demonstration

Mexico's Sheinbaum holds huge rally following major protests

death

British photographer Martin Parr dies aged 73: Foundation

  • "It is with great sadness that we announce that Martin Parr (1952-2025) died yesterday at home in Bristol," a statement on The Martin Parr Foundation's website said, adding he "will be greatly missed".
  • British documentary photographer Martin Parr has died at his home in the western English city Bristol at the age of 73, his foundation announced on Sunday.
  • "It is with great sadness that we announce that Martin Parr (1952-2025) died yesterday at home in Bristol," a statement on The Martin Parr Foundation's website said, adding he "will be greatly missed".
British documentary photographer Martin Parr has died at his home in the western English city Bristol at the age of 73, his foundation announced on Sunday.
"It is with great sadness that we announce that Martin Parr (1952-2025) died yesterday at home in Bristol," a statement on The Martin Parr Foundation's website said, adding he "will be greatly missed".
"He is survived by his wife Susie, his daughter Ellen, his sister Vivien and his grandson George. The family asks for privacy at this time."
jj/rmb

army

Benin govt says 'foiled' coup attempt

  • Early on Sunday, soldiers calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that "Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic".
  • Benin's government on Sunday said that it had thwarted an attempted coup, after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had ousted President Patrice Talon.
  • Early on Sunday, soldiers calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that "Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic".
Benin's government on Sunday said that it had thwarted an attempted coup, after a group of soldiers announced on state television that they had ousted President Patrice Talon.
West Africa has experienced a number of coups in recent years, including in Benin's northern neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as Mali, Guinea and, most recently, Guinea-Bissau.
Talon, a 67-year-old former businessman dubbed the "cotton king of Cotonou", is due to hand over power in April next year after 10 years in office marked by solid economic growth but also a surge in jihadist violence.
Early on Sunday, soldiers calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), said on state television that they had met and decided that "Mr Patrice Talon is removed from office as president of the republic".
But shortly after the announcement, a source close to Talon told AFP the president was safe and condemned the coup plotters as "a small group of people who only control the television".
"The regular army is regaining control. The city (Cotonou) and the country are completely secure," they said. "It's just a matter of time before everything returns to normal. The clean-up is progressing well."
On the streets of Cotonou, the situation remained unclear by midday on Sunday. AFP correspondents reported hearing gunfire while soldiers blocked access to the presidential offices, even as residents elsewhere went about their business.
Interior Minister Alassane Seidou described the soldiers' announcement as "a mutiny" aimed at "destabilising the country and its institutions".
"Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership maintained control of the situation and foiled the attempt," he added.

'Under control'

On television, eight soldiers with assault rifles, wearing berets of various colours and calling themselves the "Military Committee for Refoundation" (CMR), proclaimed a lieutenant colonel "president of the CMR".
They justified the attempted power grab by citing the "continuous deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin", the "neglect of soldiers killed in action and their families left to fend for themselves," as well as "unjust promotions at the expense of the most deserving".
A military source confirmed that the situation was "under control" and the coup plotters had not taken either Talon's residence or the presidential offices.
An AFP journalist in the economic capital said soldiers were blocking access to the presidency and state television.
Access to several other areas, including the five-star Sofitel in Cotonou and districts housing international institutions, were also blocked.
But there was no military presence reported at the airport and the rest of the city.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Benin is a member, called the soldiers' actions "unconstitutional" and a "subversion of the will of the Beninese people".
Benin's political history has been marked by several coups and attempted coups since its independence from France in 1960.
Talon, who came to power in 2016, is due to reach the end of his second term in 2026, the maximum allowed by the constitution.
The main opposition party has been excluded from the race to succeed him, and instead the ruling party will vie for power against a so-called "moderate" opposition.
Talon has been praised for bringing economic development to Benin but is regularly accused by his critics of authoritarianism.
str-bdi/phz/jh

politics

Hong Kong heads to the polls after deadly fire

  • The government will propose a bill at the first meeting of the new Legislative Council to discuss relief and rebuilding efforts.
  • Hong Kong voters trickled into polling stations on Sunday to choose new lawmakers under Beijing's "patriots only" rules, with some urging candidates to help with government relief efforts after the city's deadliest fire in decades.
  • The government will propose a bill at the first meeting of the new Legislative Council to discuss relief and rebuilding efforts.
Hong Kong voters trickled into polling stations on Sunday to choose new lawmakers under Beijing's "patriots only" rules, with some urging candidates to help with government relief efforts after the city's deadliest fire in decades.
Beijing revamped Hong Kong's electoral system in 2021 following the city's huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests, and the first contest under those rules later that year saw a record low turnout of 30 percent.
Initial figures showed on Sunday that while fewer people had cast their ballots, the turnout percentage was marginally higher due to a smaller overall voter population.
Just shy of one million out of 4.1 million registered voters cast ballots during daytime hours, according to the Registration and Electoral Office.
Political campaigning was interrupted in late November after a blaze tore through the housing blocks of Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong, killing at least 159 people.
A woman surnamed Poon, whose home went up in flames, said the fire must be "thoroughly investigated", adding that the next batch of lawmakers "should monitor the government".
"Whoever is at fault must be held responsible," Poon told AFP outside the polling station closest to the charred buildings.
Kitty Lau, a woman in her 60s who witnessed the fire from her home, said she was still grieving, adding that the government needed to listen to diverse voices in the tragedy's aftermath.
"Some of the voices from opposition factions, as long as they love the country and love Hong Kong, should be given an opportunity to speak," Lau told AFP.
At the start of the day, Hong Kong leader John Lee again urged the public to head to the polls.
"(Your) vote represents a vote that pushes forward reform, and a vote to protect those affected by the disaster," Lee told reporters after casting his ballot.
The government will propose a bill at the first meeting of the new Legislative Council to discuss relief and rebuilding efforts.
Lee had earlier announced a judge-led "independent committee" to investigate the fire, which devastated seven apartment blocks undergoing renovations.
Jacky Lam, a 56-year-old teacher who lived in the affected Tai Po district, said the government's top priority should be proper resettlement.
"(Lawmakers) ought to regularly meet with residents and collect their views," Lam added.
Hong Kong's anti-corruption watchdog announced that it had arrested four people on Sunday for telling others not to vote or to cast invalid ballots, with a total of 11 people arrested so far on those grounds.

Turnout in spotlight

Legislature elections in Hong Kong used to feature boisterous clashes between pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps, with the latter often winning around 60 percent of the popular vote.
But Beijing overhauled Hong Kong's electoral system in 2021 to ensure only "patriots" could hold office, and slashed the number of directly elected seats to 20 out of 90.
Some pro-democracy lawmakers have been jailed -- including as part of a subversion case that concluded last year -- while others resigned or fled Hong Kong.
Sunday's race featured 161 government-vetted candidates, and will once again be devoid of the two largest pro-democracy parties: the Civic Party disbanded in 2023 and the Democratic Party, which is winding down.
Around a third of the outgoing cohort of lawmakers, including veterans such as Regina Ip and legislature president Andrew Leung, are not seeking another four-year term.
Newcomers include Olympic champion fencer Vivian Kong, who is contesting a seat in the tourism functional constituency -- where the winner is determined by industry representatives, not popular vote.

Fire-related arrests

Police have arrested at least 15 people from various construction companies as part of their probe into the fire.
Authorities have also warned against crimes that "exploit the tragedy" and have reportedly arrested at least three people for sedition in the fire's aftermath.
Police announced on Saturday an additional arrest of a 71-year-old man, for "prejudicing a national security investigation" -- the first such arrest in Hong Kong -- as well as for sedition.
China's national security agency in Hong Kong summoned representatives from international media, including AFP, for a meeting on Saturday to warn them "not cross the legal red line" during their coverage of the fire and the election.
bur/mjw

climate

Sri Lanka issues landslide warnings as cyclone toll hits 627

BY AMAL JAYASINGHE AND ALFATH ASMUNDA IN BANDA ACEH

  • Indonesia's president on Sunday vowed to step up aid, with demonstrators rallying after the country's death toll surpassed 900.
  • Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 627.
  • Indonesia's president on Sunday vowed to step up aid, with demonstrators rallying after the country's death toll surpassed 900.
Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 627.
A chain of tropical storms and monsoon rains has battered Southeast and South Asia, setting off landslides, flooding vast tracts and cutting off communities from Sumatra island's rainforests to the highland plantations of Sri Lanka.
At least 1,826 people have been killed in the natural disasters rolling across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam over the past two weeks.
Indonesia's president on Sunday vowed to step up aid, with demonstrators rallying after the country's death toll surpassed 900.
More than two million people in Sri Lanka -- nearly 10 percent of the population -- have been affected by last week's floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said monsoon storms were adding more rain and making hillsides unstable, including in the central mountainous region and the northwestern midlands.
Helicopters and planes were being used on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the centre of the country.
The Sri Lanka Air Force said it had received a planeload of relief supplies from Myanmar on Sunday, the latest batch of foreign aid.
The government has confirmed 627 dead -- 471 from the lush tea-growing central region -- while 190 people remain unaccounted for.
The number of people in state-run camps had dropped to 90,000 from a peak of 225,000 as floodwaters receded across the island by Sunday, the DMC said.
More than 80,000 homes were damaged, including close to 5,000 that were completely destroyed, it added.

'National priority'

In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday flew back to Sumatra's hard-hit Aceh province, with a ministry saying his visit was "to ensure the acceleration of emergency response and recovery in affected areas".
The Indonesian government has so far shrugged off calls to declare a national disaster, which would free up resources and help government agencies coordinate their response. The toll in Indonesia on Sunday climbed to 921 dead, with 392 still missing.
Prabowo will also "monitor the distribution of aid, the evacuation process of residents, and measures to reopen road access", the Ministry of the State Secretariat said.
Speaking shortly after arriving in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, Prabowo promised that "we will put all our efforts into this, and later we will repair all the bridges, hopefully within one or two weeks".
Long queues formed for drinking water and fuel in Banda Aceh, and prices of basic commodities like eggs were skyrocketing, an AFP correspondent said.
Syahrul, a 35-year-old protester in northern Aceh, accused Prabowo and other officials of engaging in "disaster tourism".
"We don't need officials to just observe. We need their presence to address the issues faced by the community," Syahrul, who only gave one name, told AFP.
In Sri Lanka, the government unveiled a major compensation package on Friday to rebuild homes and revive businesses wiped out by the natural disaster, which hit the island as it was emerging from its 2022 economic meltdown.
A senior official earlier said recovery and reconstruction might cost up to $7 billion.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday it was considering Sri Lanka's request for an additional $200 million to help with rebuilding.
The money is on top of the $347 million tranche due later this month, part of a four-year, $2.9 billion IMF bailout loan agreed in 2023.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday that Sri Lanka's economy had made a significant recovery, but was not strong enough to withstand the latest shock alone.
aj-str/jhe/mjw

Palestinians

Palestinian coach gets hope, advice from mum in Gaza tent

BY BASSEM RAWASS

  • - 'Genes of resilience' - Abu Jazar finished his playing career in 2017 before managing the Palestinian U-23 team and eventually taking the top job last year.
  • Coach Ehab Abu Jazar is guiding a national team that carries on its shoulders all the hopes and sorrows of Palestinian football, but it is his mother, forced by war to live in a Gaza tent, who is his main inspiration and motivation.
  • - 'Genes of resilience' - Abu Jazar finished his playing career in 2017 before managing the Palestinian U-23 team and eventually taking the top job last year.
Coach Ehab Abu Jazar is guiding a national team that carries on its shoulders all the hopes and sorrows of Palestinian football, but it is his mother, forced by war to live in a Gaza tent, who is his main inspiration and motivation.
The war that broke out following Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 put an end to Palestinian league matches, and left athletes in exile fearing for their loved ones in Gaza.
But Abu Jazar's mother refuses to let the conflict overshadow the sporting dreams of her son, to whom she feeds tactical advice from the rubble of the Palestinian territory by phone.
"She talks to me about nothing but the team. She wants the focus to remain solely on the tournament," the 45-year-old manager told AFP.
"My mother asks me about the players, who will play as starters and who will be absent, about the tactics, the morale of the players and the circumstances surrounding them."
The manager, himself a former left-back, says he wants his players to convey the spirit of his mother and Gazans like her.
"We always say that we are a small Palestinian family representing the larger family," he said.
"Undoubtedly, it puts pressure on us, but it's positive pressure."
The Palestinian team are 96th in the FIFA rankings, and their hope of playing in their first World Cup vanished this summer.
But the squad, most of whom have never set foot in Gaza, is within reach of the Arab Cup quarter-finals, keeping their message of resilience alive.
Palestine play Syria in their final Arab Cup group match Sunday, where a draw would be enough to achieve an unprecedented feat for the team.
He said progress would show the world that the Palestinians, if given the right conditions, can "excel in all fields".

'Genes of resilience'

Abu Jazar finished his playing career in 2017 before managing the Palestinian U-23 team and eventually taking the top job last year.
After the war broke out, his family home was destroyed, displacing his mother in Gaza, like most of the territory's population during the height of the conflict.
He now feels pressure to deliver for them after witnessing from exile the horrors of the war, which came to a halt in October thanks to a fragile US-backed ceasefire.
"At one point, it was a burden, especially at the beginning of the war," he said.
"We couldn't comprehend what was happening. But we possess the genes of resilience.
"If we surrender and give in to these matters, we as a people will vanish."
In her maternal advisory role, Abu Jazar's mum, who goes by the traditional nickname Umm Ehab, is only contactable when she has power and signal.
But she works around the clock to find a way to watch the team's matches from Al-Mawasi camp.
"My mother and siblings... struggle greatly to watch our matches on television. They think about how to manage the generator and buy fuel to run it and connect it to the TV," he said.
This determination is pushing him to give Gazans any respite from the reality of war.
"This is what keeps us standing, and gives us the motivation to bring joy to our people," he said.
"All these circumstances push us to fight on the field until the last breath."
br/jfx/ser

diplomacy

In Jerusalem, Merz reaffirms Germany's support for Israel

  • During the visit to Yad Vashem, Merz said "Germany must stand up for the existence and security of Israel," after acknowledging his country's "enduring historical responsibility" for the mass extermination of Jews during the Second World War.
  • German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Berlin's support for Israel during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem on Sunday before talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
  • During the visit to Yad Vashem, Merz said "Germany must stand up for the existence and security of Israel," after acknowledging his country's "enduring historical responsibility" for the mass extermination of Jews during the Second World War.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Berlin's support for Israel during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem on Sunday before talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Merz flew into Israel the day before for his first trip to the country since traditionally solid ties between the two nations were shaken by the Gaza war.
During the visit to Yad Vashem, Merz said "Germany must stand up for the existence and security of Israel," after acknowledging his country's "enduring historical responsibility" for the mass extermination of Jews during the Second World War.
The German leader arrived on Saturday was met at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who called Merz "a friend of Israel". He then met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem the same day.
"I consider it a great honour and a truly great distinction to be here and to reaffirm that standing by this country is and will remain the unchanging core principle of the Federal Republic of Germany's policy," Merz said.
Given the legacy of Nazi Germany's industrial-scale murder of Jews, German leaders have long seen unflinching support for Israel as a bedrock of the country's foreign policy.

'No place for antisemitism'

Merz held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II during a brief stopover there earlier on Saturday. Their discussions focused largely on the peace process in Israel and the Palestinian territories, he told reporters.
Merz called for more humanitarian aid to flow into the Gaza Strip and for Hamas fighters to lay down their weapons, adding that both Jordan and Germany remained committed to a negotiated two-state solution.
"There can be no place for terrorism and antisemitism in this shared future," Merz said.
Jordan's royal palace said in a statement that Abdullah had stressed "the need to commit to implementing all stages of the agreement to end the war and deliver humanitarian aid to all areas of the Strip".
The king also warned of "the danger of continued Israeli escalations in the West Bank", which Israel has occupied since 1967.
Hamas's lead negotiator and its Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said on Saturday that the group was ready to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to a future Palestinian government, provided that Israel's occupation had ended.
He also said Hamas would "accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force" ensuring the ceasefire but rejected the idea of any international force with a mission to disarm the militant group.

German criticism

Israeli-German ties were shaken during the Gaza war, with Merz, who took power in May, repeatedly criticising Israel's relentless military campaign, which has killed more than 70,350 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.
The war was sparked by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
In August, he also moved to restrict German sales of weapons for use in Gaza.
Since a fragile US-backed ceasefire and hostage deal brought a halt to full-scale fighting, Germany has lifted those export restrictions.
Despite the ceasefire, more than 360 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities, as well as three Israeli soldiers. 
"The actions of the Israeli army in Gaza have posed some dilemmas for us (and) we have responded to them," Merz said on Saturday.
But, he added: "Israel has the right to defend itself."

Defence deals

Although Merz's public criticism of Israel was unusual for a German leader, it was measured by international standards.
Nevertheless, German officials have said there are currently no plans to invite Netanyahu to Berlin.
The Israeli leader faces an arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza from the International Criminal Court.
Earlier this year however, Merz vowed to invite the Israeli leader and told him he would not be arrested.
Nor have any tensions disrupted key military ties. Germany last week put into operation the first phase of the Israeli-made Arrow missile defence shield.
The $4.5-billion deal was reportedly the largest arms export agreement in Israeli history. 
Before leaving Berlin, Merz spoke with Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas. 
A spokesman said Merz underscored German support for a two-state solution but urged Abbas to push through "urgently necessary reforms" of the PA in order to play a "constructive role" in the postwar order.
burs-glp/raz/dcp

climate

Sri Lanka issues landslide warnings as cyclone toll hits 618

  • Helicopters and planes were being used on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the centre of the country.
  • Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 618.
  • Helicopters and planes were being used on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the centre of the country.
Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone, as the death toll rose to 618.
More than two million people -- nearly 10 percent of the population -- have been affected by last week's floods and landslides triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, the worst on the island this century.
The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said monsoon storms were adding more rain and making hillsides unstable, including the central mountainous region and the north-western midlands.
Helicopters and planes were being used on Sunday to supply communities cut off by landslides in the centre of the country.
The Sri Lanka Air Force said it had received a planeload of relief supplies from Myanmar on Sunday, the latest batch of foreign aid.
The government has confirmed 618 dead -- 464 from the lush tea-growing central region -- while 209 people remain unaccounted for.
The number of people in state-run refugee camps had dropped to 100,000 from a peak of 225,000 as floodwaters receded across the island by Sunday, the DMC said.
More than 75,000 homes were damaged, including close to 5,000 that were completely destroyed, it added.
The government on Friday unveiled a major compensation package to rebuild homes and revive businesses wiped out by the natural disaster, which hit the island as it was emerging from its 2022 economic meltdown.
A senior official earlier said recovery and reconstruction might cost up to $7 billion.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday it was considering Sri Lanka’s request for an additional $200 million to help with rebuilding.
The money is on top of the $347 million tranche due later this month, part of a four-year, $2.9 billion IMF bailout loan agreed in 2023.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday that Sri Lanka’s economy had made a significant recovery, but was not strong enough to withstand the latest shock alone.
Survivors will be offered up to 10 million rupees ($33,000) to buy land in a safer location and build a new house, the finance ministry said in a statement late on Friday.
One million rupees is being offered in compensation for each person killed or left permanently disabled.
The government did not say how much the package would cost, raising concerns given the country's recent economic turbulence.
The central bank has ordered commercial lenders, both state-owned and private, to reschedule loans.
aj/pjm/mtp

Goa

India nightclub fire kills 25 in Goa

  • "Today is a very painful day for all of us," Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a statement, saying that "25 people have lost their lives and six have been injured."
  • A  fire that ripped through an Indian nightclub in the popular tourist resort region of Goa killed 25 people, the state's chief minister said Sunday.
  • "Today is a very painful day for all of us," Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a statement, saying that "25 people have lost their lives and six have been injured."
A  fire that ripped through an Indian nightclub in the popular tourist resort region of Goa killed 25 people, the state's chief minister said Sunday.
Tourists were among the dead in the blaze, which broke out at about midnight at a club in Arpora in the north of the coastal state. 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement that the deaths were "deeply saddening".
Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the shores of the Arabian Sea, lures millions of tourists every year with its nightlife, sandy beaches and laid-back coastal atmosphere.
"Today is a very painful day for all of us," Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in a statement, saying that "25 people have lost their lives and six have been injured."
Sawant told journalists that "three to four" tourists had died, without giving their nationalities.
"I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the entire incident to identify the cause and fix responsibility," Sawant added.

'Fire show'

Video images from the Press Trust of India news agency showed rescuers carrying the injured or dead on stretchers down the narrow stone staircase of the Birch nightclub.
"Most people died due to suffocation in the basement and kitchen area," Nitin V. Raiker, Goa's fire chief, told Indian broadcaster CNN News18.
"I received information that there was a club party going on, and a fire show was organised in the club. The wooden parts of the club caught fire, and smoke spread throughout the building."
Fires are common in India due to poor building practices, overcrowding and a lack of adherence to safety regulations.
In May, at least 17 people died after a fire ripped through a three-storey building in the Indian city of Hyderabad.
A month before that, a fierce blaze broke out in a hotel in Kolkata, killing at least 15 people. Some people clambered out of windows and onto the rooftop to escape.
And last year, at least 24 people died after a fire broke out at a packed amusement park arcade in the western state of Gujarat.
asv-pjm/mtp

military

Trump's Pentagon chief under fire as scandals mount

BY W.G. DUNLOP

  • - Targeting alleged drug boats - Another controversy stemmed from a September 2 attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Pacific.
  • US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under mounting pressure from scandals surrounding strikes on alleged drug boats and his use of Signal to discuss sensitive military information, sparking growing criticism and calls for him to quit.
  • - Targeting alleged drug boats - Another controversy stemmed from a September 2 attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Pacific.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under mounting pressure from scandals surrounding strikes on alleged drug boats and his use of Signal to discuss sensitive military information, sparking growing criticism and calls for him to quit.
Hegseth -- a former Army National Guard major who went from Fox News co-host to leader of the world's most powerful military -- is no stranger to controversy and was only narrowly confirmed by the Senate earlier this year.
The strikes on alleged narcotics smugglers -- especially an incident in which survivors of an initial attack were subsequently killed -- and his use of commercial messaging app Signal to talk about an impending operation in Yemen, have fueled further opposition to Hegseth.
"He's in another difficult position. In fact, his two big problems have now merged," said Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"But he seems to retain (US President Donald) Trump's confidence, even as he's lost support of some Republicans. So I don't think he's in... (a) fatal situation," Cancian said.
Jim Townsend, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy during the Obama administration, said Hegseth is "on thin ice," and that Trump has "a secretary of defense that is giving him lots of headaches."
Townsend agreed that Hegseth is unlikely to be fired immediately, but said if something happens that "really riles up the Republican Party" or embarrasses Trump's Make America Great Again movement, "they'll probably try to move him somewhere else."

Yemen strikes

Hegseth came under fire during his confirmation process over alleged financial mismanagement at veterans' nonprofits where he previously worked, reports of excessive drinking, and allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in California.
His time as secretary of defense has also been marred by scandals, including one related to strikes on Yemen that were launched in mid-March.
The Atlantic magazine revealed that its editor-in-chief had been inadvertently included in a Signal chat in which officials, including Hegseth, discussed the upcoming operation. 
The Pentagon chief sent messages on the timing of strikes hours before they happened and information on aircraft and missiles involved.
The incident sparked an investigation by the Pentagon's independent inspector general's office, which concluded in a report released Thursday that Hegseth's actions could have resulted in "potential harm to US pilots."

Targeting alleged drug boats

Another controversy stemmed from a September 2 attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Pacific. An initial strike left survivors, with a follow-up attack killing those two people.
Hegseth and the White House have repeatedly said the decision for the second strike was made by the operational commander, Admiral Frank Bradley, rather than the defense secretary.
Lawmakers attended a classified briefing on Capitol Hill this week in which they were shown extended video footage of the incident -- only a brief part of which has been publicly released -- but there are conflicting views about whether the follow-up strikes were justified.
The footage showed "the United States military attacking shipwrecked sailors -- bad guys, bad guys -- but attacking shipwrecked sailors," said Democratic Representative Jim Himes.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton -- another briefing attendee -- described all four strikes on the boat as "entirely lawful and needful," and said the survivors were attempting to flip the drug-laden vessel back over and "stay in the fight."
Hegseth has faced calls from some Democratic lawmakers for his resignation or firing over the follow-up strikes and the Signal controversy, but his job seems safe for the moment.
Cancian, however, said that another scandal could push the Trump administration to remove him as defense secretary.
"If there's maybe another one after this...the White House might lose its patience," he said, describing the controversies that have already occurred as "very embarrassing."
wd/aha

demonstration

Mexico's Sheinbaum holds huge rally following major protests

BY ARTURO ILIZALITURRI

  • "The vast majority of young people support the transformation" of public life in Mexico, she stressed.
  • Hundreds of thousands of people gathered Saturday in Mexico's capital to support President Claudia Sheinbaum, as the leftist leader sought to demonstrate her continued popularity following a month of political pushback and major protests.
  • "The vast majority of young people support the transformation" of public life in Mexico, she stressed.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered Saturday in Mexico's capital to support President Claudia Sheinbaum, as the leftist leader sought to demonstrate her continued popularity following a month of political pushback and major protests.
"Let no one be mistaken," Sheinbaum told the huge crowd, many of whom had arrived by bus from across the country. "The vast majority of young people support the transformation" of public life in Mexico, she stressed.
Authorities said around 600,000 people gathered in Mexico City's Zocalo, the main square home to the National Palace where Sheinbaum lives and works. They chanted "You are not alone!" and "Claudia, listen, the people are in the fight!"
The killing of mayor Carlos Manzo in restive Michoacan state had sparked two days of demonstrations in November, with protesters setting fire to public buildings.
Weeks later thousands marched through the streets of Mexico City to protest drug violence and the government's security policies. 
That was followed by the abrupt departure of the country's attorney general, Alejandro Gertz, in late November over reported disagreements with Sheinbaum's administration on crime policy.
At the rally Saturday, 24-year-old Jose Perez, a craftsman of Otomi descent, said he came out to support Sheinbaum because he feels Indigenous people "are more visible" under her government. 
Sheinbaum took office in 2024 following the six-year tenure of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, with both leaders representing the left-wing Morena party. 
Though Sheinbaum has earned high approval ratings in her first year, they dipped slightly in recent months -- from 74 percent in October to 71 percent in early December, according to the Polls MX survey summary.

'Reshape the narrative'

Analysts told AFP the president faces scrutiny not only from her political opponents and members of the public, but from within her own party.
The rally is an "attempt at internal support, to reshape the narrative, to call for unity," said political analyst Pablo Majluf.
Political columnist Hernan Gomez Bruera told AFP that Sheinbaum is "an incredibly efficient president" who likes to be in control and demands a lot from her team. But she is also "very thin-skinned" and "has difficulty dealing with dissent," he added.
Sheinbaum's party has advocated for social justice through policies to aid the underprivileged, but prominent party members have been involved in overspending scandals. 
Despite the recent slip in poll numbers, Mexico's first woman president is still benefiting from a decline in poverty levels that began under her predecessor.
Sheinbaum has also won praise among her supporters for keeping at bay US President Donald Trump's threats of high trade tariffs and military action on Mexican soil against drug cartels.
"She has been very prudent" in her relationship with Trump, said Ana Laura Jacome, a 42-year-old housewife who attended Saturday's rally, using a cane to walk with fellow supporters. 
Sheinbaum met with Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Washington on Friday to discuss trade on the sidelines of the draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by all three countries. 
She said on X following the meeting that the three nations maintain a "very good relationship."
ai-acc/md/mlm/sla/acb

conflict

Bethlehem Christmas tree lit up for first time since Gaza war

BY RAZIYE AKKOC

  • Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has also surged since the Gaza war.
  • Christmas cheer returned to the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ on Saturday as Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank lit up a tree for the first time since the war in Gaza began over two years ago.
  • Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has also surged since the Gaza war.
Christmas cheer returned to the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ on Saturday as Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank lit up a tree for the first time since the war in Gaza began over two years ago.
Covered in red and gold baubles, the Christmas tree standing metres away from the Church of the Nativity on Manger Square has become a symbol of hope.
At the end of a two-hour ceremony, the tree was illuminated to cheers, its yellow lights twinkling and a bright red star on top shining against the clouded night sky irradiated by a luminescent, almost full moon.
It is the first time the city has held the usual celebrations since the outbreak of the war in Gaza following Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023.
"It's like a symbol for resilience," said 27-year-old Abeer Shtaya, who works at Al-Zaytoonah University of Science and Technology in Salfit in the West Bank.
She had travelled 100 kilometres (60 miles) with a group of the university's students because "we want to celebrate and be with our brothers and sisters in Bethlehem to enjoy this day".
"It's a message for the world that it's calm," Mike Shahen, 43, said at his ceramic store on the square, after a handful of visitors came in for purchases.
Thousands of people attended, including Christians and Muslims, and many who travelled from Palestinian territories and Israel -- some from even further afield -- to enjoy the festive spirit return.
Nuns could be seen watching from one roof, while many families including small children filled balconies and roofs to catch a glimpse of the tree lit up.
Sounds of laughter filled the air as many could not help but smile despite moments of rain.
"This event didn't happen for the last two years because of the war and it's quite emotional after two years of nothing but war and death," said 50-year-old Liyu Lu, who had travelled from northern Israel, close to the border with Lebanon.
Originally from China but now living in Israel for decades, she was with a group including Gary Lau, a travelling businessman and Christian staying in Jerusalem for the past couple of months.
"Being here, with the festivities, is something very nice and special," Lau, 51, said, adding he was "taking in the atmosphere".
For the past two years, Bethlehem has celebrated Christmas in a more sombre manner, with no major public festivities.

Tentative return

Christian pilgrims, especially from Asia, South America and eastern Europe have, however, slowly returned in the past few months.
Fabien Safar, guide and director of Terra Dei which organises pilgrimages to the Holy Land, said a few small groups would come for Christmas this year and he already saw some bookings for 2026.
Safar expected a real recovery in 2027 but "this obviously depends on how the situation evolves" in Gaza and Lebanon.
Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon.
Pilgrims "remain afraid because there's no official end to the war" in Gaza, Safar said, adding they were also worried about the situation in Lebanon.

'Worse than Covid'

But it has all taken a toll on Bethlehem, which had only just cheered the return of tourists in 2022 after the Covid pandemic, before the war in Gaza broke out.
Bethlehem's economy relies almost completely on tourism.
"Covid was bad but nothing like the last two years," said Shahen from the ceramic store.
Many visitors from Israel and the Palestinian territories spent hours on the road to reach Bethlehem including musician Lu.
She woke up at 6 am to get a bus at 7 am with a large group. They arrived at 12:30 pm, she said, without any trouble.
War isn't the only reason for Bethlehem's woes. 
Since the 2023 Hamas attack, it is more difficult to travel around the West Bank with long queues on the roads with Israeli military checkpoints.
Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has also surged since the Gaza war. It has not stopped despite the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas that began this October.
bur-raz/amj

conflict

Mediators Qatar, Egypt call for next steps in Gaza truce

BY CALLUM PATON

  • Under the plan endorsed by the UN in November, Israel is to withdraw from its positions, Gaza is to be administered by a transitional governing body known as the "Board of Peace", and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.
  • Qatar and Egypt, guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, called on Saturday for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilisation force as the necessary next steps in fully implementing the fragile agreement.
  • Under the plan endorsed by the UN in November, Israel is to withdraw from its positions, Gaza is to be administered by a transitional governing body known as the "Board of Peace", and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.
Qatar and Egypt, guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, called on Saturday for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilisation force as the necessary next steps in fully implementing the fragile agreement.
The measures were spelt out in the US- and UN-backed peace plan that has largely halted fighting, though the warring parties have yet to agree on how to move forward from the deal's first phase. 
Its initial steps saw Israeli troops pull back behind a so-called "yellow line" within Gaza's borders, while Palestinian militant group Hamas released the living hostages it still held and handed over the remains of all but one of the deceased.
"Now we are at the critical moment... A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces (and) there is stability back in Gaza," Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference.
Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, helped secure the long-elusive truce, which remains delicate as Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching its terms. 
Key sticking points have also emerged over the implementation of the second phase, which has yet to begin, including the question of Hamas's disarmament.
Hamas is supposed to disarm under the 20-point plan first outlined by US President Donald Trump, with members who decommission their weapons allowed to leave Gaza. The group has repeatedly rejected the proposition.
Hamas said on Saturday that it was ready to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian authority on the condition that the Israeli army's occupation ends.
"Our weapons are linked to the existence of the occupation and the aggression," Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said in a statement.
"If the occupation ends, these weapons will be placed under the authority of the state," he added.
Asked by AFP, Hayya's office said he was referring to a sovereign and independent Palestinian state. 
Under the plan endorsed by the UN in November, Israel is to withdraw from its positions, Gaza is to be administered by a transitional governing body known as the "Board of Peace", and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.
"We need to deploy this force as soon as possible on the ground because one party, which is Israel, is every day violating the ceasefire," Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said at the Doha Forum. 
The Egyptian foreign ministry said Abdelatty and Sheikh Mohammed met on Saturday, with both stressing "the importance of continuing efforts to implement" the peace agreement.
Arab and Muslim nations, however, have been hesitant to participate in the new force, which could end up fighting Palestinian militants.
Trump would theoretically chair the "Board of Peace", while the identities of the other members have yet to be announced.

'Main objective'

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the forum that talks on the stabilisation force were ongoing, with critical questions remaining as to its command structure and which countries would contribute. 
Fidan said its first goal "should be to separate Palestinians from the Israelis". 
Abdelatty seconded the idea, calling for the force to be deployed along "the yellow line in order to verify and to monitor" the truce.
There have been multiple deadly incidents of Israeli forces firing on Palestinians in the vicinity of the yellow line since the ceasefire went into effect.
Turkey, also a guarantor of the truce, has indicated it wants to take part in the stabilisation force, but its efforts are viewed unfavourably in Israel.
Fidan said Hamas's disarmament should not be the main priority in Gaza.
"We need to put things in (their) proper order, we have to be realistic," he said at the forum.
He also urged the US to intervene with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the plan succeeds. 
"If they don't intervene, I'm afraid there is a risk the plan can fail," Fidan said. 
"The amount of daily violations of the ceasefire by the Israelis is indescribable at the moment and all indicators are showing that there is a huge risk of stopping the process."

Rafah crossing

Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar and the other truce guarantors were "getting together in order to force the way forward for the next phase" of the deal. 
"And this next phase is just also temporary from our perspective," he said, calling for a "lasting solution that provides justice for both people".
The ceasefire plan calls for Gaza's Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt to be reopened to allow in aid.
Israel this week said it would open the checkpoint, but "exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt".
Egypt swiftly denied that it had agreed to such a move, insisting the crossing be opened both ways.
Israel's announcement drew expressions of concern from several Muslim-majority nations, who said they opposed "any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land".
Abdelatty insisted on Saturday that Rafah "is not going to be a gateway for displacement", but only an entry point for aid.
csp/smw/jfx/amj/yad

rights

Hundreds in Tunisia protest against government

  • The rally in Tunis was called after the recent arrests of three opposition figures convicted of "conspiracy" against the state.
  • Hundreds of people demonstrated on Saturday in the Tunisian capital against the government under the slogan "opposition is not a crime", calling for the release of jailed activists.
  • The rally in Tunis was called after the recent arrests of three opposition figures convicted of "conspiracy" against the state.
Hundreds of people demonstrated on Saturday in the Tunisian capital against the government under the slogan "opposition is not a crime", calling for the release of jailed activists.
The rally in Tunis was called after the recent arrests of three opposition figures convicted of "conspiracy" against the state.
Tunisia emerged from the Arab Spring era of revolts as a democracy but, after Saied staged a sweeping power grab in 2021, rights groups have criticised a major rollback on freedoms.
Dozens of Saied's critics have been prosecuted or jailed, including on terrorism-related charges and under a law the president enacted in 2022 to prohibit "spreading false news".
Protesters held up portraits of several of them.
"Since the coup, things have changed completely. We've seen our freedoms taken away gradually, even though we did have a revolution," said Hager Chebbi, daughter of opposition figure Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, among those recently arrested. 
"It's a descent into hell," she told AFP. 
Amnesty International said the trial and Chebbi's arrest were part of the authorities' "blind and repressive escalation" in cracking down on dissenting voices.
"Fifteen years after the revolution, it is as if dictatorship has officially marked its return," Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa spokesman Ahmed Benchemsi told AFP. 
vid-iba/cm/amj/jfx

royals

'Democracy has crumbled!': Four arrested in UK Crown Jewels protest

  • The Crown Jewels were not damaged during its new stunt, the Historic Royal Palaces charity which manages the Tower of London said.
  • London police arrested four people Saturday after apple crumble and custard were thrown at a display case containing Britain's priceless Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, in the latest direct action protest stunt.
  • The Crown Jewels were not damaged during its new stunt, the Historic Royal Palaces charity which manages the Tower of London said.
London police arrested four people Saturday after apple crumble and custard were thrown at a display case containing Britain's priceless Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, in the latest direct action protest stunt.
The city's Metropolitan Police said officers responded to "reports of criminal damage to a display case, containing the State Crown" and that "four protesters threw suspected food onto the case before two left the scene".
"Officers worked closely with City of London Police and security officers and four people have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage," the force added. It noted they were in custody. 
A little-known, self-proclaimed non-violent civil resistance group called Take Back Power claimed responsibility, saying its members had thrown the crumble and custard. 
It is "demanding that the UK government establish a permanent citizen's assembly... which has the power to tax extreme wealth and fix Britain", according to statement posted online.  
The group shared a video of the incident on social media showing a young woman planting a foil tray containing the crumble up against the glass pane, followed by a young man splattering custard from a tub on top of it. 
The Imperial State Crown, worn by King Charles III at the end of his 2023 coronation ceremony and at formal occasions like the State Opening of Parliament, could be seen shimmering inside the case.

'Britain is broken'

Both suspected perpetrators in the footage wore t-shirts with "take back power" and a logo emblazoned on the front.
"Democracy has crumbled!" the young woman yelled, as the custard-throwing man shouted "Britain is broken!"
"We've come here, to the jewels of the nation, to take back power," he added.
The footage, filmed by another person close by, showed a female staff member with a walkie-talkie attempting to intervene, repeatedly shouting "excuse me!" as she radioed for help.
The incident is the latest example of so-called direct action demonstrations, targeting cultural, sporting and other sites in Britain and beyond.
Stunts have included targeting Vincent van Gogh's glass-protected "Sunflowers" painting with tomato soup and daubing Stonehenge with orange paint powder.
Take Back Power targeted the Ritz Hotel on Wednesday, emptying bags of manure next to its Christmas tree.
The Crown Jewels were not damaged during its new stunt, the Historic Royal Palaces charity which manages the Tower of London said.
The Jewel House at the world-famous tower where most of the historic treasures are kept temporarily closed while police investigated, but reopened later Saturday.
The Crown Jewels are Britain's most precious treasures, including regalia used at coronations of new monarchs. 
Comprising more than 100 objects and over 23,000 gemstones, they are considered "of incalculable cultural, historical, and symbolic value," according to Historic Royal Palaces. 
The jewels are part of the Royal Collection, held in trust by the monarch for the nation.
jj/giv

Sarkozy

Greyness and solitude: French ex-president describes prison stay

BY MATHIEU FOULKES

  • He has written a 216-page book entitled "Diary of a Prisoner," which is due to come out on December 10 and excerpts of which were published in several French media on Saturday. 
  • Greyness and solitude marked French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy's three weeks in prison, according to excerpts released on Saturday from an upcoming book.
  • He has written a 216-page book entitled "Diary of a Prisoner," which is due to come out on December 10 and excerpts of which were published in several French media on Saturday. 
Greyness and solitude marked French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy's three weeks in prison, according to excerpts released on Saturday from an upcoming book.
Sarkozy, 70, in October became the first president in the history of modern France to go to jail after his conviction for allowing aides to seek to collect money for his 2007 presidential election campaign from Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.
He was handed a five-year sentence but was released with restrictions after serving 20 days, following an appeals court ruling that there was no flight risk.
He has written a 216-page book entitled "Diary of a Prisoner," which is due to come out on December 10 and excerpts of which were published in several French media on Saturday. 
"Grey dominated everything, devoured everything, covered every surface," he wrote in one passage. "I would have given anything to be able to look out the window, to enjoy watching the cars go by."
During his first night, he knelt in prayer after watching a football match.
"It came naturally," he wrote. "I stayed like that for several minutes. I prayed for the strength to bear the cross of this injustice." 
Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, was protected in prison by two security officers and remained confined to his cell 23 hours a day, except for visiting hours.
"It's often said that you learn at any age. That's true because I learned a great deal at La Sante prison, about others as well as about myself," he wrote.
His diet was made up of "dairy products, cereal bars, mineral water, apple juice, and a few sweet treats." 
In an interview with Le Figaro, he said that he wrote most of the book while behind bars, writing "with a ballpoint pen on a small plywood table every day" and finished the book after his release on November 10.
Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right despite the legal problems that have dogged him since leaving office.
Sarkozy has always maintained his innocence. An appeals trial is to get underway in March.
The former president has faced a series of legal challenges since leaving office.
mat-bb-sha/yad/giv

armament

Milei welcomes Argentina's first F-16 fighter jets

  • "Hundreds of thousands of Argentines were able to look up and see their guardian angels in the sky for the first time," the president said.
  • President Javier Milei on Saturday hailed the arrival of Argentina's first six F-16 jets purchased from Denmark, describing them as "guardian angels" that will strengthen the South American country's armed forces.
  • "Hundreds of thousands of Argentines were able to look up and see their guardian angels in the sky for the first time," the president said.
President Javier Milei on Saturday hailed the arrival of Argentina's first six F-16 jets purchased from Denmark, describing them as "guardian angels" that will strengthen the South American country's armed forces.
The US-built aircraft are among the 24 used supersonic fighters bought last year from Copenhagen for roughly $300 million, an exchange Milei's government described at the time as Argentina's most important military acquisition in 50 years.
"After a long wait, I finally have behind me the first six F-16 fighter jets," Milei said on the tarmac of a military base in Rio Cuarto, some 600 kilometers (373 miles) west of Buenos Aires.
"Thanks to this significant investment, we will considerably strengthen our air force."
Following a ceremony, Milei boarded one of the F-16 Fighting Falcons -- which had flown low over Argentina's capital before landing in Rio Cuarto -- and was seen smiling in the cockpit next to his sister Karina Milei, who serves as general secretary of the presidency, and Defense Minister Luis Petri.
"Hundreds of thousands of Argentines were able to look up and see their guardian angels in the sky for the first time," the president said.
When the sale was announced in April 2024, Argentina's defense ministry said the modernized Danish F-16s would form "the backbone of Argentina's air defense system."
They replace Argentina's French Mirage jets, the last of which were retired in 2017 after four decades of service.
The US administration of President Donald Trump, a Milei ally, approved the transfer of F-16s.
The US Embassy in Buenos Aires said in a statement Saturday that Argentina's jet acquisition marks "a major step in the country's efforts to modernize its air capabilities and deepen defense cooperation with the United States."
It said the delivery was the first of four batches, with six additional aircraft to be delivered to Argentina each December through 2028.
gfe/ad/lpt/mlm/md

conflict

No breakthrough at 'constructive' Ukraine-US talks

  • Ahead of Saturday's talks, Russia launched over 700 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, targeting critical infrastructure, such as energy sites and railways, and triggering heating and water outages for thousands of households.
  • Three days of talks between Ukrainian and US officials produced no apparent breakthrough Saturday, with President Volodymyr Zelensky committing to further negotiations toward "real peace," even as Russia launched another series of drone and missile strikes on its neighbor.
  • Ahead of Saturday's talks, Russia launched over 700 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, targeting critical infrastructure, such as energy sites and railways, and triggering heating and water outages for thousands of households.
Three days of talks between Ukrainian and US officials produced no apparent breakthrough Saturday, with President Volodymyr Zelensky committing to further negotiations toward "real peace," even as Russia launched another series of drone and missile strikes on its neighbor.
Zelensky said he joined his negotiators for a "very substantive and constructive" call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as part of the third day of meetings in Florida.
"Ukraine is committed to continuing to work honestly with the American side to bring about real peace," Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that the parties agreed "on the next steps and the format of the talks with America."
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said he will meet Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London on Monday to "take stock" of the negotiations on the US-drafted plan on how to end the almost four-year war.
Ahead of Saturday's talks, Russia launched over 700 drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight, targeting critical infrastructure, such as energy sites and railways, and triggering heating and water outages for thousands of households.
"The main targets of these strikes, once again, were energy facilities," Zelensky said earlier in the day on social media. "Russia's aim is to inflict suffering on millions of Ukrainians."
As with previous waves of attacks, the Russian defense ministry said they had targeted "Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises and the energy facilities that support them," and added that "all designated targets were hit."

Paris slams Moscow's 'escalatory path'

The talks come after Witkoff and Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday, with Moscow rejecting parts of the US proposal.
"Both parties agreed that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia's readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings," said a readout of the Miami talks posted Friday by Witkoff on X.
Also on Friday, US and Ukrainian officials "also agreed on the framework of security arrangements and discussed necessary deterrence capabilities to sustain a lasting peace."
Macron announced he would travel to London on Monday to meet with Zelensky together with the German and British leaders, slamming what he called Russia's "escalatory path."
"We will continue these efforts with the Americans to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, without which no robust and lasting peace will be possible," the French president wrote on X.
He added: "We must continue to exert pressure on Russia to compel it to choose peace."

Uncertain security guarantees

Washington's initial plan to bring an end to the conflict involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not been able to win on the battlefield in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv's aspirations to join NATO.
But the nature of the security guarantees that Ukraine could get have so far been shrouded in uncertainty, beyond an initial plan saying that jets to defend Kyiv could be based in Poland.
The US plan has been through several drafts since it first emerged last month, amid criticism it was too soft on Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Witkoff, Trump's former business partner-turned-roving global ambassador, and investor Kushner had hoped to persuade Putin to play ball but came away from Moscow without a deal.

'Strong impression'

Trump said Wednesday that Witkoff and Kushner had a "reasonably good meeting" with Putin, insisting they had the "strong impression" he would like to end the war.
Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially embracing Putin and chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.
But he has also grown frustrated that his efforts to persuade Putin to end the war, including a summit in Alaska, have failed to produce results and he recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.
Putin, who was in India this week meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said the talks were "complex" but that he wanted to engage with Trump's plan "rather than obstruct it."
Russian troops have been grinding forward across the front line against outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian forces.
burs-mmp/md/sst

conflict

UN Security Council delegation urges all sides to stick to Lebanon truce

  • A November 2024 ceasefire was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants, but Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon.
  • A United Nations Security Council delegation on Saturday urged all parties to uphold a year-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, expressing support for a state weapons monopoly at the end of a Lebanon visit.
  • A November 2024 ceasefire was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants, but Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon.
A United Nations Security Council delegation on Saturday urged all parties to uphold a year-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, expressing support for a state weapons monopoly at the end of a Lebanon visit.
A November 2024 ceasefire was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants, but Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon.
Israel has mainly said it is targeting the Iran-backed group, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
"We came to Beirut at a pivotal time for the implementation of... the cessation of hostilities agreement of November of last year," Slovenian UN ambassador Samuel Zbogar, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the UN body, told reporters.
"All parties must uphold the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement, and we recognise progress achieved by Lebanon this year," he said.
"We reaffirm the council's support for Lebanon's territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence."
"We also reaffirm commitment to the full implementation of Resolution 1701 in support of Lebanon's -- as well as regional -- security and stability," he added, referring to a 2006 Security Council decision that forms the basis of the current truce.
Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon's government has committed to disarming Hezbollah, and the army is set to dismantle the group's military infrastructure near the border by year end before tackling the rest of the country.
"We support the Lebanese government's decision to ensure the state's monopoly of arms," Zbogar said, also urging "intensified international support" for Lebanon's army.
The delegation met senior officials including President Joseph Aoun, and on Saturday went to conflict-hit south Lebanon near the Israeli border, visiting peacekeepers from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
In August, the Security Council voted to extend UNIFIL's mandate until the end of 2026 and then withdraw the force from Lebanon by the end of the following year.
The visit was a chance to "examine options for the implementation of Resolution 1701 following UNIFIL's departure from Lebanon", Zbogar said, adding that "this is a topic that will deserve a thorough conversation during 2026".
Zbogar also emphasised that the "safety of peacekeepers must be respected and that they must never be targeted", after Lebanon's army said it arrested six people following an attack by gunmen on UNIFIL personnel this week.
Aoun told the delegation on Friday that Lebanon does not want war with Israel, days after civilian representatives from both sides held their first talks in decades.
lg/jfx

Kurds

Syria's Kurds hail 'positive impact' of Turkey peace talks

  • "The peace initiative in Turkey has had a direct impact on northern and eastern Syria," said Elham Ahmad, a senior official in the Kurdish administration in Syria's northeast.
  • Efforts to broker peace between Turkey and the Kurdish militant group PKK have had a "positive impact" on Syria's Kurds who also want dialogue with Ankara, one of its top officials said Saturday. 
  • "The peace initiative in Turkey has had a direct impact on northern and eastern Syria," said Elham Ahmad, a senior official in the Kurdish administration in Syria's northeast.
Efforts to broker peace between Turkey and the Kurdish militant group PKK have had a "positive impact" on Syria's Kurds who also want dialogue with Ankara, one of its top officials said Saturday. 
Earlier this year, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) ended its four-decade armed struggle against Turkey at the urging of its jailed founder Abdullah Ocalan, shifting its focus to a democratic political struggle for the rights of Turkey's Kurdish minority. 
The ongoing process has raised hopes among Kurds across the region, notably in Syria where the Kurds control swathes of territory in the north and northeast. 
"The peace initiative in Turkey has had a direct impact on northern and eastern Syria," said Elham Ahmad, a senior official in the Kurdish administration in Syria's northeast.
"We want a dialogue process with Turkey, a dialogue that we understand as Kurds in Syria... We want the borders between us to be opened," she said, speaking by video link to an Istanbul peace conference organised by Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition DEM party. 
Speaking in Kurdish, she hailed Turkey for initiating the peace moves, but said releasing Ocalan -- who has led the process from his cell on Imrali prison island near Istanbul where he has been serving life in solitary since 1999 -- would speed things up. 
"We believe that Abdullah Ocalan being released will let him play a much greater role... that this peace and resolution process will happen faster and better."
She also hailed Ankara for its sensitive approach to dialogue with the new regime in Damascus that emerged after the ousting of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad a year ago. 
"The Turkish government has a dialogue and a relationship with the Syrian government. They also have open channels with us. We see that there is a careful approach to this matter," she said.

'Ocalan can play a role'

Turkey has long been hostile to the Kurdish SDF force that controls swathes of northeastern Syria, seeing it as an extension of PKK, and pushing for the US-backed force to integrate into the Syrian military and security apparatus. 
Although a deal was reached to that end in March, its terms were never implemented. 
Ankara knows that its own peace process with the Kurds cannot be separated from the Kurdish question in Syria and is hoping Ocalan will use his influence to sway the SDF, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.
"I believe he can play a role," he told the Doha Forum on Saturday, saying he had personally engaged with the PKK leadership during earlier peace efforts between 2009 and 2013 when he was spy chief. 
"We reached an understanding, but later on it was abandoned by the PKK because of Syria," he said, warning that "the past can repeat itself". 
"That's why Syria is very critical. I believe (Ocalan) can play a role."
Ahmad said Turkey had a "very important role" to play in the ongoing changes in the region, saying peace in Turkey and Syria would "impact the entire Middle East". 
Syria's Kurdish community believed coexistence was "fundamental" and did not want to see the nation divided, she said. 
"We do not support the division of Syria or any other country. Such divisions pave the way for new wars. That is why we advocate for peace."
bg-hmw/giv

politics

UK's Farage rallies in Scottish town hit by immigration protests

BY EDWARD SHARP-PAUL WITH JOE JACKSON IN LONDON

  • Curtice said the SNP, whose voters are typically pro-EU and back Scottish independence, was losing "virtually nothing" to Reform,  Instead, its rise is fragmenting the anti-independence vote, while Farage remains unpopular with Scotland's many Brexit opponents. 
  • Populist politician Nigel Farage rallied supporters Saturday in Scotland, decrying immigration, climate change mitigations and other policies, as he bids to build on unexpectedly strong backing there for his anti-immigration Reform UK party.
  • Curtice said the SNP, whose voters are typically pro-EU and back Scottish independence, was losing "virtually nothing" to Reform,  Instead, its rise is fragmenting the anti-independence vote, while Farage remains unpopular with Scotland's many Brexit opponents. 
Populist politician Nigel Farage rallied supporters Saturday in Scotland, decrying immigration, climate change mitigations and other policies, as he bids to build on unexpectedly strong backing there for his anti-immigration Reform UK party.
His rare visit north of the English border came five months before elections to Scotland's devolved parliament and follows Reform's surprising rise in popularity there, prompting predictions of winning its first seats in the chamber.
The Brexit champion -- whose party has led UK-wide polls throughout this year -- held a lunchtime event in Falkirk, a town northwest of the capital Edinburgh that has seen rival pro- and anti-immigration protests outside a hotel housing asylum seekers.
They have mirrored similar fractious scenes in English towns and cities this year. 
"Who voted for areas of our cities to literally become unrecognisable from their Scottish backgrounds," Farage told a crowd of hundreds in a city hotel. "The answer? Simple. Nobody."
Farage, 61, has been struggling to quell growing scrutiny of allegations he made racist and antisemitic comments while a youngster at an elite English school, with fresh accusations emerging in recent days.
The veteran Eurosceptic did not return to the subject that has dogged him in recent weeks, instead sticking to more comfortable topics of UK "decline".
"Our once great nation, the United Kingdom, is in very great trouble," he added. 
"We are in economic decline. We are in social decline. We are even I think, frankly, in moral decline."

'Laying the ground'

Reform, which has no leader and minimal political infrastructure in Scotland, won just seven percent of Scottish votes at the last UK general election.
But 17 months on, the party is regularly polling in the high teens.
It has leapfrogged Labour into second place behind the Scottish National Party (SNP) in several surveys focused on next May's elections to the parliament in Edinburgh. 
According to political analysts, Farage has been luring voters from the Conservatives and to, a lesser extent, Labour, which won the July 2024 general election and took power in London.
They expect Reform to use the May 7 Scottish election to build further momentum.
"They'll be happy to have what could be more than a dozen Reform MSPs (Member of the Scottish Parliament) in Holyrood arguing the party's case," pollster John Curtice, of Glasgow's University of Strathclyde, told AFP.
He added they would be "laying the ground for maybe going further in 2029" when the next UK-wide election is due and crucial Scottish constituencies will be up for grabs.
Reform -- founded in 2021 from the ashes of Farage's Brexit Party -- this week grabbed a massive financial boost after Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor and aviation entrepreneur Christopher Harborne gave it £9 million ($12 million). 
Meanwhile it unveiled Saturday its latest defection from the Conservatives, with House of Lords member Malcolm Offord announcing he will resign that role and run for the Scottish parliament for Reform.

'Niche market'

However, Farage has long struggled for popularity among Scots.
In 2013, when leading his UK Independence Party (UKIP), police had to escort him from an Edinburgh pub after angry confrontations with opponents he later dubbed anti-English.
Scots overwhelmingly backed staying in the EU in the divisive 2016 Brexit referendum, making Farage an unpopular figure to many.
Dubbed an English nationalist by his critics, he has also long repelled supporters of Scottish independence from the UK.
His personal popularity remains low with 69 percent of Scots viewing him unfavourably, according to a November YouGov poll.
But Reform's messaging appears to resonate with growing numbers in Scotland.
University of Edinburgh electoral politics lecturer Fraser McMillan said, like in England, it has established itself as a "protest vote against the mainstream parties" and "the most credible vehicle for socially conservative immigration attitudes".
"There's a relatively strong contingent of that in Scotland," he told AFP.
The SNP has governed in Edinburgh for nearly two decades and is expected to top the May 7 contest, but with a diminished vote share.
Curtice said the SNP, whose voters are typically pro-EU and back Scottish independence, was losing "virtually nothing" to Reform, 
Instead, its rise is fragmenting the anti-independence vote, while Farage remains unpopular with Scotland's many Brexit opponents. 
He is tapping into "a niche market" of voters, Curtice told AFP. 
"The ability of the party to do well in Scotland has to be lower than elsewhere."
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