politics

Thai PM dissolves parliament, paving way for national elections

crime

British porn star to be deported from Bali after small fine

  • Earlier on Friday, Billinger and an associate -- 27-year-old Liam Andrew Jackson -- were fined 200,000 rupiah (about $12) for breaking traffic regulations.
  • Controversial British adult film star Bonnie Blue will be deported from Indonesia's Bali island, an immigration official said Friday, after earlier receiving a small fine for traffic violations.
  • Earlier on Friday, Billinger and an associate -- 27-year-old Liam Andrew Jackson -- were fined 200,000 rupiah (about $12) for breaking traffic regulations.
Controversial British adult film star Bonnie Blue will be deported from Indonesia's Bali island, an immigration official said Friday, after earlier receiving a small fine for traffic violations.
Local police last week raided a studio in Badung, a popular tourist district near the resort island's capital, Denpasar, detaining Blue, 26, whose real name is Tia Billinger.
Three men -- two Britons and an Australian -- were also taken on suspicion of producing pornographic content after the raid.
Police said, however, they found no evidence of adult material. 
Husnan Handano, immigration spokesman at Denpasar International Airport, told AFP that Blue will be deported early Saturday morning.
"Her flight will be at 12:30 am (Friday 1630 GMT)," Husnan said, adding more details would be provided later.
Earlier on Friday, Billinger and an associate -- 27-year-old Liam Andrew Jackson -- were fined 200,000 rupiah (about $12) for breaking traffic regulations.
"The defendants have lawfully committed the offense jointly and continuously," Denpasar District Court judge I Ketut Somanasa said.
During the December 4 raid, police seized a dark blue pickup truck labeled "Bang Bus."
British tabloid Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that the vehicle appeared to have been untaxed since 2023 and had allegedly been illegally repainted from white to blue without re-registration.
Billinger's lawyer, Edward Pangkahila, told AFP his clients would comply fully with the authorities.
"I suggested to them to apologise to the people of Bali if this has caused any public unease," Pangkahila added.
Although Bali is predominantly Hindu and a magnet for millions of foreign visitors, Muslim-majority Indonesia strictly forbids the production of pornographic material, which carries penalties of up to 12 years in prison and a fine of $360,000.
Billinger gained fame for her provocative stunts as an adult content creator. 
Her case comes amid renewed complaints by Balinese officials over unruly foreign tourists, following a string of deportations in recent years — including several Russian influencers expelled for posing nude at sacred sites.
str-dsa-jhe/fox

politics

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai verdict set for Monday

  • Lai, who turned 78 this week, is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
  • A Hong Kong court will issue a verdict Monday in the national security trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a case widely criticised as a sign of erosion of political freedoms in the Chinese city.
  • Lai, who turned 78 this week, is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
A Hong Kong court will issue a verdict Monday in the national security trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a case widely criticised as a sign of erosion of political freedoms in the Chinese city.
Lai, who turned 78 this week, is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The founder of the Apple Daily newspaper has been behind bars since late 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement.
Journalists had already started queuing on Friday outside the West Kowloon courthouse for a place in the chamber where Lai's verdict will be read.
The hearing, before a three-judge panel, will begin at 10 am (0200 GMT) on Monday, according to a court diary notice seen Friday.
Previous hearings for Lai's case often drew a crowd of supporters and press, some of whom had to watch a livestream of proceedings elsewhere in the court building as they could not fit into the courtroom.
Aside from the collusion offence -- which could land him in prison for life -- Lai is also charged with "seditious publication", with prosecutors citing 161 items including op-eds with Lai's byline.
Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after police raids and the arrests of its senior editors.

'Sham'

The sprawling trial, which began in December 2023, has drawn criticism from Western nations and rights groups, who have called for Lai's release.
The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) group expressed outrage on Friday at the "short notice announcement" of the verdict, condemning the trial as "arbitrary and unlawful".
"The trial can only be described as a sham and has nothing to do with the rule of law," the group said in a statement, calling on Britain and the United States to press Beijing for his release.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called the trial "a travesty of justice".
"His national security trial was originally expected to last 30 days when it started in December 2023, after multiple delays. It has gone on for two years now," Beh Lih Yi, CPJ's Asia-Pacific regional director, told AFP. 
She stressed "serious concerns that the 78-year-old may die in prison as each day passes".
Hong Kong authorities have rejected criticism related to Lai, saying his case was "handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law".

Health concerns

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news conference on Friday that Beijing "firmly supports" Hong Kong in "safeguarding national security in accordance with the law and punishing criminal acts that endanger national security".
Throughout the trial, Lai has fielded questions about his political ideology, management style and overseas contacts.
He described himself at least twice as a "political prisoner", drawing rebukes from judges.
He has also denied calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong, and said he never advocated separatism or violent resistance.
"The core values of Apple Daily are actually the core values of the people of Hong Kong... (including) rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly," Lai said in his testimony.
Lai is a British citizen, and his relatives voiced new concerns this month over the mogul's health.
"His nails turn almost purple, grey and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten," his daughter Claire Lai told AFP on a visit to Washington, where the family sought to rally support for her father.
The Hong Kong government said last week that prison authorities "handle the custodial arrangements for (Lai) in the same way as other persons-in-custody" and that he was "receiving appropriate treatment and care in prison".
bur-dhw/ceg

Burundi

Congo refugees recount death and chaos as war reignites

BY MOSES GAHIGI

  • Jeanette Bendereza, 37, had already fled her home in Kamanyola once this year -- during the earlier M23 offensive, escaping to Burundi in February with her four children. 
  • Congolese refugees described neighbours being massacred and losing children in the chaos as they fled into Rwanda to escape a surge in fighting despite a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.
  • Jeanette Bendereza, 37, had already fled her home in Kamanyola once this year -- during the earlier M23 offensive, escaping to Burundi in February with her four children. 
Congolese refugees described neighbours being massacred and losing children in the chaos as they fled into Rwanda to escape a surge in fighting despite a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.
"I have 10 kids, but I'm here with only three. I don't know what happened to the other seven, or their father," Akilimali Mirindi, 40, told AFP in the Nyarushishi refugee camp in Rwanda's Rusizi district. 
Around 1,000 Congolese have ended up in this camp after renewed fighting broke out in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this month. 
The M23 armed group, backed by Rwanda, has seized vast swathes of eastern DRC over the past year and is once again on the march, taking another key city, Uvira, in recent days. 
Thousands have fled as civilians are again caught in the crossfire between the M23, Congolese forces and their allies. 
Mirindi was living in Kamanyola near the Rwanda border when bombs started falling, destroying her house. 
"Many people died, young and old. I saw corpses as we fled, jumping over some of them. I made a decision to cross into Rwanda with the rest," she said.
Trump hosted the presidents of Rwanda and DRC, Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi, on December 4 for an agreement aimed at ending the conflict, but the new offensive was already underway even as they were meeting. 
"It's clear there is no understanding between Kagame and Tshisekedi... If they don't reach an understanding, war will go on," said Thomas Mutabazi, 67, in the refugee camp.
"Bombs were raining down on us from different directions, some from FARDC (Congolese army) and Burundian soldiers, some from M23 as they returned fire," he said.
"We had to leave our families and our fields. We don't know anything, yet the brunt of war is faced by us and our families." 

'Bombs following us'

The camp sits on a picturesque hill flanked by tea plantations, well-stocked by NGOs from the United Nations, World Food Programme and others. 
There are dormitories and a football pitch for the children, but the mostly women and children at the camp spoke of having their homes and fields stripped bare or destroyed by soldiers. 
Jeanette Bendereza, 37, had already fled her home in Kamanyola once this year -- during the earlier M23 offensive, escaping to Burundi in February with her four children. 
"We came back when they told us peace had returned. We found M23 in charge," she said.
Then the violence restarted. 
"We were used to a few bullets, but within a short time bombs started falling from Burundian fighters. That's when we started running."
Burundi has sent troops to help the DRC and finds itself increasingly threatened as the M23 takes towns and villages along its border. 
"I ran with neighbours to Kamanyola... We could hear the bombs following us... I don't know where my husband is now," Bendereza said, adding she had lost her phone in the chaos. 
Olinabangi Kayibanda, 56, had tried to hold out in Kamanyola as the fighting began. 
"But when we started seeing people dying and others losing limbs due to bombs... even children were dying, so we decided to flee," he said. 
"I saw a neighbour of mine dead after her house was bombed. She died along with her two children in the house. She was also pregnant."
str-er/fg

conservation

Indonesia floods were 'extinction level' for rare orangutans

BY SARA HUSSEIN

  • In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an "extinction-level disturbance" for tapanulis.
  • Indonesia's deadly flooding was an "extinction-level disturbance" for the world's rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday.
  • In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an "extinction-level disturbance" for tapanulis.
Indonesia's deadly flooding was an "extinction-level disturbance" for the world's rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday.
Only scientifically classified as a species in 2017, tapanulis are incredibly rare, with fewer than 800 left in the wild, confined to a small range in part of Indonesia's Sumatra.
One dead suspected tapanuli orangutan has already been found in the region, conservationists told AFP.
"The loss of even a single orangutan is a devastating blow to the survival of the species," said Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder and chairman of the Orangutan Information Centre in Indonesia.
And analysis of satellite imagery combined with knowledge of the tapanuli's range suggests that flooding last month which killed nearly 1,000 people may also have devastated wildlife in the Batang Toru region.
The scientists focused on the so-called West Block, the most densely populated of three known tapanuli habitats, and home to an estimated 581 tapanulis before the disaster.
There, "we think that between six and 11 percent of orangutans were likely killed," said Erik Meijaard, a longtime orangutan conservationist.
"Any kind of adult mortality that exceeds one percent, you're driving the species to extinction, irrespective of how big the population is at the start," he told AFP.
But tapanulis have such a small population and range to begin with that they are especially vulnerable, he added.
Satellite imagery shows massive gashes in the mountainous landscape, some of which extend for more than a kilometre and are nearly 100 metres wide, Meijaard said.
The tide of mud, trees and water toppling down hillsides would have carried away everything in its path, including other wildlife like elephants.
David Gaveau, a remote sensing expert and founder of conservation start-up The Tree Map, said he was flabbergasted by the before-and-after comparison of the region.
"I have never seen anything like this before during my 20 years of monitoring deforestation in Indonesia with satellites," he told AFP.

'Fragile and sensitive'

The devastation means remaining tapanulis will be even more vulnerable, with sources of food and shelter now washed away.
Over nine percent of the West Block habitat may have been destroyed, the group of scientists estimated.
In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an "extinction-level disturbance" for tapanulis.
Environmentalists have long campaigned against industrial activity in Batang Toru, particularly a hydroelectric dam and gold mine.
The highland homes currently inhabited by tapanulis are not their preferred habitat, but it is where remaining orangutans have been pushed by development elsewhere.
Earlier this month, Indonesia's government said industrial plantations, hydropower and gold mining in the region had "contributed significantly to the pressure on the environment".
They announced they would suspend operating permits for all projects in the region pending a review.
The government, along with environmentalists, has said deforestation contributed to the scale of the flooding disaster.
A study published Thursday also said climate change-linked heavier rains and warmer seas that can turbocharge storms played a role.
The orangutan experts are urging an immediate halt to development that will damage remaining tapanuli habitat, and an immediate survey of the region.
They also back the expansion of protected areas and work to restore lowland forests.
Panut said the region had become eerily quiet after the landslides.
"This fragile and sensitive habitat in West Block must be fully protected by halting all habitat-damaging development," he told AFP.
sah/kaf

court

Trump 'pardons' jailed US election denier

  • Peters is jailed under state charges, making her ineligible for a presidential pardon.
  • US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would "pardon" a Colorado official jailed on charges linked to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 
  • Peters is jailed under state charges, making her ineligible for a presidential pardon.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would "pardon" a Colorado official jailed on charges linked to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 
Tina Peters, a former official in Colorado's Mesa County, was sentenced in October 2024 for allowing an unauthorized Trump supporter to access confidential voting information several months after the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden. 
The man was seeking to prove election fraud as part of a conspiracy theory touted by Trump that the vote was rigged. 
"Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest," Trump said in a post on social media Thursday. 
"I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!" 
Peters is jailed under state charges, making her ineligible for a presidential pardon. She was sentenced to nine years in prison. 
Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis criticized the move saying Peters "was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican District Attorney, and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws, including criminal impersonation." 
"No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions," Polis said in a social media post Thursday. 
"This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders." 
Shortly after his inauguration in January, Trump offered pardons to everybody convicted in the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021.
bur-lga/ane/fox

politics

Thai PM dissolves parliament, paving way for national elections

BY PASIKA KHERNAMNUOY

  • "The House of Representatives is dissolved to hold a new general election for members of the House," a decree published in the Royal Gazette on Friday said.
  • Thailand's prime minister dissolved parliament on Friday, paving the way for general elections early next year as deadly border clashes continue with neighbour Cambodia.
  • "The House of Representatives is dissolved to hold a new general election for members of the House," a decree published in the Royal Gazette on Friday said.
Thailand's prime minister dissolved parliament on Friday, paving the way for general elections early next year as deadly border clashes continue with neighbour Cambodia.
The move comes earlier than expected and just three months after Anutin Charnvirakul -- of the conservative Bhumjaithai party -- became prime minister when his predecessor was removed from office over an ethics violation.
"The House of Representatives is dissolved to hold a new general election for members of the House," a decree published in the Royal Gazette on Friday said.
Anutin was widely expected to wait until after Christmas to dissolve parliament.
"Since the administration is a minority government and domestic political conditions are fraught with multiple challenges, the government cannot continue administering state affairs continuously, efficiently, and with stability," the Royal Gazette said, citing a report received from Anutin.
"Therefore, the appropriate solution is to dissolve the House of Representatives and hold a new general election."
The dissolution comes as fighting stemming from a decades-long territorial dispute over ancient temples has flared again on the border with Cambodia, where clashes have killed at least 20 people and displaced around 600,000, mostly in Thailand.
In a statement, Cambodia's defense ministry said the Thai military continued to shell and fire machine guns into Cambodian territory on Friday morning.
AFP journalists heard continuous artillery fire at the border on Friday, ahead of an expected call between Anutin and US president Donald Trump, who has made vocal attempts to broker peace between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
At the congressional ball at the White House on Thursday night, Trump claimed again to have solved eight wars.
"Although Thailand and Cambodia, I think I'm going to have to make a couple of phone calls on Thailand, but we'll get that one back on track," he said.
The two countries have blamed each other for the fresh fighting, which saw Thailand launch air strikes and use tanks against its neighbour on Monday.
Evacuees at a shelter in Thailand's Surin province told AFP they were less concerned about who leads the new government than about who would improve their lives along the border.
"I just care that the leader, whoever that is, is someone who helps ordinary farmers like us," said 68-year-old Somrak Suebsoontorn.

'Power to the people'

Under Thai law, elections must be held between 45 and 60 days after parliament is dissolved, meaning polls are expected around the end of January or early February.
Anutin said in a Facebook post late Thursday he "would like to return power to the people", a signal in the kingdom that a prime minister intends to dissolve parliament.
His coalition backer, the People's Party, said Thursday it would submit a motion of no-confidence in Anutin, claiming Bhumjaithai broke its agreement during a crucial vote on constitutional amendments.
"They said they wouldn't support me anymore. They asked me to dissolve the house. I just followed their request," Anutin told reporters Friday outside the Government House.
The cannabis-championing conservative took power in September with coalition backing conditional on dissolving parliament, becoming the kingdom's third leader in two years.
He was once an ally of the influential political clan of Thaksin Shinawatra -- who have been a dominant force in Thai politics since the turn of the century, but are increasingly faltering after a succession of legal and political setbacks.
Anutin abandoned his coalition with their Pheu Thai Party this summer in apparent outrage over former Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's conduct during the border row with Cambodia.
During his three months in office, Anutin has had to deal with the escalating military conflict, as well as attacks on scam hubs in Myanmar driving hundreds across the border into Thailand, and the death of the former queen Sirikit in October.
burs-sjc/fox

conflict

Thai teacher finds 'peace amidst chaos' painting bunker murals

BY CHAYANIT ITTHIPONGMAETEE

  • - 'Warm, safe and comforting' - Elsewhere, brand new concrete bunkers sitting under layers of blue-and-white sandbags offered an oasis of calm for other Thai border residents.
  • On the grey walls of a rural Thai school's concrete bunkers, a man calmly paints colourful scenes of helicopters, tanks, fluttering national flags and soldiers carrying the wounded.
  • - 'Warm, safe and comforting' - Elsewhere, brand new concrete bunkers sitting under layers of blue-and-white sandbags offered an oasis of calm for other Thai border residents.
On the grey walls of a rural Thai school's concrete bunkers, a man calmly paints colourful scenes of helicopters, tanks, fluttering national flags and soldiers carrying the wounded.
"Peace amidst chaos -- not everyone can feel this way," said Watthanachai Kamngam, a 38-year-old music teacher whose vibrant murals were inspired by the harsh reality around him.
Thailand and Cambodia have been locked in fierce military conflict this week at their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, stemming from a decades-long territorial dispute over ancient temples.
The renewed fighting has displaced around half a million people on both sides and killed at least 20 -- with hundreds seeking shelter from continuous explosions in concrete bunkers.
The boom of artillery often echoes loudly enough to shake the windows of empty classrooms of the school just five kilometres from the frontier.
"As I live through the fighting, I just want to record this moment -- to show that this is really our reality," Watthanachai told AFP.
He first picked up a paintbrush in July, when earlier border clashes erupted, lasting five days and killing dozens.
After ensuring the school's pupils were all safe, he chose to stay put and engage in his therapeutic pastime, despite hearing hundreds of shells in a single night.
"Of course I'm frightened," he said. "But art helps bring my feelings back under control."

'Warm, safe and comforting'

Elsewhere, brand new concrete bunkers sitting under layers of blue-and-white sandbags offered an oasis of calm for other Thai border residents.
Sommai Sisuk sits near a small fire with his neighbours, warming their hands against the winter chill as they cook sticky rice for dinner.
"During the last fighting, we didn’t have any bunkers at all," he said, adding the new shelters were completed in November.
"Everyone was scared and anxious -- we didn't know what to do. But this time it feels a bit safer because the authorities built this bunker for us. It looks solid, and people are satisfied."
The 62-year-old farmer and lottery ticket seller said the shelters have become a gathering point for those who chose to stay behind to watch over their homes, fields, and livestock.
"Having this bunker here is life-changing," he said. "When the gunfire gets loud, we can all run inside together. It feels warm, safe, and comforting."
But even with new protection, Sommai has little hope that the border conflict will end soon.
"The fighting will drag on. Thailand won't give in, and Cambodia won't give in either," he said. 
"These bunkers matter so much. They really do."
ci/sjc/ceg

drugs

Escapism or exaltation? 'Narco-culture' games raise concern in Mexico

BY ARTURO ILIZALITURRI

  • - Hell's Troop - Dozens of war-like games can be found on online platform Roblox, which allows programming enthusiasts to design their own video games for others to play.
  • In violence-riddled Mexico, children as young as 13 are hooked on bloody video games that vividly recreate the horrors of the country's narco war.
  • - Hell's Troop - Dozens of war-like games can be found on online platform Roblox, which allows programming enthusiasts to design their own video games for others to play.
In violence-riddled Mexico, children as young as 13 are hooked on bloody video games that vividly recreate the horrors of the country's narco war.
Some experts say it's a way of coping. Critics, including President Claudia Sheinbaum, see it as monetized glorification of a genre known as "narco culture."
With thousands of daily users, the games allow players to choose whether they want to be a cartel hitman, a police officer or a soldier.
There are wild chases and brutal shootouts, gold-plated pistols, personalized bulletproof helmets, and souped-up cars.
"It really draws me in, seeing things I'd like to have in real life -- for example, who wouldn’t want to have a Lamborghini, or a big truck, a big house?" gaming fanatic Alan Crespo, a 24-year-old farmer from San Blas on Mexico's Pacific coast, told AFP.
Crespo is on the older side of the player age spectrum, with most between 13 and 18 and hailing primarily from northern Mexican states like Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Baja California -- synonymous with cartel violence.
This age group was born amid the wave of violence unleashed in 2006, when the Mexican government militarized the fight against drug trafficking -- a strategy that has claimed nearly half a million lives.

Hell's Troop

Dozens of war-like games can be found on online platform Roblox, which allows programming enthusiasts to design their own video games for others to play.
The most popular ones attract up to 1,000 users a day. The games are free, though players can purchase better weapons or uniforms with real money.
The more realistic and gruesome a game is, the more popular, developers say.
"Players aren't interested in seeing made-up names of criminal groups," said Angel Villaverde, a 19-year-old who designs games on his computer in Monterrey in Mexico's northeast.
Users of the game "Tamaulipas Belico," for example, can choose to play as a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) or of the Northeast Cartel (CDN).
Both have been designated "foreign terrorist organizations" by US President Donald Trump and are responsible for innumerable deaths, including of civilians.
Matches entail killing off one's enemies to take control of buildings, usually gas stations or shops.
Opponents patrol in camouflaged army pickups or in vehicles decorated with a demon drawing and the number 666 -- the insignia of the CDN's Tropa del Infierno (Hell's Troop) armed wing, known for its extreme brutality.

'Apology for violence'

Mexico's so-called "narco-culture" can also be found in music, films and fashion items glorifying the criminal life.
Sheinbaum rejects what she considers an "apology for violence" and has launched a campaign against the sub-culture, including an eight-percent tax on video games with violent content.
Behavioral scientists say that through gaming, young people may feel they have a sense of control over a violent reality that makes them anxious.
Student Alejandro Solorzano, 18, a game developer from Tijuana, notes that players are "fascinated by going around doing criminal activities."
"It's something warlike, it's something grotesque, but it's fictional at the same time" he told AFP.
Ainhoa Vasquez of Chile's Federico Santa Maria Technical University, says gaming may also be a way of "making sense" of a violent society, of "transferring real anguish" to a fictional realm.
These experiences can be "a catharsis," said Vasquez, who studies cultural representations of the drug trade. 
The platform Roblox, which reported some 112 million daily users worldwide in the second quarter of this year, recently tightened its controls to protect minors. 
Among other measures, it implemented a system to verify users' ages to prevent harassment by adults on the platform. 
str-ai/lp/mel/mlr/jgc

politics

US slaps sanctions on Maduro relatives as Venezuela war fears build

BY W.G. DUNLOP

  • Bondi said the ship was part of an "illicit oil shipping network" that was used to carry sanctioned oil.
  • The US Treasury imposed new sanctions Thursday against three of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's relatives as well as six companies shipping the South American country's oil.
  • Bondi said the ship was part of an "illicit oil shipping network" that was used to carry sanctioned oil.
The US Treasury imposed new sanctions Thursday against three of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro's relatives as well as six companies shipping the South American country's oil.
The move came as the White House said it will bring an oil tanker seized by American forces off the Venezuelan coast to a port in the United States, adding to growing fears of open conflict between the two countries.
Washington took control of the tanker in a dramatic raid that saw US forces rope down from a helicopter onto the vessel in an operation that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was aimed at Maduro's "regime."
Treasury officials said three nephews of Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, were being slapped with sanctions, labeling two of the men "narco-traffickers operating in Venezuela."
"Nicolas Maduro and his criminal associates in Venezuela are flooding the United States with drugs that are poisoning the American people," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
President Donald Trump's administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months with a major naval buildup in the region that has been accompanied by strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed close to 90 people.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed support during a phone call with his ally Maduro, but with Moscow's forces tied down in a grinding war in Ukraine, its capacity to provide aid is limited.
"The vessel will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists of the tanker.
"We're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black-market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world."
Earlier on Thursday, Noem told a congressional hearing that the tanker operation was "pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs" -- a reference to US allegations of narcotics smuggling by Maduro's government.
A video released Wednesday by US Attorney General Pam Bondi showed American forces descending from a helicopter onto the tanker's deck, then entering the ship's bridge with weapons raised.
Bondi said the ship was part of an "illicit oil shipping network" that was used to carry sanctioned oil.

'Blatant theft'

Venezuela's foreign ministry said it "strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy." 
"They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship and have inaugurated a new era, the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean," Maduro said at a presidential event on Thursday, adding: "Venezuela will secure all ships to guarantee the free trade of its oil around the world."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating tensions and urged restraint.
"We are calling on all actors to refrain from action that could further escalate bilateral tensions and destabilize Venezuela and the region," his spokesperson said.
US media reported that the tanker had been heading for Cuba -- another American rival -- and that the ship was stopped by the US Coast Guard.
Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday he questioned the legality of the tanker seizure and that "any president, before he engages in an act of war, has to have the authorization of the American people through Congress."
"This president is preparing for an invasion of Venezuela, simply said. And if the American people are in favor of that, I'd be surprised," Durbin told CNN.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged "Cartel of the Suns," which it declared a "narco-terrorist" organization last month, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro's "days are numbered" and declined to rule out a US ground invasion of Venezuela.
The Trump administration alleges that Maduro's hold on power is illegitimate and that he stole Venezuela's July 2024 election.
Maduro -- the political heir to leftist leader Hugo Chavez -- says the United States is bent on regime change and wants to seize Venezuela's oil reserves.
wd/bgs/jgc/sla/lga/fox

Global Edition

Japan bear victim's watch shows last movements

  • All three animals were killed.
  • The watch of a Japanese hiker killed by a bear has revealed harrowing details about his last moments, including that the animal returned to his body the next day, a newspaper report said.
  • All three animals were killed.
The watch of a Japanese hiker killed by a bear has revealed harrowing details about his last moments, including that the animal returned to his body the next day, a newspaper report said.
Bears have killed a record 13 people in Japan this year and injured more than 200 others, while reports of the creatures roaming near schools and rampaging in supermarkets have heightened anxiety, especially in rural northern regions.
The hiker's GPS watch, which uses satellite signals to log routes and monitors heart rate, was retrieved after the fatal attack on August 14, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
Data from the device showed that at around 11 am it suddenly deviated from the hiking trail in Hokkaido and went down a forested slope, the daily said.
In an area of thick brush, it repeatedly circled and passed over the same spot.
The watch also showed that the man's heart stopped beating about 100 to 130 meters (yards) from the trail, indicating that he died there.
The watch remained in the same spot all night but moved again around 9 am the next morning, travelling several hundred meters through the brush.
This suggests the brown bear had come back and dragged the man's body away, the Asahi said.
Three days later, on August 15, a bear with two cubs was spotted dragging his body in its mouth. All three animals were killed.
A mound of earth made by the bear was found nearby and traces of the man -- who was engaged to be married -- were discovered, the report added.
The victim's parents were asked to identify the body, but police asked them only to look at his face because of the extent of injuries.
stu/kaf

exams

South Korea exam chief quits over complaints of too-hard tests

  • This month, South Korea's National Assembly approved an amended law banning private English-language educational institutes from administering entrance tests to preschoolers.
  • The chief organiser of South Korea's notoriously gruelling university entrance exams has resigned -- after complaints that an English test he designed was just too difficult.
  • This month, South Korea's National Assembly approved an amended law banning private English-language educational institutes from administering entrance tests to preschoolers.
The chief organiser of South Korea's notoriously gruelling university entrance exams has resigned -- after complaints that an English test he designed was just too difficult.
South Korea's college entry exam, known locally as the "Suneung", is essential for admission to top universities and widely regarded as a gateway to social mobility, economic security and even a good marriage.
But this year just over three percent of exam-takers scored top marks in the English test -- the lowest since absolute grading was introduced for the subject in 2018.
Students were given just 70 minutes to answer 45 questions.
One question singled out for criticism asked students to assess the political philosophers Immanuel Kant and Thomas Hobbes and analyse their views on the rule of law.
Another asked students to consider the nature of time and clocks, while another probed how the idea of existence might apply to video game avatars.
These sparked significant backlash in a country where the exam is taken so seriously that flights are grounded nationwide for 35 minutes during the English listening test to eliminate any potential noise.
In response, Oh Seung-keol, the chief of Korea's Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, stepped down.
He felt "a heavy sense of responsibility for the English section of the test, which did not align with the principles of absolute evaluation", the institution said in a statement sent to AFP.
He also apologised for "causing concern to test-takers and their parents, and for causing confusion in the college entrance exam process".
The agency also issued a separate apology, saying it "takes seriously the criticism that the test failed to meet the appropriate level of difficulty and the goal of reducing students' academic burden".
The use of the portmanteau "culturtainment" in the test was also the source of confusion -- even from the academic behind the phrase.
Stuart Moss, a senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University in the UK, said he was "very surprised" to see the phrase featured.
"I am also of the opinion that this word should never have featured in the exam due it not being in common English usage," he said in an e-mail reply to a South Korean test-taker reported by local daily Munhwa Ilbo.
Enormous pressure placed on students in South Korea's ultra-competitive education system has been partly blamed for teenage depression and suicide rates that are among the highest in the world.
This month, South Korea's National Assembly approved an amended law banning private English-language educational institutes from administering entrance tests to preschoolers.
And test scores have long been a highly sensitive and scrutinised issue.
This week, the nephew of Samsung Electronics chief Lee Jae-yong -- one of South Korea's most powerful and wealthy families -- made headlines after he reportedly failed just one question on the exam, earning him admission to the nation's top Seoul National University.
cdl/oho/kaf

US

US, Japan defence chiefs say China harming regional peace

BY HIROSHI HIYAMA

  • They "expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability", the statement added.
  • Beijing's actions are "not conducive to regional peace", Japan's defence minister and US counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday.
  • They "expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability", the statement added.
Beijing's actions are "not conducive to regional peace", Japan's defence minister and US counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday.
The December 6 radar incident came after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan that infuriated China.
It was followed this week by Chinese-Russian air patrols around Japan.
Hegseth and Shinjiro Koizumi "exchanged candid views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident", the Japanese defence ministry said after the call.
They "expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China's actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability", the statement added.
Koizumi said on X he told Hegseth that China was "disseminating information that is completely contrary to the facts" about the radar incident.
"However, Japan has made clear that it does not seek escalation and that we are responding calmly while making necessary rebuttals, and we are keeping the door open for dialogue," Koizumi added.
Hegseth's office said they had "discussed... China's military activities" among other issues including "Japan's efforts to increase its defense spending and strengthen its capabilities".

'Tactical exercises'

Takaichi had indicated on November 7 that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.
Media reports on Friday reinforced suggestions that her comments in a parliamentary debate were unplanned and that she deviated from prepared remarks.
Last week, J-15 jets from China's Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft that had scrambled in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan.
Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.
But China's foreign ministry on Wednesday accused Japan of sending the jets "to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorisation, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and... maliciously hype up the situation".
On Tuesday two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country, Japan said.
Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.
A day later, Japan and the United States air forces conducted their own joint air drills, Tokyo said.
The "tactical exercises" over the Sea of Japan involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s, Tokyo said.
South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defence zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.
Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had organised drills with Russia's military according to "annual cooperation plans".
Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.
bur-stu/kaf

aviation

Son of MH370 flight victim seeks answers after 11 years

BY ISABEL KUA

  • Jiang Hui, 52, told AFP at his home in Beijing.
  • Jiang Hui remembers his mother waving him goodbye as she left for her Malaysia Airlines flight, a bag slung across her shoulder and promising to return with souvenirs from her trip.
  • Jiang Hui, 52, told AFP at his home in Beijing.
Jiang Hui remembers his mother waving him goodbye as she left for her Malaysia Airlines flight, a bag slung across her shoulder and promising to return with souvenirs from her trip.
Jiang Cuiyun, then a 72-year-old retiree, was one of 239 people aboard flight MH370 when it vanished from radar screens on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has not been found, and its enduring mystery remains a source of lasting pain for the victims' loved ones.
"Who would have imagined that something so improbable would happen to their own family?" Jiang Hui, 52, told AFP at his home in Beijing.
He has spent more than a decade seeking answers alongside the relatives of other Chinese victims, who made up two-thirds of the passengers.
The Malaysian government recently announced that the search for the missing plane will resume at the end of December.
And a Beijing court ordered the airline this week to pay over 2.9 million yuan ($411,000) in compensation to some of the passengers' families.
But Jiang and other victims' relatives remain frustrated by what they say is a lack of "openness" from the Malaysian government and the airline.
Jiang now runs a social media group where the families share news on MH370 developments and offer each other support.
They have asked for information including the coordinates of the new search area and the kinds of equipment and vessels being used, he told AFP.
"But we have still not received any response so far," he said.
He added some families feel that the search may be "just for show and wouldn't yield any results".

Years of anguish

Jiang has campaigned around the world for investigation efforts to resume, in hopes of one day finding out what happened to his mother.
When the search for the plane was suspended in 2017, "that period, I believe, was the hardest of all", he said.
His home is littered with reminders of the tragedy.
Books on the disaster line his shelves, along with a model of the Boeing 777 he said helped him understand the structure of the plane his mother was on when she disappeared.
Jiang showed AFP his trove of old T-shirts he wore at MH370 family gatherings over the past decade, and a collection of documents including letters to China's foreign ministry, court records and maps.
"All these are historical records," he said, gesturing at his files.
There are no ongoing legal cases in Malaysia, which lost 50 people, including 12 crew members, in the disaster.

'Inhumane'

This week's compensation ruling in Beijing applies to each of the families of eight passengers legally declared deceased.
But 23 cases, including Jiang's, are still pending because the families of some passengers have not made similar declarations, the court said.
Jiang said the court statement implies that if he does not do that, he will not receive a payout.
"I feel that this is asking me to declare my mother deceased without any evidence, which is very difficult for me to accept," he said.
"I find it quite inhumane."
He remains set on searching for answers.
"Finding the plane, finding my loved one, and finding the truth -- I believe this is something I must do in my life," he told AFP.
He is driven by the bond he shared with his mother, an ordinary but strong woman who he said worked hard for her family.
"I imagined that when the children were older, we, as a family, would travel together, and she would be able to enjoy her later years," he said.
"I feel that finding her and uncovering the truth is the greatest way I can show my respect for her now."
isk/dhw/mjw

accident

Grieving families of Air India crash victims await answers

BY PHILIPPE ALFROY

  • The family had had high hopes for Akash.
  • A flickering candle casts a dim light on the photo of 12-year-old Akash Patni, a pensive look on the face of the Indian boy who died in a plane crash that has left his family inconsolable.
  • The family had had high hopes for Akash.
A flickering candle casts a dim light on the photo of 12-year-old Akash Patni, a pensive look on the face of the Indian boy who died in a plane crash that has left his family inconsolable.
He is among dozens of people who died on June 12 when Air India flight 171 smashed into buildings in a neighbourhood of Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat.
Since the disaster six months ago, Akash's parents and four siblings have gathered every day to pray in front of his picture, placed on a shelf in a corner of the small, dark space that serves as their living room.
"My son was sitting near the tea stall when a part of the plane fell on him... there was smoke and fire everywhere and nobody could go near the site," said the father, Suresh Patni, a 48-year-old tea vendor.
"The boy was burnt to ashes... We could not even take him to the hospital."
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had just taken off for London when, for reasons that an investigation has not yet clarified, fuel was cut to both of its engines.
Deprived of power, the aircraft crashed onto buildings at the end of the runway, engulfing in flames 241 of its 242 passengers and crew, and 19 residents of Ahmedabad.
One passenger survived.
"Everything happened before my own eyes," said Akash's mother Sita Patni, 45.
From beneath the headscarf covering her grey hair and shoulders emerges a bare arm covered in large burn scars -- the mark of her lost battle to pull her son from the flames.
"I am in pain the whole day," she said softly.
"I tried to save him, but he did not survive."

Compensation

Kiritsinh Chavda, 49, lost his brother and sister-in-law in the crash.
He recalled the horror of receiving a call from his father, telling him that a plane had crashed in the neighbourhood where he lives.
"He told me that my younger brother and his wife were unreachable," said Chavda, a police officer.
When he arrived at the scene, chaos awaited him.
"The bodies were very badly damaged and burned," he said.
"It took nearly a week for my brother and his wife to be identified."
Relatives of the victims have been looking for answers, trying to understand what caused their loved ones' deaths.
They are also just beginning to deal with the ordeal of compensation.
Air India quickly paid the equivalent of $28,000 to the families of each of the dead. The airline's owner, Tata Group, pledged to add another $112,000.
"We are yet to get the remaining amount," muttered Chavda.
Air India has acknowledged the delay but asked for patience.
"The process for final compensation is underway," a spokesperson said.
"We are deeply conscious of our responsibility and are providing support and care to all families affected by the tragedy, which remains our absolute priority."
To Chavda, "they should give whatever compensation they promised. That is enough for me."

'Who is the culprit?'

Badasab Saiyed, 60, said that for him, "compensation is secondary."
A retired academic, he lost his brother, sister-in-law, a nephew and a niece in the accident.
They had initially planned to fly from New Delhi to London, but the flight was cancelled, and they took the doomed flight from Ahmedabad instead.
Saiyed did not hesitate long before joining a complaint filed by a British law firm seeking answers.
"The main thing is, who is the culprit responsible?" he said.
"Was there lax maintenance, or was there a problem with the Boeing plane itself? Or was it a small (pilot) fault? This should not have happened."
The crash site has been cleared of all the aircraft debris. Only the charred ruins of the building that supported its tail remain, along with a few rusted shells of burned-out cars.

'Can't bear it'

Curled up in his grief, Suresh Patni cares little about getting answers.
"I'm not interested in the investigation," he said. "I don't understand any of it."
Nor does he care about compensation.
"What do we do with money?" he said. "We lost our son."
The family had had high hopes for Akash.
"He was our youngest and the most adored," his father said. "We wanted him to study and do something."
"He was the brightest in our family," added his mother, who has not had the strength to return to, much less reopen, her tea stall.
"I can't bear it, I keep on thinking about him," she said.
"I can't bear the sound of a plane now. I keep looking down, can't look up in the sky."
pa/pjm/abh/ami/kaf

ban

Reddit files legal challenge to Australia social media ban

BY LAURA CHUNG

  • Court filings by US-based Reddit challenged the validity of the law that "infringes the implied freedom of political communication", calling for a review by Australia's High Court.
  • Online discussion site Reddit launched a legal challenge Friday to Australia's social media ban for under-16s, just days after the landmark law came into effect.
  • Court filings by US-based Reddit challenged the validity of the law that "infringes the implied freedom of political communication", calling for a review by Australia's High Court.
Online discussion site Reddit launched a legal challenge Friday to Australia's social media ban for under-16s, just days after the landmark law came into effect.
This week, the country became the first to ban young teen accounts from a raft of popular apps and sites including TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
Tech companies that fail to purge Australia-based users younger than 16 now face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$33 million).
Court filings by US-based Reddit challenged the validity of the law that "infringes the implied freedom of political communication", calling for a review by Australia's High Court.
The filing also argued that the company should be exempt from the government's list of banned platforms, on the grounds that it is an online discussion forum aimed at adults.
"Unlike other platforms included under this law, the vast majority of Redditors are adults, we don't market or target advertising to children under 18," a Reddit statement said.
"Simply put, users under 16 are not a substantial market segment for Reddit and we don't intend them to be."
Pointing to the site's age rating of "17+" on the Apple App Store, Reddit said the best way to verify age was at the app store level rather than requiring each platform to carry out checks.
A spokesperson said there were serious privacy concerns associated with platforms verifying age, with the collection of personal data creating a risk of leaks or hacks.
The government was also inconsistent in selecting which platforms should be banned, the spokesperson argued, with some apps with large under-16 user groups exempt.
Those include Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp, but the government has stressed that the list remains under review.

'Missing the mark'

Reddit criticised the law as "missing the mark on protecting young people online".
"While we will comply with this law, we have a responsibility to share our perspective and see that it is reviewed by the courts," Reddit said.
The sprawling forum site made up of thousands of niche communities had previously warned on the eve of the December 10 ban that the government's move was "legally erroneous".
It is not the only tech firm to condemn the ban -- Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, also raised concerns that teens could flock to darker, less regulated corners of the internet seeking connection with peers.
An Australian government spokesperson said Friday authorities were "on the side of Australian parents and kids, not platforms".
"We will stand firm to protect young Australians from experiencing harm on social media."
Reddit's case is separate from one filed by an internet rights group last month, which is also seeking to overturn the law on the grounds it is an "unfair" assault on freedom of speech.
Australia's ban is being closely watched worldwide, with New Zealand and Malaysia mulling similar restrictions.
The government concedes the ban will be far from perfect at the outset and canny teenagers will find ways to slip through the cracks.
But authorities say unprecedented measures are needed to protect children from "predatory algorithms" filling phone screens with bullying, sex and violence.
lec/dhc/kaf

defense

North Korea's Kim vows to root out 'evil', scolds lazy officials

BY CLAIRE LEE AND OLIVER HOTHAM

  • The North Korean leader reserved praise for Pyongyang's soldiers fighting against Ukraine alongside Russia, of whom at least 600 have died and thousands more sustained wounds, according to South Korean estimates.
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to root out "evil" and scolded lazy officials while praising his troops fighting with Russia against Ukraine, state media said Friday, capping a major meeting of Pyongyang's top brass.
  • The North Korean leader reserved praise for Pyongyang's soldiers fighting against Ukraine alongside Russia, of whom at least 600 have died and thousands more sustained wounds, according to South Korean estimates.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to root out "evil" and scolded lazy officials while praising his troops fighting with Russia against Ukraine, state media said Friday, capping a major meeting of Pyongyang's top brass.
The three-day meeting of the regime's central committee discussed key policy issues as well as plans for a congress of its ruling party, expected in early 2026 -- North Korea's first in five years.
Wrapping up the meeting on Thursday, Kim condemned "the wrong ideological viewpoint and inactive and irresponsible work attitude" of some officials, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
He called on officials to have "greater confidence in and courage for the future of our cause and struggle".
State media did not offer specifics, though it did say the ruling party had revealed numerous recent "deviations" in discipline -- a euphemism for corruption.
The North Korean leader reserved praise for Pyongyang's soldiers fighting against Ukraine alongside Russia, of whom at least 600 have died and thousands more sustained wounds, according to South Korean estimates.
Their work, Kim said, "demonstrated to the world the prestige of our army and state as the ever-victorious army and genuine protector of international justice".

'Modern' armed forces

Analysts say Pyongyang is receiving financial aid, military technology, food and energy supplies from Russia in return for sending troops.
Kim's mention of the troops "signalled Pyongyang's intention to maintain that deployment", Ahn Chan-il, a researcher originally from North Korea, told AFP.
"North Korea is also highly likely to seek a role in post-war reconstruction in Russia once... the conflict ends," he added.
Kim also hailed efforts this year in "modernising" the country's defences in the face of great "global geopolitical and technological changes".
Pyongyang's central committee began meeting on Tuesday, the same day North Korea fired a salvo of artillery from a multiple rocket launcher system, which analysts say could strike the South.
Last week, South Korea's dovish President Lee Jae Myung said he felt an apology was due to the North over his predecessor's alleged order to send drones and propaganda leaflets across the border.
Pyongyang has not responded to the overture from Lee, who has sought to mend fractured ties with the North.
And Friday's readout made no mention of South Korea or the United States, whose leader Donald Trump had hoped to meet Kim during a visit to Asia in October.
The pair -- who Trump once famously declared were "in love" -- last met in 2019 at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas after the US leader extended an invitation to Kim on Twitter.
But analysts now say that the North Korean leader, increasingly emboldened by his growing ties with Russia, had few good reasons to join the photo-op.
cdl-oho/kaf

WC

Fan group calls for 'immediate halt' to World Cup ticket sales

  • "Football Supporters Europe is astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year's FIFA World Cup," umbrella lobby group FSE said.
  • Fans' group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) called on Thursday for FIFA to stop the sale of tickets for next year's World Cup due to their "extortionate" cost.
  • "Football Supporters Europe is astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year's FIFA World Cup," umbrella lobby group FSE said.
Fans' group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) called on Thursday for FIFA to stop the sale of tickets for next year's World Cup due to their "extortionate" cost.
According to FSE, the tickets for the competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico, running between June 11 and July 19, will cost almost five times more than the 2022 edition in Qatar.
"Football Supporters Europe is astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year's FIFA World Cup," umbrella lobby group FSE said.
It said that tickets allocated to national associations - typically distributed through official supporters' groups or loyalty programmes to their most dedicated fans - were reaching "astronomical" levels.
"Based on the information currently available to FSE, if a supporter were to follow their team from the first match to the final... it would cost them a minimum of $6,900.
"We call on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales, engage in a consultation with all impacted parties, and review ticket prices and category distribution until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found."
FSE claimed World Cup organisers had promised much cheaper costs for the tournament, pointing to tickets priced from $21 in a bid document released in 2018.
"Where are these tickets now?" it asked.
"The full way to the final, according to the same bid book, was supposed to cost $2,242 in the cheapest category. This promise is long gone."
eba/lh/jde/iwd/mw

vaccines

Vaccines do not cause autism: WHO

  • "Today, WHO is publishing a new analysis by the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety that has found, based on available evidence, no causal link between vaccines and autism," the UN health agency chief said.
  • A new analysis by the World Health Organization reaffirmed there is no link between vaccines and autism -- contrary to theories being propagated in the United States.
  • "Today, WHO is publishing a new analysis by the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety that has found, based on available evidence, no causal link between vaccines and autism," the UN health agency chief said.
A new analysis by the World Health Organization reaffirmed there is no link between vaccines and autism -- contrary to theories being propagated in the United States.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last month revised its website with language that undermines its previous, scientifically-grounded position that immunisations do not cause the developmental disorder autism.
Years of research demonstrate that there is no causal link between vaccinations and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders.
But Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the nation's health chief, has long voiced anti-vaccine rhetoric and inaccurate claims connecting the two.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference in Geneva that autism was not a side-effect of vaccines.
"Today, WHO is publishing a new analysis by the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety that has found, based on available evidence, no causal link between vaccines and autism," the UN health agency chief said.
The committee looked at 31 studies in multiple countries over 15 years relating to vaccines containing thiomersal -- a preservative that prevents bacterial and fungal contamination in multidose vials -- and aluminium adjuvants.
"The committee concluded that the evidence shows no link between vaccines and autism, including vaccines containing aluminium or thiomersal," said Tedros.
"This is the fourth such review of the evidence, following similar reviews in 2002, 2004 and 2012. All reached the same conclusion: vaccines do not cause autism.
"Like all medical products, vaccines can cause side effects, which WHO monitors. But autism is not a side effect of vaccines."

Flawed 1998 study

A purported connection between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism stems from a flawed study published in 1998, which was retracted for including falsified data. Its results have not been replicated and are refuted by voluminous subsequent research.
"The study was later shown to be fraudulent and retracted, but the damage had been done, and the idea has never gone away," said Tedros.
Kennedy has a long history of promoting dubious claims, many of which have become articles of faith among adherents to his "Make America Healthy Again" movement, a vital part of President Donald Trump's fractious Make America Great Again coalition.
The CDC website edits were met with anger and fear by career scientists and other public health figures, including from within the agency, who have spent years fighting against false information.
Tedros said that over the past 25 years, under-five mortality has plunged by more than half, from 11 million deaths a year to 4.8 million, with vaccination being a major reason behind the drop.
"Vaccines are among the most powerful, transformative inventions in the history of humankind," he said.
"Vaccines save lives from about 30 different diseases, including measles, cervical cancer, malaria and more."
rjm/rlp

AI

Make your own Mickey Mouse clip - Disney embraces AI

  • Disney shares rose more than 2% Thursday after the announcement.
  • Walt Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing deal Thursday that will allow users to create short videos featuring beloved Disney characters through artificial intelligence.
  • Disney shares rose more than 2% Thursday after the announcement.
Walt Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing deal Thursday that will allow users to create short videos featuring beloved Disney characters through artificial intelligence.
The deal marks the first time a major entertainment company has embraced generative AI at this scale, licensing its fiercely protected characters—from Mickey Mouse to Marvel superheroes and Star Wars's Darth Vader—for AI content creation.
The partnership represents a dramatic shift for an industry that has largely been battling AI companies in court.
Disney and other creative industry giants have been suing AI firms like OpenAI, Perplexity and Anthropic, accusing them of illegally using their content to train their technology.
The entertainment giant continued that legal campaign on Wednesday, separately sending a cease-and-desist letter to Google over the illegal use of its intellectual property to train the search engine giant's AI models.
For OpenAI, the deal comes as it faces increasing questions about the sustainability of its business model, with costs skyrocketing far faster than revenue—despite nearing one billion users worldwide.
Under the agreement, fans will be able to produce and share AI-generated content featuring more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars franchises on OpenAI's Sora video generation platform and ChatGPT.
Launched at the end of September, Sora aims to be a TikTok-like social network where only AI-generated videos can be posted.
From the outset, many videos have included characters directly inspired by real cartoons and video games, from South Park to Pokémon.
Facing license-holder anger, CEO Sam Altman promised OpenAI would offer rights holders more control to put a stop to these AI copies.
The partnership includes a $1 billion equity investment by Disney in OpenAI, along with warrants to purchase additional shares in the ChatGPT maker.
Disney shares rose more than 2% Thursday after the announcement.
Disney CEO Robert Iger said the collaboration would "thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling."
Characters available for fan creations will include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Elsa from Frozen, and Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, as well as Star Wars icons including Darth Vader and Yoda.
The agreement excludes talent likenesses and voices from actors amid deep concern in Hollywood about the impact of AI.
"This does not in any way represent a threat to the creators at all—in fact the opposite. I think it honors them and respects them, in part because there's a license fee associated with it," Iger told CNBC.
Hollywood's leading actors union, SAG-AFTRA, said it would "closely monitor" the deal's implementation, while the Writers Guild of America said it will meet with Disney to probe the terms and underlined that OpenAI had stolen "vast libraries" of studio content to train its technology.

30 seconds

Iger, in a joint interview with Altman on CNBC, insisted the deal only includes videos no longer than 30 seconds and the technology wouldn't be used for longer-form productions.
Beyond licensing, Disney will deploy OpenAI's technology to build new products and experiences for Disney+, the streaming platform.
"Disney is the global gold standard for storytelling," Altman said. "This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly."
Both companies emphasized their commitment to responsible AI use, with OpenAI pledging age-appropriate policies and controls to prevent illegal or harmful content generation.
In Disney's complaint against Google, OpenAI's biggest rival in the AI space, the entertainment giant accuses Google of infringing Disney's copyrights on a massive scale by copying a large corpus of content without authorization to train and develop AI models and services.
"We've been aggressive at protecting our IP, and we've gone after other companies that have not valued it, and this is another example of us doing just that," Iger told CNBC.
arp/sla

health

White House blames Trump's bandaged hand on handshakes

  • "As for the bandages on the hand, we've also given you an explanation for that," Leavitt told reporters. 
  • The White House said Thursday the high volume of handshakes by President Donald Trump explains the adhesive bandages he has worn on the back of his right hand in recent days.
  • "As for the bandages on the hand, we've also given you an explanation for that," Leavitt told reporters. 
The White House said Thursday the high volume of handshakes by President Donald Trump explains the adhesive bandages he has worn on the back of his right hand in recent days.
His spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt reiterated a response she gave months ago after the 79-year-old president was seen with a bruise on his right hand covered by a thick layer of makeup.
"As for the bandages on the hand, we've also given you an explanation for that," Leavitt told reporters. 
"In the past, the president is literally constantly shaking hands," she said.
"He's also on a daily aspirin regimen, which is something his physical examinations has said in the past as well, which can contribute to the bruise that you see," she added.
As the oldest president ever elected in the United States, Trump has fiercely defended his personal health, contrasting that with his predecessor Joe Biden, whom Trump claims was losing his faculties to the point of being unable to govern by the end of his term.
Trump posted a long message defending his health on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday night, calling investigations by news organizations into his physical fitness as equivalent to "sedition, maybe even treason."
In October, Trump underwent a medical examination, including an MRI scan, and his doctor reported the president was in excellent health.
aue/ph/jgc/msp/mlm