conflict

Ukraine warns of tough winter as Russia strikes kill 4 in Kyiv region

crime

Bodies hanging from bridge revive violence in once-calm town in Mexico

BY JESSE MIRELES Y ESTHER CONSUEGRA

  • Indeed, in this town most people have lost a relative or an acquaintance -- dead or missing -- to all the drug violence.
  • Horrific drug violence plagued the Mexican state of Zacatecas for years, until relative calm set in.
  • Indeed, in this town most people have lost a relative or an acquaintance -- dead or missing -- to all the drug violence.
Horrific drug violence plagued the Mexican state of Zacatecas for years, until relative calm set in. Then one morning in July this small town woke up to find five bodies dangling from a bridge -- a grim calling card that showed the bloodshed never really left.
These days in Pozos de Gamboa, a Zacatecas town of 5,000 that is known for growing beans, people are terrified. No one goes out after dark and no one talks about that morning when the bodies showed up.
Zacatecas is key to the drug trade because it links central Mexico with the north and west of the country and features routes that are key to smuggling cocaine and drugs north to the hungry consumer market in the United States.
The state of 1.6 million people had become painfully used to narcotics-related violence as rival gangs fought each other, with bodies turning up almost on a daily basis and people going missing right and left.
Then things calmed down, a lot. Killings in Zacatecas fell from around 1,300 in 2022 to 144 in 2025, according to government figures. The government has attributed the decline to better coordination between state and federal law enforcement officials.
The calm spell ended shockingly on July 18 with the spectacle of the bodies hanging from the bridge. The victims included a former mayor, civil servants and business people from other parts of the state. Five other bodies were found elsewhere in town that same day.
Mexico's two largest drug cartels -- Jalisco New Generation and  Sinaloa -- have been fighting to control Zacatecas because of its strategic value in the US-bound drug trade.

'They kill over nothing'

Prosecutors opened a probe into the killings and the state government promised "an immediate and forceful response," while noting that violence like this had been on the decline. It asked for help from the army and the National Guard to boost security in Zacatecas.
AFP visited Pozos de Gamboa and observed that on the road here from the state capital, also called Zacatecas, there were no roadblocks and just a few police patrol cars out and about. 
One Pozos de Gamboa resident who declined to be named, fearing for his safety, described it as being like a ghost town -- "as if no one ever lived here."
"Here, you always used to see people," this man said. But now, "at 9 in the evening there is no one out on the street."
Indeed, in this town most people have lost a relative or an acquaintance -- dead or missing -- to all the drug violence.
When people go missing they are routinely killed, this man said. "They make it so the bodies do not smell."
"They killed a brother of ours," he added. "They kill over nothing at all."
The bridge where the bodies were found last month had been used in the past as a spot for the drug cartels to leave these grim messages.
A woman who runs a food stall in the street said she saw the bodies hanging as early 4 am.
The image recalled the worst years of Mexico's drug wars, when the government deployed federal forces in 2006 to fight the cartels and these crime gangs fought back, hanging bodies from bridges or dumping them elsewhere in public to intimidate rivals and the security forces.
The Pozos de Gamboa killings drew the attention of leftist President Claudia Sheinbaum's government, which promised to arrest whoever was behind them.
She has deployed soldiers in violence-plagued states such as Sinaloa and Michoacan as she endures pressure from US President Donald Trump to intervene directly in Mexico against the cartels so as to keep drugs from crossing the border into the United States.
str-yug-jt/nn/dw/msp

US

Iran Guards say won't reopen Hormuz without US meeting Tehran's demands

BY AFP TEAMS IN TEHRAN AND DUBAI

  • Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Sunday said their strategy was to maintain the closure "until the enemy accepts all our conditions... the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway".
  • Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday that they would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States complied with a list of demands, including paying compensation for war damage.
  • Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Sunday said their strategy was to maintain the closure "until the enemy accepts all our conditions... the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway".
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday that they would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States complied with a list of demands, including paying compensation for war damage.
Iran has effectively blockaded the crucial energy conduit since the United States and Israel attacked it in late February, and wants to charge tolls for passage, striking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route.
Attacks in the waterway, which was free to transit before the war, led to the collapse of an April ceasefire, and mediators have urged both sides to return to the terms of a subsequent June memorandum that set out a path for peace talks.
Iran's security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr had laid out on Saturday a list of conditions for reopening the strait, including an end to the "war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq".
He also demanded the lifting of a US counterblockade of Iranian ports, the end of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for wartime damage, the Tasnim news agency reported. 
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Sunday said their strategy was to maintain the closure "until the enemy accepts all our conditions... the strait is now actually a theatre of war for us and not just a waterway".
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who had also said the reopening of Hormuz was subject to conditions, denied on Sunday that Iran was negotiating with the US, saying they were merely "exchanging messages" via intermediaries.

Hormuz strikes

Traffic through Hormuz has dropped significantly amid the ongoing attacks.
The United Arab Emirates on Saturday accused Iran of striking a tanker belonging to its national oil company as it transited the strait.
And later on Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a ship was hit by a projectile off Oman, though it was unclear whether they were referring to the same ship.
Oman's foreign ministry on Saturday condemned "repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz", without naming Iran.
It also said "ongoing negotiations regarding navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz are proceeding", and warned against any actions that might jeopardise the progress.
The June Iran-US deal had said Tehran and Muscat would hash out future arrangements for the strait in discussion with other Gulf countries and "in line with the applicable international law", which generally forbids tolling in such waterways.
Araghchi had said that discussions with Oman over management of the strait were "approaching the final stages".

Houthi attacks

As Iran throttles traffic in Hormuz, its Houthi allies in Yemen have declared a parallel maritime blockade on Saudi ports in the Red Sea, the oil-exporting giant's only other maritime route.
The Houthis announced on Sunday that they had struck a Saudi oil facility on the country's Red Sea coast, after the Gulf kingdom said it had extinguished a fire at the site.
Saudi Arabia has long propped up Yemen's internationally recognised government in its war against the Houthis, which was paused by a UN-backed 2022 accord that has appeared to break down since the rebels declared their blockade last month.
A medical source in government-held Mokha said three civilians and eight military personnel were killed and a further 32 people wounded on Sunday, with all the civilian casualties resulting from Houthi strikes on the Yemeni city's port.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted "Saudi enemy" troops and equipment in the area with missiles and drones.

Security agreement

The Middle East war has proven an unprecedented challenge to Saudi Arabia's carefully cultivated reputation for stability and security, as well as its ambitious plans to diversify its economy away from reliance on petroleum.
On Friday, the kingdom signed a joint defence agreement with Turkey and Pakistan, including a NATO-style clause that considers any attack on one country as an attack on all.
Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday he expected Egypt to also join the pact, calling the country a "natural partner on all issues".
"We already act toward one another as if we were alliance members," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview.
A drone struck US assets at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean last month, marking the first such attack on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the Iran war.
Fidan said the agreement was not aimed at a specific country, while Pakistan's foreign ministry said Friday that it was "intended to strengthen collective deterrence".
bur/smw/jsa

shooting

Students, teachers mourn girl killed in Thailand school shooting

BY THANAPORN PROMYAMYAI

  • Another woman said her 12-year-old daughter was a classmate of the dead girl.
  • Dozens of bereaved students, parents and teachers queued at a Buddhist temple in Thailand on Sunday to pray over the body of a 12-year-old girl, one of eight victims of a home and school shooting two days earlier.
  • Another woman said her 12-year-old daughter was a classmate of the dead girl.
Dozens of bereaved students, parents and teachers queued at a Buddhist temple in Thailand on Sunday to pray over the body of a 12-year-old girl, one of eight victims of a home and school shooting two days earlier.
The 14-year-old assailant shot dead the grandparents who raised him at their home north of Bangkok on Friday before killing six others at his school, using his grandfather's handgun, and then turning the gun on himself, authorities said.
Investigators are still seeking a motive, but police said on Sunday the boy had watched violent videos online and once brought a BB gun to school. Officials said earlier he faced academic-related stress and a classmate said he was bullied.
Mourners dressed in black gathered on Sunday in the pavilion of Wat Lat Pla Duk in Nonthaburi province, bordering Bangkok, where the body of the slain schoolgirl, Naphat Chaima, lay for a ceremonial bath.
She died in hospital on Saturday after suffering gunshot wounds at the school, police said. Five teachers and school staff were also killed on Friday.
Mourners took turns gently pouring water over a hand of the deceased while others lit incense sticks and folded their hands in prayer.
"She was a good kid. A kid who loved to do every activity," said the girl's music teacher, who declined to give her name.
"She loved to dance."
Several psychologists were available to consult with grieving children under the care of their parents, an AFP journalist saw.
Another woman said her 12-year-old daughter was a classmate of the dead girl. They had done cheerleading together.
"This family lost their daughter. I came to support the mother" who lost her child too soon, she told AFP.
She said she wanted the school to tighten security, questioning how the teenage shooter could have brought a gun and bullets into the school.
However, ultimately the incident was "beyond anyone's control", she said.
Her daughter was able to exit a school building, physically unharmed, through a back door, she said.

'Real cause'

Investigators have interviewed 17 witnesses and were examining the boy's computer and phone to determine the "real cause of the shooting", Atthapol Anusit, a deputy police commander for the region surrounding the capital, told reporters earlier.
"We looked into his PC and found history that he watched violent videos on social media," Atthapol said.
"From questioning the kids, we know that he brought a BB gun to school last year but a teacher seized it."
Witnesses told police the boy had been interested in guns for a year or two, Atthapol said, adding that he had learned how to use one by watching content on social media.
The child had lived with his grandparents since he was two years old after his parents had separated, he said.
The boy's father apologised "to society for what my son did" on Friday, according to local media.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has said the boy experienced school-related stress, and his dead grandmother was a former teacher who had been "quite strict on him about studying".
Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region, with around 10 million firearms estimated to be in circulation -- roughly one for every seven inhabitants.
Officials have promised stricter gun laws since Friday's shooting, but previous pledges have failed to prevent repeated shootings.
tp/sco/pbt

typhoon

Typhoon Dolphin makes landfall in China after flight cancellations, evacuations

BY PETER CATTERALL

  • Typhoon Dolphin was expected to weaken after making landfall while moving in a northwesterly direction over eastern China.
  • Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in densely populated eastern China on Sunday, meteorological authorities said, after the storm triggered more than 1,000 flight cancellations, evacuations and a top-level alert.
  • Typhoon Dolphin was expected to weaken after making landfall while moving in a northwesterly direction over eastern China.
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in densely populated eastern China on Sunday, meteorological authorities said, after the storm triggered more than 1,000 flight cancellations, evacuations and a top-level alert.
China's east coast has been preparing for the storm's arrival in recent days, with work and transport services suspended in some areas along its predicted path.
The centre of the typhoon moved over the coastline near Yuhuan City in Zhejiang Province at about 5:30 pm (0930 GMT), China's National Meteorological Centre said in an online post.
Maximum wind speeds near the centre were more than 150 kilometres (94 miles) per hour at the time it made landfall, the NMC said.
Nearly 1,400 flights in and out of Shanghai's two main passenger airports were cancelled on Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Hangzhou's airport in nearby Zhejiang province saw 270 inbound and outbound flights cancelled, the report said.
The effects were felt as far away as Hong Kong on China's southern coast, where the weather observatory posted a record high temperature of 36.9C, caused by warm air pushed over the city by Typhoon Dolphin.
With the storm "moving towards the vicinity of Zhejiang and moving inland, its outer subsiding air will persistently bring extremely hot weather to the territory today to Tuesday", the Hong Kong Observatory said.
Typhoon Dolphin brought heavy rain and strong winds to Japan's Okinawa before reaching China.
Seven people in Okinawa suffered minor injuries, including a man aged over 100 who was blown over by gusts, fell on the ground and hit his head, according to the island's government.
By Sunday afternoon, 5,290 households in Okinawa were without electricity, according to regional utility Okinawa Electric Power.
In Taiwan, dozens of ferry services were suspended and more than 180 flights were cancelled as the storm brought downpours and strong winds to the island's north on Sunday.

Red alert

China's NMC issued a red typhoon alert -- its most severe warning -- on Sunday morning, forecasting "extraordinary torrential rain" in some areas of central and eastern Zhejiang.
Heavy precipitation is also expected to fall in Shanghai and parts of Fujian, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces through Monday afternoon, it said.
Typhoon Dolphin was expected to weaken after making landfall while moving in a northwesterly direction over eastern China.
In Fujian, nearly 99,000 people were relocated from "risky areas" on Saturday evening ahead of the storm's arrival, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Services on more than 200 ferry routes were suspended in Zhejiang and Fujian, Xinhua said.
Work at offshore projects was halted, while 474 construction vessels had been called to port by Friday morning, Xinhua said.
Some train services in affected areas were also suspended on Sunday to ensure passenger safety, state media reported.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and more intense worldwide.
Typhoon Dolphin's arrival in China comes two weeks after Typhoon Noul lashed southern Guangdong province, declared by authorities at the time as the strongest storm to hit China this year.
Three people were killed and hundreds of homes were damaged by Typhoon Noul in the Philippines before it reached China.
pfc/pbt

climate

Indonesia closes national park as wildfire spreads

  • Authorities barred access to visitors late Saturday until further notice.
  • Indonesian authorities have closed access to a national park on Java Island as firefighters battle a wildfire raging there for nearly a week.
  • Authorities barred access to visitors late Saturday until further notice.
Indonesian authorities have closed access to a national park on Java Island as firefighters battle a wildfire raging there for nearly a week.
The blaze has razed 176 hectares (435 acres) since it broke out on Monday in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, near the popular East Java tourist destination of Mount Bromo, a disaster official said.
Authorities barred access to visitors late Saturday until further notice.
No injuries or property destruction have been reported, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Abdul Muhari.
Two water-bombing helicopters have been deployed to douse the flames in areas difficult for firefighters to reach due to steep slopes and strong winds, he said in a statement Sunday.
"These conditions make air operations important to reach areas that cannot be accessed optimally by land," the official said.
A blaze destroyed more than 500 hectares of land on Mount Bromo in 2023 when a couple lit a flare during a pre-wedding photo shoot. 
Indonesia is projected to experience a more intense and prolonged dry season this year, raising the risk of wildfires and drought, due in part to the El Nino weather phenomenon, weather agency BMKG said.
More than 107,000 hectares of land burned in Indonesia in the first half of this year, over twice the area destroyed in wildfires in 2023.
El Nino is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that brings worldwide changes in winds, air pressure and rainfall patterns. It usually causes drier conditions in Southeast Asia and India.
mrc/mba/djw

moto

ZXMoto leads China's charge to dominate the global motorbike market

BY SAM DAVIES

  • That victory at the Supersport World Championship in March saw orders for ZXMoto's two-wheelers skyrocket and provided a boost for the firm as it battles for an edge in the highly competitive Chinese motorbike market.
  • Zhang Xue wept with joy and furiously waved a Chinese flag as he watched his company's superbike scream across the finish line four seconds ahead of competitors in only its third world championship race.
  • That victory at the Supersport World Championship in March saw orders for ZXMoto's two-wheelers skyrocket and provided a boost for the firm as it battles for an edge in the highly competitive Chinese motorbike market.
Zhang Xue wept with joy and furiously waved a Chinese flag as he watched his company's superbike scream across the finish line four seconds ahead of competitors in only its third world championship race.
That victory at the Supersport World Championship in March saw orders for ZXMoto's two-wheelers skyrocket and provided a boost for the firm as it battles for an edge in the highly competitive Chinese motorbike market.
The company was founded just two years ago but already rivals leading manufacturers such as Europe's Ducati and Japanese giants Yamaha and Honda with a bike retailing for a fraction of their prices.
"You have this dream you've been thinking about for many years, and when it finally comes true... I was so happy," Zhang, 39, told AFP at his company's headquarters in Chongqing.
ZXMoto has doubled its workforce since March and its factory runs 24-hours a day to meet demand, but customers still wait months for orders. 
"Chinese brands are very clear about where our future lies," said Zhang, a former mechanic who claims he can assemble an engine with his eyes closed.
"It has to be global."
The firm's flagship 133-horsepower 820RR motorbike -- which accelerates from zero to 100 kilometres and hour in 2.8 seconds -- sells for around 43,000 yuan ($6,370) in China, at least 30 percent cheaper than foreign rivals.
"Compared to imported ones like Kawasaki, it's very good value," said 28-year-old rider Yang, who owns an 820RR.
"First off, we support domestic production, and second, if the product is truly good, we'll choose it."
Sales have soared from 25,000 bikes in 2025 to a projected 100,000 this year, with plans to double that figure by 2027 -– a target on par with BMW's scope.
However, it faces a shrinking domestic market, vicious competition and squeezed profits.

Fan loyalty

"Twenty years ago, as long as you produced a motorcycle, even if it didn't start, people would line up to give you money," Zhang said.
"Now... If you don't get serious, you will be eliminated by the market."
China's motorbike sales fell 3.4 percent in 2025, and slid again this year as consumers increasingly favour cars or less regulated electric bikes.
In China, Zhang can rely on loyal fans who see him as a symbol of the country's manufacturing prowess, drawn by his rags-to-riches background.
"Zhang Xue has brought glory to China, so I want to support him," said Hu Zhaomeng, picking up his gleaming red 500 model from a Chongqing dealership.
But weakening domestic sales are pushing manufacturers like Zhang to seek fatter margins abroad, where consumers have more purchasing power.
Half of the 22 million motorcycles produced in China last year were exported, and nearly all brands are looking overseas.
Zhang hopes to export 40,000 bikes to Europe in 2027, while rival manufacturer Shineray sells 90 percent of its low-end models to South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
"The domestic market situation is very 'juan'," said Shineray's overseas marketing head Nie Jianwei, using a Chinese buzzword for extreme competition.
"We are constantly reducing the price of our products to make them more competitive."
In Chongqing, more than 50 manufacturers and hundreds of component suppliers are able to leverage the booming industry of China's "motorbike capital".
"Companies like ZXMoto are emerging from one of the world's most competitive industrial ecosystems, where rapid iteration, integrated supply chains, and relentless competition yield world-class products rapidly," said Bill Russo, an expert in China's automotive industry.

Prestige and heritage

Zhang told AFP the city's cheaper production costs offer Chinese brands "a greater advantage" over Japanese or European rivals.
"They have reached a (technological) ceiling, so they can only wait for me there... the speed of their progress is limited."
For Russo, "the motorcycle industry today reminds me of where China's passenger car industry stood roughly a decade ago".
Chinese auto giants like BYD and Geely eventually out-competed established foreign rivals on price and are increasingly at the industry's technological forefront.
However, two-wheelers may prove a more resilient market to break into.
"Motorcycles remain more emotionally driven purchases than cars. Heritage, racing history and brand prestige still matter much more, giving established Japanese and European manufacturers a stronger defensive position," Russo said.
"The gap is closing, but it won't close overnight."
Still, momentum is building, and ZXMoto expects to sell most of its production overseas within five years.
Russo expects Chinese brands to establish a larger global footprint through local investments and partnerships rather than exports alone.
With an 800-million-yuan factory opening in late 2027, ZXMoto is on track to become one of the world's top 10 motorcycle brands by 2034.
"When Japanese products first entered Europe, there was the same reaction, there were many questions," Zhang said, over the roar of engines being tested.
"But as long as the products are good, one day people will accept and enjoy them."
sam/dhw/dan/abs

US

Iran issues demands for reopening of Hormuz

  • Security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr on Saturday laid out a list of demands for reopening the strait, including an end to the "war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq".
  • Iran set preconditions on Saturday for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including compensation for war damages, complicating a potential deal to open the waterway essential to the world economy.
  • Security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr on Saturday laid out a list of demands for reopening the strait, including an end to the "war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq".
Iran set preconditions on Saturday for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including compensation for war damages, complicating a potential deal to open the waterway essential to the world economy.
Tehran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait since the United States and Israel struck Iran in late February, and wants to charge tolls for passage, attacking ships it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route.
Continued attacks in the strait, which was free to transit before the war, led to the collapse of an April ceasefire. Mediators have since urged both sides to return to the terms of a June memorandum.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said discussions with Oman over transit and management of the strait were "approaching the final stages", but added the reopening of Hormuz "is subject to other conditions and compensation for the violation" of the June agreement.
Security chief Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr on Saturday laid out a list of demands for reopening the strait, including an end to the "war and aggression against Iran and its allies in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, and Iraq".
He also demanded the lifting of a parallel US naval blockade of Iran, the end of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for wartime damage, according to remarks reported by Tasnim news agency. 
Iran's Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, said Hormuz's reopening had "nothing to do with the negotiations between Iran and Oman", adding that the "enemy is forced to accept Iran's conditions for the opening of the strait".

Repeated attacks

The comments came as transit through Hormuz has dropped significantly, with Iran targeting ships it accuses of skirting its preferred route through Iranian waters.
The United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry on Saturday condemned what it called a "hostile Iranian attack that targeted a tanker belonging to ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) with a missile while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, without causing casualties".
Later on Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a ship was hit by a projectile off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire that was extinguished but no casualties. It was unclear whether they were referring to the same ship.
On Friday, ADNOC had put out a statement saying that since the start of the war, 15 of its vessels had been attacked in Hormuz, "including three vessels this week alone".
Oman's foreign ministry on Saturday condemned "repeated attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz", without naming Iran.
It also said that "ongoing negotiations regarding navigation arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz are proceeding in a positive and constructive atmosphere", and urged against any actions that might jeopardise the progress.
The previous Iran-US deal -- meant to serve as a jumping-off point for negotiations on a permanent settlement -- had said Iran and Oman would hash out future arrangements for the strait in discussion with other Gulf countries and "in line with the applicable international law".
International law generally forbids tolling in such waterways.

Security agreement

Turkey's foreign minister said Saturday he expected Egypt to join a joint defence agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan designed to stabilize the region, calling the country a "natural partner on all issues".
"I believe that at the next stage Egypt will also be among us in the alliance. We already act toward one another as if we were alliance members," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview. 
A drone struck US assets at an Egyptian port on the Mediterranean last month, marking the first drone attack on Egyptian territory since the outbreak of the Iran war.
Fidan said the agreement does not target a specific country.
"There is no common threat that we have put in writing," he said, according to the news agency. 
Pakistan's foreign ministry said Friday the pact meant an attack on any member would be regarded as an attack on all, adding it was "intended to strengthen collective deterrence".
bur-aya/jsa/smw/lga/tc

mining

Afghanistan's gold rush upends lives and landscapes

BY OMER ABRAR

  • Gold mining has accelerated in the north, the ministry spokesman said, including in neighbouring Takhar province where an Afghan company was operating with Chinese partners. 
  • In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. 
  • Gold mining has accelerated in the north, the ministry spokesman said, including in neighbouring Takhar province where an Afghan company was operating with Chinese partners. 
In Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, dozens of excavators operate day and night to extract gold from the mountains where villagers and their livestock once roamed. 
Thousands of miners are deployed across the Shiwa area, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northeast of the provincial capital Faizabad, extracting gold for investors nationwide. 
Some residents in the area have profited from the gold rush, only to regret it later, such as farmer Muhammad Amin. 
"Before, the river was deep, the water was clean," said the 74-year-old from Pul-e-Ziri Ban valley. 
Since mining got underway, "the water of the river is not drinkable; you can't even wash your body with that water", he told AFP. 
With tears in his eyes, Amin said the grass along the riverbank "has all gone" and farming is no longer possible due to "the wind and dust". 
Now he can only feed up to 15 goats, compared with as many as 40 previously. 
Amin said he was paid half the $20,000 for which he agreed to lease his land to a mining firm that failed to fulfil a promise to restore his fields after the work stopped. 
The Taliban authorities have expanded the mining sector since returning to power five years ago, aiming to tap into Afghanistan's vast underground resources to boost state coffers. 
Abdul Mateen Rahimzai, head of Badakhshan's mines department, said they have registered "almost 650 to 700 companies, and there are thousands of people working manually". 
The World Bank said hundreds of mining contracts have been signed since 2021, with "real growth averaging 25 to 30 percent" annually according to a May report. 

'Better than anything else'

While mining has temporarily stopped in Amin's village, not far from his home, in Gulak-Dara valley, dozens of diggers were carving into the mountainside. 
With jobs scarce in Afghanistan, the area has drawn workers from across the country. 
Mohammad Agha Khwaja Khail, from Kabul, has worked in mining for five years and earns 10,000 Afghanis ($150) a month loading trucks.
"It's better than anything else... There aren't many jobs in Kabul," said the 21-year-old, above the din of diggers. 
Shafiullah Ehsas, a father-of-five, transported his excavator hundreds of kilometres from Jalalabad about three months ago. 
"In Jalalabad, the gold (mining) work hasn't started, and it was happening in Badakhshan, so we didn't have any other option but to bring our machinery here," said the 32-year-old, who earns 25,000 Afghanis per month. 
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has sought to regulate the industry, with spokesman Hamayoun Afghan saying resources "used to be extracted erratically; it wasn't done under supervision" by the previous government. 
Gold mining has accelerated in the north, the ministry spokesman said, including in neighbouring Takhar province where an Afghan company was operating with Chinese partners. 
Fabrizio Foschini, a researcher at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, said during earlier decades of war "mining mainly benefited insurgent groups, including the Taliban, and local strongmen with links to corrupt government officials". 
Mining firms are now taxed 20 grams of gold per hectare per month, or the equivalent in cash, no matter their profits. 
- 'Reduced to ruins' - 
Mohammadullah Mubariz, the manager of a mining company with about a hundred labourers and 20 diggers, said the team can extract "200 to 300 grams of gold" in a week. 
Despite this, he said the firm was operating at a loss because of start-up costs since April. 
Rahimzai, head of the provincial mines department, said last year the government collected 112 kilograms (247 pounds) of gold in Badakhshan. According to miners who spoke to AFP, their sale price per gram was around $118. 
Rahimzai said that last year, "most of the mines were not registered, and there was no system to collect the fees from them". 
He has also ordered the closure of around 225 sites that caused damage, including in the Shiwa area. 
"There was a bridge there, there were shops, and there was a school. All of them were buried under floodwater, mud, and debris. The area has been completely reduced to ruins," Rahimzai told AFP. 
The provincial mining chief also pledged to tackle any corruption, and ensure the "mineral resources of Badakhshan will be utilised properly and for the benefit of the people". 
Some parts of the province remain untouched, including a few kilometres from Shiwa where herder Fazil hoped the miners would stay away. 
"Because it's a place for people, for picnics, for livestock to graze," he told AFP, giving only his first name for security reasons. 
The gold industry "doesn't benefit the local communities here", said the 45-year-old, who has brought his herd to the mountains each summer since childhood. 
"It benefits only the powerful people."
str-baz-iw-qb/rsc/dan

war

Japan nuclear debate unnerves proponents of pacifism

  • They have also unnerved survivors of the 1945 bombings, who have long helped shape Japan's post-war pacifist political culture.
  • As Japan marks the anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombs, its leaders are pushing for a renewed debate on nuclear weapons in a challenge to the nation's long-time pacifist stance.
  • They have also unnerved survivors of the 1945 bombings, who have long helped shape Japan's post-war pacifist political culture.
As Japan marks the anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombs, its leaders are pushing for a renewed debate on nuclear weapons in a challenge to the nation's long-time pacifist stance.
Japan's constitution renounces offensive military force, and successive governments have maintained a decades-old pledge not to possess nuclear weapons, produce them or permit their introduction into the country.
That commitment is now under pressure as East Asian neighbours -- notably China -- boost their military capabilities, while doubts persist about the reliability of Tokyo's biggest security backer, the United States.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has refused to clarify whether she will maintain the stance known as the three non-nuclear principles, and Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi called last month for a "discussion without a taboo" on the subject.
In December, an unnamed senior administration official told local media in an off-the-record session suggesting that Japan should possess nuclear weapons. 
The remark was widely reported by major Japanese outlets including national broadcaster NHK and Asahi Shimbun, sparking public criticism.
"If I look at it cynically, I can't help but think that maybe she really wants to change" Japan's anti-nuclear commitment, 82-year-old Satoshi Tanaka, a campaigner who survived the 1945 attack on Hiroshima, told AFP.
The country marked the 81st anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing on Thursday and will do the same on Sunday to commemorate the attack on Nagasaki.
The August 1945 assault by the United States killed more than 210,000 people, including many from the effects of radiation exposure.
It remains the only time that atomic weapons have been used in warfare, and was one of the last major acts of World War II.

'New militarism'

The Takaichi administration is undertaking a major update of the national defence strategy this year in the face of China's expanding military ambitions.
The prime minister has already lifted Japan's self-imposed ban on weapons exports and expanded defence spending, while pushing to amend the constitution.
Those policies have drawn rebukes from China, which accuses Japan of "new militarism" and Takaichi of bending to the whims of the far right.
They have also unnerved survivors of the 1945 bombings, who have long helped shape Japan's post-war pacifist political culture.
Tanaka, the Hiroshima survivor, expressed frustration that current political leaders like Takaichi are focusing on military capacity at the expense of diplomacy.
"There is so much talk about national security. What about building peace through diplomacy?" he said.
Despite winning the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts, they are debating whether to continue their national association as their members grow older.
As of March, Japan recognised just over 91,000 survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks, down from over 164,000 a decade ago. Their average age is 86.7.

'It only worries me'

The focus has turned firmly towards the future of the non-nuclear principles, which date to 1967.
Takaichi's supporters argue that the final clause needs to be changed to allow the United States to bring nuclear arms to Japan and ensure regional deterrence.
Hirofumi Yoshimura, head of the Japan Innovation Party, a coalition partner of Takaichi's government, said the principle deserved discussion in the context of the US-Japan security alliance.
"Of course, we need to work toward building a world without nuclear arms," Yoshimura told reporters on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.
"But when considering how to ensure the effectiveness of extended nuclear deterrence within the framework of our alliance with the United States, I believe we should...continue to adhere to the principle of 'neither possessing nor producing' nuclear weapons," he said.
"As for 'not allowing them to be brought in,' I do think there is some room for discussion on that point."
Critics argue that Takaichi's hawkish approach to defence increase the danger for Japan.
After Takaichi attended the annual ceremony in Hiroshima on Thursday, she sat down for a televised meeting with survivors.
When pressed, Takaichi declined to offer clarity on whether she might change the country's nuclear course.
"Our nation currently adheres to the 'three non-nuclear principles,'" she said in response to a direct question from Tanaka, without discussing what she might do next.
"That," Tanaka told AFP on Friday, "only explains the current situation. It says nothing about the future.
"It only worries me more. I am concerned."
hih/mjw/abs

business

FIFA condemns 'concerted and ongoing effort' to weaken Infantino

  • Infantino, who is standing for re-election next March, has been embroiled in a crisis since the announcement late last month of his controversial -- and ultimately abandoned -- plan to open up the World Cup to private investors.
  • FIFA on Saturday condemned "a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine" the world game's governing body and its president Gianni Infantino as the controversy over his now shelved private investment plan rumbles on.
  • Infantino, who is standing for re-election next March, has been embroiled in a crisis since the announcement late last month of his controversial -- and ultimately abandoned -- plan to open up the World Cup to private investors.
FIFA on Saturday condemned "a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine" the world game's governing body and its president Gianni Infantino as the controversy over his now shelved private investment plan rumbles on.
Infantino has faced calls to resign and was also subject to allegations from a British newspaper on Friday that he paid off a lover while at European governing body UEFA.
"Recent reporting has included unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims concerning FIFA and its President," said the FIFA statement.
Infantino served as secretary general of European football's governing body from 2009 to 2016.
According to The Telegraph newspaper, the Italian-Swiss lawyer previously used his influence to secure a promotion for a UEFA employee with whom he was in an intimate relationship.
The newspaper added -- without revealing its sources -- that the same employee received a "a six-figure sum" upon her departure in addition to the payment of tuition fees for a business school amounting to around £45,000 ($60,700).
When contacted by AFP, UEFA acknowledged that "a departure payment was made to the individual in question" at that time, "coupled with the payment of fees for an MBA course at a local business school". 

Growing pressure

In Saturday's statement on social media, FIFA insisted it "welcomes legitimate scrutiny".
"But scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress. Where reporting is inaccurate or misleading, FIFA will challenge it directly and vigorously," it added.
Infantino, who is standing for re-election next March, has been embroiled in a crisis since the announcement late last month of his controversial -- and ultimately abandoned -- plan to open up the World Cup to private investors.
He faces opposition in particular from UEFA, which on Thursday stood by its threat to boycott the World Cups, deeming the mere withdrawal of the controversial plan to be insufficient.
FIFA said Saturday it "will not support, facilitate or tolerate any process concerning the election of the FIFA President that is inconsistent with FIFA's Statutes, democratic procedures and established governance framework".
The statement added: "Those who do not have the support of FIFA's Member Associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA's established democratic processes."
fbx/nf/jj

conflict

Ukraine denies targeting Bulgaria as drone explodes near pipeline

  • "The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border-crossing with Romania," near the Black Sea in the country's northeast, "1,000 metres from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline's compressor station," he said in a video released by the government.
  • Ukraine on Saturday denied targeting Bulgaria after a drone exploded close to the strategic Trans-Balkan gas pipeline linking Turkey to Ukraine near the Romanian border.
  • "The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border-crossing with Romania," near the Black Sea in the country's northeast, "1,000 metres from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline's compressor station," he said in a video released by the government.
Ukraine on Saturday denied targeting Bulgaria after a drone exploded close to the strategic Trans-Balkan gas pipeline linking Turkey to Ukraine near the Romanian border.
Bulgaria's defence ministry said the drone was of a type "widely used by the Ukrainian military", and the foreign minister summoned the Ukrainian ambassador for a meeting on Monday in response, her office told AFP.
Kyiv said it was "in close contact with the Bulgarian side to clarify the circumstances" of the incident, the latest case of a drone straying into NATO airspace as Ukraine fights off Russia's invasion. 
"We can say with certainty that the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not intentionally direct any assets toward Bulgaria," Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi said, blaming Russia's invasion for the incident.
While the explosion caused no casualties, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the amount of explosives it was carrying was "significant".
"The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border-crossing with Romania," near the Black Sea in the country's northeast, "1,000 metres from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline's compressor station," he said in a video released by the government.
After analysing the debris from the crash, Bulgaria's defence ministry however said that "currently, nothing suggests that this was a deliberate incident".
The drone eventually crashed into a sunflower field, Radev said.

A 'loud explosion'

Romania border police recorded the sound of the drone, then a Bulgarian border police patrol spotted "a loud explosion accompanied by black smoke", Radev added, speaking after an extraordinary meeting of his cabinet's security council. 
"One thing is certain: the drone was carrying a significant amount of explosives, given that it could be heard from a distance and produced such black smoke," he said.
The drone had not been detected by either of the two neighbouring countries, he said, adding: "As you know, identifying and neutralising these drones poses a major challenge." 
Incidents involving drones have become increasingly frequent in recent months across eastern European countries that are NATO members and supporters of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. 
Romania has faced frequent drone incursions since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 -- -- including some crashes on its territory. It ordered the expulsion of a Russian embassy staff member in late July.
Radev said that, following the latest incident, Bulgaria had boosted its surveillance and would redeploy troops and soldiers to the borders to detect drones and employ anti-drone measures.

Several recent incidents

Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey all front onto the Black Sea, an arena of drone combat by both Ukraine and Russia which has seen attacks on civilian sihps.
Turkey's foreign minister on Saturday called for a "moratorium" on attacks by Russia and Ukraine in the body of water in an interview with Turkey's state news agency Anadolu.
"To begin with, they targeted the ports and the military ships," said Hakan Fidan. "Now, they are attacking all commercial shipping without distinction."
Turkey had already on Tuesday denounced Black Sea drone attacks on two Turkish civilian vessels the previous day, in which some crew members were injured.
Bulgaria in June halted its military aid to Ukraine. Radev said the country did not belong in the coalition of Kyiv's allies supplying arms and that he preferred to see diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Further west, a German military operational command spokesman told AFP on Saturday that drones were detected this week above an army installation in western Germany known to house a large underground depot.
Among other armaments, the Mechernich special site is home to parts for US-made Patriot air-defence systems long coveted by Kyiv.
Those sightings came days after an explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig-Halle airport, which plays a key role in the transport of military goods by the German military and NATO allies.
str-pyv-sbk/jj

conflict

Ukraine warns of tough winter as Russia strikes kill 4 in Kyiv region

  • Ukraine was left with "virtually no intact thermal power plants" as it braced for the upcoming heating season, Zelensky said.
  • President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Saturday, during a visit to Belgrade, that Ukraine was facing a winter with basically no working thermal power plants as overnight Russian strikes left four dead, including a child, in the Kyiv region.
  • Ukraine was left with "virtually no intact thermal power plants" as it braced for the upcoming heating season, Zelensky said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Saturday, during a visit to Belgrade, that Ukraine was facing a winter with basically no working thermal power plants as overnight Russian strikes left four dead, including a child, in the Kyiv region.
Speaking alongside his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, the Ukrainian leader said Moscow's latest overnight attacks and shelling of frontline communities combined had killed 13 people in the last 24 hours.
"Russian missiles are aimed precisely at making the lives of Ukrainians unbearable," Zelensky told reporters during his first official visit to Belgrade, highlighting that the attacks often target Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Ukraine was left with "virtually no intact thermal power plants" as it braced for the upcoming heating season, Zelensky said. Those plants are important complements to the nuclear energy which also feeds its grid.
More than four years after the start of Russia's large-scale offensive against Ukraine, the two warring countries are ramping up long-range strikes, causing a growing number of civilian casualties.
Moscow has significantly upped its attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months, typically firing salvos of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles, with Ukraine pleading for more US-made Patriot interceptors and other Western air-defences.
Kyiv, in turn, has been firing record numbers of drones at Russia in retaliation.
- Tougher sanctions - 
After meeting with Vucic as part of a two-day trip to Serbia, the Ukrainian leader renewed calls for tougher sanctions to prevent the flow of missile parts into Russia from "almost every continent, including from our close partners".
"These components arrive, and then missiles strike people, killing children, civilians and soldiers," he said. 
The Ukrainian leader said more access to interceptor missiles was needed in the face of increasing long-range strikes. 
Serbia remains one of the only European nations not to sanction Russia, a longtime ally of Belgrade.
Vucic, whose government continues to supply non-military aid to Ukraine, said although they had discussed the war, his government policy had not changed.
"We did not discuss any military cooperation today or at present. What will happen when the war ends is another matter," Vucic said.
Zelensky -- who has toured much of the world seeking support since Russia's 2022 invasion -- had not visited Serbia since he became president in 2019.
The Kremlin has accused Serbian firms of selling munitions to Ukraine, a claim Vucic has repeatedly denied.
Vucic went to Ukraine for a regional summit in 2025 and visited Kyiv this year.
He has promised assistance to Ukraine but avoided signing a formal declaration of support in the war.
The Serbian leader, on Saturday, also stressed his policy of support for Ukraine's territorial integrity remained unwavering.

Three-year-old killed

The visit came after Russia launched another overnight barrage of missiles and drones, hitting mainly the capital and its surrounds.
An AFP reporter in the capital heard a dozen explosions as Ukraine's air force warned of the "threat of ballistic weapon use from the north".
Zelensky said shelling had also hit across all of frontline communities, injuring dozens while a three-year-old boy was among the dead after the strike on a village outside Kyiv.
"Four more people were hospitalised: the child's parents, his 15-year-old brother, and a neighbour who came to the family's aid and was wounded in a double-tap strike," Zelensky said in an earlier post to X.
bur-al/mmp/rmb

conflict

Drone enters Bulgaria, explodes near pipeline at Romanian border

  • "The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border-crossing with Romania," near the Black Sea in the country's northeast, "1,000 metres from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline's compressor station," he said in a video released by the government on social media.
  • A drone that entered Bulgaria on Saturday exploded near the Romanian border and the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline there, which links Turkey to Ukraine, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced. 
  • "The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border-crossing with Romania," near the Black Sea in the country's northeast, "1,000 metres from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline's compressor station," he said in a video released by the government on social media.
A drone that entered Bulgaria on Saturday exploded near the Romanian border and the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline there, which links Turkey to Ukraine, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced. 
While Radev did not specify where the drone, which caused no casualties, came from, he said the amount of explosives it was carrying was "significant".
"The drone exploded in the immediate vicinity of the Kardam border-crossing with Romania," near the Black Sea in the country's northeast, "1,000 metres from the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline's compressor station," he said in a video released by the government on social media.
After analysing the debris from the crash, Bulgaria's defence ministry said that the drone was of a type "widely used by the Ukrainian military".
It said that, "currently, nothing suggests that this was a deliberate incident".
The drone eventually crashed into a sunflower field, Radev said. 
The sound of the drone was recorded by border police in Romania, and then "a loud explosion accompanied by black smoke" was spotted by a Bulgarian border police patrol, Radev added, speaking after an extraordinary meeting of his cabinet's security council. 
"One thing is certain: the drone was carrying a significant amount of explosives, given that it could be heard from a distance and produced such black smoke," he said.
"I hope we will soon discover what type it is," Radev said, adding that it was not a "hobby drone" but a "larger drone". 
He noted that the drone had not been detected by either of the two neighbouring countries. 
"As you know, identifying and neutralising these drones poses a major challenge," he added. 

Boosted surveillance

Incidents involving drones have become increasingly frequent in recent months across eastern European countries that are NATO members and supporters of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. 
Romania, which has faced frequent drone incursions -- including some crashes on its territory -- since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, ordered the expulsion of a Russian embassy staff member in late July.
Radev said that, following the latest incident, Bulgaria has boosted its surveillance and will redeploy troops and soldiers to the borders to detect drones and employ anti-drone measures.
Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey all front onto the Black Sea, which is an arena of drone combat by both Ukraine and Russia.
Turkish officials on Tuesday said a drone attack the previous day on two civilian vessels in the Black Sea left crew members injured. Turkey's foreign ministry said it was "deeply concerned about the escalating conflict" in the body of water.
Bulgaria in June halted its military aid to Ukraine, with Radev saying that the country did not belong in the coalition of Kyiv's allies that are supplying arms and preferred to see diplomatic efforts to end the war.
str-pyv-sbk/rmb

justice

US Senate confirms Trump's ex-lawyer as attorney general

  • "The attorney general is supposed to be the people's lawyer," Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Tuesday.
  • The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Todd Blanche as attorney general early Saturday after Republican lawmakers shrugged off Democratic concerns over politicization of the Department of Justice.
  • "The attorney general is supposed to be the people's lawyer," Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Tuesday.
The US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Todd Blanche as attorney general early Saturday after Republican lawmakers shrugged off Democratic concerns over politicization of the Department of Justice.
Blanche, who has already been serving as the top US law enforcement officer in an acting capacity, represented Trump as his private attorney in several criminal trials before entering government.
The Senate, which Republicans narrowly control, confirmed him by 50 votes to 49. Republican senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joined the Democrats in voting no, underlining the political sensitivity over the nomination.
Blanche said he was "deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice."
"I am grateful to the Senate for staying late to complete this process. To the dedicated public servants of the Department of Justice, thank you for your work each day to uphold the law and keep our country safe," Blanche wrote on X.
Trump, who has upended US political norms by seeking to bring nominally independent government agencies under his increasingly direct control, calls Blanche a "star."
Democrats opposed Blanche from the beginning, accusing Trump of turning the Department of Justice into a political weapon.
"The attorney general is supposed to be the people's lawyer," Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Tuesday.
"Mr Blanche continues to operate as the president's personal lawyer, treating the Justice Department like a law firm serving one client -- the president."
There were doubts over whether the White House could persuade a handful of Republican holdouts, without whom even the narrow confirmation would have been impossible.
The main sticking point was an attempt to establish a $1.8 billion fund for what Trump calls victims of politicized prosecutions, likely including the rioters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an attempted insurrection to prevent Joe Biden from being certified as president, after he had defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
The other main issue was an extraordinary proposal granting immunity to Trump from tax audits.

'Retribution' campaign

Blanche ultimately defused the internal party opposition with a written order over the weekend scrapping the so-called political "anti-weaponization fund" and saying that the audit immunity agreement with Trump, his two eldest sons and the Trump Organization would only apply "retroactively" to the past tax years and not future filings.
Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general since Trump fired Pam Bondi, another political loyalist, in April.
Since then, he has been closely tied to what Democrats dub a Trump "retribution" campaign against the 80-year-old president's opponents.
Blanche has also come in for criticism from victims of Jeffrey Epstein over the handling of the release of investigative files about the convicted sex offender, a one-time close friend of Trump.
Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Blanche represented Trump in his New York trial over alleged "hush money" paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.
He was also on the legal defense team in two federal cases brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith -- for allegedly mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House, and for seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Both cases were dropped after Trump won the 2024 election.
bur-sms/hol/ami

Tibet

Tibet conference in Nepal pushed online

  • "We are proceeding with the conference, but it will take place online," she said.
  • An international academic conference on Tibet due to take place in Nepal this month has been pushed online, organisers said Saturday, calling it a "worrying development".
  • "We are proceeding with the conference, but it will take place online," she said.
An international academic conference on Tibet due to take place in Nepal this month has been pushed online, organisers said Saturday, calling it a "worrying development".
Nepal's government denied that it had ordered the change, though the country is acutely aware of how sensitive the issue of Tibet is to its giant northern neighbour China.
Beijing, which in 1950 sent troops to the vast high-altitude plateau it describes as an integral part of China, has long opposed international activities it sees as challenging its sovereignty.
The conference of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) was expected to draw key scholars from around the world to Kathmandu University to discuss Tibetan history, culture, religion and society.
IATS acting president Francoise Robin, a Tibetan-studies professor at France's National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, told AFP it was a "very regrettable and worrying development".
"We are proceeding with the conference, but it will take place online," she said.
Organisers at Kathmandu University, which was convening the August 23-29 event, said they were told to withdraw from hosting it.
"We had been planning this conference for a long time, but we received a request from the government not to hold it, so we are not doing it," said conference convener Sagar Raj Sharma, a professor at Kathmandu University.
"The government told us that this is not an appropriate time to conduct this conference," he told AFP.
Nepal denied giving such orders.
"Nepal's government has not given any instructions to cancel it," Hem Raj Aryal, spokesperson at the prime minister's office, told AFP.
"Neither have we sent a letter nor given verbal instructions to stop it. They postponed it on their own."
Nepal hosts thousands of Tibetan refugees, and swathes of the country's high Himalayan north, bordering Tibet, share its culture, Buddhist religion and language.
IATS, established at Britain's University of Oxford in 1979, says it has no political interest or affiliation.
China is landlocked Nepal's second largest trading partner after India, according to World Bank figures.
aoj-pjm/djw

government

Abelardo de la Espriella, Colombian president and flamboyant millionaire

BY LINA VANEGAS

  • From a childhood he describes as carefree, "in the style of Tom Sawyer," to a jet-set legal career and now the presidency, De la Espriella has built a narrative of success and self-reliance -- one he argues Colombia should follow.
  • With a lucrative legal career and a variety of colorful business projects under his belt, Colombia's incoming President Abelardo de la Espriella now has grand plans to crush armed insurgents, cozy up to the United States and overhaul the system.
  • From a childhood he describes as carefree, "in the style of Tom Sawyer," to a jet-set legal career and now the presidency, De la Espriella has built a narrative of success and self-reliance -- one he argues Colombia should follow.
With a lucrative legal career and a variety of colorful business projects under his belt, Colombia's incoming President Abelardo de la Espriella now has grand plans to crush armed insurgents, cozy up to the United States and overhaul the system.
The millionaire lawyer with a taste for spectacle took office on Friday after a campaign focused on anger and fears about security.
Following a legal career that saw him represent drug-trafficking paramilitaries, fraudsters and football stars, he has promised to restore order with an iron hand. 
During the campaign, he leaned heavily into his self-proclaimed nickname "The Tiger," sharing AI-generated images of himself as a fanged tiger and the only candidate willing to wage war on crime and insurgency.
In his inauguration speech he pledged that "in the age of the Tiger," the state "will be forceful and decisive against crime."
"They will know how hard it bites when it comes to defending the Colombian people," he said from the military garrison in Cali, in front of hundreds of uniformed personnel, four tanks and two helicopters.
He swore to "rebuild the Republic" and defend democracy "by reason or by force."

Jet-setter

He didn't always play the tough guy. He previously lived in Florence, Italy, where he dabbled in opera, travelled by private jet and promoted his rum, wine and fashion brand --  "De la Espriella Style."
He brought that flair, tailored clothing and a taste for provocation into public life.
The message resonated with almost half of voters. De la Espriella won the presidential runoff, albeit by less than a percentage point.
De la Espriella promised a sharp break with the outgoing leftist government in a hardline program of "all-out war" on armed groups, the construction of "mega-prisons," a military alliance with Washington and Israel and a drastically reduced state.
"People who have created wealth during their lives should run the country," he once told AFP unapologetically.
His rhetoric has often been incendiary. He once called for the Colombian left to be "gutted," a comment he later withdrew.
His campaign was also briefly tripped up by court rulings banning his use of national symbols like Colombia's football jersey -- decisions that were later overturned.
Despite railing against what he describes as the failed political establishment, De la Espriella's incoming cabinet features a familiar cast of right-wing politicians.
"The horrible night is over," he stated days before his inauguration, in reference to four years of leftist rule.
He has leaned into a more conservative cultural message. 
Once openly atheist, De la Espriella now says he lives by "Judeo-Christian principles" and calls for a "cultural counterrevolution" to return the country to God.
Supporters see a decisive leader prepared to confront Colombia's entrenched violence. 
Critics warn that his confrontational style -- and admiration for figures such as US President Donald Trump, Argentina's Javier Milei and El Salvador's Nayib Bukele -- could deepen divisions in a country where past polarization has brought bloodshed.

Penchant for swearing

Even his personal stories have stirred controversy. In one interview, he recalled tying fireworks to cats as a child, later insisting he was joking.
His hot temper, penchant for swearing and frequent references to his own genitals have done nothing to dent his popularity.
For his base, those rough edges are part of the appeal.
From a childhood he describes as carefree, "in the style of Tom Sawyer," to a jet-set legal career and now the presidency, De la Espriella has built a narrative of success and self-reliance -- one he argues Colombia should follow.
Now, the "Tiger" faces the challenge of governing a country as divided as the campaign that brought him to power.
lv-das/cc/mjf

government

Colombia's new president vows to 'defeat narco-terrorists'

BY DAVID SALAZAR

  • De la Espriella, who holds dual US and Colombian citizenship, has offered to host US troops on Colombian soil and wants to bomb jungle cocaine labs, build "mega-prisons" and slash the size of the state.
  • Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella vowed to restore order and eradicate "narco-terrorists" in a fiery first speech as leader on Friday.
  • De la Espriella, who holds dual US and Colombian citizenship, has offered to host US troops on Colombian soil and wants to bomb jungle cocaine labs, build "mega-prisons" and slash the size of the state.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella vowed to restore order and eradicate "narco-terrorists" in a fiery first speech as leader on Friday.
The US-backed millionaire flew by helicopter to address soldiers in a military garrison after his inauguration in the southwestern city of Cali.
His mandate marks a sharp turn right for the Andean nation, with the 48-year-old keen to cozy up to Washington and come down hard on Colombia's patchwork of armed groups.
"There will be no room for maneuvers that undermine the stability of the nation," the president, who adopted a stiff military salute on the campaign trail, told hundreds of soldiers.
He pledged to "relentlessly defeat narco-terrorism," adding that "the option of dialogue is completely exhausted" -- a reference to the former administration's spluttering peace talks with guerrillas.
The first thing on his to-do list, he said, was to join US President Donald Trump's regional anti-cartel alliance known as Shield of the Americas.
The US leader now has an eager ally in Bogota, and the feeling appeared to be mutual late Friday, when the US State Department issued a release saying the Trump administration intends to work with Congress to announce "$1 billion in assistance as partof a security package to support" the new administration.
De la Espriella, who holds dual US and Colombian citizenship, has offered to host US troops on Colombian soil and wants to bomb jungle cocaine labs, build "mega-prisons" and slash the size of the state.
 

Unusual inauguration

 
In a break with tradition, his inauguration took place in Cali, Colombia's salsa capital, not at Congress in more buttoned-down Bogota.
Among the guests was beleaguered FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, who faces scathing criticism over his now-shelved plan to open the World Cup and other competitions up to private investment.
Right-wing figures also attended, including Argentina's President Javier Milei and Todd Blanche, Trump's acting attorney general, who headed the US delegation.
De la Espriella's leftist predecessor Gustavo Petro declined to attend the ceremony.
He earlier left the presidential residence in the capital, bidding "farewell, freedom and life."
 

'A lot to prove'

 
Cali has suffered several guerrilla attacks in recent years, and the city saw beefed-up security for the occasion including 11,000 troops and an anti-drone system.
De la Espriella's narrow victory of less than one percentage point ended four years of Colombia's first-ever leftist government.
He is now faced with a divided Congress, where he lacks a majority.
Supporters are hoping for a harsh crackdown on crime and dissident armed groups.
"This government has a lot to prove. A lot was said during the campaign," 46-year-old Marisol Peira told AFP in Cali.
Petro tried and failed to negotiate peace with the country's myriad armed groups. 
Experts say the gangs -- once ideological but now focused on making money from cocaine trafficking and other illicit trades -- used government truces as cover to grow. 
Petro, who has claimed election fraud without providing evidence, called for mass protests in major cities on Friday, and hundreds of people peacefully demonstrated in Bogota and Barranquilla.
 
- Plan Colombia - 
 
De la Espriella's victory is yet another notch in the belt for Latin American right-wingers after electoral wins from Chile to Costa Rica on the back of security promises.
The former lawyer wants to eliminate coca crops used for cocaine production "by all means," advocates the environmentally harmful practice of fracking, and plans to lower taxes for the rich.
Calling himself "The Tiger," De la Espriella plans to forge a military alliance with the United States and Israel to aid his war on guerrillas.
His so-called "Plan Colombia II" is a nod to a multimillion-dollar agreement with Washington in the 2000s aimed at combating drug cartels and leftist groups.
"We have to support him so there won't be so much crime," said German Angulo, a 63-year-old contractor. "We need a complete change."
Although the original "Plan Colombia" succeeded in weakening key combat groups, it also led to allegations of serious human rights abuses.
das/lv/cc/sla/mjf

education

India's 'cockroach' protest movement keeps heat on Modi

BY AISHWARYA KUMAR

  • - Modi under pressure -  The resignation of the education minister on July 25 marked a rare climbdown for a prime minister who has spent more than a decade cultivating an image of unwavering resolve.
  • Two weeks after youth-led protests forced India's education minister to resign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is grappling with the fallout from one of its toughest political challenges in years.
  • - Modi under pressure -  The resignation of the education minister on July 25 marked a rare climbdown for a prime minister who has spent more than a decade cultivating an image of unwavering resolve.
Two weeks after youth-led protests forced India's education minister to resign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is grappling with the fallout from one of its toughest political challenges in years.
Led by the online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the demonstrations spread from New Delhi to other cities, broadening from anger over exam irregularities into a wider movement over unemployment, opportunities for young people and what critics describe as Modi's increasingly authoritarian rule.
While demonstrations are largely over after achieving key demands, AFP looks at what the protests revealed -- and what could come next.
- Modi under pressure - 
The resignation of the education minister on July 25 marked a rare climbdown for a prime minister who has spent more than a decade cultivating an image of unwavering resolve.
The authorities have since attempted to woo the youth, and parliament has hiked penalties for leaking exam papers.
Police have withdrawn cases against protestors in several cities after criticism over the excessive use of force.
The protests also exposed a rapidly changing digital landscape, with protesters using social media to spread their message.
Modi, a keen user of X, has turned to Instagram -- issuing his first vertical videos to tap into the youth medium of choice.

Surveillance crackdown

The protests exposed how authorities are using AI-powered camera technology to monitor and identify demonstrators.
Many women say they have been receiving rape threats and abusive messages online after their videos during the demonstrations went viral.
Internet shutdown around the main protest site in New Delhi disrupted communication, forcing youngsters to find new ways to stay in touch.
India ranked second worldwide in internet shutdowns last year, according to Access Now monitor, including localised blackouts during protests, conflict and communal violence.

Issues beyond exams

Exam leaks were the spark, but the anger quickly spread to deeper frustrations among young Indians over jobs, economic opportunities and a lack of faith in institutions.
For many protesters, the prospect of uncertain employment after years of study and highly competitive examinations has become a symbol of a wider struggle for economic security.
That gives the movement a potential staying power beyond the original dispute.
Even if the government addresses exam cheating, it cannot easily resolve the broader grievances that brought young people onto the streets.

'Cockroach' influence  

The protests have left behind a youth movement with millions of followers online, but that does not guarantee lasting political influence.
The CJP has said it will organise a "nationwide listening tour" to hear the concerns of young Indians, while continuing to back protests over exam irregularities.
Demonstrations are still taking place in the eastern state of Jharkhand, suggesting the anger that fuelled the protests that began in the capital has not disappeared.
CJP founder, Abhijeet Dipke, has called for "a public movement to restore trust and neutrality in public institutions".
"The public has become very frustrated and tired of these things. That is why our movement got such massive support," he said.
But "for now, the CJP will function as a pressure group", Dipke added, rather than a political party.

Youth vote

The protests could force India's political parties to focus on the needs and demands of young voters.
Young Indians make up a huge potential electoral constituency, but turning protest energy into votes is another matter.
With nearly three years to go before the next national polls, both Modi's ruling party and the opposition may try and harness the anger and frustration expressed by young people for electoral gain.
sd-ash/pjm/abh/ami/tc

Global Edition

Dollar drops, stocks climb as weak US jobs data eases rate fears

  • Art Hogan at B. Riley Wealth Management said the new data would likely give the Federal Reserve pause in considering interest rate hikes.
  • The dollar fell sharply Friday after the US economy shed thousands of jobs in July, an economic blow that lowered the risk of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve that could slow growth in the world's biggest economy.
  • Art Hogan at B. Riley Wealth Management said the new data would likely give the Federal Reserve pause in considering interest rate hikes.
The dollar fell sharply Friday after the US economy shed thousands of jobs in July, an economic blow that lowered the risk of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve that could slow growth in the world's biggest economy.
Stocks gained on the report that showed 23,000 jobs were lost last month, upending expectations that 80,000 to 100,000 new posts would be created. 
Wall Street's S&P 500 gained 0.6 percent to close at a new record, with the tech-focused Nasdaq up more than one percent and the Dow also closing in the black.
Nearly every European market closed higher, with Paris, Frankfurt and Milan again reaching all-time highs.
Combined with steep downward revisions to US jobs readings in May and June, the data is "likely to revive concerns among Fed officials about the health of the labor market and make them less inclined to commit to near-term tightening," said Thomas Ryan, an economist at Capital Economics.
Art Hogan at B. Riley Wealth Management said the new data would likely give the Federal Reserve pause in considering interest rate hikes.
"It certainly changed the dynamic of the predicting markets about monetary policy," he told AFP. 
"There was a little bit of a respite in the rise in Treasury yields... and that also takes away a bit of a headwind for equities."
Stocks have powered ahead in recent sessions, fueled largely by tech names after corporate earnings beat forecasts and eased fears about when massive AI investments would start paying off. 
Hopes for an imminent US-Iran deal to end the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz added to optimism that oil and gas, along with other key products, would again start flowing freely after more than five months of war.
But oil prices turned higher ahead of the weekend in the absence of any confirmation of an accord, amid reports that Iran was planning to block US and Israeli ships from the waterway.
Analysts said prices were unlikely to fall back to levels seen before the US-Iran war, when the main futures contracts were under $70 a barrel, absent concrete signs of progress after days of conflicting comments from officials on both sides.

Key figures around 2000 GMT

New York - DOW: UP 0.3 percent at 54,036.93 points (close)
New York - S&P 500: UP 0.6 percent at 7,757.64 (close)
New York - Nasdaq: UP 1.3 percent at 26,690.62 (close)
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 10,901.09 (close)
Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.2 percent at 8,714.93 (close)
Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.7 percent at 26,319.45 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 65,606.71 (close)
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.5 percent at 25,668.03 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 3,940.04 (close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1567 from $1.1524 on Thursday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3499 from $1.3456
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 157.50 yen from 158.40 yen
Euro/pound: UP at 85.68 pence from 85.65 pence
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.3 percent at $83.55 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.2 percent at $78.18 per barrel
dan-ajb-aha/acb