others are in the hospital. About 10," he told AFP.
"They're mostly friends of my parents, but I know them very well."
Orosstevic said he had bought flowers to lay down "as a small tribute".
"May they rest in peace."

Shock

Nearby, some friends hugged, sobbing. Men stood looking straight ahead with stunned, damp eyes.
Mathys, from neighbouring Chermignon-d'en-Bas, told AFP at the vigil: "It's a bar where we meet up with lots of friends, really, almost every weekend. It was one of the only weekends we weren't there.
"We thought it was just a small fire -- but when we got there, it was war. That's the only word I can use to describe it: the apocalypse. It was terrible."
Paulo Martins, a French citizen who has lived in the area for 24 years, told AFP: "My son could very well have been in there. He wasn't far away.
"He was with his girlfriend; they were supposed to go in. And in the end, they didn't make it there," he said.
"When he came home, he was really in shock."
A friend of his 17-year-old son has been transferred for treatment in Germany, with his body 30 percent covered in burns.
Mourners laid tributes on a table temporarily put up at the entrance of the road leading down to the bar, which was blocked from view by white screens.
Two police officers stood guard at the cordon.
A steady stream of people brought candles and flowers.
As the table filled, people began to place individual candles on the frozen ground.
Some of those gathered could barely voice their emotions. 
"There are dead and injured, and we have someone close to us who is still missing. We have no news of them," said one woman who did not want to be identified.
After laying flowers with her friend, they walked away, arm in arm.
"They were young people, and people we know," said another woman, who declined to give her name.
Asked whether she knew what happened to them, she said: "Some, no."

Pain

The Christmas lights are still twinkling in the town, but several bars closed out of respect.
Earlier, at the Montana-Station church, a mass remembered those who had lost their lives. 
"There were a lot of people, it was very solemn, and there was a beautiful sermon about hope. At least let us have that: hope," said local churchgoer Jean-Claude.
One young man, who could barely speak due to the emotion, said: "We just knew a lot of friends of friends who were there. And we pay them respect."
One mourner, Mina, said her son frequented the popular bar. 
"Last night, it was just a coincidence that he wasn't there," she told AFP.
"There is a waitress he knows, she serves him all the time, he's very friendly with her and unfortunately, she's gone."
Veronica, an elderly Italian mourner who has lived in Crans-Montana for 40 years, wiped a stream of tears from her cheeks.
She said: "The pain of others is everyone's pain."
rjm/nl/lb

fire

The Crans-Montana fire: a Swiss tragedy that raises questions

BY ALEXANDRE GROSBOIS

  • Given the bar's usually youthful clientele, questions were also being raised about the possible presence of minors at the time of the tragedy.
  • The deadly fire that ripped through a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana raises numerous questions.
  • Given the bar's usually youthful clientele, questions were also being raised about the possible presence of minors at the time of the tragedy.
The deadly fire that ripped through a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana raises numerous questions.
Around 40 people were killed and over 100 others injured in the blaze at the New Year's party. 
As investigators begin the gruelling task of identifying the victims and trying to determine what happened, here are some of the main issues they will seek to probe.

How did the tragedy occur?

"It was around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) when smoke was spotted" coming out of Le Constellation bar at the heart of the upscale resort, police commander Frederic Gisler told reporters.
A few seconds later, a witness contacted the police. 
"Immediately, the red alarm, which mobilises the fire department, was triggered," Gisler said, adding that firefighters "quickly contained the blaze" while the injured were being treated.
Authorities said they launched an investigation into the fire, and declined to speculate on what caused the tragedy. 
Several witness accounts, broadcast by various Swiss, French and Italian media, meanwhile seemed to point to sparklers that were apparently mounted on top of champagne bottles and held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular "show" put on for patrons who made special orders to their tables.
"I think there were some ladies, waitresses, with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire," Axel, who was present at the time of the incident, told the Italian media outlet Local Team.

Was the establishment up to scratch?

Le Constellation, located on the ground floor of a residential building, has a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.
Several witnesses said the event space in the basement of the establishment, where the fire began, was connected with the ground floor by only a staircase, which some described as "narrow".
But Wallis's chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud did not confirm this, stressing that the cause of the tragedy was still being investigated.
Responding to questions from reporters, she said she had seen the site herself.
"What exactly constitutes a narrow staircase?" she asked, stressing that the probe would "determine whether all safety standards were met".
Pilloud also said it was "too early" to comment on whether emergency exits met the required standards, or whether the necessary procedures had been followed before organising the New Year's event.
Multiple sources told AFP on Thursday that the bar owners are French nationals: a couple originally from Corsica who, according to a relative, are safe and sound, but who have been unreachable since the tragedy.

Who are the victims?

Authorities have not yet released any information on the victims' identities, but the bar was a popular spot for tourists and was known to draw a young crowd.
"Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," Gisler said.
He said Swiss authorities were "in close contact with the victims' families, whom we are informing in real time, as well as with the various embassies involved".
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing.
The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.
Given the bar's usually youthful clientele, questions were also being raised about the possible presence of minors at the time of the tragedy.
Stephane Ganzer, head of Wallis's security department, did not confirm that.
But, he told reporters, "you can imagine that on New Year's Eve, in a ski resort, the population is undoubtedly quite young".
ag/nl/rjm/lb

explosion

Around 40 killed as fire ravages Swiss ski resort New Year party

BY ROBIN MILLARD WITH NINA LARSON IN GENEVA

  • Police, firefighters and rescuers rushed to the popular resort, which is set to host the Ski World Cup from January 30, after the fire broke out in the early hours of New Year's Day.
  • Dozens were killed and over 100 injured when a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana early Thursday as young revellers rang in the New Year.
  • Police, firefighters and rescuers rushed to the popular resort, which is set to host the Ski World Cup from January 30, after the fire broke out in the early hours of New Year's Day.
Dozens were killed and over 100 injured when a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana early Thursday as young revellers rang in the New Year.
Horrified bystanders described "panic" as people tried to break the windows of the bar to escape, and others, covered in burns, poured into the street.
Police, firefighters and rescuers rushed to the popular resort, which is set to host the Ski World Cup from January 30, after the fire broke out in the early hours of New Year's Day.
Frederic Gisler, police commander in the Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, told reporters that authorities had counted "around 40 people who have died and around 115 injured, most of them seriously". 
Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, later told AFP in Wallis that the death toll had risen to 47, but Swiss police said they could not confirm a specific number.
This was "one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced", Guy Parmelin, who took over the Swiss presidency on Thursday, told reporters.
"It constitutes a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions," he said, announcing that flags would be flown at half mast for five days.

'No news'

Thursday evening, around 400 people gathered for a church service in Crans-Montana to honour the victims, and later hundreds more gathered silently in the icy night to lay flowers and light candles near the site of the tragedy.
"There are dead and injured, and we have someone close to us who is still missing. We have no news of them," one of the women, who did not want to be identified, told AFP before laying down a bouquet.
A tourist from New York, who filmed bright orange flames pouring from the bar, told AFP he saw people running and screaming.
Alexis Lagger, an 18-year-old, had been walking with a group of friends past Le Constellation bar, a spot popular with young people and tourists, when they noticed smoke and flames emerging from the venue and called the police. 
"People were running through the flames. People were using chairs to try to break the windows," he told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
Authorities said they were still investigating the causes of the fire, which erupted shortly before 1:30 am (0030 GMT), but said they did not believe it had been triggered by an "attack".
Early reports had suggested a large explosion might have caused the fire at Le Constellation, which has a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.
But Wallis's chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said the initial investigation indicated that it was "the fire that caused the explosion", and not the other way around.
Several witness accounts, broadcast by various media, meanwhile seemed to point to sparklers mounted on top of champagne bottles and held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular "show" put on for patrons.
There were "waitresses with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire," Axel, a witness present at the time of the incident, told the Italian media outlet Local Team.

Rush to identify victims

The emergency units at Wallis hospitals quickly filled up, and many of the injured were transported across Switzerland and neighbouring countries.
More than 30 victims were taken to hospitals with specialised burns units in Zurich and Lausanne, and six were taken to Geneva, Switzerland's Keystone-ATS news agency reported.
The European Union said it has been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance, while French President Emmanuel Macron said some of the injured were already being cared for in French hospitals.
Swiss authorities said they were racing to identify the victims, but warned the process "could take several days, even weeks".
"Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," Gisler said.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian broadcaster Rete 4 that around 15 Italians had been injured in the fire, and a similar number remained missing.
The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.
People searching for their loved ones were being directed to a convention centre for assistance. 
"My son is nowhere to be found," one tearful mother told the 24 Heures daily.
"Nobody knows where he is."
bur-nl/rjm/lb

Bolsonaro

Brazil's Bolsonaro heads back to prison after medical treatment

  • On Thursday Bolsonaro was seen leaving the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia in police custody to go back to a small room where he is serving his sentence at a federal police facility.
  • Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro left a hospital Thursday to return to prison and resume serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup.
  • On Thursday Bolsonaro was seen leaving the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia in police custody to go back to a small room where he is serving his sentence at a federal police facility.
Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro left a hospital Thursday to return to prison and resume serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup.
In a ruling published earlier in the day judges denied a request from Bolsonaro's lawyers to grant him house arrest on health grounds.
Bolsonaro, 70, had been hospitalized for more than a week as he underwent surgery for a groin hernia and then a procedure to treat recurring bouts of hiccups.
"Contrary to what the defense alleges, there has been no worsening of Jair Messias Bolsonaro's health condition," Judge Alexandre de Moraes stated in his decision denying house arrest.
In office from 2019 to 2022, the ex-president has for years been dealing with complications from an abdominal stab wound he suffered during a 2018 campaign rally, requiring several major surgeries.
On Thursday Bolsonaro was seen leaving the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia in police custody to go back to a small room where he is serving his sentence at a federal police facility.
In September the Supreme Court found Bolsonaro guilty of conspiring to stay in power after narrowly losing 2022 elections to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. 
Prosecutors said the plot, which included a plan to assassinate Lula, failed because of a lack of support from military top brass.
Bolsonaro, an ally of US President Donald Trump, dismissed the trial as a "witch hunt" aimed at preventing him from running for president again in 2026. 
He was under house arrest until shortly before the start of his prison term in November. 
He was detained and sent to prison after he took a soldering iron to his ankle monitoring bracelet in what the court saw as an escape attempt.

2026 campaign heats up

Bolsonaro said his actions were the result of medication-induced paranoia.
The Supreme Court last month rejected his appeal against his conviction.
His supporters have had more success in the conservative-controlled Congress, which has passed a law that could reduce Bolsonaro's sentence to just over two years.
Lula has vowed to veto the law. However, Congress has the last word and can override him.
Bolsonaro's conviction has thrown open the race for president in October 2026 elections.
With his comeback chances looking increasingly shaky the right-winger has tapped his son Flavio Bolsonaro, a 44-year-old senator, to succeed him at the head of Brazil's conservatives.
To win election, the younger Bolsonaro may have to beat fellow conservative contenders as well as 80-year-old Lula, who has signaled he may seek a fourth term.
ffb/nn/dga/sla/dw 

election

New York mayor Mamdani pledges left-wing success after taking office

BY BEN TURNER

  • Mamdani mentioned Trump only once in his speech Thursday while reflecting on the city's diversity, citing supporters of the president who also backed him in the mayoral vote.
  • Zohran Mamdani promised Thursday to show left-wing politics can succeed as he took over as New York mayor for a term sure to see him cross swords with US President Donald Trump. 
  • Mamdani mentioned Trump only once in his speech Thursday while reflecting on the city's diversity, citing supporters of the president who also backed him in the mayoral vote.
Zohran Mamdani promised Thursday to show left-wing politics can succeed as he took over as New York mayor for a term sure to see him cross swords with US President Donald Trump. 
Thousands of people gathered in freezing conditions in the United States' largest city to celebrate the 34-year-old Democrat's inauguration after his impressive political rise from relative anonymity just a year ago. 
"They want to know if the left can govern. They want to know if the struggles that afflict them can be solved," Mamdani said outside City Hall.
"We will do something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else: we will set an example for the world."
In the 24-minute speech, he added: "Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously."
Mamdani, New York's first Muslim mayor, emphasized the cost of living issues that were central to his mayoral campaign, pledging to help those "betrayed by the established order."
Left-wing allies Senator Bernie Sanders and congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also spoke in front of some 4,000 ticketed guests.
"Thank you for giving us, from coast to coast, the hope and the vision that we can create government that works for all, not just the wealthy and the few," said Sanders, a former presidential hopeful.
At one point during his speech, the crowd broke into chants of "tax the rich." Mamdani wants to raise taxes on New York's wealthiest residents.
Thousands of people also thronged downtown Manhattan, many wearing yellow and blue beanies emblazoned with "Zohran," to watch the ceremony on large screens. 
"This is the first time that either of us in our entire lives has felt some kind of political hope at all," 31-year-old Jacob Byerly, a scientist, told AFP alongside his wife Auburn. 

Ambitious agenda

Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, comes to power at a time when Trump has pushed a hard-right agenda. 
But it remains to be seen if Mamdani can deliver on his ambitious program, which envisions rent freezes, universal childcare and free public buses.
How Trump behaves could be decisive. 
The Republican, himself a New Yorker, has repeatedly criticized Mamdani, but the pair held surprisingly cordial talks at the White House in November.
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 has said he believes Trump is a fascist.
Mamdani mentioned Trump only once in his speech Thursday while reflecting on the city's diversity, citing supporters of the president who also backed him in the mayoral vote.

 Symbolic inauguration

The inauguration was jam-packed with symbolism. 
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted Trump for fraud, performed a private midnight swearing-in at an abandoned subway station.
Mamdani's office said the understated venue beneath City Hall reflected his commitment to working people.
And in a first for the city, he used Korans to be sworn in as mayor.
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.
Compensating for his inexperience, he is surrounding himself with seasoned aides recruited from past mayoral administrations and former US president Joe Biden's government.
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 city's Jewish community -- the largest in the US -- of his inclusive leadership.
A small group of people holding Israeli flags appeared to protest Mamdani Thursday by blowing air horns during his speech.
rh-bjt/dw

protest

Fresh clashes kill six in Iran cost-of-living protests

  • On Thursday, Iran's Fars news agency reported two people killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province.
  • Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six reported killed, the first deaths since the cost-of-living demonstrations broke out.
  • On Thursday, Iran's Fars news agency reported two people killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province.
Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six reported killed, the first deaths since the cost-of-living demonstrations broke out.
The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, where shopkeepers went on strike over high prices and economic stagnation, and have since spread to other parts of the country.
On Thursday, Iran's Fars news agency reported two people killed in clashes between security forces and protesters in the city of Lordegan, in the province of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and three in Azna, in neighbouring Lorestan province.
"Some protesters began throwing stones at the city's administrative buildings, including the provincial governor's office, the mosque, the Martyrs' Foundation, the town hall and banks," Fars said of Lordegan, adding that police responded with tear gas.
Fars reported that the buildings were "severely damaged" and that police arrested several people described as "ringleaders". 
In Azna, Fars said "rioters took advantage of a protest gathering... to attack a police commissariat".
During previous protest movements, state media has labelled demonstrators "rioters".
Earlier Thursday, state television reported that a member of Iran's security forces was killed overnight during protests in the western city of Kouhdasht.
"A 21-year-old member of the Basij from the city of Kouhdasht was killed last night by rioters while defending public order," the channel said, citing Said Pourali, the deputy governor of Lorestan Province.
The Basij are a volunteer paramilitary force linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the ideological branch of the Islamic republic's army.
Pourali said that "during the demonstrations in Kouhdasht, 13 police officers and Basij members were injured by stone throwing".
In the western city of Hamedan, protesters torched a motorbike in what the Tasnim news agency described as an unsuccessful attempt to burn down a mosque.
The same agency reported on Thursday that 30 people in a district of Tehran had been arrested the night before for alleged public order offences in a "coordinated operation by the security and intelligence services".

'End up in hell'

The demonstrations are smaller than the last major outbreak of unrest in 2022, triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.
Her death sparked a nationwide wave of anger that left several hundred people dead, including dozens of members of the security forces.
The latest protests began in the capital and spread after students from at least 10 universities joined in on Tuesday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has sought to calm tensions, acknowledging protesters' "legitimate demands", and he urged the government Thursday to take action to improve the economic situation.
"From an Islamic perspective... if we do not resolve the issue of people's livelihoods, we will end up in Hell," Pezeshkian said at an event broadcast on state television.
Authorities, however, have also promised to take a "firm" stance, and have warned against exploiting the situation to sow chaos.
Local media coverage of the demonstrations has varied, with some outlets focusing on economic difficulties, and others on incidents caused by "troublemakers".
Iran is in the middle of an extended weekend, with the authorities declaring Wednesday a bank holiday at the last minute, citing the need to save energy during the cold weather.
They made no official link to the protests.
The weekend in Iran begins on Thursday, and Saturday is a long-standing national holiday.
Iran's prosecutor general said on Wednesday that peaceful economic protests were legitimate, but any attempt to create insecurity would be met with a "decisive response".
"Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property, or implementation of externally designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response."

Viral video

Earlier this week, a video showing a person sitting in the middle of a Tehran street facing down motorcycle police went viral on social media, with some seeing it as a "Tiananmen moment" -- a reference to the famous image of a Chinese protester defying a column of tanks during 1989 anti-government protests in Beijing. 
On Thursday, state television alleged the footage had been staged to "create a symbol" and aired another video purportedly shot from another angle by a police officer's camera. 
Sitting cross-legged, the protester remains impassive, head bowed, before covering his head with his jacket as behind him a crowd flees clouds of tear gas.
On Wednesday evening, Tasnim reported the arrest of seven people it described as being affiliated with "groups hostile to the Islamic Republic based in the United States and Europe".
It said they had been "tasked with turning the demonstrations into violence". Tasnim did not say when they were arrested.
The national currency, the rial, has lost more than a third of its value against the US dollar over the past year, while double-digit hyperinflation has been undermining Iranians' purchasing power for years. 
The inflation rate in December was 52 percent year-on-year, according to the Statistical Centre of Iran, an official body.
bur/smw/dc

conflict

Israel confirms ban on 37 NGOs in Gaza

BY GIANLUCA PACCHIANI

  • "Organisations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement.
  • Israel on Thursday said 37 humanitarian agencies supplying aid in Gaza had not met a deadline to meet "security and transparency standards", and would be banned from the territory, despite an international outcry. 
  • "Organisations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement.
Israel on Thursday said 37 humanitarian agencies supplying aid in Gaza had not met a deadline to meet "security and transparency standards", and would be banned from the territory, despite an international outcry. 
The international NGOs, which had been ordered to disclose detailed information on their Palestinian staff, will now be required to cease operations by March 1.
The United Nations has warned that this will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
"Organisations that have failed to meet required security and transparency standards will have their licenses suspended," Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement.
Several NGOS have said the requirements contravene international humanitarian law or endanger their independence.
Israel says the new regulation aims to prevent bodies it accuses of supporting terrorism from operating in the Palestinian territories.
Prominent humanitarian organisations hit by the ban include Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), World Vision International and Oxfam, according to a ministry list.
In MSF's case, Israel accused it of having two employees who were members of Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas. 
MSF said this week the request to share a list of its staff "may be in violation of Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law" and said it "would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity".

'Critical requirement'

NRC spokesperson Shaina Low told AFP its local staff are "exhausted" and international staff "bring them an extra layer of help and security. Their presence is a protection."
Submitting the names of local staff is "not negotiable", she said. "We offered alternatives, they refused," hse said, of the Israeli regulators.
The ministry said Thursday: "The primary failure identified was the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees, a critical requirement designed to prevent the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures."
In March, Israel gave NGOs 10 months to comply with the new rules, which demand the "full disclosure of personnel, funding sources, and operational structures".
The deadline expired on Wednesday.
The 37 NGOs "were formally notified that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1, 2026, and that they must complete the cessation of their activities by March 1, 2026," the ministry said Thursday.
A ministry spokesperson told AFP that following the revocation of their licences, aid groups could no longer bring assistance into Gaza from Thursday.
However, they could have their licences reinstated if they submitted the required documents before March 1.
Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli said "the message is clear: humanitarian assistance is welcome -- the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not".

'Weaponisation of bureaucracy'

On Thursday, 18 Israel-based left-wing NGOs denounced the decision to ban their international peers, saying "the new registration framework violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality".
"This weaponisation of bureaucracy institutionalises barriers to aid and forces vital organisations to suspend operations," they said.
UN Palestinian refugee agency chief Philippe Lazzarini had said the move sets a "dangerous precedent".
"Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organisations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world," he said on X.
On Tuesday, the foreign ministers of 10 countries, including France and Britain, urged Israel to "guarantee access" to aid in the Gaza Strip, where they said the humanitarian situation remains "catastrophic". 
A fragile ceasefire has been in place since October, following a deadly war waged by Israel in response to Hamas's unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Nearly 80 percent of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged by the war, according to UN data. 
About 1.5 million of Gaza's more than two million residents have lost their homes, said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza.
glp-dla/srm/dc

Saudi

Yemen separatists say Saudi-backed forces to deploy in seized territories

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

  • Saudi Arabia, the main backer of the Yemeni government, had repeatedly urged the STC to withdraw from recently conquered territories, particularly areas along its southern border, and earlier conducted airstrikes against its positions.
  • Separatists from Yemen's Southern Transitional Council said on Thursday that Saudi-aligned government forces would enter territories seized by the UAE-backed group, in a step that appeared unlikely to satisfy Riyadh after it repeatedly demanded their full withdrawal.
  • Saudi Arabia, the main backer of the Yemeni government, had repeatedly urged the STC to withdraw from recently conquered territories, particularly areas along its southern border, and earlier conducted airstrikes against its positions.
Separatists from Yemen's Southern Transitional Council said on Thursday that Saudi-aligned government forces would enter territories seized by the UAE-backed group, in a step that appeared unlikely to satisfy Riyadh after it repeatedly demanded their full withdrawal.
A surprise offensive by the STC, in which the separatists took control of resource-rich Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last month, has brought the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, officially allies in Yemen, to a point of unprecedented tension.
On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen struck what it said was a shipment of Emirati weapons in the port of Mukalla destined for the separatists, a claim Abu Dhabi has denied, and demanded that STC forces withdraw from the newly captured territory.
In its statement on Thursday, the STC said it would continue to operate in the regions but had agreed to the deployment of the Riyadh-backed National Shield government force in the areas.
"Today, we launched an operation to integrate the southern National Shield forces so that they can assume the responsibilities and missions that fall to our armed forces," they announced.
The statement said a National Shield brigade would be deployed in "areas of the Hadramawt and Mahra governorates, as agreed".
But a source close to the Saudi government told AFP on Thursday that Saudi Arabia's security needs would only be met if the STC "move out of Hadramawt and Mahra".
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said the redeployment of government forces did not go far enough.
"We have to wait and see what is carried out on the ground," they added.
Another source close to the Saudi military told AFP the Riyadh-led coalition was closely following events on the ground and making its own assessment. 
The STC later dismissed criticism of the deal, saying that the government forces that would enter their areas would be predominantly made up of southerners who had been funded and supervised by Saudi Arabia. 
"Their deployment along the Saudi border nullifies any argument used by those lying in wait to incite Saudi Arabia," STC spokesman Anwar Al Tamimi told AFP. 

'Security demands'

Farea Al-Muslimi, a Gulf and Yemen researcher at the UK-based Chatham House think tank, characterised the deployment as a "face-saving measure" on the part of the STC that had been offered to Riyadh and rejected in the past. 
"If a complete withdrawal and handover of Hadramawt and Mahra takes place, it could be a prelude to de-escalation," he told AFP.
"If it doesn't happen... it will never resolve Saudi Arabia's clear and direct security demands," Muslimi added.
Musaed Salem -- a bus driver who lives in Qatn city in Hadramawt -- told AFP he was relieved to hear of the latest decision by the STC to allow government forces into their territories, saying he hoped it brought greater stability and eased tensions. 
"We don't want war. We want security and stability in Hadramawt and everywhere," he said. 
Saudi Arabia, the main backer of the Yemeni government, had repeatedly urged the STC to withdraw from recently conquered territories, particularly areas along its southern border, and earlier conducted airstrikes against its positions.
Following the strikes on Tuesday, the UAE's defence ministry said it would withdraw its last remaining troops in Yemen after Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour deadline for their removal. 
The Yemeni government, of which the STC is a part, comprises a fractious coalition of groups united by their opposition to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 and subsequently large parts of northern Yemen.
While both are opposed to the Houthis, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi back different members of the Yemeni government.
The STC's December advance raised the possibility of that South Yemen, a separate state from 1967 to 1990, might declare independence, while dealing a hammer blow to slow-moving peace negotiations with the 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.
str-ht/ds/csp/dc

migrants

Near record number of small boat migrants reach UK in 2025

BY HELEN ROWE

  • The record of 45,774 arrivals was recorded in 2022 under the last Conservative government.
  • The second-highest annual number of migrants arrived on UK shores in small boats since records were started in 2018, government statistics confirmed on Thursday.
  • The record of 45,774 arrivals was recorded in 2022 under the last Conservative government.
The second-highest annual number of migrants arrived on UK shores in small boats since records were started in 2018, government statistics confirmed on Thursday.
The tally comes as Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage's anti-immigration party Reform UK surges in popularity ahead of bellwether local elections in May.
With Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer increasingly under pressure over the thorny issue, his interior minister Shabana Mahmood has proposed a drastic reduction in protections for refugees and the ending of automatic benefits for asylum seekers.
Home Office data showed that no small boats were detected on December 31, meaning a total of 41,472 migrants landed on England's southern coast in 2025 after making the perilous Channel crossing from northern France.
The record of 45,774 arrivals was recorded in 2022 under the last Conservative government.
Former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak vowed to "stop the boats" when he was in power.
Ousted by Starmer in July 2024, he later said he regretted the slogan because it was too "stark" and "binary" and lacked sufficient context "for exactly how challenging" the goal was.
Adopting his own "smash the gangs" slogan, Starmer pledged to tackle the problem by dismantling the people smuggling networks running the crossings, but has so far had no more success than his predecessor.
Reform has led Starmer's Labour Party by double-digit margins in opinion polls for most of 2025.
In a New Year message, Farage predicted that if Reform got things "right" at the forthcoming local elections "we will go on and win the general election" due in 2029 at the latest.
Without addressing the migrant issue directly, he added: "We will then absolutely have a chance of fundamentally changing the whole system of government in Britain." 
In his own New Year message, Starmer insisted his government would "defeat the decline and division offered by others".
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, urged people not to let "politics of grievance tell you that we're destined to stay the same".

Protests

The small boat figures come after Home Secretary Mahmood in November said irregular migration was "tearing our country apart".
In early December, an interior ministry spokesperson called the number of small boat crossings "shameful" and said Mahmood's "sweeping reforms" would remove the incentives driving the arrivals.
A returns deal with France had so far resulted in 153 people being removed from the UK to France and 134 being brought to the UK from France, border security and asylum minister Alex Norris said.
"Our landmark one-in one-out scheme means we can now send those who arrive on small boats back to France," he said.
The past year has seen multiple protests in UK towns over the housing of migrants in hotels.
Amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment, in September up to 150,000 massed in central London for one of the largest-ever far-right protests in Britain, organised by activist Tommy Robinson.
Asylum claims in Britain are at a record high, with around 111,000 applications made in the year to June 2025, according to official figures as of mid-November.
Labour is currently taking inspiration from Denmark's coalition government -- led by the centre-left Social Democrats -- which has implemented some of the strictest migration policies in Europe.
Senior British officials recently visited the Scandinavian country, where successful asylum claims are at a 40-year low.
But the government's plans will likely face opposition from Labour's more left-wing lawmakers, fearing that the party is losing voters to progressive alternatives such as the Greens.
har-pdh/st

Global Edition

World welcomes 2026 with fireworks after year of Trump and turmoil

  • Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global trade and world stock markets into meltdown.
  • Revellers around the world toasted the start of 2026 on Thursday, bidding farewell to a volatile year when temperatures soared, US President Donald Trump upended global trade, and the brutal conflict in Ukraine raged on.
  • Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global trade and world stock markets into meltdown.
Revellers around the world toasted the start of 2026 on Thursday, bidding farewell to a volatile year when temperatures soared, US President Donald Trump upended global trade, and the brutal conflict in Ukraine raged on.
While a fragile truce took hold in devastated Gaza, violence in Sudan continued unabated. A new American pope was installed at the Vatican, the world lost pioneering zoologist Jane Goodall, and Labubu dolls sparked a worldwide frenzy.
In Sydney, partygoers paused for a minute of silence to remember the victims of the mass shooting on Bondi Beach before fireworks lit up the skies at the stroke of midnight.
Heavily armed police patrolled the shoreline, packed with hundreds of thousands of people, barely two weeks after 15 people were gunned down at a Jewish festival in Australia's deadliest mass shooting for almost 30 years.
The famed Sydney Harbour Bridge was bathed in white light to symbolise peace.
Pacific nations including Kiribati and New Zealand were the first to see in 2026, with Seoul and Tokyo following Sydney in celebrations that make their way around the globe with each passing hour.
In Hong Kong, a major New Year fireworks display was cancelled in homage to 161 people killed in a fire in November that engulfed several apartment blocks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was "10 percent" away from a deal to end the fighting with Russia, soon to reach the four-year mark.
Russia's Vladimir Putin meanwhile used his traditional New Year address to urge his compatriots to believe that Moscow would deliver a victory in Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.
And Kim Jong Un praised North Korea's "invincible alliance" with Russia, where Pyongyang has sent troops to assist Moscow.
In the Ukrainian city of Vyshgorod, beauty salon manager Daria Lushchyk said the war had made her work "hell" but that her clients were still showing up.
"Nothing can stop our Ukrainian girls from coming in and getting themselves glam," Lushchyk said.

Tariffs and fragile truce

This year has brought a mix of stress and excitement for many, war for others still -- and a daring jewel heist at the Louvre.
Pop megastar Taylor Swift got engaged to her American football player boyfriend Travis Kelce, and K-pop heartthrobs BTS made their long-awaited return.
Trump returned as US president in January, launching a tariff blitz that sent global trade and world stock markets into meltdown.
The 79-year-old Republican met with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for five meetings in his first year back in office -- and hosted the ally at his lavish Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, at a glittering New Year's Eve party.
After two years of war that left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins, pressure from Trump helped land a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October -- though both sides have accused each other of flagrant violations.
"We bid farewell to 2025 with deep sorrow and grief," said Gaza City resident Shireen Al-Kayali.
"We lost a lot of people and our possessions. We lived a difficult and harsh life, displaced from one city to another, under bombardment and in terror."
In contrast, there was optimism despite abiding internal challenges in Syria, where residents of the capital Damascus celebrated a full year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
"There is no fear, the people are happy, all of Syria is one and united, and God willing... it will be a good year for the people and the wise leadership," marketing manager Sahar al-Said, 33, told AFP as bells rang in Damascus.
In Dubai, thousands queued for up to nine hours for a spectacular fireworks and laser display at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
Revellers popped champagne near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Bulgaria adopted the euro, and huge crowds danced at Edinburgh's Hogmanay street party.
Crowds packed Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach for what authorities have called the world's biggest New Year's Eve party.
"A wonderful, unforgettable day," said partygoer Ayane de Fatima, 30, adding she hoped 2026 would be "free from the bad things happening in the world".
In the US capital, the Washington Monument was lit up as America kicked off its 250th birthday celebration year.
And in New York, thousands gathered in freezing temperatures amid tight security for the traditional ball drop in Times Square.
Nearby, at an abandoned subway stop near City Hall, Zohran Mamdani -- a leftist and persistent thorn in Trump's side -- was sworn in as the city's first Muslim mayor.

Sports, space and AI

The coming 12 months promise to be full of sports, space and questions over artificial intelligence.
Athletes will gather in Italy in February for the Winter Olympics.
And for a few weeks in June and July, 48 nations will compete in the biggest football World Cup in history in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
NASA is planning a crewed mission to circle the moon during a 10-day flight, more than 50 years since the last Apollo lunar mission.
And after years of unbridled enthusiasm, AI is facing scrutiny, and nervous investors are questioning whether the boom might now resemble a market bubble.
bur-pbt-cw-sst/ceg/mjw

explosion

Several dead as fire ravages bar in Swiss ski resort town Crans Montana: police

  • Swiss media suggested that the fire may have started when pyrotechnics were used during a concert, but police siad the cause was unkown.
  • A fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans Montana on New Year's Eve, killing and injuring several people, police said early Thursday.
  • Swiss media suggested that the fire may have started when pyrotechnics were used during a concert, but police siad the cause was unkown.
A fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans Montana on New Year's Eve, killing and injuring several people, police said early Thursday.
As revellers rang in the new year, a "fire of undetermined origin" broke out in a bar popular with tourists, police in the Wallis canton in southwestern Switzerland, police said in a statement. 
"Several people lost their lives and others were injured," the statement said, describing the incident as "serious" and said "a major emergency response is underway".
"A large contingent of police, firefighters, and rescue workers immediately went to the scene to assist the numerous victims," it said.
"The operation is still ongoing."
Swiss daily Blick cited a doctor at the scene suggesting that the death toll could be in the "dozens". 
Regional daily Le Nouvelliste also said its sources were describing "a heavy toll", with "around 40 dead and 100 injured".
Images published by Swiss media showed a building in flames, and people screaming and running in the dark.
Swiss media suggested that the fire may have started when pyrotechnics were used during a concert, but police siad the cause was unkown.
Police spokesman Gaetan Lathion told AFP earlier  there had first been an "explosion of unknown origin".
He said the explosion took place at around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) in a bar called Le Constellation, where more than 100 people had gathered for New Year celebrations.
Several hours after the blast, an AFP photographer saw a number of ambulances on the road from Crans Montana.
Police said the areas was "completely closed to the public", and that "a no-fly zone over Crans Montana has been imposed".
str-nl/ach